Instead, Slaven spent his week in Costa Rica building furniture.

The Winamac graduate is a junior, majoring in wood products manufacturing technology. He's also a member of the Forest Products Society.

During one of the society's meetings, Slaven learned about a project that would involve making desks and chairs for a couple of classrooms in the Central American republic.

Slaven decided to "seize the day" and volunteer, taking advantage of what he believed would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"It was something different, a chance to visit someplace I've never been, meet new people ... and be helpful," Slaven said.

The project was developed by the manager of Purdue's wood research laboratory. For her doctoral thesis, Eva Haviarova came up with a plan for building sturdier classroom furniture using some of the cheapest materials available in developing countries like Costa Rica.

Humidity poses the biggest problem, causing furniture to fall apart quickly. The design Haviarova and a wood science professor came up with uses humidity as an advantage. Moisture in the air causes joints in the furniture to swell and fit tighter.

Slaven's travel companions included another undergrad, Haviarova, a graduate student from Costa Rica, a retired shop teacher, and an assistant professor with the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources.

Hoping to build 50 desks and chairs, the work crew fell short of its goal by two. Wood that had been donated for the project was confiscated by the Costa Rican government because of "improper permits."

More lumber was donated, but, according to Slaven, it had been cut down five days before the crew was to get to work and hadn't had time to dry. The wet wood slowed down production, he said.

Slaven and company worked 10-hour days for six days. The fact that there was little free time didn't bother him. "I actually went to do something other than just sitting around," he said.

"Highlights" of the trip included accommodations and local cuisine.

The cabins they stayed in were 20 miles away from where they were building the furniture. "And they were quite rustic compared to anything in the U.S.," Slaven said. But the former Boy Scout didn't mind. He'd been on enough camping trips that adjusting was no problem.

The one-room cabin had a toilet that "flushed most of the time, but didn't have a seat." With temperatures averaging a humid 95-degrees, the ice-cold showers weren't a problem.

And the beach wasn't too far, so every night they'd walk to the ocean to wash of the sawdust.

As for the food, Slaven said it was "excellent."

"You couldn't ask for better," he said, including a cooked iguana that fed and filled up six of them.

"It had to cook several hours, and the seasoning was a Caribbean sauce ... it was excellent ... and tasted like chicken."
 
 

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