Week 2: Almost 1/4 done???

I can't believe I am almost a quarter of the way done with the internship, it feels like it's gone fast while also feeling like I've been here for so long. Since my last update there has been some developments on my project! Obviously I have also met new people and learned lots of new things so let me update you on a bit of what has happened here at EARTH this past week.

The Project:

Last Saturday, June 21, was experiencia where we arrived at 6:30am and got to work planting lettuce and cilantro seedlings that had come in the day before. After helping the group I was able to get started on my own project where I planted my 20 little lettuces in pots in one of the greenhouses! A little background on what this project will be... I will be measuring the growth and vigor, meaning the strength, resistance to pests, and overall wellbeing of lettuce plants in two different growing mediums, one being soil from the rainforest and the other a substrate mix of coconut fiber, rice husks, and charcoal. The plant chosen is lettuce as it grows relatively fast and will be able to be harvested while I am still here. Every Wednesday and Saturday I will collect data relating to the plants height, vigor, leaf count, and the greenhouse temperature to then later create charts with the trends of how they grow in either condition. This research is simple but will connect back to the cost, sustainability, and viability of the substrate for large scale and small scale production. And the results from the project will compare the substrate to the soil to see if there is any increased production and which option is best overall. So far the two fourth year student leaders in the area that I am doing my project have been so helpful and showed me how everything works! I am super happy I was able to get the plants in pots so early in my internship so that I can hopefully collect data all the way until harvest and still have a comfortable amount of time to write my paper and hang out with friends here.

My Project!

Planting lettuce during experiencia

The shed with fertilizers and microorganisms

I have now had two data collection days, 6/25 and 6/28, and am interested to see where this project will lead. Both days I have also helped out with other projects and today (Saturday the 28th) met a new student and she took me to go have fresh coconut water where they picked the coconuts right form a tree at one of their academic farms. I have also learned more about different techniques of growing used in their academic areas and talked to people doing all sorts of projects. And to get to the academic farm where my project is located we bike... which can be a bit of a dilemma when it's time for lunch but storming and pouring rain.

Best coconut water ever

Making compost

Life Here:

Now that it has been two weeks here in Costa Rica I am stating to fall into the flow of life on campus. I have started to have more people to eat meals with and to say hi to walking around campus. I have gone to some more dance practices for my team Cedro as Juegos EARTH, an all school olympics type competition, is in less that two weeks. I am super excited as everyone says it is such a fun two days... even the professors have a team and compete against students! In this coming week I am going to pride in San Jose and am so excited to see more of Costa Rica and hopefully bond more with some students. I am also planning to go on a field trip with my roommate for her renewable energy class though I have no idea where we are going. Even more that the activities it's getting used to the little things, like cold showers, stolen laundry, bugs everywhere, eating whatever the one vegetarian option is, and seeing armadillos that makes the university feel more like home every day.

View from dorm room

Working on project in the library

The places I frequent the most are my room, the cafeteria, the library, the academic farm, and sometimes the game room or friends dorms. Although its a very closed off campus there are some fun things to do like play ping pong or uno in the game room or go for long walks finding animals (did both with Ronal)! I'd also like to add that all of the lovely photos I have from working during experiencia are courtesy of Dorin, the fourth year area leader! Well I will leave you with some photos from my week and will update you again in 7 days or so, enjoy your week!

Playing uno!!

Hi little basilisk

Painting a sign for pride