Against my better judgment I have allowed myself to be elected to the board of the local Nosara Civic Association. My reluctance with my new position has less to do with the NCA(who I have supported for years and have great respect for) and more to do with my personal inability to not be shocked by the amount of classholes in our community.
Ok. That’s harsh. Maybe not classholes.
Lets say, “People with inflexible opinions on community issues that they only hold because the are in financially able to do so.”
Lets consider the road dust situation that we face as a community. I would like to give my opinion up front to get that out of the way. It is as follows:
“We, as a community, with the help of the municipality and the national government, need to find short term, environmentally friendly, solutions for dust control while focusing on getting the road paved as soon as possible.”
Since this is MY blog post and I am now feeling the rhythm and flow of giving out free opinions, here is another one:
“Anyone who disagrees with me on this issue is wrong and quite possibly, a classhole (see above)”
Our community has passed the point of dirt roads being able to be rationalized as better for the community. Yes, they make it harder for the thieves to get in and out. Yes, it is a filter to keep out Disney world, buffet line, all inclusive tourists. Yes, I agree, it is much easier to define ourselves as outliers if we can brag about our unpaved, jungle lifestyle on facebook.
And furthermore, every generation who are unfortunate enough meet Nosara after she has been paved will never understand about the good old days. Back when our cars fell apart after a year and our local rate of respiratory illnesses were through the roof. The laughs we shared about dusting out the local population on their way home from a hard days work. I mean really, the entire experience here will be drastically diminished if one can’t feel superior to every motorcycle and bicycle passed in a frosty cold, air conditioned truck…
The point is, it ain’t fair and it ain’t right for any of us to consider anything other than joining together as a community and pushing for pavement. For our friends, employees and family who are not fortunate enough, or who consciously decide they prefer not, to ride around in the protective cocoon of a late model SUV. I know this will come as a shocker to some, but there are those crazy folks out there that prefer NOT to drive around hermetically sealed off from the outdoors.
I would also argue that the fastest route to a biking, walking, alternative vehicle based community (See; “Modern”) is through permanent dust control. Jumping on a bike to check the surf minus, the threat of being severely “empanizado” from the dust storm in the wake of a passing Coca Cola truck is a much more attractive option. It is hard to imagine anything worse after a blissed out yoga class than the combination of mud and dust that is currently on offer. When half our community wraps themselves in swaths of various fabrics, adopting Mad Max fashion just to drive the few hundred meters to get anywhere in our community, you know something ain’t right.
A large part of me is sad to be writing this article. I understand that pavement, and the need for it, signifies a major shift in direction for our community. I, as much as anyone, love Nosara for who she is, potholes and dust and all. I know there are staunch opponents to paving and they are not going to like this post. And I realize that this post coming from a realtor is going to be easy to dismiss. However, none of this changes the fact that wanting to keep our roads dirt, is based on nostalgia for the “good ole days.”
Our response to this issue, defines us as a community. As an international community based in Costa Rica, we must start to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. Our collective websites are full of terms like environmentally friendly, sustainable, and green. I have heard talk of Nosara emerging as a “model” community for the rest of the world to emulate, A community where locals and foreigners have come together and created something special. Something worth repeating. I have no doubt that we have the ability to live up to that. But it will never happen if something so classist as paved roads are not fought for by the entire community.
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