Day 5...A Long Bus Ride on a Curvy, Mountain Road

This morning began like any other; waking up for a 7:30 am breakfast. However, this morning differed from any other in that we were preparing to depart from the campus. This was somewhat scary. Here we had been protected in a sense. The majority of the people on campus are bilingual, therefore, no language barrier exists. Traveling to the city would be an entirely different experience.

Once our driver arrived, we began to load the bus. However, this bus was much smaller than the one we originally road in on. Because there were only eighteen seats total and there are seventeen of us, we were forced to load some our bags on top of the van. Our driver wrapped them in a tarp and tied them down. However, the manner in which he did so made the majority of us nervous about bags falling during our journey. As for the rest of the bags, they were packed inside along with us. Needless to say, we were extremely crammed in.

Heading out, the fear of toppling over the mountain side quickly arose. With the weight of the bags on the roof and the manner in which the bus driver directed the bus did not help to settle this fear in any way. In order to distract myself, I decided to read some. (And I never read for pleasure. Therefore I must have been pretty scared.) Considering the fact motion sickness can easily overcome me, this was not the best idea. (I did take a Dramamine before we left, so I was fine.) After reading a few chapters, I fell asleep.

When I awoke, we were approximately thirty minutes from our destination. We made one stop at a local super market where we were instructed to purchase water and any snacks we feel we may need. Stopping here, we were given our first glance at San Jose and its people. After purchasing our items, we boarded the bus once again and were bound for our hotel; Hotel Milvia is a little bed and breakfast in San Jose where we will be staying for the next seven days.

Lunch was a quick and easy process. Afterwards Tamera and I  decided to shop some. As we entered one particular store, we were immediately spotted and eyed closely throughout our time inside. It was as if we were perceived to have a negative stereotype tied to us as foreigners or "others". Whether their intention was to simply watch our every move, I am not sure. What I am sure of is that it felt weird and I did not appreciate being followed one bit.

Anyone is capable of shoplifting. White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, or any other race for that matter. Attaching negative stereotypes to any particular race is shameful. Though I have always been taught that judging someone based on appearance or beliefs is wrong, I have only recently realized I passively engage in this type of behavior quite frequently at home. Today I learned whether actively or passively participating, I am still participating. Unfortunately, it took me personally being in a situation where I felt I was being judged based on my appearance which lead me to feel unwelcome to gain insight on what some people deal with every day. The phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" though discounted at times, should never be overlooked or forgotten.