Mindful Moments at La Selva
- Heidi Boland, College of the Holy Cross '16
- Jan 26, 2016
- 2 min read
During the fall 2015 semester, while my friends were in Europe crowding the streets of Paris and London, throngs found in pubs and trains traveling from place to place, I was having a unique experience in Costa Rica with OTS…study abroad with a twist!For the first month of my time there, we were at OTS’ biological research station called La Selva (which literally translates to “The Jungle” in English).
While we were there, we had some free time to do as we wished. One night, my friends and I ventured into the frog swamp with a researcher we had made friends with at the biological station. Brian is a herpetologist (researcher of reptiles and amphibians). He was the perfect person to lead us through the reeds and mud to look for the smallest movements that might lead us to our goal.
Moments later, a short gasp from a friend indicated a find—a red-eyed tree frog! This tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) is iconic in the rainforest, but can be difficult to find. Brian instructed us on how to hold it properly, as you can see in the photo below.

Holding a red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) at La Selva
While this was an incredible moment (and one we were eager to capture on our cameras), it was not my favorite part of the night.
After we released the tree frog, Brian suggested that we stand for five minutes silently with our flashlights off in the forest. I stood there, in the pitch black, gazing at the sparkling stars as drops of rain hit my eyes, and for the first time in a long time, my mind was blank. There, in the rainforest, I was able to do what is so difficult—be mindful, appreciate the moment, and reflect on my experiences. In that moment, I realized what conservation meant to me.
As a pre-med student, I realized that just as it’s critical to protect the ecosystem, the indigenous people of Costa Rica needed help conserving their territory, culture, language, and health. I decided, along with another student Kat, to study the affect that unhealthy drinking water may have on Costa Ricans, especially the indigenous individuals and those using wells rather than piped water from the government. Once we completed our Independent Research Project, our data showed that those using wells versus the pipes to access drinking water were drinking liquids contaminated with fecal matter, despite the use of chlorine for sanitation.
We provided this information to the local health center and they were pleased with our findings and our suggestion to educate these individuals more in correct water sanitation methods. When I returned back to my home school, College of the Holy Cross, my project received the 2014-2015 Crompton Gold Medal Award for the best undergraduate scientific research project of the year.
It’s clear to me that my time with OTS not only gave me incredible opportunities and lessons while I was in Costa Rica, but has continued to and will continue to impact me even now that I’m home.
Heidi was a student in the OTS Global Health program in Costa Rica. This program is currently titled Tropical Diseases, Environmental Change, and Human Health.
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