Not exaggerating.

So I'm one of those people who tends to exclaim that that was the BEST movie I have ever seen, that kitten is the CUTEST in the entire world, that was the MOST FUN I have ever had, so sometimes it is hard to be taken seriously when I really do believe something is the best. Well, not exaggerating, this past week in Punta Mona, Costa Rica was one of the best of my life.

Once again it is difficult to really begin to describe how much I learned and how much I changed. So after two days at the Whitworth campus in Costa Rica, CASP drove all the way south to the Carribean Ocean to spend the week at Punta Mona. We arrived in Manzanillo, hiked through the jungle for three hours in order to reach our destination, a completely sustainable community totally off the grid, 100 feet from the Caribbean ocean. (We could see Panama in the distance). Punta Mona was a couple of living buildings, a community kitchen, and three stalls of composting toilets. Their main principle is permaculture and trying to create a completely self sustaining, environmently friendly community. All week we learned about organic foods, alternative medicine, agriculture, sustainablity and the environment. This place was literally right up my alley, it was INCREDIBLE! Ninety percent of the food we ate was right from our farm and garden there. And the food was awesome, whole wheat coconut tortillas, banana and sugar cane oatmeal, bean and mushroom veggie burgers, fresh papaya, pineapple and plantains not to mention fruits I had never even heard of such as zapote, jackfruit, biddiba, noni and waxed shamu. The toilets were self composting so each time we used them we would throw on a couple scoops of saw dust and when the toilets were full they would shut that stall for 5 months and after that time the insides would become a beautiful soil they use for planting trees. They have three stalls that they rotate year round. How cool is that!?! There was electricity powered by solar energy. The water catchment system was a large roof placed several feet off the ground so that when it rains it runs off the roof, into the gutter, and into pipes that direct it to the few sinks and the two showers. The buildings are made of recycled wood from falled jungle trees. I also learned about a variety of plants and herbs and foods that can be used as alternatives to medicine. This place was epic.

At first I was discouraged because everything there is exactly how I want to live my life and it is just not a possiblity as a busy, poor college student living in freezing Spokane. However, I quickly changed my mine as I began to reflect about the simple ways I can make changes in my life to live more sustainablity, conserve energy and serve the world. I have embraced my inner hippie and lover of the earth and I think that the changes within are here to stay. (I almost, almost did my hair in dreads because I didn't shower all week and the group almost had me convinced but don't worry parents I didn't.) I have never felt so on fire about something. I've been thinking about how I can integrate what I've learned here and how I want to live my life as part of my future career. The possiblities are endless, here I come!

I had some pretty rough times as well. We had to go sea kayaking, explore nearby islands, spend hours swimming in 70 degree tropical water, snorkel in the coral reef, and hike through the jungle but you know, life is hard some times. Now we're back at the Costa Rica Center and I'm ready to keep on growing and learning!

Taylor, Kylie, Bree and I getting ready to hike through the jungle to Punta Mona!

Yes, that is a HUGE spider on my face. Our guide so kindly told us AFTER it had crawled all over me that it has a poisonous bite...how nice. I was pretty proud that I was the one in our group brave enough to touch the scary ginormous spider :) I think sleeping with cockroaches for a month in Honduras has helped me to conquer my fear.

Debriefing lecture. On the beach.

This is Punta Mona. We slept and ate upstairs and cooked downstairs. SUCH a beautiful place.

Me and my housemates! This is one for the mantel :)

Every day we worked on our garden project planting new fruit trees and well, we got real friendly with the mud and the worms. Lars (the huge guy in the back) so kindly threw me in the mud pit we were digging. Then we all washed off in the ocean it was fantastic.

Every morning I went running on the beach and it was unbelievable. Absolutely awe-inspiring.

I went sea kayaking to that island in the distance. Here we are representin the sophomores of CASP!