Davis Lovvorn: Costa Rica

    For the Wilson Language Grant over the summer, I went to Costa Rica for a month. I can say that my perspective on life has changed, and I am ever more thankful of my life here in the United States. I had an incredible group, met lifelong friends, and will certainly stay in touch with them.
    The first two days of the trip, we traveled to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, where I was hit with complete culture shock. On the first day, we were treated to our first Costa Rican meal: cheese plantains, guanabana juice, tamales, and other foods that were incredible. When we went shopping in the central plaza, we used our Spanish skills to buy various items like hombre grande, a medicinal, horrible-smelling herb. My worst experience occurred when a suspicious man tried to give me a Dragonball-Z card, and when I took it, he got mad at me and expected me to pay for it. The next day, we went to inBio park, a zoo-like place where we saw all the various wildlife in Costa Rica, including caimans, birds, sloths, and whitetail deer. Finally, we visited a volcano just outside the city with an incredible view. The picture just does not do it justice.

The next day, we ventured to Corcovado National Park for three days. On the drive, we stopped by a bridge full of crocodiles. Some were as big as 16 feet long! Max, our guide, told us that the locals fed the crocodiles there for tourism.

We then took a two-hour, very bumpy boat ride to get to the Campanario Biological Reserve Station. Unfortunately for us, the cabins had no lights or electricity, and in our cabin, the water stopped working and was out for the rest of our stay. We also had to wear these uncomfortable boots everywhere because there had been a number of venomous snake sightings lately. Although I was quite unnerved and quite uncomfortable, we were totally fine. Every day we hiked through the beautiful, lush rainforest and saw incredible wildlife like howler monkeys, sloths, a snake eating a lizard, and Jesus Christ lizards (because they can walk on water). One day, we even went swimming in a waterfall. In the afternoons, because of the sweltering heat and lack of a fan, we were allowed to swim in the ocean and play soccer on the beach. Although it was a rough adventure, I had a great time in Campanario and learned much about the wildlife and conservation efforts there.

Following Campanario, we traveled to Finca Kobo, a chocolate farm that uses sustainable agriculture, allowing the wildlife and the agriculture to work in harmony. The first day, the group challenged some local kids to a soccer game (they were way better than we were). Also, I finally was able to catch up on my running. We received a tour of the facility and learned about the chocolate process, and we got to try various fruits, including starfruit, my personal favorite. On the last day, we went kayaking in a mangrove swamp. It was quite narrow, physically taxing, and a bit scary since crocodiles were rumored to inhabit the area, yet fun. The nights were spent in the hammocks, playing cards and catching up on summer reading. In the photo is a cacao fruit. It actually tasted pretty good.

After a carsick drive (I don’t want to talk about that), our group arrived at the mountainous town of Santa Maria de Dota, a coffee-producing city that is going to be the first carbon neutral county in the world. We stayed for two weeks. The Navarro family immediately greeted me, with mom Marge, son Mario (age 13), daughter Valentina (age 5), aunt Karla cousin Josue (age 5), aunt Lamancha, cousin Yuri, and aunt Pam. They are a loud, fun-loving, and boy crazy family, as they seemed to flirt with every boy in our group. The first night, we went shopping for plantains only because I said that I liked them. As I would find out, they loved to cook and feed me. At the table, after I would have many servings, they would keep piling my plate with rice, beans, chicken, and all the food they had. Marge would say, “Mas comida (more food), Davis? You finish. No problem!” And I would happily oblige. Also living in my house for a few days was an American named Wayne (I have no idea how he knew the Navarros) who spoke only English and no Spanish whatsoever. The Navarros ate together every night, whether it was at Karla’s house or my house. One night, our family went to the movies to see Spider-Man where I met Marge’s boyfriend, Ricardo. Pam, Marge, Mario, Lamancha, Yuri, and I even went to a karaoke night at a restaurant one night. I developed an awesome relationship with Mario. He always made sure I was happy, and we passed the time playing soccer and watching USA basketball in Spanish.

Mario, Valentina, and Marge in their Preds shirts!

Our group’s community service project involved building a nature trail and education center for schoolchildren. My job was to shovel dirt, dig ditches, shovel rocks, and do just about every strongman job there was. The most rewarding part was to see it go from a shabby place to a pretty nice center. It was very rewarding.

During the group stay, we did many activities. Every day, we played soccer at a gymnasium by the plaza. We also visited a coffee shop and took a tour of the coffee factory there. 

Perhaps the funniest thing that happened there occurred when I was running. When I would run past the central plaza, the ladies who cleaned the park developed an attachment to me. One particularly large woman always chased me with her broom and said, in broken English, “Oh my God!” and “Take your shirt off!” I was flattered, yet scared, so I ran very fast past the plaza. When it was time to leave, it was a very emotional goodbye, and Marge reminded me that I always had a second mother in Costa Rica. Here is a nice view of Santa Maria.

After the homestay, we left for Pacuare Beach to participate in the WIDECAST sea turtle project, where food, electricity, and relief from the heat were scarce. The first night, from 12 to 2 at night we patrolled the beach for turtles and poachers. The second night, we did it a little earlier. Between the two nights, all we found were some poachers. Apparently, the rule between the conservationists and the poachers is that whoever gets to the turtles first wins. The last day, however, we did see some baby turtles hatch, and I got to take measurements on one of them. I got to do some barefoot runs on the beach, which was very nice. However, no swimming was allowed because the water was too rough, so there was no heat relief. All in all, I had a fun yet toughening experience in Pacuare.

Finally, for the last four days, we arrived at Playa Hermosa, a beach with an incredible view. 

We rested and relaxed there while bodysurfing some waves. One day, we went to Tamarindo Beach, where the waves were perfect for bodysurfing. The waves would take me all the way onto the shore. On the last day there, we went to a ziplining and whitewater tubing center. I conquered my fear of heights while experiencing awesome adrenaline rushes One night, we went to a fair, where we went on suspicious rides and ate Costa Rican Chinese food (it was not that special). When we returned to San Jose, we were treated to a steak dinner on a mountain with an incredible view of the city. I was extremely sad to leave our group and extremely thankful to our leaders, Viky and Max, for all their help.
    From the experience, I felt I learned much not only about Costa Rica, but also about myself. While I did not learn as much Spanish as I would have liked (the students did not know much, if any, Spanish), I learned that one does not need many material possessions to live. Their national slogan, “Pura Vida” (pure life) captured the fact that one should live life to the fullest and always be happy. While Costa Rica is a well-developed country by Latin American standards, it is still a third-world country with very poor aspects. Therefore, I was very proud to live in a place where I am very comfortable. I am very proud to be an American. Thank you so much to the Wilson family for this incredible opportunity. Their investment in me will pay off. I hope I can make them proud again in the future.