Gender

I have mentioned some of my interactions with the local males before. But If i were to do a comparison of my interacts at the field station, around the communities and traveling and from my other observations there are difference. because the male population at the field was westerner our interaction is the same as when i am in Canada. the treatment was different with the Tica men. I found if you were in a group with men you were acknowledged but the conversation was directed to your male companions. For men who have interacted with westerns a little more were more inclined to converse with you. What i observed while traveling was that Tica women vary rarely traveled on their own. They were usually were with a companion either male or female.

While i was preparing for part of this trip i was given advice on how i should dress and behave around Tica men. this was all relating to perceptions of Latin men to western women. I found it interesting because Tica women dress to my mind much more provocative then most of the western women that i saw or met while there. I have started to wonder if the possibility of attack is so high hence the reason for escorts. since i am not able to answer that question i am going to quit speculating. what i can say is that each culture's moral code is different. today's generation of western is more open to experimentation hence the perceptions. I do know for a fact that it is not incorrect. I have witnessed female students traveling to my country for a short period of time and becoming sexually active with local men. Its all well and nice to connect with people when you travel but i think for something so intimate there should be a little bit more then he is cute and has a hot bod.

Privileges!!!

Even when we think we do not have all the things we want we are privileged because we at least have some of those things. I remember when we did that exercise during the pre-departure session about judging people i realized that i had judged myself not privileged as compare to my Canadian peers. It was humbling to know that despite the fact that I came from an 'underdeveloped' country i had still been fortunate in many ways. I am always conscious when i am in certain situations - working in indigenous communities - how fortunate i am. But i am also aware that these people do not want to be pitied or given handouts. They want the chance to change their situations with their own hands, from their work and sweat. They recognize that there are advantages to accepting our help and would like us to treat them as equals.

Some of the things i learnt with working with indigenous communities was how smart they were, their innovativeness, their humor and their spirit of kindness. I consider them privilege in many ways for the kind of relationship they have with their environment that I would love to achieve but mostly consider myself the privileged one for the opportunity i have had working with them. I have always made an effort not to differentiate myself when working with them because of one experience. When i first started doing field trips i would talk my walkman with me and in my down time i would retreat to my hammock and listen to music and read. One of the students from the village told me after we had become good friends how irritated he use to be with me because of that. He had wanted to listen to my music but was unsure how i would react to his asking. My response of course was after working with me for over a month previously he could have more than asked me to listen to my music. But when i though about it i realised that while he had taken his money to help his family i had taken my and bought something like a walkman. I have since learnt to be more sensitive to the people and the circumstances and now i can say that i am an accepted daughter of the people of the North Rupununi.

Intercultural? Not with My Culture

I don't believe that by experiencing the obvious aspects of a culture we are adopting it. It simply means that these things whether its food, dance, art sparks a response in us that provides pleasure. Interacting with the people and observing their way of life may influence our future behaviour. As explored during the pre-departure session culture is more than the food and art and dance. It is about how people live their lives, how they view the world, how they view and treat other people. Being in a place for a short period and the activities that you may pursue does not, i think, provide you with the opportunities to experience all the nuances of a culture, not enough to say that you understand it enough to adopt it. For us to adopt a culture I believe that its influence has to be long term and we need to achieve a deeper understanding of their world view. Once we start living by that world view i would say that we understand that culture well enough to call it your own.

My Environment

Costa Rica has the reputation as being an environmentally conscious country. In most of the regions that I had the fortune to visit were clean and there were bins out for public use.

At the COTERC field station the surrounding is very welcoming. There is a wonderful orchid hanging garden and a small pond with a tiny island that host a variety of wildlife. The staff is very aware of the need to keep things as environmentally friendly as possible. There is a recycle system in place. The garbage and recycling is taken to a sorting plant in Tortuguero. In the communities of San Francisco and Tortuguero the environment is clean and tidy and there are both garbage and recycle bins set out for tourists and local use.

The major issue with the generation of garbage has to do with the wrapping food come in. With a large number of volunteers at the field station quite a bit of it can be generated. That is usually the case in may tropical countries. Costa Rica is fortunate in that it has a recycling system. One of the things they has done is to keep glass bottles in circulation and has a charge associated with the purchase of beverage in glass bottles which can be redeemed on the return of the empties. While this maybe an incentive for local businesses to play a part in keeping the environment clean they have to stock plastic packaged beverages to cater to tourists.

The hardest hit area in the garbage fight are the beaches in the area. On the North Beach where our work goes on literally every week the volunteers do a beach clean. This is not only to help them when they walk on the beach but also to clear the way for both turtles coming unto the beach to lay and hatchlings emerging from their nests. Most of the garbage that washes unto the beach does not originate from the near by communities but is carried on the tides from the ports of Limon where cruise ships dock. The volunteers will keep doing beach cleans but unless something is done about dumping garbage in the sea there will always be trash on these beaches.

Culture Shock!!!

Well this will be a short one. My exposure to people here in Costa Rica at the field station is limited to the volunteers that are working with Global Vision International and the few locals we meet on the beach and ayt the lodge. I have not spent any time in the community, that is David's domain. My culture shock only extend to the male locals we meet. They all say hello and then proceed talking to any of the males that may be present in the group without looking at the women again. I suppose that is a good thing considering the reputation foreign women have here but it is annoying being treated as if you are not there. You get over it, say hi and keep moving.

Would my culture shock also extent to David constantly complaining about the biting insects? I suppose so. After 6 weeks its time to get use to the environment an stop complaining. Sorry David it is my pet peeve at the moment. Beyond these noted observations the physical environment is too reminiscent of home for me to be too homesick. I am in constant email contact with those in my two home and a phone call every now and again to be out of touch. I am enjoying the relative peace of the forest and can´t say i am looking forward to coming back tp the concrete jungle but alsa so must it be.

Hope everyone is enjoying themselves. I know I am.


deirdre

My Arrival

Travelling to a different country, I was so nervous. This was a country with a different language, one I did not know and was having a hard time learning. I did not matter that I was travelling with someone who would know the language. I still wondered what would happen. I was up early and dressed before I even woke my sister and brother-in-law to get me to the airport. I had a bunch of questions: Did I have everything I needed? Did I pack all the things I was carrying down for the host organisation? Was I going to be overweight? What about security checks? Anything in my carry-on that should not be there? What happens when I get to Miami? (I had half hour to get to my next gate and remembering Miami from previous travels that airport is huge). Would my bags make the transfer or will I end up in San Jose without clothes to last the trip? (Haha that would have been funny. Not to worry Larissa I had a change of clothing in my carry on as you suggested). Yes, I had many questions but none I would voice to anyone, after all this was an adventure. The one answer to all those questions was everything worked out just fine. Now to the landing part.

I got into San Jose at 1:00 pm Canadian time, 11:00 local time. Because I was on a field course looking at tropical ecology and sustainability, I would not arrive at Caño Palma, my internship site, for another two weeks. Getting off the plane the first thing I saw was free wifi. Great my new gadget can work in the airport and I can send a message home to let them know I have arrived safe. Sadly that sign was only for the waiting area. That sucked! San Jose Airport has the easiest immigration and customs for all the airports I have been through (not that many I can count them on my right hand). You go up to the immigration officer, they take your passport, see where you are from (if you are travelling on a passport other than Canadian, US or European, they need to check with a supervisor to see how long they can stamp you in for), you get your passport back and you head down the escalator to baggage claim, you look for your bag; oh! Someone was nice enough to take it off and put it to the side so others can get a chance, to exit customs put your bag on the x-ray machine and you are free to go. Even going back home to my own country my bags would be checked.

The next two weeks were an adventure as the class travelled around Costa Rica learning more about their conservation and sustainable efforts. We spent most of the trip in the Alexander Skutch Biological Corridor near San Isidro del General. In this region there is a concentrated effort to maintain forest cover through the production of shade grown coffee. From there we travelled to the Osa Peninsula. Here we did a bit of snorkelling while learning about the wetland conservation efforts. From the Osa Peninsula we visited Monteverde, a cloud forest region Costa Rica and apparently the Quetzal capital of Central America and yes we did see that magnificent bird. We spent the last part of the trip in San Jose saying a sad but fond farewell to the people that made the trip exceptional.

Back to being a bit scared on dealing with things on my own. David had headed off with friends to see a bit more of Costa Rica before reporting for duty. I needed to settle my visa issues before heading for the coast. After a long wait at the Immigration Office I was assured that my visa extension application was accepted and I should get back to them in ten days. The next day I travelled to my work site. The trip was made through beautiful country. My next stop from San Jose was Cariari where I would take the bus to the river then head for the Cano Palma Biological Station. The first thing that hit me was how hot it was. I come from a tropical country so I though I was dealing will with the weather. However I soon realised that the warmth on the Pacific side of the country was a lot drier and closer to home than the Caribbean. Boy did the ice creams come in handy for keeping cool.

The trip to the Tortuguero River was through a stretch of banana plantation. It was a monotony broken only by pasture land for cattle or farms. Going down the river itself was bit like travelling on the rivers back home during what we term low water season. The depth of the river at that point is dependent on the tide and with the tide out there was little water for the boats to travel. It took about 1.5 hrs for us to make it to deeper waters and by then I was almost near to where I was going. I had no grand expectations about the field station has I had spent a lot of time on one as it developed the accommodations and facilities are great. David and I have a nice room all to ourselves, the drawback being that it is close to the boat dock so we hear all the conversations that occur there and that can be a problem when you are trying to sleep after a long night of looking for turtles.

I guess my only expectation was in the person the person that would be managing the field station. I figured that Jon would be middle aged and serious. He turned out to be a nice guy, in his early thirties, with a great sense of humour, knows what he wants done and is helpful. Except for the humidity I am enjoying myself here. Will keep you posted.

Sorry not to have pictures up but the internet connection here cannot take the overload.

Deirdre

What is my Culture?

Homeland - Guyana, South America

The Obvious

Food -Cook-up Rice, Curry and Roti, Pepper Pot and there is just something about Fried Rice from a Guyana Chinese cook shop, does not taste the same over here.

Dance - usually at a party the dance is influenced by Jamaican dance hall and American hip hop, at national events its a combination of African and East Indian styles.

Art - can range from indigenous and African carvings to abstract painting, but i think the influence is more European than anything else.

Architecture: Old buildings of note are of colonial design. Lord, I think they lack imagination in this department, except for the 30 million dollar mansions are just about square or rectangular.

So those are some of the obvious cultural things. But what are things that have influenced me? I grew up in the country (yes country bumpkin always) so there is a strong sense of community. I miss that because everyone here is so busy and when they get home they stay in there homes. There is no local hang out spot per say where you can go and catch up on the day's goings on and have a beer or two. Yes, I know there are bars here but it's not the same.

The pace in Guyana, and the Caribbean in general, is slow. We are never rushing to get things done. If work knocks off at 4:00 pm everyone packs up at 3:30. I must have been the exception to the rule (lol). No my mom always believed in being punctual so I was always early for work unless I had things to do down town and if I am late I always make up the time. So you would never find a stressed Guyanese, well except maybe for the politicians, well then again the President parties just about every Friday night so i guess not.

I like different kinds of music and books. Well maybe I should say I have great ambitions on the kinds of books I should read but I seem stuck in the horror and suspense, action and science fiction genres. I partly blame my mom for the horror and suspense, my dad for the action and my former supervisor and one of my BBF for the science fiction. As for the music would be my grandparents. They have shop/bar with a dew box that use to have everything in it and then my uncle got into music I was set for life.

What else can I say about my culture, we use to believe that the community helps to raise the child/children. That has been changing in recent years the more American tv became part of our society. I still think its important. Being close with family is important because you are alway aware that you have support whenever needed, and I am not talking just about close family. I can probably go any part of Guyana and find family that will take care of you even if they haven't met you before. Make that around the world, Guyanese are everywhere :-).

Education wise it was important to my family. Generally though if its was not your thing and you feel better learning a trade that was fine. But the North American influence of needing that paper and the fact that a lot of people are beginning to travel a lot makes it doubly important now.

So that is just a little bit about my cultural influence. I have been trying very hard to articulate the things that have influenced me, just about gave brain freeze. To let you know how much of a country bumpkin I am i still try to use the sun to find my way around Toronto whenever I have to go someplace new and I still go the wrong way because the sun is so hard to see behind all those tall buildings.

I wish you all the best on you trip, have lots of fun and post lots of picture. I'll try my best to do the same.

Peace out

Deirdre