In the past three days I learned a lot about how ones environment can change their whole emotional state, at least for me.
Since I have been here I have been happy, sad, confident and unsure about myself. The thing is, when you decide to live in another country, you are not just choosing to witness the change in cultural differences, but you are also adapting to those changes. Your decision to study abroad is more than just a change in language and diet, you are now abandoning your own customs and what you feel is politically (in) correct and living according to the law of the land.
On Friday during my first day of orientation we were told to observe without passing judgments. For example, a woman struggling to carry a huge tree up a hill while a man is walking in front of her smoking a cigarette may seem like she is his slave. Well, that’s how it appeared to me from the picture in the presentation, but the truth is that I don’t know about the customs of their country, their relationship, or if they know each other at all. While in Costa Rica, I am here to learn the customs and by doing so I need to train myself to observe without forming an opinion regardless if it is negative or positive.
The speech not only made us aware of how we should perceive Costa Ricans but how Costa Ricans may view us. Currently the world view of the US isn’t so great, we are viewed as being selfish, nominating people. I cannot change the opinions of Costa Ricans; however, I can work hard to not act out those stereotypes.
Today, a few friends and I went downtown to shop for swimming suits. Although none of us bought one we were more open to purchasing them, let me explain this more in detail... In general, we women go shopping and focus more about how we look in the outfit instead of how the outfit looks on us. So a friend of mine tried on these swimsuits and after we trashed out bodies she said to me "Felicia, here, no one cares about how big our stomachs are or if we are proportionate or not, so let’s just buy what we like." After thinking about what she said it made me less conscious of wearing the swimsuit. This little story is not intended to bash US customs or make Costa Ricans seem like they aren’t judgmental of the human body, because I'm sure there are some Costa Rican men that would rather not see me in a two piece. However, it is amazing how our little knowledge of the perceptions of others, changed our perceptions of ourselves. I have no ending point with that story; I encourage the reader to form their own conclusion. I can say, however, that I am going to work hard this semester not to get to know myself, but to get to know what cultural norms exist here in Costa Rica and in the US and to what extent they affect my own perception of myself and others.
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