For two weeks, eleven student-athletes and I had the amazing opportunity to live and work in a small community on the east coast of Costa Rica named Gandoca. Upon arrival, we quickly adapted to the different culture, food, and climate, thanks to the fantastic on-site staff and community members who welcomed us warmly. As our group of twelve student-athletes grew closer, we also bonded with the on-site staff, who ensured we had the best visit possible and revealed to us the beauties that reside in Gandoca. In particular, I found myself conversing and bonding with an on-site staff member named Braulio (pictured fourth from the left in the back row) from the moment we arrived. Our friendship started with our passion for soccer but grew as the trip progressed, and I always enjoyed my conversations with Braulio. One night, after we were all exhausted from a day of work harvesting cacao on different farms and playing soccer with the local high schoolers, Braulio began to share some personal stories and how much he enjoyed his life in Gandoca. What stood out to me from this conversation was how much Braulio, other on-site staff members such as Andre (pictured fifth from the left in the top row) and Yuma, and all community members enjoy the work they do. In all honesty, the work we were helping out within Gandoca could be demanding, even for twelve Division I collegiate athletes. For hours at a time, in the extreme humidity or pouring rain we harvested cocoa, cleaned up the beach, worked on the local school’s garden, protected turtle nests, and created a garden bed for a school in another province named Sepecue. Keep in mind, we were only doing this work for a few hours out of the day and we knew we would return to our lives in just a couple of short weeks, whereas someone like Braulio has been doing this kind of work for most of his life. This puts into perspective the differences between our lives in Durham and Braulio’s life in Gandoca.
Through all the hustle and bustle on Duke’s campus, it is easy to lose sight of the severity of challenges that are faced elsewhere. I put so much weight on the next test, the next workout, and the next race, and none of it holds my livelihood in the balance. This is something that I have known and although I religiously devote myself to both my academic and athletic success, I am aware that it does not affect the way I live, even though this can become foggy from time to time. The main thing I learned from Braulio, Andre, and Yuma is that there are vastly different lifestyles that are more demanding but are still enjoyed the same way with the same passion. Our group got through this work in Gandoca because we had Braulio chanting in our ear “¡Si se puede!” which means “You can do it!” and genuinely having a great time doing the work and doing the work with us. The way Braulio, Andre, and Yuma approach their life in Gandoca is how I hope to approach what these remaining three years have left for me at Duke and life beyond.
The main thing I learned from Braulio, Andre, and Yuma is that there are vastly different lifestyles that are more demanding but are still enjoyed the same way with the same passion. Our group got through this work in Gandoca because we had Braulio chanting in our ear “¡Si se puede!” which means “You can do it!” and genuinely having a great time doing the work and doing the work with us.
The photo pictures our team before the soccer tournament at the local soccer field. We were graciously invited to compete in the tournament and as you can see, our team consisted of kids, members of the community, and on-site staff. We went on to play soccer for almost five hours, making it to the final. Nearly the whole community was either lining the field or on the field itself; it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Everyone brought so much passion to the game and it resembled the passion I observed in Braulio, Andre, Yuma, and every on-site staff member we worked with. Before the soccer tournament, we were given the opportunity to relay some of our sporting knowledge to the local high school kids, and again, I observed the same vigorous passion. We were able to run with one of the high schoolers and write him a training plan for his upcoming race. Although I wish we would have been able to continue to help train the high schoolers, it was an amazing experience to be able to offer some knowledge from the years I have spent in the sport to someone who has the same love for the sport that I do.
I went into this trip with a care for the environment, but I left with a devotion to making sure people like Braulio, Andre, and Yuma would be proud of my advocacy for environmental preservation.
Gandoca fosters a passion for all parts of life while making a difference through the preservation of their vast ecosystem, care for the sea turtles, and general resistance against much of the world’s turned cheek towards helping the environment. I went into this trip with a care for the environment, but I left with a devotion to making sure people like Braulio, Andre, and Yuma would be proud of my advocacy for environmental preservation. It does change your perspective to be able to put faces that you respect to defenses against a global issue.