Birmingham Covington School Costa Rica

January 17, 2019
7:20am We ate an awesome breakfast of rice & beans (gallo pinto), eggs, pineapple,
watermelon, and mango
8:15am Boarded the bus and left for the farm to make cheese, learn about the different trees, and pet animals
10:25am Stopped at a gift shop and cafe for a bathroom break. Got back on the way to the farm.
11:22am Arrived at the farm and filed off the bus. We saw chickens.
11:33am Crisley introduced himself and talked about his cheese making process and story. He didn’t think it would become a business. We were given the full cheese production tour.
12:24pm Ate lunch consisting of chicken, rice, beans, and vegetables.
1:30pm Started making cheese, both groups made two batches each
2:30pm Went on a farm tour and pet dogs, chickens, and cats.
2:45pm We learned about the different plants on the farm.

Written by Luke and Colin

January 18, 2019
Today’s breakfast was watermelon, pineapple, cereal, eggs, and pancakes. We got on the bus to go to El Futuro for community service. We arrived at the yard with the house  we painted and went into the community center to discuss what we were going to do. We were split into two groups and started to work. We painted half of the house and will do the rest tomorrow. We also sanded all of the tables and chairs in the community kitchen and painted the tables.
Around noon we had chicken, rice, beans, and salad for lunch. After we went to the market to get some snacks. At 1pm we boarded the bus to go to ASIS, the animal rescue center. We saw so many cool animals like monkeys and toucans. We did a tour and learned about why the animals were there. The best part was when we got to prepare the food and feed the animals.
At 5 o’clock we arrived back at Heliconias and had free time at the pool. For dinner we had spaghetti and then we played soccer on the huge soccer field.

Written by Park & Jack

January 19, 2019
Wake up call was at 7:15am again. We went to breakfast and had a choice of fruit and french toast and later on we all got a plate of eggs, toast, and gallo pinto. After that we left the nature lodge to continue our community service at the same place we worked yesterday.
Once we arrived we split into two groups. The first group (who were all tall) painted a medical center. The second group continued to sand tables and then stain them. We finished our community service before lunch. We used that extra time to either relax and play cards or play soccer. Lunch arrived and we had either beef or fish and on the side we had rice, beans, and yucca.
After everyone finished lunch we made corn tortillas from kernels. All you have to do is mash corn and turn out a thick substance like cookie dough. Then you put some water and salt in and mash it again so it’s still a dough but just less thick. We then mold the dough into a circle and cook it in a pan. We ate them with cheese and it was delicious.
Once we finished making the tortillas Randall, one of the Global Works people, taught us Latin dances. The most popular dance was probably Salsa, We then had the chance to go to a local Costa Rican market. After that we went back to the lodge for free time and dinner.