Sense of Place
"People develop a 'sense of place' through experience and knowledge of a particular area. A sense of place emerges through knowledge of the history, geography and geology of an area, its flora and fauna, the legends of the place, and a general sense of the land and its history after living there for a time."
Dr. Thomas A. Woods
One of the things I don't like about traveling to a new country is the idea of being a tourist. It seems that the expected routine is to tour around and "see the sights," as though only by seeing them, can you satisfy your purpose for leaving home. There are sights to see here in Costa Rica--rain forests, volcano, and of course, the famous mermaid statue just down the beach.
What gives sense of place to me, however, is simply staying in one spot and observing the daily life of the residents, human and otherwise--how they live, what is the natural arc of their day. How do they make a living? Are they by nature kindly disposed toward outsiders, or suspicious? What I have found here, almost without exception, is an uncommon graciousness of spirit, generosity and open-heartedness. This place and its people feel kind to me.
When our technology failed us on the trip here, we found a police officer on the top of a misty mountain who did not speak or understand English, but who nonetheless, knew we were lost. He not only gave us directions, he gave us escort. When we reached the end of his patrol range, another police car waited to shepherd us back to town and put us on the right road.
Yesterday, the man who rents umbrellas in front of the house, brought us two avocados from his yard and gave us advice about how to protect ourselves from thieves. He warned us about one of the local people whom he described as "not a good man." There was a theft right on the beach out front because someone had left money, passport, camera, and cell phone in their open car while they went swimming. Though this was unsettling, I realized the same thing could just as easily have happened in Birmingham. It doesn't make this place bad.
Today, I want to talk to some of the folks who have come here from other places and stayed on. What caused them to fall in love with this tiny village so far from home? What made this open, and messy, and free way of life so appealing that they felt no need to get back to 'civilization?' I already feel the answers to those questions deep in my bones. I also want to hear the legend of the mermaid. Stay tuned!
In the Spirit,
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment