Racheloncoop

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  • ATLANTIC?? I still cannot quite understand it. Here in Costa Rica they claim that they are sandwiched in between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Before I came, I received an official PDF with general information about Costa Rica. In it, the location of the country was described as being next to the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Yet this is entirely a lie! The east coast of Costa Rica runs along the Caribbean Sea. But for some reason, the citizens here in the city of San Jose prefer not to associate their country with the Caribbean. When they hear of the Caribbean, they imagine Black people only, and forget that people of all colors inhabit the Caribbean. To many Costa Ricans, being Black is looked down upon and Blacks are not usually seen as equals. So therefore, Costa Ricans claim that they are next to Atlantic Ocean which to them seems more ‘White’ and more like the United States. To admit that Costa Rica is bordered by the Caribbean would be admitting that there are ‘Black’ people here and would ruin the purity of Costa Rica. It is all very ridiculous.
    ATLANTIC??

    I still cannot quite understand it. Here in Costa Rica they claim that they are sandwiched in between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Before I came, I received an official PDF with general information about Costa Rica. In it, the location of the country was described as being next to the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.


    Yet this is entirely a lie! The east coast of Costa Rica runs along the Caribbean Sea. But for some reason, the citizens here in the city of San Jose prefer not to associate their country with the Caribbean. When they hear of the Caribbean, they imagine Black people only, and forget that people of all colors inhabit the Caribbean. To many Costa Ricans, being Black is looked down upon and Blacks are not usually seen as equals.

    So therefore, Costa Ricans claim that they are next to Atlantic Ocean which to them seems more ‘White’ and more like the United States. To admit that Costa Rica is bordered by the Caribbean would be admitting that there are ‘Black’ people here and would ruin the purity of Costa Rica.

    It is all very ridiculous.

    • 7 months ago

  • Costa Rica vs. Mexico

    Most of us (the students, my co-workers, and I) have not stopped talking about our excitement for the World Cup qualifying soccer game since before we boarded the plane for Costa Rica.

    Last night, game day was finally here. Many students spent the day napping in exhaustion of excitement, but I headed downtown to buy flags, face paint, and those annoying horns that people love to blow at sporting events right in your ear.

    After a couple long bus rides, we were there! At the National Stadium! The place was beautiful; newly constructed, and even our seats in the last row seemed close to the field. The spirit of the Ticos (native Costa Ricans) caught on and we were all soon jumping out of seats and yelling and every small call or play. But the game ended with a 0-2 loss for Costa Rica.

    For me it was incredibly frustrating to watch the game. Mexico is such a powerhouse in soccer that it made Costa Rica look so tiny and inadequate. While Mexico’s passing was on point, Costa Rica was consistently kicking the ball out of bounds, and the only goal they scored was off-sides and could not be counted.

    After the game, many of the students were questioning why Costa Rica lost so bad, and were very frustrated at the loss. Pat (my fellow ISA) explained to them that the entire country of Costa Rica could fit in Mexico city several times, helping to give them a better perspective of the game.

    But on the way home in the cab, one of the students and I asked our cab driver if the lack of talent on Costa Rica’s soccer team had to do with the tiny size of the country. He explained to us that it has more to do with the lack of passion in the soccer players. While the Mexican players are playing only for their love of their home country of Mexico, and for the love of the sport, the Costa Rican players are only interested in the money.

    It was an interesting perspective for us, and made me think. I wondered what the difference was in the cultures where one supported such strong nationalism, and the other did not.

    • 8 months ago

  • Earthquake

    This morning I was sitting in bed, and suddenly felt that my bed was swinging back and forth or that somebody was pushing it. My first thought (I know I sound crazy) was that somebody was hiding under my bed and had been there the whole night, and was now about to attack me. But after a moment I realized that it was an earthquake and I just sat, unsure of what to do. It felt as though my room was made of paper and was about to fly away or just tip over onto the street. A metal hook fell out of the ceiling, but after a few minutes, it all was over. 

    Walking to the bus stop, I saw people everywhere. All the schools had closed and students were all roaming, unsure of what to do with themselves now that school was out. My students’ first thought was that they wanted to go to downtown San Jose, but I had heard that the scene there was absolutely crazy, and decided that a trip to the mall would be a safer way to spend the afternoon off from school. 

    My first earthquake today. 09/05/2012.

    • 8 months ago
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