Okay, so as I sat down to write this post there was a rumble, the floor
starting shaking, the walls started rattling, and we got up and ran
outside as fast as we could. That’s right - earthquake! Well, it was just
a little one, but it was really wild to feel the world shaking underneath
me. Earthquakes… I guess I’ll have to get used to this.
You’re probably asking yourself - ‘Earthquakes?!?!? Where the heck IS
that boy?!?!’ The answer is COSTA RICA!! After six months in Mexico I’ve
come down to Costa Rica to do my masters in international law and human
rights at the UN mandated University for Peace. It’s heaven.
Costa Rica is ridiculously beautiful. I just returned from a three day
weekend, during which time I swam in some of the most beautiful beaches
I’ve ever seen, saw two volcanoes, drank coconut juice and rum by the
pool, got a fantastic tan, and improved my Spanish while dancing salsa
and merengue in the company of my beautiful Latina escorts and Latino
bodyguards. Life here is rough indeed.
Classes are superb. I’ve got 33 students in my program, from all over the
world and from a wide range of backgrounds. They are all brilliant,
interesting and have had amazing, amazing experiences. It is also the
best-looking group of students I’ve ever had the honor to be a part of.
The classes work on a block system, with core professors, top in their
field, and visiting professors from all over the world who come to
lecture for a week or so. Right now I’ve got three classes, International
Law, Human Rights and Peace Studies. My law professor is from Iceland and
a former judge on the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea. he spent
four years on the beaches of Costa Rica writing his book. My Human Rights
professor is from Brazil and has done all sorts of ridiculously cool
things - she was a professor at Cambridge in England just before she came
here. She also bears the distinction of being the most ridiculously,
downright hot teacher I’ve ever had. I had lunch with her and some of the
equally hot alumni/TAs (one of whom is my law professor’s daughter!!!)
today and they were talking about how she (my Human Rights professor) has
way too much tequila and it needs to be finished so we’ve got to have a
tequila party soon. Doh! The Peace studies class is taught by a rotating
group of professors, each doing a week at a time. We read like heck (150
pages of international law for tomorrow’s class), have tons of work, but
damn if we don’t have a good time as well!
The campus is ridiculously beautiful - basically one huge garden on the
side of a mountain, with a small, yet beautiful, cluster of buildings for
classes, research, etc. Our student lounge has showers, a kitchen,
lockers, ping-pong, computers with high-speed internet, outdoor barbeque
pits, cable TV, a stereo… just in case we want to camp out on campus
for a couple days. Ping-pong is the unofficial school sport, and I must
say that I’m getting pretty good. We’re working on getting together a
soccer league as well.
Weather is wonderful in the morning and then we usually get a storm in
the afternoon, but it’s not that bad. It never gets too hot here nor too
cold - just right. It’s rainy season right now, but come November it’ll
get a bit warmer and a lot less rainy and will stay that way until May.
That’s when I plan to do all my ‘studying’ outside.
I’m taking a real liking to Latin music and dance and trying to figure
out how I could mix Irish and Latin - I think it’s just a matter of time.
They’re both so much fun - I think if we mixed them together it might be
dangerous.
I’m immersing myself in research about modern day slavery and plan to be
a real authority by the end of the year. Right now I’m reading a superb
book on the subject called ‘Disposable People’ by Kevin Bales. I highly
recommend you pick it up at the library or book-store. It’s an intense
read, but extremely well written and worth knowing. I’m in the process
at the moment of contacting him, Anti-Slavery International, and the
American Anti-Slavery group to see whether I might be able to do my
thesis in cooperation with them, making it something useful to their
organizations, and hopefully have it published as one of their official
documents. We’ll see how it all works out and I’ll be sure to let you
know as things work themselves out. No promises, but it’s good to start
moving in the right direction.
Class representative elections are coming up next week and I’ve been
nominated as a candidate for rep for the law program. It would be a lot
of work, but really good work and I’d be happy and excited to do it. I’d
also be happy to have anyone else in the class do it as everyone else
seems more qualified - but hey, if it happens it happens and I’ll do my
best. It’s cool because it doesn’t seem to be competitive thing in our
class, which I would hate to be a part of. I’ll let you know how it all
turns out.
So, yeah, Costa Rica is pura vida (pure life). Every day I feel more
blessed, honored and just full of joy to be here. It’s hard not to smile.
Be in touch.
Peace, love and lots of fun!
Chris
P.S. - Here are links to some photos from a recent UPeace party. I
thought you might enjoy them 
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4289177589&code=6414702&mode=invite
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4289168795&code=6427591&mode=invite
