Voices from the field

Working with Simarubas has been an exceptional experience for our institution. We have been particularly impressed by their excellent logistical organization, strong ethical commitment, and genuine concern for the well-being of both students doing their profesional practicum as health workers and the people with disabilities we support. Their sensitivity, respect, professionalism, and intercultural competence make possible to recieve international students in our institution.

My visit to Longo Mai marked the beginning of a transformation in my lifestyle. In many ways, the most profound learning did not happen in the field itself, but later, when I returned to Norway. The experience stayed with me and prompted me to question, analyse, and compare different food systems and their wider social, environmental, and ethical implications. It changed the way I think about food, where it comes from, and the impact of our everyday choices. Longo Mai was not just a place I visited; it was the beginning of a new way of seeing and understanding the world

Before taking the course with Simarubas, I didn't fully understand what Spanish Experiential Learning meant. I expected field trips and cultural activities, but the experience turned out to be so much more. Through genuine connections with local communities and people making a meaningful difference for society and the environment in southern Costa Rica, my friend and I discovered a deeper way to learn. It was a truly transformative experience for everyone involved. What an incredible way to learn Spanish!

As a guest lecturer visiting Longo Mai, I especially want to highlight the local guides, their academic formation, and the depth and horizontality with which they facilitate dialogue where everyone learns from each other. This was evident during visits to peasant coffee cooperatives, environmental organizations opposing hydroelectric developments, and in exploring territorial conflicts in indigenous communities of the Southern Zone of Costa RIca. All conducted in English, with remarkable rigor and sensitivity.

The opportunity to participate in the Longo Mai experiential learning program, tied to teaching into the Global Environmental Studies program as a Professor of Education and Development, was one of the most interesting, engaging, and rewarding experiences of my 30 years in academia. This is a paradigmatic example of engaged community / academic study, bringing relevant theoretical insights and learnings from the classroom to meetings and discussions with community actors and practitioners. This praxis both prompted reflecting on theoretical understandings and historical trajectories of ecological challenges; and provided new ways of understanding lived experiences in relation to these realities. This is deep, collaborative learning at its best.