By Seth Diggs
Edited by Mr. Moreland
I wanted to first talk about how well the city high group has accommodated to my vegetarian diet. I was worried about what I would eat in Costa Rica, and so far I have been very well fed.
I have done so many different activities and learned so much. For example, we volunteered in a very poor community of San Jose called La Carpio. I really like how everyone here seems to appreciate even the smallest gestures. An example of great appreciation is when the La Carpio community leader, Chicho, thanked our 2011 group many times for helping him build roads in his community. I also like the emphasis that La Carpio put on cooperation in the community.
I have done so many different activities and learned so much. For example, we volunteered in a very poor community of San Jose called La Carpio. I really like how everyone here seems to appreciate even the smallest gestures. An example of great appreciation is when the La Carpio community leader, Chicho, thanked our 2011 group many times for helping him build roads in his community. I also like the emphasis that La Carpio put on cooperation in the community.
One recurring distinct cultural process I keep encountering is how people in Costa Rica come off to me as not being polite. I say this because every time I run into someone or vice versa they never say a word. Also when squeezing through a tight space a word is never spoken on the Costa Rican side. I think that this is a definite difference between Latin America and North American cultures.
What a great observation about how the rules for using space are different in different cultures. Cross-cultural misunderstandings occur so easily because these basic rules are rarely explained. When one thinks about it, its easy to understand why no one talks about such things. After all, everyone in a culture knows the rules. Its hard to realize what the 'outsiders' do not know so need to have explained to them. Thanks for sharing your insights.
ReplyDelete