Costa Rica Update Part 2

Hi, friends! First off - sorry for the lack of blog posting on my part. We have an itinerary packed with interviews, meals, stops and experiences from 7AM until 11PM and that has left little time to focus on my personal blog and keeping you all updated.With that being said, I encourage all of you to follow Muddy Boots News on social media and our blog where we post our stories. Sickness has swept the group (I have not caught the bug....knock on wood!) and stories are awaiting publication -- but there are several stories posted that are incredible. As the youngest "journalist" on the trip I am really enjoying learning from the juniors and seniors and becoming a better writer along the way. mucostarica.wordpress.com is where you can find all the action!Day 4 (Saturday, December 31) - We departed warm and beachy Ostional for misty and mild Monteverde. Monteverde, however, has been my favorite part of the trip so far and I am 70% convinced that I want to study abroad here for a semester. On the way to Monteverde, we stopped at La Casa del Sol, where we enjoyed a solar cooked meal and a tour of a sustainable farm. We continued to Monteverde and went on a night hike at Bajo del Tigre Children's Eternal Rainforest with Adan Fuentes, our fun naturalist guide. We rounded out New Year's Eve with a celebratory dinner at Caburé Argentine which is, yes, as fancy as it sounds. I had the house special lasagna with a salad and "Death by Brownie" to ring in the New Year. The dinner was very fun and I think we all appreciated the night out with fantastic food. The table next to us was a lot of retired/older friends who were singing songs and we joined them a few times and then shared hugs around the table to welcome the New Year together. Friendship is everywhere!Day 5 (Sunday, January 1) - Today was a highly anticipated FREE DAY! Not only did we get to sleep in for New Year's Day, but some of us went ziplining across the Cloud Forest Reserve. I started 2017 doing "one thing every day that scares me" and found that I really enjoy ziplining (now that it's over!). There were like 16 different lines that you went on to complete the course; the last one was zero visibility and inside a cloud. Some of the lines required a partner and one of the nice guides Vladimar went with me. We went on the canopy suspension bridges as well, which are like swinging bridges over the open forest.The other students on the trip tricked me into getting in line for the Tarzan swing, telling me that it was just another zipline. It was not and it's exactly as it sounds. I asked the guide if I could turn around and he said nope, too late and off I was into the great abyss of potential death-potential fun as he gently pushed me off the platform. Essentially, it was like a platform and you swing back and forth on a rope over a cliff in the cloud forest. It was scary, it was exhilarating, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.We also ate lunch inside a literal tree at "Tree House," a very touristy restaurant with good food and a natural atmosphere overlooking "downtown."Day 6 (Monday, January 2) - Today we visited the Guindon-Standing Farm, a tropical Quaker farm, to discuss human-feline interactions and conflict. After that, we had the afternoon devoted to stories and two of our students went bungee jumping.I am working on a larger story about CASEM, a traditionally women's cooperative in Monteverde, and interviewed one of our sources that afternoon.Day 7 (Tuesday, January 3) - This morning had a very early wake up call, but it was worth it! We ventured to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve with Mark Wainwright, a naturalist guide and environmental author for a five-hour hike exploring the environment. No wonder why many Costa Ricans are in shape -- I have hiked so much on this trip!One of the exciting components of our trip involved working with University of Missouri nursing students who were beginning a public health study abroad program during our time in Monteverde. Unfortunately the collaboration did not go as smoothly as anticipated, but it was still cool to meet the students and gain insight into public health. I interviewed more sources for my CASEM story and I'm working on a larger piece about the nursing students.Day 8 (Wednesday, January 4) - Today was our formal introduction to the Monteverde Institute. Fern Perkins, program co-coordinator, gave us a tour around the institute and we introduced ourselves to the MVI staff and nursing students.Deb Hamilton, executive director, gave us an insightful presentation into Monteverde, the globalization of food, food insecurity, water scarcity, eco-tourism and sustainability as it relates to MVI and the community at large.The nursing students were conducting windshield surveys about a self-designated area to assist in their public health research and vide project. I was partnered with Jenna and Libby and they were both super sweet and it was fun to hear about what they were learning through public health and nursing.We walked around Monteverde taking photos and talking about the community and my experiences there.The evening was spent at bat mist-netting with Richard LaVal, a bat biologist (who used to work in Missouri). He caught bats and told us about them. They were scary at first, but ended up being really cute and soft. One student got bit but she's okay :)We ate dinner at Tramonti Italian restaurant behind our hotel El Bosque and it was muy bueno! I had the Tramonti special which was fettucini alfredo with mushrooms and ham. I also had slices from the leftover pizza that others didn't eat and both meals were fantastic.