July 2012
Sara Bernard
Position
Amie is amazing -- thoughtful, fun, well-researched, well-connected with the community. I appreciated all the community collaboration so much. Sometimes I felt a little too old and too well-traveled for some of the activities -- a lot of structure and student roles I didn't really expect. Otherwise it was all good!
Did you feel like you made a difference?:
I don't know that I made a difference per se, except to those individuals I built mini relationships with, and those trees I planted that I hope will survive, but overall it was great to participate in something that's been building for some time and will certainly have greater impact in the future.
Organization and communication:
It was very well organized -- almost too organized! Amie is an excellent communicator and planner.
I stayed with a host family and was welcomed warmly and fed far too well and stayed in a very comfortable room with a fan, mosquito net, access to shower, etc.
Safety:
Limon is a very safe place and Amie was in constant communication about safety -- almost too much, really. I felt very secure!
I didn't really understand what Casa Verde was until I got there. As a seasoned traveler and somewhat older than the other participants, at times I admit I felt a little out of place, but I appreciated the program so much, anyway. Amie's tireless relationship-building over the years has created a warm, safe community to become a part of instantaneously. We worked with several other nonprofits, student groups from the US and Limon, gardeners, local laborers, community members -- everyone. We were really well integrated and I appreciated that so much. I think Casa Verde, while it's still young, has so much going for it, so much room to grow into something even more effective, educational, and environmentally sustainable than it already is.
