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NWP Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists - Ostional Wildlife Refuge, Ostional, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

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Ostional Wildlife Refuge, Ostional, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
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lt011795



Registered: October 2012
City/Town/Province: Boise
Posts: 1
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“Pura vida.” This simple Spanish phrase, when translated to English in the literal form, means “pure life.” It is the national slogan of the tiny Latin American nation of Costa Rica, and when walking along the streets there, one can hear it being either spoken or shouted constantly. It is the tico way of saying “life is good” or “have a good day”. These two short words recently became my words to live by over the course of one month when I traveled to Costa Rica in search of adventure, a sense of achievement, and ultimately a new perspective.
Prior to the trip I had never traveled anywhere outside of the states, let alone by myself. Naturally, I had no idea what to expect about the geography, the standard of living, or the kinds of people I would encounter. All I knew was that I was staying with a host family in a rural town called Ostional on the Pacific Coast and that I would be performing volunteer tasks in relation to the research and observation of one of the world’s most endangered species of sea turtle. And that I was going to get a lot of bug bites. As soon as I arrived there, however, I knew my experience there would be one that no manual could possibly prepare me for. The town was, in a word, primitive. The roads were dirt, the doctor was only available on Mondays, my host family’s house had a detachable roof (keep in mind that Costa Rica has a tropical climate and I visited during the wet season), and about three quarters of the town of five hundred people were related in some way. To say that I was culture shocked would be a gross understatement. But as a human, I know I have the power to adapt to almost any situation and I constantly reminded myself that this trip was a learning experience. So I learned, more than any class could ever teach me.
I learned that most of the stereotypes about Latin American people that have been assumed by many Americans are ridiculous and that those vivacious people, especially those in the lower classes of their society, are extremely appreciative of every positive aspect of their lives. They take nothing for granted, they look forward to school instead of dreading it, and they utilize their environment to sustain their lifestyles while still conserving and protecting it. I learned how to dance salsa and merengue and now I practice regularly. I learned how to cook rice and beans, which I only ate for every meal of every day. I learned that I had, up to that point, underestimated the importance of family. I learned everything I will ever need to know about the nesting patterns of sea turtles and the different measures to take in order to protect them. I learned more Spanish in one month than I did in two years of Spanish classes.
Part of my volunteer work was to walk the three blocks from my host family’s house to the beach, in the middle of the night, with three or four other people including my patrol leader, and do just that. We walked for four hours every night, about eight kilometers, back and forth, up and down Playa Ostional, looking for nesting Olive Ridley sea turtles. Sometimes we would see up to fourteen, sometimes we would see none. Sometimes the walks became tiring and tedious, but the conversation was what kept us going. My patrol leader, Andrey, once said to me, “we do this work because we are trying to make up for all the harm we have done to Mother Nature in the past. People don’t understand that…the earth doesn’t belong to us. We belong to the earth.” Each and every person I encountered on my adventure, from my host parents to other students who were taking the journey with me, had some little piece of wisdom to offer me that made me completely change my perspective. Goal: achieved.
My experience opened my eyes to foreign cultures and activities that I never would have considered trying. I zip lined, surfed, caught a crab, touched about a million turtles, rappelled a waterfall, hiked through a mangrove forest, attended a real fiesta, made friends, and acquired a second family. I am back in the states now and feel that I have a real understanding of how positive diversity is and the importance of experiencing and understanding other ways of life. Because I was thrown out of my comfort zone for such a long period of time, I quickly developed a much stronger sense of open-mindedness and a much greater appreciation for how beautiful life really is. I have heard the phrase countless times, and even said it a few, but now I can fully understand, “pura vida.” Life is good.
Date: October 27, 2012 Views: 4866 File size: 7.2kb, 74.3kb : 576 x 432
Hours Volunteered: 1360
Volunteers: 17
Authors Age & Age Range of Volunteers: 17 & 15 to 18
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