Costa Rican adventure tales recounted in student journal

Editor’s note: Last January during the winter break, graduate architecture student Luis Martinez joined a group of fellow Aggies and Jorge Vanegas, dean of the College of Architecture, for a minimester course exploring the design process at Texas A&M’s Soltis Center for Research and Education, located deep in the Costa Rican rainforest. Luis served as Vanegas’ teaching assistant. Below is Martinez’ personal journal, a daily chronicle of student lessons and adventures. Also mingled with photos in the slideshow above are several pages form Martinez’ sketchbook.

By LUIS MARTINEZ

Costa Rica | Day 01
getting there • our tour guide • road trip to the Soltis Center
Had a good flight from Houston to Liberia, despite some turbulence. Landed and all students accounted for, with only one bag not arriving — mine. We had a bus waiting, and then rented a car. Stopped for our first meal at a typical restaurant, La Choza. We were first introduced to the tour guide, Alberth Rojas, who started talking about the bio-diversity and landscape of Costa Rica. We did not know what to think about this man at the time, but would soon realize that he would become not only a great asset, but a true companion to the A&M group. Then, a four-hour drive through plains, hills, mountains, and forests, with a large portion of the trip along the shore of Lake Arenal. Lake Arenal was fantastic. The road gently curved around its waters showcasing the Arenal volcano at every turn. The windy roads and slow traffic made the trip somewhat tedious but our destination all the more majestic — The Soltis Center.

Costa Rica | Day 02
rainy hike to waterfall • flora and fauna • a new paradigm for creativity
A rainy night, but a nice background for a good sleep. Woke up for the first breakfast at the center. I am not much for coffee in the morning, but with a view overlooking the rainforest from one of its highest points, hot tea or coffee were delightful. Our first activity of the day was a three-hour, eight-kilometer round-trip hike in intermittent rain along a trail starting at the center and ending in at a double waterfall. It is nice to actually walk, observe, absorb, and enjoy the life of a rainforest. We have a great guide, Albert, who explained flora and critters found along the way. Upon our return, the course started officially with a one-hour introduction and course overview, followed by lunch, and a set of afternoon lectures and plenty of interactive exercises on a new paradigm for creativity, innovation, design, and entrepreneurship; social innovations; flow and intuition; and creative thinking. A good dinner capped a great day. We are still trying to get used to the gallo pinto (typical cuisine consisting of rice and beans mixed together).

Costa Rica | Day 03
provocative problem solving • Jurasic environs • Baldi Hot Springs
Another soothing rainy night. I am beginning to see why it is called the rainforest. The soothing 5:30 a.m. wake-up calls allow me to reflect and observe everything around me. For a rainforest, it is extremely quiet so far. We have been told that it’s unusually cold for the animals this week, but we should expect to hear them make a presence in the next couple of days. The day started with breakfast, followed by a morning set of lectures on intellectual property, divergent and convergent thinking, ending with provocative problem solving session. We had plenty of short interactive class exercises, which spawned some great ideas in all students on new products, new processes, new service models, and new business models, as well as a more in-depth application of the guidelines presented and discussed. After lunch, it was a day to take another nice hike under the rain, ending in a short exploration of the lava fields at the base of the Arenal Volcano, which unfortunately had a very low cloud cover. The hike reminded me like a visit to prehistoric times, because the size and uniqueness of the plants definitely dwarfed us (Jurassic Park anyone?). We ended the day with a great meal and some well-earned relaxation time at the Baldi Hot Springs. It was great place to relax the old bones and bury the pain in hot water. The hot springs consisted of an incredible dinner that warmed us up after the hike to the base of the volcano. The hot springs had lots of pools with different temperatures ranging from 96 – 116 degrees Fahrenheit. It was a great end to a great day with everyone falling asleep on the way back to the Soltis Center.

Costa Rica | Day 04
creative team building • snack attack • night hike • scurries & slithers
Another good day, beginning with breakfast, followed by a full set of morning lectures. Topics covered today included communications and creativity, humor and creativity, and leadership and creativity. These are three of my favorite lectures. Students are really engaged. Then, I launched the teams, with a set of 10 team-building creativity challenges. In a fun way, these challenges provide a means for team members to get to know each other, bond, and begin the transition from a group to a team. After lunch, teams spent the afternoon completing the challenges, and doing anything else they wanted. The students really enjoyed their time during the free day but soon realized that they were getting hungry from expending all that brain power. We decided to go for snacks run to a nearby town. Those snacks were delicious ranging from sprinkled chocolate chip cookies to caramel popcorn and everything in between. The students were excited. After dinner, we had a night tour of the rainforest. The experience of being in the dark, and only being able to see what the flashlight illuminates, wondering what scurries, slithers, or can jump at you any minute is exhilarating. We are very quickly realizing how ill clothed we are for these eco-tourism adventures. Each activity we do creates more memories of great experiences...

Costa Rica | Day 05
more rain • refining creativity • a river safari • howling at monkeys
A fourth day of waking up to light rain, followed by a plentiful breakfast consisting of pancakes, sausages, and scrambled eggs. Gallo pinto was not included in this meal but we had lots of fresh fruit. I think we are all looking forward to seeing some sunlight. We are getting tired of the rain. Lectures today addressed the team dimension of creativity, personal space and creativity, and gender and creativity. All three topics kept the students quite engaged and challenged them to become more aware of how they influence creativity. After lunch, we spent the afternoon on a River Safari floating lazily in the Peñas Blancas River, searching for wildlife. Despite the weather that was not conducive for spotting animals, we did manage to see two troops of howler monkeys, iguanas, some exotic birds, and bats. Alberth and the guides shared their wildlife calls to imitate the howler monkeys and birds we spotted. The most exciting part was when we were all underneath a big group of howler monkeys that started howling back to the guides. They were so close. Afterwards, we returned home to the center for a nice dinner including gallo pinto and managed to continue working on the group and individual assignments. The students are really getting into their journals, with some really taking it as a competition.

Costa Rica | Day 06
entrepreneurship • here comes the sun • a very big snake
A calm day... a breakfast of fruits (papaya, watermelon, and pineapple), gallo pinto (rice and black beans) and eggs, as always, followed by a morning of lectures. Topics today focused on the organizational dimension of creativity, then we started a series on managing creativity, innovation, and design, driven by entrepreneurship. After a general overview, we focused on strategies. We saw sunshine and blue skies for the first time today. We all appreciated the almost immediate heat. A large part of the group of students decided to venture out for another hike to cool off in the chilled waters of the waterfalls. We took a longer route than before and encountered one of the biggest snake species in Costa Rica. Alberth, our guide, captured it for study and formal photos, and carried it with us in a backpack for the rest of the journey to the waterfalls. I could only think of Steve Irwin “Crocodile Hunter: Latin America immersion”.

Costa Rica | Day 07
church in San Isidro • dancers and steel drums under the moon
A simple Sunday... late breakfast, and then a trip down the mountain to San Isidro for a Catholic Mass service, followed by a snack stop and lunch. The Catholic Church was simple and modern with touches of old world craftsmanship throughout its premises. It was an open schedule afternoon for everyone, with some of the students venturing for a nice walk to the nearby town. It was exciting for me to observe them walking without a care and sharing jokes and stories about back home. After dinner we had a special treat: a show of typical Costa Rican dances performed by a High School group from La Fortuna, followed by Alberth's Comparsa, a steel drum band with fast beats that had everyone dancing under a full moon. All the A&M groups that were visiting Costa Rica at the time had the opportunity to interact and perform a Yell Practice with the locals. It was an incredible and warming experience.

Costa Rica | Day 08
managing creativity • the design process • documentaries
An unusual day... After breakfast, lectures all morning on managing creativity, innovation, and design — processes and tools. A break for lunch then back to the last lecture of the day on managing creativity, innovation, and design — practices, principles, and resources. Students used the time between the morning and afternoon lectures productively, and made progress on their individual and team assignments. The students had the opportunity to modify their learning space to make it more comfortable and enjoyable. They watched videos on singularity and comedy on the projector screen. Most of them took this time to nap. I believe they all needed the time.

Costa Rica | Day 09
spelunking Cueva del Venado • naps and tales • honing final projects
After a great breakfast that included quesadillas, students embarked on a journey to the Cueva del Venado. A lot of the group was hesitant at first but they proceeded to enter the cave, wading through a small river. Deep inside, some students experienced first-hand the passage known as “the birth canal.” The experience was incredible. Nothing like maneuvering your body in a coffin-like setting, deep underground. They proceeded deep into the cave for 3km until reaching a part known as Las Ventanas, where outside light enters the cave. Everyone got soaked to the bone, with a few scrapes here and there. They left the cave telling stories and enjoyed a great lunch with warm dry clothes and an excellent view of the countryside. On the way back sleep consumed the students and they took a nap. The rest, not sleeping, told stories and told jokes on the way back. A stop at La Fortuna yielded some ice cream at the market square where everyone relaxed for a few minutes and enjoyed the landscape of the volcano in the sunset with the cathedral in the foreground. Upon returning, everyone started sharing stories and plans for their class projects. The evening ended with a great dinner that included rice, beans, and chicken tenders. Students are now working on their final projects.

Costa Rica | Day 10
Mr. Soltis and his daughter visit • noses to the grindstone
A day focus on academics...Finished the formal set of lectures in the morning, and after lunch, we had the pleasure and honor of a visit by Mr. Bill Soltis (Mechanical Engineer, Class of '55) and his daughter Kim. Bill is the man who, through his selfless generosity and philanthropic spirit, donated this fabulous center so the next generation of Aggies could experience the richness of the rainforest and the country of Costa Rica. The students shared how amazing it was to meet Bill Soltis and how inspired they felt when meeting him. Then, they worked all afternoon (and are still working late into the night), on their individual and team assignments, especially the individual and team presentations on Friday (tomorrow is a day of special off-center activities). The afternoon included a quick snack run, and a delicious dinner.

Costa Rica | Day 11
morning serenade • sky trek to volcano • zipping over the rain forest
After waking up to a cacophony of birds and howler monkeys, we had a quick breakfast prior to our last study session at the Soltis Center. We then took an early morning drive to a place called Sky Trek for an invigorating hike along some of the trails and suspension bridges in the rainforest at the base of the Arenal Volcano. We then took a Sky Tram up the mountain, where after a practice run, we began a series of exhilarating zip lines down the mountain. The day's weather could not have been better, and the views of the volcano and the lake spectacular. We ended in La Fortuna at a typical food restaurant, followed by souvenir shopping. A fitting way to end a great course experience, as we have all final individual and team presentations tomorrow to formally close the course, and we head back to the U.S. this weekend.

Costa Rica | Day 12
VIP guests • final presentations • pizza • Ping-Pong • ‘thank you’s
Our final day at the Soltis Center... We started the day welcoming a special group of visitors, Dr. Forster Ndubisi, Department Head of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning in the College of Architecture at Texas A&M, and members of the Landscape Architecture External Advisory Board. They were our guests for the final presentations of team and individual projects. The presentations were great, and reflected a significant amount of work in a short period of time, combined with great ideas and deliveries. The diversity embedded in the students' styles, personalities, and thinking and communication skills are always fantastic. After lunch, the rest of the day was open for reflection, fellowship, Ping-Pong and pizza! The students rejoiced in having familiar food items that included the pizzas, Coke, and ice. Yes, ICE…such a precious commodity. Then, the students presented the staff with a little thank you note they made in gratitude of all the work they had done for them during their stay at the center. Everyone was so happy. Time to pack for an early departure to the beaches of the northwest Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, near Liberia...

Costa Rica | Days 13 & 14
farewells • to Papagayo Bay • Playa Hermosa • sun, sand, surf... • home
On Saturday, we woke up very early, loaded the bus with all the luggage, grabbed breakfast bags, and said goodbye to the Soltis Center staff, our home for almost two weeks... With great weather and an uneventful drive, four hours later we arrived at the Papagayo Sol Hotel, located in Panama Beach on the Papagayo Bay. After an initial stroll by the beach with low tide, and lunch, we checked everyone into their rooms, and took the bus to Playa Hermosa. The afternoon was spent with sun, sand, surf, banana boats, jet skis, and games on the beach. After returning to the hotel, a little dip in the pool, howler monkey watching, and dinner provided a fitting end to an intense 13 days of activities. On Sunday, after a leisurely late breakfast, we loaded the bus again, and left for the new airport in Liberia (it had opened just three days ago). We arrived with plenty of time to pay the exit tax, check in, go through security, eat some lunch, and board the plane. After a good flight back, we went through immigration and customs, and then a trek back to everyone's home... Overall, an unforgettable experience for all...