Color and Coope Tarazzu

Tonight I'm only posting photos of today's activities because I'm too tired to write.

We have to leave the hotel at 6 a.m. tomorrow to begin work in the fields. So that means an early wake up call, for sure.

Today was our "in class" day and my brain has officially hit information overload. We toured the coffee farmer's cooperative, also known as Coope Tarrazu, which was by far my favorite activity of the day.

The afternoon was spent at the research office where we learned more about local farming practices and the push toward sustainability.

Here are my favorite images from these activities. I was impressed by the color and contrasts found in this culture and hope you enjoy it as much as I am.

Inside the shop around the corner.The street in front of our hotel.Debra pointing out our enormous rear view mirror.Charlie, center, sips coffee while listening to to a lecture at Coope Tarrazu.Red and green coffee cherries.
Coffee beans after being washed.You never know where you'll see these.A mechanic at Coope Tarazzu (notice the poster in his shop.)Working man's hands.Coope Tarazzu.The life blood of the community is the river.Sebas talking about annual rainfall.Alex displays the necessary poncho.Jason sneaking under a fence.

San Jose to San Marcos

It already feels like I’ve been here a month.

So much so that everyone on the team has said the same thing.

We’re “bonding” even though I’ve only known these people for a day… somehow we’ve connected.

We come from different backgrounds, but somehow share similar interests and past experiences. I think the way the “luck of the draw” put us together is pretty something.

Alex – short for Alexandra – is a hoot. She works in a medical office in Sacramento and recently lived in Paris for two years. She has children and a husband back home. Her son is in the Marines. Tonight, she confessed to me that she needed a drink.Alex taking pictures at Nati's house.

Harmony, 29, is a grad student in Chicago studying Social Service Administration with a concentration in Human Rights. She’s married and has lived in Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. Her life experience makes her seem older than she is.
Harmony, right, talks with Nati's father about sugar cane.

Lewis lives in Boston and works for a private university in their communications department. He has a wife and a 13-year-old daughter. He’s confessed that he hasn’t done much traveling, but that this experience may be the start of something new for him.
Lewis checks out spider eyes at INBIO.

There are other members who I’ll introduce soon. But for now I’ll tell you a little about the two Earthwatch employees who are natives of Costa Rica.

Nati – for Natalia – grew up on a coffee farm outside of San Marcos. She got a science degree and joined Earthwatch to help lead the teams of volunteers and work in the fields and at the research lab. She’s 28-years-old and comes from a family of six. Her parents are extremely hospitable, hosting every team for dinner several times over the two weeks duration of the trip.
Sebas – or Sebastian – is from San Jose and began working with Earthwatch 18 months ago. He’s educated in agronomy, and seems pretty knowledgeable. He’s pretty sarcastic, and has had us all laughing a time or two.
***
We began the day with a trip to the INBioParque in San Jose. Situated on 15 acres in the middle of the city, this park is a thriving zoo-like biological reserve/education center on what used to be a coffee farm. We saw everything there from giant beetles to a real, live sloth.
We had lunch at a traditional Costa Rican restaurant and were served amazing food. I’ve got to admit that I’ve fallen in love with the fried plantains. Some of which will most likely accompany me back to the states. Avocados are served with nearly every meal too, so I’m in seventh heaven.

Then we boarded a charter bus for our trip south into the mountains. I really wasn’t prepared for the beauty of the countryside, and certainly didn’t expect coffee farms to be so spectacular. The rain had started by now, and the air temperature dropped as we gained elevation.Coffee farms as seen from the bus window.

Once we arrived at Hotel La Cascada, I was thoroughly exhausted and took a short nap.
At 5 p.m. we went to the research lab for a short orientation session and then off to Nati’s parents’ house for dinner. (More rice and black beans, fried plantains, and slow-cooked beef.)

Here's the view from my room.

Nati's parents are far left, Alba, and center, Jorge.

I’m pretty dead now, but look forward to spending tomorrow in class, preparing to learn all that we’re going to need to know before heading to the fields on Thursday.

So far, the whole experience has been much more than I had planned for. And I mean that in a good way.

Costa Rican rain

I landed in San Jose right as the morning sunshine was packing up to make way for the ever-predictable afternoon showers.

For weeks now I've been contemplating and imagining (and perhaps dreading) the torrents that water the verdant landscape nearly every day.

Its the rainy season now in Costa Rica. I'm told its this way from April until November.

When I got out of the shower at 1:30 p.m., the rains had started. I opened the doors to my balcony and sat and watched the downpour.

We're staying at the lovely Hotel Bougainvillea only one night before heading two hours away to the mountains where the majority of our time will be spent on the coffee farms.

Once the rain started, I broke out my rain coat and went outside to the eight acre garden surrounding the hotel. I wanted to see if I could photograph the rain.

The showers persisted for several hours. I gave up after a while - I was wet and cold.

Back in the room I listened to the sound the countless drops made as they hit the ground. I pulled out the audio recorder to capture the moment and with the help from Ozomatali (the background musicians), I decided to put together a little slide show to hopefully give you a better idea of what it was like.

If you press the button in the lower right-hand corner of the slide show frame, you'll be able to watch it full-frame.

Enjoy!

Travel

We've all suffered from the hand of jet lag.

Whether you're flying to San Fransisco from Seattle or to Luxembourg, the dreaded jet lag inevitably takes its toll.

Here's a couple images from last night's red eye flight from Seattle to San Jose, Costa Rica.

I'm tired too, but have decided that a flight to Europe is far worse than one to central America.

Here's to good times and a long night's sleep.

Uniforms

I've never really liked wearing a uniform.

I used to wear one when I worked for Starbucks, and can honestly say that I've not worn any combination of black, white, and khaki since I quit over a year ago.

Today I put on a uniform again.


In a few hours I'll board a plane to Costa Rica and join nine other lucky individuals who "won" the Starbucks Earthwatch Expedition.

Yes, for the first time in my life I actually won something more significant than a door prize.

Twenty people were selected as grand prize winners in the contest that was accessed via Starbucks' website.

My husband, Joe, did not enter and will not be joining me. Its really my fault he didn't, because I forgot to tell him that I did and frankly, I forgot that I did. He found out I won (and entered) while we were in the car on our way to play golf when I got the call informing me I'd won the "grand prize." We both thought it must be a fluke. But it wasn't. One thing's for sure: he'll be missed!

Over the next two weeks, I'll be telling tales of a journey through coffee fields, team building, and random moments of hilarity.

I hope you will enjoy the ride.

Dragons and parasols

Dragon boats pay a visit to the Foss
By Ingrid Barrentine

TACOMA - The long yellow, green, and black boats cut through the water towards the finish line in front of Thea’s Park.

Twenty paddlers move in synchronization as their paddles penetrate the placid blue-green water, propelling them forward.

A drummer sits at the front of the boat facing the paddlers; she leans over the instrument she’s beating and urges her team to push harder.

The Tacoma Nagas, Team Xtreme, Khmer Krom Dragons, and Kirkland Spitfire dragon boat teams have made it to the final heat of the Bon Om Tuk Asian American Water Festival’s dragon boat races Saturday August 16, 2008 on the Thea Foss Waterway in Tacoma, Wash.

“Everything’s on the water now guys,” Nagas team captain, Kosal Nam, 29, said to his 25-member crew. “It’s the last heat.”

Nagas coach, Jules Halvarson, 43, reiterates the importance of the final event.

“We have got to hammer the start on this race,” she said. “No excuses.”

At first, the 500-meter course doesn’t seem long, but after five races, the paddlers start to tire.

Drumbeats quicken as the finish line nears. With a final push, the boats zip past the line. The race lasted a little more than two minutes.

The strength and experience of the Khmer Krom team gave them the edge over Xtreme and Nagas. Only one second separated the three teams at the finish line. Spitfire crossed 12 seconds behind the leaders.

“It was so close,” Halvarson said, as she wiped sweat from her forehead. “Good job you guys, excellent work.”

The festival, in its fifth year in Tacoma, brings together people from across the country to celebrate the ancient Cambodian water festival that traditionally marks the end of the rainy season.

Chanda Sovan, 37, of Kent, was excited about the mix of cultures that showed up for the festivities. Sovan is the president of the Asian American Dragon Boat Association and the event’s coordinator.

“The goal here is to make this an international event,” she said.

Sovan explained that the festival is not only geared toward Cambodians, but also to the Thai, Laotian, and Vietnamese communities as well as anyone interested in learning about the different cultures.

A variety of Asian foods, traditional folk music, and live performances were also available to festivalgoer’s on the grounds of Thea’s Park.

For Halvarson, getting involved with the Tacoma Nagas three years ago was her first exposure to the Cambodian culture.

“I’m starting to learn the language a little now,” she said.

Organizers expected 3,000 people to attend the free event.

A light moment