Gulabi Gang

Friday morning our class was welcomed by Victoria Fontan, a professor at UPEACE who teaches courses in peace and conflict studies. After a brief introduction of peace-buiding strategies, she presented us with a case study. 

Sampat and her Gulabi Gang

On paper, the government of India presents its nation as a paradise of equality. But in actuality it is a place filled with corruption and immense social inequalities. Luckily in the province of Uttar Pradesh in Northern India, someone took a stand.

Sampat Devi Pal was a unique woman from the start. She was educated, a rarity in the area, and was vocal about her rights. Sampat fought for equality within her family and on a larger scale. Soon everyone in Uttar Pradesh was murmuring about the "rebellious" Sampat Devi Pal. Funny how a woman simply striving for equal rights and opportunities is deemed radical...

In an effort to help local women become economically autonomous, Sampat began the Gulabi Gang. This "gang of pink saris" started to push the walls of morality and tradition. Now with over 20,000 members, the Gulabi Gang continues to denounce oppressive government and cultural practices -- like child marriages and the lack of female educational opportunities, assert their rights, and investigate corruption throughout Indian black markets. 

For a long time the Gulabi Gang has faced backlash from the media. The group has been portrayed as vicious vigilantes and were only seen in a positive light recently. The influence of the media as an institution is enormous. Misrepresentations of positive female leaders like Sampat is not what this world needs. Role models who fight for equal opportunities should be portrayed rather than privileged celebrities making poor life decisions for all the world to see. The media's massive expanse of powerful influence can make this necessary shift in the right direction. Hold them accountable for their damaging perceptions of women!

For more information on the Gulabi Gang, check out their website here.

Mercado Central

After a discussion of microfinance and entrepreneurship on Thursday, we headed out to explore San Jose. In typical Costa Rican rainy season fashion, a downpour ensued mid afternoon. But that did not stop us nor the locals of San Jose. Our assignment was to explore Mercado Central in relation to our discussion of small business. The task was an ethnography, a research method based on observation that posed difficult for us non-Spanish speakers like myself.

I did not let these limitations stop my immediate fears of the cultural barrier. My group set out into the hustle and bustle of the market, letting the aromas of gallo pinto and the shouts of bartering salesmen (and women) seep into our souls. Although this was an assignment, I intended to enjoy this immersion into Costa Rican culture as much as possible.

Mercado Central was filled lively ticos gathering to catch up and share a meal after a long day at work. The market aligned with all of my other interactions with Costa Rican culture thus far; they place a heavy emphasis on family and strive to keep these bonds strong over time through family businesses, educational opportunities, and, most importantly, through food!

Visiting the market was reminiscent of New York in so many ways. The lively commotion of Mercado Central with its loud street vendors and fast-paced interactions brought upon nostalgia of good 'ole NYC. Waking up to the beautiful mountainside each morning is amazing, but I will always be a city girl at heart.

Holy Smokes Batman!

The excursion to Monteverde must come to an end, but not without some last minute tourist attractions. Our last dinner was at a Restaurant called Trio and probably one of the best meals of my life. It's fresh menu, I had a sea bass ceviche and a chicken, mango, and avocado sandwich, and modern atmosphere reminded me greatly of New York. Adding to my growing epiphany that the jungle is not my style and city life is for me.

Our morning commenced with a visit to a quirky bat exhibition. I never knew there were so many variations of bats! Some live in different areas, others eat distinct foods, and some are even structured similar to humans. There are over a a hundred types of bats in Costa Rica, and around sixty different kinds in Monteverde alone!

After some boom! pow! it's batman jokes and a brief glimpse of everyone's favorite children's story Stellaluna, we finally faced the bats live. Don't get me wrong there were some quick jumps and freak-outs by yours truly, but I quickly developed a slight (and I mean slight) inclination towards them. They were actually kind of cute -- if you find hairy, blood sucking rodents to be adorable...

The Children's Eternal Rainforest was our last stop. Thankfully, we were able to explore some of Monteverde's world renowned Cloud Forest Reserve before our return back to Ciudad Colon. This excursion to Monteverde has revealed to me the the crucial steps Costa Rica has taken towards its path of effective conservation. I believe powerful nations like the United States should look to states like Costa Rica to follow their commitment to stay green (cliche I know).

A Bird's Eye View

Our second day in the beautiful Costa Rican town of Monteverde began bright and early as usual. After a delicious but brief breakfast, our group piled onto the bus for our new adventure.

Steps leading up to the Monteverde Institute

First stop -- Monteverde Institute.

We were welcomed by Justin C. Welch, an American native whose studies brought him to Costa Rica where he has resided ever since. Titled "A Sustainable Community for a Sustainable World," Justin discussed Costa Rican water resource management, focused in the Monteverde area. I found it very interesting to hear that they run as a nonprofit, reinvesting everything back into the community.

Our group listening to Justin Welch's lecture.

Monteverde Institute

We learned of the two ways to view water resource management; naturally and anthropogenically. The natural perspective looks at what is actually happening to the water; the chemical contaminants invading the water, the type of ecosystem the water is a part of, the biological processes themselves, and how watershed affects the dynamic of the local community. The anthropogenic perspective takes a less scientific route. This tradition looks at how these things affect individuals and their community groups. Many things are observed during this view such as the economic necessity of clean water for flourishing tourism, the recreational use of water, how the changes in the water system affect the health and well being of individuals, and lastly this perspective focuses on the access to water as a basic human right.

Welch talked of the differences between the United States and Costa Rica's water regulation system. Even within the United States, west coast as compared to east coast, there are major differences in the type of water management. Costa Rica's course of action aligns best with that of the east coast. The Costa Rican constitution itself even states the importance of a "clean, healthy and balanced environment," (Article 46 & 50) -- maybe that is why Costa Rican's have displayed such a commitment to conservation! I found the specifics of watershed and the variant types of water, grey water, black water, etc., to be the most interesting facts of the lecture. Prior to today, I had not understood the importance of watershed and the various departments of the Costa Rican government whose goal was to protect watershed.

Although Costa Rica makes an effort to be "green," no pun intended, its biodiversity and exemplary education system still does not prevent all issues like the frightening statistic that 24.8% of the total population has access to a sewage system. However, the Monteverde Institute has been working to obtain all research regarding water resource management in the area in order to have digital library resources available to all in this quest towards full sustainability.

After a quasi-tour of the institute and a brief break to explore the rare flora and fauna on site, we returned for our next guest lecturer. We were introduced to Ernesto Ruiz, a native of San Jose and a current PhD candidate at the University of Florida. Ernesto furthered our knowledge of ecotourism and its subsequent effects on Costa Rica, a motif of our excursions throughout Monteverde. "Without tourism this town does not eat" focused on the notion of food security. Our class defined food insecurity as both quantitative and qualitative. High rates of food insecurity coincide with consistent availability of food and cultural taboos against certain foods. He furthered our definition by revealing the purpose of his research, to explore the consequences of food insecurity through access to food and patterns of consumption and production.

Yum-O

This ignited a lively discussion of the connection between rising Costa Rican tourist rates and the dynamics of food production and availability to local Costa Ricans. Ernesto was kind enough to also give us some researching tips for our ethnography assignment, his speciality, which will occur next week! Our back to back discussions were brought to a close with lunch. We ate pizza, a nice departure from the typical Costa Rican tradition of rice and beans.

The Cooperative

After our hunger was quenched we traveled to our final, and my favorite, lecture of the day. CASEM is a local women's cooperative, although there are a handful of active male

participants, in Monteverde. The co-op started to sell arts and crafts produced by local women thirty years ago in an effort to help women learn to support themselves and speak up for their personal rights. The director of the co-op, Patricia, was lively, engaging, and openly shared with us her story of overcoming the stigma surrounding her disability and the gender blocks in the way of her path to success. Her discussion, after a brief overview of her organization, revolved around cultural issues in the community. Personally, I found she gave great insight into the dynamics of Costa Rican Culture. Patricia reinforced a recurring concept in class, the importance of education and knowledge in development.

Tarantula

Snake eating a lizard

Up next was the adventurous night tour of the forest. Being afraid of birds, ridiculous and irrational I know, this seemingly fun excursion was causing my stomach to spin overtime. About 90% of Costa Ricans living in Monteverde depend on tourism as a main source of income, therefore tours such as these were common occurrences. Our group split into two and after a brief introduction with our guide, we were off! The two hour journey flew by too fast. We saw a sloth, a porcupine, a butterfly cocoon, a walking stick (the bug not the actual stick), a twenty foot deep ant colony, mating beetles, a tarantula and a snake in the process of eating a lizard after a stealthy catch! Luckily, no birds were in sight...

I finally met a Beatle!

Sloth

Our group awaiting to embark upon the night tour!

On Cloud Nine

Our group packed their bags and headed out, time for our first weekend excursion!

Monteverde was our destination. Only a mere three and a half hours away -- sarcasm everyone. Luckily, our bus ride passed by charming sites and we were able to finally see Costa Rica outside of our small town of Ciudad Colon. We had a quick sighting of the Pacific Ocean and some of Costa Rica's famed beaches. Soon we were on the Pan-American Highway heading towards the Costa Rican - Nicaraguan border. The Pan-American Highway starts in Alaska and continues down until Argentina. Thus connecting all of the Americas, with the exception of the Darien Gap between the borders of Panama and Colombia.

Translated into Spanish, Monteverde means "green mountains." The only way up to this local tourist community is a hike into the clouds. Spinning up the rugged mountainside, with a few close calls to the steep and rocky edge, was scary but rewarding. The mountainside was reminiscent of the Italian Alps, a view I was fortunate enough to see two years ago. However in Costa Rica, farms and cattle were strewn across the perpendicular cliffs. The road continuing to Monteverde once was not paved at all, making it a three hour trip just to climb the mountain. In recent years the community fought for more effective infrastructure with a compromise of paving at least half of the path to Monteverde. The bumpy trail made driving over the potholes of New York City seem like a breeze!

In the 1940s, a group of Quakers from Alabama fled to the "jungle" of Costa Rica. Attracted by the lack of military and the neutrality of Costa Rica as a state, these families started their own community here in Monteverde, Costa Rica. Within the past decade or so, Monteverde has evolved from an agriculturally focused area to a community that now depends mainly on tourism for profits. Although ecotourism has surged, farming production is still a major component of life in Monteverde.

Waiting for our tour of the Cheese Factory

The Monteverde Cheese Factory is a staple of the community. The Quakers established effective production practices and the factory has thrived in Monteverde and continues to abide by Costa Rica's commitment to conservation. After a tour of the factory we had the opportunity to view a slide show of photos from the original Quakers of the community. We also got to sneak a taste of all the various cheeses made at the factory. My favorite was the MonteRico which is most common throughout the Monteverde area.

Excited for dinner at Inka Verde

Returning to the hotel we were welcomed by two guest speakers. They both discussed the history of Monteverde and its transition to ecotourism. We were also given a brief overview of the environmental issues facing Costa Rica and in particular Monteverde. Personally, I was impressed by the environmental education provided to students in the hopes to spread eco-friendly ideals throughout the state.

After dinner at a local Peruvian restaurant, our group headed back to the hotel in store for the long day we had in store of us.

My cappuccino left a map of the world!

Trekking Locally

View from our home in Ciudad Colon

5:30 a.m.

Sharp. 

That's when the local roosters begin to crow each morning. Although waking up at dawn seemed a daunting task at first, my personal wake up call has helped Costa Rica feel like home. 

The start of our dirt road

Bright and early I, along with my roommates, say goodbye to our home (and our spectacular view seen above) for our trek into town. We walk down the road together to our bus stop. On the way we pass mountains and trees, worker ants and stray dogs, and feel the high levels of humidity sink into our bones. Our bus ride takes us into town to start our ride to UPEACE campus. We traverse up and down the steep mountains, through rickety bridges, over creeks and ravines, and past coffee plantations that continue as far as the eye can see. Finally we arrive to a campus with a long day ahead of us. Around 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. is spent at the university; guest lectures, discussions, and study hours fill the majority of our days.

Our bus stop called "the end of the pavement"

Soon our time of departure arrives and our cohort flocks to the university shuttle, reminiscent of jam-packed AU shuttle's on their way to the Tenleytown metro. Except our ride provides a much more scenic view rather than just passing the Japanese embassy and the Department of Homeland Security -- although that DC path is nice as well.

We opt to get off the shuttle in town in hopes to explore the local community of Ciudad Colon. After a quick trip to the SuperMora, our group discovered a delicious local bakery in town. Mus Anni, a community staple, was filled with yummy treats at a great price. I bought two treats just for 800 colones. That's less than two dollars!

Coffee fields on the way to UPEACE

Unfortunately our explorations always come to a quick end. From May to February is the rainy season in Costa Rica. Costa Rica divides its seasons into two, the rainy season and the following dry season. Around four p.m. each day ignites a ferocious downpour continuing into the night. This constant rainfall makes it difficult to search for interesting places in town, but we will continue regardless! A consequence of living in Costa Rica during the start of the rainy season is the subsequent arrival of bugs. I have seen variations of so many flying insects and critter crawlers that I hope to never see again! Hopefully our weekend trip to Monteverde provides an escape from some of my new friends!

TIME 100

Our first week in Costa Rica has been jam-packed with engaging lessons at UPEACE. Our topics thus far  have been mainly foundational, focusing on our idea of what development is as well as various theories of development and why or why not they were effective based on historical context. The people at UPEACE have extremely kind and welcoming. Professor Claudio Ansorena, Coordinator of M.A. in Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development at UPEACE, greeted our class on Wednesday morning. He discussed with us his perspective on the theories of economic development we were currently learning about in class.

The following day, the Vice Rector of the University, Dr. Amr Abdalla, gave us an informative introduction the history of the university. He spoke of UPEACE's multidisciplinary approach to peace, revealing the importance of knowledge in effective cultural understanding. Luckily, in preparation for commencement that Friday, the keynote speaker squeezed an hour into her schedule to come and speak exclusively with the Global Scholars. To our surprise, it was Bineta Diop -- founder and director of Femmes Africa Solidarite and one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2011.

Her presence was awe-inspiring. As she spoke of her struggle to receive a quality education in her home of Senegal, I realized that this should not be considered a struggle. Everyone should have the access to knowledge as well as the opportunity to succeed like Madame Diop, especially the chance to negotiate with Secretary Clinton; definitely the coolest part of Bineta Diop’s job.

Listening to her speak was probably one of the most empowering moments of my life. She reiterated Dr. Abdalla's lecture on the significance of access to education for all. Madam Diop discussed the rising role of Africa as a new international economic force. She brought up the gender revolution igniting across the continent, and the outrage over the successful female Nigerian Financial Minister being overlooked for the new President of the World Bank. Bineta Diop finished her speech with a bold proclamation, she said “a country that neglects women is not a democratic country.” I thought of the current role of women in our own society and quickly realized we need a home-grown effort in the United States before we can tackle the issues of the world. Here, 5/24, is a link to my class notes the day of Madam Diop's surprise visit. Check out to read some of the extraordinary things she said, there's too many to fit in one post!

Here is a link to Bineta Diop's NGO and Here is TIME's article on Madam Diop

The view from our classroom the day of our surprise visit -- the cloudy mist covered the peak of the mountains!