Symbols of reflection throughout the country of Costa Rica, through the hammocks on every patio or the tranquility of the water ways, have been points of meditation woven into the fabric of the culture. Through months of foresight and preparation to the contemplation as an intregal part of my time in the country, three fundamental lessons have been imparted to me. In my interaction with the farmers of infinite importance was the development of listening skills, not only of hearing, but also absorbing the experiences and wisdom shared. This paradigm has also exposed the faults within compartmentalization of ideas, as well as the need for intersectionality of disciplines within academia. Having been exposed to life within small communities has eccentuated the significance of local markets indigenous to that country as well as a larger less defined impact on global markets.
With Gregory Schwartz, a doctoral geography student at the University, we have aimed to give a voice to the people who are most often not heard, or not taken seriously. We have spoken to the farmers in the Osa Peninsula, those who participate in the Payment for Environmental Services program and those who do not, with a special emphasis on the voice of the female land owner. I worked months in advance to put myself in a position to be an asset during the research process.
Throughout this experience, I have learned the power of being a good listener directly as I learn Spanish and through each interview. First, is the underlying factor that I was not fluent in Spanish. I spent time in Colombia before arriving to Costa Rica, and in my the first couple of weeks in Colombia, I was forced to just listen — to listen to the accents, to listen to direction, and to learn as much as I could through every conversation with my Colombian friends. This process of observation, of diligent attendance to every word said, contributed to my ability to listen with patience and humility to the farmers. Beyond studying the accounts and perspectives of famers for our theses, we are here to provide an open and gentle ear to their narratives. Vigilance, commitment, and conscientiousness for their feelings and opinions contribute vitally to the listing component of the interviews. In addition, these characteristics are essential to guiding the time spent with farmers in constructive manners to receive the information they can offer to our specific studies of these incentive programs they are involved in. This adeptness comes from not being silent and writing notes, but rather being engaged through body language, through eye contact, through nonjudgmental and generous insights that allow them to feel safe and comfortable. We allow ourselves to be a medium through which they can vent, anonymously, and know that their concerns are truly being heard.
Through these interviews, 85 in total, I have been made aware of a wealth of issues that I did not previously think could have been intertwined to my studies. This complexity has illuminated the dynamic real-world relationships between history, anthropology, government, and ecology. For example, when one questions how farmers think of land conservation or sustainable agriculture, we must remember that we, in the west, have coined these terms. While the farmers are passionate about land conservation, they are still trying to make a livelihood for their families from generations of farming. The majority of the farmers have less than a fifth-grade education, and words like “environment” or “sustainability” are not simply ideas but lived realities that are intricately interwoven and rooted, ultimately, in the welfare and survival of the farmers themselves as people who live off the land. A proper academic approach, I discovered, should not isolate the study of agriculture, economics, or conservation, but view them from a more holistic, integrated perspective. This integration, I believe, can allow our studies to provide both academic understanding and practical application.
Last, this understanding of the history and economics in Costa Rica has magnified the importance of “going local” on a global scale. If the rapid increase in tourism does not result in direct income to the local Costa Rican economy, we will see devastatingly negative effects. Living and working in this small, semi-isolated community, I have seen the direct impact of my purchasing power on the local economy, where community members directly benefit from the items of sale, from where you chose to eat, to hotel accommodations, and the general products one buys. Here the majority of my purchases are “local,” which stands in contrast to the ways people operate economically in more developed nations. Supporting a local economy not only provides an outlet for your neighbors to sell goods, but also severely reduces the amount of resources used to transport goods both nationally and internationally.
My experience in Costa Rica has both increased my passion for the interdisciplinary study of geography and convicted me of its importance, especially in its ability to address sustainable growth throughout the developing world. Actively listening has taught me the importance of being critically engaged at all times, and to constantly connect ideas and perspectives. My time in this small community has also shown me the pervasive influence that international markets can have on developing regions, and the complex ways in which international trade and tourism affects a developing nation, providing both challenges and opportunities for its people and its ecosystem. In addition to studying these economic and sociological trends, I have also been excited to learn more about the physical processes that produced the topography of Costa Rica. Overall, I feel enormously lucky to have had this experience, and believe that it has complemented my academic studies in giving me practical understanding and insight, as well as a wider perspective from which to critically engage in the literature of my field.
Jessie's High Horse 