Education for Sustainable Development

We recently took a field trip to Nacientes Palmical as part of our Education for Sustainable Development class (see http://www.nacientespalmichal.com/rural_tourism.html). This is a community collective that began as a means to protect and preserve the water source that serves most of San Jose. It has grown into an inspirational example of how people can work together to improve their lives and their communities. The highlights? The worm farm, homemade cheese, the community education center and a biodigester, which has to be the simplest most ingenious idea ever! Of course it was beautiful - but no surprises there. This is Costa Rica after all.

Asia Night

The incredible diversity at Upeace is something that continually amazes, teaches, and humbles me. The Asian students recently put together Asia night to share with the community the dance, food, music, movies and cultural traditions of this massive and diverse region of the world. Some of the highlights included dressing up in kimonos, learning traditional Cambodian dancing, watching Burmese cultural dances, Korean drumming, Philippine poetry and of course- the FOOD!!! I am so lucky to be part of such a dynamic and interesting group of people. Yea intercultural communication and understanding!

Rancho Mastatal

Sustainable building practices. What does that mean exactly? I recently found out when I accompanied my friend to go visit Rancho Mastatal- a sustainable farm where her boyfriend is doing an internship. We swam in the river, hiked on the 600 acres of rainforest, ate yummy vegetarian food, hung out in the hammocks and got a chance to learn about all of the cool things they are doing at the farm.
Rancho Mastatal builds and teaches cob and bamboo building. Cob is similar to adobe, but holds up better in the wet rainforest that is Costa Rica. The ranch also uses composting toilets, a wood burning stove to bake all of its bread products, and included classrooms, cool bedrooms and gardens. It was beautiful and inspiring to see people that are dedicated to and living their vision- a simple, rewarding life that works in tandem with the natural environment.

photos all taken my emily zionts

Peace Jam Costa Rica

One of my best experiences here in Costa Rica was PeaceJam. Peace Jam is an international educational organization, headquartered in Denver. It is built around Nobel Laureates who work personally with youth to pass on spirit, skills and wisdom. PeaceJam hopes to build leaders who will help transform thier lives, their communities and the world. Participants study peacemakers, create service plans, and meet together to share growth and experiences (www.peacejam.org). In Costa Rica youth 14-19 from all over the country spent the weekend with Rigoberta Menchu Tum. She is an indigenous leader and activist from Guatemala. She won the Nobel Peace Prize for waking the world up to the systematic and bloody human rights violations perpetrated by the army on the indigenous people during Guatemala's long and civil war.

I had the pleasure of spending the day seeing and getting to know 200 + active, engaged youth. The force of so many young people united, hopeful, involved and active in their communities makes me smile still. I was also lucky to get to spend some time with Marcos, the hardworking, tireless guy who is helping PeaceJam become a reality in Latin America. But most amazing of all, I got to speak with and listen to Rigoberta. I truly felt like I was in the presence of someone great. She was kind, profound, yet simple. She discussed everything from Obama's recently election, to cultural relativism and sustainability. She talked about how funny and awkward teenagers are, and discussed globalization's effect on women in Latin America. She talked about xenophobia and her deep connection with the land that is her home. It was really a magical and special experience.

Me meeting Rigoberta Menchu.

Hob-nobbin'

I was recently part of a delegation representing Upeace at a community and government meeting in Ciudad Colon. Members of the community spoke about new developments, problems and
progress in the region. Here we are with the Minister of Education.








And here we are (see my glasses poking out?) with Don Oscar Arias, the president of Costa Rica.

Refugee Children's Party

Some Upeacers recently spent the day with ACAI, an ngo that works closely with UN High Commission on Refugees here in Costa Rica. One of my classmates works with the refugee children group. I spent a fun filled day playing, doing art projects and enjoying these kids energy and hope. The refugee population in Costa Rica is 100% Colombian, mostly families from rural, conflict ridden areas that have had to flee their homes. Some of these children's stories are heartbreaking- but they are still kids. They love pizza, jumping castles, stickers and playing. So that's what we did. What a great afternoon!

Panama!

After a very intense human rights education class, where I studied and created a unit plan on global slavery, I was more than ready for a break. We had 4 days free so we hopped a bus for our neighbor- Panama. After a beautiful bus ride hugging the coast we arrived at the boarder- a river that divides the two nations. Since we only had a few days, we chose the closest nice place to visit, Bocas del Torro, a collection of beautiful beachy islands.




This is the view from the "ferry" to the islands- a 15-seater motorboat. The ride to the island alone justified the journey. Thick jungle on both sides. Small one room homes on silts. Dark longhaired women and children in wooden canoes. Thousands of majestic cranes poised on one foot watched us pass. On the return trip the river was so calm and still it formed a natural mirror, reflecting back the sky and the dense almost primeval vegetation.









































The only down side to the weekend was the visit to a Panamanian hospital. I got bit by some unknown insect and a few hours later my foot was double in size and the bite was rising 1/2 an inch off my toe. It was also a strange black-ish color. We sat in the waiting room, and after few hours, two shots, and 5 different types of medicine I returned to my spot in sun and fresh pineapple shakes.