monkey do, eh?

10:24pm Tuesday, Apr 29
The second day I was in Costa Rica, I participated in an all-Spanish group activity called "eschalda, defrente, cambio!" [my Spanish is off, sorry]. Anyways, I was told "eschalda" means "back", that d-word means "front", and "cambio" means change - and was left to figure out on my own what happened when someone yelled "Cambio!". It turned into one big embarrassing stunt of "monkey see, monkey do" - though a monkey could've done better. And little did I know then that this one activity would set the tone for my entire experience here ...

This whole time, I've been relying on observation as my primary source of information. I'm still trying to figure out what the hell is going on, and I'm beginning to see that I will never understand the Costa Rican way of life. Everything just seems backwards, inside out. Cultural differences can only account for so much ... the rest just seems like bad judgment, or, "monkey business".

Forget about great ideas with no follow-through. Forget about trying to change things that are working quite perfectly. Forget about taking two full weeks to schedule ONE lesson. Forget, even, about inviting a foreigner to come teach when there are no students to teach. All of these things are a little frustrating (and yes, not very logical), but they're things that can be overlooked. What I can't seem to get past is the totally defective education system: like I said, CEI is a school for kids that failed or were kicked out of regular high schools. But instead of receiving the extra attention or discipline they seem to require, they're rewarded with this incredible level of freedom, and granted full responsibility over their own education. What they are taught has no structure, apparent objective, or cohesiveness. If they feel like leaving, they leave; if they don't do their work, that's okay, too. They listen to their iPods while the teacher talks, they talk while the teacher talks. What 15-year-old delinquent, in his/her right mind, would, given the choice, choose to do schoolwork?? It just seems like good kids are being cheated, and innocently spiraling further into trouble without a decent education. If this were Canada, I'd tell them it's wrong, all wrong - but this isn't Canada. This is Costa Rica. And it's not wrong, to Costa Ricans. Part of respecting the culture is simply recognizing your place within it (and the behaviour expected from you in that position). So I just watch, listen, observe ... and do what I can with my 40-minute time frame. It's actually a bit like staring at a wreck on the highway from the safety of your own car - you feel helpless, passive, and guilty. And curious about how it got that way. Likewise, after being so idle, and watching troubled kids receive a poor education ... you're, well, crushed.

And then there's the trust thing. The first week I was told that "No one trusts anyone" in San Jose. I laughed - I thought it was a joke. Turns out, "Trust no one" is practically a motto here. Now the bars on the windows make even more sense, and I guess offer some strange, foreign reassurance. But in university I learned about a social-psychological phenomenon called "Reactance Theory" - and its premise has stuck with me for years. Basically, it said that when people feel their freedom to choose an action is threatened, they're likely to react by performing the "forbidden" behaviour (thus proving that their free will has not been compromised). If you don't believe me, here's proof:"Pennebaker and Sanders (1976) put one of two signs on college bathroom walls. One read ‘Do not write on these walls under any circumstances’ while the other read ‘Please don’t write on these walls.’ A couple of weeks later, the walls with the ‘Do not write on these walls under any circumstances’ notice had far more graffiti on them."It just really makes you wonder what came first in San Jose - the barred windows, or the crime?

So consider this: People have commented that my travel pictures make it seem like I'm "living the dream". And after seeing the breathtaking views and unbelievable scenery Costa Rica has to offer, I'd almost say those people are right. But "living the dream" is actually the complete opposite of travelling, sometimes - it's staying in Canada, where the streets are safe, your neighbours are trusted, doors are unlocked, and education is standardized & fair.

For 6 more days I'll reluctantly mimic the Ticos and the Costa Rican way of life. And in 6 days when I'm back on Canadian soil, I'll remind myself that there really is no place like home ...