In Costa Rica we are referred to as "gringo." In some countries this is meant as an insult. This can be a little frustrating until you get used to it. This means they will say YES even though they have no intention of doing what they said YES to. Ticos think it’s a little rude to say NO to you. (I know this is more common in Canada than the States.) Ticos are quite repulsed by this. However, considering the fact that we drive our kids to the 7-11 to get them a caffeine filled 2 liter Super Colossal Big Gulp, I don’t think gringos should be casting any stones.ĭon’t take off your shoes when you enter a house. I was as shocked as any "gringo" when I first witnessed this. Kids (2 and up) drink coffee down here and are even given it to them by their parents. They usually happen in overtime of a great game. Be prepared for how you are going to entertain yourself with no electricity. Always have small bills/change.īlackouts are common especially during the rainy season. It is your fault for giving him a large bill, not at all his fault for not having enough change to run his business. You will tell him that you want to buy this item and he will say it is impossible. Strange as it may seem to us, if you walk into a store and want to pay for something with a large bill, the clerk often looks at you and shakes his head. Paying for things here can be a challenge. Remember this point, many students have spent three weeks suffering through freezing cold showers because they kept turning up the pressure hoping for hotter water. YET!) However, this means that the more water pressure you have the colder the water will be. ( I know water plus electricity sounds like a bizarre combination, but I’ve never heard of anyone dying. Many showers here are heated by electric heaters that the water passes through. Sleeper inners might get annoyed by all the commotion so early. So that is what time most ticos get up and start making noise. Tico men are not shy at all about expressing the fact that they believe a woman to be attractive. Personally, I would love it if girls were constantly shouting out how hot I looked, but I guess for women it’s annoying.ĥ Tips Every Woman Should Know about Living in Latin America I guess a little butt in the face is a small price to pay for the glorious aisle seat. Here they will kind of make room for you so you scrunch past them sticking your butt in their face in order to get to your lesser valued window seat. So if the window seat is open the aisle sitter will not simply move over to the window seat like back home. On the bus, the aisle seat is a prized possession. Keep your eyes peeled and be ready to duck fast at all times. Doorways, branches, roofs, and especially street signs will jump out of nowhere and try to decapitate you. (Warm beer sucks!)ĭo not assume that you have head clearance. Now it makes perfect sense, and I rarely drink my beer with no ice. I used to think this was bizarre and disgusting. (now just 20 times per week)īeer is drunk with ice in the glass. I just found this out a couple of years ago, and it helped me get lost a lot less. Just accept them and they will accept you.Īlmost all the churches in Costa Rica face west. Moron!”Ĭosta Rica does not have a shortage of ants. And if anyone complains, you can say “Hey! Are you blind? Look at my flashing hazard lights. Need to cut down a main street from 2 lanes to one lane in rush hour traffic because you have to pick up some milk? No problem. That means simply by turning on your hazard lights you can park anywhere you want. These things are also magical parking space creators in Costa Rica. Here is a typical conversation:Īll is spoken with a series of taps on the horn or by turning on your hazard lights for 2 blinks and flashing your high beams. Again, they are not trying to kill you or drive like maniacs. This can be very unnerving to us "gringos" who are not used to it. Meaning that cars travelling 80km/hour will pass within millimeters of pedestrians, and neither the driver nor the walker will even bat an eye. Ticos have a different sense of space than us. They are just not used to pedestrians assuming that the drivers should slow down or swerve. Drivers that almost hit you are not being rude or trying to hurt you. Pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way. That is the law. If you need to ask them something, do it BEFORE you pass through the sensors. This costs the driver money from his personal salary. Bus drivers will get angry if you stop exactly between the sensors or worse if you go back and forth through them. The buses have an electronic sensor to count the passengers. Here you have to treat car doors like they were Fabergè eggs. Back home we make sure it's shut good and hard. Ticos (Costa Ricans) don’t like it when we slam car doors. Here are some fun little quirks and cultural differences that you might experience down here in Costa Rica.
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