Too Much To Say

Matyas, 16

I don’t think my last post did any justice to how I truly feel about my experiences in Costa Rica. I may not have realized it at the time, but as I settle into my home here in America, I’m reminded of all the stresses and issues that I escaped for those 12 days in Costa Rica. Now I find myself longing to return to Costa Rica and push all my troubles and anxieties away and live the "pura vida," forgetting about the stresses that Western civilization pushes into our daily lives. I WILL be returning. I no longer have my Western desires as much as I used to. It’s not about being successful, it’s about being happy. I’ve always had a hatred for materialism, greed, and sloth, but this trip made me realize how much I actually have of those things, and I want to change that picture of myself.


Now that I’ve been in the states for a few days, I’ve found myself falling back into the routine of sitting around on the computer for endless hours with nothing to do. I do catch myself sometimes and try to do something like cleaning up my room or helping my dad with things to do around the house, like cleaning out the attic or some yard work. But a few days ago, without knowing it, I let myself go and did nothing but watch all my DVR recordings while snacking on candy and gummi worms and played videogames for countless hours. I didn’t realize it until I was laying in my bed around 1:30am still awake from all the sugar and caffeine I had put into my body, and I felt disgusted. I actually did sit there thinking “Man, I wish Matt were here to tell me something to do” hah.


With Earth Day being yesterday all I have been thinking about was all of the trees we planted in Yorkín. How something so small as a seed can be a message of hope for the earth, to repay all the wrongdoings mankind has done to the very planet it calls its own.

Back to the point, I don’t think I described how much I benefitted from the experience in my last post, and I guarantee that after I hit “submit post” I'm going to realize I forgot something. While working in La Carpio I was exposed to poverty that I never had seen before, and the fact that it was so close to San José, the idea seems crazy, like it shouldn’t be so, but it is. And hearing the political advisor, “Chico,” laughing at the matter at first, but later admitting that they aren’t doing enough to help them, perhaps because he saw that none of us felt the same comicalness of the situation, made me feel like it’s going to be a long time before these people get what they need and deserve, which isn’t right. It makes me feel even better about how much we really did help them.

The experiences with the Ticos and the volcano were some of the highlights of the trip. Being able to communicate on a fairly decent level (finishing my 3^rd year of Spanish this last trimester) I could speak with Pepe, Sam's and my pen pal, the first day pretty well, and he knew a good amount of English which also helped. What I liked most was how he was trying to communicate the word “Poland” to me, but I wasn’t understanding the Spanish version, so he started to describe it as the first country that the Germans invaded in WWII. I just thought it was cool how we had found a way around the language barrier with words we DID know and the fact that it was history and about WWII. I just really liked it, it was a clever way to get around the barrier.

When we all went to the volcano I got a sense of how powerful the Earth can be, even though this one wasn’t erupting with exploding fireballs and lava everywhere, I still got a feeling…similar to the feeling I got when we were in the airplane above the Earth (it was my 1^st time flying), a feeling of how small I am, how small we all are on the Earth, not to mention the Universe. I just felt miniscule but humble at the same time. I’ve wanted a career in Biology, but the experience is making me think of shifting gears a little to maybe wildlife conservation, ecology, or environmental protection. I feel like the Earth should be our top priority and we owe it some respect.

Needless to say, the trip to Yorkín was amazing for me. As I mentioned before, I’ve always had a connection with nature and sympathy for the environment and animals, so I was perfectly fine with getting dirty and being hot, and working with the Bribri people. However, I didn’t enjoy constantly being wet. Other than that, I think everything was enjoyable and rewarding. I have nothing but optimism for the Bribri people; their ability to be happy and reject outside influence is something to be admired. Awesome. Even as I sit here, I wonder what it is they are doing and how our trees are getting planted/growing and how their building developments are progressing. I hope for the Bribri to continue their ways and stay a happy people.

The trip to Puerto Viejo and the Caribbean was mind opening as well. The culture, being more laid back and Rasta, was interesting to see and experience, even if we weren’t there long. However, it has rubbed off on me and I now have an extensive list of Bob Marley that I'm trying to put on my iPod. Not to mention the beach, with the Sea Urchin that Mr. Moreland, Shalyce, Arturo and I managed to get to shore and observe.

All in all, the trip has made me a more independent person. I feel like I can do anything, it just takes a little effort. I feel more grateful for all the little things that I have that I used to take for granted. However, I prefer the life in Costa Rica, even if it’s not so technologically advanced. That’s perfectly fine with me. I feel proud now, and happier about myself. I had experiences that a lot of people won’t ever have in their lifetime. And for all these reasons, I’m proud to now have this “little” reminder, of the Pura Vida that I plan to live, hanging in my room.