LIfe on the Ranch, Becoming a Wilderness First Responder and Learning to Farm Frijoles

Two weeks in at Rancho Mastatal and I have been swamped with projects and tasks. My traveling companion and fellow intern, Anne and I arrived at the Rancho to find a rowdy class of 40 folks working on a solar panel installation for three families in the community. We quickly learned the tricks and trades of Ranch life as we were hurled into the duties of the Ranch, much of which includes hosting classes on sustainable development, natural building and ecosystem protection.The owners of the ranch own a good portion of the land and have set aside most of it as a rainforest preservation in the footprint of La Cangreja Mountain. I am living in a beautifully constructed house that is made from bamboo and teak- just two of many beautiful woods that are available locally and harvested sustainably. Composting toilets are a main component of ranch life, we use them and ¨service¨them daily. All the food in made from scratch including sourdough bagels, bread, pizza crust and english muffins that are baked in a woodburning oven weekly. I have learned how to pasturize locally raised milk, make yoghurt and kefir and make soap and candles from palm oil.

I recently finished a very intense course with Aerie Backcountry Medicine. I am now certified as a Wilderness First Responder. After an intense ten day course of backcountry first aid techniques that including learning how to render a few peices of foam, a rope and a tarp into a litter that can carry an injured person out of the jungle as well as treating snake bites, broken bones and head injuries to name a few. The final test came in the form of what is referred to as a Mass Casualty Incident where our entire class worked together to treat the injured of psuedo earthquake and get them to safety. I treated a sucking chest wound, a viscerated abdomin (complete with exposed intestines), a broken neck and tried to save someone dying of shock through CPR. It was a crazy test of will, wits, skills and stamina.

Just this week I started working with the community. Caught the bus with a local man named Chepo (nickname for those named Jose). He runs a small farm of bean, rice and bananas with just the help of one other man Juan. Our task for the day was to harvest red beans. It was one of the hottest, most labor intensive experiences I can remember. First of all, it should be noted that the farm is located along the side of two rather steep mountainsides. My midwestern vision of vast flat farming landscape quickly were sweated out of me as I struggled to keep my balance on the mountainside. We then collected the beans from the mountainside once they were dried by the sun and set up a tough made by tying a tarp to five sticks. I on one side and Chepo on the other took two sticks and beat the dried bean plants continuously until all the beans were removed from their shells... turning and beating turning and beating, all day in the sun without shelter-- seriously back breaking work. Chepo and his worker Juan are some of the strongest people I have ever met. After five hours of colleting, beating and turning, we collected the beans in three sacs around 80lbs each and carried them up the mountainside. What an amazing way to build a relationship through traditional labor, the sweet earthen smell of dried bean plants and the heat of the amazing Costa Rican countryside.