studyabroad 
Jorge holds an iguana that he saved from a fight with a dog.
This land is enchanting. As I sit and type this yellow butterflies flutter around the guava tree and a small iguana hides along the trunk of a banana plant. I just finished a door to door demography survey. I was really nervous about it before we started because if some college student went door to door to conduct a survey in my neighborhood they would probably have the door slammed in their face. But that was not the case this Saturday morning.
All of the people who we interviewed were very hospitable and actually got chairs for us to sit in. Some of the questions we asked were:
Did you go to school? What grade did you reach?
Do you work? If so what do you do?
How long have you lived in La Presa?
What is the best/worst part of living in La Presa?
Do you have a telephone or a computer in your house?
What is your monthly income?
These interviews were conducted in Spanish and the last question was only asked if we felt the person would be willing to share.
I was really nervous when we approached our first house and I ended up reading directly from the question sheet. The couple that Yoshi, Sarah, Rachel, and I interviewed was very kind and didn’t make fun of us for our nerves or lack of Spanish prowess. They stopped what they were doing, brought us out chairs, and told us to take our time. The husband and wife answered our questions thoroughly and thoughtfully and elaborated on all of them with great antidotes. Too bad I didn’t understand everything they said. Luckily their intonations, hand gestures, and body language made it easy to tell when to smile, laugh, or coo in sympathy.
Their two sons and one daughter peaked out the window at us. Half way through the interview the youngest son came out and plopped down on a stool to the right of his dad. Sitting on the table were enormous, empty alcohol bottles. When he saw us looking at them, the father emphatically explained that they were not his; He collected them for his daughter to store her marbles in as she is the neighborhood champion. Upon hearing her name mentioned she popped out onto the porch to show us her marbles. Marbles and yo-yos are all the rage with the children of La Presa. American children have way too many toys; kids don’t need the latest PlayStation, yugio card, or Barbie to have fun, make friends, and grow. Less is more.
We found that most people had at least a third grade education. In Costa Rica, public education to the 6th grade level has been mandated since 1888. However, not everyone achieves such a level because they need to help at home or with agricultural production. Education is valued here so there is a good proportion that go on to study at one of Costa Rica’s many Universities. However, those that are college educated typically do not come back because they can find higher paying jobs elsewhere. We did meet one 38-year-old engineer who was very happy to stay in La Presa.
The people of La Presa are not as wealthy as the typical American suburban family with a big house, hot water, 2 cars, and a computer. But I feel no pity for them for lacking these goods because they are content. When asked what was the worst part of La Presa none of the people we interviewed could think of an answer. That says something.
La Presa, a town of 200 people, was founded by 2 families. Practically everyone here is in someway related to those 2 original families. The residents we met with had lived there todo sus vidas (all their lives) except for the husband in the first couple. The people here are very family oriented. They watch out for each other and there are often 3 generations cohabitating in the same house. Life here moves at a slower pace. Everyone talks to and plays with children on the street. In America children are trained to love dogs but fear strangers; In Costa Rica, children are trained to love people but fear dogs. I don’t want to paint La Presa as idyllic (though I feel like it is); here families are very attached to their children and don’t want them to leave. Young people live at home until they are married. In the US, we value independence and the ability of the individual to chart their own course in the pursuit of their dreams.
Abuelo and his friend were rescued from becoming Salchichas and are now used to help around the farm.
Because I have such freedom I’m getting ready to head off to explore San Jose, go dancing, stay in a youth hostile, and see what city life is like. (I’m not bringing my camera because I don’t want it to be stolen – but I will record an audioblog!) I just talked to my roommate Megan and she said that her interviews were different. She visited Los Angeles and there most of the citizens had master’s degrees and one of the households did have a PlayStation.
A gorgeous spider that built a web near the hammocks.
