Comunidad
The Symbiosis Between San Luis And UGA Costa Rica
12:00pm
We have finally arrived back at the UGA Costa Rica campus after a long drive from Arenal. We eat in a rush and start scrambling to pack our belongings in time to leave for our home-stays. I grab my huge duffel bag and begin sorting through my mess of clothes on the open porch.
1:00pm
I check the list for the millionth time and, predictably, it’s still the same. I will be staying with Rafeal and Lilliam. I leave at 2:25pm. Now that I’m finished packing, I anxiously check my phone for the time. Everyone is doing the same.
2:00
The first group is leaving. We all wish them luck and tell them it’ll be so much fun, when we are actually just trying to convince ourselves of the same thing. I am set to leave in 25 minutes.
2:15
My bus pulls up and my group goes to collect our things and load them on the bus. Soon we are all cramped in a tiny van. We all peer out the window, attempting to memorize the say from our homestays to campus. We pull up at a house and two girls from my group depart. The last thing I see is a cow following them to their new home. I know I’m next. We pull up to a gated house with a woman waiting. I’m nervous, but I grab my bag from the back and walk over to her. Like the other ticas here, she is not dainty by any means. Her skin is tan and weathered from hard, physical labor. She picks up my suitcase (which I had been struggling to hold) with ease.
“ ¿Hablas español?”, she asks me.
“Poco.”, I respond.
I am then greeted by their husky, Toby. Having three dogs, his presence comforts me. With that courage I step into the house. It looks only half how I expected it would. I knew it would obviously not be as large as my usual three story dwelling in the States, but I did not expect to find such a clean, spacious interior. The floors are a crisp, dark hardwood, and the walls are covered in ornaments. What proceeds is a night filled with rice and beans and introductory conversation. And even though I am thoroughly filled with food, I graciously accept the tea and scone that is offered to me after dinner.
As I drink my tea from a navy blue mug with ‘Vermont’ spewed across the side, I can already see the influence that UGA Costa Rica has had on, not only this family, but the entire community. Doña Lilliam tells me that the area has changed significantly since the arrival of UGA. She has lived in San Luis for 28 years and has taken witness to many changes. For instance, she tells me that there were very few roads and cars in the San Luis area. Looking around now, seeing the abundance of paths to take and hearing the dull roar of dozens of motorcycles, I cannot picture San Luis as a desolate town.
In addition to the ease in transportation, Doña Lilliam discusses how her family has been personally effected by UGA. She notes that UGA has provided many jobs for several of her friends, while also increasing her husband’s dairy business. I found an even more personal influence when I noticed a cow at their farm with UGACR inscribed in its fur. Don Rafael tells me that his milk is more easily transferred thanks to the new roads. But it is not just my host family that was changed by the arrival of UGA Costa Rica.
As I write this article, my friends are scurrying off to interview the ticos here on campus. These people would not be here if it weren’t for this campus. The kitchen staff would not be working in this kitchen. The ladies of the lavanderia would not be cleaning our laundry. And I would not be interacting with any of them if it weren’t for this campus.
When I look around campus, I see more smiling faces than I can count. So many people have been brought together in one place: the UGA campus. It’s a powerful thing. You can feel it in the air. Community. Everyone caring about everyone else. I was nervous for my homestay, but thinking about it now, my fear seems trivial. How could I not fit in with a people who are willing to accommodate anyone? By coming to this campus, I have become a part of something even better than a school. I am a part of the incredible community of San Luis.
It is not so much that UGA has changed the people of San Luis, but rather UGA has provided a medium through which we can be changed by them.
