I’ve been in Costa Rica for a about 10 days now. One week after finishing classes at Universidad del Atlántico, I jumped on a plane for San Jose, Costa Rica to meet up with a study abroad group from Lee University. For three weeks, I’m one of Dr. Steffanell’s (one of my college Spanish professors and the one who hooked me up with Barranquilla) “esclavitos blancos” (little white slaves), aka, teaching assistants. Along with Michael, Evan and Jacob, classmates of mine from Lee, I’m earning my keep on this trip by teaching some classes, running errands, and making weekend trip arrangements.
Unfortunately for the students, classes are Intensive with a capital “I”. They’re covering two semesters’ worth of material in three weeks. The bright side is that this is their classroom:
Our first weekend away, we went to a little Pacific town called Quepos, known for the nearby national park, Manuel Antonio. There, we stayed at Pura Vida Hostel, had a night of learning some salsa, merengue, and bachata moves, and spent a couple days relaxing on the idyllic beaches.
For the first few days here, I honestly didn’t feel like I was in Costa Rica. Our nice aparthotel could have been anywhere. Well, ok, eating rice and beans at least two meals a day is about as Costa Rican as it gets. But otherwise, I had the sense that Costa Rica is rather bland; standard, indistinctive Spanish; aside from the small historic center, architecture without much character…America’s handprint everywhere (Wal-mart, Subway, Wendy’s, TGI Friday’s, most people speak English to us before even allowing us to try our Spanish). It’s hard to explain but Colombia feels like Colombia, Peru feels like Peru, but Costa Rica is a different story. Well, as I hiked through the rainforest surrounded by monkeys, lizards and sloths, I definitely felt like I was experiencing the Costa Rica that travel guides boast. But I’m left wondering what constitutes the essence of Costa Rica. Its natural beauty is certainly worth being proud of, but has tourism and the influx of foreigners detracted from the local culture? More serious than the fact that study abroad students can get away with speaking very little Spanish and can remain in the comfort zone of their favorite stores and restaurants, I see the illegal drug sales and prostitution staying alive because of foreigners visiting. I’m a huge proponent of international travel and believe strongly in its enriching qualities, but unfortunately every coin has two sides, and sometimes exchanging cultures leaves ugly traces.
My intent here is not to slam Costa Rica by any means. In ten days I know I’ve seen only a tiny fraction of the country, culture and people. It’s just that the physical characteristics of any place are much more apparent than the culture—and in Costa Rica’s case, the stunning natural beauty seems to overshadow that of the people. But that just leaves the challenge of digging a little deeper.
