Food for Thought

Our first meal at Restaurante Nuestra Tierra

It has been almost five months since we were in Costa Rica and I still haven’t found a meal to match our first lunch in country. One of the biggest things I miss is the meals of rice, beans, and protein. The rich taste of all of the foods is hard to match back home. It speaks loud volumes to the difference in local and natural foods. After eating and touring at Don Juan's farm and seeing food go from farm to table showed how important that supply chain for food is. Using sustainable practices such as natural fertilizer or using solar panels to power hot water can really change the mentality of the farm. You can taste difference in the meal than if you got ingredients from a supermarket.

This is one major thing I took away from Costa Rica is the passion the Ticos have for their jobs and sustainability. Sustainability is second nature to them. While in some areas it is not a choice, it has become a social norm where as in the USA that is not the case. It is inspiring to see the passion they have towards their country and their jobs.

The recycle room at La Quinta

I learned a ton from my group, hotel sustainability. The most inspirational was La Quinta, no not the famous chain. The 5 CST leaf level hotel who the lovely couple Leo and Beatrice own. They have worked 22 years to earn this rating. By doing things like investing to preserve the once orange plantation and support the local economy. They use solar energy and an intense recycling system. The owners take tremendous pride in their sustainability efforts and their ability to provide customers with incredible hospitality.

While our group has been become more environmentally cautious but the biggest take away I gained from this trip was how seriously companies take the green movement. In Costa Rica it is a social norm but here it is a marketing tool. These companies make it their mission to be sustainable and give back. It is an inspiring thing to see and has forced me to see business in a different light. 

This one in a life time trip has taught me valueable lessons and gave my unforgettable memories with a great group of friends. Thank you for following our twitter and blog. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. 

Our view from the Highland Fruit Tour

-Jake Lamar

@jakelamar29

 

Bulldogs Learn to Salsa

History

Salsa drives from many different places but Latin Americans in New York City have claimed the birth of the dance. It has extremely strong influences fro other dances such as Cha Cha Cha and Mambo. There are four main styles of Sala, Colombian / Cali styles which involves a lot of skipping. The Cuban style which is more intimate between the partners. The New York Style where the follower leads with the first step of music. Lastly the Los Angeles styles with a lot of lifts. Every area will have their own spin of the dance and the music. The group we worked with, Swagga Crew, were a modern group with an American hip hop spin to the dance. 

Our Experience

We were introduced to Swagga Crew by jumping right into a follow the leader style of dancing. The leader stood in the front open space we were in, and the music was classic Latin American dancing music, but the Swagga Crew made minor adjustments to the music to fit the current generation. 

Trying not to step on peoples feet.

Quickly after the start of the session we were introduced to a common dance we all knew how to do, the limbo line! I, being the tallest of the group, did not do that well but considered this a good warm up for the high pace two hours ahead of us. Our three instructors were full of energy and definitely could have danced all throughout the night without stopping.

After an hour of a lot of sweating and confusion we were granted a little break. We would not be in Costa Rica if we did not get juice during the break. Our great host all weekend, Daniel, was ready with cups full of ice cold mango juice. When the second hour of the session began the boys and the girls broke some American style gender barriers and actually started to dance with each other. As I and my classmate, Marco (@marcoadd93) have observed between Americans and Latin Americans (specifically Costa Ricans) that is does not matter who they are dancing with. It is more of a language than intimate movements. Whereas Americans are a little more hesitant to dance with another gender if they do not really know them. Fortunately, these barriers were broken and the night became more enjoyable for everyone.

Me with the Swagga Crew

We as a group looked like we had two left feet compared the Swagga Crew. They made it look like our bodies are supposed to move that way takes a considerable amount of talent. Luckily we were able to get a small performance on their new routine. Needless to say it was nice to sit down and watch other people move their hips. Once we concluded the session we all wobbled back to our rooms or to the pool. Here is a link to us actually dancing. We were trying following the Swagga Crew but some peoples rhythm was not in sync with the rest of the group. Enjoy.

Thanks for reading!

-Jake Lamar @jakelamar29)