In the spring semester seminar that accompanies my study abroad program, many days were spent preparing for cultural differences in Costa Rica. Naturally, this included discussing differences in the university, as many of our projects require us to spend large amounts of time at college campuses. The class confirmed my impression that the student bodies of Latin American universities tend to be much more politically active, making many campuses epicenters of political and social movements. To prove this point, my professor, who studied in Brazil, said students would shut the entire university down any time they didn’t like something. Even accounting for the hyperbole, their readiness to speak out shows the rebellious culture that exists among students in Latin America.
Here in Costa Rica, the first evidence of this pattern to me was in the student lounges. At the University of Costa Rica (UCR), each major has their own student lounge, which is often commandeered according to the students’ taste. In the building for social sciences, the lounges are all in a row next to the elevators and cafeteria, the most busy and public area in the building. Many have large banners hanging across the doors that protest the new president’s attacks on public education, or are at least covered in signs to articulate the space’s values.
To be clear, I don’t just mean a small sticker in the corner of a window—I mean nearly every inch of space is covered in political messages, and that’s just on the public facing side of the lounge. Inside the lounge, every wall is a mosaic of complaints about the government, “brain rot” internet references, pop culture characters, and famous quotes from social movements and activists. Perhaps one of my favorite example is this painting of “Cher Guevara,” pictured below:
While talking to a group of students in one of these lounges, I learned that UCR has multiple laws that protect this freedom of expression. Likely because the new presidential administration has antagonized UCR specifically, the university even passed a bylaw protecting students’ right to protest on campus, stating that the administration (including professors) should not limit, punish, or discourage participation in protests.
Another aspect that I love about the campuses here is how kind and welcoming the students are. For this study abroad program, I am distributing questionnaires as part of my research project. Especially considering that my target demographic is university students, I expected it to be a harsh form of rejection therapy. So far, only two people have fully said no—and they asked if they could do it later. Walking around universities here, almost every student has been, at a minimum, willing to help me with my project, if not very friendly and social. While my questionnaire is well under ten minutes, I have spent hours in the student lounges talking about everything from international politics to petty gossip. Every Costa Rican will tell you that Ticos are a very open, kind people, and, surprisingly, I have felt that most from the students. Students have offered to take me on tours of their department’s museum, or even the entire university, they have shown a genuine interest in my project, and have given me so much meaningful advice about how to get the most out of my experience here in Costa Rica.
Finally, one key differences between universities in the US and Costa Rica is that there are sloths roaming all around campus here:
