The Delicate Balance Between Progress and Preservation in Costa Rica

Author´s Note: Due to camera glitches I pulled many of these images from the web. I am working on the kinks and will correct this ASAP.

Personal Journal Week 10:

Throughout my travels here I have been impressed with the amazing diversity of life here in Costa Rica. I am also impressed in the sense of pride Costa Ricans have regarding their national parks. In an article by Newsweek about environmental stewardship, Costa Rica was identified as one of the most environmentally responsible and sustainable countries in the world. Within the last fifty years, this small nation has protected and conserved thousands of hectares of endangered habitats in a complex system of national parks and refugees.

While controversial in some rural areas that resent land use restrictions, Costa Rica´s unique geological, natural, and geographical importance is critical in this part of the world. According to the Lonely Planet, what is now Costa Rica rose up from the ocean 3,000,000 years ago linking North and South America. This provided a rich landscape for the biodiversity of both continents to comingle and diversify.

More than 46,000 species of plants and animals live within a diverse range of habitats in Costa Rica ranging from dry deserts and plains in Northwest Guanacaste to the rich montane and tropical forests in the central mountains and along the coasts. Costa Rica supports numerous marine species as well off its coasts and within the World Heritage island of Coco off the Pacific Coast.

In addition to it´s national park system, Costa Rica´s energy sector is more sustainable than any other nation in this hemisphere. Excluding imports for it´s automotive fleet, more than 95% of this countries electrical power comes from renewable resources (solar, wind, geothermal, and hydro-electric).

Despite Costa Rica´s success there are significant challenges as well. Costa Rica´s rapidly expanding population and development is overtaxing environmental and sanitation systems. Massive developments (including many luxury hotels and other tourist industries) threatens sensitive habitats. Future demands on the electrical grid will create significant challenges (including whether or not to build more large scale hydroelectric projects in environmentally sensitive areas along the endangered Pacuare river.

While Costa Rica is a model for environmental stewardship in this region, there are still significant challenges here. However, it affirms my belief that many of the solutions to complex environmental and energy issues in our own country can be found in the environmental experiments and research that exists in other nations like here in Costa Rica. The key to solving many of the world´s most complex environmental problems will be founded on internation cooperation and research.

¡Pura Vida!

My Student's 2: Costa Rica's Cultural Ambassadors

Service Work in Santa Ana




Over the past several weeks my students have been working on a wide range of ESL topics including: education, professional ocupations, community/country geography, asking questions and working in both the past and present tense. Recently two other students from Conversa have joined me as voluteers. Jane works for the world bank and Kyle is a college student in Texas. Both Jane and Kyle joined my students and I on two recent field trips at a local store and an ice cream parlor where my students helped the English speakers "shop." We also went to an ice cream parlor where my students helped Jane, Kyle and myself select and order ice cream using english with us and translating into spanish for the staff. Afterwards Jane, Kyle, and I praciticed our Spanish after my students told us what they wanted to eat in English. Fieldtrips are much more easily accomplished down here (much less paper work as well) where the numerous small shops offer rich opportunities to use and apply the language.


Our students this week are Joslin and Stefan and their videos are below.

Maña y Julieta Venegas: Los Maestros de Musica Latina

Diarario Personal Por Semana 9


Durante mis experiencias aquí en Costa Rica escuche mucha música en Español. Me fascina la música en español porque los ritmos y sonidos de las canciones son muy bonitas. En este momento tengo dos cantantes favoritos, Maña y Julieta Venegas. Maña es un grupo de cuatro artistas muy famoso en México, Los Estados Unidos y aquí en Costa Rica. El viernes pasado yo cante “Las Mariposas” de Maña en un café de Kareoke. El grupo Maña es de México y ellos trabajan para los derechos de las personas pobres, los tortugas del mar, otras animales especiales en nuestro mundo.

La otra cantante me encanta es Julieta Venegas. Ella nació en EEUU pero vivió en México con la gemela idéntica. Los ritmos, sonidos, y el estilo de la México norte. Recientemente, Julieta Venegas hizo el concierto de MTV. Yo compre un CD de esta concierto excelente. He escuchado este CD muchas veces. Para mi ahorra Maña y Julieta Venegas son maestros/maestras de la música que me enseña muchas palabras y ritmos Latinos.

Es posible a eschucar de ellos en Youtube.


¡Pura Vida!

Where Ever You Go There They Are: Las Vacas de Costa Rica

Personal Journal: Week 8

Author´s note: Okay, if my dad read the internet he might enjoy this one. My mom may have seen some these when she and Tom were in Denver.

While I am surronded by roughly 2,000,000 people in largely urban and suburban landscapes, you see horses and cattle in the most unusual places. One national art exhibit that is very popular right now in Costa Rica is Las Vacas Nacional de Costa Rica. I don´t have much to say other than you find these large decorative cattle (by different artists) where ever you go here. I posted some of my favorite pictures.

¡Pura Vida!

My Students: Costa Rica´s Cultural Ambassadors

Service Journal: Volunteer Work in Santa Ana



One of the experiences I am enjoying the most here in Costa Rica is volunteering to teach English at the local library. As I told David Kaufman at Conversa, it feels great to give back to a community which has given me so much. Currently, I have seven wonderful students ranging in ages from 12 to 17. In this post you will getting the opportunity to learn a little about these students. In my mind, each of these second language learners are like myself: cultural ambassadors. As cultural ambassadors our ESL children are a rich source of information about new people and exciting places. I will let the videos of our first cultural ambassadors speak for themselves.

Chasing Dreams, Keeping it Real, and the Family Heart

Personal Journal Week #7

In the final weeks of my experience I will be reporting about a wide variety of interesting experiences ranging from artistic cows, large waves, luxury hotel construction sites, running through the forest in a downpour, and learning about organic coffee production. However, right now I want to write about the most important people in my life. Why? Well, I have not seen them in a while and I want them to know how important they are “in” my life.

My Wife:

Sheila is the most beautiful woman in my life. I still cherish the memories of our meeting and early life together in the Pacific Northwest. Larry Levine, the godfather of my daughter, knew from the start that we were doomed to fall in love. And fall we did. Throughout our relationship together I have been both fascinated and enamored with Sheila’s loving personality, vitality to live simply and sustainably, and eagerness to share unique adventures both in the States and abroad. Right now she is wrapping up a graduate course in England and I am so thrilled she was able to act on her dream. I count myself extremely fortunate to have such an intelligent and vivacious lady as my lifelong companion.

My Daughter:

While I am not unique in declaring that my daughter Huckleberry is the best girl in the world, in my mind she is. From the very moment doctors showed me this screaming soul, I knew my life had changed for the better. Since those first days when those little fingers could barely wrap around my pinky, I was enchanted by how she has grown in mind, body and spirit. Huckleberry’s ability to not only adapt but thrive in the different places we have called home constantly impresses me. While many of her international peers struggled to fit in while we lived in Mexico, Huckleberry mastered the language and navigated the challenging world of what is childhood in a foreign country. During our time in Colorado and on the road, I always marveled at her insights and ideas. As an artistic and creative spirit as well, I know she will be successful and bring a fresh perspective in whatever personal and professional interests she may have (that would include practicing law). As with my wife, everyday in her company (with the exception of times I can’t get her to clean her room) is a gift to be cherished and I am looking forward to her joining me here in a few weeks time.

My Families and Friends:
My last name is Hammond-Todd and if someway you are connected (and you know who you are), know that I love you as well even when we may not understand each other. Our shared blood in the family heart is what seals the deal here. The same can be said for my friends. You are fun to be with, a sound board for some of my craziest ideas, and rock when times get tough. Enough said.

Past and Present Employers:

Throughout my professional careers at Wolf Haven International, the Aspen Community School, and most recently at Nisley Elementary in the Mesa County School District, I have been lucky to work with a fantastic cadre of dedicated and professional individuals and teams. I count the support of those within District’s ESL and Migrant program in this group as well. Thank you all for your willingness to listen to my thoughts and ideas (even if you find them sometimes a little too far out of the box). In many cases I have learned more from my peers than my students. We are all enriched by our work together.

Okay, you are probably thinking I am homesick and to a certain extent you are right. In addition to the second language experience I wrote about last week, this experience has also allowed me to meditate on the complex relationships between chasing your dreams, keeping it real, and maintaining healthy and empowering relationships with the most important people in our lives. That is what I am trying to do right here, right now.

¡Pura Vida!