Saturday, August 27, 2011

Pura Mirada



So, when you tell anyone that you are studying in Costa Rica, what do they picture?

-beaches
-jungles
-markets
-exotic animals
-indigenous people
-environmentally friendly
-cheap everything
-and so on.

I say this because these were all things that I thought. I pictured it to be nothing like the U.S.-- to be a tropically colored wonderland of new food, music, and dance, free of pollution or any other terrible trait of "my homeland." Alas, I have been proven wrong. Most of the time, I feel like I haven't left the U.S. at all, and sometimes I feel it even worse than where I live at home. No, this isn't meant to be some huge post on reasons why Costa Rica is horrible and why the U.S. is better. I simply want to address a few misperceptions about where I am studying.

There are lots of cars, and there is lots of smog here. When trucks and buses drive by I always hold my breath to stop from inhaling the thick black exhaust. When you walk through town in Heredia, there is garbage along the streets-- plastic cups, bags full of trash, etc. There is a lot of of non-point source pollution- oil, soap, and more on the road that runs into the sewer system. Just as much disposable containers that we have in the U.S. I've just seen so much garbage and pollution in public that I wonder where Costa Rica gets this rep of being so "Environmentally Friendly." Yes, there are copious amounts of jungles and beaches and so on, but It just doesn't seem to be living up to being the number one environmentally friendly country in the world as I have heard.

As far as the exotic animals and indigenous people and cheap everything go, you can find them in this country. But you can also find them in any other country. All of the cities here for the most part are just like ours in the U.S. You see people in current styles from the U.S. Music from the states is popular here, there are McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc. . . Small businesses everywhere selling every kind of ware. Walmart is here. People don't go out of their way to talk to someone they don't know or make eye contact and smile with a stranger. It rains frequently and is often cold.

I simply want to say that the image people have of Costa Rica isn't necessarily the reality of the matter.

I created "Pura Mirada," meaning Pure View-- a play off of the token saying here, "Pura Vida," which means Pure Life. Is Costa Rica a terrible place? No. I am simply approaching the stereotype from my experiences walking around town everyday, and how my perceptions have changed. I have seen quite a few examples of the above listed ideas, but in the same breath, every place has its flaws.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Notes and Music

I will preface this blog entry by explaining an interesting routine I've been performing.

Before I left the Cincinnati Airport for Costa Rica, my Mom, Grandma, Boyfriend, and one of my best friends was there to wish me off. While there was still time before I had to rush to my departure gate, my boyfriend went off by himself for a good fifteen minutes. I was wondering why he was separating himself when I was going to be gone for five months, and this was our last chance to spend time together for a while. As I was saying my goodbyes and walking towards the omnipotent force of airport security, he handed me an envelope that looked like it had just finished stuffing its face in preparation for a five month hibernation. It was clearly an envelope from my mom's work with the logo and all stamped on the top left corner. He had scratched out the logo and drawn a furby underneath it saying "Me better than CCSA," along with instructions to not open until I was bored on the plane ride. And it said "From PupPup," the affectionate title that I have dubbed him.

Upon opening it in my room at my host family's house later, I found it to be a bundle of folded up notes held snugly together by a slightly faded maroon rubber band. Inscribed on the front of each folded note is the date in which I should open that individual one and the number of task I am working on at that point. One for each week while I am gone, for a total of twenty or twenty-one notes I believe. I would highly recommend this system to couples that are going to be in a similar situation, it has proven to be highly enjoyable, clever, and comforting when I'm feeling lonely.

The tasks so far have ranged from describing new food that I've tasted to making a new friend to haggling at a market. Each has a cute little drawing of a furby saying something clever and a signature of one of the many names I call him. One of the latest tasks I have been assigned is to find some cool new music, whether it be on the internet, on a cd, or on the street.

I was walking to class last friday and noticed out of the corner of my eye and ear that there was a little trio of college-aged musicians playing in front of the cafeteria. At first I was going to simply continue walking, but then all of the sudden remembered my task about finding music and thought it perfect for the assignment. After gaining permission to videotape their performance, I stood and recorded as they played together. It was a trio made up of Victor Julio Rodríguez on Darbuka (a type of hand drum), Randall Perez on Violín, and David Muñoz Morales on Guitarra. It was so neat to not only find a group playing in public, but to actually find the music really appealing and unique, and on top of all of that; it was the first time that had played together. Crazy. Check them out.



and P.S. I want to say thank you very much to Sara Drabik for being a great video-blogging and street-interviewing teacher in Scotland. That experience has provided me with so much more confidence and ability to do what I want while I'm here. Thanks!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

A SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY PEOPLE


In the week before I came here, my baby boo and I made a little song together. We both enjoy making music, and both have experience from different manners in doing so. It is interesting to try to combine our experiences into harmonious works that reflect our selves in both emotion and style. I feel as though this song does just that quite well. Expanding upon this idea of harmonious relationships created through shared emotions and experiences; I would say that I feel this way with every person in am close to. If you have friends and family, you contain a set of individual relationships built by sharing of emotions and experiences unique to each and every individual that you know. Some sound nicer at times than others; it is simply the chemistry of those particular shared experiences in the given moment.

Again, I've been soaking in a hot tub of nostalgia, smiling and laughing at pictures and videos of all of the different people that I am close to. I assume this is a normal ritual performed by all study abroad students at some point or another. If I'm wrong, maybe I'm just a baby, but oh well. I love all of these people so much and value their relationships endlessly for various individual reasons.

Being in a new country, (yes, I've been here for a month almost, and yes, there are still many new things), I haven't had the luxury of being able to call a good friend at any time to ask if they want to hang out. The number of friends around me has gone from a number I couldn't count on all of my fingers and toes put together, to barely one hand. This is something I think study abroad advertisements fail to mention. You always see a group of young, smiling faces living to the fullest in some exotic place, seemingly living in this carefree paradise of boundless opportunities and friendships. Maybe I'll be on that poster eventually. I'm still trying to figure it out. I've made more friends slowly, and a guy in one of my classes today responded when I told him I didn't have many friends here that "Es una pregunta de tiempo," or "It's a question of time." I think that's what he said at least. I agree with that. It's all a question of time. Bettering my language and understanding, making friends, enjoying my stay here, returning, living life after all of this. It's all a question of time.

Friday, August 12, 2011

In Five Months.



When I told my friends and family that I was planning on going to study in Costa Rica for a semester, lots of questions came up about what I was going to do while I was here. I told them about wanting to try new food, find new music, see nature, go to the beach, work on a film, and more. After being asked the same question over and over, I thought that just because I am going to another country doesn't mean that everyone else's lives will stop. So, I decided to turn the question around on them and see what they had to say about their goals.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Ropa Americana


When I first came here, one of the first things I wanted to know is where the thrift stores were. I didn't pack much when I came, for this very purpose. When I was eventually taken to a "thrift store" here, I was surprised and a bit disappointed at first glance.
I had expected to see a vast, endless sea of colors and patterns, begging me to dive in and be carried away into some secret, hidden world filled with prismatic gems of forgotten attire. However, this was not the case. The stores here are called "Ropa Americana," which simply means American Clothing. They are basically thrift stores filled with old clothing from the U.S. How it gets here and why they sell it instead of Costa Rican clothing, I have no idea- but are priced fairly well. Generally, you can buy a camiseta, or t-shirt for around 500 or 1000 mil (One or Two Dollars) depending in which section you shop. As they are still thrift stores, there are lots of gems available. I think a misconception on my part was thinking that all Latin American countries contain patterns like you would find in Guatemalan Textiles or in Mexican Serapes. I absolutely love both of those, but it is certainly a stereotype I had crushed as soon as I saw many locals not in poverty, not barefoot, and not dressed in traditional folk-wear. People here dress very much like people in the U.S., and I would say better in most cases. No PINK sweatpants, UGG boots, messy buns, gym shorts, socks and sandals, school t-shirts, etc.... Gracias a Dios. As for Ropa Americana, even though there is clothing from the U.S., I haven't seen much of the above listed trash in these stores. Lots of cool 80's and 90's tourist wear, blazers, sweaters, shorts, jeans, etc. . .but no jewelry :( . oh well.
As for the surprising bit of the ropa americana experience, there is a certain one that I love named SINAÍ or something of that nature. It was the first one I entered.

Picture this: you walk in. there is a security guard in the doorway (which you see everywhere here.) a sudden explosion of sound broadcasting from speakers throughout the two-story thrift store. An announcer screams sales, prices, brands, special deals in the style of a sports announcer, like you are there with everyone for one purpose: to conquer the fuck out of the other team by finding great looks for less. Behind the announcer's voice is an army of house music playing, occasionally sprinkled with Christian songs proclaiming "Hallelujiah! whilst a choir sings in the background. Various male employees carry garbage bags stuffed full, larger than the men carrying them, while they shout out all of the deals to yearning ears. Things seem fairly normal for a second. Okay, this looks like a thrift store from home: aisles of racks of used clothing organized in some manner, yeah. But then you discover that the back half of the store downstairs is cheaper than the front half, and you have to pay in the back half for the cheaper clothing before you can shop more in the front. And then upon coming out from the back half, you are presented with a set of stairs to your left. And are told that there are even cheaper prices upstairs, so hell yeah you go!

Upon arriving at the top of the stairs, the loft above the front half of the store, you come across something you have never seen before. Except maybe in the movie the Labyrinth, which my friend Andrea told me about and I watched with my boyfriend Dakota. If you have seen it, you are walking directly into an actual manifestation of the scene with the old junk lady. There are different "piscinas" or pools of clothing. Hills of clothing constantly being added to by the men carrying gargantuan bags of more clothing. People sitting in the middle of the pools constantly digging through constant additions for cheaper prices. I guess they are cheaper because they aren't on hangers or something?

Anyway, it's crazy, it's awesome, my wrist hurts from typing so much, and here are the clothes I've gotten so far from Ropa Americana.










Saturday, August 6, 2011

Fidelity

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel as though a common question to someone that is in a relationship planning to go abroad for an extended amount of time is fidelity. Sure, I could agree it is a valid question. You'll meet lots of new people, interesting, smart, sexy, funny, cute, and on and on and on. So, there is a wide variety of new faces from a variety of places. What a selection, right? Am I going to lie and say that this isn't true? No. Because it is. It is always true for anyone who goes off to some new place for an extended amount of time. The mind wanders around from fantasy to fantasy, what if, how would, blah blah blah.

Okay, so these are thoughts that people have from day to day on a different level of frequencies. Being someone who has cheated in the past and has been cheated on, I have experienced both sides of physical manifestations of these thoughts. At the time, it seems like such a true thing, like this is how things should be. Like he or she is the perfect person you've been searching for. It's like finding a new outfit at a store and thinking how great you look in it, you're obsessed and constantly think "Damn, I look good." But then sure enough probably less than a month later, you find another new outfit and think that you've got to buy it. That outfit you used to wear doesn't look as good anymore and eventually maybe fades entirely out of your wardrobe. (Am I entirely embracing a stereotype of gay men loving shopping and being promiscuous? Maybe, however I think this is not an issue tied to one group, and if you say it is, then you are a liar. :) ) If you observe the cycle of changing look after look after look, it's exhausting- and even more so, it's very superficial. The same goes with this fidelity situation. You might see someone new and think that they would look really good on you, but more importantly are they actually better than your partner at home? Are they as perfect as you picture them, flawless looks and personality? No. This is the New Outfit Syndrome.

****However, if your partner is like a pair of shoes that is too small, giving you constant blisters whenever you try to run anywhere, would it more comfortable and beneficial to keep them off or to donate them to charity and walk barefoot for a while?

Is this all a bit flawed, in that no one wears the same outfit every single day (if they can afford not to), and by saying that I am accidentally implying that you are with a new person everyday of your life unless you are naked? Yes. But you get the point.

I wanted to write all of this because fidelity has been a question and issue from others and myself. We all have choices with the thoughts that enter our minds and the people that enter our lives, the situations and opportunities presented every second. There is no clear cut "black and white" answer to matters of fidelity, but I believe that if you've got someone great in you life that you need to remind yourself of that when something comes along. I've got a wonderful guy who enriches my life so much and respects me and looks really good on me and I've seen lots of other outfits, and some might look good on me, but I am more than happy with the one I've got now.

A while back, I videotaped myself singing a song from my one of my grandma's old country hits song books. I don't know how to read music, so I just used the lyrics and made up my own music. The lyrics are very relevant to my situation.

I hope all of this doesn't seem too ridiculous.

Thanks for reading.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Palpa Oculta



The reason that I have come to Costa Rica is not simply to visit a new place.
I have come here to gain a new perspective on those I already know, things
in which I have already experienced. Will this experience change me?
I'll probably have new thoughts about myself, those around me, people
from different places; I now have a new sympathy for foreign exchange students.
It gets really lonely. I've got many friends back home, but here I haven't got many.
The relationships I do have lack the depth of those I already have, and the history.
It's difficult to feel cared about very much by anyone that you have only known for
two or three weeks. Because of this unsettling circumstance, I have found myself
sitting in my room alone, looking at pictures of my friends and family, reminiscing
on a time when I felt such a deep connection with those around me.

Every night, I eat dinner, talk with my host family for a bit, and then sit in my room
in the dark, eventually falling asleep around 8:30 or 9. I find myself dreaming about
people back home, occasionally my friends here too, night and day.

It's a bit of a depressing lifestyle lately, spending so much time by myself, yet being
surrounded by so many strangers. Sometimes when I walk by someone I don't know,
I find myself wishing that they would be so outgoing as to start a random conversation
with me and want to be friends. But it hasn't happened yet.

I sound so ridiculously melodramatic and emotional. What the hell.

I'm sure things will get better. I hope. Things have been okay. I've
just been missing home so much, and I didn't expect that I would.
I've even had strong feelings of being tired of this place, resentment.


I made a video in response to this mix of anger, nostalgia, and depression