Victory!

Hey guys!

So, how about that Costa Rica game? Ok I'll get back to that later, there were more important things that happened today!

So I got to sleep in today and it was great. I went up for breakfast around 8 and stood outside the cafeteria to wait for the new intern from the USA named Kilian. I was told to meet him by the schedule board but after standing there for a while I assumed that I missed him. I wrote a note explaining that I missed him and put my email there for him to contact me. I went to eat breakfast and I was so happy when I saw that pancakes were an option! It was interesting because the syrup they have here is very bitter in comparison to syrup in the US. The US food here is different that the food at home, but if it's remotely similar to food from home I'll try a little bit.

After breakfast I went back to my room to work on a project I have for my spanish class. I think I'm doing well with it! I have to explain everything that's on the farm and explain some of the systems, all in spanish. It's a little difficult, but I'm working on it and I think it's coming out pretty well.

The farm has a lot of different parts to it and it is all integrated together. Everything has a use and it is so much better for the environment.

One example is our biogas system. We have these big biodigestors that produce electricity for the farm and gives us methane for the outdoor kitchen. Biodigestors are these big plastic bags that are filled with animal feces. We use the pig and cow feces for fuel!
Here's a video that explains biodigestors a lot better:

We also have a compost system that uses any animal feces we don't put in the biodigestor.When it comes to liquid waste, we have these vents on the ground that we hose some waste into. These vents drain the liquid into a small lagoon next to the farm, where the waste would be used as fertilizer for the aquatic plants.

Another example is the diet of the animals here on the farm. We feed these animals leftovers from the cafeteria. Cows are fed a mixture of sugarcane, minerals, and chopped up pineapple that the cafeteria didn't have a use for. Pigs are fed minerals and a mix of fruits and vegetables from the cafeteria. This is a great way to get rid of food waste in a responsible and useful way.

These are a few points that I have in my presentation. It's really cool how this farm uses everything!

After working on this project for a little bit I went to eat lunch. Soon after I finished I found Kilian! Kilian is an intern from Colorado who studies Environmental Sciences. He came to EARTH as an intern to learn about sustainable farming practices. Kilian knew about the university because his grandfather helped create EARTH way back when. I took him around the campus and gave him a quick rundown of the things that go on here. It was really nice to talk to someone who spoke english too and understood the culture shock I experienced when I first arrived. We found out that we were both involved in Future Farmers of America in high school! He was his chapter's president and we talked a little bit about how FFA is more popular out west than it is in New Jersey. After taking a quick lap around the main part of campus we went to the game room to watch Costa Rica play against Greece.

What a game! When Costa Rica got it's first goal the room went crazy! Everyone was so excited at the possibility of Costa Rica going to the quarter finals. That hope faded a little when Greece came back with a goal. We were tied and we had to go into 2 elimination rounds. For the first round, we had to play 2 extra 15 minute halves. Both teams were doing great and once the second 15 minute half ended there was still a tie. The second and last elimination round was a shoot out. I have never been more anxious about a soccer game in my life. It felt like it was dragging on and it seemed as if we might not win. Luckily, Navas (the goalie and pretty much the savior of the team) blocked one of Greece's shots during the shoot out! Costa Rica has made history today as our team goes into the quarter finals! People were chanting, an air-horn was blowing, and it was all really exciting. I hope we make it to semi-finals!

It was a really nice day and the game was the best thing about it. I'm really excited for this week to start. This weekend the multi-cultural festival "Feria EARTH" is happening and i'm really looking forward to that. Each country has to make a dish, so I'm thinking about making chocolate chip cookies. Marianna, Kilian, and I are going to work that out soon.

Here's to a great start to what will hopefully be a great week!

Good night guys!
-Allie
P.S: I gave up on the whole vlogging thing. I don't have enough time. Sorry!