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What I Have Learned About Myself Through My Experiences in Costa RicaBY: Isabella Lindgren | Category: Travel | Submitted: 2010-05-06 17:57:08
I learned a lot about myself during my time in Costa Rica that I would not have realized if I had not gone on the trip. All of my new experiences caused me to develop more as an individual and made me more confident in my identity. I especially learned more about myself at the gold mine, at the coffee farm, and at the herb garden. The gold mine was a place that made me step outside my comfort zone in order to understand the lifestyle of the people who worked there. When I first arrived at the mine, I felt out of place and unwelcomed because the mine wasn't a tourist spot, but a place of work. The people I saw working were covered in mud from their vigorous physical labor and I felt that my mere existence was insulting to them in some sort of way. It seemed as if being clean in their presence was sinful because in the world I come from, being dirty was a sign of a lower social status. I learned that we live in a world that is different from theirs because we are always reminded of the differences between social classes and we sometimes act prejudiced toward groups that are not similar to our own. At the mine, there were also young boys who were working in order to earn money for their families. I learned that I was spoiled in America because I was not made to work at an early age and I have been privileged with a family that supports my education. I was also very humbled by the fact that the workers were very patient with us, especially since we made their job more difficult during our tour. The coffee farm was another place where I discovered more about myself. I have never had to do a job before that involved physical labor. The only job I've had was working as a lab technician for a vitamin company, which involved sitting at a desk doing titrations and rupture tests. When we went to the coffee farm, we helped pick coffee beans for about an hour. It was very hard to pick the coffee fast and efficiently. Many people dropped the beans on the floor or were picking them very slowly, one by one. The job was very tedious and hard, but it was very enjoyable and fun as well. Juan, one of the farmers, was very cheerful and happy to share with us how his job works and what he does. We could tell he was very experienced because he picked more coffee than all of us combined in the same amount of time. I learned that I enjoy physical work more than intellectual work and that I had much more fun picking coffee outside for no pay than working at a desk for $14 an hour. The herb garden at the women's house in Las Juntas was especially interesting to me because I am a biology major and medicine interests me. The woman who gave us the tour showed us all the different plants and fruits she had and told us what each one did. There were plants for every illness from weight loss to fertility. I realized that I am very privileged to have modern medicine at my fingertips. I learned that I know nothing of the origins of medicine or what plants can help me, so I probably would not survive long if I was left on my own in the wilderness. My new experiences allowed me to realize what I am interested in and what I love to do as well as what activities I dislike. Now I know what I would like to learn more about in America and how I will conduct myself during work. Article Source: http://www.writearticles.org/ About Author / Additional Info: I am a first year college student at Lehigh University and I am a member of the Global Citizenship Program. Comments on this article: (0 comments so far)
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