For Carol Cameron, awaking to the sounds of morning birdsong in San Luis de Monteverde, Costa Rica, is all part of the job.
Better known as Carolina on the University of Georgia Costa Rica campus, Cameron has spent the last 15 springs teaching English to staff and community members in the area.Read More »
As we celebrate the 10-year anniversary of UGA Costa Rica (UGACR) offering education abroad programs, what better way to reflect on the great decade than to speak with those who have been at the UGACR campus since day one. We spoke to San Luis native Mario Pérez. With his infectious smile and caring nature, Mario is truly an essential part of the hardworking team that is Mantenimiento, or Maintenance.
Having a passion for something is wonderful. But what’s even better is sharing that same passion with others. During the month of May, I spent numerous hours sharing my creative space with the UGACR Advanced Spanish and Photodocumentary Maymester program.
Let me start with this: I could have easily confused my workspace with that of a bustling news room. Not only were the students’ pieces constantly expanding, undergoing edits and reshoots, but also the students themselves maintained an amount of motivation and energy throughout the course that could be applauded. Better yet, as their interviews and stories came together, capturing the inexplicable inner beauty of the people who make UGACR the unforgettable community that it is, it became clear that their final products would wonderfully reflect the goals of the Humans of UGACR project.
Thanks to the students’ inventive spirits, Humans of UGACR has grown a little more. Enjoy today’s addition!
As it is with a number of developing projects, Humans of San Luis is undergoing some changes – and we want to keep you updated. Because the objective of this photo series is to focus on a range of subjects, from tourists to students to locals, we believe a more appropriate, all-encompassing name for the project would be Humans of UGACR. The intention of Humans of UGACR was, and continues to be, to share the thoughts (epiphanies even), that come from people visiting, working, and living within the community surrounding the University of Georgia Costa Rica campus here in San Luis, Monteverde.
Today, we meet Elisa Mata Leitón, a local coffee farmer who takes time from her gardening and craft-making to weave tour groups through her hillside of coffee plants, banana trees, and root vegetables, informing them of her organic coffee and sugarcane growing processes.
How do you feel about your farm being organic?
I feel good because we know that what we are eating and producing isn’t contaminated, for us and for other people.
Why do you enjoy giving tours?
I like to communicate with people even though I don’t speak English, but I like to share with others. It is also a way to provide a bit of income for my family. When Alvaro was well he also used to help me with the tours, but lately it’s almost always me. But I like it.
Do you remember your favorite things that tourists have said to you?
People say that I give a very nice tour and they enjoy being here and extracting [the juice from] the sugar cane. Also [they say] that I am very fortunate to live in such a place with a beautiful view. I like San Luis, I like it here because we have peace and tranquility. If we live in the cities there are many people, a lot of noise and I don’t like this. I like living here.
~ Elisa Mata Leitón
Blog post contributed by Alex Fylypovych, UGA Costa Rica Photojournalism Intern
“Usually we cut stuff, bring it back to the lab, and then draw it. But here we’ve actually had the chance to go outside and sit down and actually observe… [My professor] Gene always says, “if you’re not willing to sit down with it for three hours, don’t draw it. Cuz you’re gonna get bored.” And he’s right, because you really need to take the time to explore how the plant or bug or any other animal functions before you can really understand how to draw it. Because with different flowers, the stem comes out different ways and each thing is individualistic, it’s really unique, and it’s important to get that correct in the drawing. It’s really necessary to our major. We need to know how things connect, how they go together. I mean if you’re just drawing a picture of it and you’re not making it accurate, what’s the point of scientific illustration?” ~ Taylor Harrell, UGA Scientific Illustration major
UGA Costa Rica Blog 