Week #5: Love until it hurts
This article marks the end of a five-part series that I’ve written during my time spent on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Want more? Start by reading last week’s post.
16.9.
In my last entry, I mentioned that I got sunburned during Saturday’s rafting trip. A day later, the burns are now sinking in and causing quite the stinging sensation all over my body. As today is another red hot day (September in the Caribbean is not to be underestimated), I figure that it’s best to lay low and stay out of the sun. I’m largely in too much pain to move around a lot, so hanging out in bed and catching up on some episodes of Orange is the New Black is my main plan for the day.
Emma, another Danish girl who has been volunteering at the center for close to 2 months, passed on a piece of very sad news to me yesterday evening. It turns out that Billy, one of the baby howler monkeys who has been in the center since around the time that Emma arrived here, died yesterday. Billy’s story is one that is not uncommon among baby howlers — he was found alone next to a road, without his mother anywhere to be found. These kinds of cases can happen when a mother howler monkey senses that her baby is weak or unhealthy. We’ve been nursing Billy back to health, and during the past few weeks, he had actually been showing signs of significant progress. He was gaining weight and would often practice his climbing skills with the other babies. While I was in La Ceiba last week, though, news made it to me that Billy’s health had rapidly begun to decline. He hadn’t been eating enough and showed signs of weakness. Elena had also witnessed him wake up from naps abruptly, crying in pain for reasons unbeknownst to the team. It was all very sad to witness firsthand, and all of us volunteers were aware of Billy’s fragile state. His passing, although not the biggest surprise to many, is something that everyone at the center will mourn deeply.
17.9.
Today’s workday marked the return of Nerea, the primary JRC volunteer coordinate who Elena had been filling in for while Nerea was on holiday in Peru. Through the grapevine, I had been hearing tidbits about Nerea’s management style — even Elena said that Nerea can sometimes have a strong personality that comes across as bossy. This didn’t phase me much, though, as I feel that I can come across in the same way :-). Anyway, Nerea introduced herself to the current group of volunteers bright and early this morning. She told us about her background at the center, her passions within the wildlife rescue sphere, and most importantly, a note about interacting with animals in meaningful ways.
Following up on the death of little Bill, Nerea explained to us the importance of wishing a dying animal peace during its process of passing. She noted that this exchange didn’t necessarily need to be verbal; animals feed off of human energy so sensitively that we only need to send out the appropriate feelings and they will be able to receive them. This really spoke to me, as I have always cherished the unique connections that I make with certain animals.
On another note, the labor strike is still going strong across the country. The strike itself doesn’t affect most people; however, there is one related detail that is proving to be a growing issue for the majority of locals: fuel is currently not being sold at gas stations. Some stores have tanks of gas for sale, but overall, they’re relatively scarce for the time being. It’s strange to think that this kind of thing is happening in a (relatively) civilized country in the year 2018.
18.9.
My heart is feeling a bit heavy writing this — today has been my final day of work at the JRC.
The day has snuck up on me a bit, to be honest. Originally, I had been planning to work until tomorrow at the center and take the shuttle back to San Jose on Thursday morning. With the labor strike in effect, though, I figured that it might be wise to go to the capital a day early and spend my last night in Costa Rica close to the airport to minimize the chances of anything going wrong. Although I was a bit reluctant to cut my time at the center a day short, it’s better than putting myself at risk of missing my flight home.
In the morning, I told Nerea that today was my last day of work. She was kind enough to grant me whichever jobs that I wanted; I requested to work with the birds, Biscottina and the youngest set of baby sloths that we have in the center.
While cleaning the birds’ enclosures, I noticed that a couple of the parrots had been moved around while I was in La Ceiba last week. Additionally, our parakeet, Romeo, was nowhere to be seen. After asking a couple of the other volunteers what the deal was, I learned that Romeo took to the skies about four days ago! I was totally shocked, as I was almost sure that his wings were clipped (before coming to the center, he was owned as a pet). Romeo’s self-release isn’t a bad thing; on the contrary, it’s great that he feels confident enough to fly away on his own. I’ll be curious to hear if he turns up back at the center any time soon. Godspeed, little feathered friend.
I enjoyed a pleasant late morning out in the forest with Biscottina. The temperature was pleasant and mild, which was a huge relief after making it through a series of several blazing hot days. In the afternoon, I hung out with our three youngest sloths, who did not do a lot other than nap in a small cuddle puddle. Luckily, I managed to get all the pictures that my heart desired.
19.9.
Now that my final day of work at the center is done, I used this morning to finish up the last of my packing before my shuttle was to arrive at 12:30. I gave a decent portion of my clothes in the collection of clothing that people wear when taking the monkeys to the forest; I hope that others will continue to get good use out of the items that I’ve left behind.
Once my things were packed, it was time to make the final round of goodbyes at the center. I had a series of heartfelt farewells with both people and animals alike, and I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t on the brink of tears at multiple points. It was probably the hardest to part with our pair of baby parrots, who cheerily begged me for food while I wished them all the best for their future and eventual release back into the wild. I also tracked down Biscottina, who was enjoying another leisurely morning in the forest, for one more sweet encounter. People-wise, in addition to several volunteers who I’ve bonded with, I also had a surprisingly difficult time parting with Nerea — although we only met a few days prior, I feel that she is someone with who I would have deeply connected if our overlap at the center was a bit longer.
I’m now sitting on the shuttle to San Jose and am fluctuating between intense feelings of sadness and numbness to the fact that I’ve left the world of the JRC and everything within it. I can barely hear my music over my thoughts.
Closing thoughts
I’ve started pinpointing a list of things that I’ll miss about the amazing place in which I’ve been lucky enough to live during this past month. The list could go on and on, but here are a handful of noteworthy details that will remain in my mind:
1. Watching distant storms light up the night sky over the ocean
2. The sounds of howler monkeys and parrots in the morning (a.k.a. nature’s alarm clocks)
3. Silly reggae remixes of top hits being played outside restaurants across town
4. Spotting interesting lizards, butterflies, frogs and agouti wandering around in most places
5. The incredible Caribbean downpours that strike when least expected (preferably, when I can watch them from inside)
I’ve arrived at the end of my Costa Rica journals. I’d like to give one more big round of thanks to the staff and volunteers of the Jaguar Rescue Center. You’ve done more for me than I can put into words.
For those reading, thank you for stepping into my world over this past month. I hope my experience both as a volunteer and traveler inspires others to take a step outside of their comfort zones and try something new, wherever that may take them.
