June 16 - Cacao Day

By Angelica de la Cruz

The information shared in this post was based on my own personal observations and experiences, as well as knowledge shared by my classmates, our team of professors, and Mynor, Joel and the BriBri community. Permission was given to share experiences and photos from the day however, BriBri cultural stories about Cacao are not shared here as I’m not confident that I can share them correctly or if I have permission to share them. The words we learned in BriBri traditional language are also not shared because it is meant to be an oral language, not written down.

Today was an eventful day.

We left our hotel early in the morning and travelled to BriBri traditional territory where we'll be staying for 3 days. Leading up to our arrival, nervousness was a common sentiment among the group. Many of us anticipated that this portion of the trip would be the most physically challenging since the conditions of the jungle were so unfamiliar to us. People expressed some worries about the heat and humidity, the challenging hike through the jungle, the various unfamiliar bugs, animals, and other creatures etc. but I think there was a certain level of trust in each other that helped us cope, and comfort in knowing that we would all be handling the discomfort as a team. But thankfully, today’s activities were light and fun, and in manageable conditions. A great way to ease into it.

On our way there, we made a few pit-stops including a small plaza that had an ice cream shop. It was nice to share a small treat together outside while taking a break from the long bus ride and thoughts of uncertainty. A short while later, we arrived in BriBri and met up with tour guides, Mynor and Joel. Mynor and Joel are both BriBri people and graduates from the Indigenous Tourism program that we learned about during our first few days at TEC university. The premise of the program was to collaborate with Indigenous communities who were interested in sharing their cultures through tourism while strongly prioritizing the community's sovereignty and agency, traditional knowledge, and worldview, throughout the entire process. It was incredible to learn about a real-life example of ethical community partnerships between Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous people/a university, and then be able to meet real people from the program and participate in the experience firsthand. The people I met and the lessons I learned about decolonizing tourism are unforgettable. (Learn more about the program here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA-vSKUosms ).

On our walk to the village, Mynor and Joel showed us around while sharing some of the important features and history of the land. When we arrived, the first thing we did was share lunch together. We ate a traditional dish, served in bowl made from a specific type of palm leaf that is widely used in their community. For example, it's also used to make the roof of their traditional housing- which we also got to see and experience.  After lunch, we headed over to the Aiko house to learn about cacao. Joel and Mynor explained that cacao is a significant part of BriBri culture. It has spiritual meaning, medicinal properties, and so much more. Knowing that, it was an honor to have been able to share the cacao experience with them. We were able to learn about and partake in the cacao process from harvesting the cacao fruit and tasting the seeds (“jungle candy” as Mynor calls it), drying and fermenting the seeds, roasting them, cracking open the seeds to reveal the cacao nibs, grinding the nibs into a paste, and finally, enjoying a fresh cup of hot chocolate together. (Learn more about the Aiko House https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuygo9rLdu4 ).

After the cacao experience, we headed back to our bus and travelled to our accommodation for the night. *klunk klunk klunk* Surprise! Our bus hit a weird dip in the road, and we were stuck! It was dark out and we were in, what felt like, the middle of nowhere, worrying that our bus was done for, and we’d have to grab all our luggage and hike the rest of the way. The panic on everyone’s faces was unforgettable. Our (amazing) driver got out to assess the situation and after a few more times of trying to drive our way out of the problem, he asked us all to exit the bus. After shedding the weight of 20 bodies, he tried once more to drive the bus out of the hole… it was a SUCCESS!! Everyone cheered and clapped and with great relief, we all boarded the bus and were off to our accommodation.

The fun didn’t stop there though. Upon arriving at our accommodation, we had a great dinner and settled into our rooms. This time, there were more people per room, and we also had some of the Costa Rican students stay with us! Before bed, some of us played a hilarious game of charades with our new Costa Rican friends. It was a bit more challenging with the language barrier but all the more fun! Last but not least, we saw some interesting creatures for the first time. On the staircase to the washroom, everyone was greeted by a cute but very large grasshopper-like bug. Fascinated and nervous at the same time, many stopped to get a closer look. Furthermore, many of us got to meet an even more exciting creature… the bat!! My roommates and I first encountered the bats in our room as we watched them swirl and hang around our ceiling. From the top bunk, I got a view that was a bit too close for comfort. Throughout our stay, the bats would fly around room to room visiting everyone. I think after the initial shock of seeing bats, we all just got used to them and embraced their presence with us. All in all, today was an amazing day and I have a feeling that these are some of the experiences I’ll remember the most.