Wednesday, May 29, 2013
REFLECTION #4 - Culture
Now that you are home and had time to relish in the experience of Costa Rica, reflect on the culture. How would you describe the people and their culture? Talk about sense of community and pride. Try to focus on specific characteristics. What have you learned about the people of Costa Rica?
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Since coming back to America all I have really wanted to do is go back to Costa Rica. Everything in that country was extremely beautiful, it was almost unreal, and unfortunately I couldn't capture it all on a camera. When reflecting over the culture in Costa Rica a phrase comes to mind, Pura Vida. Although I am not from Costa Rica, from what I understand Pura Vida could mean any positive comment, like "I'm doing alright" or "Life is all good". It is a phrase which I believe symbolizes peace, unity, and a carefree environment. I am sure that most everyone in that country has had an argument or two in their day, but in general everyone was so friendly and willing to help, really embracing Pura Vida. In contrast to America, everyone here feels like they are in a rush to go somewhere. Even at the beach, where I had once thought we lived on island time. People in America are looking to see how can each situation benefit them, not each other. Granted this is not every American and sometimes it is not necessarily a bad thing. The main difference is America is more of a business oriented country where Costa Rica is more focused on sustainability. It still blows my mind that a country with a strong middle class of an average of $10 - $12,000 a year can be so goal oriented towards sustainability, and are thriving with those goals, but a country with at least double or triple that has to pull teeth in order to even think about sustainability. Most of what I learned from the trip to Costa Rica comes from this. The people of this country do not need much to have a Pura Vida lifestyle, and it doesn't seem to bother them. I want to live like these people. I want to begin to focus my attention on what I can do for the people around me and how we can work together to solve conflicts before rising out of hand. I want to slow down and enjoy what I have in front of me, because before you know it, just like this trip, it'll be almost over. I want to appreciate and take pride in my country, family, and friends. I want to fully live like the phrase, Pura Vida.
ReplyDelete-Sarah Anderson
Coming back to America, I have realized that the people of Costa Rica (I am focusing on the country part we visited in San Luis, Monteverde) are extremely accepting in all aspects of how they live their lives. Americans are so used to setting their sights on what they want, and then obtaining whatever means necessary to get what it is that they want, no matter what. We are not used to taking no as an answer and we get totally upset when we can't get what we want and after coming back from Costa Rica, that's really embarrassing. They are always having to take no for an answer and yet they don't complain... they just work harder for what it is that they actually NEED and then don't even waste their time thinking about things they want because they are frugal with their money and are completely content living that way. I have everything that I could ever need basically at the palm of my hand but I still always have some other need to want more than what I have. If I stopped focusing on the first priority of what I wanted and tried working harder on my own for things I need, maybe I could lead a happier, more humble life like they do. They always put family first no matter what and focus on the needs of the other around them before thinking about their own. They do this by saving the money they earn by growing their own food and giving up the luxury of a car by walking or four-wheeling everywhere instead. Even though they might be the poorest people I have ever come into contact with, they are the happiest and that is definitely something all the people of America should try to achieve. We should learn to give up our need to try and satisfy our wants and lead a more simple life like the people of the Costa Rican culture have mastered so well.
ReplyDelete-Kara Hamilton
We visited a lot of different communities in Costa Rica while we were there, and every community had their own unique way of relating to each other. We spent the first day and the last week in San Jose, which is the capital and the most populated city in Costa Rica. It was definitely very city-like in a conventional way of thinking about the city, but I did notice some important differences. For one, they beeped their horns, but it seemed to be only in an effort to help out the other cars. Most of the time they just avoided hitting each other even if one car was clearly acting out of the norm, like this one van who drove past all of the cars waiting in line and jumped in the circle before all of them. We were amazed that anyone would do that, but the other cars seemed to just watch him and avoid him when he got out in the intersection. There was no visible hostility, no beeping, and no malicious accident that all characterize big city driving in the United States. I also noticed a lot of blatant PDA when we visited the university, which was new to me, and unexpected in a culture that was described as conservative to me.
ReplyDeleteThen we went out to the countryside in the small town of San Luis which is down the mountain from Monteverde. In this community, the people were so kind and loving. They all knew each other and waved and visited for long periods of time. The people call it Tico time: the feeling that all the time in the world is meant for friends and family and scheduled time is really just a guideline and not too important. I really enjoyed it because I love visiting with people, but that is similar to the Southern culture that I grew up in. I can imagine it would be frustrating for people not used to it...and actually noticed some of my teammates getting frustrated with that part of the experience. Also in San Luis, the majority of the community is family, so my host family was related to everyone on our street. I have experienced that within my family here in the States, but it is not as common and I thought it was special.
Every boy I met loved to play soccer, regardless of where we went in the country, and they all treated it with love and respect. They learned fancy moves, played pick-up games whenever they could, and walked around with soccer balls under their arms. One girl on the trip described it as an art form for them, instead of just a brute sport like it is for us. We watched one pick-up game at the school and the entire school was there, cheering on the teams. The played on a hard court, and yet it looked just like she described it. I was incredibly impressed.
I loved the culture there. I loved how everyone was nature-minded and relationship-minded and the parents did their best to make me feel at home. The only thing I didn't like was eating rice and beans for breakfast (besides for every other meal). I would love to return to Costa Rica every chance that I get.
As soon as I got back to American soil, I unpacked my bags and repacked them and went down to the beach. There, I continued my lazy, vacation lifestyle for a few more days before coming back to reality of busy Raleigh NC. Coming back to Raleigh, gave me the big "cultural shock" between the Costa Rican lifestyle and culture and the lifestyle and culture we practice in larger cities like Raleigh. Costa Rica, to me, took on a slower pace of time while we were there. It seemed as though people actually took their time to eat, converse, and travel. Even in the busy capital city of San Luis, where there were crowds of people walking everywhere, there were also crowds of people just sitting, watching, eating, and talking. This slowed down pace, surprised me, but also relaxed me. To me, this pace is very similar to a beach or island time, which is why I'm not sure I noticed quite the difference until I got back to Raleigh.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, Costa Rican people seemed to love everyone, and show it. Everywhere we went we were greeted with respect and patience as we practiced our Spanish. Even in busy lines at the food court, employees took the time to annunciate clearly so that we could better understand. In addition to welcoming us into their families or communities, they were also very friendly with each other. On UCR's campus specifically, there was a lot of PDA shown, with little care to who was watching. This liberal stance on public affection could be because of how loving Costa Rican people are or because of how liberal their government is.
Costa Rica operates under a democracy and just recently voted for a new president, who happens to be a women. When I found out that the Costa Rican president was a women, I was very impressed. The middle class operates within 10K-15K, so their country doesn't necessarily look as "progressive" as larger, wealthier countries. However, this country is very liberal in the way they do things. In addition to liberal points of view, they also have a strong and unique view for conservation of natural resources and the environment. The primary source of revenue for this country is dependent on eco-tourism, so in a way this sense of preservation is their job.
Overall, Costa Rica is a beautiful country with goals and ideologies that are similar to mine. I hope in the next couple of years I will begin to pick up my Spanish and learn more about the country so I can return, possible to teach if a program opens up. I really enjoyed myself in Costa Rica and I truly believe that the Costa Rican people enjoyed having us there.
Coming back to America was a bittersweet experience. Being in Costa Rica made me realize that the United States is very blessed financially and we take so much for granted. Overall, the people of Costa Rica had less, but seemed much happier. Being a foreigner I suppose I expected to be treated like one but I felt welcomed with open arms. The people I met were all so full of life and optimism which was so fantastic! They took pride in what they had, regardless of how much or how little it was. They were also ridiculously resourceful. They realize that resources are finite and do whatever they can to conserve and be more environmentally conscious. My own host family built a biodigester that was used to turn the waste from their pigs into usable energy! It's amazing to see how something so simple can make an impact. I'm glad to be back to consistent hot showers and flushing my toilet paper, but I definitely miss Costa Rica. The culture, people, and beautiful scenery will forever hold a special place in my heart. I'm so grateful to have had this experience and would do it again in a heartbeat!
ReplyDeleteTiffany
Now that I have been back in the States for a week or so now, I have been able to analyze what I have learned in Costa Rica. The culture is a very unique culture. In San Jose, to me, it seemed like an "everyone for themself" type of world. People were running down the streets, pushing through people. Others were on the side of the street selling various items and it felt like they were yelling straight at you. Once we got to the countryside, the culture changed dramatically. The mindset in the countryside seemed to be "help your neighbor with whatever you can offer". My host family often worked in their garden, and gave a good portion to their friends, family, and neighbors in the area. So they worked hard and sometimes didn't get the benefit of it. On the flip side, their neighbors would come by bearing gifts of fruit and bread so it's a very give and take culture. The countryside culture has a strong community foundation. Overall, the people of Costa Rica were very nice and friendly, and the culture was very unique and I'm glad I was able to experience it!
ReplyDeleteCulture in general is a concept that is very difficult to define. Even in just the small country of Costa Rica, the culture in the city differs greatly from the culture of the countryside. I suppose that no matter what country you are in or what language the people are speaking, most cities around the world probably have similar characteristics. San Jose was crowded and noisy and busy. Even if you didn't know what it was, it seemed like there was always something going on. Someone was always rushing off to somewhere which is the same as the cities I have visited in the United States. I guess as a generalized observation after my experience, I could say that there are a lot of parallels between the culture of different cities. However, I cannot imagine that there is another culture in the world like the culture of San Luis de Monteverde. I do not have a lot of experience with more secluded and rural towns, but I feel like they must all have characteristics that are specific to their own town. Everyone I talked to in San Luis about San Luis loves it to their core. They said they had been to other places and still prefer San Luis or want to come back when they leave. Many of them live near their relatives, but there is a sense of community that is bigger than that. I went to a couple of different houses while I was with my family and they all try to make you feel welcome. I felt at home in San Luis and didn't want to leave after only living there for two days. That shows an inexplicably wonderful type of culture. They want to know what is happening in each other's lives, they want to share what little they have with their friends and family, they want to be there for one another. Costa Ricans possess a sense of community that in my opinion, many Americans do not. One final thing that I noticed about the culture and people is their value of preservation of their country. There are plenty of natural, beautiful places in the United States just like there are a ton of natural, beautiful places in Costa Rica. However, it seems that the majority of Costa Ricans are fighting to preserve the natural beauty of their country and actually doing something about it. Middle class for them is serious poverty in the US, but they still place a high value on something that money can't buy instead of letting their country be bought out. I think that is one of the most admirable characteristics because it seems like they see the bigger picture. Or maybe it is the smaller picture since they see everything they want to preserve all around them. The culture and people of Costa Rica were incredible and I hope this is only the first of many times I will get to experience it.
ReplyDelete-Maddi Abrams
Whenever I talk to people about Costa Rica, I always finish with "I can't wait to go back." The culture in Costa Rica was so different than that of American culture. In Costa Rica, people are more relaxed and much more open to tourists and travelers, and in America it's the complete opposite. Every time I did not know how to say something in Spanish they were happy to help, but I know even I sometimes get frustrated when people in America can't speak in proper English. Besides help with communication, Costa Rican people are generally more relaxed than Americans. They work hard and don't complain because they understand it's just a way of life and it's what you have to do.
ReplyDeleteI am very fortunate. This trip has shown me how different we live. I think the people in Costa Rica are very grateful for everything they have and I never once heard them complain about a single thing. I found the people there extremely friendly and always willing to help. Not knowing any of the language I felt really bad everytime someone tried to speak to me but I felt like they were all very understanding and kind when speaking to me. They also were always willing to help me so I could grow and learn as a person. I am thankful that I don't have to eat beans and rice anymore :). I loved getting to know how they lived and what they do. Everyone there was very humble and helpful. As a community they were very whole and did everything together. I took a zumba class and they all were very kind and seemed to know everyone. I enjoyed being able to experience the community.
ReplyDelete