SIX THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT COSTA RICA (AFTER 1 YEAR!)
celebrating 1 year! not pictured: all our friends
Happy Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Anniversary! —what?!? It’s official — Shelbie and I have lived in Costa Rica for one whole year. It feels crazy to even say that. Last year went by in the blink of an eye and also so slowly, and I can’t believe I’ve called this beautiful country home for an entire year of my life. I’m also very proud of myself for keeping a (semi) regular blog of all my adventures while I’ve been here. I truly appreciate you all for reading my posts and encouraging this unconventional lifestyle we’re leading. It has brought me so much joy and led me to understand the world in incredible new ways. To commemorate that, I want to tell y’all 6 lovely things I’ve discovered about the culture while living in Costa Rica. Hopefully you find them as interesting as I do!
The Pura Vida thing is not just a marketing ploy
In the U.S., if a place has a catchphrase that’s been utilized for every marketing scheme, plastered on hats and keychains and towels and banners, chances are the locals don’t really use it themselves. In CR, that is definitely not what’s happened. Someone took pura vida and made it internationally popular— but the people didn’t care. They use it for everything. You could walk by a shop and overhear two people having a conversation entirely of pura vidas. It means hello, goodbye, what’s up, not much, thank you, you’re welcome, see you later— like I said, everything. And the people really believe it, too. You can tell when people use it that its such a special and normal thing in their country. Being chill is the lifeblood of this place.
The slang goes hard
I frequently have students ask me if learning Spanish is particularly hard here because of all the slang. Truth is, I had no idea there was more slang here than anywhere else, and I’m still at a pretty beginner level. But it’s true! You could pick up a Tico and put them in Mexico — or even worse, Spain— and you might need English as a buffer to translate things. All of the Latin American countries are so different in culture, food, history, and language. Costa Rica, however, is notorious for changing words for everyday items or things, creating their own little secret code that only Ticos understand. Some of my favorite examples: A cachete! means like… “damn, that’s nice!” A goma is a hangover. Chiva means “cool”. Corrongo means “cute”. And carre picha means “dickface”. I hear this one a lot. Everywhere. All ages.
Going to the pharmacy is more complicated than you think
Since living here, I’ve had my fair share of colds, headaches, ailments, and other pharmaceutical needs. The first couple times I went were…unsuccessful to say the least. I never thought about how getting medical supplies in another country can take on a culture of its own. One day I actually begged my class to tell me how I could buy some cough drops! No amount of Google Translate or articles were helping me in this situation. Turns out, most items are sold by brand name. So if you want cough drops, asking for cough drops isn’t going to work. You’ve gotta ask for Halls, or better yet, find out what the local, inexpensive cough drop brand is. (In CR, it’s Zorritone.) Mouthwash is Listerine, and contact solution is Renú. Of course if you were just visiting, the tourist destinations may understand English, or you could show them a picture and get by. But you best believe I walk in there now looking like a pro asking for my Zorritone.
The national pride is so strong
In today’s day and age, particularly in the U.S., nationalism can be a tricky, or even controversial subject. This isn’t the same world our parents grew up in, and having pride in your country or where you come from (if you’re American) can sometimes be viewed negatively. Or even interpret your values a certain way. Ignorantly, I thought everyone had a healthy skepticism in their country, government, and history. But that’s simply not the case here. Everyone is really proud to be Costa Rican, and to call this place home. They have a love for their country and everything within it in this obvious, passionate way. But it’s not construed as aggressive, simply common sense. Why wouldn’t we love it here? Why would we leave? I can count on one hand the amount of people I’ve met in the last year who say they want to live abroad or leave Costa Rica permanently. Sure, these people love to travel and explore the world, but this is home. Even those who hate how expensive it’s getting, or don’t like the current president, or disagree with things happening in the government, the (positive) nationalism is unwavering.
Fun Fact! More Americans live in Costa Rica (country of 5 million) than Ticos live in all of the U.S.
They are super opinionated (in the chillest way possible)
I get to see a special side to Ticos as an English Teacher. It’s my job to cultivate language, invoke thought, and get them talking. Sometimes, controversial topics are the only way to get them really jazzed. I could form a debate and write a thesis on the difference between two cracks in the sidewalk, but these folk offer a shrug when I ask about heavy hitter topics like climate change and foreign affairs. Ironically, the things that get them most fired up: the beach vs. the mountains. The best place to vacation in Costa Rica. The best food in Costa Rica. My teens have the language to argue about AI being beneficial or harmful to education, but they’d rather debate which fresca leche is best and whether Taco Bell or McDondald’s is better. Just last week, I watched two (intermediate) students argue for five minutes because one of them doesn’t put natilla (Costa Rican sour cream) on their beans and rice in the morning. Incredible.
Provecho
Okay, this may be a Latin thing in general, but it’s still something I’ve realized while here. Provecho is the Spanish version of Bon Appetit, but it definitely isn’t used like we use it. No matter what you’re eating, when you’re eating it, or who you are, if a Costa Rican passes you and sees you eating, you’re gonna get a provecho. I could be (and frequently am) stuffing my face with snacks during my 15 minute break in a dark corner of the school standing up and someone will find me and tell me provecho. It’s such a beautiful thing to me. Something that’s struck me the most while being here. I love that eating is sacred, that enjoying food is something to be acknowledged, and people don’t care about my rushing around and quickly trying to eat before rushing into my next activity, they’re still going to take a moment and say to me, Enjoy that. Provecho.
