Today, Saturday January 7th 2006, is the sixth day I have been in CR. This morning Isabel made coffee with warm milk. Later in the afternoon she cooked a delicious dish with rice, frijoles, plantains, and omelets with green beans. I cleaned up afterward while she took a nap on the couch. After lunch I called my family in the states to tell them of my adventures picking coffee yesterday.
It all started two nights ago when we slept at Isabel’s mother’s home to catch the early bus to the coffee fields located in the mountains. Her dad was the first to wake up at 3:30 a.m. and he woke us up by banging on the tin siding that is the wall to the room we slept in. By about 4:20 a.m. we were first at the bus stop with Isabel’s dad, his wife, her sister, Isabel’s sister and Isabel’s two nieces. Other’s soon arrived and placed their items along the curb behind ours. Everyone chatted while waiting and was in good spirits.
At around 4:45 a.m. the bus arrived and we all rushed in to find a seat. Isabel and I sat in the back of the bus ready for our adventure. As we drove toward our destination the driver blasted Spanish music. I suppose he wanted to wake everyone up or possibly himself.
Once we arrived at the farm we were given a plastic bin resembling a laundry hopper. Then, we were assigned a row of coffee plants and began picking. The first half hour was great as it was brisk and cool with spectacular views of the mountains in the background. I also noticed the other workers who brought their young children and dog’s with them.
I took a few pictures and pulled my first beans off the vine. The beans were bursting with colors of green, red, yellow and black. Once I picked a few trees I began to tire. I asked Isabel where the bathrooms were when she pointed into an open field of coffee plants. I thought to myself, you have to be kidding, but she wasn’t. Great, no bathrooms! Well I finally found a deserted area, did my business and got back to work. At 7:45 a.m. everyone took a break to eat for about 30 minutes. We brought several items with us and I had fresh baked bread with some type of sour cream and a coke.
Once we started working again I began to question whether I would be able to make it the whole day picking coffee and not having a real bathroom. At 11 a.m. we hauled all of our sacks of beans to the tractor that waited to take us to another field on the other side of the farm. One by one we piled into the trailer behind the tractor with our belongings. It definitely had too many people in it and I felt tightly squeezed by everyone and their sacks of beans that continued to shift during our transport. I helped protect Isabel’s niece from suffocating by making a barrier around her.
At our new area the plants were much taller, at about 6-8 feet. The plants earlier in the day were only about 3-5 feet. Again, we picked and picked, and picked some more. Then unexpectedly I felt the worst pain in my right hand. It felt like 15 hornets had just stung me. When I investigated what happened I found a fluorescent green caterpillar. My hand swelled immediately and I began to question whether I needed medical attention. I poured water on it and Isabel rubbed it for me. Her dad assured me it was no problem as he was stung also. He suggested I just spit on it but I figured water was better.
As time went on I attempted to talk Isabel into leaving early, as I was tired and sore. She said no and then got back to work with a smile on her face. At 2:00 p.m. I finally stopped picking and walked 20 minutes to a local store for a cold drink. I also bought some snacks and drinks for Isabel’s family.
After walking back we got in line to turn in our beans and collect our money. Everyone was pushing and shoving to get their baskets of beans to the trailer. You had to hold your basket high in the air so the men in the trailer could take it. In turn, they measured how much you had and threw money in your empty basket before handing it back to you. Everyone then ran back to their sacks and filled their basket again before getting back in line.
At the end of the day I was excited to know how much I had made. However, when Isabel told me I almost passed out. The amount was ONLY $2.50. Yep, a whopping two dollars and fifty cents for all of that hard work. I thought this must be a joke, but it wasn’t. I did this for the experience and I didn’t keep any of the money as I donated it to Isabel’s father. But, I felt very sorry for those who needed the money very badly.
Many of the workers had big families to help pick the beans and others had only a few. I witnessed a single mother with her son who appeared to be about 11, carry around a huge sack of beans that must have weighed at least 70 lbs. The exhausted look on her face said it all.
At around 5:30 p.m. the first vehicle arrived to pick us up for home. Isabel, her sister and I jumped into the van along with fourteen other people. I think sardines have more room in a tin can than we had. All I could think of is how terrible this would be if I had to do it every day as many of these people do. They worked their butt’s off for peanuts and then are herded around like cattle. Now I understand why many people flee to the U.S. for a better life. I have a new appreciation for how hard people work that have limited opportunities.
Timothy Laskis, Ph.D. is a success coach, organizational consultant, motivational speaker, behavior expert and author of Finding Your Costa Rica: 5 Powerful Steps to Personal, Professional and Financial Success. To learn more about Dr. Laskis, his book or his services, visit www.lex-t.com or www.findingyourcostarica.com.
