The following post features student writing.

For my independent project I chose to look at and study colmados, the small local stores. The first thing I noticed was that there were so many of them for such a small town. Practically every street had at least one colmado. To compete with each other they each offer their own advantages. For example one store offers a pool table while another offers cheaper prices and a more personal connection. However, with no large supermarkets nearby and so many people needing food it is possible for so many of these colmados to stay in business. Another thing that helped these small shops to stay in business was that they did not have a lot to lose —if no one came and ate their eggs, for example, the family could just eat the eggs themselves.

Another thing I noticed was that the locals did not have enough money to buy food in bulk. This resulted in everyone paying more for small amounts of food. Instead of going to the supermarket at home and buying two dozen eggs, enough for a week, many of the people here would instead just buy the eggs needed for breakfast. This causes a problem because people with less money now have just become forced to spend more, creating a cycle of poverty. A question I asked early on was why do they not just save some money up to buy in bulk to break this cycle? After a little reflection, however, I realized that these people could not just “save up” because that would mean that they would have to skip meals, which was actually impossible to do. This cycle became ever harder to break when a day came where you did not have enough money to feed your family. The colmados would in turn give you a fiado, or loan, that forces the family to repay directly after they received enough money. This makes it ever harder for people in the cycle to break out.

– Austin C.

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I chose this program because I had a great time on the Costa Rica Foundations trip last summer.  Last year I specifically enjoyed working in the small town and connecting with the locals.

So far my high from this trip was learning how to make empanadas at a local’s house. I felt very immersed in the culture and had a great time doing it too! My low of the trip was working in a smaller Haitian town and realizing their standard of living is far below the Dominicans who lived just down the road. My “a-ha” moment happened a few days ago when we were laying a floor for a Dominican family. I realized that just laying one floor can bring a whole community together.

On this trip I have learned that integration takes a long time and is a huge learning experience. During our first few days in La Guázara, I felt a little bit disconnected from the locals, but after a while I began to open up. I started to immerse myself in the culture by making empanadas, getting my hair braided, and spending time in the local clinic. By taking risks and having a sense of curiosity, I have started to feel more involved in the community here.

– Ava S.

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In La Guázara I got to experience many things that I had never done before. My best experience was smoothing all the floors. Usually, students were not allowed to smooth the floors, but I did it many times because the maestros/architects thought I worked hard. I actually worked hard when other students were taking naps! Smoothing cement floors was really fun, you just need to move your hand to make the wet cement even and clean, so I really didn’t have to work too hard. I really enjoyed community service here with the community and great new friends.

– Tamao C.

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Scenes from the work site!