I absolutely love the Hispanic/Latino culture and am so excited to now be in Central America for the last three months of my World Race journey. So, I thought why not share a few things I really love about the Costa Rican culture.
Fun Fact: My first trip abroad and mission trip was to Costa Rica in 2014.
- Costa Rica is one of the twenty-two countries in the world who do not have a permanent standing army. In 1948, President Jose Figueres Ferrer abolished the military and now that money is used towards security, education and culture.
- Costa Rica has a literacy rate of 97.8 percent, one of the highest in the world.
- The nickname for Costa Ricans is “Ticos,” because of the habit in Spanish of using the diminutive at a higher rate than most other Spanish speaking countries.
- They have the largest percentage of territory protected (25%) than any other country in the world.
- Street names are not regularly used, but local landmarks instead. For example, the Costa Rican Vacations office address is: 100 meters west and 50 meters north of the main entrance to the National Stadium.
- All churches face west in Costa Rica, and every town, no matter how small, has a church, soccer field and pulperia (corner store).
- McDonald’s delivers to your home in Costa Rica.
- Local liquor is called “guaro” and is made from sugar cane. It’s usually paired with slices of mandarin limes.
- Their national motto is “Pura Vida!” meaning simple or pure life, you can use it to greet someone and/or to say goodbye.
- Costa Ricans are famous for observing Tico time, known locally as “la hora tica.” They habitually arrive late, often by 30 minutes or more, to dinner and social events – and tardiness is not seen as rude.
I am really enjoying this beautiful country and practicing my Spanish with many of the locals. English is not as common as I thought it would be, so it’s nice to be encouraged to practice, practice, practice when ordering food, using transportation and shopping. I can’t wait to discover more Costa Rican culture throughout the rest of the month!
