Playa Potrero Garden Project, Part 2.

Written by Alexandra Carelli / Photos by Jonathan Katzenberg

Seeing one of your ideas come to fruition is one of the most satisfying experiences one can have. From a random thought, to a plan, to discussions, to organizing, to actually sticking the first shovel in the dirt is a mental and emotional roller coaster that is seemingly controlled by some unseen force. You never know what parts of your idea is going to see the light of day, where it is going to fail, who is going to laugh in your face and tell you no, and how it is ever going to come together; but somehow, with determination and little passion, you pull it off.

When I first determined to come volunteer at Abriendo Mentes, one of my first thoughts was, “Hey, I could build a huge community garden there with the kids”. However, knowing how rampant the community garden movement is in the states, I tried not to get my hopes too high, assuming that someone had already manifested that idea. But, upon my arrival into Potrero, I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only had no one started a garden, but no one had even thought of one. Phew, the idea was mine for the taking.

Meradith was incredibly responsive to the idea and set-about helping me organize meetings and plan an area to house the garden-to-be. After a meeting with the President of the Potrero Association, we were granted permission to use the area behind the “Salon” (a large, open air community structure in the middle of town) for our garden. At first, this news was exhilarating, and then, I took a look at the space.

This rather large plot of land was a completely overgrown make-shift landfill that looked like it hadn’t been tended in, well, ever. There was almost no sun coming through the thick mess of dead trees, and the land it self was a terrific hilly slope, not the best land for planting. The task ahead was daunting, but then I couldn’t have know how the community would come together to help us clear and clean this area to create the garden.

Yesterday, we had our clean-up day. It started out around 8 am with , 9 volunteers, 2 donated Tico workers from Las Catalinas, 2 puppies, and a lot of determination. Our group set out chopping trees, cleaning trash, collecting plastic bottles to be used to hanging plants, hauling pieces of sheet metal, and raking like mad. We had bags full of random articles such as shoes and fake hair, huge piles of scrap metal, and a small mountain of concrete bricks. We spent hour upon hour laboring, sweating, and admiring how quickly many hands can turn something so ugly, into someplace so perfect.

Throughout the day, we were joined by many other community members. Parents of students or random passerby would nonchalantly show-up and grab a shovel, and start digging into the earth with as much vigor and passion as anyone else. Many of the AM kids showed up and helped out through their comical game of “Jefe and worker”. At one point, we had as many as 30 volunteers, kids, and community members all working together to beautify this little corner of the world. It was touching to see a young child of 8 or 9 working alongside their neighbor of 70, with one common goal: to help. If that isn’t bringing an idea to fruition, I don’t know what is.

By the end of the day we had done more work than I ever could have imagined. The entire area was cleared, cleaned, leveled, and ready to have the beds made and flowers planted as early as, well, today. Meradith and I were on the verge of tears seeing how the community and ourselves had really made this happen. It was certainly a beautiful moment. While all this cleaning and gardening and community building may not solve all of the world’s problems, it is helping pave the way for a cleaner, greener, Playa Potrero.

Ready, Set, Clean!

Written by Alexandra Carelli / Photos by Jonathan Katzenberg

Ever since the rush of tourist traffic during Semana Santa, Potrero hasn’t looked quite like itself. The endless stream of families, campers, and day trippers brought copious amounts of trash that now line the streets and beaches of our beloved village. The tourists typically bring the majority of their food, drink, and accommodations (i.e. a tent) from home, leaving Playa Potrero with little income from the rush of revelers, and a massive amount of rubbish.

To combat this annual problem, AM organized a Potrero Pick-Up day with the students to help beautify the area and spread awareness about proper garbage management. The participating students and volunteers divided into groups, and set out to eradicate the relentless rubbish. Meradith took every opportunity to teach the kids much needed lessons such as, “burning your trash on the side of the road is ineffective” and, “did you know glass doesn’t burn”?

Truthfully, picking up trash has never been so much fun. The kids got really into finding the largest pieces they could, and ending the clean-up at the beach was a welcome consolation. By the end we were all dappled in debris and sweat soaked, but I am happy to report that Potrero was truly more beautiful than ever.

Playa Potrero Garden Project, Part 1

Written by Alexandra Carelli

After a few weeks of discussions and planning, we finally got the OK yesterday to begin a community garden project in the village center. The garden will be a great opportunity to teach the kids about organic gardening, permaculture techniques, composting, recycling, and taking care of the earth.

While Costa Rica, and all of Central America for that matter, is traditionally an agriculture based economy, at this point most communities have been pushed into the tourism sector and as a result the earth around them suffers. Not only do tourists from the developed world come baring unchecked levels of garbage, but as the people themselves adopt practices from industrialized nations they become disconnected with the environment and increasingly rely on unsustainable products.

Trash, landfills, and pollution are a massive problem in Central America. There are no major recycling facilities, so what little materials make it to the sparse recycling cans, end up being dumped in the landfill like everything else. Recycling and proper garbage management in general are “new” concepts in Costa Rica that are still only being purveyed at the grassroots level.

The real culprit here, is plastic. In some of the most beautiful areas in Costa Rica, such as Nosara, there are massive landfills filled with towers of plastic bottles, wrappings, and packaging. The plastic doesn’t even begin to decompose, and thus in the rainy season is catches water and creates stagnant breeding grounds for mosquitoes and disease. In Nosara, the landfill is in the process of being closed down due to it being declared a public health hazard. Because people in Central America throw their toilet paper in the trash instead of the toilet, the stagnant water is met with human waste and landfills become major breeding grounds for e.coli and dengue fever. Sadly, cases of these fatal diseases are reported in large numbers around the landfills.

Anyway, back to the garden. Some of these problems, can be prevented with a little bit of education. My hope is that by teaching basic lessons on these subjects we can keep a few plastic bottles out of the landfills, make the center of Potrero more beautiful, and raise awareness of the importance of taking care of the earth.

The first order of business is to clean the site of the Garden-to-be. The area that we will be “beautifying” is currently, well, a complete and total wreck. It is littered with the loathed plastic bottles, bags, old fans, twisted metal and any other random bit of waste you can think of. In short, it’s gross. But, Meradith and I are getting a team of volunteers together on Friday to re-vamp the area and I have a feeling that we will be in good shape after clean-up day. We will keep you updated as things progress!

Candy, Presents, and Games, Oh My!

Written by Alexandra Carelli / Photos by Jonathan Katzenberg

There are some things that put a huge smile on a kid’s face, regardless of country, age, or economic status. And Friday, smiles were certainly seen on each and every child’s face in Playa Potrero. In an effort to give the kids a little something special before their week-long break for Semana Santa, Abriendo Mentes organized an “Easter” event with plenty of candy, small gifts, and pick-up soccer.

The afternoon kicked off with a classic Easter Egg hunt, something the kids of Potrero have never experienced. (Semana Santa - one of the biggest Latin American Holidays of the year - falls at the same time as Easter, but the two Holidays are celebrated in completely different ways). Meradith and a few volunteers hid eggs all over the plaza, while Drew, Jonathan and I entertained the eager participants in the Kid’s Club. When Meradith gave the signal, the kids burst onto the plaza and scrambled through the grass searching for the colorful, fun-filled eggs. I was helping one of the younger kids, Esteven, with this search, and considering we were in an open field those eggs were pretty tough to find! The Hunt lasted about 30 minutes, and by the end each kid had collected enough jelly beans, chocolate, stickers, and bracelets to fully understand the beauty of the “Easter Bunny”.

After the Egg Hunt was over, kids and volunteers alike assembled on the field for a pick-up soccer game. The game went strong for well over an hour, with Javier and Steven scoring goal after goal while Jessie, an AM volunteer, tried to fend them off through brute height alone. But the kids brought their skills - and endurance - to the table, and volunteer after volunteer fell to the wayside as the game went on, and on, and on. Alas, the kids were having an absolute blast, and the AM volunteers got to show off some of their skills too!

As a new volunteer to the AM scene, the event was a perfect opportunity to meet tons of AM students, and it was a great forum to start making a meaningful community connection. It also helped me see that AM is not only a school, it is a community building project that takes advantage of every opportunity to provide a positive outlet for kids to exist and express themselves. I couldn’t think of a more fun and satisfying way to accomplish all of these tasks!

Spring Break, Abriendo Mentes style!

Written by Alexandra Carelli

In early March, a group of 12 UNC Chapel Hill Students split ways with their Cancun bound classmates and spent their spring break volunteering their knowledge, skills, and time to Abriendo Mentes. This dedicated group of students selflessly spent 4 days engaged in various development activities such as: teaching art classes; decorating the Mardi Gras float and participating in the Mardi Gras parade with 10 of the kids; and helping out with Renate’s workshop, about marine conservation, the ocean, a dance of the tides "spiral dance", and an activity to simulate the senses of sea turtles. Needless to say, their trip was jam-packed with fun, educational opportunities.

Jay with Cesar decorating the Mardi Gras float.

All the volunteers were given a full cultural immersion experience by staying in home stays with families of AM students. This immersion allowed the volunteers the opportunity to practice their Spanish skills, try out local foods, and gain a deeper understanding of daily Costa Rica life. We also organized team-building events for the UNC group and other AM Volunteers. The first night the group arrived, we had a group dinner “Welcome Party” at Sol y Mar restaurant for everyone to meet. The last night, we had a big beach bonfire on Penca as a goodbye gesture, and spent the evening gazing at the stars recounting the week’s obstacles, triumphs, and learning experiences.

Skye representing Abriendo Mentes in the parade.

The group was led by Ashley Fiala, head of the UNC Chapel Hill Business Fraternity, who contacted me last year interested in starting a partnership between the fraternity and Abriendo Mentes. In addition to volunteer trips, the Fraternity plans to do a Golf Tournament supporting AM this Spring. The hope is to create a sustainable relationship between the Fraternity and AM that will encourage future projects.

Maya and Ashley enjoying some time with AM.

I must say, this trip went so well that we cannot wait to welcome the next UNC volunteers! Thank you all so much for your hard work, time, and dedication to making Playa Potrero a more well-rounded community.

Lisa and Cesar hanging out!