I wish I could say that the experience of studying abroad changed me forever; I am now smarter, more confident, more politically aware, and I know what I want to do with my life. Not true. But the experience has indeed changed me. I’ve learned that I am never alone because wherever I go I will be able to make friends. Speaking the same language and being familiar with the same cultural mores are not requirements for getting to know others. There is something powerfully human that stretches beyond race, religion, and creed.

    I also learned about the powerful heartache of leaving behind dear ones. When you study abroad you miss your home but when you return home you miss the family that you established while in your host country. There are people who I grew to love while abroad who I will never see again. And there is not really anybody to talk about this with because I don’t want to be that girl who starts every conversation with “And one time in Costa Rica…” Jokes aren’t as funny and stories aren’t as meaningful to those who don’t share your experience. So instead my memories live inside me and in the words and images of this blog. Though my Costa Rica experience will probably not color the rest of my life it emerges as smiles in my daydreams and lessons learned expressed through my choices.

    To quote my study abroad advisor Brian Souders, “When you get back from studying abroad people want to hear 3 words: It was great!” My profs in CR even recommended coming up with a 30 second speal to share. It’s hard to do! I often find myself tongue tied trying to explain it all.

    As far as reverse culture shock goes I had three big surprises. I forgot how clean the US is! The city streets in Washington D.C., New York, and Baltimore have hardly any trash compared to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. In addition the asphalt is so smooth and well maintained. At first DC didn’t look real because the wide flat streets were perfect; I can imagine how excited someone flying into Reagan or Dulles for the first time from another country must feel. As an American I tend to be very critical but we are so lucky for our civil liberties and access to resources.

    Another shock, which I was expecting was the materialism and wastefulness of our culture. I visited my friends as they were moving out at the end of the year and we found computers, lazy boy chairs, desks, wrapped cigars, new stuffed animals with labels, and other perfectly good items in the dumpster. College students should be smart enough to realize their connection to the earth and that it is better to reuse or give something away than send it to sit in a landfill. Needless to say I kept many nice items from dumpster diving. After move out, I stayed with my boyfriend and his family at the beach and I was shocked at the amount of packaging and how much food was wasted.

    My third big surprise was the diversity of the United States. Besides the Caribbean, I had not really seen any black people in CR. It’s so cool that in any random 7-11 on the East Coast you are likely to find people who are Catholic, Jewish, Pacific Islanders, Irish, African American, Indian…this list goes on. I love UMBC because of its student body’s diversity in background, thought, and color.

    Something that has kept me from pining away for Costa Rica is keeping busy. Like I promised I spent time in Gettysburg with my brother and Grandma. I traveled to New York to get ideas for my Costa Rica photography exhibit in September. Most weekends I still headed out to the beach; Sandy Point State Park, Flag Ponds, Ocean City, Cape Henelopen and more. I have also gone salsa and swing dancing. Life is not as exotic now but it still deserves to be lived with full zest. I got an REU grant to study the effectiveness of stream restoration on reducing Nitrogen inputs into the Cheasapeake Bay thus reducing Dead Zones. And I have been hard at work organizing for the next year as president of UMBC’s Students for Environmental Awareness. Being abroad and seeing the rainforests and their inhabitants has increased my commitment to doing my part to help protect our planet.

    I emphatically recommend studying abroad to anyone who has the chance because it helps broaden your perspective so that you understand a little bit more of the home you share with Earth’s ~6.5 billion other citizens. Plus you’ll have good stories for when you grow old.

My last view of the valley of Atenas, "the best climate in the world."

For me Costa Rica has been the sweet, sticky flavor of Valencia orange juice that I suck off my fingers after using my teeth to peel the warm fruit that I pulled from the tree using a six foot wooden pole with a green net at the end.

Like myself, the orange and mango trees are not native but we thrive in this land of warm people. I leave the seeds and peel in the dirt as I ascend to class with a trickle of shiny orange juice drying to the inside of my knee. Beside me hangs a string of colorful sarongs drying in the sun.

This rainbow collection that has grown together over the past 90 days will split and fly away tomorrow with their respective owners. More than bright cloths; memories of gallo pinto, bumpy roads, slow sunsets, and lush forests will color our lives.

Over the next couple decades our new knowledge will be manifested in action from Vermont to Vietnam to Vegas, Cali and the Chesapeake, Japan, Michigan, El Salvador and beyond. May we always act locally for global change.

Everyone leaving from our last academic excersize, a presentation of our research to the MINAE, the Costa Rican ministry of the environment.

Sunset from standing on the rocks as the tide rose at Playa Esterillo.

La Presa, Rio Tarcoles, y Playa Esterillo

This past week I’ve been:

Dancing in the rain,

Sunbathing on the rocks,

Laughing with stray dogs,

Chasing little crabs,

Running up mountain tops,

Picking trash up off the beach,

And singing under the stars.

I’m falling in love again with each new day!

Tidal pools at Playa Esterillo on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica.

Environmental Science is not always learned best in a classroom and luxury hotels are not always the nicest way to travel. Take for example, the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis. Fall term, sophomore year I took Dr. Swan’s Ecology class and had to memorize and be able to interpret a graph with a convex curve; disturbance level was on the “x” axis and biodiversity was on “y” axis. I explained the chart and aced my exam but I never truly understood the concept until yesterday.

Laura from Hawaii stands in front of our tent site in Margarita’s front yard a few meters from the Pacific Ocean.

As you might have read in my last entry, Karen’s host mom Hilda’s brother Beto, has a friend Minor, whose mother Margarita has a place at Playa Esterillos. To get there we walked southwest along the beach until we came upon a house with a boat in front of it. Though I was a little nervious, it was easy to find. Our hosts were lovely, Margarita is an excellent chef—great gallo pinto! And we got to camp out for free!

Starbuck uses a coconut shell to display some cowry shells and a purple barnacle she collected off the Esterillo beach.

Starbuck said that this is the way she always travels; She doesn’t pay lots of money for hotel reservations. She only travels places where she knows someone so that they can give her advice on the best sites. I’ve decided I want to travel as much as possible using social network connections. This is so amazing to stay right on the beach and have hot delicious food! It would have cost so much more to stay in a hotel and we would have had to spend time and money for transportation to the beach and restaurants. Pura vida, baby!

A tiny crab the size of my fingernail.

When I went out to walk into the tidal pools I was astonished by the shear quantity and diversity of life surrounding me. One crab, two crab, red crab, blue crab! There were crabs with spots and crabs with dots. Some wore houses; others ran and hid like mouses. Some the size of a meal; others had claws to small for you to feel. Dr. Suess aside, I couldn’t comprehend at first the magnitude of the diversity? Along with the crabs, there were blowfish and little fish that looked like Nemo. I asked myself, “Self, why are there so many different species in this small area and so few on a giant stretch of beach in Ocean City. Then I saw the tide rising and thought about the disturbance level here. Every day these little tidal pools are reburied and uncovered with the tide.

At Playa Esterillo there were crabs of assorted colors, shapes, and sizes. Some hid under rocks others had homes in the sand.

This constant state of change created a variety of niches for different species to fill. Some crabs evolved to tunnel in the sand others to hid in cracks in rocks and hermits found safety in used shells. Because the environment here is constantly changing there is not one species that does best and dominates, therefore, a greater variety can survive together. Magnificent! Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis, thanks Dr. Swan.

Laura hangs out by the mermaid statue above crab land at Playa Esterillo. I just coined the name “crab land” in case you had any doubts.

I loved exploring the land of the crabs. It reminded me of the video game my brother showed me before I left where you roll and giant ball and stuff sticks to it (yeah- I know that was specific J). Where Laura is sitting was underwater about two hours after the shot. In the interim period, I traveled around the rocks exploring nooks and cranies. Sometimes I would hold really still and watch them come out from hiding. I’m glad I don’t have any animal phobias because it was almost scary how many there were. Then as so as I moved they all scurried into hiding. When the water level got too high at sunset (see the top pic), I rejoined my friends. They were more interested in splashing around drinking Imperial than chasing crabs—yeah, I know I’m a dork.

The stray dog who adopted us and followed us everywhere without begging. He even slept outside our tent so we named him Gaurdo.

A sweet stray we name Gaurdo had adopted them. He stayed with us after a dinner of gallo pinto, fresh caught fish (for the non-vegetarians), fried plaintains, and a shredded salad with fresh tamarind and papaya smoothies. Once we had eaten our fill, we spread our sarongs out on the beach so that we could sit on them and sing along to Gina’s guitar.

Guardo playing in the tidal pools at sunrise on Playa Esterillo.

Though I myself am not musically talented, (couldn’t you tell by my photos that I’m a visual thinker?) I have a great appreciate and love for musicians. Live music makes me so happy. We made a circle of people using each others bellies as headrests and looked at the clear sky above. This was the night I saw the most shooting stars in my entire life! Brenna, who is the niece of the base player from the Grateful Dead, taught us “Broke down palace” –I think it’s called. I wish I could remember artist and song names but I just remember the tune.

The lesson I learned from watching Guardo, a classic latino player, stand by us and then jump from group to group, is to relish life and those around you and expect nothing in return.

It was so much fun just harmonizing along. I love Gina’s attitude that anyone can sing. It makes jamming really fun. It reminds me of how my mom says anyone can be an artist you just have to express yourself. Once again the tie back to study abroad – going abroad will make you much more likely to travel hours for just a night on the coast. Do it for the beautiful moments!

My posse and I try and catch a bus. We had to stand on the several hour ride home from Jaco to Atenas so we all ended up sitting in a people pile in the aisle and some tourists took our picture because they thought we looked cute.

My most recent pic of Poas Volcano; once again deemed safe to visit!

Pura vida! Today was the first time I was able to sleep through the roosters crowing and stay asleep until 7 AM. We are starting our directed research today. It is a great feeling to have nothing I have to do besides write my blog and focus on the Poás Volcano project. Still wearing my pajamas, Raven’s boxer shorts and Carrie’s navy tank top, I took the long way through the gardens to breakfast. The green beans we planted six weeks ago are now heavily laden with long crisp vegetables. I greedily munched on them and then picked a bunch to share with my friends. But I was sidetracked when I saw Fabian and asked him to see the two week old puppies. There are two baby girl Doberman pinchers, one red like their mom and one black like their dad Binki. Yesterday, the pudgy puppies first opened their eyes. The mom is very gentle and she let me hold them. There a few things as sweet as baby puppies. Period.

I love lazy days! It was a shame that it took me and Karen from 10 AM – 3 PM to format and edit the survey we will be asking 150 people who live outside of Poas Park. But I can’t complain considering the fact that I am in beautiful Costa Rica and there are lots of goodies in the kitchen to snack on like hot, fresh empanadas (pastries stuffed with pineapple and other fruit).

After finishing data entry, I hung out in the pool with Sue and Amy and sewed my white skirt and tank top. We are having trouble dealing with the concept of free time after the first two months which were so intensively micromanaged. But I don’t feel I can possibly get bored. I want to travel but I’m being lazy about organizing a trip. I really want to go Scuba diving before I leave. I feel like I’m the only one who isn’t feeling broke right now. I budgeted to spend $800 and I have only spent $450 so far. Grrr. I want travel buddies with money!

Brenna stands in the wind at the look out point in front of Poas Volcano on the day the park resumed normal hours because it was deemed safe again.

Tonight after making mint icing for Erin’s chocolate cake with mint that Karen and I picked from the herb garden, Starbuck joined me out in the hammocks and read aloud the beginning of a book that I think is called Dog Days. She’s got a clear, even reading voice. The nights have gotten so warm that I no longer need a big sleeping bag instead I just use the sheet Carrie sewed into a bag. I cannot emphasize enough how much I love going to sleep peeking out at the stars and listening to all the night sounds. It’s almost like a religion.

Underside of a "Poor Man's Umbrella."

Yoshi and Meg sit by "Poor Man's Umbrella's" that have been damaged by acid rain caused by the recent volcanic activity of Poas Volcano.

In the morning, I woke up and noticed that a new tree is blooming with yellow blossoms I have never seen before. Glorious! I skip out on running, roll onto my belly, and watch the birds until it’s time to shower (I hate showering without running because the icy water sends pins and needles through your spine and you end up either arching your back so that just your head gets wet or doing a modified Harlem shake because it’s that cold! But if you go running it feels great.) I eat crunchy granola with runny yogurt and pack an unappetizing cheese sandwich for lunch before popping on the 7 AM bus.

A view out our van window of the valley below.

Friday was our first day of surveys in the communities outside of Volcan Poas National Park. Our 12 member directed research project divided into 4 groups to tackle the interview. I worked with the lovely Yoshi from Japan and Karen from El Salvador. Our countries of origin were a great ice breaker for some of the interviews with people who had spent their entire lives in the small neighborhood of Poasito outside Volcan Poas National Park.

One of the many businesses we interviewed to determine the economic impact of the volcanic eruptions.

Oil slick on the parking lot in front of the above souvenir shop. Yes I get carried away taking pictures!

Yoshi, Karen, and I took turns leading our interviews. We always insisted that as a native Spanish speaker, Karen go first so that we could imitate her during the following interviews. I really appreciated how kind and supportive Karen was with our Spanish grammar and pronunciation. I still have trouble with the double “r” sound of the word sujerencias (which means suggestions).

An Easter Week Parade outside of Volan Poas National Park.

The Ticos we interviewed on Friday were very warm and welcoming. Many invited us inside to sit. (I’ve decided that whenever anyone comes to my door for an interview I will invite them in and give them cookies). Most people were completely fine with us playing with their dogs and picking up and coddling their babies. They just laughed if the baby started to cry. There were adorable toddlers and fuzzy puppies in this town of strawberry farmers. Our last two interviews of the day were both at the same house where we talked to an elderly gentleman while his 18 year old granddaughter filled it out. The intergenerational differences were striking in that the older people didn’t seem to grasp the concept of rating the strength of their belief on a scale of 1-5. They offered antidotes as to why they felt the way they did but ranking was a foreign idea. In contrast the younger generation quickly filled out the surveys themselves rather than dictating their answers.

Fresh Produce for sale in Poasito, Costa Rica.

Saturday, we had a strange source of error; competition with Jehovah’s witnesses. Simultaneously as we were conducting our survey Saturday morning, Jehovah’s witnesses were sharing their religious views. Like us these messengers were college aged and dressed nicely, except they carried umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun. All of the houses that had their doors wide open on Friday were locked up with bolted gates. Humorously we knew people were home from the many radios blasting and the chatter that could be heard from the kitchens. But no use. Some of the surveys were conducted by passing the paper through the barred gate to a child who ran it into their parents and then waiting patiently for it to be eventually returned. Though funny, it was rather frustrating. A slogan that Chelsea coined for our T-shirts was, “We are here to save the world…We don’t care about your souls!” Don’t you think everyone would love that? hehe J

Sue, Chelsea, Brenna, and Erin group hug while interviewing in front of a grocery store.

My favorite aspects of conducting these interviews are getting to practice Spanish, meet new people, and try local cuisine like empanadas de papas (similar to a Cornish Pasty) and strawberry milkshakes. Did I mention strawberry milkshakes? Oh, yeah strawberry milkshakes. You know those expensive Costa Rican grown strawberries you get year round in the Food Lion and Safeway? I just got to try some of them fresh off the vine from a local farmer who was late to work but felt bad about denying us a survey. He left for work at 11:15 AM when he was supposed to be there at 11. I love Tico time!

Yoshi and Karen enjoy his gift of fresh picked organic strawberries!

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Now I'm going to try and hail a cab to Playa Estarilla which is supposed to have lots of fossils and a giant stone sculture of a couple making love in the surf. I've never been there. But Karen's host Mom's brother Beto called his friend who runs a fishing boat out there and he said we could camp for free in his backyard. Beto told us to take the second road past Playa Hermosa to the beach, walk along the beach until we find two restaurants. Then I'm supposed to ask the restaurant owner where Minor Mora lives and he should point me to his cabin. None of these people speak English.

I'm doubting myself a little, but hey you only live once. Wish me luck.

Luv,

Tammy