One evening in Costa Rica, I wrote in my reflection journal: “I won’t ever know what I don’t know.” This is something my family had previously discussed prior to my trip to Costa Rica. However, I had not put much thought into it until Andrey, one of our community partners, shared the story about how the community of Gandoca came to grow bananas. For years, Gandoca had grown Cacao; their economy revolved around it, and it was basically their currency. But, big banana businesses wanted to grow bananas in Gandoca because of the favorable climate. Gandoca refused to switch from growing cacao to bananas. Shortly after, planes flew over their cacao farms with pesticides killing their cacao. After this happened, the banana companies returned and offered to pay the people of Gandoca to work their banana farms. The Gandocans then switched from growing cacao to growing bananas.
This story left me shocked and with many questions. But what shocked me the most was that I had never heard this story before. I had likely eaten some of these bananas, but I never knew the story of how these banana farms came to be. I never knew how these people were impacted by these bananas. How did I not know this?
As I reflected more about the stories I was hearing in Gandoca, I could only think about how I was in a small town in a small country in a big world. There are an infinite number of stories just like this one across communities around the world about wrongdoing, hope, change, encouragement, and tradition, which I can learn from. Stories that can transform the world, they just need the right ears to listen.
I realized that I will never be able to hear all these stories; what I don’t know will always far outweigh what I do know. While this concept may seem disheartening, it can also inspire curiosity. I can be eager to learn and ask questions because if I don’t, I will never know the answer. And each answer is an opportunity for growth, unification, awareness, and friendship.
Intentional listening is not only applicable across the world, but in my day-to-day life as well. Whether that be with a new classmate, old friend, family member, or whomever I may cross paths with, I feel inspired to attentively listen with an open heart.