From my pre-departure fundraising page:
Opportunity is not something that is scarce in college; I have realized that amazing opportunities surround me, but more importantly I have learned to reach out and accept them even if it may be challenging. Recently, I have been given the incredible opportunity to travel to Costa Rica this spring break to serve as a volunteer at a local farm, and am very much looking forward to spending a week serving the dedicated owners, visitors, and the environment. Villas Mastatal is a 50 acre, educational, organic farm. It is also home to forests, rivers, waterfalls, and yields natural resources such as wood, sugar cane, many fruits, vegetables, medicinal plants and eggs. Their mission is to create an “integral” farm that incorporates resilient design, and regenerative agricultural practices. It focuses on leading a simple and sustainable lifestyle, and educating its visitors on farming practices, use of medicinal herbs, animal care, and various other activities. Everything about this trip excites me: traveling to foreign lands, serving others, participating in a different culture, exploring and preserving this beautiful Earth. I know I can lean on family and friends to support my journey. However, this trip is in partner with a student-led organization and is self-funded. I think with the love and support of my family and friends I can make this trip possible. Whether you can provide financial support or keep me in your prayers, I appreciate it. Thank you all for your blessings! |
Villas Mastatal, costa rica Mastatal is a remote town in the mountains of east-central Costa Rica and this past spring I had the amazing opportunity to visit with a student service organization. Our group traveled to Mastatal to volunteer on an educational organic farm, Villas Mastatal. We worked on the farm land, the nearby national park Parque Nacional La Congreja, and the town recycling area.
Our first project was organizing the town’s recycling. Costa Rica recycles plastic, cardboard, glass, and aluminum, and Mastatal’s recycling bins were very full and needing sorting desperately before the truck arrived to pick up the recycling. This project definitely affected me on a personal level. This was a dirty, bug-ridden task and I was definitely hesitant in jumping in. However, our work affected the entire town and also helped the environment. Our work on the farm, Villas Mastatal, included digging trenches for erosion control, planting yucca, potatoes, and banana trees, stirring and laying compost, and pulling weeds. I grew both personally and professionally from my experiences on the farm. Although I am in mechanical engineering, my work on the farm gave me exposure to environmentalism and applicable methods that can be taken to preserve nature. This is very applicable, since engineering has major impacts on the environment. Personally, it sparked an interest in environment conservation. I had never observed such a sustainable land, and was inspired by their creation of an “edible forest.” |