Ode to EARTH University

     As Beck has indicated, we are now in Guanacaste and head later today to Rincon National Park. That means a few days ago, we spent our last night at EARTH University. Rest assured, we are determined to come back someday to visit our many new friends. What an amazing place, and we leave there with a renewed sense of optimism and hope for the future!

     EARTH is only about twenty years old, but already it is making great strides equipping its graduates to make a positive and tangible impact on the future sustainability of our planet, in ways small and large, all over the world. One of the fundamental goals of EARTH is that their graduates return to their home countries as agents for change regarding sustainability issues. There is a high level of "hands-on" work interwoven with academics, an educational style that I personally find very effective. For Becky and me, it was particularly rewarding to expose our three young children to an enthusiastic and dedicated student body representing twenty-eight different countries.

     We personally met students from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Guatamala, Peru, Brazil, Columbia, Panama, Uganda, and our own United States. (Believe it or not, Lauren Conrad, the daughter of Rick and Karen Conrad from Elk Rapids, who own the White Birch Lodge, is presently a student at EARTH, studying here for a semester abroad while finishing her undergrad degree at MSU. It was pretty neat to spend a little time with a friend from home!)

     We ate many meals in the cafeteria with this international mix of kids, swam together in the pool, and were constantly treated with smiles and warmth in our new "home away from home."  For kids who had never previously left U.S. soil, thanks to the students, faculty, and adminstration at EARTH, our transition was smooth and rewarding in ways that will pay dividends in our lives for many years to come.

    Our last night at EARTH was both memorable and indicative of our time spent there.  The university hosted a traveling group of traditional Polish dancers, all attired in bright and beautiful custumes from their homeland.  The performance was spectacular and the audience enthusiastic, particularly at the end of the evening when the dancers sang a traditional Costa Rican song that really "brought the house down."  Leonard sat in my lap "swishing" to the sounds of the accordian, fiddles, and drums while William and Martin were rapt in attention and wide-eyed the entire time.

     The next morning we ate our final meal in the cafeteria at EARTH, on this day a traditional and delicious Ecuadorian breakfast, along with the Polish dancers and EARTH students from all over the world.  No barriers - in this place, just one big family.

     In this day and age when you tend to hear a lot of "gloom and doom" about the environmental problems we face on our fragile planet, EARTH University provides a beacon of hope and an important model that if we all work together, virtually anything is possible.  You can see it in the eyes of the students. They know the challenges are huge, but they also know they can make a difference.

     To all our new friends from EARTH, thank you so much for your hospitality and for your dedication to making this world a better place for all of us.

See more photos from EARTH University here.

Comments

[Christopher Wilson]

Dear William,

I can't wait to come. I'm coming tomorrow night. But I won't see you untell the day after that because we're staying overnight at the airport. When I do see you we will be at the volcano and at the lodge. Did you know that there will be a talking bird that will sit on your finger!? What are you doing right now?

From Christopher

[Ellie Smith]

We continue to be impressed with the wonderful time you are all having. You will have a wealth of experiences to call upon both in school and in your daily lifes.
We are having some wonderful weather in the T.C. area for our spring break from NMC. Warm sunshine and temps in the 50's. It is heaven.
Love,
h.g. & l.e.