My arrival to La Reserva came after being in Costa Rica for 2 months. Although I had seen a good bit of the country, the attitude and life style here is one of the few places I’d been to that embodies la PURA VIDA.
I stayed with Omar, the manager, and his family and they could not have been more welcoming. The food was hands down the most authentic, filling, and delicious of my stay and I did not speak a word of English while with them. My room had its own private entrance from the outside and I never felt like my privacy was invaded. On the other hand I also never felt like an exiled outsider and instead felt like a part of the family. For example, in the afternoons I often helped Omar’s daughters with their English homework after school and I’m pretty sure I met all of Omar’s siblings. Overall, my time with Omar’s family allowed me to truly immerse myself in Tico culture.
Each morning at dawn we walked an hour from his house to La Reserva and worked from 6 am to 2 pm. On the first day of work we walked around the reserve and transplanted Hibiscus stems along the fence in order to fortify the barriers. Unfortunately, there is a problem of poachers, not only of animals but also of plants. In fact, during my time here a rare Iris was stolen from La Reserva at night. In the afternoon of the first day, Omar and I worked in the nursery preparing the bags that serve to hold the young trees before they are big enough to be planted in the forest. Before my arrival, I had the idea that I was coming to plant trees. However, my time here opened my eyes to the fact that there is much more to “reforestation” than simply planting trees. Before leaving however, I made a point to plants some trees!
On the second day of work, what would become the main project of my stay started to take shape. While walking through the trails of La Reserva, Omar was constantly giving me information about different plants and animals – He is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his work. Without his information, I would not have gained as much from walking through La Reserva. In order to give visitors information, and help the tours that Roberta gives to guests, we decided to make informational signs along the two main trails. My goal was to ultimately increase the traffic to La Reserva in order to help them fund their ambitions.
The rest of my time at La Reserva was spent realizing this project. Omar and I harvested wood from an old milking barn and in the end did not buy a single piece of wood for the project. We cut the wood into appropriate sizes for the signs and the posts and painted them. Roberta wrote the text for each sign, and after printing and laminating the information, we put up the signs on my last day. Along with the informational signs, we installed a large welcome sign at the main entrance with a donation box.
It was an extremely rewarding experience to arrive here, create a project, and complete the project! I can only hope that I’ve helped La Reserva to realize its potential. The forest here is now a part of me, and I’m sure I will rely on it in the future when I find myself back in the bustle of life in the US. Endless thanks to Roberta and Daniel for giving me the chance to come here and being such wonderful friends- I hope to return soon.
