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Over the next few posts I will share summary information from my thesis, which I recently finished. Here are the research basics for getting us started: Location: A town of 3,000 residents on the northwest coast of Costa Rica with a Spanish language school Participants: Local women host international students, providing breakfast, dinner, a room, laundry service, and conversation in Spanish. Women receive $20 a day. (Students pay $24 to the school.) Methods: 30 of the 58 active host mothers were interviewed, along with 9 school staff. I lived with 3 different women and said ‘yes’ to every offer of engaging in local life (birthdays, soccer team, Bingo…). Women host for income AND because they enjoy the experience, the cultural exchange, and the company. Most of these women (21 of 30) are the head of household responsible for the economic survival of the home. Hosting provides critical income, but it is not the only reason women host. See the pie chart, which is a result of further analysis of responses also represented in the word cloud below. |
Sara A.R.C. ClarkWorking at the University of Oregon, recently completed my MA in International Studies, continuing my investigation into Costa Rican host mother experiences. Archives
June 2015
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