Posts
Sorry, I spent my computer time catching up on Facebook. Like I said earlier, only high school to college-age students would dream of posting their personal thoughts on a wall. Seriously.
I just thought I'd shout out to my Grandma--Happy Birthday Grandma! I won't be near a computer on your birthday, so I'll say it now!!
Also, people go to bed way early here. That's probably because the sun sets at (no kidding) 6 p.m. on the dot. I timed it. We've also had some trouble on the street perpendicular to ours--a few neighbors have been jumped. I wouldn't mention anything, but I feel it's fair: if you don't read any new posts after about two weeks, you'll know I was kidnapped. That should help you sleep soundly.
Sorry, it's a terrible joke. However, tomorrow, I will write on Democracy, and my personal thoughts of both Solís' lecture and the Embassy field trip.
Have a nice evening, and don't worry, I can run really fast...
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
TLC or CAFTA, Part II
At the U.S. Embassy in San José, Costa Rica, we were lectured by three different personnel; David Hensen, a Ms. Martinez, and a third lady whose name I was unable to write down quickly.
Martinez started the group off by asking us to give our definitions of an Embassy, and what we think the U.S. Embassy's main job is. We gave several answers, but Martinez clarified that the U.S. Embassy seeks to "protect the U.S. interests overseas by being U.S. representatives." She admitted that many anti-United States feelings make her job harder. Also, because this Embassy is overseas, it is their unique job not to make the U.S. Foreign policy, but to implement it. She continued with a list/ratio of workers hired at that specific embassy who are U.S. citizens versus the number who are natives. She urged us to check the government website on this matter.
David was next, and he outlined the four pillars of the embassy: Security, Democracy, Opportunity, and Prosperity. He said the embassy was helping the Costa Rican government, but there were nuances in how to approach the ideals of the country. He said that the workers at the Embassy wanted deeper engagements with the region, but that they had very high expectations for Costa Rica and thought the country would stay cooperative with them.
He told us that Costa Rica wanted CAFTA, as was shown by the 51% vote positive. However, Costa Rica "does things differently", and even though they were under a deadline, Costa Rica almost didn't make it to passing CAFTA. However, "the voice of the people was heard" and Costa Rica accepted the trade agreement. He also felt that the economy was becoming more open with CAFTA, and that this trade agreement would really help Costa Rica in the long run. David felt that Costa Rica's infrastructure was not as good, and cited that only 30% of Costa Rican roads are in good condition, which explains why the leading cause of death in the country is auto accidents. He also said that the ports on the coasts are very underdeveloped and need to be run by privatized companies. Also, at the ports, there is only 3% of water treated, which makes the beaches bad and spreads sickness--a negative effect on tourism.
David described the way that CAFTA was ratified in Costa Rica. It went through a 4 step process:
1) Negotiations--all the reps of the countries involved met in Aug 2004 to discuss "free trade" and the terms of such an agreement.
2) Ratification--all the reps returned to their countries with the skeleton of the agreement, and it was decided by a public vote. All citizens of age were shown both the pros and the cons and asked to vote on the agreement. CAFTA passed in Costa Rica 51% yes to 49% no.
3) Implementation--once it was passed by the public, the government of each country put it to a vote to pass legislation to allow it to proceed or not. All of the countries passed it.
4) Entry into Force--the agreement is now a law, and it is allowed to start in the countries that passed it.
According to David, the advantages of Costa Rica is that the country now has almost tariff-free access to U.S. exports. The U.S. is also able to help monitor and prepare the other countries to trade with each other, and it can improve labor standards. David told us that many blamed the U.S. for interfering before the public vote because one of the U.S. ambassadors went around giving his side of CAFTA. David felt that the U.S. was not using any illegal practices, but using the same methods as Costa Rica with Canada and Panama with their ambassador. He blamed Ottón Solís for the bad press, saying that when the U.S. ambassador came to do a press conference, the date was canceled. Instead the ambassador took his opinions to the people. When Solís wanted to reschedule, the ambassador was unable to make it at that time, but Solís insisted on that time anyway. When the ambassador didn't show, but was replaced by another, Solís said that the first ambassador had hidden because he didn't want the bad press. The "bad press" came anyway, according to David.
The third lady (and here, we shall name her Jill) reiterated the idea that the U.S. policy is designed to protect democratic space. She felt that Costa Rica could improve and learn how to opperate better in terms of democracy. She defined the difference between free trade and fair trade: free trade limits tarifs on imports and exports, while fair trade supports the equality of workers, responsible use of the environment, and responsible disposal of waste. Of course, she mentioned, you can always find stats that favor different ways. /Jill/ was unable to explain the difference between CAFTA and NAFTA (you'll recall that Solís said they were exactly the same), but said that CAFTA would help Costa Rica with its exports. The two greatest exports at this time are not bananas and pineapples, they are microchips and medical equipment.
All three encouraged us that if we liked being abroad to go to work for the government as ambassadors who protect U.S. interests overseas. More information about jobs here.
Tomorrow, I will write about Democracy, since it seems to be a common theme here. Also, my group did our presentation with my political cartoons! I was honored. Hopefully after my rant about democracy, I will write a post about my reaction to the CAFTA/TLC thing.
Have a wonderful day!
P.S. Here is a link to my pictures from the Limón trip to present!!
Martinez started the group off by asking us to give our definitions of an Embassy, and what we think the U.S. Embassy's main job is. We gave several answers, but Martinez clarified that the U.S. Embassy seeks to "protect the U.S. interests overseas by being U.S. representatives." She admitted that many anti-United States feelings make her job harder. Also, because this Embassy is overseas, it is their unique job not to make the U.S. Foreign policy, but to implement it. She continued with a list/ratio of workers hired at that specific embassy who are U.S. citizens versus the number who are natives. She urged us to check the government website on this matter.
David was next, and he outlined the four pillars of the embassy: Security, Democracy, Opportunity, and Prosperity. He said the embassy was helping the Costa Rican government, but there were nuances in how to approach the ideals of the country. He said that the workers at the Embassy wanted deeper engagements with the region, but that they had very high expectations for Costa Rica and thought the country would stay cooperative with them.
He told us that Costa Rica wanted CAFTA, as was shown by the 51% vote positive. However, Costa Rica "does things differently", and even though they were under a deadline, Costa Rica almost didn't make it to passing CAFTA. However, "the voice of the people was heard" and Costa Rica accepted the trade agreement. He also felt that the economy was becoming more open with CAFTA, and that this trade agreement would really help Costa Rica in the long run. David felt that Costa Rica's infrastructure was not as good, and cited that only 30% of Costa Rican roads are in good condition, which explains why the leading cause of death in the country is auto accidents. He also said that the ports on the coasts are very underdeveloped and need to be run by privatized companies. Also, at the ports, there is only 3% of water treated, which makes the beaches bad and spreads sickness--a negative effect on tourism.
David described the way that CAFTA was ratified in Costa Rica. It went through a 4 step process:
1) Negotiations--all the reps of the countries involved met in Aug 2004 to discuss "free trade" and the terms of such an agreement.
2) Ratification--all the reps returned to their countries with the skeleton of the agreement, and it was decided by a public vote. All citizens of age were shown both the pros and the cons and asked to vote on the agreement. CAFTA passed in Costa Rica 51% yes to 49% no.
3) Implementation--once it was passed by the public, the government of each country put it to a vote to pass legislation to allow it to proceed or not. All of the countries passed it.
4) Entry into Force--the agreement is now a law, and it is allowed to start in the countries that passed it.
According to David, the advantages of Costa Rica is that the country now has almost tariff-free access to U.S. exports. The U.S. is also able to help monitor and prepare the other countries to trade with each other, and it can improve labor standards. David told us that many blamed the U.S. for interfering before the public vote because one of the U.S. ambassadors went around giving his side of CAFTA. David felt that the U.S. was not using any illegal practices, but using the same methods as Costa Rica with Canada and Panama with their ambassador. He blamed Ottón Solís for the bad press, saying that when the U.S. ambassador came to do a press conference, the date was canceled. Instead the ambassador took his opinions to the people. When Solís wanted to reschedule, the ambassador was unable to make it at that time, but Solís insisted on that time anyway. When the ambassador didn't show, but was replaced by another, Solís said that the first ambassador had hidden because he didn't want the bad press. The "bad press" came anyway, according to David.
The third lady (and here, we shall name her Jill) reiterated the idea that the U.S. policy is designed to protect democratic space. She felt that Costa Rica could improve and learn how to opperate better in terms of democracy. She defined the difference between free trade and fair trade: free trade limits tarifs on imports and exports, while fair trade supports the equality of workers, responsible use of the environment, and responsible disposal of waste. Of course, she mentioned, you can always find stats that favor different ways. /Jill/ was unable to explain the difference between CAFTA and NAFTA (you'll recall that Solís said they were exactly the same), but said that CAFTA would help Costa Rica with its exports. The two greatest exports at this time are not bananas and pineapples, they are microchips and medical equipment.
All three encouraged us that if we liked being abroad to go to work for the government as ambassadors who protect U.S. interests overseas. More information about jobs here.
Tomorrow, I will write about Democracy, since it seems to be a common theme here. Also, my group did our presentation with my political cartoons! I was honored. Hopefully after my rant about democracy, I will write a post about my reaction to the CAFTA/TLC thing.
Have a wonderful day!
P.S. Here is a link to my pictures from the Limón trip to present!!
Monday, February 23, 2009
TLC or CAFTA, Part I
Hi! I have returned! I'm actually working on a 7-page paper right now that's due tomorrow at 8 a.m. so I have decided to take a break (I'm on pg 4). Also, our entire group will be going to Nicaragua this weekend and staying for two weeks. Please do not be alarmed if I write nothing. I will most likely have no access to the internet. I am bringing my camera, and golly gee I will visit the volcanoes!!!!
TLC, or CAFTA:
Central American Free Trade Agreement, in Spanish, Tratado de Libre Comercio, was instituted by the offices of Washington D.C. to better trade with the 5 Central American countries (Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama) and the Dominican Republic. In CR, there are only a few companies that supply electricity, gas, internet, and communication for the entire country. But they have low prices.
The biggest issue it seems is the cell phone price. Right now, in this moment, at department stores, people can buy a cell phone for the equivalent of USD 2, and pay about USD 7 a month for service. Even less for only text messages. Many worry, however, that with the "penetration" of the TLC, big companies looking to make a profit will take the money. Not that it's that much, but if the big companies start selling their cell phones at a lower price, it is natural (given the laws of supply and demand) that the people will buy phones from foreign countries who can raise their prices as soon as other companies are out of business. This is what Rockefeller did with the oil in the 1900s.
Also, why should Ticos pay other companies? They have a good product at a good price with a system that works, right now.
We had the honor of being lectured by the leader of Costa Rica's Partido de Acción Ciudadano (PAC) political party. He ran for president of the country in 2002 and got third place, the first time in history that the bipartisan election has been broken. Ottón Solís feels that, especially with TLC, US foreign policy methods are outdated. He gave 8 reasons for this, but I was only able to write down 7 (I think this was one of the many days one of my pens died). Here they are:
1) US foreign policy reacts to current events already in motion, instead of anticipating them
2) US foreign policy documents tend to describe, thus, the situations and not the causes. This is not an analysis.
3) US foreign policy diagnostics tend to ignore economic model issues
4) US foreign policy tends to have a "black/white", "enemy/friend" approach to the acceptance of its policy
5) Policies tend to ignore tensions and political views
6) Policies are pushed as though whatever suffices in the US will suffice for everyone else
7) Policies tend to take into account only the short-run view, and not the immediate consequences.
In my own eloquent style, Solís is more or less saying that the US is trying to cross the culture gap without a bridge. He also feels that a) CAFTA is exactly the same as NAFTA--read one, you've read them all, and b) the previous points are a clear demonstration that US foreign policies are not tailored to fit the individual country, but formed in Washington D.C. and enforced abroad.
Here are some random quotes from his lecture:
"Soldiers fight for freedom of democracy, but at the same time, this takes away the freedom for a country to build its own economic model."
(On TLC) "We want telecommunication to be a social tool, not a profit-making industry. Why can't you respect that?"
(On Latin America's "inability" to maintain non-corrupt leaders) "Corruption is not an issue of Latin American politics; we live in a culture of corruption."
"I get myself to believe that the problems [of US foreign policy] were a product of the Bush administration because it is easier to believe it will change [with the next administration]. If I were to say, 'This is a running problem of the US,' then I am blaming an entire country, which is bad for all negotiations. We need to have diplomacy when we assign problems."
Okay, back to work for me. But I will counter this opinion above with what we heard when we visited the US Embassy.
TLC, or CAFTA:
Central American Free Trade Agreement, in Spanish, Tratado de Libre Comercio, was instituted by the offices of Washington D.C. to better trade with the 5 Central American countries (Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama) and the Dominican Republic. In CR, there are only a few companies that supply electricity, gas, internet, and communication for the entire country. But they have low prices.
The biggest issue it seems is the cell phone price. Right now, in this moment, at department stores, people can buy a cell phone for the equivalent of USD 2, and pay about USD 7 a month for service. Even less for only text messages. Many worry, however, that with the "penetration" of the TLC, big companies looking to make a profit will take the money. Not that it's that much, but if the big companies start selling their cell phones at a lower price, it is natural (given the laws of supply and demand) that the people will buy phones from foreign countries who can raise their prices as soon as other companies are out of business. This is what Rockefeller did with the oil in the 1900s.
Also, why should Ticos pay other companies? They have a good product at a good price with a system that works, right now.
We had the honor of being lectured by the leader of Costa Rica's Partido de Acción Ciudadano (PAC) political party. He ran for president of the country in 2002 and got third place, the first time in history that the bipartisan election has been broken. Ottón Solís feels that, especially with TLC, US foreign policy methods are outdated. He gave 8 reasons for this, but I was only able to write down 7 (I think this was one of the many days one of my pens died). Here they are:
1) US foreign policy reacts to current events already in motion, instead of anticipating them
2) US foreign policy documents tend to describe, thus, the situations and not the causes. This is not an analysis.
3) US foreign policy diagnostics tend to ignore economic model issues
4) US foreign policy tends to have a "black/white", "enemy/friend" approach to the acceptance of its policy
5) Policies tend to ignore tensions and political views
6) Policies are pushed as though whatever suffices in the US will suffice for everyone else
7) Policies tend to take into account only the short-run view, and not the immediate consequences.
In my own eloquent style, Solís is more or less saying that the US is trying to cross the culture gap without a bridge. He also feels that a) CAFTA is exactly the same as NAFTA--read one, you've read them all, and b) the previous points are a clear demonstration that US foreign policies are not tailored to fit the individual country, but formed in Washington D.C. and enforced abroad.
Here are some random quotes from his lecture:
"Soldiers fight for freedom of democracy, but at the same time, this takes away the freedom for a country to build its own economic model."
(On TLC) "We want telecommunication to be a social tool, not a profit-making industry. Why can't you respect that?"
(On Latin America's "inability" to maintain non-corrupt leaders) "Corruption is not an issue of Latin American politics; we live in a culture of corruption."
"I get myself to believe that the problems [of US foreign policy] were a product of the Bush administration because it is easier to believe it will change [with the next administration]. If I were to say, 'This is a running problem of the US,' then I am blaming an entire country, which is bad for all negotiations. We need to have diplomacy when we assign problems."
Okay, back to work for me. But I will counter this opinion above with what we heard when we visited the US Embassy.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
FINAL DAY OF ICADS!!!!
Today is a momentous occasion. Today is the last day of my Spanish classes. For a final project, each student has to speak for 8 minutes on a topic of their choice (that relates to Costa Rica) and use a visual. I'm waiting for my turn--I'm second-to-last in my group, and really, I'm not nervous. I used the excuse of a visual to map out my points. I can totally do this.
I just wanted to mention something random.
YOU, YOU, YOU ALL, and YOU:
When I took Spanish in the States, we are only taught two forms of second person: second person singular and second person plural, tu and ustedes. Or, you and you all. There are two other forms of you: you formal, and you friend. More or less. In Spanish, those two are the vosotros form and the vos form respectively. I was generally taught that usted or ustedes is used formally for someone older or someone you've just met, or someone you respect. The form is very informal, used for a friend or someone younger than oneself. I was taught that the vosotros form is used only in Spain, a relic of the Reina Valera period Spanish (like 'Old English', Reina Valera is 'Old Spanish'). The vos form is new to me; I never learned about it in school. It is used everywhere here in Costa Rica, and it is reserved for good friends one's age. And the verb conjugation resembles the tu form and has accents like the vosotros form. It's weird, but is sounds cool when used correctly. I want to learn! Also, here in Costa Rica, everyone uses when talking to one another, regardless of age. It's almost indecent to use the tu form unless one is angry.
Like I said, random.
When I return, I will expound on the ideas of TLC. It's long.
I just wanted to mention something random.
YOU, YOU, YOU ALL, and YOU:
When I took Spanish in the States, we are only taught two forms of second person: second person singular and second person plural, tu and ustedes. Or, you and you all. There are two other forms of you: you formal, and you friend. More or less. In Spanish, those two are the vosotros form and the vos form respectively. I was generally taught that usted or ustedes is used formally for someone older or someone you've just met, or someone you respect. The form is very informal, used for a friend or someone younger than oneself. I was taught that the vosotros form is used only in Spain, a relic of the Reina Valera period Spanish (like 'Old English', Reina Valera is 'Old Spanish'). The vos form is new to me; I never learned about it in school. It is used everywhere here in Costa Rica, and it is reserved for good friends one's age. And the verb conjugation resembles the tu form and has accents like the vosotros form. It's weird, but is sounds cool when used correctly. I want to learn! Also, here in Costa Rica, everyone uses when talking to one another, regardless of age. It's almost indecent to use the tu form unless one is angry.
Like I said, random.
When I return, I will expound on the ideas of TLC. It's long.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Blessed
Yes I am. Really.
My host family is so loving to me--I joke around with my brothers Edgar and Esteban, my host father always gives me a hug, my host nieces Raquel and Camila take an interest in what I have to say and try to include me in what they're doing. Camila has recently started reaching out to hold my hand when we walk to the store with doña Isabel, and just after lunch today, my host mom told me that every day she thanked God that I was the student he picked for her family because I'm easy to live with and quick to learn. She teased me about being able to eat nearly everything she puts in front of me (which is something new to a family who has hosted many North American students), and how I ask so politely when I'm confused.
I'm so thankful that when I drew from the family lottery that God wanted me here to be a blessing to this family. What they'll never be able to fully understand is how much of a blessing they are to me!
By the way: Happy Valentine's Day (or Day of Friendship in Costa Rica)!
My host family is so loving to me--I joke around with my brothers Edgar and Esteban, my host father always gives me a hug, my host nieces Raquel and Camila take an interest in what I have to say and try to include me in what they're doing. Camila has recently started reaching out to hold my hand when we walk to the store with doña Isabel, and just after lunch today, my host mom told me that every day she thanked God that I was the student he picked for her family because I'm easy to live with and quick to learn. She teased me about being able to eat nearly everything she puts in front of me (which is something new to a family who has hosted many North American students), and how I ask so politely when I'm confused.
I'm so thankful that when I drew from the family lottery that God wanted me here to be a blessing to this family. What they'll never be able to fully understand is how much of a blessing they are to me!
By the way: Happy Valentine's Day (or Day of Friendship in Costa Rica)!
Friday, February 13, 2009
More hard work
Golly, I hate homework. I hate it. That's too bad, huh, seeing as I'm a study-abroad student...
This week, they gave us just as many papers as the last week, and a few mini oral exams. I actually like the oral exams because I can pick a subject and run with it. I'm good at that.
I've noticed some more -itos that I think will be interesting:
GRAFFITTI:
Seriously, it's everywhere. And it looks like graffitti is mostly found on walls without murals. I've only seen one mural with graffitied writing on it. Maybe the young people are respecting other artists...? Regardless, the graffitti was one of the first things I noticed coming to San José. You can really tell a ton about the city you're living in if you pay attention to the graffitti. For instance, I kept seeing phrases in Spanish like, "Costa Rica, say NO to TLC!" or "Costa Rica doesn't sell! NO TLC!" along with the frequent brush paintings of former president Bush's face with devil's horns, or Mickey Mouse ears (this one really confused me). I also see many phrases denouncing Oscar Arias, CR's current president, with all sorts of explicit suggestions of what should be done to him for "giving in" to "TLC". Thus, the conclusions I draw solely from the graffitti is that 1) TLC must be some governmental manuever, 2) the young people (since it is assumed that generally high school to college-aged students would dream of posting their personal thoughts on a wall) disagree with TLC, 3) the US government must also be playing a part somewhere, and 4) the current CR president has angered the youth either by his involvement with TLC, or with Bush. I never knew graffitti to be so political! And yes, now I know the "full" story behind the graffitti, which I must unfortunately save for another post. It's long.
U.S. EMBASSY:
My culture class took a "field trip" to the U.S. Embassy on the northwestern side of San José. I was a bit peeved that none of the teachers told us we would have to pay our own fare, as I just had enough for that day and today. Now I'm in debt to two girls and my host mom until I can get more money from my card. Oh well. It's life...
The Embassy was huge, with perfectly manicured lawns, and guards, and huge iron gates, and no pictures allowed. None. The guards confiscated cameras at the entrance.
Maybe I was really sensitive, but it bothered me--all of the big-ness, and the high security, and the fact it was out of the way of the city, up in the mountains, and in the rich part of town.
GAYS AND LESBIANS:
As I'm sure many of you may have guessed, there are few gays and lesbians in CR. Nonetheless, I have seen couples, and they are usually in the younger generation. There aren't too many in the 40's and up generation from what I can tell.
ABORTION:
It's illegal in this country, except for extreme cases where death of the mother or of both would cause a doctor to recommend an abortion. The illegal clinics where abortions are done are hard to find and expensive.
CHILDREN:
Nearly everybody loves little children here. On the buses, if a lady gets on the bus with a cute little toddler in tow, the other passengers will talk to the child and tell him/her how cute they are, or how strong--baby talk. I have never seen that in the U.S. Ticos will also talk to any children and baby talk them.
Okay, I am (in the words of my host brother Esteban) "Mucho cansing"--from muy cansada which means very tired. It's a made-up Spanglish term.
Good night!
This week, they gave us just as many papers as the last week, and a few mini oral exams. I actually like the oral exams because I can pick a subject and run with it. I'm good at that.
I've noticed some more -itos that I think will be interesting:
GRAFFITTI:
Seriously, it's everywhere. And it looks like graffitti is mostly found on walls without murals. I've only seen one mural with graffitied writing on it. Maybe the young people are respecting other artists...? Regardless, the graffitti was one of the first things I noticed coming to San José. You can really tell a ton about the city you're living in if you pay attention to the graffitti. For instance, I kept seeing phrases in Spanish like, "Costa Rica, say NO to TLC!" or "Costa Rica doesn't sell! NO TLC!" along with the frequent brush paintings of former president Bush's face with devil's horns, or Mickey Mouse ears (this one really confused me). I also see many phrases denouncing Oscar Arias, CR's current president, with all sorts of explicit suggestions of what should be done to him for "giving in" to "TLC". Thus, the conclusions I draw solely from the graffitti is that 1) TLC must be some governmental manuever, 2) the young people (since it is assumed that generally high school to college-aged students would dream of posting their personal thoughts on a wall) disagree with TLC, 3) the US government must also be playing a part somewhere, and 4) the current CR president has angered the youth either by his involvement with TLC, or with Bush. I never knew graffitti to be so political! And yes, now I know the "full" story behind the graffitti, which I must unfortunately save for another post. It's long.
U.S. EMBASSY:
My culture class took a "field trip" to the U.S. Embassy on the northwestern side of San José. I was a bit peeved that none of the teachers told us we would have to pay our own fare, as I just had enough for that day and today. Now I'm in debt to two girls and my host mom until I can get more money from my card. Oh well. It's life...
The Embassy was huge, with perfectly manicured lawns, and guards, and huge iron gates, and no pictures allowed. None. The guards confiscated cameras at the entrance.
Maybe I was really sensitive, but it bothered me--all of the big-ness, and the high security, and the fact it was out of the way of the city, up in the mountains, and in the rich part of town.
GAYS AND LESBIANS:
As I'm sure many of you may have guessed, there are few gays and lesbians in CR. Nonetheless, I have seen couples, and they are usually in the younger generation. There aren't too many in the 40's and up generation from what I can tell.
ABORTION:
It's illegal in this country, except for extreme cases where death of the mother or of both would cause a doctor to recommend an abortion. The illegal clinics where abortions are done are hard to find and expensive.
CHILDREN:
Nearly everybody loves little children here. On the buses, if a lady gets on the bus with a cute little toddler in tow, the other passengers will talk to the child and tell him/her how cute they are, or how strong--baby talk. I have never seen that in the U.S. Ticos will also talk to any children and baby talk them.
Okay, I am (in the words of my host brother Esteban) "Mucho cansing"--from muy cansada which means very tired. It's a made-up Spanglish term.
Good night!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Coffee
Today, my culture class took a field trip to an organic farm. These types of farms are becoming more popular in Costa Rica as more people try to "save" the Earth from impending destruction. However, this farm was cool. The word for "farm" is finca, and generally refers to agricultural endeavors.
The owner of the finca, Roderic was really smart about how he planted his farm and kept animals. Unlike conventional coffee plantations that we've seen as a class, Roderic worked extra hard to make his product good.
I haven't explained the plantations yet, have I? So sorry.
Coffee plantations (and banana plantations) are basically hectares of land with one type of plant. We got the eco-friendly version of the negatives, the biggest of which is that these plantations use up the nutrients in the soil without putting any back since they are monocultures. Also, these plantations force the plants to produce the same fruit under extremely unnatural conditions for that plant. For instance, the coffee plant is a shade-loving plant, but on the plantations, it is sown for several hectares without an ounce of shade. The reason the plant is still able to survive is because of the bug-repellant chemicals, the nitrogen-enriching chemicals, and the one that protects the leaves from sunscorch. Plantations are sown in a way that makes it quicker for the product to ripen, and easier for the workers to gather the crop. Organic production is not that way at all.
On Roderic's farm, he planted many trees and other bushes with his coffee plants. He keeps a dog, two goats, two sheep, and a horse so he can collect their manure, which he keeps in a compost building. Usually, compost is kept in some semblance of a pile, but since it needs moist shade to, er, decompose, Roderic built a structure around it. He showed our class how he digs a hole in his pile of compost, fills it with manure, and partially covers it. He often buys live bait, namely earthworms, to break down the manure into soil. According to Roderic, one earthworm works 24/7 for 16 years at the decomposition process. With the amount of worms he keeps in his compost pile, manure generally becomes compost after a month. With the more acidic manure of his goats and his sheep, he covers the manure with a bit of soil, straw, and a tarp, and "cooks" it at a temperature of 60 degrees (he didn't specify Celsius or Farenheit) to kill the "bad" bacteria like ecoli. The temperature is still low enough that he doesn't kill the good bacteria that will break it down into compost. He spreads his compost on everything--it has enough nitrogen in it to be like Miracle-Gro. His outdoor plants he sows according to a lunar calendar; he started just before the full moon, so now his plants get sunlight all day and all night, which makes them bigger and more fruitful. Roderic tries to use the seeds from the plants he eats, but some of the cabbages he grows in his green-house are specifically cultivated to be sterile and not have seeds. Those are the only seeds he buys. He also let us eat leaves straight from his plants. Since he doesn't use chemicals, careful washing is not necessary. I tried a piece of leaf from a purple broccoli, some lettuce, and rugula. Rugula was the weirdest taste: it tasted like a spinach leaf the second it was in my mouth, but all of a sudden became sour and spicy. I didn't care for it much. However, the lettuce was good. Lettuce doesn't have a flavor to me, just the texture of paper. But his lettuce tasted like a plant, and the leaf had lots of water. It gave a whole new meaning to Peter Rabbit's temptation of Mr. McGregor's garden.
He also grows cabbage, leeks, green onions and rice. I was very surprised at the diversity of his plants, but he told our class that when God made the Earth and the people, he put Adam and Eve in the middle of a garden, not a coffee field. Therefore, it is important to mix the plants because they each take and give something to the soil that other plants might need. His goats have a dual purpose: they are his lawnmowers. He said they eat everything in sight, and unlike cows, don't destroy the crops.
Roderic's production is low compared to his chemical-relying competitors. He feels that organic is better because it teaches him a valuable lesson: patience. Also, with two children and a wife, Roderic wants to be around as a father for his family. His wife works in the city, but the family could very easily survive on just the farm. He is one of two workers on his farm, the other a young Cuban.
After the tour, we were served with fruit from the farm and their very own brand of coffee. It was good. I don't even like coffee, but if all coffee tasted like that, I would drink it. I will definitely bring some back.
The owner of the finca, Roderic was really smart about how he planted his farm and kept animals. Unlike conventional coffee plantations that we've seen as a class, Roderic worked extra hard to make his product good.
I haven't explained the plantations yet, have I? So sorry.
Coffee plantations (and banana plantations) are basically hectares of land with one type of plant. We got the eco-friendly version of the negatives, the biggest of which is that these plantations use up the nutrients in the soil without putting any back since they are monocultures. Also, these plantations force the plants to produce the same fruit under extremely unnatural conditions for that plant. For instance, the coffee plant is a shade-loving plant, but on the plantations, it is sown for several hectares without an ounce of shade. The reason the plant is still able to survive is because of the bug-repellant chemicals, the nitrogen-enriching chemicals, and the one that protects the leaves from sunscorch. Plantations are sown in a way that makes it quicker for the product to ripen, and easier for the workers to gather the crop. Organic production is not that way at all.
On Roderic's farm, he planted many trees and other bushes with his coffee plants. He keeps a dog, two goats, two sheep, and a horse so he can collect their manure, which he keeps in a compost building. Usually, compost is kept in some semblance of a pile, but since it needs moist shade to, er, decompose, Roderic built a structure around it. He showed our class how he digs a hole in his pile of compost, fills it with manure, and partially covers it. He often buys live bait, namely earthworms, to break down the manure into soil. According to Roderic, one earthworm works 24/7 for 16 years at the decomposition process. With the amount of worms he keeps in his compost pile, manure generally becomes compost after a month. With the more acidic manure of his goats and his sheep, he covers the manure with a bit of soil, straw, and a tarp, and "cooks" it at a temperature of 60 degrees (he didn't specify Celsius or Farenheit) to kill the "bad" bacteria like ecoli. The temperature is still low enough that he doesn't kill the good bacteria that will break it down into compost. He spreads his compost on everything--it has enough nitrogen in it to be like Miracle-Gro. His outdoor plants he sows according to a lunar calendar; he started just before the full moon, so now his plants get sunlight all day and all night, which makes them bigger and more fruitful. Roderic tries to use the seeds from the plants he eats, but some of the cabbages he grows in his green-house are specifically cultivated to be sterile and not have seeds. Those are the only seeds he buys. He also let us eat leaves straight from his plants. Since he doesn't use chemicals, careful washing is not necessary. I tried a piece of leaf from a purple broccoli, some lettuce, and rugula. Rugula was the weirdest taste: it tasted like a spinach leaf the second it was in my mouth, but all of a sudden became sour and spicy. I didn't care for it much. However, the lettuce was good. Lettuce doesn't have a flavor to me, just the texture of paper. But his lettuce tasted like a plant, and the leaf had lots of water. It gave a whole new meaning to Peter Rabbit's temptation of Mr. McGregor's garden.
He also grows cabbage, leeks, green onions and rice. I was very surprised at the diversity of his plants, but he told our class that when God made the Earth and the people, he put Adam and Eve in the middle of a garden, not a coffee field. Therefore, it is important to mix the plants because they each take and give something to the soil that other plants might need. His goats have a dual purpose: they are his lawnmowers. He said they eat everything in sight, and unlike cows, don't destroy the crops.
Roderic's production is low compared to his chemical-relying competitors. He feels that organic is better because it teaches him a valuable lesson: patience. Also, with two children and a wife, Roderic wants to be around as a father for his family. His wife works in the city, but the family could very easily survive on just the farm. He is one of two workers on his farm, the other a young Cuban.
After the tour, we were served with fruit from the farm and their very own brand of coffee. It was good. I don't even like coffee, but if all coffee tasted like that, I would drink it. I will definitely bring some back.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Bombs, and other expressions
I had a conversation today with my host family about the difference between a bomba de gasolina or a "gas station" and just a bomba, or a "bomb". My question was more or less why they were called something similar. I told them I wouldn't ever want to go to a place that advertised gasoline and an explosive device in the same name.
Here, the term bomba is pretty much used for everything. As far as the gas station is concerned, the term refers to the crank of "Lizzie" cars way back when, if I understood correctly. The Ticos also say bomba in songs of limmerick--I'll try to explain better: there are some very old and very traditional rhyming verses of two lines each, and in parties someone will start, and they'll recite one of the rhymes. At the end of the two lines, everyone yells, bomba! and if someone else knows another two lines, they'll sing next. It's like a call and response of the "southern" churches, except that each two lines will each tell a different story and I think the singer can modify his lines if he is quick enough to do so.
Other expressions of note:
¡Pura vida!--means "Pure life!", or "It's the best!"
¡Tuanis!--same thing.
¡Solo bueno!--means, "Only good!" Used in conversation: "How is your job?" "¡Solo bueno!"
¡Soque!--means, "Hurry up!"
¡Qué chiva!--means, "How cool is that?" or rough equivalent
¡Charita!--teasing lament, mostly used in the country. Same equivalent as "You poor baby" or "Aw, what a bummer".
Have a nice day!
Here, the term bomba is pretty much used for everything. As far as the gas station is concerned, the term refers to the crank of "Lizzie" cars way back when, if I understood correctly. The Ticos also say bomba in songs of limmerick--I'll try to explain better: there are some very old and very traditional rhyming verses of two lines each, and in parties someone will start, and they'll recite one of the rhymes. At the end of the two lines, everyone yells, bomba! and if someone else knows another two lines, they'll sing next. It's like a call and response of the "southern" churches, except that each two lines will each tell a different story and I think the singer can modify his lines if he is quick enough to do so.
Other expressions of note:
¡Pura vida!--means "Pure life!", or "It's the best!"
¡Tuanis!--same thing.
¡Solo bueno!--means, "Only good!" Used in conversation: "How is your job?" "¡Solo bueno!"
¡Soque!--means, "Hurry up!"
¡Qué chiva!--means, "How cool is that?" or rough equivalent
¡Charita!--teasing lament, mostly used in the country. Same equivalent as "You poor baby" or "Aw, what a bummer".
Have a nice day!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Liked and Crazy
I wonder about the crazy people on the streets, the ones who talk to themselves. Are they really crazy, or is their reality so different from the reality they live in that they don't know which to believe?
One of the girls in the group has taken on the "nerd" role. She's a really nice girl and I don't know what she's like outside of this program, but she talks all the time. It's hard to have a conversation because of the subjects she chooses to talk about--they're often very abstract, and have little meaning. Is this terrible of me to write about this on my blog? I don't mean any disrespect or even to talk about her behind her back--I was only trying to make sense of something:
What happens when one person's reality is ignored or disregarded by others in that reality? If reality is more or less a collective hunch of other people's opinions, then is it fair to say that a reality of disregard and indifference directly affects the person's sanity? Consider: studies show that a child who grows up in a home with little to no encouragement and plenty of demeaning insults will have some sort of self-esteem issue. That child's only reality is rejection and insults. The child will also not assume anything is wrong with his homelife until he compares it with other children from loving families. What then? I see two paths: either the child will seek to please others (teachers, other parents, etc) just to get compliments, which will eventually help his self-esteem, or he himself will reject the "evidence" of his abuse and convince himself it is merely coincedence that other families are like each other and not like his.
If, hypothetically, a person chooses the second choice (even though I think the first is most likely) he will believe the lies for himself, that he really is stupid, or a waste of time, or worthless scum. This becomes reality.
Also, I have in mind a similar case that happened to me when we were missionaries in Mexico: I tried so hard to get the other children to like me, but it was difficult to speak the language, and everyone laughed at my accent. I reverted to talking to my stuffed animals. They didn't laugh at me. They loved me. They always wanted to hear about my day, and they always understood how I was feeling when the other children made fun of me. During that time, I also started talking to myself a lot. I think this is because I desperately wanted someone to ask my opinion, or to ask what I was thinking about. I believed that if I talked quietly out loud, someone would take an interest and ask me what I was saying. I never talked about anything important--I just talked. Most of my subjects were very abstract and hard to follow. Once someone did respond to what I was talking about, I just wanted to have that person listen and agree with everything I said. Perhaps this was a reaction to the negative response I was getting.
I feel like this is more or less the same situation with the girl from the group. It's weird to see it from the other side.
So, crazy people: are they still just crazy?
One of the girls in the group has taken on the "nerd" role. She's a really nice girl and I don't know what she's like outside of this program, but she talks all the time. It's hard to have a conversation because of the subjects she chooses to talk about--they're often very abstract, and have little meaning. Is this terrible of me to write about this on my blog? I don't mean any disrespect or even to talk about her behind her back--I was only trying to make sense of something:
What happens when one person's reality is ignored or disregarded by others in that reality? If reality is more or less a collective hunch of other people's opinions, then is it fair to say that a reality of disregard and indifference directly affects the person's sanity? Consider: studies show that a child who grows up in a home with little to no encouragement and plenty of demeaning insults will have some sort of self-esteem issue. That child's only reality is rejection and insults. The child will also not assume anything is wrong with his homelife until he compares it with other children from loving families. What then? I see two paths: either the child will seek to please others (teachers, other parents, etc) just to get compliments, which will eventually help his self-esteem, or he himself will reject the "evidence" of his abuse and convince himself it is merely coincedence that other families are like each other and not like his.
If, hypothetically, a person chooses the second choice (even though I think the first is most likely) he will believe the lies for himself, that he really is stupid, or a waste of time, or worthless scum. This becomes reality.
Also, I have in mind a similar case that happened to me when we were missionaries in Mexico: I tried so hard to get the other children to like me, but it was difficult to speak the language, and everyone laughed at my accent. I reverted to talking to my stuffed animals. They didn't laugh at me. They loved me. They always wanted to hear about my day, and they always understood how I was feeling when the other children made fun of me. During that time, I also started talking to myself a lot. I think this is because I desperately wanted someone to ask my opinion, or to ask what I was thinking about. I believed that if I talked quietly out loud, someone would take an interest and ask me what I was saying. I never talked about anything important--I just talked. Most of my subjects were very abstract and hard to follow. Once someone did respond to what I was talking about, I just wanted to have that person listen and agree with everything I said. Perhaps this was a reaction to the negative response I was getting.
I feel like this is more or less the same situation with the girl from the group. It's weird to see it from the other side.
So, crazy people: are they still just crazy?
Bad Weather
Hi again. Sorry for the long lapse of nothingness...Costa Rica has been getting rain all day and violent, hurricane-like winds for the last four days, so our internet connection has been down. This is the first I've been able to get online for a couple days. Also, this week was our hardest week of classes: I had two 3-5 page papers due written entirely in Spanish about subjects I am generally clueless in English, I had a 5 minute oral presentation in Spanish about a free subject that I wasn't able to research due to lack of internet connection, and I had to read 4, 50-page chapters for two different speakers in my Culture class. Needless to say, I'm bushed. I went to bed early last night--it was glorious.
RAIN:
Seriously, I am going to try and record the rain on my digital camera. It doesn't fall like the rain in Indiana, it floats. It's like there is rain in the air, and you can breathe it in, and it hits your face...it's like the fine mist of one of those water sprizters--not enough to get soaked, but just enough to need to change...
LOVE:
Every single couple I have seen in this country has no concept of discretionary affection. PDA city. Seriously. I mean, it's kind of sweet at first to see couples whispering in each others' ears, or holding hands, but after the first two couples, it gets old fast. And only because I can't look away or I'll see another couple making out or something.
MANNEQUINS:
For those of you who didn't already know, I have this weird dislike of mannequins. It's a long story. However, I have seen more mannequins in storefronts here than I have ever seen in the States. Also, it seems that many of the female mannequins are between changes of clothing. At first, I thought it was just a mistake, to have the mannequins nude on the storefront, but given the previous paragraph about love, it gives me pause. Since I have not seen any male mannequins "between outfits", I'm a little suspicious...
ICE CREAM:
Okay. I admit it. My name is Elise Arvidson, and I have a problem. I'm addicted to ice cream. It's just so delicious!! The ticos put fruit in their ice cream--real fruit, not canned--and they douse it in sweetened condensed milk. It's so good.
Okay. I have a deeper topic that I'm going to write next.
RAIN:
Seriously, I am going to try and record the rain on my digital camera. It doesn't fall like the rain in Indiana, it floats. It's like there is rain in the air, and you can breathe it in, and it hits your face...it's like the fine mist of one of those water sprizters--not enough to get soaked, but just enough to need to change...
LOVE:
Every single couple I have seen in this country has no concept of discretionary affection. PDA city. Seriously. I mean, it's kind of sweet at first to see couples whispering in each others' ears, or holding hands, but after the first two couples, it gets old fast. And only because I can't look away or I'll see another couple making out or something.
MANNEQUINS:
For those of you who didn't already know, I have this weird dislike of mannequins. It's a long story. However, I have seen more mannequins in storefronts here than I have ever seen in the States. Also, it seems that many of the female mannequins are between changes of clothing. At first, I thought it was just a mistake, to have the mannequins nude on the storefront, but given the previous paragraph about love, it gives me pause. Since I have not seen any male mannequins "between outfits", I'm a little suspicious...
ICE CREAM:
Okay. I admit it. My name is Elise Arvidson, and I have a problem. I'm addicted to ice cream. It's just so delicious!! The ticos put fruit in their ice cream--real fruit, not canned--and they douse it in sweetened condensed milk. It's so good.
Okay. I have a deeper topic that I'm going to write next.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Limón, Costa Rica
Okay, so I had it wrong the first time, Limón is NOT in Peru, it is a province of Costa Rica. And no, I wasn't thinking of Peru's capital Lima, I honestly thought that there was also a Limón in Peru. Whatever. So here is a link of a map of Limón, where we were. I apologize that it is in Spanish, but the map itself is fairly self-explanatory... According to the last link, our group visited the purple area labeled No. 1: Limón, Limón.
We got to go through the rainforest to get to Limón, Limón. It was fascinating to watch as the vegetation around the road became more tropical. The provice of Limón is right on the Caribbean sea, so it was very warm. I liked it. There is a small island just off the coast of Puerto Limón (in the cantón of Limón, Limón) where Colombus landed on his third voyage to the Americas. There is also a native reservation the Bribri tribe in that area. For more information, click this link. There are also many tourist-y things about Limón that end up being a problem with the general population; for instance, Limón has the reputation throughout all of Costa Rica of being the "poor" district. The majority of the population in Limón are of African decent, and speak Spanish. The blacks are in the majority because they were the workers of choice for the construction of the railroad, as the Chinese immigrants and the Italians kept getting sick with the New World diseases. The blacks were actually imported from the island of Hispañola (Dominican Republic/Haiti) where they worked in the sugar cane fields to work in Costa Rica because they had been acclamated to the climate and to the diseases. Think of black ghettoes in the U.S. This is how Costa Ricans view Limón.
Our assignment as students was to go and talk to the people on the streets and ask them questions about racism, education, and government. Everyone that my group interviewed said that there was no racism in Limón, because there was such diversity. Even if gringos weren't that common, we were (according to the locals) less likely to be mugged/robbed/etc. in Limón than in any other part of Costa Rica. There are still many Italian-Costa Ricans in the area, and even Chinese-Costa Ricans. But still, the majority are the African-Costa Ricans. We also asked about pobreza, which means poverty and how the locals defined it and what they thought would be a good solution. One gentleman we asked said that education was the answer to poverty, and most of the others said that more opportunities were the answer. We even met a hippie selling jewelry on the street who said that the Costa Rican government was to blame for the poverty in Limón because they put more money into making the tourist sites on the coast more attractive than they spend on cleaning up the cities. There were no public trash cans in the small town where we stayed. Instead, there were heaps of trash on the street corners or by vegetable stands. To walk on the sidewalk usually meant finding the cleanest path through the rubbish.
It was a fascinating trip, and yes, I am darker still. My host family told me today that I look Dominican. I'll take that as a compliment, thank you : )
Also, on Saturday night, the professors hired a band to come and play for us while we ate traditional food of the Caribbean, and we all learned to salsa! I guess I already knew how to salsa, but I thought there was more to the dance. I learned, however, that all Caribbean dances are the same steps, just variations depending on the music. The boys all stood around awkwardly, while the girls learned the steps and danced with each other. Soon, the girls started pulling the boys to the dance floor and teaching them the steps. It was like junior high dances, but with college students. Very funny.
More later on banana plantations, mono-cultures, pineapples, and eco-friendliness...
We got to go through the rainforest to get to Limón, Limón. It was fascinating to watch as the vegetation around the road became more tropical. The provice of Limón is right on the Caribbean sea, so it was very warm. I liked it. There is a small island just off the coast of Puerto Limón (in the cantón of Limón, Limón) where Colombus landed on his third voyage to the Americas. There is also a native reservation the Bribri tribe in that area. For more information, click this link. There are also many tourist-y things about Limón that end up being a problem with the general population; for instance, Limón has the reputation throughout all of Costa Rica of being the "poor" district. The majority of the population in Limón are of African decent, and speak Spanish. The blacks are in the majority because they were the workers of choice for the construction of the railroad, as the Chinese immigrants and the Italians kept getting sick with the New World diseases. The blacks were actually imported from the island of Hispañola (Dominican Republic/Haiti) where they worked in the sugar cane fields to work in Costa Rica because they had been acclamated to the climate and to the diseases. Think of black ghettoes in the U.S. This is how Costa Ricans view Limón.
Our assignment as students was to go and talk to the people on the streets and ask them questions about racism, education, and government. Everyone that my group interviewed said that there was no racism in Limón, because there was such diversity. Even if gringos weren't that common, we were (according to the locals) less likely to be mugged/robbed/etc. in Limón than in any other part of Costa Rica. There are still many Italian-Costa Ricans in the area, and even Chinese-Costa Ricans. But still, the majority are the African-Costa Ricans. We also asked about pobreza, which means poverty and how the locals defined it and what they thought would be a good solution. One gentleman we asked said that education was the answer to poverty, and most of the others said that more opportunities were the answer. We even met a hippie selling jewelry on the street who said that the Costa Rican government was to blame for the poverty in Limón because they put more money into making the tourist sites on the coast more attractive than they spend on cleaning up the cities. There were no public trash cans in the small town where we stayed. Instead, there were heaps of trash on the street corners or by vegetable stands. To walk on the sidewalk usually meant finding the cleanest path through the rubbish.
It was a fascinating trip, and yes, I am darker still. My host family told me today that I look Dominican. I'll take that as a compliment, thank you : )
Also, on Saturday night, the professors hired a band to come and play for us while we ate traditional food of the Caribbean, and we all learned to salsa! I guess I already knew how to salsa, but I thought there was more to the dance. I learned, however, that all Caribbean dances are the same steps, just variations depending on the music. The boys all stood around awkwardly, while the girls learned the steps and danced with each other. Soon, the girls started pulling the boys to the dance floor and teaching them the steps. It was like junior high dances, but with college students. Very funny.
More later on banana plantations, mono-cultures, pineapples, and eco-friendliness...
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