Days before we left for Costa Rica, a well-traveled fellow we met at a coffee shop in Soldotna said to us, “Costa Rica? Oh, that’s an easy country.” Considering this was Kevin’s first time preparing to travel away from North America, he wondered what the guy meant exactly by “easy.” Was he trying to tell us Costa Rica culture is similar to that of the United States? Or was he trying to tell us it’s easy to get around Costa Rica?
In the three weeks we’ve been living in Costa Rica, we have learned that yes, Costa Rica is easy. It’s easy to love. People are easy going. The colon is easy to convert into the dollar. Great food is easy to find. Getting around with public transportation is generally pretty easy. It’s easy to be pegged as an Outsider. And lastly, it’s easy to buy most things you really need.
But what we’ve also discovered is that Costa Rica has its challenges just like any other country. As Peace Corps trainees, we’re getting a more realistic view of Costa Rica than what most travelers get. And for better or for worse, the United States and Costa Rica differ in many ways.
Here are a few examples we’ve compiled over our first few weeks in country:
U.S. – You say hello to someone you pass on the street.
C.R. – You say adios, which means goodbye.
U.S. – Citizens of the U.S. call themselves Americans.
C.R. – Calling yourself an American is offensive because they consider themselves (Central) Americans too. They prefer to call us North Americans.
U.S. – The government spends billions on its military.
C.R. – Its military was abolished in the 1950’s.
U.S. – You eat specific foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
C.R. – You eat rice and beans at every meal.
U.S. – Septic systems can handle toilet paper, so it goes in the toilet.
C.R. – Septic systems can’t handle toilet paper, so it goes in the trash.
U.S. – Taking a shower is safe.
C.R. – Getting an electric shock while showering is common.
U.S. – The dryer dries your clothes.
C.R. – The sun dries your clothes.
U.S. – Many buildings have carpeted floors.
C.R. – Just about every floor is tile or cement.
U.S. – Zorro means fox, a small wolf-like creature with a bushy tail.
C.R. – Zorros are cat-sized members of the rodent family.
U.S. – Dogs generally have homes.
C.R. – Dogs roam freely.
U.S. – It’s against the law to pass when a road has double yellow lines.
C.R. – Double lines, if present, don’t mean a thing.
U.S. – Traffic congestion might slow you down.
C.R. – A landslide or washed out road might slow you down.
U.S. – People wear raincoats.
C.R. – People use umbrellas.
U.S. – Only jails or rough neighborhoods have bars on the windows.
C.R. – Just about every neighborhood, safe or rough, has bars on its windows (it’s a security thing).
Finally, we are in the process of getting a cell phone with Internet access. The phone could also provide our computer with Internet access if we can find a place that sells a data card. If any of you have one that you’re not using, let us know. We’d be happy to buy it from you. To us, having Internet access is more important than cell service thanks to Skype and Gmail. Skype offers free calls from computer to computer no matter where you are in the world, while Gmail offers free calls to any U.S. landline or cell phone.
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