A pilgrimage to Costa Rica (summer of '07)

“Este trabajo es muy feo y duro pero hay que aprenderlo.” Over this past summer vacation, I participated in GYLI leadership program which took place in Costa Rica with Nikki and Ms.Miklavcic. Among considerable number of wonderful things we experienced such as camping out underneath trees where numerous monkeys inhabited, working with the local farmers, visiting an elementary school to help them repaint their wall, the highlight of our trip is encountering and interacting with poor yet hardworking and cheerful people. I had an opportunity to cut sugarcanes down with a local farmer called Pamama.
Although it was quite early in the morning, around eight o’clock, the sun had risen very high already and was glaring down on us. Being a little nervous and excited at the same time, I began attempting to chop the sugarcanes. It seemed very easy and simple when Pamama demonstrated how to do it. However, I soon realized that it was not as facile and painless as I had imagined in my mind at all. I had to use all of my energy and muscle to cut down even one thin yet tall and firm sugarcane. After finally managing to chop only one sugarcane down for the first time in my life, my clothes were drenched in sweat and I felt as if I had just finished running several miles. I looked at Pamama who was working right besides me and could not believe my eyes for a while. Next to him, there was an enormous pile of sugarcanes that he had already chopped down while I was struggling with just one sugarcane. Thinking “Wow, a long time must have passed already since we began”, I looked at my watch. As shocking and hard as it was for me to remind myself that I was not dreaming, only about ten minutes had gone by. Despite my tiredness, seeing Pamama working diligently got me inspired and I continued to take on a challenge to cut more sugarcanes down.
As I got a little bit used to doing it, my curiosity to learn about this middle-aged Costa Rican man increased gradually. I tried my best to communicate in Spanish since he did not speak any English. “This is very hard”, I said. Pamama stopped doing the work, looked at me and said “Este trabajo es muy feo y duro pero hay que aprenderlo.” “This work is very ugly and hard but one has to learn to do it”. Among many memorable and fun conversations I had with the people in Costa Rica, this one phrase is particularly stuck in my mind deeply. I was too strongly inspired for a moment that I took some time to let that phrase sink in my mind because I knew by heart that it was something I could and had to take back home with me and always keep in mind. I asked him how long he has been working at this plantation that was owned by Earth university. “since after I finished my sixth grade”, said Pamama. This time, I could not believe my ears and went “what? Really?” He continued talking; “Si Yukiko, I had to help my family after six years of elementary school because we barely had enough money to eat something every day. I had more than ten brothers but more than half of them passed away in their childhood since our living condition was bad and we could not afford to get a doctor to take care of them. Though I now work on the field from six to two when it is not too hot and at home making traditional handmade crafts in the afternoon and at night, my salary is just enough to purchase food and a few things that are necessary for daily life for myself, my wife and three children. I really wanted to have an opportunity to study and can only imagine myself loving and appreciating being able to study if I had the opportunity. Yukiko, I cannot express with any words how fortunate I think you are for being able to not only learn but also study abroad. Tienes que apreciar a tus padres, no? You have to appreciate to your parents, right?”
After talking with him, I felt as if I had just been given the most significant and valuable lesson from an immortal god. Soon, I began to reflect upon my life in Japan and at Emma and soon became aware of how I tend to take everything that has been provided from my parents. Pamama taught me the importance of being responsible and appreciative to everything I have. He also taught me there are many people, even young children, who have no choice other than to sacrifice their time to work instead of going to school regardless of how much they want to study. I knew about this fact from reading newspapers and magazines from long time ago, but after talking with Pamama, I had a knot in my stomach and even felt a little ashamed of sometimes not putting full effort into my schoolwork and of always wanting to buy more things such as clothes though I have more than enough already. Over this summer, I took two SAT prep courses: one before my trip to Costa Rica and another right after returning home from this trip. One thing that was remarkably different was my attitude towards taking these courses. Encountering and working on the field with Pamama definitely changed the attitude of doing things grudgingly and lazily that I sometimes had. In other words, I have always been given a simple responsibility as a “student” but did not want it and take it seriously because of my laziness and being too used to live in a luxury life. I cannot thank Pamama enough and respect him significantly. I would like to apply the lesson I learned from him from now on when I am given a responsibility, facing it with positive and grateful mind.
I firmly believe that it is not an exaggeration to say that my travel to Costa Rica was a pilgrimage, a journey undertaken for many meaningful reasons, with the idea that the traveler, I, was transformed and changed significantly by the journey.