So I never gave many details about my weekend in Limon, but it really was a wonderful weekend. On Friday we stopped at coffee, pineapple, and banana plantations. Those were so interesting. Most of the food they grow is exported to countries like the US, and it is controversial whether farmers should be using so much land just for exports, as opposed to using the land for the people here. We arrived in Limon, which is the most important port in Costa Rica. However, even though most of the country's trade happens at that port, and so much money and wealth passes through there, the area is actually very underdeveloped. It is on the Caribbean side, and has a Jamaican/Caribbean influence. The center of Limon itself is very rundown and underdeveloped.
My favorite part of the weekend was Friday night: in groups of three or so, we had to go around Limon and interview different people about their perspectives of poverty and discrimination in Costa Rica. We were supposed to get a wide range of people, including men, women, indigenous, black, old, young, etc. It was so fascinating. I went around with two friends, one who speaks Spanish fairly fluently and the other who speaks very minimally. The three of us had a great time and were able to pull our brains together to fully understand everything that we were hearing. It was exciting to speak Spanish to people in the streets and have conversations with them about things that matter. And I was actually able to ask questions and understand a portion of what I was hearing.
The first person my group talked with was a man named Rudolpho who was homeless and missing one leg. It was so sad, because he said that he has been trying to get a new leg for a while but has had little success with the government or other health agencies. We had a great chat with him and got an interesting perspective on the lack of faith that some Costa Ricans have in the government. We also got to talk with an indigenous man, a Nicaraguan, some young women who were anti-indigenous, and some other individuals as well.
The next day we met with an indigenous woman in this beautiful rainforest area. She spoke about her life and about the plight of the indigenous people to keep their land and protect their resources. It was sad because she spoke about how sometimes the government will come in and take part of the land that should be theirs, and in return give them a less desirable piece of land. For a while the iguanas, which they use for food and religious ceremonies, were being killed by outsiders. The indigenous had a hard time standing up for themselves against these outsiders who would come in and kill their plants, animals, and other resources. Luckily they have set up conservation efforts and have the support of different non-profit groups now.
That night, after a nice day at the beach, we had a typical Limonese dinner. It was rice and beans, which is the typical dish in Costa Rica, with coconut! So delicious! We also had a live Calypso band playing. It was a private event, so only our group, and we danced and ate the night away. It was a really nice way to bond with the group and get to know people better.
Other things going on: Today I visited an organic farm, which was probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I felt like I was either in Napa, CA or Tuscany. We drove an hour from our school and drove up into the mountains to this house and farm that was pretty secluded. This one man grows tons of fruits and vegetables and other herbs on this huge organic farm. It is so beautiful and so sustainable. He uses most of the food for his family, but is able to sell some of it as well. He was such a fascinating person. Just very in touch with God and the earth and a natural life. I appreciated his approach: he did not condemn traditional agricultural practices (even though he is against their environmental practices,) but humbly showed us the way that he has chosen to live his life on his farm. Afterwards we had fresh strawberry juice (one of the best things I have ever tasted...) coffee from his farm, homemade banana bread, papaya, and watermelon. So good.
In a little over a month I will leave San Jose and spend an entire month, BY MYSELF! on a farm somewhere in the country. I was really nervous about it, but today made me really excited. I have no idea what I will be doing, but I am excited to be outside everyday, working with a Costa Rican family on their farm.
Another story from my week: yesterday I woke up very sick. This has never really happened to me before, but when I opened my eyes the room was spinning. I was so dizzy and could barely get out of bed. I didn't know what was wrong with me, so I told my host parents that I didn't feel well and that I had nausea and dizziness and chills and all that. I threw up a few times, and my mom took me to the doctor. They ran a blood test and didn't find anything unusual. They did give me three kinds of medicines, including a 1 liter bottle of intense electrolytes. I drank the whole thing in one day. The more I think about it, I think I was soooo dehydrated. I walk about 6 miles everyday to class and back in the hot sun, and also have had some stomach problems that have caused me to lose a lot of liquids in the past week. So, needless to say, I am glad that I realized that before it got even worse!
Oh, but the one highlight from the whole visit to the doctor was the fact that I was able to explain in Spanish my problems to the doctor. Because my mom does not speak English, and the doctor said she did, but really only knew a few words like "pregnant" (no... no estoy embarazada (pregnant)) and "pain." So this was a real life situation where I was able to utilize my Spanish!
I am much better now. And yes. I will start drinking more water.
Hope you all are well! I have some other pictures and stories to post later this week!
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