Tiny Grass

Arp’s post on 5 reasons to move to Costa Rica, and the comments that ensued, inspired me to post about the responsibilities that world travelers and/or expatriates share when visiting or living in foreign countries and cultures. As we, Americans, contemplate our move south, I’ve thought a lot about how the culture of Costa Rica might affect out family, and how our presence there might affect the Ticos.

There have been changes occurring in many countries, many of which have come about due to contact with America, or other more “developed” nations (whatever that means). As I was well aware of on our recent visit to Costa Rica, some of these changes are downright terrible. In a few cities, there are fast food establishments on many corners. Another change that strikes close to my heart, and horrifies me, is how the cesarean rate in Costa Rican hospitals is going up astronomically. Living in the U.S., I regularly cringe when I hear of hospitals here with cesarean rates reaching 25-50% in many places. Well, the rates in a few Costa Rican hospitals are reaching 80-90%! The mentality of some Costa Rican mothers seems similar to the mindset that some Americans began having decades ago (and still today?): Why have a vaginal birth when you can just schedule a Cesarean? When I think about my lovely homebirth, those statistics make me want to cry.

When people like our family visit foreign places and cultures, what responsibilities do we have? How can we make the impact (that we will surely have) something positive rather than negative? Or better yet, how can we reduce the impact that we will make? Here are some ideas I’ve thought of. Feel free to comment and add your own!

• Learn a little about the culture before you visit. When we go to a movie, we read the reviews first, or at least get an idea about the plot. It’s good to have an idea of what to expect before walking in. When we go to a party, it’s polite to find out a little about the hosts. Same rule goes for traveling. Do a little research about the culture so you know what to expect. Not only is it respectful, but it will help you to interact with people respectfully and happily.
• Don’t assume your culture is superior. It’s easy for even the most non-judgmental person to slip into that mistake when confronted by an unfamiliar situation in a foreign country, so remind yourself regularly. All cultures have positives and negatives. And sometimes what you think is a negative has been working well for a particular culture for a long time.
• Try to speak the language. Just as you wouldn’t go into a business meeting and try to speak street slang, you don’t go into a new country and try to only speak your own language. It’s polite to at least try to learn some of the language of the people you intend to visit. It’s a good idea to invest in a traveler’s dictionary, or even a picture dictionary. Long-term travelers should consider investing in a language course (Either online, at a local university, or through private tutors). In Costa Rica, our family found that Ticos were very appreciative of our language efforts, and they tried to help us when they could. If you go into a situation being positive and trying your best, in most cases you will be met with positive vibes.
• For Expatriates - Embrace the new culture as best you can. Don’t try to establish an outpost of your old culture in your new location. History is already all too filled with examples of cultures that invaded countries and forced their culture on others. Let’s try to end that right now!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 29th, 2008 at 6:07 pm and is filed under costa rica, travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.