As I have mentioned in a previous post, October is the referendum on the DR-CAFTA Trade Agreement. Costa Rica is the only country that has not ratified it. The news and the protests are gearing up here for the Sí people vs. the No people. Even a taxi driver will try to pull you into a conversation about the subject. On Sunday, there were demonstrations on street corners and vans riding around town blasting propaganda through microphones. More soon...
9-30-07: Well, the referendum is a week away and the demonstrations more noticable. Paradoxically, while all this is going on, COMEX (The Ministry of Foreign Commerce) is meeting with representatives of the EU (European Union) to develop the AACUE, or a trade agreement between the EU and Central America. I was invited a summary meeting of the state of the negotiations to date in Herradura last week.
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A View of the Pasantía (Stay) with my Colegas Ticos, by Elaine S. Potoker, Ph.D.
Flag of Costa Rica
"Ticos": It is a famous expression in the Latin American world for Costa Ricans.
Biezanz, Richard, Biezanz, Karen Zubris, & Mavis Hiltunen Biezanz (1982). The Costa Ricans. p. 1.
"Costa Ricans call themselves Ticos. This name is said to stem from the colonial saying 'We are all hermaniticos (little brothers).' It also reflects their custom of referring to many things in the diminutive, ending in -ito., as in the other Spanish-speaking countries, and more characteristically in -ico. They even combine the two into a super-diminutive. Thus something small may not simply be chico or chiquito, but chiquitico."
Biezanz, Richard, Biezanz, Karen Zubris, & Mavis Hiltunen Biezanz (1982). The Costa Ricans. p. 1.
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My Fulbright Responsibilities
- The College and My Award:
- While in Costa Rica, I will be teaching at the University of Costa Rica in San José, which is right outside of the city in an area called San Pedro Montes de Oca. My Fulbright award is as a "Lecturer-Researcher." Therefore, 70% of my time will be research (investigaciones)and 30% in teaching (la docencia). Believe it or not, 30,000 students attend the University of Costa Rica, none of whom live in dormitories. (There are none).
- ...Regarding research, my Fulbright proposal commits me to investigate the challenges that companies are facing in the region specific to implementation of DR-CAFTA guidelines. Related areas of interest involve issues regarding technology integration, port security, and human resource capacitation. This will be a qualitative research endeavor. I have identified the following companies as potential interviewees: P/O Nedlloyd, Seaboard Marine, Remarsa, Junta de Administración Portuaria y de Desarrollo Económico de la Vertiente (JAPDEVA), Instituto Costarricense de Puertos del Pacífico (INCOP), Fed Ex Corp. (Gerente Director Regional), empresas locales: Hewlett Packard, IBM, Teradyne, Sykes, Baxter, Procter & Gamble I hope to involve my students in this effort, to include discussion of qualitative methodology--often under-emphasized or an "afterthought" in higher education business courses. The subject of DR-CAFTA is a political "hot potato" here, as Costa Rica is the only country that has not ratified it. There will be a referendum in November to decide the question.
...Regarding teaching, I will teach in the Business Administration Department in the area of Strategic Management. The "Facultad de Administración de Negocios" counts on 130 professors, 50% of who are part-time. There will be 5 sections of this course for 4th year students. For other Programs and Colleges at the University, go to http://www.ucr.ac.cr/facultades_escuelas.php and for the Business Administration Department visit http://www.ean.ucr.ac.cr/.
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