Chanhassen-Chaska SOC June 2018

Day 5 by Madeline and Hanna

            Hola! We are writing to you after a long day filled with many exciting and memorable activities. Our day started at the impossibly early time of 5:30 a.m. which is 4:30 a.m. to you guys. We had to eat breakfast at 6:00 in order to leave for horseback riding at 6:30. Breakfast consisted of the usual flavorful rice and beans along with eggs, queso, and delicious juice.
            We piled into our van with our awesome driver Eddie. Along the way we sang to NSYNC and it's been stuck in our heads all day. When we arrived at "Cerro Frio", the horse place, they put us in order based on our previous experience. We were than matched with horses based on our experience level. Unfortunately, those of us who were deemed most experienced actually knew pretty much nothing. This was a learning experience. Once we set off on the trail it was clear that each of the horses had their own very unique personalities. The trail was absolutely breathtaking. We went through eucalyptus trees, and crossed over rivers. When we got to the end, we had a gorgeous view and could see Lake Nicaragua. Once the horses knew that we were getting close to their homes on the way back, they all decided to speed up... very fast.
              Due to our early departure and horseback ride, we had 5 hours of free time! We all spent this time in different ways. Some went to play cards and all the guys trekked to the market. Meanwhile Eliana and ourselves proceeded to get almost lost in the rain forest trying to get pictures. In  the middle of free time we ate lunch! We had amazing fish (literally the best fish you could ever eat) we ate salad, rice, beans and in the words of Hanna Schneider, "the greatest iced tea on the face of the planet."
             After another break we started the science part of our day at 2:00. During this time we split into our groups and started our experiments. Some of us studied fancy things like dissolved oxygen in bodies of water. Others studied pH and bacteria levels in bodies of water. Finally the last group of us stuck with the Atta Cephalotes a.k.a. the leaf cutter ants and worked with repelling ants with association. We continued with our projects until 5:00, which is when we departed for our next adventure.
             Our next experience was at "Cafe Campesino". This was definitely one of the most memorable experiences so far on our trip. Immediately after we arrived we were greeted with open arms...literally (best hug ever). During this ordeal we helped to prepare an amazing, authentic, Costa Rican meal. It included pollo cariveno (chicken that originated from the Caribbean side of Costa Rica), arroz y frijoles (rice and beans), verduras (vegetables), ensalada (salad), plantains, and tortillas, and queso (cheese). For dessert prestinos, which was amazing. Some of the members tried lemons juice and salt which was fun to watch while making tortillas. As suspected the meal was amazing but what was really great came afterwards. Lets just say dancing and singing with a bunch of people who you don't know and don't speak the language of is unforgettable. It was a very much indescribable experience and our time spent with the people there was extremely memorable.
          And we close at 9:06 p.m. with well wishes from everybody here at Finca La Anita!

Buenos Noches!
Madeline y Hanna.

Horseback riding.

Final product!

Us with friends at Cafe Campesino.

We made a new friend today!