February 2007
Costa Rica
I have lived in Costa Rica for 18 months now. Many of the little customs and larger cultural habits have become a way of life for me and I hardly notice them (though there are still some, such as the traffic!, that I�ll never understand). Here�s a small peak into this world and what it is like to live in a foreign country.
Living abroad is definitely an experience no one who has done it will forget. In addition to adapting to a different language, noticeably not belonging (there are a few natural red-heads in Costa Rica, but still not enough to help me blend in), and having to learn how healthcare, the transportation system, telephone company, and grocery store work, here are a few other little things it is important to know if living in Costa Rica.
� Toliet paper does not belong in the toilet, it belongs in the trash can. The pipes and plumbing in Costa Rica are old or not of high enough quality to handle toilet paper. The pipes will get clogged if people put toilet paper down the toilet.
� Watch where you walk! The sidewalks are often full of holes, cracks, and it is not unusual to see manholes or sewage drains without covers (the metal is often stolen and sold).
� Don�t trust the drivers! Costa Rica has a really high car-accident rate. Many highways or multi-lane roads are missing the helpful white or yellow lane dividing lines that help to organize traffic. Without them, a two-lane road might suddenly have four lanes of traffic. It sure makes those taxi rides exciting!
In addition to these little things, there are several larger cultural pieces that you have to learn in order to live in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a fairly westernized country, and similar to the US in many ways, but the perspective on life and how the world works can make Costa Rican and the US seem as different as night and day. Here are a few important things to understand.
� The need to confirm meetings. Looking to find more opportunities to practice my Spanish and also wanting to expand my social circle, I signed up at a local language school as a conversation partner. I filled out a simple form with my name, phone number, and the time I was usually free, and then interested students from the school would call me to meet together and practice English/Spanish. One day I went to the school to meet a man who had called me just a few days earlier. We had decided to meet at the school at 6:00 pm. I arrived at 6:00, but he was not there. I waited for awhile, yet he still did not show up. The director of the school, however, was there and sat down to chat with me. While we talked, the receptionist tried to get in touch of the man who was supposed to meet me. When she reached him, he explained that he didn�t come because we hadn�t confirmed the meeting. I was confused because we had clearly set the time and place of our meeting. The director of the language school then explained this piece of Costa Rican culture. In Costa Rica, meetings � whether at work or with friends - are almost never truly scheduled until they are confirmed (usually that same day, or perhaps a day earlier). This was a lesson I have kept having to learn, as have the other international staff at the ILCO, as we have shown up for meetings that got changed without any kind of notification; Ticos are accustomed to calling to confirm meetings before getting on the bus or in their car to come. This drove me crazy at first, but now I am used to it and rather like it, and have used it to my advantage on multiple occasions.
� Perhaps related to this prior note or perhaps not, many Costa Ricans will never say no to an invitation. This does not mean that they will come, however. Costa Ricans (Ticos) are known for being overly courteous. For example, Ticos say �con mucho gusto� in response to �gracias� instead of the typical �de nada� that you will hear in other Spanish-speaking countries. Translated, that means that they say �with much pleasure� instead of the usual �it was nothing� in response to �thank you.� It is quite possible, then, to host a party and have many people say that they will try to come, yet have almost no one show up. In the same way, many Ticos will invite you to do something: �We�ll have to take a trip to the beach someday, or you�ll have to come by for coffee sometime, etc.� without any real intention of this event ever taking place. It is simply the courteous thing to say.
Now when you decide to move to Costa Rica, you�ll have had a sneak peek into the country and its culture!