True Nature Travels Blog

 Student Service Trip in Costa Rica and Overcoming Obstacles

True Nature Education had the privilege of partnering with The National Society of Leadership and Success this past month. 25 lovely students with hearts full of compassion and eagerness adventured to Costa Rica to provide service to the local communities, and in the process had a blast!  A student service trip is a fantastic opportunity to broaden horizons and participate in global community service. 
 
True Nature Education works with some amazing individuals in the local villages. One of these leaders is Lindsay Padilla. A Costa Rican native, her mindfulness and guidance always touches our hearts.
Check out some of her insight on shining bright through the storms and spreading this light through service!
student service travel
student service travel
 
 
 
“It was a rainy night and I was at home with my two little boys.
No more people there and lots of thunders dancing and singing in my backyard… I love to listen to Mother’s Nature sounds, however sometimes it seems like a different rhythm… Mother’s Nature wasn’t as peaceful as I wanted her to be specifically that night.
 
So I decided to sit on my favorite rocking chair, with my kids. We played a game, it consisted of imagine us to be sailing, enjoying of the blue ocean and the bright sun… Everything was fantastic until the moment when Andres, my 8 years old asked me if I was scary…
 
Game over! They discovered my feelings and guess what? I was really scary…
We were expecting to welcome a TNE group next day and the volunteer action already planned was to work on a sustainable farm, a new project that is going to benefit a group of people from my community.
service
 
I am not always so dramatic, but Imagine your plans, imagine your dreams surrounded by lots of rain and maybe lightening… I was scary for the moment, for my present and I was not sure about next day, about my future, about our tomorrow…
 
I was expecting to share my “tomorrow” with people from different places, coming from far away to make a difference and the weather was not the perfect from my perspective.
 
As soon as I listened my husband opening the door, I felt better, I felt my family completed. My kids went to sleep and we sat on the floor, with a candle.
 
All the house was dark, but  there was a little light… Poor darkness, I bet darkness was not feeling completed because of our little light…
 
And I suddenly thought of our actions… Sometimes we feel it is not too much what we can do, sometimes we think of the storms, we think of the scary moments, we think of the darkness around the world, but we were born to be a light, to bring light, to make the darkness a little clear. Do we have to limit our good intention because of our doubts about the future? About tomorrow? No!!!
 
We were talking until our candle decided not to light… And it was a good night, the light is still inside us and you know what? Next day we enjoyed of the sun. No more rain until the moment when we finished our volunteer service… Mothers are known because of their DEEP love and Mother Nature showed us what love means, even during the rain…
 
It feels incredible to be part of the ones that are doing something, anything.
 
We have been welcoming too many “lights” from TNE. People that decided to be the difference, to be grateful even for the stormy days.
 
The stormy days are not totally bad, during the stormy days, maybe you can find out inspiration to be the light that others are needing.
Let’s your light be!”
 
 
Shine on True Nature family!
 
Interested in joining a service student trip? Check out our calendar here! http://truenatureeducation.com/events/
student service trip
 

True Nature Travels Blog

empanada-mexican-foodPreparation Time: 45 Min
Difficulty: Very Easy

This is a traditional cheese empanada (empanada de queso) that we make for family gatherings. For best results share this recipe with all your family members. Do not forget to drink a cup of Costa Rican coffee, you know as prepared in the village of San Rafael! When we made these the last time, we enjoyed empanadas plus gallo pinto (rice and beans), sunny side up eggs, and watermelon for breakfast. All prepared in a wood stove, in my mother’s open air kitchen.
Come and enjoy this. The taste is delicious!

Ingredients

2 cups corn flour (masa de maíz)
1/2 teaspoon salt (media cucharadita de sal)
1/2 cup grated white cheese (media taza de queso blanco rallado)
1/4 cup water (un cuarto de taza de agua)

Preparation

Mix the corn flour with salt (and water). Form balls of 1 1/2 tablespoons of the corn mixture. Put between two plastic sheets and press with a small pan to form a thin pancake. Put 1 1/4 teaspoons of grated cheese into the center and fold in half. Seal softly with finger tips and fry in oil until golden.

 

CK_Costa_Rica_True_Nature_2014-190Lindsay Padilla is a nature lover and mom of two boys. She has been teaching Spanish since 2006 and working for the development of rural communities in Costa Rica. She enjoys writing, reading and swimmingRead more Letters from Lindsay blogs here.

True Nature Travels Blog

costa rica lifestyleBefore you pack and take a plane to Costa Rica, consider reading this.

Sometimes I am jealous of the ones that work in a building, with air conditioning and luxury lamps and decorations… But then I take a step back. Look where I live, look where I work. I just sit on my porch and look at nature’s decorations on my floor. There is a butterfly that almost looks like an owl when you see it, and it is same color, like my tiles. I feel the wind instead of the air conditioning.

After the hard work I did feeding the turkeys, chickens, and rabbit in my parents home, I decided to rest for a bit in my hammock, considering that Andres is still in the school and Gabri is enjoying his nap.

Many people would like to visit my country, and I deeply feel I should advise them of something before they go to pack…

I wish I could write this blog in a faster way, but there are too many birds singing in my garden, and I can’t help but be distracted. Having too many birds is a real inconvenience for those visiting my village; it can be difficult to see and listen to the birds of all sizes that flock around.

There are many trees. It seems that this is the season for mamones, guayabas, pejibayes, bananas, oranges and more fruits. There are too many butterflies, humming birds, toucans, parrots and even macaws eating the delicious treasures from the trees.

So I will move to my yard, where perhaps it will be more peaceful for writing…

Organic-Fruits-Produced-in-a-Small-Eco-Organic-Micro-Farm-in-the-Osa-Peninsula-Costa-Rica-copyThe green grass looks like a rug. There are some insects climbing up the colorful plants, the day is sunny, and I am sitting under a palm. I think of the day when Keilor and I planted the palm trees in our property; now they are big enough, almost 4 meters. The soil here is rich… Poor farmers: I guess it is hard to them to have lots of kilograms of yucca, tiquisque, ñampi or malangas per every single plant. Yet maybe it is not all too bad because they are getting stronger from their hard work. It makes them to save money and time, because it is the equivalent of going to the gym!

Well, my neighbor is asking for mom, she was calling her, but mom didn’t respond. When mom gets into her kitchen, she forgets the world, and there is a new world for her. She makes delicious food, and this is another problema to add in our “think about it list”… She wants you to taste all of her food creations. Sometimes I have to taste homemade bread, gallo pinto, tortillas, and picadillo in the morning, then when I come back from work, I usually get her sopas or tamales or any other kind of dishes, that include fresh vegetables such as carrots, squashes, pumpkin, potatoes, yucca, plantain, tiquizque and an endless list of products from Costa Rica.

cacaoThere is a sound in the house. It is Gabri waking up, and he is hungry… I have been writing, and there is not lunch prepared for him, so I will give him a cup of sugar cane juice, the one we prepared yesterday at home. There are some pieces of guanábana, papaya and watermelon in my freezer, and some anonas and caimitos that my friend from school gave me yesterday.  She has lots of fruits, which she shares with her friends, otherwise she wouldn’t know what to do with her harvest. Anonas and caimitos are not so popular here, so I appreciate her gifts, and I like to give her back some cacao or chocolate fruit. There are some cacao trees on my in-laws property. It was a big problem to me. It was a heavy bag full of fruits and love. It was also a big problema for my co-workers, who had to experience the same experience… Costa Ricans are so friendly, it is hard to stop every time you see someone you know along your way. They want to ask about you, about your family, your pets, your plans for the future and finally, they all give you lots of blessings and hugs, it makes your arms so strong, after giving and receiving too many hugs.

Gabri is happy but thirsty. Sugar cane juice is so sweet, so he probably needs something different now. We have many coconuts here, but I don’t know how to use the machete. This is something to consider… Take a lesson about how to use a machete in Costa Rica! There are many fruits and vegetables that require the right use of this tool.

Let’s drink water, it is pure and good for our health… Then we will have more time for learning how to use the machete and of course, for describing my “hard life” in Costa Rica, the things nobody explains you before you come.

There are not concrete walls around me; what I see is just the green pastures, the unpaved road and the neighbor’s cows enjoying their happy life. The light comes directly from the sky and sometimes, when we have enough time, we make a fire at sunset and sit around it, just to listen to the Mother’s Nature voice.

God bless you, and God bless Costa Rica!

Pura Vida,

Lindsay

 

CK_Costa_Rica_True_Nature_2014-190Lindsay Padilla is a nature lover and mom of two boys. She has been teaching Spanish since 2006 and working for the development of rural communities in Costa Rica. She enjoys writing, reading and swimming.

 

Are you interested in learning more about the Costa Rican way of life, called Pura Vida? Our service programs which can be added on during any of our retreats include opportunities to stay with Lindsay and her family and support our efforts in their village.  Learn more here.

True Nature Travels Blog

Day 5
We awoke at Finca Luna Nueva Lodge, a biodynamic farm and ecolodge – quite a different environment than the coastal zone where we had spent our previous days. This is clearly the rainforest. 🙂

After our first morning yoga session of the trip and a great breakfast we were ready to head to the village of Chachagua where we took part in a morning of service. Our project for the day was to give the Chachagua Church a facelift with a new coat of paint.

We were met by Lindsay Padilla and her family. Lindsay is one of True Nature’s Village Representatives, and a wonderful community leader and organizer. We were also met by the pastor of the church. In a very meaningful moment following the project the Pastor and Rabbi Meiri each offered a prayer, one in Spanish and one in English.

Rabbi Meiri shared, “It is with great joy that we offer our service in your house of worship to lift up your services.”
Following our work we headed back to the farm where we had some much-needed downtime, which included time in the hot-tub, a farm tour, and a night hike for some.

Day 6
Today we took part in our Arenal Adventure Day. It was a full day of adventure and excursions including zipliniing, horseback-riding, a volcano hike, and a trip to the hot springs.

We were honored to have Christian Padilla (Lindsay’s brother) as our naturalist guide. “We have had such a great assortment of wildlife on this trip,” shared Peter Oppenheimer, which has included over 45 different birds (counted by Noa Meiri).

Christian’s passion and knowledge illuminated our day as we truly had an opportunity to explore and embrace the beauty and brilliance of the rainforest.

The day ended with pizza in the Luna Nueva cob oven, followed by a beautiful a circle bringing Shabbat to a close. We are beginning to feel the transition that is upon us as our journey is slowly beginning to come to a close. Tomorrow is our last full day together, and we are going to soak up and enjoy every moment. See you tomorrow…

True Nature Travels Blog

Day 3: Toucan Olam
We began our day of Toucan Olam (yes we have renamed it Toucan Olam 🙂 driving through the palm plantations to the Blue Banyan Inn, and the Kids Saving the Rainforest Animal Sanctuary, the site of our day of service. We were met by Tiki, the blue macaw, the first official resident at the sanctuary. Tiki showed off for us by spreading his wings and dancing to Elvis “Nothing but a Houndog.”  Barbara (aka “The Monkey Lady” or “Jane Goodall of Costa Rica”) introduced us to her children, the monkeys. We saw Marmosets, Spider Monkeys, Titi’s, Tamarin’s, and White-Faced Monkey’s.

We later split into two groups, “The Play Group” and “The Rock Stars.” The Play Group created entertaining enrichment for the monkeys, as we learned it is very important for the monkeys to have stimulation, especially when they are rescued and unable to return to their native environment.

The Rock Stars built a stairway to the new multi-species complex, which will be built soon. “It was hard but fulfilling work,” shared Janet Oppenheimer. “Through serving and completing a project it really help solidify the oneness and unity of our group.”

We were joined during the project and for the remainder of the day by the Eastman family, a Jewish family from Palo Alto, California, who were “inspired by the mission and energy of our group.” Ethan and Daniel Eastman (age 9) helped pour the last shovel of rock to complete our 30th and final stair.

During lunch we were visited by Barbara and the Marmosets, the highlight of the day for many. After lunch and a refreshing swim we went back to work for a couple of hours. We completed our day with a powerful walking meditation through a labyrinth, which Beverly Harris called, “a deeply spiritual experience.”

Day 4: Spiritual Sailing
We began our day by saying our farewell to Mono Azul, our home for 3 days, and headed to the pier. We spent the morning on the great Pacific Ocean, exploring Manuel Antonio National Park in a Trimaran.

After checking out some islands off-shore and catching some serious rays we spotted a pod of dolphins. The dolphins swam with our boat for a while until we stopped where they proceeded to show off with some incredible  jumps and spins.

We followed our dolphin meeting by meeting some fish while we snorkeled in the bay of Manuel Antonio. We sailed back to shore where we met our shuttle and began our journey north.

This evening we arrived at Finca Luna Nueva Lodge where we will spend the next three nights. It feels so nice to be deep in nature, surrounded by only the sounds of the jungle, the bright full moon, and our wonderful groups which continues to grow closer each day. Buenas Noches…

Today’s blog was written by guest bloggers and retreat attendants Beth Eckstein and Beverly Harris.

True Nature Travels Blog

It’s hard to believe that the holiday season has surrounded us already and 2012 is coming to a close, which means that our 2012-2013 Retreat Season is just about to begin!

To kick things off we will be Costa Rica Service (“Tikkun Olam”) Adventure Program beginning this Sunday, December 23, and continuing through New Years Eve on December 31. The retreat is in partnership with the Jewish community at large in Asheville, NC, where True Nature Education is based out of.

Co-hosted by TNE Founder Joshua Canter and Rabbi Batsheva Meiri of Beth Ha Tephila, the retreat will also include participants from Warren Wilson College and The Asheville Chabad House. The focus of the retreat will be to deepen the commitment of service through  outreach projects in the local villages, working with the local population, and the native environment of Costa Rica. Participants will also take part in exciting excursions and adventures throughout Costa Rica.

Stay tuned to the blog for real-time updates from the retreat with photos, thoughts, and event happenings from the trip. You can also follow along with periodic updates from our Facebook page, as well as join the conversation on Twitter via #costaricaservice from our handle @truenatureed.

 

True Nature Travels Blog

Take Part in the Pura Vida Lifestyle

If you are coming from the high paced culture of the United States or Canada, you will find that, almost immediately, in Costa Rica things move much slower. You have two choices: resist, or go with the flow. Of course, we always recommend going with the flow! Take time to enjoy some serious hammock time, watch the sunset, spend time with your loved ones, plan less, and experience more…

You may have heard the motto Pura Vida in discussions concerning Costa Rica. This is the motto of the ticos, meaning the “pure life.” It comes as no surprise that Costa Ricans have a deep value and appreciation for the beautiful country that they live in, with the abundance of clean air, clean drinking water, clean food, that translates into a clear and pure way of life. For this reason you will find that as you travel the country you will be surrounded by this energy in which locals slow down their pace of life to be mindful within each and every moment of a joyous celebration of the simple yet fulfilling factors that contribute to the Pura Vida.

As you travel through the cities and the rolling countryside of Costa Rica, engage with the ticos by simply murmuring “Pura Vida!” and you will immediately light up the faces of those you are engaging with. This phrase, embodying the general mentality and pace of life of the country, is one that reflects happiness, well-being, conformity, and satisfaction with their beautiful homeland that you can become a part of. Locals take much time to enjoy and be fruitful with friends and families, and if you take the time to engage with them, you will find that they will most often immediately invite you to share in this pace of life.