Los Bosques de Monteverde

We’ve been spending as much time as possible in the forest these days. On Wednesday we used our free time to explore the trails and check out the river on campus. After working on the coffee plantation and lots of walking, it felt great to put our feet in the cool water!

Yesterday we took a different approach to our daily reflections by journalling in the woods. Students found spots to sit by themselves and write about and draw their surroundings. Everyone seemed to enjoy their time spent in quiet observation of nature. 

Today we visited Bosque Eterno de los Niños (The Children’s Eternal Rainforest). We were met by the CEO who explained that this reserve was originally created by 12 neighbors from the area and then largely funded by a group of Swedish students in the late 1980s. Since then the reserve has expanded over 55,000 acres and is the home to several endangered species. It was inspiring to see how a project initiated by average people can turn into something so significant. 

We then went on a guided hike where we learned more about the flora and fauna that can be found in the reserve. We even got to see the three-wattled bellbird that we’d learned about in class the day before!

“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.”– Henry David Thoreau