San Juanillo is a small town on the Pacific coast of Guanacaste of only a few hundred people, and where the Costa Rica GS spent our first and fourth week. San Juanillo is one of the few remaining places in Costa Rica that are not very affected by tourism or rapid development, and most locals have lived here for generations. A fishing town, most people here work very physical jobs - fishers, cleaners, cooks, gardeners, and farmers. I have observed from my two weeks here that the men in town typically work labor-intensive jobs at least 5 days a week. The women, however, are the ones that run the show. Most have part-time jobs - one of my host moms was a cook for the local elementary school and the other cleans two rental houses - while doing the bulk of the household and childcare responsibilities. Many work almost non-stop from 6am to 9 or 10pm. In addition, they organize and oversee all the events going on in San Juanillo.
This week was the 200th anniversary of Guanacaste's annexation from Nicaragua into Costa Rica. Every year, San Juanillo holds a large celebration featuring bull riding, horse games, dancing, and other cultural events people from all over Guanacaste come to see. Since we arrived here in late June, the locals have been working on preparing for this event. The women of the town split up the work leading up to, during, and after the event. On Tuesday and Wednesday, a dozen local women gathered to cook food to be sold during the celebration on Thursday. I got to be a part of making traditional Tico Tamales - very different from the Mexican ones many Californians are used to. These tamales are not made with chili, lemon, or any spicy ingredient. They are filled with rice, protein, and masa soaked in a thick broth. Absolutely delicious.
On Thursday, my host mom worked the counter selling food and drinks from 1pm to 10pm to hundreds of patrons. The next day, my previous host mom was in charge of cleaning up the entire venue of all the beer, food, and trash people left behind. Thankfully, a few of us students were able to come help and get everything done in only an hour. To be clear, no one gets paid for organizing, cleaning, or hosting the venue. All money goes straight into the town fund for future events and supplies. When I asked my host mom if she got paid for working all day Thursday, she did not understand the question. The next day, she was already starting to prepare for the men's soccer game event on Saturday, which she organizes and cooks for every two weeks.
The people here work incredibly hard while being incredibly kind. They are some of the most hardworking yet relaxed people I have ever met. Despite their labor-intensive jobs, most people have an abundance of free time that they spend lying in hammocks, talking to neighbors, playing soccer, or drinking coffee. They can't walk more than a house or two without stopping to talk to someone for half an hour. A walk across town (less than 10 minutes by foot, the town is 3 streets) can easily take an hour and often does for anyone who lives here.
An example of a typical front porch. Lots of places for people to come and sit, talk, and nap
San Juanillo has definitely challenged my very American mindset in many ways. I always feel like I have so much to do and figure out and that I do not have enough time to do anything. We are a culture that prioritizes money, long days at work, and efficiency often more than community or happiness. The questions I have thought of while here even reflect that mindset - how much does this cost, did you get paid for that, why not charge for x, y, and z and make more. But after spending almost a month in Costa Rica, I have seen that those questions don't really matter. Money is only made to support your family and community. Fun times are not found in material goods or lavish vacations but in sitting on your neighbor's porch, drinking coffee, playing soccer, and socializing.
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