So, I'd like to confess to something right now: I've been a little cocky. After studying abroad for five months in Europe, I there couldn't be anything else that would shock me. I have experienced culture shock, I have experienced a language barrier, I have encountered people with totally different backgrounds and perspectives than myself. But, I wasn't prepared to feel more out of place among a group of United States Americans than I did in a group of Europeans. So how is it that a week and a half in Costa Rica managed to bring me back to humility and make me angry at the same time?
I'm going to be optimistic and hope someone other than my parents are reading this and provide a little background. I grew up in Western Kansas. My family survives on elbow grease. We all know the importance of hard work, and we are proud of what we can accomplish when we set our minds to it. We love the great country of the US, even though we'll be some of the first to complain about the state it's in today and the direction its heading. We love our neighbors as we do ourselves, and half of the time we help our neighbors work their cattle before we get around to ours (and of course, our neighbors are right there with us returning the favor). We believe in logic and cold hard facts: philosophy is a major for those who don't like callouses. A party for us looks like a case of Bud Light, medium rare steaks on the grill, jalepeno poppers over a fire, and some sort of potato salad. We don't like to fight, but if there's something wrong going on, we'll be the first to say what's right, even if it's not the popular opinion. We think children shouldn't have everything handed to them, but should have to earn money for their car/iPhone/designer clothes.
I spent my summers in high school working: lifeguard, rancher, scalegirl, waitress, fence builder. During school I alternated my time between extracurricular activities, school, and work. My parents made sure I knew the value of a dollar before I graduated, and made sure I knew that if I was to be considered an adult I would have to provide for myself and act like an adult. As a result of this, I am a God-fearing, hard-working, opinionated, independent adult.
So, when I realized I wanted to study abroad in Europe for a semester, I knew I had a lot of work to put in. (Study abroad isn't cheap!) Between my husband and myself, we managed to save up enough money between working, scholarships, and student loans to pay for a nice semester in Europe with a big trip at the end. In fact, we had saved enough money to pay for a month long intensive Spanish class in Costa Rica this summer.
It didn't take long to realize how most of the students here were raised. On the second day of class, our teacher asked us to describe the United States. Here are some of the words people used: "Spoiled." "Fat." "Superior feeling." "Wasteful." "Big." "Diverse." Over half of the words my classmates used to describe their home country was negative. I was tired of all of the negativity, so I said that the US has a good economy, which by almost all accounts is true. Even though we had a recession, as of 2014, the US has the highest GDP of any country in the world, almost doubling China's (the second highest) GDP. Almost everyone has a chance to work a good job, obtain a college education, there aren't nearly as many homeless people in the US as there are in Europe, and we have a much higher level of food security than other places. However, when I said this, at least four students in my class of eleven scoffed or disagreed with me. Okay, whatever, they can disagree with facts all they want to.
I know that everyone has differing political opinions, and that's fine, so I had hoped to find common ground with my peers elsewhere. However, between the stories of sky diving, family vacations abroad, eating habits, and much more, I quickly realized we were on totally different playing fields. When one boy in my class (Basic 2) said that he'd taken six years of Spanish, and could have taken a higher level, everyone told him just to take the easy class. "Just get an easy A," they said. "Don't stress yourself out too much so you can enjoy traveling on the weekends," they said. All variations of, "Take the easy way out." And this translates to: "I didn't pay for this class so I don't care how much I get out of it."
Another day I discovered that five people in my class of eleven are vegetarians, and two of them are vegans. One boy--the same one who's taken six years of Spanish--calls himself a "raw vegan who doesn't eat gluten." My first thought was how does he survive without bacon? My second thought was why? I discovered their reasons quickly when I was asked by our teacher what my favorite food was and why. I answered meat, because it's versatile, it tastes good, and it's good for you. The vegan girl was quick to disagree stating that meat is unhealthy. I asked her if she had ever taken a class on the subject. She said yes, she's taken many classes, and meat is unhealthy. I disagreed and told her meat is the most biologically available source of protein there is. She disagreed and said we use too many resources to get meat, and people could get everything they need nutritionally from plants. Another boy in class piped up and said he agreed with her. I said it's possible to get what you need from plants, but meat is a wonderful source of protein, vitamins, fat, and several minerals that are essential for humans. I also pointed out that it's impossible to feed the whole world with only plants because of the growing population and the lack of industrialization in other countries. (Between the times when she interrupted me. It became so bad my teacher had to ask her to stop interrupting me.) Another girl said that cows eat eighty percent of the corn farmers grow. I attempted to explain the difference between sweet corn and field corn in Spanish. Another boy said that farming/ranching is destroying the world. Our teacher finally stepped in and changed the subject.
I've realized fully what it feels like to feel 100% out of place with other Americans. If I had to bet on how about 95% of these students came to be here, I would bet on their parents. I would bet these kids never had to lift a finger. So, what is it like to study abroad when you've paid for it yourself?
It is the most satisfying thing I have ever done. I am proud of what Ty and I have accomplished on our own at such a young age. I am okay with the fact that we may have to say no to some things while we are here because we don't have enough money for it, and I am so happy that I have learned to be self-sufficient and have my own opinions based on scientific facts and the bible, because I'm starting to realize that's a pretty rare thing to come by. I am also thankful for our families for being our spare tires and not our steering wheels. They will always be there to help when we need them, and I am forever grateful for that.
So to end this blog post (read: rant) I'd just like to thank everyone for reading. It's been great to share my opinions, thoughts, and experiences with Ty's and my family and friends. :)
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