FIVE THINGS....

Five things that I enjoyed about my internship experience are:
1. Nature-Not to sound cliché but Costa Rica simply put is absolutely beautiful! Seeing mist roll down green-blue mountain sides = breath-taking!

In background: Volcano Arenal

2. People-Costa Ricans are so friendly and helpful. It was easy to walk up to a stranger and say hello without being labelled as “random” or “weird”. In fact if I was labelled as such I wouldn't know anyway with the little Spanish I grasped :). I also met many great people who volunteered at the station. 

3. Simplicity- These cabins were no luxury item but the simplicity of it all made me appreciate everything more. The stains in my shirts from the mosquito-repellant never became a concern.

This lizard felt safe on our computer cord as someone typed away.

4. Knowledge-Being able to learn from people at the station and all the varying groups that came in was a one of a kind experience. From the groups studying primates and reptiles, Sarah and Kirstin teaching me how to make new dishes to Mariya teaching me all about the forest and bracelet making.

5. Friendships- I got to spend it with 3 incredible people who have now become friends.

Zipling with Mariya.

Five things that bothered me during my internship experience are:
1. Privacy-small quarters, not much space for alone time and oh do walls have ears!

2. Mosquitoes-Showering in outdoor stands without covering not only brought sunshine but also brought in the unwelcome guests that kept us doing the “sting dance’.

Our dorm flooded as we await the new outbreak of mosquitoes.

3. Spiders, cockroaches and oh the snakes- I love the environment but some things I’d rather love from a distance.

4. Excess rain- No dry clothes sometimes for days. Thank God for dry boxes! (Oh and by dry boxes I mean a literal wooden box with a light bulb used for keeping electronics and clothes dry-simple but genius!)

5. Isolation- When seeing cars excite you…you know you have been living in isolation for a while!

Five things I missed most about Canada/Toronto?
1.Warm …maybe hot showers.

2.Some specific food items.

3. Family and friends

4.Dry clothes-very humid in the rainforest!

5. Occasionally I missed being able to make a call freely with my cell phone but this was rare as I learnt all about skype. 

Five things I will miss from my host country?
1. My excellent manager and her super cute son.

2. Waking up to the sound of monkey fights and the turtles.

Disguising turtle tracks....in these moments you wonder what was hard about  moving  in a straight line.

3.Mosquito nets-surprisingly they provided a sense of security that I actually miss!

4.Being able to use nature as free therapy, the simplicity and removal from the chaos.

La Fortuna-Waterfall

Where we worked....Playa Norte itself

We were just as happy when she was done!

5. Fresh fruits and vegetables-papaya, lychee, breadfruit.

You know, just a typical day at work...



As is customary...I have stolen some of Mariya's pictures :)

Global Citizenship? Hmmm...

Picture copied from blog:http://sodancapassion.blogspot.ca/2012/01/what-can-i-do.html

Global citizenship is one of those terms that I have never quite understood. After several searches, I did not come up with any more than I had started out with. However, I got the idea that it suggested that we have a responsibility to do what is right for the good of everyone involved.  It could also suggest that I have done some travelling and have a deep understanding of what different cultures are about and can claim as a result that I am a part of these cultures. As an Environmental Studies student, I kind of put my own spin on it to mean my role as a global citizen would be to ensure that I inflict as little harm as possible on the environment so as to preserve it for future generations…then again that’s sustainability.

  I do realize too that this term means different things for different people in different parts of the world. People in the developed world of course most times have more of a privilege to take part and exercise their right as ‘global citizens’. They can travel abroad and engage with different cultures and claim to be a part of these cultures. In addition, many individuals from developed countries can think of themselves as global citizens when they donate to charities etc. This ability to act like a brother’s keeper though usually comes only after persons have secured some level of comfort for themselves. While Costa Rica is not the worst in terms of its development there are still many living in poverty.  Therefore, this idea of global citizenship should not be imposed on these individuals since most times it is not that they do not want to be part of this grand scheme but instead that many do not have the available resources to do so.

While I got the opportunity to engage in the Costa Rican culture, I would not say that I am suddenly a global citizen. It is hard for anyone to be a ‘global’ citizen since this term is so wide and entails so many different things. For me, this would mean that I would have to  be very aware of different issues affecting people all over the world and to be playing a very active role in making a difference at all levels. We can each play our role in working against different forms of injustices but to say that this is global citizenship would not be very accurate. 

On Culture


 “Me only have one ambition, y'know. I only have one thing I really like to see happen. I like to see mankind live together - black, white, Chinese, everyone - that's all.” 
― Bob Marley

In Toronto, the city with the multicultural heartbeat and with people constantly streaming in from all corners of the globe it is easy to hear the word ‘culture’ being thrown around everywhere. In Jamaica too, many times when I hear someone declaring that “Mi proud ah mi culture” it is usually in reference to the surface aspects of one’s culture or the 4D’s (as internship manager Larissa describes it), that is  –diet, dress, dance and design. With all the festivals such as Caribana  happening in and around the city, it is easy to assume that by observing the tip of the iceberg such as hearing the dialect and tasting dishes from a particular region, that one has suddenly become an expert in understanding what makes that culture what it is. Edward T. Hall to whom the iceberg theory of culture can be credited did mention that the only way to really understand the culture of others is to actively participate in it. This summer, I got the opportunity to participate a bit in the Costa Rican culture. Here’s what I found:

Something that truly made an impact on me was how family oriented and loving the culture seemed to be. The first time I noted this was while I sat eating my rice and beans in a restaurant in Cariari; the meal I got after several unsuccessful attempts of explaining what I really wanted. When my final request for coconut water resulted in me getting a bottle of diet coke, I gave up. As I sat watching the passers- by, I noticed a common trend with couples holding hands, some very young, and even an older couple gazing lovingly into eachother’s eyes as they conversed. Very soon, I realized that this was a very common trend in Costa Rica where families tended to stick together and displaying acts of affection towards each other even in public was by no means uncommon. On the other hand in the Jamaican culture this type of public show of affection is more rare as this would draw a few stares and even giggles from some children. This is not to say that family is not very important in my culture, but I found that the degree to which this strong family system was displayed in Costa Rica exceeded what I was accustomed to back at home. At least, the affection shown was much more pronounced here than I had ever experienced it before. There was just a certain magnetism that kept me feeling welcomed just by seeing how families treated each other.

Fresh water turtles hanging out in the sun.

I’m almost sure that all the interns who have gone to Costa Rica have referred now and then to the “pura vida” way of life. On speaking to a local, he explained that this translated to mean ‘pure life’ but was also used to mean "going great", 'it’s my pleasure', "awesome" and other phrases that highlighted the relaxed , easy going way of life of the Costa Ricans. This easy going attitude was also evident in the way that people went about adhering to time commitments. Now I’m sure you have all heard about “Caribbean time”. Caribbean people are generally known to not be on time for anything. There have been many occasions where I started to get dressed at the time when something was about starting. This is especially true for social events…these tend to be all day simply because no one is ever on time. Therefore, fitting into the slower paced Costa Rican lifestyle came naturally, (finally my way!!), where people took the time to notice the sunrise and life in general seemed to flow at a more timely pace. In North America however, I have had to get accustomed to being on time and always being busy. Everything becomes a huge race to finish. Even tasks such as doing laundry become a head ache even with so many washing machines.In the Caribbean many people wash loads of clothes by hand but still there seems to be more time. In Canada we  have daily lists that we need to get through and so  visiting friends and family also becomes apart of the regular schedule. Unlike in the Caribbean, my North American counterparts schedule family visits and dates weeks in advance therefore, dropping by someone’s house unexpectedly is rather unheard of. In contrast to the Caribbean a van load of people will show up at your house and expect you to have enough to feed them and their 10 children. While this scheduling and planning ahead makes for a very organized, efficient society, the slower paced relaxed atmosphere of Costa Rica was refreshing, at least for summer.  Thinking back to Jamaica though, I realized too that the high level of unemployment was another reason why it would appear as if there is more time to spare. However, the discussion of unemployment is a whole other story which I can't get into right now.

Laguna de Apoyo (not CR but Nicaragua)

Thought we'd honour York on the beach.

Another thing I noticed in Costa Rica and something that Larissa had pointed out before was that skinny was not really in.  Even if a girl was very slim a common trend in CR was that she still had “assets”. This was comparable to my culture in that when I get home, the first thing everyone wants to know is why I look like a stick. Why is my collar bone visible? In fact as soon as I get home my mother cooks a lot more simply because she claims I need to “look like somebody’s child.”  How could I have walked around looking like I was malnourished for so many months in Canada? So I engorge myself in fried chicken, yams, rice, buns and all that. It came as a complete surprise then when girls in Canada wanted to be my size while here I was spending extra cash on fries to gain weight before my trip home. I still don’t understand it. In fact I’m quite confused.  In Costa Rica, I guess a lady with curves as is the case in Jamaica, suggests that she is healthy and attractive. Whereas in Canada the same is opposite, people spend hours in the gym and a salad is all most have for dinner. Many times in the Caribbean, a salad is just a small portion of a much larger meal and when I say much larger, I mean that half your plate is covered in meat and rice and only a small portion is carrots and cabbage- in such a tiny portion that it  acts more as decoration than much contribution to health.

                                                               Breakfast Tica style!

Trying to make contrasts with my own personal culture and that of the Costa Rican culture was rather difficult since both are Caribbean countries and the mind set and way of life are so similar. However, the contrasts that I did find were more applicable to the Canadian culture which has become a very big part of my life. The need to be extremely organized here is very good I guess...I'll let you know when I decide.

Me and Maggie :)

Pictures taken by Sarah and Mariya :)

 FlagPin from:http://www.crossed-flag-pins.com/Friendship-Pins/Costa-Rica/Flag-Pins-Costa-Rica-Jamaica.html

On Base….

It’s hard to believe that not very long ago I was just arriving in the tiny town of San Francisco and being whisked off to Cano Palma for the first time. Since that time, it has almost been 2 months! Time does fly when one is having fun!

Estacion Biologica Cano Palma

Usually I am one to shy away from anything that involves stepping outside my comfort zone, so after the first day when I realized that in order to carry out my job each day I would be required to take a canoe, I was slightly uneasy. What made it worst was that I discovered that Juancho, the very sneaky spectacled caiman surfaces much too frequently for my liking. However, life is about embracing new experiences and facing our fears. So, while being the only one in a life jacket  despite the water not being very deep,I was ready go.

Juancho...the resident caiman at Cano Palma.

See also a video by Josh and Liam Feltham featuring Juancho: http://vimeo.com/46005705 

(Website: Destination Conservation Blogs)

What We Do

My job here at Cano Palma involves assisting with the turtle monitoring and conservation project as well as community education and engagement and helping Mariya with the large mammal monitoring program. Since I had never worked with turtles before, the first week involved much training from turtle coordinator Khrissy. 
  

Sarah, Kirstin and Khrissy making their night patrol outfits more funky!

Each day we leave the station at the break of dawn and/or at night to walk the length of the beach which is 3.5 miles in length.  By the time we have completed our back and forth trek we sometimes have completed from 6-14 miles a day. Talk about working out! However our role here is more than an exercise session, for on the North Beach that we survey, is the nesting site for 4 species of sea turtles, the leatherback  ( Dermochelys coriacea), the green (Chelonia mydas), the hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and less commonly the loggerhead (Caretta caretta).

These unique creatures that hatch on beaches and return to land only to nest, have been targeted for many years and have been subjects of much anthropogenic harm.  Despite the laws protecting sea turtles in Costa Rica and many other countries where these turtles nest, one of the biggest threats has still been high incidences of poaching (illegal trading of meat, eggs and shells).  This becomes a greater issue on the beach we survey due to the fact that Playa Norte falls outside the protected Tortuguero National Park. By maintaining presence on the beach, seeing nesting turtles off safely to sea as well as assisting with the collection of biometric data, the turtles have definitely been getting a second chance.

                            

                                                           A leatherback sea turtle.
[See ARKive for more information and pictures of endangered species including turtles]

Death on the Beach

 A picture of the dead green turtle...taken by Kirstin the following morning...

    

While many turtles get a second chance, unfortunately some are not quite as lucky. Recently our night patrol team discovered a deceased turtle on the beach. While we had been warned that this was a possibility...nothing prepared us for that moment of actually seeing it for ourselves. She was heavy laden with eggs and bloated-eyes bulging. Holes had been pierced through her flippers and tied together with ropes.               

Community members saddened by the event came out to show their concern and to offer any assistance possible. A resident explained that she had washed up on the beach since 5 pm, her decaying body confirmed his statement. We later discovered that this was possibly due to an illegal poaching boat at sea that had dumped turtles overboard presumably trying to get rid of evidence after being caught by coastguards. Helplessly still tied by the flippers and unable to breathe, this turtle and others had drowned at sea and washed up on the beach.  The following night there was another and recently yet another was discovered, this time without flippers and with exposed intestines. It is such brutality that conservation efforts all over try to deter especially for sea turtles which are disappearing gradually from our marine ecosystems.

In an effort to raise awareness and assist with protection against such incidences, Sarah recently created anti-poaching posters that have been put up around the community. These help to highlight the brutality of the matter, get more community members involved in the program and hopefully inspire some positive change. It all  becomes more real when people come to the realization that this is not a far-fetched issue but that it is happening in their very backyards. 

Also see blogs by:
 Sarah: http://roamingfrijole.blogspot.ca/2012_07_01_archive.html
 Kirstin: http://turtletimetortuguero.blogspot.ca/
 and Mariya:  http://mariapuravida.wordpress.com/  for more information.

Above: One of the posters Sarah made.

"Hunters are killing our future.

Do not give support for hunters.

Report with this number"

"Some people in the village will buy meat or eggs but do not see the turtles butchered on the beach. When people are removed from the process, it makes it hard to believe that it is happening not too far from them.  Since most of the people are employed by the tourism industry, their livelihoods depend on nesting turtles that draw in tourists by the thousands." (Sarah Bradley,July 6,2012)

Making the Connection

One of the most enlightening moments of this entire trip was when I discovered that the same species of sea turtles that nest on Playa Norte also nest in Jamaica and that these species too are under even greater threat in my home country. In fact, I discovered that sea turtles particularly the hawksbills and the greens which were most abundant, and have gone almost ecologically and functionally extinct, were once present in large numbers and nested on beaches including the Treasure Beach in my own home parish. However with beachfront development, overexploitation, predation and pollution, these species are almost completely non-existent on the island. It was truly life-changing when I realized that all this time I had to travel half way across the  world to finally become aware of issues that were always present right in my own back yard. However, it’s never too late to be the change we seek and so while not directly assisting with conservation efforts in Jamaica, the little done through the monitoring program in Costa Rica can create a ripple effect that can reach all borders. I have through this internship been able to take a bird eye’s view of the environmental factors affecting my own country and have therefore learnt much more about home even while being away from it.

A hawksbill sea turtle.

Conservation
Despite all I have learnt about conservation efforts in the past, none compares to the authenticity that comes from actually being able to put it all into practice. Being able to stand on a beach, watch and count eggs as a turtle lays, monitoring her condition and being present just to watch her take another swim of survival becomes more than just a textbook paragraph and transcends into meaningful action.

Being at Cano Palma has also played an advantageous role in opening my mind to embracing new perspectives. It is said that there are two sides to every story and so while we want to deter any incidences of poaching ,it is equally important to learn from the people who actually have lived in the surrounding communities and who know their environment best. It is easy to think we have all the answers but knowing comes with experience and so empowering the community instead of criticizing has been a key theme that our station manager Charlotte has tried to instill. For after our 3 months has expired, it is important that the people we leave behind were an active part in engaging in all we did and that we too have learnt from wealth of knowledge they can impart.

Sarah with baby leatherbacks!

I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.  ~Henry David Thoreau


Only at Cano Palma

Some more pictures for you to enjoy!
All the wildlife in Costa Rica seem much brighter and more colourful than anywhere else! 

"Gimpy!"

Nest excavations are conducted in order to determine the nest success of sea turtles. Usually this activity is carried out approximately 2 days after signs of hatchlings are noticed. While an excavation can be a very sad occasion, given that we are usually unearthing piles of dead hatchlings covered with maggots as well as unhatched eggs and predated shells,it can also be a life-changing experience. This was recently the case as Krista-a volunteer and I began to gently pull away the sand that had kept these baby turtles protected for over 2 months. After having a crab jump out and scare us almost to pieces and  with the smell of death in our faces, we cautiously continued to dig. We had only removed a few centimeters of sand, already losing hope that any life existed, when I noticed a small wing-like movement. Krista and I screamed and gasped, unable to contain our overwhelming excitement. “It’s a hatchling! Oh my God, it’s a hatchling!”

Trying to stay calm, I continued to slowly pull the sand away from around the tiny miracle. As I lifted the tiny palm-sized reptile- it was breathtaking. This was the first time I had ever seen a hatchling! I was astonished that such a small creature could one day expand to over 170 cm in length (head and tail not included).

Tired and seemingly weak, the baby leatherback walked around in circles, quite disoriented. Finally locating what was the horizon it began to scurry down the beach towards the sea.  “Gimpy” as we called it for the way its left front flipper seemed to not have fully unfolded, approached the water and laid sprawled on the beach waiting for the right wave.  Several waves came that left Gimpy behind. Each time Krista and I stood frozen in position so as not to accidentally step on our new friend. Finally, a wave came that was powerful enough and swept Gimpy off in the blue tides. As we watched this unfold,  we silently prayed that this precious life would be able to overcome all the obstacles that lay ahead in the unknown depths of its new home.

Perceptions

Throughout my weeks here, I have had numerous occasions where I have been asked where I am from. The initial urge is to say Jamaican of course! However, with that I am also inclined to mention that I am a student in Canada since this too has played a role in who I have become. When I was asked to dig deeper and explore what it means to be of a different nationality in the country where I am interning, I had to stop to think about why Costa Rica reminded me so much of home, and try to find out how people here perceive Jamaicans. 

Even though I am working in a country where Spanish is the native language, Cano Palma Biological Station is a Canadian owned organization where most volunteers speak English. At the station I am a visible minority and of all the groups that have come through, I have remained the only black person (except for fellow intern Kirstin who is mixed and partially Jamaican). For the Canadians that I work with, I have gathered that they might think being Jamaican means several things from being able to braid everyone’s hair, make jerked chicken and Jamaican patties, know all the reggae songs and speak fluent patois. Another stereotype is that Jamaica is exactly like Costa Rica and so I should be able to identify all the local fruits that are provided at the station and observed in and around the community. I am constantly being asked questions as to whether a particular species of plant or animal is also in Jamaica or if the climate is very similar. I am also thought to be athletic (all credits to Usain Bolt), built to withstand the sun and the swarm of mosquitoes that flood the station. Not to mention the occasional North American who on hearing of my nationality bursts out in lyrics from some Bob Marley song (probably more aware of his musical history than I am).

Usually, when I explain to Costa Ricans (with the little Spanish I muster up) that I am Jamaican, there is an understanding nod followed by “Si, si”. At first I could not tell if this was a nod of approval or not, but it also did not seem to be one of complete resent. I think the understanding nod comes partially from the fact that my numerous visits to San Francisco (the closest community to the station) usually result in encountering black Costa Ricans who speak a unique English dialect. Many of the local tour guides I have met have also had some Jamaican background and so this has been beneficial in the sense that I am constantly being looked after. This dialect sounds much like the Jamaican creole and from my curious inquiries, I have found that Costa Rica happens to have a rich history of Jamaican descendants. An article I was reading recently suggested that Jamaicans were known to initially migrate to Costa Rica to build the Atlantic railway in the 1870s. The numerous Jamaicans who subsequently stayed have formed a unique mix while only making up approximately 1% of the population.

 The Jamaicans around have in some ways created for themselves an unpleasant reputation for being involved in the drug trade and other crimes. So much so that I may have been the only intern who was given a 30 day  visa each time while a typical tourist visa in Costa Rica lasts for 90 days. Therefore, being Jamaican in Costa Rica is not the most exotic thing. Despite this aspect, I think that the unique culture brought by the Jamaicans who settled has helped to make me feel like I am right at home. In fact, I have never once felt like a tourist since my visit to Costa Rica due to the strong Jamaican influence in the area. In fact, I remember walking with one of my fellow YIIP interns Sarah and getting multiple awkward stares which we both jokingly concluded was because it seemed like a local walking with a tourist. As a white ‘tourist’ in Costa Rica she was seen as exotic but I certainly blended in (or so I thought). Certainly that’s not a norm!? Through the Jamaican flag plastered on the front of boats, the Rastafarian flag on souvenirs in tourist craft markets, Jah Cure songs blasting through speakers in the neighbouring community shops and the local cuisine, I am always reminded of home. 

Kirstin, Mariya and Sarah. What did they see? 

Mariya and I dressed for zipling (trying to appear calm). 

Photos courtesy of Mariya . 

 Sources: 

History of Jamaicans in Costa Rica:     http://www.infocostarica.com/people/black.html

Usain Bolt :http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/modern-man-a-wimp-anthropologist-20091016-gzu4.html

Face of Jamaica:http://1browngirl.blogspot.com/2010/05/achin-for-jamaica.html