A Growing Connection

A recurring theme in our last two interviews has been the idea of Costa Rica as a meeting place—a bridge between different ways of being, seeing, and knowing. Musician Manuel Obregon spoke of the South American and Central American cultures meeting together in Costa Rica, rubbing up against, influencing, even transforming each other into new forms. Environmentalist Gabrielle Quesada made a near identical statement in relation to geological and biological meetings that occurred in Costa Rica with the connection of the northern and southern Americas in a blazing furry of volcanic eruptions.

They each spoke passionately, but theoretically about these connections, making them sound almost simple or whimsical. However, if anything can be understood from our experiences over the past few days, these places and moments of connection are charged with an intensity, explosiveness, and joy that should not be underestimated.

Our connection within the group has been growing. Trust is the fundamental core around which this builds. Slowly, in fits and starts, we have become trusting of one another. The laughter has increased directly with this growing connection, to the point where we spent most of the last ten hours laughing until we nearly choked.

We’ve been asking the students to watch for their reactions to discomfort and to avoid their typical escapes into music, AIM, technology, food, sleep, television. The result has been a deepening tendency to go to one another and lean into the group.

The challenge ahead is how to build upon our solidarity (another fundamental theme form our interviews) and open ourselves to a new community of people and a wholly new set of experiences and sensations. As we head to sleep in anticipation of our early morning departure for Manuel Antonio National Park, and ultimately the small community of Quebrada Arroyo, I am feeling hopeful that we will all find ways to expand our connection to one another, and to let these links serve as the foundations for connections outward to those we meet in our further travels, be they human, plant, or animal. Check back on Tuesday to find out how it went.

-Oliver