The full moon as seen from Xandari on July 31st (photo by S. Inman).

I was quite nervous before my 8am tour as I read through the Sustainability Tour document and general script of facts last Friday. This was going to be my first measurable test to prove everything I have learned so far from working at Xandari for two and a half weeks. The tour consists of making the rounds through the property to each department and having a member of each one describe to the guest their daily practices that are environmentally friendly. My primary role in the tour is to explain in detail the CST (Certificate of Sustainable Tourism) program and its significance not only to the whole mission and vision of Xandari, but also as a greater movement for businesses in the hospitality industry in Costa Rica. In addition, while we are at each department, I become a translator for my coworkers if the guests don’t understand Spanish. The family on the tour were actually return guests who already shared a strong affinity for the property and connection with the Xandari family; this inevitably made my first sustainability tour experience less frightening. Likewise, as nervous as I felt about missing an important detail about the CST program or having to answer an intricate technical question about the solar heating system for the pools, my confidence and pride in the work of my fellow coworkers gave me all the encouragement that I needed. The sustainability tour is an opportunity for guests to see the earnestness in our care for sustainability because it shows the cohesion in the efforts of everyone at Xandari. Among planting a tree in the orchard, calling out the names of fruits, and getting to pet Sparkle and Twinkle along the tour, the family was highly engaged to say the least. To elaborate, Sparkle and Twinkle are the two goats that we have at Xandari. I had visited them on several occasions beforehand, but I had not had the opportunity to get close enough to scratch Twinkle (or Sparkle, I still get them confused) between one of her rough horns and soft ears until then. They are mother and daughter but I’m certain that Guillermo, their caretaker, is the only one who can distinguish them. To my disappointment, I can never seem to find Guillermo, so I guess the only “sparkle” and “twinkle” I’ll be able to distinguish around Xandari for now is up in the sky on a starry night.