Day 5: Pura Vida

We started off the day by having gallo pinto for breakfast. We went to Providencia’s first organic coffee plantation. David taught us about Conventional farming and Ecological Farming. Conventional Farming is the most common farming in Earth. What makes conventional farming the most used method is the use of human made pesticides and fertilizer that supports the crop. This is the easier option that requires the least labor and it is also easier because this is no bugs to eat the plants. The fertilizer is a common option, but it contributes to climate change. Ecological farming is the organic practice which ensures the soil stays safe and healthy. The goal for Providencia de Dota is to increase these numbers along the years to provide sustainable practices and encourage others to do so.

Coffee Farm

We got to the biofabrica around 10 and made sure to start digging where Jorge and David established boundaries and dimension with the string line identifying the center of the trench. We are doing a rectangle method with the corners making sure there is a 90 degree angle connecting the trenches . One side the foundation is 2 meters deep already. The reason we use the rectangle method versus the square method is because there is a side where the length is 7.2 meter and the rest of the side have a 8 meter of length. The dimensions of the following trenches we are digging are .4 meter width and 1 meter depth. So far we have successfully completed 2 trenches and we also completed half of another trench. Our goal is to have four trenches in total to form the rectangle.

Biofabrica work site

Young dreamers

We were suppose to play soccer with the young dreamers at 3pm, but the weather said otherwise. It was pouring rain and we had a ice breaker activity that was a introduction circle. We went around a circle and the further you were from the circle the more names you have to memorize. For example, my name was Dani Dragon so the person that went after me had to memorize everyone’s name before me and mine as well. After, we got in groups of 4. Two young dreamers and two Cabrillo students interacting and finding something we all have in common. For my group we all had a Dog in common. The young dreamers gave us a presentation about their program and their experience during the program. We finished off my playing a game of “Asecino”. We were a big circle the way we played was there was two angels, four killers, two cops. The killers winked once and the person had to sit down. The angles lift both their brows to save the people that were killed. The cops could call out the killers at the end once they were 100% sure who they were.

We ended the night by experiencing our host family’s son’s birthday. Deylan turned 8 and he had a birthday cake. All his family came over from hours away to be part of it. We all sung with the family, which was an amazing experience and I was happy to be part of his special day.

Deylan's Birthday Cake

Providencia de Dota truly has a special place in my heart. I have been learning every moment of this experience something new and something that has stand out to me, is how blindfolded human kind is. This community has purely taught me so much at every moment. It has also helped me learn about myself and reflect the actual reason why I choose to study Civil Engineering. The purpose I found is I want to be a sustainable engineer and help the earth because we only get one earth and we only get one life therefore let’s make the best out of it and help nature. PURA VIDA!!!

-Dani

Personal Reflection