Living the Pura Vida life already!
By: Jayme Flores
Hey hey friends! My long awaited experience in Costa Rica is starting in a couple of days…and I mean as in I start this Monday, June 1st! It’s surreal that the experience I have been facilitating and researching about is starting soon. For my second blog post I want to talk about MY 3,2,1s before I start my medical volunteering in San Jose, Costa Rica.
During my summer experience I would absolutely love to visit different parts of Costa Rica and truly immerse myself into the culture. I am currently in San Jose with my sister, and for a couple of days leading up to the beginning of my program we are attempting to do EVERYTHING we possibly can! In the two days that I have been here so far, one thing I can say is that I know that in this month there will always be something new to learn. Today, my sister and I learned how to convert our USD money to colones, and what they mean. You can just imagine how confused we were at the Mercado Central when trying to pay for our historic ice cream from an amazing shop called “La Sorbetera de Lolo Mora.” I have also learned that the people of Costa Rica are not typically called Costariccans, instead they prefer “Tico and Ticas.”
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I’m completely surprised how much of a difference it is here from the United States, but in the best way possible. From the foods, slang, little rules like always sitting in the front seat in Ubers, has definitely given me a new perspective. This goal is personal because it’ll give me experiences that will stick with me forever and remind me of my experience in this country, however it will also help me in building relationships with the community I will be helping with Maximo Nivel, and understand clearly the depth of my project.
A second experience I want to have this summer is to improve my Spanish skills. I come from a background of Salvadoran immigrant parents, but growing up in the states made it extremely difficult to become fluent. My sister and I before arriving in Costa Rica did a few days visiting family in El Salvador and that trip gave me an idea of how life is for a Hispano. We got by with our broken Spanish but it did feel a bit bittersweet to me when communicating with my family and being around their culture, because there was a clear difference in how I was raised. Spending that short time with my family made me appreciate the language more and I have made it my mission to become better at it during my time here. I plan on using my Spanish in my future career as a Pediatrician, with the intention of making my patients from all backgrounds feel secure with my support as their physician. This goal is both personal and professional because not only will it make my journey here smoother but it will also provide me with more advantage in being able to understand the full story from my future patients to provide them the best care I can.
In my time, I would also like to become more adaptable and make friends from different backgrounds. The medical program I will be volunteering with hosts volunteers from all different types of countries. At my orientation yesterday, one of the field managers who’s like a counselor, is from Ireland! Which I found super cool. I hope that in the time that I am there I learn more about different cultures and hear about their experiences living in Costa Rica. This is appealing to me because everyone is different, and navigating a new country alone is difficult to say the least. As I observe my sister being vegetarian, she struggles with finding things to eat and I truly wonder if this hinders her experience in the country. I would like to know more about how people with specific food diets, allergies, to name a few, make the most of their time. This goal is personal because it would also make me feel better to know that I have someone to talk to and have fun with in the month I’m here.
This summer I plan on working on my cultural competence. Growing up as a first generation, I would say that my parents sheltered me . I never was forced to learn Spanish or even eat some of the foods. However, as I have gotten older I have learned to appreciate the culture and on this summer experience I plan on doing just that. I would love to really immerse myself into life here and truly live the “tico” life and go with the flow. I am someone who heavily depends on schedules and set time frames for my day, but in the few days I have been here it really is a “pura vida” life! I plan on applying this to my future occupation by building my knowledge on different cultures, and solidifying myself as a safe space for my future patients.
Another skill I plan on working on is my adaptability. As I mentioned before I like to live with a plan, but I also understand that in life things don’t always go the way I want them to. Today, I was at the headquarters of Maximo Nivel and they told me to never be offended when things run late or worry. That life in Costa Rica really does run in vibes. I plan on practicing my adaptability by adjusting to the schedule of my host family which is breakfast at 7AM and dinner at 7PM, and my volunteer schedule from 8AM to 12PM. As an aspiring physician, having this experience will introduce me to quick problem solving skills.
The song that I believe will encapsulate my experience here is “Viajando Poe El a undo” by Karol G. One of the lyrics is “Ay pero que bonito es, Gritar “pura vida” en Costa Rica.” This song holds meaning because I plan on living my life to the fullest and truly being free, I am going into this experience solo and can’t wait to meet the many people who will influence my time even for just a short time. In the picture below, are some of my roomies for my time here!
Pura Vida!
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