I started my year off with a leap. I took a week of winter break and went on an immersion trip to Monteverde, Costa Rica. I left with little knowledge of what life in this area would look like on a daily basis, and returned with a wealth of knowledge and perspective.
Costa Rican culture places a large emphasis on traditional families and the environment. The roles of family members seemed to follow tradition, or what many people in America now might call “old-fashioned”. The respect for the environment was quite apparent. The small country is only a fraction of a percent of the earth’s surface, but it contains almost 6% of the world’s biodiversity. 25% of Costa Rica’s land is protected, compared to 14% for the United States.
Waste seemed to be less common. Even disposable packaging was often designed in a more efficient way in comparison to similar containers in the U.S. Public art was abundant, especially in San Jose. Beautiful murals filled the sides of buildings everywhere.
The language barrier was something that I knew would be a challenge going in to the trip, but I didn’t know to the extent that I would feel helpless. I could pick up basic Spanish words and phrases as I heard them, but when it came time to respond I felt paralyzed. On the rare occasion that I could think of how to respond quickly enough, I felt less than confident in what I was saying. I studied Spanish in the past, but had never used it practically in conversation. It was a humbling experience and made me think of how our non-native speaking students on campus must feel.
Much of our time up in the mountains, we were disconnected from the global community. Internet access and cell service was nonexistent for most of us, so we were confined to the present and the small community we were experiencing. Personally, I enjoyed this immensely. With limited distractions, I was present and engaged in what was happening around me. I reaffirmed my love and enjoyment for the outdoors. The lack of communication caused me to inadvertently realize who and what I truly missed, and what I spent time on my phone doing simply out of habit rather than necessity.
As an economics major, I recently completed a course in international economic development. In that course, we talked about how outsiders to a community will often try to implement development programs or projects that aren’t people-centered. These projects usually don’t work because there isn’t meaningful buy-in from community members. Seeing firsthand how a completely different culture operates, this affirmed the importance in letting locals take the lead in development projects. Nobody knows a community better than the people who live there. I believe it’s important even when working in Springfield to consider the buy-in of the people being served.
Before going on this trip, I saw myself as a volunteer on the Active Citizen Continuum. I wanted to make a difference and I volunteered my time, but I didn’t know much about coffee, fair trade, organic products, or sustainable agricultural practices. Coming back and going about my everyday life, I find myself constantly thinking about my choices as a consumer and how they affect the world around me. I now fall somewhere between Conscientious Citizen and Active Citizen. I feel the need to become more educated about social causes related to my service in Costa Rica and find ways to live that out in my life.
Our work on the La Bella Tica coffee farm consisted of multiple parts of the production process broken into simple tasks that didn’t require extensive training. Oldemar, the owner and operator of the farm, taught us the ins and outs of what goes into producing coffee. We handpicked coffee cherries from tall plants on the hillside with baskets strapped around our waists. We sorted dried beans around a large wooden table for quality control to prepare them for roasting. A few of us even helped package coffee. At times I questioned if the work I was doing was meaningful, but by the end of the week I felt a sense of peace with my service. I was playing a small role in the work that was already going on to empower the local people. In turn, I gained unforgettable experiences, relationships, and perspective.
I believe one of the most important things I can do moving forward is share my experiences with others in the advocacy form of service-learning. In talking to others about my trip, it has become apparent that many people have no idea where their coffee comes from and have misconceptions about Costa Rican culture.
Moving forward, I plan to do more research on the products I consume in the Springfield community. Are these products ethically sourced? What companies create sustainable and empowering global partnerships? What are businesses doing to improve our community? What choices can we make as consumers to create a better tomorrow, and perhaps most challenging, how to we educate one another on that? These are questions that responsible consumers ask and ones that our study-away immersion trip to Costa Rica prompted me to consider.