I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane...

So right now I'm in my room surrounded by complete chaos (clothes and coffee are everywhere!). There's a bus coming for me in about 45 minutes so I'll make this quick. I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with my blog. Thank you all so much for checking in with me. Also thanks to all the people back in the states who have been keeping my parents sane while I've been gone- I know it’s a hard job ;). And to everyone in Central America who has been keeping me sane; all the LE Panama volunteers, my host family in Panama, mi familia tica, and the ICDS students who have started to feel more like family, thank you so much you have helped me learn more about myself and life than I will ever be able to tell you. I really have had the time of my life in these last six months traveling around, Panama, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, jumping in waterfalls, climbing volcanoes, and speaking mangled Spanglish. I can't believe the time has gone by so fast! I'll be home by midnight, so this is my last official post from abroad. Thanks again for keeping up with me. I am so excited to see everyone over winter break! I'll be home for Christmas ;D

¡ciao y besitas!

<3

j

...casi cielo...

I am officially done with classes!!! To celebrate the end of classes, and really enjoy our last weekend in Costa Rica, I went on a road trip with Rhiannon and Kayla to Guanacaste (a region near the northwest border with Nicaragua). It was our first time there, and we were blown away by how completely beautiful it is. We hung out on the beach for four days straight. It was a great feeling to just lose track of time. We went to a grand total of three beaches while we were there; Playa Conchal, Playa Brasilito, and Playa Flamingo. Conchal was by far my favorite. Seriously if you are ever in Costa Rica do NOT leave until you go there. Leaving the beach after four lovely leisurely days was hard, especially since I've heard rumors of snow in the U.S. I really feel like I'm still lost in a never-ending summer. Going home will be bittersweet...

Who Are You?

I stumbled across this clip while looking for a youtube video of The Who singing "Who Are You", and was shocked by how much I can relate to Alice's situation. Sometimes, I feel like I'm the wrong size, color, shape to be in Costa Rica. I clearly stand out and everything is confusing and new to me. Just like the caterpillar everyone is asking me "who are you?" in the form of where are you from, how old are you, and why are you here- and just like Alice I feel like responding "I hardly know".

The issue of nationality is especially interesting here. What is your nationality? I have filled out countless government forms asking me this, most recently in Panama, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. When I'm speaking/writing in English the answer is always American. However, since coming to Costa Rica I have had many people lecture me on the use of the term American. Technically the word America belongs to North, South, and Central America and sometimes people feel the need to remind me of this. I think at times calling ourselves American is seen as a sign of arrogance…or ignorance. I understand this on some level, but when I am speaking English I literally have no other word to describe my nationality and when I speak Spanish I simply say "soy de los estados unidos" and write EEUU (the Spanish abbreviation) on all the immigration paperwork. While this misunderstanding is frustrating at times it has been more enlightening than annoying.

Also adding to my general confusion over nationalities are the variety of slang terms used. Here's a brief list to give you an idea of what I'm talking about...

A list of things you are likely to be called in Costa Rica:

Chino- used to refer to any person who looks remotely Asian

Gringo- The term can be applied to any person who is known, or assumed to be from the United States regardless of race, or it can denote a strong association or assimilation into American society and culture. The term in its functional use is mostly encountered by Americans traveling abroad to Spanish speaking countries.[citation needed] The American Heritage Dictionary classifies gringo as "offensive slang," "usually disparaging," and "often disparaging." (I stole this from Wikipedia, but in Costa Rica the term isn't used in a derogatory way)

Macha- a blond female, usually a foreigner (this is what most people -aka men- yell at me on the street)

Negro- this can be used to refer to anyone with dark skin

Norteño- a gringo

Polaco- technically this translates as Polish, but I've been told that often this term is used to refer Jewish people in general because of the large number of Polish Jews that came to Costa Rica in the 1930s and 1940s.

In the U.S. in general, and Washington, DC specifically, I feel like specificity and political correctness are seen as valuable. Hearing these terms, and being lectured on the inappropriateness of the term I use to describe my nationality, has exposed me a different way of approaching ethnicity and race. That said, I’m not sure I’ll be using any of these any time soon…