Grace Day 4! (06/21)

 Hi everyone! It’s Grace :)

Today was a very grueling but rewarding day. After breakfast we walked about 4 km (around 2.4 miles) straight up to visit the Rincón Ecológico, or Ecological Corner. We walked through a neighborhood on our way there and saw lots of cute dogs and chickens. 

On our way we had to cross a flowing stream, and there we met up with Paulino. Paulino is a Brörán man who has dedicated his life to replanting native plants in areas that were deforested for cattle. He taught us about the importance of water and rain to his people. The rocks near the stream were marked by the symbol of the earth goddess to guide the Brörán people to their towns. 

As we continued walking, we saw cattle fields and looked behind us to see all of the beautiful mountains that surround this area in Costa Rica. We were so high up that we could even see Panamá! Paulino said that he was inspired to embark on his reforestation project by his grandmother, but his journey wasn’t easy. When he began the project in the 1980s, he faced opposition from the cattle ranchers who didn’t see planting trees as profitable. This is when he decided to call the area the Rincón Ecológico because it was the only section of forested area in the region. Now, however, he receives international recognition for what he’s been able to accomplish over the last 40 years. 

When we (eventually) arrived at the Rincón Ecológico, we were greeted by Paulino’s wife Fidelia who gave us starfruit juice, a bean empanada, and a pastry filled with dulce de leche. The food was so tasty and it was exactly what we needed after such a grueling hike. Fidelia showed us the art she makes out of the seeds, fruit, and woods of the native trees. She specializes in carvings and prints, and her work was shown in the Costa Rican National Art Museum in an exhibit in 2012. She’s the first Indigenous woman in Costa Rica to have that honor. Additionally, when the current president began his term, he commissioned Fidelia to create art for him to gift to the Pope. Paulino and Fidelia were, as they should be, very proud of these accomplishments they’ve had over their lifetimes. They really emphasized that the most important step in conservation is to take that first step in changing how you treat the world around you because things fall into place after that. Paulino randomly assigned us each a species of tree and walked us around the area to show us each our tree. We all enjoyed forming that connection with nature and learning the ways that each tree benefited humans and other animals. 

After spending some more time learning from Paulino and Fidelia, we said goodbye and began walking down back to camp. On the way, we stopped in the stream we crossed earlier to wade in the cold water. It was very refreshing and peaceful for all of us. Then we finished our walk, and a 5 mile round trip, feeling excited for lunch. 

When we finished lunch, most of our group headed to town to help work on the construction project, but Tyneeta, Julia, and I stayed in camp. We helped clean a beautiful mural painted by one of the Brörán women depicting many of the animals found in this area. 

As the group returned from their project, it began to thunderstorm. Now I sit in the open main room listening to the rain and the birds. 

I hope everyone is having a lovely day/night. Pura vida!

-Grace