In March this year, I brought up the idea about going to Costa Rica for our annual summer trip. My family and I had traveled to Europe in the past and experienced the famous tourist sites and cultures. In all of these tourist places, English was widely spoken and it was easy to get around, order food and find our way round.
Costa Rica: safe, peaceful, adventurous, and a tourist haven. I envisioned Hawaii with even bigger mountains, more lush forests, coffee and chocolate everywhere, and lots of adventure activities. I anticipated being able to communicate easily with English. These perspectives would prove to be wrong in nearly every way! A week after I graduated from my high school in Anchorage, Alaska, we left for San Jose. We were on a dreaded red eye, …show more content…
Although today many countries do require an English class when kids are growing up, the man and woman who gave us directions would not have had that English education.
Language barriers around the world hinder communication and understanding, and make something as small as giving directions near to impossible. I felt distant from the Costa Ricans I couldn’t talk to. The trip to Costa Rica was not as easy as visiting Hawaii, but it gave me a new appreciation for diversity and showed me a different side of the world. Do not be too quick to judge and perceive things in a certain way. “When we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any single place, we regain a kind of paradise” (Adichie).
The joy of traveling is understanding and appreciating the diversity of people, geography and cultures around the world. I have a wanderlust that gnaws at me and gets more compelling as I get older. My goal now is to learn Spanish so I can overcome the barrier of not knowing the language so I can converse with the locals and experience another side of Costa Rica the next time I
Costa Rica: safe, peaceful, adventurous, and a tourist haven. I envisioned Hawaii with even bigger mountains, more lush forests, coffee and chocolate everywhere, and lots of adventure activities. I anticipated being able to communicate easily with English. These perspectives would prove to be wrong in nearly every way! A week after I graduated from my high school in Anchorage, Alaska, we left for San Jose. We were on a dreaded red eye, …show more content…
Although today many countries do require an English class when kids are growing up, the man and woman who gave us directions would not have had that English education.
Language barriers around the world hinder communication and understanding, and make something as small as giving directions near to impossible. I felt distant from the Costa Ricans I couldn’t talk to. The trip to Costa Rica was not as easy as visiting Hawaii, but it gave me a new appreciation for diversity and showed me a different side of the world. Do not be too quick to judge and perceive things in a certain way. “When we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any single place, we regain a kind of paradise” (Adichie).
The joy of traveling is understanding and appreciating the diversity of people, geography and cultures around the world. I have a wanderlust that gnaws at me and gets more compelling as I get older. My goal now is to learn Spanish so I can overcome the barrier of not knowing the language so I can converse with the locals and experience another side of Costa Rica the next time I