Episode Transcript: Kley Rojas

00:00 – Indigenous Nomadic History of Nosara

Rich Burnam (Rich): Bienvenidos. Bienvenidos a el podcast. Yo creo que todo el mundo te conoce como Kley—

Kley Rojas (Kley): My grandfather, his roots are Azteca, originally indigenous. My grandma, she is from outside the area, actually their parents together. So they got married, and that’s where I come from. They were like nómadas indígenas walking around, and my grandpa ended up getting here. That’s my grandpa. Here they had my mother, and my mother had twelve brothers. We are a big family.

01:15 – Nosara Infrastructure Before Roads and Electricity

Kley: Grandpa came here when it was a mountain, and he told me about going down to La Boca, La Antupeladas, and they got to the area before the green project. It was super wild. To get to Garza, before the roads and electricity, that was the only place to get supplies. That’s how my grandma had some kids, how they could go and do medicine stuff or shopping. They had to take the pangas.

02:30 – Generational Perspectives on Town Growth and Tourism

Rich: What does your family roots think about Nosara today? Is everyone in shock? What’s it like to come from the deepest level of originality for this area and see it become popular to the world?

Kley: I don’t speak for all of them. I don’t really know what they all think. I live with my mother, so I know what she thinks because I see her all the time and we talk about it. She herself is not upset about it. She don’t really care. She is happy with what she lives. The difference between a lot of people and my family is they know how to live. So my mom, we have a lot of stuff, but she just goes to a supermarket. She don’t really mix where Guiones comes to the beach. She likes to go to a place buscando empty spaces. She can go to Golfo or she will go down to San Juanillo. She don’t have anything against it; she’s just that kind of person.

04:00 – Using Cultural Shifts as an Opportunity to Learn

Kley: I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I actually think it’s cool because it makes me learn and see the deeper side of it. I can learn so much. I can be able to speak English, be able to communicate with different cultures, and learn something else. Like I’m here with you talking right now, having this podcast right now.

Rich: That’s a good point. So it’s not all bad, eh?

Kley: There is always going to be something good and bad. You can never change it. A person in general can make a difference, but you cannot change everything. You have to adjust. You really have to do both. The only thing you can do is take action trying to change yourself, because people don’t change anything just by complaining.

05:10 – Dropping Out of School and Parental Life Lessons

Rich: So you’re in a very interesting position because you’re truly from here, as original as they get. You’re seeing it grow, but you’re also finding opportunities to learn and grow yourself, and now you have a chance at having a successful life. So you do see the positive. Let’s get to the serious stuff. How do you feel about surfing here? Because when you were younger, if I remember, you didn’t even come to Guiones until you were older.

Kley: Yeah, because I was raised like a town kid. I dropped out of school.

Rich: Why is that? Why did you do that? That’s a very interesting part of your story.

Kley: My mom always gave me a lot of lessons in life. She taught me so much about situations. At the time, she ran a supermarket as well, and she was like, “I will do all this stuff, but I’m not going to give you everything.” I have two sisters and one brother who are older than me, so she kind of gave them everything, and then she said, “I’m not going to make the same mistake with you. You are not going to have everything you want just like that.” She made me learn the lesson of how to work for my stuff, and I actually liked it because I like to interact with people. I like to listen to someone and learn from different people.

07:15 – Selling Tortillas and Local Education System Deficiencies

Rich: Yeah, well, that certainly happens here, right? Like, this is one spot you can meet amazing people.

Kley: Yeah. I walked to houses every day in the morning. I would wake up at 4:00 AM or 5:00 AM, go to school, and I did it for a few years. It was actually fun. I liked to make money at a really young age. That’s pretty much my story from when I was in high school. Our education system here is really bad. We need support from the government or from the local people to fix that, because that lack of education is what’s creating a lot of friction in general, with kids doing stuff they shouldn’t be doing. If they had a better education, they wouldn’t do it. But back then, I was selling tortillas en la calle.

08:45 – Early Surf Obstacles and Video Production Work

Kley: I surfed when I was younger, but I actually broke my arms, and my mom was like, “No, you’re not doing that anymore.” So I had to do something else. Eventually, I remember taking the bus to town, and a random person gave me this old surfboard that nobody wanted in Guiones. Maikol is my cousin, right? Somebody knocked on my door for two days, and I remember trying to find harmony with it. I got super tiny waves. I started talking to people, trying to connect. I didn’t speak much English at the time, but I was trying to connect with people and talk. I didn’t want to waste my time with the wrong things. I wanted to do the job that I had to do in the moment. I was working for the place.

Kley: I helped him with the camera, we got some videos, and he gave me a job. I remember thinking, Yeah, I can do it. I like it. I want to see what’s going on here. He was a really amazing person who put food in my life. He was a random surfer in the community, like Milton and those guys. There are so many good people around here.

10:30 – Surf Coaching Mentorship under Maikol and Jim

Kley: He was helping them surf, and he said to me, “I want to bring you with Maikol.” So I started to work with Maikol from zero. I actually learned a lot of my English with Maikol, and I learned how to surf and how to teach surf lessons. He taught me a lot. In the end, his family became very close to me. I stuck around the community, surfed with the boys every day at sunset, and got to meet a lot of people. I had a beautiful girlfriend at the time, and she taught me a lot of English too. That’s pretty much the story. I was always looking for a better future, trying to see what else I could learn. I enjoyed my journey so much, surfing for a long time and doing lessons. Then I remember meeting Jim, the engineer. Jim was like, “Bro, what’s up?” I really learned a lot from him. Now I’m here working, and we are really happy.

11:45 – Door Knocking, Facing Anxiety, and Overcoming Rejection

Rich: Yeah, I was just about to say that. What do you see for the next couple of years? Because you’re in an exciting spot in life. You are no longer a kid; you’re right in that spot where your plane is taking off into the air. Now you have English, you have a skillset, but you also have a background in sales from even as a little boy knocking on doors. Essentially, that’s a phenomenal skillset. For me, when I quit playing baseball, I found surfing and went to Costa Rica. While I was in college, I quit baseball and realized I had to learn how to sell, so I started knocking on doors. I had very big anxiety, so I was very, very scared of rejection. Someone—a nice man—told me, “Son, the way you will always have a job is if you learn how to face your biggest fear of rejection and get through it.” I did that, and it changed my life. I think where you’re going is going to be very special because of this interesting story—coming from nothing, with no money and no language, adjusting completely, and now you work for a pretty solid spot. Your future is very, very bright. It’s an exciting success story that’s not even close to being done; it’s just happening.

13:00 – Learning from the Older Generation of Fishermen

Kley: You know, I’m very, very grateful for all that is happening. Sometimes when I’m alone, I have these thoughts because I feel like everyone should listen to themselves sometimes. I go away, keep quiet, and listen to what I think. I just think, Alright, literally, I am so grateful for where I come from. Growing up in Nosara, in the rivers with my friends, learning how to go hunting, finding shrimps, and fishing with all these old fishermen. I grew up around a lot of older local people, so I feel more comfortable around them. After I turned fifteen, I started trying to learn how to handle rejection, even when I was super nervous to do it. All my friends were still in school, and I was just the kid out there trying to do it. But right now, I look back and think, Wow, this is really cool. I don’t have anything to show to nobody except to myself. I’m actually super, super glad.

13:40 – Mindset Strategy: Solving Difficult Life Challenges

Rich: You have a very strong confidence—a little bit above your years in what you’re saying right now—as far as being comfortable with who you are. Everyone should listen to themselves, everyone should go face the fear and get past it, and make sure you have gratitude. I mean, you’re not an old man; you’re in your early approaching mid-twenties essentially, and your career is going incredibly well and doors are opening. What message do you have for the other kids out there? Maybe we should change to Spanish so that we can get this part of the message out, because to me, you are an example that everyone should want other kids to see. You can come from nothing to here and make it. It doesn’t matter if you have nothing; you can make it if you work hard enough and go in the right direction consistently for a long period of time. Your long period of time started early in life, but that’s also making the rest of your life look very open. In a way, it’s a blessing, right? And you see it that way, which is amazing. A lot of people are like, “I came from nothing,” and they get stuck and kind of stay there. It’s interesting that you got out. So I don’t think that was just luck. I know it wasn’t just luck; it’s fortitude. Yeah, it takes that. You have to face it. What is your message for the people around here?

Kley: Okay, nada es imposible. Creo que nosotros ponemos nuestras propias limitaciones, honestamente. Hay momentos en la vida que hay cosas que son muy difíciles, ¿verdad? Pero no sé, creo que debemos de sentarnos, parar y pensar: Okey, estoy aquí ahora en este momento, y pensar cuál es la solución. Si uno nunca tiene momentos difíciles en la vida y no los soluciona, no trabaja en ellos, nunca se va a dar cuenta y nunca va a aprender cómo compartirle eso a su familia. Nunca va a poder cuidar de ellos mismos. Nunca va a poder sentirse fuerte para poder estar no sé dónde la vida te lleve. You have to be strong enough for the people. It always starts with yourself, surrounding yourself with the people that help you to be strong, and you can get through it. You can succeed.

15:30 – Nurturing Youth Talent and Avoiding Peer Pressure

Rich: Okey, ¿cuáles son sus recomendaciones para los niños para la educación o para sus talentos? Recomendaciones para ellos. ¿Es la escuela, las personas, o es una combinación de todo?

Kley: No sé, creo que cada niño que tiene su talento debería, no sé si por ellos mismos o por sus familiares y sus padres, si tienen un talento, deberían de hacerlo. Y no dudar, like, don’t doubt it. Conocí a un niño súper joven que tiene mucho talento. No sé su nombre, pero él anda aquí siempre moviéndose, hustling. Y mi recomendación para los adolescentes es que si tienen la oportunidad de hacer algo bueno, háganlo. He aprendido esto: cada vez que algo da miedo, es cuando es mejor, porque va a convertirse en algo increíble.

Honestamente, esto suena como un consejo muy repetitivo: estar fuera de malos pasos, be honest, be true. Ser honesto, no estar en una fiesta intentando hacer cosas para que las personas adultas que están en la fiesta piensen que eres cool. Si vas a una fiesta, disfruta, toma, está bien, haz lo que quieras, pero no lo hagas para blend, no lo hagas simplemente para estar con personas o para que las personas te acepten, porque eso en realidad no te va a llevar a ningún lado. Mi consejo para los jóvenes es que ellos vean quiénes quieren ser y se rodeen de personas que sean como ellos quieren ser.

17:30 – English as a Key Passport to the Tourism Economy

Rich: Es buena información. Qué importante es el inglés para los testigos. Estamos en una comunidad como Nosara y Guiones, y esa es la llave. En realidad, no hay que verlo como, “Oh, nos van a dar trabajo.” Es como una llave, un pass para poder llegar a otro lugar si realmente quieres estar en un mejor lugar. Si aprendes inglés, es muy importante porque en realidad el turismo mueve la mayor parte económica en Nosara. No está mal, simplemente tu decisión es: ¿quieres estar en Nosara trabajando en un supermercado—que está bien—o puedes trabajar en una finca con vacas y animales, o sea, cualquier cosa? Pero cada quien es dueño de sus propias decisiones, ¿entiendes?

Rich: Mm-hmm. So, usted decide dónde quiere estar. Pero para usted estar ahí, ocupa ver cuál es la escalera, el stepladder, que ocupa tomar para llegar. Exacto, ocupa aprender inglés, súper importante para la comunicación, pero también para hablar con otras culturas y hablar con la gente que viene de otros lugares. Para su experiencia, esto se basa en las relaciones. Relaciones. En realidad, no es la escuela.

19:00 – The Rule of Autorespeto and Creating Your Own Reality

Kley: Es relaciones, sí, en realidad. Usted va progresando en su vida con sus relaciones y un buen trabajo, pero requiere mucho tiempo y consistencia, ¿verdad? Sí, y el respeto también. Respetarse mucho a sí mismo. Nunca dejar que personas que se sienten más grandes que uno lo hagan sentir mal. El autorespeto es muy importante. Yo sé que muchas personas a veces se sienten un poco preocupadas por lo que otra persona crea de ellos o por lo que piensen. Nadie es más que nadie, honestamente. Nunca hay que tener miedo de otras personas. Simplemente ser honesto. Si no has hecho nada malo, camina con su cara viendo al frente y no estar nervioso de intentarlo. Nunca. No hay que estar de miedoso. Simplemente, si no lo intenta, nunca se va a dar cuenta de qué pasó. Y si no lo hace, va a llegar un momento en la vida en que vas a estar como, ¿Qué habría pasado si lo hubiera hecho? Y no quieres estar ahí. Si estás dudando, nunca hay que dudar.

Rich: Esperanza y confianza. Confianza.

Kley: Yo lo llamo esperanza. Esperanza es más como cuando usted cree que eso va a pasar. Yo personalmente tengo fe, pero también siento que para cada uno es diferente. Yo pienso diferente y yo sé que no todas las personas alrededor mío son iguales. Entonces, no sé cómo compartirlo, simplemente es mi personalidad: yo creo que nosotros creamos nuestra propia realidad. Y eso me lo enseñó Roey. Roey es mi hermano, and he taught me that. You create your own reality. You walk through your reality, caminar viendo a donde uno quiere estar.

Rich: Mmm, dime más. Sí, y en español también. Usted camina en su propia realidad. Me gusta esa frase.

Kley: Sí, uno crea lo que uno quiere hacer. Just what I like to do, what I like to be, and how I want to do it. I respect a lot about religions and God, pero también me gusta decir: “Sí, soy capaz de hacer esto y puedo hacerlo”. Y no paro hasta que lo termino o hasta que encuentro el camino. Encontrar el camino siempre, de alguna manera. No tomar las cosas buscando el camino fácil, porque eso nunca va a funcionar. Nunca.

20:45 – Summer Lifestyle Habits in Nosara

Rich: Es buena esa. Gracias para compartir. Okey, regresamos a usted. ¿Cuáles son sus actividades este año? Tres actividades, más o menos.

Kley: Eso es normal, es como un lifestyle, la vida personal. Me gustaría surfear, despertar en el verano que ya casi viene, ir con amigos, ir a un restaurante a comer. Vamos a surfear a las 6:00 de la mañana en Guiones o en cualquier lugar. Me gusta. Ahora estoy en un punto en mi vida que es diferente. Ya surfeo en Nosara, tengo mis compañeros de trabajo y amigos, y me gusta que estoy aprendiendo. Entonces, para mí hay muchas cosas divertidas en Nosara, hay mucho por hacer.

Rich: Sí, por esa razón era mi pregunta. ¿Qué es más divertido, pescar o surfear?

Kley: Ah, surfear, sure. I like it. It’s fun.

21:15 – Kley’s Local Restaurant Guide (Mala Crianza, El Coq, Harmony, La Luna)

Rich: ¿Cuáles son sus restaurantes favoritos? Tres restaurantes favoritos.

Kley: Like Mala Crianza.

Rich: So what’s your favorite thing at Mala Crianza? El casado de pescado?

Kley: El casado de pescado is fun. The sauce they have—I don’t know, the salad dressing—works so good. También un buen casado en El Coq. I mean, I am close by, my house is right there. Tienen una vista hermosa, disfrutas el sunset. I know it’s a little expensive, but it still has good stuff. You can just pick one. Man, I don’t know, there are a lot of good restaurants, you know? For me, I don’t actually have one single favorite restaurant. I like Harmony, La Luna, and getting a pizza across from the supermarket. This guy Dennis used to work there, that’s the thing. He was a chef and he decided to start his own business, and that’s an amazing burger. For me, that’s one. I just think about what I want in the moment, not just the place.

22:15 – Local Surf Talent Profiles (Esteban Air, Dumbo, Andy, Marcelo, Alia, Jesse)

Rich: When you grow up here, you get to understand and meet a lot of places, and you get the full experience. Let’s talk about the local surf scene as far as style goes. Who stands out to you?

Kley: We grew up together, and it’s crazy how about two or three years ago things changed. Surfing style-free, I like Esteban Air. And Dumbo, yeah. Andy, I think Andy is really good. Marcelo Chata, Maikol, they are doing good competitions and good stuff.

Rich: Okay. What about the women?

Kley: Yeah, actually, I’m seeing a lot of improvement in women’s surfing. I’ve seen Alia getting a lot better. Man, I’m really bad with names, but I wish I could say all of them. Jimena, I’ve actually seen Jimena progress. I see her at the Athletic Center. I don’t see Jesse in the water too much lately, but I remember her. A lot of people think she just has it easy for money or they just give her money, but she works hard. We do lessons together. We do lessons and stuff. I actually met her when she first came here, the first week before her mom decided to move here to surf.

23:30 – Staying Neutral Amid Local Arguments

Rich: Any final messages to anyone in particular? Anything on your mind that you want people to know?

Kley: No, I mean, I’m just very grateful to be around the community. I work here and feel super comfortable around everyone. I don’t have any issues with anyone around, and I don’t see anyone as an enemy on the runway. I’m actually happy. I’m just excited for the summer, good waves, and seeing all the boys and all my friends around. I’m excited. Work is super sick, and it’s going to be a fun journey. We’re just in a good spot right now. I don’t have anything heavy to add; I’m very happy with the people that I know. In general, it’s nice for all the people who live here and the people who come. I am neutral. I like to be in the middle. I know some people have to argue, but I don’t want to deal with that or get stuck in the middle of it. They will find their way to blend and work it out, but for me, I’m just happy to participate, learn from people, and understand what their morals are. That’s interesting to me. I’m happy and excited, so thanks.