True Nature Travels Blog

Day 5 and 6: True Service and Adventure

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 2: Inspiration in the Wild on the CR Tikkun Olam Service & Adventure Trip

Today began with a shot in the arm of enthusiasm and inspiration when after breakfast we were introduced to Jennifer, president of Kids Saving the Rainforest, who told us the story of how she encouraged her 9 year old (now 23) to start a non-profit to plant trees, which has now grown into a full operation of a wildlife sanctuary and monkey conservation efforts. We left for a full day in Manuel Antonio looking forward to our service work with and her long-term volunteers tomorrow. Our challenge will be entertaining the monkeys!

We met our naturalist, Freddie, at the gate of Manuel Antonio National Park. Together, we marveled at the spiders, lizards, rainbow crickets, two-toed and three-toed sloths, and white-faced monkeys. No wonder they want to save the rainforest! The only rival to Freddie at spotting the wildlife was eagle-eye Noa Meiri.

Our nature hike ended at the beach where we set up to eat our bag lunch just in time for a cool shower. That didn’t last long enough to interfere with our afternoon activities: parasailing, horseback-riding, duck diving the waves, ocean kayaking, and shopping. Sandy and tired, we watched the sun sink into the ocean, as we sang “Eli Eli- we pray that these things never end: the sand and the sea, the rush of the water, the crash of the heavens the prayer of the heart.”

 

 

Today’s blog was written by guest blogger and retreat co-leader, Rabbi Batsheva Meiri, from Congregation Beth HaTephila of Asheville, NC.

True Nature Travels Blog

Real-Time Costa Rica Updates for our First Retreat of the Season

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

True Nature Interview with Rabbi Batsheva Meiri of Synagogue Beth Ha Tephila

It is already October, meaning that our 2012-13 retreat season is almost upon us.

We look forward first to the upcoming Costa Rica Tikkun Olam Adventure retreat, December 23-31, kicking off the True Nature Education retreat season. The excitement is building as the trip nears, one that will be an exciting opportunity and stands out in particular for the Jewish community of Asheville, NC.

While TNE has been running Tikkun Olam retreats for the past five years as one of our primary programs, this will be the first in direct partnership with members of the Jewish community in Asheville. Rabbi Batsheva Meiri of Beth Ha Tephila and TNE Director Joshua Canter will co-lead this exciting and unique travel experience that will bring the Asheville Jewish community together.

In addition participants from Warren Wilson College and The Asheville Chabad House will also be on the trip.

The trip will dive into the authentic, rich local culture of Costa Rica while also merging service work through Tikkun Olam projects with both indigenous populations as well as the land upon which they live.

We were lucky to catch up with Rabbi Batsheva Meiri of Synagogue Beth Ha Tehpila to hear her thoughts and insight about the retreat.

True Nature Education–Greetings, Rabbi Meiri, and thanks again for taking the time to speak with us about the trip. Could you begin by sharing how you feel about the importance of Tikkun Olam and Service on the planet at this time and in our daily lives?

Rabbi Batsheva Meiri–Tikkun Olam is the heart of Jewish life. It’s the way that we actualize our religious and spiritual values and commitments. I feel this way especially today, even more importantly, as we face the pressing issues of global warming, over-population, and massive hunger.

TNE–And what of the importance of serving together as a community?

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