My little brother and father out in the fields of their finca.
I am in La Fortuna de San Carlos! I am finally settled in my new home with my new host family. This experience is a 180 from my time spent in San Jose. My days are quiet, long, cool and often rainy. Instead of looking out onto streets and buildings my home is either engulfed with a cloudy mist, or I have a beautiful view of farms and an uncomfortably close (and active) volcano. I have yet to experience this wonder, but my family tells me that on clear nights you can see the flowing lava.
I've completed around 15 interviews now, the majority in Spanish! I'm learning a lot about this extraordinary place and the people who have called it home for so many years. I am honestly at a loss when it comes tourism. While this industry has helped this community flourish, I get lost in the stories of the good ol' days: bathing in the aguas termales, parties in the forest, dirt roads barely suitable for passage by horse. The people I talk to have a nostalgia for this time, and yet "gracias a Dios" for tourism.
It truly is a devil's bargain, but I have to be careful not to mistake this community with your run of the mill tourist town. La Fortuna is, in many ways, "the exception." While places like Jaco have given over to the industry, leaving many locals in poverty, La Fortuna has remained, largely, in the hands of the locals. Many of the businesses are owned by the same families who were present that horrific day in 1968. Over 80 people were killed as Volcan Arenal awoke for the first time in years. 68' is often referred to as the year that sparked it all. People from all around the world suddenly had a reason to come to this once sleepy farm town. The government, and locals, so potential in the beauty of this area, and today the changes are are marked all over the landscape.
But agency, agency is always the question at hand. Who's in control? What form has this control taken? The more I talk to people the closer I get to the true hea
rt of this research. I'm finding that with the changes in landscape the people have changed as well. And if not the people, at least aspects of their identity and ideology. One man told me that tourism in the area sparked a concern for environment that didn't exist in the time of his grandparents. Suddenly leaving the trees in the land as opposed to clearing space for cattle took precedence. What does this say about the worth of the land?
And then...there are the tourists. Oh tourists....If I were more skilled in describing funny situations this blog would turn into an account of my observations of touristy shenanigans. I know that I am just as bad as they are, but being in the position of researcher in this town has given me the rare glance into insider observation. Perhaps what is most hilarious is the inability of a vast majority of visitors to understand that even though they are speaking English in a predominantly Spanish speaking country, the residents of this town are not idiots. I have heard tourists say such ridiculous, and often terrible things and regardless of the language barrier, locals understand. This is both hilarious and sad for me. It proves that we have a long way to go; a lot more to learn.
But of course, I have also run into incredible human beings. I had a chat with a couple from Michigan in the park the other day. They were so lovely and their views on their roles as tourists were very forward thinking. I have a lot of respect for people, who regardless of their age and background, take the time to position themselves in the lives of others and do their best to be respectful and fair.
Today was my host mother and father's 15th wedding anniversary, and speaking of lovely people, I could not have gotten more lucky with this family. They have been so wonderful and sharing this special day them meant so much to me. My host mother has gone out of her way to help me with my project, and i've had interviews just about half of my host father's 13 brothers and sisters. Living with a family who owns a hotel has also given me a very helpful insight. My family works very hard everyday and I don't know how they can be so patient with the tourists. Most of the people who stay here are perfectly kind individuals but some...
oh some...I have the occasional desire to peek my head out while they are having a
conversation and say "Oh hey...yeah, I live here with the family that you are talking about, and I speak english...so basically I just heard (and understood) everything just said." I would take far too much pleasure in seeing the embarrassment on their faces. But, alas. I control myself for the sake of my family.
So needless to say, this is an incredible experience and I am learning a great deal. This weekend we are heading to Monteverde for some hiking and possibly some horseback riding. Next weekend I meet up with the other students and we give our first oral presentations on our research. It will be nice to see everyone! Tomorrow I'm joining my mom in her trip to Ciudad Quesada. She has a meeting with my brother's teacher and then we're going to a store so I can buy cowboy boots! I'm so excited! I've been taking lots of photos but only included some of my favorites in this post! Hasta luego!
At the waterfall in Orosci. We took a tour with this crazy local and each of us fell pretty hard at some point of the hike, but it turned out to be really beautiful!
It's so fun pretending I'm an explorer. My bed in La Fortuna covered in materials for my project: maps, books, compass...grandma glasses (ahem, please note the heart shaped mirror on my bed frame, haha, love it.)
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