Today is our last day of community service work, and we are beginning preparations for our departure from the wonderful village of Biolley. The morning is cloudy and drizzling rain, which seems to reflect the mood of the group. Could we be nostalgic for this place already?
Yesterday our group returned from homestays. The night before, we split up into pairs to spend 24 hours in the homes of our trusted local contacts, sharing meals, helping out with household chores, and getting a feel for what it´s like to live a tico life. As pairs trickled back in to ASOMOBI in the afternoon, we (the leaders) expected to hear about challenges they faced, like language barriers or cramped spaces, but everyone came back with nothing but huge smiles and hilarious, interesting stories. Many had woken up at the break of dawn with their host families—everything begins early here!—to milk cows, weed rows of coffee plants, or help out with classes at the elementary school. During the nightly reflection, students shared insights they gained into what it means to live a simple yet abundant and happy life. Students will be sharing more details of their experiences and photos here shortly.
While the students were away, we the leaders made our rounds among community members and happily listened to their rave reviews of our group. Everyone noted how hard the students have been working and how much they have accomplished under the guidance of Miguel. We definitely agreed with their observations—the days of mixing and pouring cement have been physically strenuous, but the concrete floor we laid down for the new coffee machinery, as well as the concrete path and steps we finished last week, look FANTASTIC! In addition, we have dismantled old coffee beds and built new ones, and have finished painting the cocina comunal (community kitchen). All of these different projects contribute to ASOMOBI´s efforts to attract eco-tourists to the region and expand their coffee producing capacity. We are all so proud!
Of course, all this awesomeness will make for a tearful goodbye party tomorrow, but as we always say…this is not the end—it is only the beginning. 🙂
Abrazos a todos!
Sasha & Nick
