I think everybody agrees Major League Baseball has a major problem with its Hall of Fame. It used to be a fabled hall of history, something no real baseball fan should go without seeing. Now it is a hall of glaring omissions, the most famous because of gambling and the rest due to steroids-era revelations. “Was he good enough to make the Hall of Fame?” debates full of statistics and anecdotes have been replaced with “Does he deserve to be in the Hall of Fame?” debates full of preached morals and personality judgments. Why do baseball writers now decide what is right and wrong? How did we all of a sudden change what being a Hall of Famer means?
Say what you want about Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa, but the Hall of Fame isn’t so historic if it is missing the most prolific hitter of all time, the most prolific home run hitter of all time, and two men who captivated the country (and basically saved baseball). But how do they let these guys in without encouraging their negative behavior? I think I have learned the answer from, of all things, teaching!
Just like anywhere else, you find good behavior and bad behavior in a high school classroom. For some reason, it is human nature to try to wipe out the bad behavior directly. But you learn pretty quickly in teaching that you get better results if you praise the well behaved instead of punish the ill-behaved. Why can’t this work with baseball?
My solution is simple, let in the poorly behaved ballplayers who earned a spot in the Hall of Fame, but don’t give them any extra attention. Instead, give the extra attention to the well behaved players by giving THEM an asterisk. They would be deemed “Clean” Hall of Famers. Being “clean” would be defined as “behaving, both on and off the field, in a way that was and is acceptable up to and including present day.” Ted Williams would be a Clean Hall of Famer. Pete Rose and the aforementioned PED crew would just be Hall of Famers. Sorry to Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle, but alcoholism and womanizing mean no Clean label for you either.
The benefits of this system would be numerous. Instead of fearing a “tarnished” legacy, players would have a higher pedestal to strive for. The Hall of Fame would once again be a museum of complete baseball history. Children would be shown that if you do everything right, you will receive extra recognition. And the sportswriting world would have a whole new topic to debate: not if a player deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, but if the player deserves to be a Clean Hall of Famer.
Want more? Rewrite the record books to have records and clean records! Barry Bonds will have the home run records, but Maris and Aaron will be restored to holding the prestigious clean record. Albert Pujols doesn’t have a shot at 73, but you can’t tell me you wouldn’t be interested in seeing him make a run at 61*.
Somehow, at some point the asterisk got a negative reputation. But, again borrowing from the world of education, it can denote something positive like graduating with honors. Baseball players shouldn’t fear the asterisk. They should strive to deserve the asterisk. It could be the first piece of punctuation that solves a sport’s biggest problem. Let’s see a comma do that!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Costa Rica final thoughts
Hello from American Airlines flight 1640!
That’s right, I’m typing my final journal on the flight back from Miami to Boston. So by reading this you are joining me in a mile high club of sorts! I have a few parting thoughts for you and then I will pit Brazil vs. Costa Rica in a battle of my two biggest international adventures!
While in San Jose I remarked how cool it was the government believed in free will of the people and how cool it was this hasn’t devolved into Latin American sin city. First of all, apologies to Tijuana, which I forgot already had the title of Latin American sin city! Second of all, I wrote this before going to Tamarindo. Tamarindo boasts quite a few drug dealers and prostitutes and I, like many of the other Americans, was slightly off put by the constant “hey man, you want some blow?” and “Hola mi amor…” So this is my first ever blog retraction. They should really do something about the drugs and prostitution down there! Again though, it makes me wonder if Costa Rica has the problem or Americans. Besides EVERY cab driver I had, I don’t think the Costa Ricans partake themselves. Just target the tourists.
Despite not drinking a drop all weekend, all my laundry somehow smells like tequila. Perhaps the Mexicans have been fooling us all this time with the agave thing and really tequila is just a mixture of sweat, bug spray, and suntan lotion!
My ESPN in the hotel was ESPN deportes, the Spanish broadcast station. But then they dub it back over in English. Very odd.
Doubletree Inn gave me a “welcome cookie” for the night I stayed near the airport. They also had a huge 30 foot poster of a cookie with the slogan “Doubletree: Home of the Cookie.” Is this a global thing or just Costa Rican? Though I have to say it was a really good cookie.
With the night free last night I found a casino near the airport with a Texas Hold ‘Em Poker tournament. Let me tell you poker is SO MUCH DIFFERENT with Latino players. The room was louder than a rock concert, at least 3 people per hand were so busy in conversation they didn’t know it was their turn, and the entire room basically shut down for somebody’s birthday cake (everybody yelling “Kay-Kay” over and over again). Something tells me it will be a long time until someone breaks the Latin American barrier and wins a World Series of Poker bracelet!
So a lot of people have asked or no doubt will ask which was a better trip, Brazil or Costa Rica. My answer should be “I can’t compare them, they were so different.” But then again, nobody wants to read a politically safe answer like that. Instead, lets break it down in the Tale of the Tape!
In-Flight Entertainment:
Brazil: King Kong on every flight
Costa Rica: Dog hotel, Ice Heart, and Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Advantage: Brazil!
Earthwatch Team:
Brazil: a great bunch of people I said I would keep close contact with but haven’t really done a great job.
Costa Rica: a great bunch of people I hope to keep close contact with
Advantage: Costa Rica (Brazil had Gene, James, and Ivelisse, but all 9 of my CR mates were awesome!)
Token travel addict:
Brazil: Jeff, an insurance broker with a quick wit who came off a little abrasive at times.
Costa Rica: John, an artist with a quick wit who came off a little abrasive at times. And had a bullet wound.
Advantage: Costa Rica (by a bullet wound)
Typical Day’s Work:
Brazil: Explore the rainforest in the morning. Set up nets at 5 PM. Wait for sundown. Go to nets, bag, tag, and release bats. Take down nets.
Costa Rica: Hike through a coffee farm. Randomly select multiple coffee plants thoughout farm. Measure the plant and then count the coffee beans on it. Return to lab and clean dirt.
Advantage: Brazil (I’ve never been a plant person)
The Spiders:
Costa Rica: Small and typically left me alone
Brazil: Large and typically left me alone
Advantage: Push- nobody wins when it comes to spiders.
Odd breakfast staple:
Costa Rica: Gallo Pinto (aka rice and beans)
Brazil: Chocolate Cake
Advantage: Costa Rica (at least there’s some protein in there)
Memorable Meal:
Brazil: The “Lanches” cheeseburger, which I still talk about to this day.
Costa Rica: Farm fresh grilled chicken: which I will talk about from this day forward.
Advantage: Push.
National Catch Phrase:
Brazil: Tudo Bem!
Costa Rica: Pura Vida!
Advantage: Boston (Wicked Awesome!)
Earthwatch Catch Phrase:
Brazil: No! You CRAZY!
Costa Rica: Go Green!... Con Mucho Gusto!... Shit Happens!
Advantage? Costa Rica (3 for the price of one)
The Women:
Costa Rica: 50% chance of being pregnant or a prostitute
Brazil: single and ready to mingle!
Advantage: Brazil!
So there you have it, Costa Rica barely pulls out the victory by a score of 4-3. Of course, the numbers never lie! But not to fret Brazil, I will never forget my first…
Along with the many people I have missed, I am especially looking forward to reuniting tomorrow with Dunkin Donuts iced coffee and the Red Sox. In other words, I had a great time but I am happy to be back! I hope you have enjoyed reading each step of the way. Until my next big life excursion….
That’s right, I’m typing my final journal on the flight back from Miami to Boston. So by reading this you are joining me in a mile high club of sorts! I have a few parting thoughts for you and then I will pit Brazil vs. Costa Rica in a battle of my two biggest international adventures!
While in San Jose I remarked how cool it was the government believed in free will of the people and how cool it was this hasn’t devolved into Latin American sin city. First of all, apologies to Tijuana, which I forgot already had the title of Latin American sin city! Second of all, I wrote this before going to Tamarindo. Tamarindo boasts quite a few drug dealers and prostitutes and I, like many of the other Americans, was slightly off put by the constant “hey man, you want some blow?” and “Hola mi amor…” So this is my first ever blog retraction. They should really do something about the drugs and prostitution down there! Again though, it makes me wonder if Costa Rica has the problem or Americans. Besides EVERY cab driver I had, I don’t think the Costa Ricans partake themselves. Just target the tourists.
Despite not drinking a drop all weekend, all my laundry somehow smells like tequila. Perhaps the Mexicans have been fooling us all this time with the agave thing and really tequila is just a mixture of sweat, bug spray, and suntan lotion!
My ESPN in the hotel was ESPN deportes, the Spanish broadcast station. But then they dub it back over in English. Very odd.
Doubletree Inn gave me a “welcome cookie” for the night I stayed near the airport. They also had a huge 30 foot poster of a cookie with the slogan “Doubletree: Home of the Cookie.” Is this a global thing or just Costa Rican? Though I have to say it was a really good cookie.
With the night free last night I found a casino near the airport with a Texas Hold ‘Em Poker tournament. Let me tell you poker is SO MUCH DIFFERENT with Latino players. The room was louder than a rock concert, at least 3 people per hand were so busy in conversation they didn’t know it was their turn, and the entire room basically shut down for somebody’s birthday cake (everybody yelling “Kay-Kay” over and over again). Something tells me it will be a long time until someone breaks the Latin American barrier and wins a World Series of Poker bracelet!
So a lot of people have asked or no doubt will ask which was a better trip, Brazil or Costa Rica. My answer should be “I can’t compare them, they were so different.” But then again, nobody wants to read a politically safe answer like that. Instead, lets break it down in the Tale of the Tape!
In-Flight Entertainment:
Brazil: King Kong on every flight
Costa Rica: Dog hotel, Ice Heart, and Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Advantage: Brazil!
Earthwatch Team:
Brazil: a great bunch of people I said I would keep close contact with but haven’t really done a great job.
Costa Rica: a great bunch of people I hope to keep close contact with
Advantage: Costa Rica (Brazil had Gene, James, and Ivelisse, but all 9 of my CR mates were awesome!)
Token travel addict:
Brazil: Jeff, an insurance broker with a quick wit who came off a little abrasive at times.
Costa Rica: John, an artist with a quick wit who came off a little abrasive at times. And had a bullet wound.
Advantage: Costa Rica (by a bullet wound)
Typical Day’s Work:
Brazil: Explore the rainforest in the morning. Set up nets at 5 PM. Wait for sundown. Go to nets, bag, tag, and release bats. Take down nets.
Costa Rica: Hike through a coffee farm. Randomly select multiple coffee plants thoughout farm. Measure the plant and then count the coffee beans on it. Return to lab and clean dirt.
Advantage: Brazil (I’ve never been a plant person)
The Spiders:
Costa Rica: Small and typically left me alone
Brazil: Large and typically left me alone
Advantage: Push- nobody wins when it comes to spiders.
Odd breakfast staple:
Costa Rica: Gallo Pinto (aka rice and beans)
Brazil: Chocolate Cake
Advantage: Costa Rica (at least there’s some protein in there)
Memorable Meal:
Brazil: The “Lanches” cheeseburger, which I still talk about to this day.
Costa Rica: Farm fresh grilled chicken: which I will talk about from this day forward.
Advantage: Push.
National Catch Phrase:
Brazil: Tudo Bem!
Costa Rica: Pura Vida!
Advantage: Boston (Wicked Awesome!)
Earthwatch Catch Phrase:
Brazil: No! You CRAZY!
Costa Rica: Go Green!... Con Mucho Gusto!... Shit Happens!
Advantage? Costa Rica (3 for the price of one)
The Women:
Costa Rica: 50% chance of being pregnant or a prostitute
Brazil: single and ready to mingle!
Advantage: Brazil!
So there you have it, Costa Rica barely pulls out the victory by a score of 4-3. Of course, the numbers never lie! But not to fret Brazil, I will never forget my first…
Along with the many people I have missed, I am especially looking forward to reuniting tomorrow with Dunkin Donuts iced coffee and the Red Sox. In other words, I had a great time but I am happy to be back! I hope you have enjoyed reading each step of the way. Until my next big life excursion….
Costa Rica Day 15
Hola!
It has been 15 days now in Costa Rica and I am starting to miss the United States! I was even happy to hear Flo Rida when I was out last night… okay, I don’t miss the United States THAT much!
So I have mixed in adventure and relaxing/beach here at Tamarindo. On Monday I took my first ever surf lesson. It was very fun, and I did not break anything so that’s a plus. Actually, I don’t really see how its possible to get hurt where I was, the waves weren’t so big and there are no rocks. I did, however, underestimate how physically demanding surfing is! There is a reason all the professionals are ripped to shreds! I barely made it two hours! I did get up on a few waves though so I would have to say I did a pretty good job. And my knees are scraped to pieces to prove it.
Tuesday was a relaxing day. Then yesterday was my zip-line canopy tour (which I missed out on in San Jose). That was a BLAST! I found the right one too because the guys running this one have a good time with it- they joke with you and shake the cables and such. They also took some good pictures- coming to a facebook profile picture near you…
So today is again a relaxing day. I plan on hitting the beach for a good couple hours and finishing the book I have been reading. Also my favorite entertainment staffer is getting a volleyball game together. So in other words, life is pretty easy right now. By the way, if any Costa Rican women challenge you to Bocce, RUN. The entertainment staffer I played against was a ringer. She acted all innocent until the game started, then she was out for blood. Thank god the only thing I put on the line was my passport.
Each night the same entertainment staff puts on a different show at the theater. I went for the first time last night for the traditional Costa Rican dancing show. It was then I realized we are on a cruise ship on land. The show was cool, though. The traditional dress is very nice, and if you haven’t guessed that I will be buying one for my nieces you just don’t know me all that well.
I have to say my favorite part of the resort has been meeting the Americans, something I would not have guessed. The Costa Ricans here are all families on vacations, but there are more Americans my age, most of which are on honeymoons. I have met couples from Tennessee, Texas, and Connecticut. The Texan family on my zip-line tour insisted I would be saying “ya’ll” by the end of the trip. I did not.
So I mentioned in passing earlier in my journal Costa Ricans don’t get along with Nicaraguans. Its more like the Costa Ricans are completely racist! On the coffee tour a while back our tour guide mentioned the Nicaraguan immigrants and how their coffee picking jobs were good for them because “you know how they are.” I met someone who said “they rape our women and steal our money.” And others just roll their eyes at the Nicaraguan employees here at our hotel. I do understand that it is ingrained in Costa Rican culture. They grow up being taught the Nicaraguans are going to steal their jobs, etc. But, in my humble opinion, the Nicaraguans are actually great! Every Nicaraguan who works at this hotel is like an Energizer Bunny. For instance, one girl bartends, washes the floors, and does all the dishes for THREE BARS each day. She works 22 straight days so she can take 5 days off at a time to return to see her family in Nicaragua, where she said the same work would only pay her $150 a month.
Hmm, a hard-working immigrant population that moves to a country to earn a better life for themselves and their families. They are willing to work harder than the native population and are more gracious while earning less. Does any of this sound familiar?
On a related note, I did meet one American student who is here trying to learn Spanish so she can join the INS in Miami. If you are planning on visiting hell, say hello to her for me. =P
Ok so this is the final journal I will write in Tamarindo. All that is left is a 2 day journey home. Plent of time to reflect on this great opportunity I have had. Until then…
It has been 15 days now in Costa Rica and I am starting to miss the United States! I was even happy to hear Flo Rida when I was out last night… okay, I don’t miss the United States THAT much!
So I have mixed in adventure and relaxing/beach here at Tamarindo. On Monday I took my first ever surf lesson. It was very fun, and I did not break anything so that’s a plus. Actually, I don’t really see how its possible to get hurt where I was, the waves weren’t so big and there are no rocks. I did, however, underestimate how physically demanding surfing is! There is a reason all the professionals are ripped to shreds! I barely made it two hours! I did get up on a few waves though so I would have to say I did a pretty good job. And my knees are scraped to pieces to prove it.
Tuesday was a relaxing day. Then yesterday was my zip-line canopy tour (which I missed out on in San Jose). That was a BLAST! I found the right one too because the guys running this one have a good time with it- they joke with you and shake the cables and such. They also took some good pictures- coming to a facebook profile picture near you…
So today is again a relaxing day. I plan on hitting the beach for a good couple hours and finishing the book I have been reading. Also my favorite entertainment staffer is getting a volleyball game together. So in other words, life is pretty easy right now. By the way, if any Costa Rican women challenge you to Bocce, RUN. The entertainment staffer I played against was a ringer. She acted all innocent until the game started, then she was out for blood. Thank god the only thing I put on the line was my passport.
Each night the same entertainment staff puts on a different show at the theater. I went for the first time last night for the traditional Costa Rican dancing show. It was then I realized we are on a cruise ship on land. The show was cool, though. The traditional dress is very nice, and if you haven’t guessed that I will be buying one for my nieces you just don’t know me all that well.
I have to say my favorite part of the resort has been meeting the Americans, something I would not have guessed. The Costa Ricans here are all families on vacations, but there are more Americans my age, most of which are on honeymoons. I have met couples from Tennessee, Texas, and Connecticut. The Texan family on my zip-line tour insisted I would be saying “ya’ll” by the end of the trip. I did not.
So I mentioned in passing earlier in my journal Costa Ricans don’t get along with Nicaraguans. Its more like the Costa Ricans are completely racist! On the coffee tour a while back our tour guide mentioned the Nicaraguan immigrants and how their coffee picking jobs were good for them because “you know how they are.” I met someone who said “they rape our women and steal our money.” And others just roll their eyes at the Nicaraguan employees here at our hotel. I do understand that it is ingrained in Costa Rican culture. They grow up being taught the Nicaraguans are going to steal their jobs, etc. But, in my humble opinion, the Nicaraguans are actually great! Every Nicaraguan who works at this hotel is like an Energizer Bunny. For instance, one girl bartends, washes the floors, and does all the dishes for THREE BARS each day. She works 22 straight days so she can take 5 days off at a time to return to see her family in Nicaragua, where she said the same work would only pay her $150 a month.
Hmm, a hard-working immigrant population that moves to a country to earn a better life for themselves and their families. They are willing to work harder than the native population and are more gracious while earning less. Does any of this sound familiar?
On a related note, I did meet one American student who is here trying to learn Spanish so she can join the INS in Miami. If you are planning on visiting hell, say hello to her for me. =P
Ok so this is the final journal I will write in Tamarindo. All that is left is a 2 day journey home. Plent of time to reflect on this great opportunity I have had. Until then…
Costa Rica Day 11
Hola from Tamarindo!
Yes, as you can tell by my greeting, I have changed locations. After backbreaking labor, numerous insect bites, a couple torrential downpours, and one electrocution, I have moved on to phase 2 of my trip: the vacation away from my vacation.
I actually write this with a heavy heart. Though comparing my current hotel with my past amenities would be like comparing the Bellagio to the Jockey Club (actual Vegas hotel name), I miss my group-mates and even the work I have had to do. Maybe its just me, but I am far more comfortable with people telling me what to do rather than asking what they can do for me. Or maybe it’s because I work with teenagers (oh, snap!).
Some final stories from the field: we went to an organic farm. By organic I mean buggy, muddy, and vegetation so lush you cant see more than three feet in front of you. Did I mention it was at about a mile climb straight up a mountain to get there? The farmer was super enthusiastic about his organic farm and preserving wildlife, and he was so articulate he could probably be a college professor. Unfortunately, he might lose his organic certification because I fouled off our duct tape baseball into a garden and couldn’t find it. Whoops….
I have learned a ton about fair trade, organic, and green practices and have to say the experience will come with me back to the states. I will now have to find a way to do this without sounding like a total high-horse Cambridge resident (oh, snap!). But this whole experience has taught me as much about economics and social/political issues as much as it has about science. Also, I know I won’t ever be able to look at a bag of coffee the same way again. No word yet on if they will certify the bags of coffee beans that have touched my hands and sell them for 50% more.
So anyways, what about my beach trip? My bus ride was way long and I’m pretty sure there was a drug dropoff right in the middle of it. After that, I have really only scratched the surface of what they have to offer here. The hotel is all inclusive, so it would be very economical just to stay here and mooch, but I want to explore too. The hotel casino will not be one of those to further explore after last night- let’s just say if you ever go up against a Costa Rican blackjack dealer named Henry, run. He will be called up to Vegas in no time I’m sure.
You might think our coffee trip was packed with wildlife, but I saw more wilflife in Tamarindo in one day than I did in the past week (unless you count dachsunds, which are oddly the pet of choice in Santa Maria). Our bus stopped at a rest stop with about ten parrots, and there are raccoons and iguanas walking around our hotel grounds. I booked a zip line canopy tour for Thursday and am hoping to finally see a monkey…
I booked a surfing lesson for tomorrow, so say a prayer for my bones tonight. It should be fun as long as nobody feels I am endangering the small children in the area (true skiing story).Or, at the very least, it should make for good blogging. Until then…
Yes, as you can tell by my greeting, I have changed locations. After backbreaking labor, numerous insect bites, a couple torrential downpours, and one electrocution, I have moved on to phase 2 of my trip: the vacation away from my vacation.
I actually write this with a heavy heart. Though comparing my current hotel with my past amenities would be like comparing the Bellagio to the Jockey Club (actual Vegas hotel name), I miss my group-mates and even the work I have had to do. Maybe its just me, but I am far more comfortable with people telling me what to do rather than asking what they can do for me. Or maybe it’s because I work with teenagers (oh, snap!).
Some final stories from the field: we went to an organic farm. By organic I mean buggy, muddy, and vegetation so lush you cant see more than three feet in front of you. Did I mention it was at about a mile climb straight up a mountain to get there? The farmer was super enthusiastic about his organic farm and preserving wildlife, and he was so articulate he could probably be a college professor. Unfortunately, he might lose his organic certification because I fouled off our duct tape baseball into a garden and couldn’t find it. Whoops….
I have learned a ton about fair trade, organic, and green practices and have to say the experience will come with me back to the states. I will now have to find a way to do this without sounding like a total high-horse Cambridge resident (oh, snap!). But this whole experience has taught me as much about economics and social/political issues as much as it has about science. Also, I know I won’t ever be able to look at a bag of coffee the same way again. No word yet on if they will certify the bags of coffee beans that have touched my hands and sell them for 50% more.
So anyways, what about my beach trip? My bus ride was way long and I’m pretty sure there was a drug dropoff right in the middle of it. After that, I have really only scratched the surface of what they have to offer here. The hotel is all inclusive, so it would be very economical just to stay here and mooch, but I want to explore too. The hotel casino will not be one of those to further explore after last night- let’s just say if you ever go up against a Costa Rican blackjack dealer named Henry, run. He will be called up to Vegas in no time I’m sure.
You might think our coffee trip was packed with wildlife, but I saw more wilflife in Tamarindo in one day than I did in the past week (unless you count dachsunds, which are oddly the pet of choice in Santa Maria). Our bus stopped at a rest stop with about ten parrots, and there are raccoons and iguanas walking around our hotel grounds. I booked a zip line canopy tour for Thursday and am hoping to finally see a monkey…
I booked a surfing lesson for tomorrow, so say a prayer for my bones tonight. It should be fun as long as nobody feels I am endangering the small children in the area (true skiing story).Or, at the very least, it should make for good blogging. Until then…
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Costa Rica Day 7
Hola!
We are right into the daily grind here in Santa Maria, where we travel each day to coffee farms and take data on the productivity of the farm. Each farm we select 30 coffee plants to record the height and width, the number of trunks, and number of productive branches on each tree. Then on 5 branches on each trunk we count the number of coffee beans that are growing. We have gotten as many as 170 beans on a single branch, though I am a lot happier when I have a branch of 1…
While we count the coffee plants another team digs soil samples, estimates ground cover, and measures soil density. The soil samples basically fill a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. I have been callously avoiding soil duty but I think tomorrow is the day I will have to give in. I do have to help out cleaning the dirt though. You heard me right, we clean the dirt of all its sticks/rocks/living materials. I am pretty sure this is the job Joe Millionaire had before he got on tv… and probably what he’s doing now as well.
Anyways, in the past 3 days we have been a blast, but they are LONG days. Two of our older volunteers have had to sit out a day, one for sickness and one for injury. If this were Survivor, they would have been voted off the very next tribal council.
Some things I have come to appreciate during my trip:
Cleanliness: If you are clean right now, take a moment to appreciate it… Seriously, I have never loved being clean so much as each night we return from the farms and get to shower and change clothes. I have worn about 5 pounds of dirt back with me every night. The owner of our cabins does the laundry for whatever price we think she deserves. With the clothes I have given her, I might need to take out a small loan…
Showers that don’t electrocute you: Our shower has an extra large head attached to two electrical wires. When the water enters the head, it is electrically fried into hot water before being pushed out onto you. If you don’t see where I am going with this, let’s just say I know what 120 Volts feels like travelling through my left arm.
Flushing toilet paper: just like in Brazil, our t.p. has to go in the trash can. Imagine the possibilities. Thankfully, we do have…
Coca-Cola: A taste of America!
Anti-insect measures: I would say the insects here are about as bad as they come. In the morning, I cover myself in Deet, duct tape the ankles of my pants closed, and put my trained pet praying mantis (named Diablito- the little devil) on my shoulder. Ok, so I have not been able to train a praying mantis, but until then we have all been relying on my Benadryl anti-itch gel.
Counting in twos: Probably the greatest time saving technique in the history of mankind. Actually, my mathematical mind has really come in handy on this expedition. My roommate Tim and I have adopted the nickname of “Alpha Team” and there are no faster coffee bean counters in the world. With the others, we have developed into an incredibly efficient volunteer group and can cover double to work most groups can do.
My sister’s digital camera: Thanks to Gina who gave me the camera that has allowed me to take great photographs that I am looking forward to sharing. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the cable to upload them. Until then, this is a photo album put up by one of the project leaders. It has some good pictures of me and the experience, and is only a small taste of what you’ll get once I can get my pictures up online! http://picasaweb.google.com/buckuwt/TarrazuEarthwatchJuly2009#5355383805154862082
Ok, so I have a feeling soil duty is ahead of me tomorrow. Once I have cleaned my hands well enough, I will write again. Until then…
We are right into the daily grind here in Santa Maria, where we travel each day to coffee farms and take data on the productivity of the farm. Each farm we select 30 coffee plants to record the height and width, the number of trunks, and number of productive branches on each tree. Then on 5 branches on each trunk we count the number of coffee beans that are growing. We have gotten as many as 170 beans on a single branch, though I am a lot happier when I have a branch of 1…
While we count the coffee plants another team digs soil samples, estimates ground cover, and measures soil density. The soil samples basically fill a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. I have been callously avoiding soil duty but I think tomorrow is the day I will have to give in. I do have to help out cleaning the dirt though. You heard me right, we clean the dirt of all its sticks/rocks/living materials. I am pretty sure this is the job Joe Millionaire had before he got on tv… and probably what he’s doing now as well.
Anyways, in the past 3 days we have been a blast, but they are LONG days. Two of our older volunteers have had to sit out a day, one for sickness and one for injury. If this were Survivor, they would have been voted off the very next tribal council.
Some things I have come to appreciate during my trip:
Cleanliness: If you are clean right now, take a moment to appreciate it… Seriously, I have never loved being clean so much as each night we return from the farms and get to shower and change clothes. I have worn about 5 pounds of dirt back with me every night. The owner of our cabins does the laundry for whatever price we think she deserves. With the clothes I have given her, I might need to take out a small loan…
Showers that don’t electrocute you: Our shower has an extra large head attached to two electrical wires. When the water enters the head, it is electrically fried into hot water before being pushed out onto you. If you don’t see where I am going with this, let’s just say I know what 120 Volts feels like travelling through my left arm.
Flushing toilet paper: just like in Brazil, our t.p. has to go in the trash can. Imagine the possibilities. Thankfully, we do have…
Coca-Cola: A taste of America!
Anti-insect measures: I would say the insects here are about as bad as they come. In the morning, I cover myself in Deet, duct tape the ankles of my pants closed, and put my trained pet praying mantis (named Diablito- the little devil) on my shoulder. Ok, so I have not been able to train a praying mantis, but until then we have all been relying on my Benadryl anti-itch gel.
Counting in twos: Probably the greatest time saving technique in the history of mankind. Actually, my mathematical mind has really come in handy on this expedition. My roommate Tim and I have adopted the nickname of “Alpha Team” and there are no faster coffee bean counters in the world. With the others, we have developed into an incredibly efficient volunteer group and can cover double to work most groups can do.
My sister’s digital camera: Thanks to Gina who gave me the camera that has allowed me to take great photographs that I am looking forward to sharing. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the cable to upload them. Until then, this is a photo album put up by one of the project leaders. It has some good pictures of me and the experience, and is only a small taste of what you’ll get once I can get my pictures up online! http://picasaweb.google.com/buckuwt/TarrazuEarthwatchJuly2009#5355383805154862082
Ok, so I have a feeling soil duty is ahead of me tomorrow. Once I have cleaned my hands well enough, I will write again. Until then…
Costa Rica Day 4
Hola from Tarrazu! I have to warn you this blog is less entertaining and more informative. But enjoyable nonetheless.
Today was our first day of official Earthwatch work but we spent the morning going on a hike through the cloud forest and then late morning/early afternoon learning all the plans for this project. Well, we learned as much as we could between the torrential rains on top of our tin roof. A group of teenagers was at the same nature preserve and came back absolutely soaked and shivering. So we have a preview of what to expect in the next few days out on the coffee fields…
The scope of this project seems immense. Basically they are trying to find the best way for the farmers to have productive coffee farms without disturbing the environment. Sounds easy, but there are about 6500 farms if I remember correctly, and each has different different altitude, soil, landscape, land use history, fertilizer use, pesticide use, and management! A project of this size would need HUGE amounts of data to have a “magic formula” for growing coffee. They are sampling 40 farms and experimenting with different techniques on 12 of them. So I feel like they are just scratching the surface, and no magic formula has been found yet. But that’s the fun. I get to roll up my sleeves and help them collect the data they need. And most of you know how much I love data. And for those of you who don’t, well, it probably wouldn’t make the most interesting dinner conversation so you can just take my word for it.
The cabins we are staying in at night are really nice, though there isn’t a whole lot to do besides sit at the dinner table and talk. Each cabin is named “welcome” in a different language except for cabin 5, with is named Matthew McConaughey. That’s right, my arch-nemesis stayed here last year. Apparently, bringing crap to one country is not enough for him.
I happen to love a lot of things about our country, but the United States could stand to learn a thing or two from Costa Rica. For one, they boast the highest literacy rate, lowest crime rate, and lowest unemployment rate in Latin America. They are the hotspot for tourism and the newest destination for technology corporations (Intel, etc.). Besides Nicaragua (story for a whole other blog) they have a good relationship with most countries. How has all this been accomplished? They have not had an army for about 50 years! Instead, they have invested in public education and healthcare. What a novel idea! In addition, the country believes in free will. Gambling and prostitution are legal while marijuana is tolerated. I’m not promoting all of these, nor do I think they all would work in the US. But, despite what many Americans might predict, the entire country has not devolved into a Latin American sin city. Hard to argue with a country that trusts (and invests in) its citizens.
Our tour guide cited alcoholism (human nature), traffic (due to the country’s fast expansion, and drugs as the three biggest problems in the country. Wait a minute, I thought I just said free will works in Costa Rica? Actually, the drugs are coming THROUGH Costa Rica to the United States! Whoops.
Anyways, thanks to the rain and the wet teens, we called it an early day. Probably not too many of those in the near future, so I’ll take it. I will write more after I have experienced a couple long days in the field. Until then…
Today was our first day of official Earthwatch work but we spent the morning going on a hike through the cloud forest and then late morning/early afternoon learning all the plans for this project. Well, we learned as much as we could between the torrential rains on top of our tin roof. A group of teenagers was at the same nature preserve and came back absolutely soaked and shivering. So we have a preview of what to expect in the next few days out on the coffee fields…
The scope of this project seems immense. Basically they are trying to find the best way for the farmers to have productive coffee farms without disturbing the environment. Sounds easy, but there are about 6500 farms if I remember correctly, and each has different different altitude, soil, landscape, land use history, fertilizer use, pesticide use, and management! A project of this size would need HUGE amounts of data to have a “magic formula” for growing coffee. They are sampling 40 farms and experimenting with different techniques on 12 of them. So I feel like they are just scratching the surface, and no magic formula has been found yet. But that’s the fun. I get to roll up my sleeves and help them collect the data they need. And most of you know how much I love data. And for those of you who don’t, well, it probably wouldn’t make the most interesting dinner conversation so you can just take my word for it.
The cabins we are staying in at night are really nice, though there isn’t a whole lot to do besides sit at the dinner table and talk. Each cabin is named “welcome” in a different language except for cabin 5, with is named Matthew McConaughey. That’s right, my arch-nemesis stayed here last year. Apparently, bringing crap to one country is not enough for him.
I happen to love a lot of things about our country, but the United States could stand to learn a thing or two from Costa Rica. For one, they boast the highest literacy rate, lowest crime rate, and lowest unemployment rate in Latin America. They are the hotspot for tourism and the newest destination for technology corporations (Intel, etc.). Besides Nicaragua (story for a whole other blog) they have a good relationship with most countries. How has all this been accomplished? They have not had an army for about 50 years! Instead, they have invested in public education and healthcare. What a novel idea! In addition, the country believes in free will. Gambling and prostitution are legal while marijuana is tolerated. I’m not promoting all of these, nor do I think they all would work in the US. But, despite what many Americans might predict, the entire country has not devolved into a Latin American sin city. Hard to argue with a country that trusts (and invests in) its citizens.
Our tour guide cited alcoholism (human nature), traffic (due to the country’s fast expansion, and drugs as the three biggest problems in the country. Wait a minute, I thought I just said free will works in Costa Rica? Actually, the drugs are coming THROUGH Costa Rica to the United States! Whoops.
Anyways, thanks to the rain and the wet teens, we called it an early day. Probably not too many of those in the near future, so I’ll take it. I will write more after I have experienced a couple long days in the field. Until then…
Costa Rica Day 3
Happy Fourth of July from Costa Rica! We managed to find a parade, granted for a political candidate, so I do feel a little festive today on my first Independence Day.
Yesterday we took a guided tour to the Poa Volcano, the Vargas Coffee fields, and the Goods Factory shopping area. I am finding it odd, none of the trips were that great but I had a good time. The volcano was completely cloud covered when we reached the top (almost 8000 ft above sea level). We waited almost a half hour, staring at the white, but never got to see anything. We did hear the activity and smell the sulfur admissions though. I am still wondering why the others booked the coffee tour the day before our week long coffee field expedition starts, but it was probably the nicest part of the day. I will spare any more details for the real coffee trip.
I have had a good time being in Costa Rica. Some of the things I’ve noticed…
I have also learned about myself that I am completely unable to predict what people will be like based on their emails. The people on my trip:
Yvonne: Thought she would be a talkative, bubbly character who was over-enthusiastic about everything. She is a slightly older woman who characterizes herself as “usually silent”
Shaun: My roommate, who I thought would be an older man who I wouldn’t have much in common. He has turned out to be my age, REALLY cool, and we have had a blast rooming together.
John: I thought would be a guy my age who would be really cool and we would have a blast together. He turned out to be an older man who I don’t have anything in common with. He also has been on 22 Earthwatch trips and lets you know about it any chance he gets. [Update: John just walked by the coffee shop I am sitting at. I did not call him over]
So yeah, I was 0 for 3. 2 of my other tripmates are here too, but I hadn’t made any predictions about them. One of them is young like Shaun and I and one is old like Yvonne and John. There seems to be a clear split between the two groups. But also the other 5 people showing up today might feel split from us since we have spent the last two days together already. Of course, we are all worried John will split apart from us and vote one of us out. Sorry, sometimes I like to pretend I’m on Survivor.
Ok, so at 3 PM MT we are being picked up by the Earthwatch people. I’m looking forward to the expedition, even if it is a little work. I hopefully will have an internet feed at some point there and will write again. Until then…
Yesterday we took a guided tour to the Poa Volcano, the Vargas Coffee fields, and the Goods Factory shopping area. I am finding it odd, none of the trips were that great but I had a good time. The volcano was completely cloud covered when we reached the top (almost 8000 ft above sea level). We waited almost a half hour, staring at the white, but never got to see anything. We did hear the activity and smell the sulfur admissions though. I am still wondering why the others booked the coffee tour the day before our week long coffee field expedition starts, but it was probably the nicest part of the day. I will spare any more details for the real coffee trip.
I have had a good time being in Costa Rica. Some of the things I’ve noticed…
- The food is great and the people are very friendly. Everyone is proud of their country (which, according to our tour guide, has the best economy in Latin America).
- Outside our hotel within one block there is a McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King, and KFC. What, no Wendy’s? There are plenty of local options too but there is always a line at the American restaurants. Oh yeah, the first restaurant I saw after getting off the airplane was a Schlotsky’s. Glad my people have made it down here too…
- I wish there was a place I could bet on the population of San Jose EXPLODING in about 2 months. This is the most pregnant women I have ever seen in my life. Didn’t Matt Dugan take a trip here about 6 months or so ago? I’m just saying…
- The speed limit on the highway is 50 km/hr. The speed limit on mountains with twisting roads and hairpin turns and no guard rails? You guessed it: 50 km/hr.
- In the shower today my face soap went over my nose and when I exhaled it blew a bubble that went completely over my mouth. This has nothing to do with Costa Rica but I’ve never done that before!
- We were lucky enough to get a room with a view of the plaza outside our hotel. There is a mariachi trumpeter who plays all night at regular 5 minute intervals. In related news, I didn’t sleep much.
I have also learned about myself that I am completely unable to predict what people will be like based on their emails. The people on my trip:
Yvonne: Thought she would be a talkative, bubbly character who was over-enthusiastic about everything. She is a slightly older woman who characterizes herself as “usually silent”
Shaun: My roommate, who I thought would be an older man who I wouldn’t have much in common. He has turned out to be my age, REALLY cool, and we have had a blast rooming together.
John: I thought would be a guy my age who would be really cool and we would have a blast together. He turned out to be an older man who I don’t have anything in common with. He also has been on 22 Earthwatch trips and lets you know about it any chance he gets. [Update: John just walked by the coffee shop I am sitting at. I did not call him over]
So yeah, I was 0 for 3. 2 of my other tripmates are here too, but I hadn’t made any predictions about them. One of them is young like Shaun and I and one is old like Yvonne and John. There seems to be a clear split between the two groups. But also the other 5 people showing up today might feel split from us since we have spent the last two days together already. Of course, we are all worried John will split apart from us and vote one of us out. Sorry, sometimes I like to pretend I’m on Survivor.
Ok, so at 3 PM MT we are being picked up by the Earthwatch people. I’m looking forward to the expedition, even if it is a little work. I hopefully will have an internet feed at some point there and will write again. Until then…
Costa Rica Day 1
Hello all!
I am coming to you tonight courtesy of the free 2-bar wireless servie of the Gran Hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica. I FINALLY made it in after a little mixup with Boston lightning, a missed connection, and a sleepover at JR’s apartment in Miami.
Navigating the San Jose airport was pretty easy. Customs consisted of a guy half asleep at a bag X-Ray machine and that was it. Then through the doors to a friendly cardboard cut out of a police officer greeting you into his country. Actually, he really had a speech bubble that said “If you have sex with a child under 18 years old, I will gladly take you to jail.” Thanks for the vote of confidence, I’m happy to be here too!
The taxi drive over to the hotel was uneventful, except for five or six near crashes and one nearly killed moped driver… Then to the hotel for a desperate search for a bottle of water. I don’t know what it is about travelling abroad, but my desperate craving for bottled water starts immediately when I step onto foreign soil. Survivor lies. Fire is not life- water is life.
That’s all for now. All of the Earthwatch group is very friendly and my roommate seems fun. They are a little anal about planning trips and stuff, but I need people like that because anybody who knows my travel style can tell you it is beyond laid back. I missed my zipline canopy tour but we are hitting the volcanoes tomorrow. Should be quite an adventure, as long as I don’t fall in!
I’ll be back for another note in the next couple of days. Until then…
I am coming to you tonight courtesy of the free 2-bar wireless servie of the Gran Hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica. I FINALLY made it in after a little mixup with Boston lightning, a missed connection, and a sleepover at JR’s apartment in Miami.
Navigating the San Jose airport was pretty easy. Customs consisted of a guy half asleep at a bag X-Ray machine and that was it. Then through the doors to a friendly cardboard cut out of a police officer greeting you into his country. Actually, he really had a speech bubble that said “If you have sex with a child under 18 years old, I will gladly take you to jail.” Thanks for the vote of confidence, I’m happy to be here too!
The taxi drive over to the hotel was uneventful, except for five or six near crashes and one nearly killed moped driver… Then to the hotel for a desperate search for a bottle of water. I don’t know what it is about travelling abroad, but my desperate craving for bottled water starts immediately when I step onto foreign soil. Survivor lies. Fire is not life- water is life.
That’s all for now. All of the Earthwatch group is very friendly and my roommate seems fun. They are a little anal about planning trips and stuff, but I need people like that because anybody who knows my travel style can tell you it is beyond laid back. I missed my zipline canopy tour but we are hitting the volcanoes tomorrow. Should be quite an adventure, as long as I don’t fall in!
I’ll be back for another note in the next couple of days. Until then…
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