Sunday, June 28, 2009
Adios Santa Maria de Dota
Today was the last full day here and the last day of fieldwork. It was a tough morning- a very thick plantation in need of a lot of pruning. I couldn't sleep well last night- my brain kept counting. Today in the field, I broke my sunglasses, got stung by something, and thought I had ants crawling up my pants at lunch. Today we counted over 3,500 berries. My biggest single branch of berries this week held 320 berries and we estimate that we easily could have counted over 100,000 berries this week. It's been a lot of hard work, but I'm glad that I was able to help with the data collection and learn so much about coffee production and sustainability. I have mixed feelings about leaving. It's sad to say goodbye to my new Costa Rican and American friends, but I am leaving feeling inspired to share my newfound knowledge with others and be an agent for change at home. Thanks for reading! Check back in mid-July. When I return home, I plan to add more photos and thoughts.
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Hi Mrs. Kapeckas.
ReplyDeleteHow many people are counting the berries? If you have counted more than 100, 000 berries there must be a lot! Did you find any helpful techniques for growing coffee we might be able to use in the IACS garden? Hope you enjoy your last day!
Depends on the day- we range from 5-10 of us counting. Unfortunately, we don't have the right conditions for growing coffee, but I'm also excited for the IACS garden. Thanks for writing again!
ReplyDeleteMelissa,
ReplyDeleteI am very impressed that you did not just pack it in after seeing all of those "critters" that would have done me in for sure. I have been tracking you and wishing you well! Take good care!!
Lori (Beaudoin)