Day 14: Ana

I’ve never thought as much about the water than I have since arriving in our host community. Living in the mountains, the water is very clean, and is fairly easy to access. There are mixed opinions on how people in this community can use the water. Some say they don’t have to worry about how much water they use, and that it’s not a problem for Bribri people. I’ve observed some people leave the tap running while going to grab different batches of clothing, which, coming from the relatively water-conscious Seattle, was a little disorienting. Others in the community say that one day Earth will run out of water and, although many people may think that water is unlimited, it is not.

Regardless of how you choose how to use the water here, the water will always choose YOU. With the crazy amount of rain when arriving from Puerto Viejo yesterday to today’s constant periods of rain, getting nearly completely drenched and muddy is inevitable.

 

Today, we did this week’s typical service of weeding out the path, and later had time to conduct interviews with our partners. Wayland and I had to hike up the muddy, steep, slippery slope as it continued raining to reach his house for our interview. I both got a new appreciation for my own house’s much easier path, and was reminded of a different perspective on rain, which I haven’t had since the summer of sophomore year on my outdoor trip. Getting wet is not a common experience during my regular life back home, and is oftentimes considered something to actively avoid. Here, however, I’ve observed that many people in the Bribri community don’t see it that way at all. Between kids playing in the rain for hours or my host parents lending me their pancho while outside, they accept rain in it’s entirety. This is one of the most prominent ways I feel I’ve learned from adapting to life in our host community.









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