Aero: Ana Northrop – Costa Rica 2016 – Epilogue

Creative Commons Image via The LEAF Project

…

After losing my plane ticket going through security I thought “great, not starting this trip off in a good way”.  After arriving at the airport and having my host family happily waiting for us I realized small things like that don’t even matter anymore.  I was so nervous before i left of the unknown and didn’t know what to expect of the cultural differences I’d face.  All I know is I didn’t end up facing them alone and I made some really great friends along the way.

…

…

Ana Northrop

This experience was worth every minute, even when I was sitting in a hospital having an allergic reaction to a bee sting.  That experience taught me first-hand how their medical system works compared to our own.  I learned that religion and work are just as important as family and relaxation.  It felt surreal as if I was just peaking in on these people’s lives.  I don’t think I will ever be able to have an experience like that again and that’s ok because I don’t think it could be replicated.  There was never a moment where I didn’t see something new that I’d never seen or heard.  Television is similar but different; they have a man who is famous for dressing as a woman and acting and bull fighting.  They watch movies in English to learn things and we watch things in Spanish to learn. 

There were many things I had in common with the people I met and many things that were different to me.  If I could take one cultural phenomenon from there and apply it to here it would have to be the love they show to their family.  They always care and I saw so many old people still out and about and dancing to music in the park.  You don’t see that here.  The kids knew about world affairs that I didn’t even know were going on, that showed me how much influence social media and pop culture along with our media affect me and others.  If anything this trip just opened my eyes to appreciate what I have and seek out what I want to know and do. 

Ana Northrop
LEAF Contributor
ML@FLCC: Costa Rica 2016

…