Day 7: Environmental Justice

Hello everybody! Today us Glimpsers woke up at approximately 7:00 AM as per usual to assist in the rising of our peers. After a tiring 30 minutes of getting everything together, we got together for a spectacular breakfast consisting of pancakes, eggs, fruit, and fruit drinks. After an hour later around 9:30, we got everyone together for a mental warm-up to prepare us for the day. We took a deeper insight into the quote of “To waste, to destroy, our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed” -Theodore Roosevelt. We came to understand that this very quote implies that we must take care of our environment in a sustainable way if we want the future generation to flourish and thrive as a whole. Downtime was next where many enjoyed the pool, cards games, etc.

We moved onto our CAP seminar, which went over how tourism can negatively impact local communities where tourism spots become popular. Our great takeaway from the presentation was how to become more effective “travelers” rather than tourists which creates a more sustainable development in the long term. Following the meeting was lunchtime at 12:30, and we ate burritos, chips, and cookies. We collectively agreed that it was one of the best meals we have had since coming here. More downtime was blessed upon us for a couple of hours in which we Glimpsers talked amongst one another.

The fun times were accompanied by a presentation from a guest speaker named Andrés Zuñiga (also known as Fofo). He was a graduate from the University of Costa Rica and posses his Masters Degree. We gained much information from his presentation such as how to again, be more sustainable travelers. This means learning about places before coming to them, interacting with locals, and thinking about whether or not our actions are beneficial to the locals and not worsening the current issue. We enjoyed an interesting activity where groups were made and we had a mock debate which reflects and heightens the modern issues we currently have today (especially in Costa Rica, where we are staying). Two opposing sides had different proposals about whether or not a 5-star hotel should be built along the coast of the southern region. Their aim was to disprove the opposing party and many good points were brought up in the thoughts of creation and development. This gives us awareness of how local communities feel when the government makes decisions that could have potentially been harmful. If there are hotels built, there might be an increase in money generation which supports the poor economy. On the other hand, having hotels can mean the loss of wildlife, interfering with local communities, and the depletion of resources.

More downtime was given to us making it a very enjoyable day where we got the rest that we needed and the time to bond with fellow Glimpsers. Dinner was quite splendid as well; it occurred at 6:00 PM consisting of chickpea soup with white rice, salad drizzled with honey mustard, and a variety of juices. A short resting period was given followed by the nightly meeting as per usual. In an orderly fashion, we were able to “pass the torch” (retire our roles as leaders and show support to our new leaders) seeing many fun talents like backbends and jump roping. We concluded the meeting with a survey and the day ended with the very first Kung Fu Panda movie.

“Hi mom and dad, and uh maybe sisters… if you guys are checking this as well. I love and miss you guys so much and I am absolutely thriving out here.” -Sebastian

“I know you can not see this right now but I hope you are doing well, I hope to see you soon my family, much love to all.” -Kayden

P.S. Brandon’s dad, if you are seeing this, we would love to hear the joke. Brandon is against it but the rest of us do not care. Fire away please. If you do it, we will shout you out in the next post!! (No guarantees, the other leaders might not do it but you would be a hero in our heart).