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Journal 7 From Costa Rica Intersession TripBY: Raven Wilson-Boles | Category: Travel | Submitted: 2010-05-05 13:59:17
I didn't actually take any pictures while we were in Costa Rica. For some reasons I tend to not bring a camera around anywhere, even if I'm going on a trip or seeing amazing things. I guess it's a tough dilemma because if I'm always snapping pictures I'm not really enjoying what I'm seeing and living in the moment but then if I don't take any pictures I forget things and everything from the trip kind of blurs together into general ideas and memories, which is really too bad. Anyways, Adam took a picture of the mural in the bus station at Las Juntas, with a bus entering the station from the right side and a row of Ticos sitting along the wall below the mural. Some were looking at us, some up at the mural, and most were kind of minding their own business. I thought this was an interesting picture mostly because of what it depicted- the intrusion of Miner Keif into Costa Rica, mining gold and completely changing the way Costa Ricans lived. It shows the effects on the native population and how they continued to live their lives completely different from how they had before white people "colonized" them. The last part of the mural shows what I think is Miner Keif building the railroad through Costa Rica- something that completely changed the way they interacted with their environment- and then constructing American houses and essentially Westernizing the area. There are two interesting things going on in this picture. The first is the mural itself. It's revealing to see how the Costa Ricans who painted it viewed the history of this event and era as opposed to what we learn here in America. The mural reminds me of how we perceive colonization and Americanization around the world as generally beneficial, like we're endowing these harsh, wild natives with grand gifts only we are able to bestow. History is also often skewed, with us saying one thing and the other side saying something different. This mural shows the other perspective, and how we actually made their lives different and difficult, even if this resulted in beneficial manifestations, like the railroad. The mural shows determination and perseverance on the faces of the Americans, and a kind of solemn despair on the faces of the Ticos. The next interesting thing going on is the Ticos themselves in the picture, sitting below the mural or leaning against the wall. Their expressions are kind of similar to the mural, and echo some of the same emotions. They're sitting there, getting ready to take a bus to work or some other town, living their lives, and here we come, the grand, loud Americans screwing with their lives and intruding like anything is our business. At the same time, I think Americanization and our global dominance do have some positive effects, and of course everything isn't always how it seems. Maybe the Ticos have a bit of a grudge that were "invading" their space and making things how we want them to be, but at the same time, our industries, technology, tourism, and business are helping their country immeasurably. I guess the final interpretation of this picture revolves around the dichotomous nature of "progress." Who defines it, who it affects, and how it manifests into different outcomes for different people. Article Source: http://www.writearticles.org/ About Author / Additional Info: A college student looking to fulfill an English requirement. Comments on this article: (0 comments so far)
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