Meeting New Friends and Doing New Things

Hello All! Charlie from Chicago here. Can't believe it is Day 3 in Costa Rica. The first couple of days have been filled with meeting the folks from all over the country who came on this adventure, as well as the good folks we are working with here in San Marcos de Tarrazu, Costa Rica.

For those back in Chicago, you will be proud to know I am eating the rice and beans! Hehehe!

Today we met the folks at Coope Tarrazu, the cooperative of coffee farmers we are working with. As a bonus we have been invited to join them in a meeting with the President of Costa Rica. How could we turn that down?

More importantly today we learned about the field work we will be doing. And yes....we will be working in the rain. It is truly the rainy season, as it rains every afternoon. I am really out of my comfort zone, and having the time of my life!

My goal is to be open to all the experiences here, well....except one. Yesterday we visited the InBio Parcque, a national park dedicated to learning about the biodiversity of Costa Rica. I passed on the opportunity to learn about the snakes. UGH!

During our presentations today, I realized how important the work we are doing is to these people. The farmers are depending on the field research to help them produce the best quality coffee. I don't want to disappoint.

Hello to all my family, friends and especially Mark. More from me later!

Charlie


Jason, left to right, Charlie, and Chris listen to presentations by the Earthwatch team.
Sebas talks about annual rainfall... notice where we're at.
Sipping coffee during our meeting at Coope Tarrazu.Green beans just after the pulping stage.