Aiyana Demers' Story
My journey to Costa Rica with a group of Indigenous students and leaders will stay with me for my lifetime. When I saw the email with the opportunity, I felt very excited and privileged to have access to it. I never thought I would be chosen to go. After hearing I was one of the chosen interviewees, I was elated. I found out I got the opportunity on a day that my best friend passed away. It felt like her gift to me to continue living life to the fullest.
Many parts of this learning experience were impactful, but one of the most treasured experiences for me is the connections I made with other Indigenous students and leaders across Canada. I am grateful to have this connection for those of us in Eastern Canada because we will see each other again soon, but I am also amazed by the new friends I have made across the country. I got to share one of their first-ever beading experiences. I showed one of the other NSCC students how I bead flowers deep in the jungle one afternoon while drinking pour-over coffee and freshly fried and salted plantains. Her flower was beautiful.
Something that felt incredible was being able to talk about my Indigenous experience with others who understood it. I didn't have to explain myself or justify anything. They all just knew because of who we are and who our ancestors were. This made my soul feel like it has wings, and I feel lighter coming back. People have noted that I am different upon my return. I know that I'm more me. I will be eternally grateful to GLP and NSCC for this experience and to everyone who was on it together, making it what it was. Some comical parts that are easily understood and enjoyed by all are that I got to eat a live termite with our local guide and translator, and it was a purely enjoyable and shockingly delicious experience. They are, in fact, full of protein. I also accidentally lost my glasses in the ocean because of an iguana. I'll leave it at that.
In our time in Boruca, the Indigenous community in the mountainous jungle in Costa Rica, we were taken in with such openness and willingness to share, teach, learn, and accept. A few of the moments we were graced with were learning about the Cacao Ceremony and creation process, the artistic side of their culture involving mask making and the history behind it, and two elders sharing some stories, rituals, and history and learning about dreams and their God, Sibu, as well as the great snake that speaks with thunder. Honestly, I could never put into words those feelings or the experience of being on that land, but some moments that I will try to share are as follows. You'd never guess what a daily walk through the jungle will do for you.
Four days of moccasins, not barring you from the earth, but connecting you to it, rooting you, grounding you. Your body, tired but fueled by something you couldn't place at first, later realizing it's your ancestors, both pushing and pulling you one foot in front of the other. You can feel them smiling. Such a gift. Cold water washes your past away and leaves you cleansed.
The energy of the wisdom the Boruca elders and community members imparted upon us stays as a blanket and a protective barrier long after their words have fallen to silence back to the earth because the spirit of their message pierced through to your heart. Knowing the shared connective experience of Indigenous peoples extends far past the expanse of what Western influence calls Canada. We all hold the same colonized and oppressive trauma, the same resilience, the same stories and teachings, the same pride in our culture, and beliefs in community. We are all one. We are all here. Grandmother is smiling. The life I have that she never could.
This experience was a reminder of "ground up" for me. We learned to work with our hands to create every meal. Everything comes from the ground. All food starts with a hand planting it with care and tending to it with gentleness and love. When it grows, you offer it back to nature and take what you need, wasting nothing. Every meal was cooked over a hand-built fire, and the food and ingredients were carried, sometimes for kilometres. We supported each other through this natural experience. We learned, we healed, we grieved, we exchanged gifts and thanks, even through language barriers. Love, gratitude, energy - these things need no translator. The essence of being human was an intrinsic part of our shared experience.
Again, there are no words that I could use to describe this experience in full. What I can tell you is that it changed me and that I will eternally have a part of me left behind in Boruca, replaced with a new part of me I found there. My ancestors were waiting for me to find it, and now they look on as I figure out what to do with it.
As you can see, this journey had a profound impact on me, and I'd like to take some time to share some learning opportunities I had scholastically as well. I am an American Sign Language (ASL)/English Interpreting student, and during our trip, we had GLP partners, Dayana and Brandon, as our local guides and translators. It was an amazing observation experience for me to see translation and interpretation live in practice. I took the chance to watch and learn as much as possible, and each of them gave me some of their time to ask specific translation questions about their work and their processes. I am very grateful for their care and knowledge in answering my questions. I was able to learn from them and relate it to my courses and the interpreting models we have been given, as well as our process for transitioning from a spoken language modality to a signed language modality.
It was interesting to hear feedback on spoken-to-spoken modalities and the differences between them, particularly in terms of their inherent differences in being more consecutive interpreting as opposed to simultaneous. However, I was able to discuss a simultaneous experience with Brandon and learn from his thoughts on that. We also delved into memory capacities and how to strengthen those, and advised on how to prioritize when working receptively. I was also able to take an opportunity to interpret to myself in ASL on our bus rides when we were learning information ranging from Costa Rica to safety protocols, to what we were doing that day, and anything in between. I also got to flex my language brain by practicing as much Spanish as possible.
I felt it was essential to include all of these aspects in my blog because this experience was fully immersive. It was healing and educational for my mind, body, and soul, for my past, my present, and my future.
I will finish by saying thank you to everyone involved, which feels as though it will never be enough to convey the depths of my gratitude or the benefit this experience has had on me.
Hay hay. Wela'lin. Muchas Gracias. Thank you.