Pura Vida

What a change! From a ruthless, arrogant boss who taught us next to nothing and hated being asked questions, to a fun and easy going man that is completely hands off, requires fewer hours of work that we can set according to our own schedule, and is eager to teach us about farming. Today was my first full day at Roberts’s farm, a 2.7 acre plot grown completely organically in a beautiful neighborhood. WWOOFers have reign over the bottom floor of Robert’s house, which includes a huge garage known as the bodega with space for camping (currently housing 6 girls in tents), our own kitchen, a huge roof-covered porch with a view of the mountains and San Jose in the distance, an office with a computer for us to use (including Skype that Robert pays for unlimited phone calls), 3 bathrooms with 2 showers, and a washing machine! We can pick and eat anything from the diverse and fully functional garden that we want, and Robert goes shopping for us each week. Because Robert saved me from my stay at Finca Quijote with the understanding that I did not have a tent, I am currently housed in an office with a couch to sleep on, a table and sink.

Although the group projected to grow from 7 to 15 (including only one other Y-chromosome), today we had a pow-wow around the fire pit (next to the trampoline) to talk about our reasons for coming here to Costa Rica, and why we are interested in organic farming. We walked around the property and made a list of the chores to be done. On our walk I was easily distracted by all the things that were not at Finca Quijote due to the elevation. Neat insects hopped and flew about. Brightly colored birds were in massive trees including the famous Guanacaste (the national tree of Costa Rica).