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.

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.

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.

Buenas Noches

Pupi y Mia


Cosas han sido muy bien aca. Disfruto mucha la vida aca con mi familia tica y mis amigos internacionales de California, Nueva York, Alemania, y España. A mi, San Jose es muy similar a Covington, Kentucky. Que tanto.
Pues, es todo para ahora. Necesito dormir muy pronto. Ciao ciao!