Poco a Poco

Well, the adventure has already started.  I have been in Costa Rica for one week and it's time to start sharing my experiences with all of you.  Most of you know that I am here to do my masters research.  I am visiting farms around Costa Rica that practice permaculture and engage in volunteer tourism...two of my favourite things.

For those who do not know, permaculture is a design system that allows people to live and grow food sustainably by mimicking natural ecosystems.  Just as a forest does not need human intervention to grow, the holy grail of permaculture is to design ways of growing food that require as little human intervention and external inputs as possible - creating a closed-loop system.  This usually requires the use of perennials, companion planting, mulching, and observation - seeing what already happens naturally and working with these natural forces and realities.

Parrot at Zoo Ave

Volunteer tourism, on the other hand, allows tourists to have a different experience when visiting a country.  In Costa Rica, many people come to volunteer with non-profit organizations that are working with endangered species or protecting habitats.  Usually this requires a time commitment of at least one week, but can be much longer with some people volunteering at the same place for months at a time.  My research focuses on farms that host volunteers to help with the daily work and projects associated with permaculture and living, such as organic gardening, building solar ovens and composting toilets, or feeding animals.

The 4th Floor Roof Top Patio at Alajuela Backpackers

As I mentioned, I arrived in Alajuela, Costa Rica on February 11th and stayed a great hostel called Alajuela Backpackers Boutique Hostel.  I had three nights booked and hoped that this would give me the time I needed to schedule my farm visits and adjust to my new surroundings.  In the end I stayed all week!  My time was spent contacting farms, scheduling my farm visits, a
couple of day trips and hanging out with a very fun couple from Toronto (Lee-Anna & Chris), two Norwegians (Magnus & Robert), and a rotating motley crew of travellers from Australia, Canada, the US and Germany.  On Saturday morning we all departed ways to continue our adventures and I am now on my own in San Isidro starting my interviews and farm visits.

Red Bananas!

I'm really happy I had the time that I did in Alajuela, it  allowed me to get my feet under me and practice my Spanish before really heading out on my own.  It took a week to get myself together and ready to move on, but as they, poco a poco (little by little).  I still have some work to do before my research really begins and for reasons relating to my research ethics I cannot identify the farms I am going to, but I'll keep you posted as I learn more about tropical permaculture, volunteer tourism, and Costa Rica.

Hasta Luego!