Atenasians in our heart

by Jaime Palter Costa Rica Fall ‘98

This summer I returned to The School for Field Studies Center for Sustainable Development Studies in Atenas, Costa Rica, for the first time in a decade. Much has changed in my own life, at the Center, and in the surrounding community of Atenas. As I walked the rolling hills through the neighborhoods of Los Angeles and La Presa, there were many sights that were startlingly familiar: a tree bearing a pod-like fruit that the neighborhood boys showed us how to eat; a cluster of small houses crowding a certain bend in the road where neighbors had always yelled friendly greetings as we passed by. But perhaps more jarring than being instantly transported to the late 1990s were the signs of 2009: the fancy German coffee shop with English-language signs out front, the cars in almost every driveway, and the lavish modern houses walled off from the modest houses comprising the rest of the community.

The juxtaposition of the familiar neighborhood I once knew with all the signatures of change should not have surprised me. Indeed, no small portion of the curriculum focused on Costa Rica’s rapidly growing economy and the impact on natural resources. All of the amazing students at CSDS in the fall of 1998 probably could have predicted that 30 years of economic development would seemingly get squeezed into the single decade following our studies. Our education was aimed at understanding the many faces of such development, its hidden costs, its environmental and social impacts, and the resources it would demand to sustain itself. Noticing the many changes in Atenas, and mentally compiling lists of pros and cons for and against them, was just the most recent manifestation of the SFS education.

Arriving at the center after the long walk, another rush of warm memories cascaded through my thoughts. I began ask myself, where are my friends who made up such a passionate and cohesive group? I remember when we talked for hours in winding conversations that could have solved the world’s problems, when we voted to forego their morning cereal in order to reduce cardboard waste, when we danced on the Center’s concrete floors to mix-tapes of Latin music and played endless games of ultimate Frisbee with neighborhood kids. There are a few I’ve kept in touch with, whom I deeply admire. They are now scientists, parents, businesspeople, and Peace Corps volunteers. For my part, I have chosen a career in climate science, finished a PhD in oceanography in 2007 and now work as a postdoctoral teaching and research fellow at Princeton. My husband, who had long heard about my love affair with Costa Rica, and I were there on a much-needed vacation from our academic pursuits. Our stop in Atenas gave us access to a stronghold of idealism and youthful energy, infused with knowledge and critical thinking.

After meeting this summer’s crop of students, and the talented new faculty, we began to suspect that my classmates, while forever special to me, are probably not unusual. The Center remains a place where students can recognize their potential for learning under the influence of a transformative program. In the last decade, the Center has received renovations and new facilities that, no doubt, make living and learning there easier. The gardening and shared responsibilities around the farm have grown, affording current students a greater opportunity to learn these skills. The faculty and staff have been succeeded by energetic young professors with an impressive knowledge of their specialty and of Costa Rica. But, as the Center continues to evolve and develop, the motivation of the students and professors to learn and understand their host country, the yearning to make a positive difference in the community, and the actions to accompany this desire have more than sustained themselves.