During the beginning of the summer I ventured with the Teaching Fellows from N.C . State and other UNC-system campuses to Costa Rica to immerse ourselves in the culture and learn more about Costa Ricans view education. Pura vida is not just a phrase plastered on every t-shirt and shot glass in the country; but it’s a way of living for these people. This simple phrase is the most accurate description of something so complex and nearly impossible to achieve: the pure life.
While on this adventure, two experiences were the most insightful to understanding pura vida . Being with a group of future teachers-and one psychology major-our interests lied with looking into education in Costa Rica. We visited a K-12 Quaker school, the Monteverde Escuela de Amigos. The assistant director of the school explained they were one of three private schools in the Monteverde area.
The reason for the abundance of private schools is the level of importance the country places on learning. In the 1940s the Costa Rican government abolished their army and reallocated military funds to finance higher education and progressive health care. In terms of education, this allows for public universities like the University of Costa Rica to be completely tuition free. However, the flip side is students have to be able to gain admission into the university.
Having invested little of this new money in primary education, parents are faced with a choice: pay now or pay later. They can either pay for private schools in Costa Rica to better their students’ chances of gaining admission to a Costa Rican university or can risk an attempt at being admitted to an American university and pay the arm-and-a-leg out-of-state tuition.
This government’s emphasis on higher education has forced many parents to place significance on their children’s primary schooling. Students then learn from an early age they must work for their education. The second experience was the opportunity to stay 24 hours with a Costa Rican family. With me knowing little Spanish and them little English, the opportunity was challenging to say the least. However their enjoyment of the simple things-playing outside until dusk, and visiting with family and friends every night-was all we needed to bond quickly. This family’s willingness to accept two strangers into their homes and make them a part of their daily family routines was incredible.
These experiences forced all of us on this trip to introspectively compare our lives with those of the people we met. Our culture is generally classified as an individualistic one, where our goals and aspirations are what fuel our identity and further ourselves in life. On the other hand, the Costa Rican collectivist culture relies heavily on compassion to look out for the general good of the community. Each culture has its own benefits and drawbacks: there is no way to claim one is better than the other, it’s like comparing apples and bananas (so to speak).
My personal experiences from this opportunity reminded me to appreciate what I have in life and not take the little things for granted. I urge all of you to consider what you hold as important in your life and analyze the reasoning behind it. By doing this, you are able to honestly discover what is significant in your life.
While Costa Ricans have discovered their definition of pura vida , everyone’s is different. Go out and find your pura vida .
