Strawberry picking

We drove on to the dirt road, admiring the fields of plants. Walking onto the farm property to register for our very first Strawberry tour, the aroma of the freshly baked tamales was in the area. We payed our $17 in just enough time to jump onto the tractor wagon that would take us around the farm. The clouds covered the sky, but the sun was peaking through just enough to keep the air cool, but not cold. As we drove by each field, our enthusiastic tour guide welcomed us with facts about the Tanka Farm, such as it being owned by a Japanese American family for about 75 years. We started with the vegetables passing by cauliflowers , kale, and getting to try fresh and organic cilantro, corn,carrots and green beans that was picked right from the ground. When we continued on we knew we were getting closer to the strawberry fields because the aroma tickled our senses. Eager to pick, we had to abide by some farm rules before we started picking. We started on a treasure hunt of finding the reddest strawberry. As I went after the larger strawberries, and I couldn't help but to snack and pick at the same time. Once our baskets were filled and our shoes were covered in mud, we climbed back onto the tractor and headed back to the main entrance of the farmer. A 45 minute tour that seemed to last only 10 minutes. After we exiting the tractor, we went shopping in their market, where they had great prices on fruits, veggies, salsa, tamales, fruit bars and more. Fun facts: 1. Purple carrots are healthier then orange carrots but not very popular, so they are not often sold. 2. The difference between fruits and vegetables is that fruits have seeds and they come from flowers. 3. Corn is a man made vegetable. If the human race went extinct, corn would only last 2 years. 5. Tankam farm also has pumpkin and watermelon tours.

Volcano

A month before my trip to Costa Rica, I did quite a lot of hiking. However, all of those hikes did not seem to prepare me for hiking the volcano. When we drove up to the volcano it was so interesting to see the greenery along the rode as I am used to seeing concrete paths, and buildings and homes. We passed by fruit trees and what they called a living fence where plants grew around the barb wired and created a barrier of plants. When we finally got to the hiking spot it had started to drizzle and there was a deep fog that hung down but that didn't stop us from venturing off. Another things that didn't stop us were the " in case of eruption signs". When we started off on the hike it was pretty simple. There was a section where there were steps which made the hike pretty easy. However after those sections it was a continuous uphill climb. There were a few times where I can to stop and readjust myself to the steepness and the altitude, but I persevered nonetheless. As the fog rolled in more and the rain drops danced down from the sky, it seemed the elevate the colors of the plants growing along the trail. Various shades of green, brown , red and gold shimmered through. Some of the plants grew outward, as if they were boldly expressing who they were and showing off their color and diverse shape. Other plants were more humble and grew low, folded over and blanketed the the earth. Our hike not only brought us a diversity of plants but a diversity of people too. French, German, American, South American, families, children, people young and old all walked over each other footprints on the path up the Volcano. When we got to the crater we looked over the edge to be amazed and all we saw was fog. The fog that had rolled in when we started our hike had beat us to the top and claimed the crater for no one else to see. A slight disappointment but the victory wasn't just in the destination but the journey of making it to the top. When headed back down we had to make a quick stop to this small little shop that sold delicious strawberries that grew off the volcano and the wine they made from the strawberries. Our final stop was too a restaurant where I had one of the most delicious meals I ever had. I order the chicken with rice and beans and the chicken so was soft and tender that is was practically falling off the bone. Very flavorful and filling. After our bellies were we were off to our shoe distribution for the day. Our shoe distribution this day went by very fast, as the children were very close to be let out of school for the day. However a short distribution led to us being able to play with the children. Right after the distribution a soccer game was started. I felt a little guilty jumping into the game, although I was invited I am a horrible soccer player. But although I kicked the ball a grand total of one time, I could not stop laughing and smiling.Seeing the interactions the children had, and the excitement and energy that flowed through them filled me with such joy.Even though I didn't understand everything they said but I studied their body language and watched their mannerisms and could see the bonds the children had within each other. Through watching them I felt welcomed and honored to be accepted amongst them. After playing a few games and running around, we decided to take some of the extra shoes we had to a school in one of the squatter communities. As we drove up , we passed by a wall that was built around the school. This was no ordinary wall, this wall was specifically built to prevent outsiders from giving the children drugs to sell. A wall that could only hide a small portion of the tragic things the children are exposed to. When we set up our supplies, the children rushed over. The line was so long you would have thought they were waiting to get on a Disneyland ride. The children were filled with anxious energy, and they tried their best to hold in their excitement as they waited to get their new pairs of shoes. When we took a break from passing out shoes the children loved to be in front of the camera. Many of the rushed to be in a group photo and enjoyed making silly faces and exaggerated poses in front of the camera. It warmed my heart to see the smiles and hear the laughter from the children knowing that outside of their school's walls they faced many challenges, and temptations that robbed them of their childhood.