Pura Vida – Page 2 – UCI Costa Rica Program

May 14, 2015April 2, 2019

Costa Rica Research Symposium 2015: Success!

Attendees gather around Ceci's presentation on education in Costa Rica.

The participants of the Costa Rica Program for 2015 studied a range of topics from animal migration to education, sustainable structures to health standards. Indeed, the bulk of the academic credit for the Costa Rica Program is awarded based on the research conducted in country. It is hardly surprising then that the team yielded vast sums of knowledge on a plethora of topics. These were all presented at the Costa Rica Program Research Symposium earlier this week, Monday, May 11th. Continue reading “Costa Rica Research Symposium 2015: Success!”

May 3, 2015April 2, 2019

A Better Appreciation Without Affiliation

Center aisle of Alajuela cathedral From the moment I stepped in, the air felt different. The cool darkness of the church was a welcome relief from the lethargic humidity of the Costa Rican afternoon. The inside of the church seemed much larger than I expected having seen the church from the outside. The majority of the church was filled with pews that remained mostly empty during the service I attended due to the service being held on a Tuesday instead of Thursday. Other than the five people from our group and Ruth, Bonnie and Marcos’ mom coming from Siempre Verde, only one other young man attended the service. Continue reading “A Better Appreciation Without Affiliation”

April 22, 2015April 2, 2019

The Beautiful Game

When I was 6 years old I played in my first soccer game. I will never forget the day I received my “team purple” shirt; the first soccer jersey I ever owned. The purple jersey was a tad large for my little frame, but it was absolutely awesome nonetheless. I remember wearing it the whole day and night before the game and imaging scoring a goal for the first time. To this day I have never been so anxious to get on the field.

Finally, the time came to play and the referee started the game.

The next hour or so ended up culminating in one of the single greatest memories I have of my entire life. I went on to score the winning goal in the last play of the game. Since that cool Saturday morning at my local city park, the beautiful game of soccer has continued to be the most positive influential aspect of my life, presenting me with lasting friendships, teaching me the importance of teamwork, showing me how to win and lose, and also guiding me towards opportunities that I could only dream of as a child.

Continue reading “The Beautiful Game”

April 19, 2015April 2, 2019

A Night in the Jungle

Our second day in Costa Rica we were given the opportunity to hike in the jungle. In order to reach the cabins where we would sleep for our night in the jungle, we had to hike about two hours, led by local guides Deiber and Rigo. Once there the team split up into two groups: one group would embark on a night tour of the jungle, while the second group would stay and have dinner before going into the jungle.

Continue reading “A Night in the Jungle”

April 15, 2015April 2, 2019

Bowel Movements Without Borders: What is Privacy Doing to Community?

During my stay in Costa Rica, I spent two nights with a local host in the small rural community of Mastatal. The home, like many others in the community, was constructed in familiar fashion: floor, external walls, internal walls and roof were all accounted for. Notably, however, there was no ceiling; that is, there was substantial space between the top of the internal walls and the roof above.

This seemed of little consequence until I found myself familiarized with the bowel movements of our host: Lus Milda.

Photo depicting bedroom with gap between interior wall and roof. — See that gap between wall and roof – that’s the culprit right there!

And her daughter. And her son-in-law. Not to mention the construction worker, the elementary school teacher, the high school teacher and the assistant principal of the regional school board, and of course, the two other program participants who were all sharing in Lus Milda’s hospitality. Having the bed positioned immediately adjacent to the bathroom I would hear everything (and more!) that is to be expected from a diet of rice and beans. Subsequently, when it came time for me to make a deposit, I was very aware of the fact that I had an unwilling audience. Privacy, then, was compromised.

Continue reading “Bowel Movements Without Borders: What is Privacy Doing to Community?”