¡Viva la diferencia!

Some of you have asked me about some of the differences we have found here in CR (Costa Rica). Here is only a partial list of some of our observations:

-Almost all liquids here come in bags (ie. ketchup, jelly, sour cream, washing detergent, etc...)

- The largest denomination of money is 10,000 colones, which is around $20 US dollars.

-There are beautiful hummingbirds and flowers (birds of paradise, hibiscus, etc...) everywhere that are not easily found in the US. There are no pine trees, robins, oak trees, or nut trees here in CR. (Nuts are very expensive here...please bring me some pecans at Christmas, Mom!)

-No one writes checks here. They only use credit cards, debit cards, or cash. If you pay cash at some small stores you can get a discount for using cash (about 7%). There is also no sales tax here as well.

-People do not put their toilet paper in the toilet bowl. They put it in the trash cans next to the toilet. The nurse in me finds this practice VERY disturbing.

-It rains really hard here. The fist time we saw the rain come down here I was reminded of that line from Forrest Gump: http://www.gotwavs.com/php/sounds/?id=gog&media=WAVS&type=Movies&movie=Forrest_Gump&quote=raining.txt&file=raining.wav

-Almost all mayonnaise here is flavored with lime. I Love it!!!!

-Houses are locked up like Fort Knox. There is a front gate with sharp spikes protruding from the top, an iron gate in front of most doors, and then the doors themselves. Most yards are surrounded by big walls with concertina wire on top to prevent climbing.

-There is no air conditioning here. Most of the time it is not really necessary anyway, but I am sure my friends from the OR (i.e. Dr. Wolfley) would probably die of heat stroke at night trying to sleep. Due to the constant moisture we have found lotion unnecessary, but cologne/perfume absolutely essential.

-Driving laws are optional, but horn honking is mandatory.

-Pedestrians=speed bumps (See above)

-Everything here takes more time. Going to the grocery store can take more than 2 hours just for a few items. First we have to decide, will we walk, catch a bus, or a taxi? If it is raining we don't want to walk or wait 20 minutes for a bus, so we usually call a taxi. If it is during rush hour we pray the taxi actually shows up since they never acknowledge on the phone that they are actually coming to get you after you give them the directions. On entering the store you must turn over any bags (except for purses) to prevent anyone from easily shoplifting any items. Once you arrive at the store you find yourself wandering aimlessly looking for items you recognize. One lady from our group here bought baking powder instead of salt because she couldn't read the label yet. There are many choices here in CR, but not all of them are good. For instance, women in the store dressed in regular clothing stand there and try to pedal their product to you when you are trying to look at say, lunch meat. Even though I know what they are trying to do I find myself playing the stupid gringa and telling them in English that "I don't really need any help, thank you." If you are buying any produce you have to get the man at the scale in the produce aisle to weigh it for you and put a sticker on it before you go to the checkout counter. God forbid you get to the checkout and don't have all your produce labeled with the proper stickers. That's a major no-no! And at last there is paying at the checkout. In rapid Spanish you hear a lady say"Setentaseismilochocientosnoventaidos colones," SAY WHAT??? Now comes the fun of trying to flag down one of those elusive taxis at the front of the store. By the time you get home you are thoroughly exhausted and realize of course that you forgot the milk which was the whole reason you even went to the store in the first place.

-There are no street names or numbers, but I am told they are trying to place some street signs and numbers on some areas in downtown San Jose. Most believe this is a fruitless endeavor as the signs are made of metal and all the junkies like to sell any scrap metal they can get their hands on.

-Some streets have their own security guards that are there 24/7 with a day guard and a night guard. We (the residents) pay these men to watch out for potential robbers. Although they have no real weapons to speak of I have heard they will chase someone down and beat them senseless if they steal or mug someone when they are around. Usually these guys are from Nicaragua. Which leads us to the next thing...

Things that are the same:

-The people here tend to treat Nicaraguans the same as Americans treat people from Mexico. They allow them to take the jobs they do not want, like landscaping, construction labor, and guard duty. Many of the jokes are also about what they refer to as "Nicas." The Ticos (Costa Ricans) seem to feel that although the Nicas are doing this so they can better their lives, they should go back and better their country instead.

-Most Ticos are very friendly. It is kind of like being in a large city in the South. Busy, but the people will take time to talk to you if you ask them a question and they appreciate our attempts at learning their language.

-These people here love their roasted chicken (kind of like Southerners love fried chicken).

-Ticos enjoy a good party and love a weekend at the beach.

-Ticos love their kids. This is evidenced by all the parks they have and the fact parents are frequently seen there with them playing and spending time as a family. We were glad to keep this tradition here in Central America. We have become park connoisseurs and enjoy the opportunity to meet Tico families and make new friends. They truly are a wonderful people.

So, with all this in mind and the many other things not yet named we say "¡Viva la diferencia!"