Costa Rica.
Nothing Is Closer To Paradise.
Eric W. Robinson - Adventure Inn Hotel

| Introduction | Costa Rica Vacation | Caribbean Coast | Pacific Coast |
| History | Everything Grows | The Ticos | Ex Patriots | Oldest Profession |
| Staying Safe | Ecotourism Vs Poverty | Government Responsibility |
| Fixable Problems | Closer to Paradise |

TICO CUSTOMS

Many Ticos lack some of the manners with strangers that we take for granted, like not holding a door open for you. Telephone manners are almost comical. When the phone rings, you pick it up and hear a voice asking you, "Quien habla?" (Who is talking?). It throws you off! But face to face, Ticos invariably take time to say hello, shake your hand, and make small talk before entering into any serious discussions. Projecting a good image is very important to Ticos. Other than beggars, Ticos are always well groomed and wearing cleanly pressed new looking clothes and polished shoes. Their fashion sense is derived from North America and Europe. Displaying the newest, smallest, coolest cellular phone is more important than how well it works. Many Ticos can be seen zipping around in an expensive SUV (often on lease), yet their home inside is sparsely decorated.

Women together and men and women who have met before, even only once, always greet and say goodbye with the mutual smacking sound of a kiss brushing the cheek, even each day at work. For a Tico, being half an hour late is not considered late, and they can't understand why punctual gringos get impatient waiting for them. Leaving with a good impression is very important to them, shaking your hand once again. Many give directions even when they don't have a clue. Saving face is a priority, especially when it is a question of their intelligence. Managers must be careful disciplining a male employee, and to treat him as an equal who has strayed. The winner of an all-male argument usually stops short out of courtesy allowing the loser to save some face. If you verbally put a Tico down, don't be surprised to discover scratches on your car, or your dog has been poisoned. It is unwise to trust what many Ticos say and promise. Many gringos discover the date they had with that lovely Tica (female Tico) is a "no show".

The Wheels May Be Starting to Fall Off Ticos are still a proud and resilient people but often today their smiling faces are a facade for suffering and deep rooted worries. As little as a generation ago, most were self-sufficient. Today, many families have lost their land in order to pay their bills and are having trouble making ends meet. Tico society is being undermined by both the cruel realities of the outside world, and population pressures from within. The importance of family co-operation can not be over-estimated. Grandparents, aunts and uncles live with and care for the children in large extended families while parents try to make a living, often pooling income from any source in a hand to mouth fashion to pay the bills. Most homes have a color television with rabbit ears but cable is a luxury. With an unexpected windfall, the poorer families on mass are treated to McDonalds.

The macho attitude is possibly more subdued in Costa Rica than other Latin American countries, but still prevalent. Pretty young women are constantly honked at, even by bus drivers and sometimes the police. Men feel they can stay out to play and drink as long as they want while their women at home have little say. The male role is clearly defined by their sense of natural superiority, expecting to be served by their woman, abstaining from household chores, and with the freedom to cheat around. The national pastime, soccer (fotbol), takes a back seat to the male bonding and the prowess of successful flirting. Simple arithmetic necessitates newly liberated women throughout Costa Rica must be accepting short term relationships as well. Eight percent of all children have a father listed as unknown. Many families are all female with the grandmother as the head matriarch, her daughters working and their children at home under her care. Sexual discrimination is against the law, and many women have attained very high positions in the government and universities, however low level labor discrimination is ingrained with virtually no upward mobility for women in the private sector. A woman employer must more than earn her respect from male employees.

Ninety percent of Ticos are Roman Catholic. But they do not demonstrate the faith that those of other Central American countries do who have toiled the land for generations, working under horrendous conditions to support their families. Religion gives them something to hold on to, a belief in the afterlife. However, in Costa Rica church attendance is relatively low. From early on, the church had little success commandeering the morals and ethics of the egalitarian and upwardly mobile Ticos. They have traditionally wanted it all now, and believed they could get it. Even though the church has insisted abortion be illegal, it is well known that for a few hundred dollars, doctors can be found to perform the operation. Most Ticos have crosses and religious artifacts proudly displayed in their homes, say they believe in God, and pray to certain saints with specific powers depending upon the occasion. But religious holidays (as well as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and civil holidays) are great excuses for families and friends to reunite and party. The family is slowly breaking up though.

Some Ticos are indifferent to animals. Many even have a mean streak towards them. Pets are seldom part of a loving family. Illegal exotic birds are kept in small cages. Few cats survive past kittens, and dogs are often confined in the back yard and are never walked or played with. Ticos are mostly afraid of dogs because many become vicious from neglect. Ticos allow their dogs to endlessly bark at nothing, much to the annoyance of most neighbours. Thus the practice of poisoning dogs is common. In my estimation nearly half of all dogs die of poisoning, the other half by cars, few make it to old age. My sweet old black lab was kicked needlessly in the head, and had rocks fired at him. When he got lost in San Jose, I ran a classified ad in "La Nacion" (Costa Rica's largest daily newspaper) and received several calls from pranksters cruelly saying they had my dog. I never did find old "Murphy".

Surprisingly though, bulls are never killed during Costa Rica bullfighting. It is entertaining to see bulls run around in a bull ring chasing and ramming crowds of brave volunteers who try to avoid the horns, scattering in every direction, and hopping over the wall just in the nick of time.

Later today I walked a few blocks through the Morazan Park and talked to a Tico friend that leases the Morazan Green Bar, San Jose's oldest restaurant. He has been struggling trying to turn it around and clean it up. I ordered a serving of gallo pinto, which was delicious, and nicely presented. Apparently it needs yesterday's rice and beans to make it have the right stickiness. We left the price to be determined, but he will be our new supplier of gallo pinto "sin protein".

Tico Prejudices and Foreigners The Mesita Central and Pacific coast population are clearly of strong Spanish descent. In the northwest province of Guanacaste however, closest to heavily indigenous populated Nicaragua, people tend to be shorter, darker skinned and have more Indian features. There are rising complaints about organized crime brought in by Columbian residents, and there is a constant supply of Dominican women working the male tourists. But there are some 400,000 Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica who receive the brunt of Costa Rican prejudices. Many were raised in a war zone and have had trouble assimilating to the peaceful Tico way of life. Destitute, often they turn to crime, and dominate the evening news with bad publicity. Nicaraguans seem more prepared to toil away at the less popular types of jobs, working on the banana, pineapple and sugar cane plantations, laboring in construction, or repetitious factory work. These are jobs Ticos shy away from then complain that "Nicas" are taking their jobs. Nicaraguans deserve credit for building much of modern Costa Rica.

Officially, Costa Rica's unemployment rate is only six percent however without unemployment insurance or welfare benefits, this figure is difficult to verify and probably low. Many Ticos gravitate towards San Jose for both work and educational opportunities. Students whose families can afford five to ten thousand US dollars per year for a private education are taught in any of a dozen excellent English schools around San Jose. They have a high probability of entering and completing university either in Costa Rica or abroad, and going on to be tomorrow's Tico leaders. English is now a compulsory subject in the public school system however graduates are generally far from fluent. The most successful students in English have an advantage over others to become tour guides, front desk receptionists, food and beverage management and car rental agency employees. If they are adaptable and answer to the tourist's and management's needs, they can move up the ladder but seldom to great heights. It is very difficult to save capital for any business venture, especially when having to support a multi-generational family all living under the same roof.

Most new employees in the hospitality industry lack the experience in knowing the expectations and needs of customers. The job market in Costa Rica tourism is so tight that in the bigger multinational hotels, many staff members, particularly those who speak limited English, are afraid to make what would seem to be a logical decision. "Help Wanted" ads in La Nacion are heavily answered. They need to relax and meet decisions head on, and to anticipate problems before they occur. If they err, they need praise for trying, and, "Perhaps next time consider doing it another way". A positive attitude is the best asset a hotel employee can have, more important than education, and often experience. The hospitality industry is anything but an exact science and open-minded staff can be more easily molded to management and tourist expectations. Guests are also more forgiving when the staff member tries to do his or her best, regardless of accomplishing the task.

After solving my gallo pinto problem I strolled along the pedestrian walkway for a few blocks. I enjoy watching the colorful smiling Ticos going about their business, window shopping, the street vendors selling their hand-made costume jewelry, ornaments and pipes all laid out on a blanket, the street stalls with their neatly stacked fresh fruits and candies, and the high tech beggars moaning into a microphone with amplifier and speaker. An annoying self-proclaimed minister clutching his bible passionately preaches to anyone just wanting to sit and rest.

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