Educational Internship Curriculum Finca Luna Nueva Lodge Continuously, a diverse and forward thinking group of individuals are drawn to the educational, recreational, and intercultural opportunities found at Finat Luna Nueva. Within this mix are adults, students, families, and volunteers. Upon first contact with the farm, via the web, word of mouth, or a visit, individuals often seek deeper contact with the diverse learning opportunities available at the farm. Over the years we have received a large number of requests for internships, apprenticeships, and volunteerships at Luna Nueva. We have also recognized a need to provide opportunities for local farmers to share strategies and knowledge in an ever changing agricultural climate. With this in mind we have pushed forward to modify the identity and mission of our "model organic farm for tropical rainforest agriculture" to include structural programming that opens up opportunity for a deeper more meaningful understanding through direct participation. At all avenues educational programming intends to make accessible the wealth of knowledge available on the farm through direct interaction with place. The overarching themes being explored and practiced at the farm at this time can be lumped into the areas of tropical ecology, medicinal and nutritional study of plants, and sustainable farming practices. The different programs currently employed include: 1) an interpretive day tour, intended to give short term visitors insight into the complexities and beauty of the tropical rainforest ecosystem, sustainable agriculture, and medicinal plants, 2) short conferences and seminars intended to reach out to individuals particularly interested in treating one theme to greater depth, and 3) short and long term volunteers and interns that are interested in investing their energy and skills in the pursuit of personal development and a more wholistic understanding of sustainability. This document includes a curriculum that is intended to help shape the experience of interns at Finca Luna Nueva to get the most out of their time on the farm. It serves as a loosely presented and flexible trail of guiding lights meant to be applied across diverse individuals seeking different goals over varying periods of time. The overall progression of topics and activities works to empower participants to take control over their learning experience without being impeded by cultural or physical boundaries, providing enough structure and content to ultimately liberate and support the goals of each participant. The progression laid out below includes ideal time frames that may have to be adjusted according to the amount of time spent on the farm (with a minimum of one week assumed). While some topics and themes are prescribed, there are increasingly open spaces built into the flow for greater exercise of personal control. Phase #1: Opening the Senses Letting go and Connecting with Place. The tropical rainforest represent a challenging sensorial shift to most visitors. The extended periods of rain, abundance of bugs mold and humidity, and powerful sun can wear you down quickly and often represent a dramatic change in local environment. During your first week at the farm you'll set up a routine that will allow increasing comfort and sensorial attunement to the rhythms of the tropical rainforest.
Outcomes Your body and psyche are more comfortable with place. Learn the basic history and background of the center and region. Explore the principles, goals and values that Finca Luna Nueva was founded on. Morning Sits Find yourself a quiet, out of the way, comfortable place to sit every morning from 5:30 to 7. You can do yoga here, read, write, type emails, whatever it is you'd like to do. If this works, try to sit without any distractions, just listen to the sounds of the forest and hear the increase and decrease in volume. Write a small description of your sitting time. What did you observe? Language focus Engage locals or bilingual foreigners in conversation for at least one half hour per day. If you are not comfortable speaking publicly at first, spend at least a half an hour with a grammar or vocabulary workbook, or a text and dictionary to improve your ability to communicate in the Spanish Language. Work in small doses Every day, preferably directly after your morning sit until nine o'clock, but really any time during the day; shadow a team or individual on the farm in a task. Whether it's milking, swinging a machete, or doing hotel reservations, make sure that you are spending at least two hours of the day working towards a task that represent the day to day work necessary to keep the center running. Read and reflect on publicity materials, peruse library resources, and speak with people For at least thirty minutes each day investigate using text or conversation the identity and philosophical underpinnings of the center. Respond to these ideals, themes, and practices by writing in your journal. Are you in alignment with them? Are they esoteric and far fetched? Are there hypocrisies? Phase #2 Finding a Focus: Honing in on a Theme or Activity Outcome Become fully competent in a particular skill set or are of knowledge related to activities on the farm. This could range from biodynamic farming to cleaning rooms to working a spreadsheet or identifying tree species, but you'll spend a significant portion of your day focused on this area. Once you've completed an introduction to place, you're ready to dig a little deeper. During phase two you will gravitate towards your preferred activity or area of study. If you came to the farm because you are excited about medicinal plants, you'll likely spend the majority of this time apprenticing Chino in the Semillas Sagradas, if it's horticulture you're interested in then you'll be with Juan in the Huerta, and if you like to build you may be assisting Oscar in a project. This space is for you to apprentice, aid, shadow, and explore whatever it is that piques your interest. You'll work with someone at the farm, formally or informally to learn from them. If you're focus takes you away from the daily activities of the farm, you can work with someone to direct and organize your time and energy in a way that achieves an interest of the farm, or produces a final product of value.
Daily Rituals Find an activity that allows you to do the same thing every day and become increasingly good at doing it. Milking the goal, cutting with a machete, identifying medicinal plants, cooking oatmeal whatever it is do it every day. Phase #3: Putting It Into Action: Transferring learning outcomes to creativity Outcome Transfer knowledge and understanding obtained during phase I and II into a text, project, chart, recipe, presentation, workshop, article, experiment or self directed research project to produce a creative synthesis of Finca Luna Nueva and your involvement here. A Note on timeframes While time spent at Luna Nueva varies dramatically, it is hoped that interns will dedicate at least a month to their experience. Phase one will probably last at least a week no matter, phase two and three can be adjusted easily to fit six months and one year periods. Certain activities from phase I may very well continue throughout, and indeed some are intended to do so. Accordingly, do not consider these phases to be completely independent. Expect overlap and merging of activities and focus. If you come to the farm without a clear notion of where you'd like to allocate your energy, give more time to a larger variety of things. You may never get to phase 3, but if after six months you find something that suites you, you've accomplished a lot. If you do have a focus in mind, don't be afraid to experiment in other areas, or to attempt a cross curricular approach to learning about many things simultaneously. Self Directed Learning This progression is loose and meant to be catered to the individual. Simultaneously, a curriculum is only as good as its user. If you feel that this loose flow holds enough specifics or concrete expectations and dates, please ask us to solidify things and provide more structure to your experience. If not, run with it, create a schedule that fits your needs and completes with the needs of the farm in any way you like. Remember that everyone at Finca Luna Nueva is very busy. Don't be deterred. If you need assistance in something please ask. Simultaneously, try learning through trial and error and progressively take the lead in your regiment.
FINCA LUNA NUEVA INTERNSHIP APPLICATION Name: Permanent address: Current mailing address: Email: Telephone: Date of Birth: Passport Number: Nationality: Residence: Current occupation: Proposed dates of program: Important: Please feel free to write as little or as much as you need. This is not an essay and if you are a farm intern we are not necessarily evaluating your writing skills. Please just tell us as much as possible about your experiences, what motivates you and your ideas about how you will integrate yourself into our farm. Area of Interest please describe your interests using the following categories: Biodynamics, culinary arts, construction, medicinal plants, permaculture, botany, ecotourism, marketing, animal husbandry, education, multi media, social work: Please describe any related or previous experience in these areas: Please describe your level of Spanish including previous experience in Spanish speaking countries and/or level of study: What led you to seek an internship at Finca Luna Nueva? What is your motivation for coming here? I am a good candidate for this (farm intern or business intern) position because...
The biggest challenges I believe I will face on this program are... Luna Nueva internships rely heavily on self directed learning as well as individual motivation and flexibility. Please describe a time at which you exemplified self directed learning and were able to adapt to diverse conditions: Would you describe yourself as more of a "people" person, a "plant" person, or both? Please tell us about an idea/project that you could see yourself taking the lead on here: ** Please attach a current resume listing educational background and work experience.
Internship Program FAQ Passport stamp to get into and leave Costa Rica legally: Please make sure you request the maximum 90 day stay when you arrive in Costa Rica. The law says that you may stay in CR for 90 days, but the actual practice of that is quite different. Have your return flight information available and make sure to specify you are here for a 90 day volunteer program. How long is the internship program? The entire program is approximately 90 days. If you decide to stay longer and upon agreement with management, the internship can go longer but you will need to have your passport stamped at or before the 90 day mark. This means you have to take a day and travel to a surrounding country to get this stamp. What do I eat? The interns eat Staff food which is slightly different than guest food. The dishes are typical Costa Rican ones, with lots of Gallo Pinto (rice and beans), various fresh vegetables, frescos (fruit drinks) and salads from the garden. Interns have access to Café Luna where they can eat smoothies, avocadoes and fruit. Management is gracious to provide these items so please consume them wisely and with awareness that it is not an endless supply. There is access to grocery stores where you can buy other goods is you so choose. When do we eat? Breakfast is between 7am 8:30am depending on your duties that day Lunch 12, Dinner 6 pm How can we leave Luna? You can always call a Taxi to San Isidro which is about $2. The buses come at various times throughout the day and are very affordable. You can walk the 1.5 miles (approx) downhill to San Isidro OR you can catch a ride with employees as they leave. Where do I sleep? Interns currently have their own 3 bedroom house with kitchen, refrigerator and 1 bathroom. Depending on the situation, you will have your own room or could possibly share a room. The house is on the property and has a locked door. The permanent staff here at Luna will change your sheets once a week and will do your laundry twice a week. When will I spend money? It is entirely up to you how much money to bring. There are opportunities to shop, have dinner, get a massage etc in the surrounding towns. If you plan on traveling after, bring money for that. Otherwise, you can get by on just a little money if you make frugal spending decisions. Remember, you should have a little money for the bus and taxis if necessary.
Can I make money? Interns are able to make a 10% commission off of selling beverages/smoothies from Café Luna. You can ask reception to organize payment of your commissions. Is there Internet? Yes. The internet is the most strong in Casa Luna (the main lodge) and in Casa Sombre. There is access is other various places throughout the campus. What do I need to bring? Rain jacket Comfortable shoes that are closed toed. We have rubber boots for certain hikes (they do not provide ankle support or arch support) Comfortable clothes A flashlight is always useful A backpack or large purse for travel A camera and your computer if you are so inclined Can I be gluten free here? Yes, it is easy to eat gluten and dairy free here if you have allergies. Most dishes have no tree nuts. Can I access a doctor? Yes. You need to also bring travel insurance. If you need to see a doctor, they will take that insurance. Furthermore, it is important to let us know any health issues or allergies before you come. Can I have guests stay in the intern house? The intern house is for interns only. Other people should stay at the lodge. You can always ask to management if you d like to have visits in the intern house. Family discounts? Discounts are available depending on the availability of lodge rooms. Contact management for more information. How many work hours a day? Luna asks that you work in the morning on farm projects and later in the afternoon (depending on your unique situation) you may have time for personal projects. You will have lots of projects and work to keep you busy. You do get one day free a week! Do I need vaccinations? We will leave that to your discretion. Most, but not all, people come to Costa Rica without any specific vaccinations. You can check the CDC (Center for Disease Control) website for up to date information. We are located in the rain forest, so you may find some trees and animals you are not used to. It is completely safe to stay here and the longer you stay, the more aware you become of your surroundings. Education happens automatically upon your arrival and the staff and friends of Luna will help you with questions and best practices.
How do I get from the airport to the farm? There are a few options for you. 1. Interbus: You can access information about Interbus here: www.interbusonline.com. Interbus is a private transportation company that can take you to La Fortuna. From La Fortuna, Luna is about 45 minutes away and at this point, take a taxi or jump on the bus. The bus will say that it is going through Chachagua and this is your sign to get on. Chachagua is very close to Luna. 2. You can take the regular bus in which there are two main routes. You can access information about that here: http://www.fortunawelcome.com/es/buses de la fortuna/ 3. Taxi this is the most expensive option but if you feel concerned in any way about the travel from San Jose you can choose to pay for the comfort of getting driven directly to the farm. Luna can compensate you for up the price of the Interbus shuttle which is approx $40 and picks you up at a restaurant outside of the airport. Please call reception and talk to one of our staff for any questions you may have. Do I need to know Spanish? Knowing Spanish helps a lot, but there are plenty of people who speak English that can help. Is all the food biodynamic or organic? No. We try to grow most of our products but there are certain limitations that occur because of this microclimate and altitude. There are just some things we cannot get or grow here. What kind of food is hard to find here? The kitchen does not serve red meat. The only meats we serve are pork and chicken, depending on the season and what is available. Otherwise, you can plan on going to a local market if you need something special. The Chocolateria in La Fortuna has been popular in the past with interns when they needed something sweet. Do I need to bring any linens? No. All the sheets and towels are provided by the hotel. Do I have to sleep at the property? No, but you should exercise good discernment. Most of your time should be spent on the farm, but if you are going to be off the property it is required to let us know ahead of time for security purposes. Which are the closest towns and what can I find there? The closes town is called San Isidro and this is located at the bottom of the 1.5 mile road into Luna. You can find groceries, medical care and bus stops. The next town over is Chachagua and is about a 10 minute drive. La Fortuna is the next major tourist destination after Chachagua and is fun to check out for activities, shopping and fun with local friends.