The past few mornings I have awaken to multiple voices chatting in the breakfast room. In hearing these, it sounds as if the majority of the group is awake and already eating. As I jump out of bed, brush my teeth, wash my face, and get dressed, all in a complete hurry, I rush out of my room only to find three or four classmates eating. This morning the same thing happened once more. Because I was already awake and ready for the day, I decided to just go ahead and eat breakfast. After doing so, I did some work and prepared for our third guest speaker to arrive.
Joaquin Lizano spoke on Otherness and Social Groups. He talked about many different concepts including cultural and racial ideas. Culture wise we learned that personal space is limited, time management is non-existent, and horn honking is a constant. In a racial aspect, a racial hierarchy, similar to the one in the United States, exists as well as in-group and out-groups. Both of these terms were discussed as seen from a Costa Rican standpoint. Because he spoke English, he was extremely easy to understand allowing me to really enjoy the discussion and learn a great deal.
After his talk, five of us ventured off to lunch. We had a good time and enjoyed our decently inexpensive meal at RostiPollo. With a full stomach and a need for a nap, we headed back to the hotel. I journaled and worked on a paper before trying to take a mini snooze. Before I knew it, it was time for dinner. Though we were told we were on our own, a large group of us still managed to go out together. We ate at Kai Cafe where I had a coffee, a grilled chicken sandwich, and a piece of chocolate cheesecake. After finishing my $20 meal (cha-ching!), we headed back to the hotel for the night.
Later on in the evening I skyped my parents. We had a really good conversation and managed to catch up a good deal. I did not realize how much I missed them until I was able to talk to and see them. Though skyping make me realize that I miss home terribly, I know that I would not trade this experience for the world. In such a short amount of time I have learned so much and feel that I am already beginning to see a change in myself for the better.
Ethnocentrism is something I have always carried with me as I have traveled abroad. However, I have only recently realized it. Whether it is on purpose or not, it is something I have participated in. Seeing one's own culture as better than another simply because they differ in the manner in which things are done is wrong. Saying it is "strange" for Costa Ricans to throw their toilet tissue in the trash rather than flush it down, "weird" to have no sense of personal space, "odd" to greet one another with a kiss on the cheek, or "rude" to run thirty minutes late is all categorized as ethnocentric. Lesson of the day is to appreciate everyone's uniqueness and keep an open mind. If we were all the same, life would simply be boring.
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