March 7–13, 2007, Number 137
These are pictures of Anti-Free Trade Agreement graffiti located in the streets of Puntarenas.The graffiti written in black on the fence translates into English as, "The press lies, Arias [current Costa Rican President] lies, the TLC is not good for all."
CAFTA and Costa Rica
A note was recently posted at my school for all of the students from the United States. It warned us of a protest that was about to occur within the next couple days in San Jose, Costa Rica, which is located about two hours away from where I live in Puntarenas. The note also explained that protests have the ability to turn violent so it would be wise for us to keep a low profile. The note did not reveal what the protest was about, I was really interested, so I asked my Spanish professor who is a local Costa Rican.
I found out that the protest was in regards to CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement), which is expected to be agreed upon within the next month. In Costa Rica it is known as TLC (Tratado Libre de Comerico). From what I gathered, there are many Costa Ricans that agree with it and many who disagree, although I wasn’t able to find an exact number. Those in favor of the agreement believe that it will result in thousands of new jobs, jobs that are desperately needed here. Opponents argue that TLC doesn’t protect Costa Rican small farmers, who will have a difficult time competing with inexpensive US products. Critics also fear that the environment will suffer because local conservation laws will be ignored, resulting in mining and drilling. What I just described probably only scratches the surface of what the "expected" benefits and costs of implementing TLC are. I’m really interested to see how this controversy unfolds. Either way, I am hoping for the best, even though I am not quite sure what that might entail.
Here I am talking on Skype in the computer lab at my school in Puntarenas.
On a lighter note, I wanted to give some advice to anyone planning on traveling abroad. In some places, it can be really expensive to call the United States, which is the case from Costa Rica. I have found this website called Skype. By using Skype, I am able to call any landline or cell phone anywhere in the United States from Costa Rica for only .02 cents per minute! Of course, the prices vary from region to region. Also, if the person you are calling also uses Skype, then it is completely free for both people! All you need is a computer with internet access and a headset with a microphone. I bought one that cost only $8. Skype is becoming really popular and a lot of the internet cafes here have Skype and headphones for people to use. Skype has been so wonderful for communicating with my family. I am so far away from my family and miss them a lot, so it is nice to be able to call and talk to them for as long as I want and not have to worry about a huge phone bill.
Everything is going great here! The time is just flying by. This weekend, I am planning to go surfing with a group of students in Jaco, Costa Rica. It is going to be a lot of fun!
- Gozar de la semana (Enjoy the week)!
- Michigan Technological University
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