{"id":67,"date":"2024-09-12T12:00:10","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T17:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/?p=67"},"modified":"2024-09-17T18:46:14","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T23:46:14","slug":"the-beginning-of-an-adventure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/2024\/09\/12\/the-beginning-of-an-adventure\/","title":{"rendered":"The Beginning of an Adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
By: Addie Flesch<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

We are nearly two weeks into our Global Semester journey and it\u2019s time for an update. We are beginning on a three and a half month journey that will take us to Costa Rica, South Africa, Namibia, and Vietnam. Each of us, \u201cGlobies\u201d, will take a turn writing a blog post connecting our experiences to our learning takeaways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

To begin our semester, we spent a few days at ARC Retreat Community<\/a> in Stanchfield, MN. ARC hosts different groups nearly year round for them to experience solitude and reconnect. The lodge was built 50 years ago by volunteers and remains run by volunteers today. We enjoyed some incredible farm-to-table meals made from scratch in their kitchen. The volunteers at ARC were a great example of what can be accomplished through community. It was valuable to experience their idea of community before defining our own as a group. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The volunteers at ARC also taught us a lesson in gratitude. They were so excited to host such a lively group of young people that they were willing to pitch tents on the property just to be part of the experience. Throughout the semester, we will continue to reflect on gratitude and how fortunate we all are to have this opportunity. It will be important to remember gratitude even through the challenging moments of Global.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While spending time at ARC Retreat Center, students were broken into groups to research and present information on each of the four countries we will be traveling to. Not only did we include basic geographical information, but also considered each country’s history, politics, relationship with the U.S, and inequalities. As we travel and live abroad it is important to think about what is considered \u201cnormal\u201d in each country\u2019s culture. As students studying in the United States, we have our own definition of \u201cnormal\u201d that may differ from other countries. When traveling to a new place, educating yourself on cultural norms is essential to be respectful of a differing culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We had a discussion near the end of our time at ARC over Anu Taranth\u2019s book, Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World<\/em>. Taranth\u2019s writings will guide our discussions throughout the semester on our governing theme of ethical study and service abroad. The beginning chapters focused on differences amongst people such as race, creating ingroups and outgroups. Taranth writes that \u201cAcknowledging race is certainly not the same as being racist\u201d (Taranth 10). It is possible, and even necessary sometimes, to discuss differences between a neighbor and yourself in a productive way to create compassion toward one another. This idea became a reality when Professor Leer asked us to turn to the student sitting next to us and have a conversation with the goal of finding out our differences. I assume over the course of the semester, we will become more comfortable with having open and honest conversations about how we differ from others.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

After a few days at ARC, we said our goodbyes and flew to San Jos\u00e9, Costa Rica. Costa Rica has a population of five million people with half of them living in the capital of San Jos\u00e9. We began the week by exploring the city; visiting markets, museums, and parks. Later in the week, we began class at the Organization of Tropical Studies<\/a> at the University of Costa Rica. Our course in Costa Rica is focused around environmental sustainability and taught by OTS Professor Emilia Triana and teaching assistant Andr\u00e9s Rojas Zari. OTS partners with around 50 universities in the U.S and aims to sustain tropical ecosystems through education. OTS has four research stations, three in Costa Rica (La Selva, Las Cruces, Palo Verde) and one in South Africa (Skukuza). We listened to a handful of guest lecturers over our time, learning about Costa Rica\u2019s biodiversity, culture, circular economy, and green urban economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jumping back to Professor Leer\u2019s course on ethical study\/service abroad, we began discussing the sustainability of tourism in Costa Rica. Tourism is Costa Rica\u2019s most profitable industry. While tourism creates jobs and benefits the economy, it can also be unethical. Unethical tourism exploits people, natural resources, and the environment. Pico Iyer, the author of Sun After Dark: Flights into the Foreign<\/em>, writes on a trip from Cambodia:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“Tourism was turning the children into parasites, yet the absence of tourism might turn them into skeletons”<\/p>\nBarbour 47<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As we walked around the central market in San Jos\u00e9 looking at trinkets and souvenirs; we had to ask ourselves if it was worth it to barter over 1000 col\u00f3nes which is around 2 USD. Could 1000 col\u00f3nes go farther for the shopkeeper? As tourists, it is crucial to think about your intentionality behind travel. What do you hope to gain from this experience? Why are you traveling to your destination? Am I being an ethical traveler?<\/p>\n\n\n\n