With a recent degree in Natural Resources and Global Tourism, it was easy for me to believe that humans were the root of the current climate problems. Just as the toxic Manchineel tree poses a threat to humans, our ingrained beliefs and habits have devastated mother nature.
This realisation fueled my desire to study the impacts of tourism. Despite learning amidst masks and constant reminders to remain 6 feet apart, I was determined to put my knowledge of Spanish to use and hoped to shatter my beliefs that humans are solely the problem and incapable of being a solution.
I embarked on a journey to Costa Rica in search of a community living in harmony with nature and where I could learn some new slang and dance moves. I went into the mission blindly, as I usually do. Knowing the name of town and the date that I needed to be there… figuring out the rest along the way, prepared to embrace the pura vida lifestyle. As I left the main city of Pérez Zeledón and the roads transformed to gravel, I approached the peaceful town of Herradura. A tranquil oasis serenaded by the sounds of the river that run through it. A quiet town where once a year the silence is broken with a Baile, dancing, horse parades, 800 homemade tamales and parties.
I soon met with my host family. Yeti, a hard working woman who opened her home to me. Her spirit was as resilient as the Guanacaste Tree. She was the backbone of Herradura. When we heard “¡Upe!” echo through the house, we knew a neighbor was calling on Yeti to seek her generosity in the form of help or supplies. Like her friends and neighbors, she made Selina and I feel right at home.
Neither Selina or I anticipated that we’d have a travel buddy. The first time Selina and I spoke to each other, and heard one anothers non-native Spanish accents, we knew we’d be tackling this journey together. We both had a common connection, Heather, the nurturing force behind Sagrada Botanical Gardens. Heather’s influence stretches across the world, inspiring an American and Swiss to travel to Costa Rica and volunteer, united by a shared passion to practise Spanish and the healing properties of plants.
We approached the unknown armed with our gloves, sunblock and broken spanish. When words failed me, I used my charades skills and resorted to the left side of my brain, otherwise known as Selina. We spent our days elbows deep in dirt, “diagnosing” plants and desyerbaring the garden of its weeds. Spending our free time meditating by the river or attempting to learn merengue and cumbia dances. We were welcomed into the homes of the local woman, where we shared food and stories.
During my time working in the gardens of each woman’s home, I came to understand the importance of Mujeres del Urán’s mission, to share resources and empower these women. Through a partnership between Sagrada Botanical Gardens, Cosmética Madremonte and PEDAL , and with support from Switzerland’s Embassy in Costa Rica, Mujeres del Uran flourished. Our program coordinator, Gabi spread her passion for empowering women, planting seeds of hope, while providing them with workshops and knowledge. It provided them with the opportunity to sustain and cultivate their own supply of plant medicines in their gardens. Due to the remote location, doctors visits are sporadic, as rare as once a month. The women have transformed their gardens into sanctuaries for healing. By creating propagations, I was able to help spread these essential plants throughout the community, beginning to make them accessible to all the women. Like the intertwining vines of Ayahuasca, the women understood the importance of leaning on one another and sharing knowledge that will propagate through the generations.
