A.M. Costa Rica photo
|
|
|
|
|
| The horsie set filled up the downtown
Thursday as the traditional tope brought upwards of 4,000 animals and riders
out for the post-Christmas display of animals and gear.
The traditional carnival kicks off today over the same downtown route riders used Thursday: along Avenida 2 to Plaza Viques. The tope connects Costa Ricans with their agricultural and colonial roots. |
The mystique of the horseman is
far stronger in Spanish culture than even in the American West, taking
on aspects of legendary heroes like El Cid and even Disney’s Zorro.
The English-speaking community was represented by Georgina Butler, the British ambassador, who covered the route on a borrowed steed. Tico politicians, so much in evidence last year before the presidential election, were hard to find Thursday. |
|
|
|||
| The quality of life is not measured
simply by efficiency (as the Italians learned during the time of Mussolini)
nor by material things. For those who have written asking why I moved to
Costa Rica and do I still like it, here is my Christmas Carol to Costa
Rica. Here are 12 reasons for living in Costa Rica.
I am borrowing from some things I wrote after having been here just three years. Costa Rica, like other countries in the world has changed, but even after over 10 years, these reasons still hold. 1. I was originally drawn to this country because it has no army, and as a result has developed a peace mentality. Costa Ricans do not like confrontations and are not greatly into competition. Perhaps because of this, the minute I arrived, I felt comfortable here. 2. I was charmed (and still am) because when Ticos "Thank you," they don’t say "Gracias." They usually say "Gracias, muy amable," which means "Thank you, you’re very kind." Being told I am kind often enough makes me see myself as kind and wanting to be more so. My life here is enhanced each time a Tico says, "You’re welcome." Here they don’t say, as they do in most other Spanish-speaking countries, "No hay de que" or "De nada" (For nothing). They say "Con much gusto" (With much pleasure or, more loosely, The pleasure is mine.) My friend Jerry has said more than once that giving and receiving are the same thing, and Ticos seem to have recognized this. I have been trying to remember to say both Gracias, muy amable and Con much gusto. Language is a powerful influence on attitude. 3. Although I have learned that there is a downside to a peace-loving philosophy, a trait called passive-aggressive, I have decided that I can handle passive-aggressive better than I can the downside of a personal freedom-loving philosophy, which seems to be aggressive-aggressive. 4. I enjoy walking in downtown San José in spite of the traffic and challenging sidewalks. When I first came here and mixed with the people on the streets, I thought there are as many pedestrians here as there are in New York at Christmas time but without the hostility. Instead, I find myself energized and uplifted. 5. I also noticed that Costa Ricans as a rule have fine postures. Almost to a person they walk tall and proud. It is a pleasure to see them, and seeing them reminds me to straighten up. It is surprising how much better you feel when you walk tall. 6. I have had a number of occasions to experience the health care of
Costa Rica, both private and public (There is national health coverage
here). The cost here for medical care is far less than in the United States,
and I always have felt more cared for and cared about in my experiences
here. Even in the overworked and under- supplied national hospitals, I
have found
|
Calderón Guardia emergency section, they passed out lunches at noon and coffee and snacks in the late afternoon to the waiting patients. 7. Although business transactions are not always speedy here, how can you not like a country where it is the law that every public building must have a public bathroom? (That doesnt mean they must supply paper.) And it is true one spends considerable time waiting in lines. This is where I get a lot of my reading done. I’ve waited in lines in many countries, and I’ll take an orderly, friendly queue of Ticos any day. 8. There is a custom here that many North Americans have picked up and that is the custom of brushing cheeks when seeing a friend or acquaintance. In the States, after an initial handshake following an introduction, I seldom touch that person again, certainly not my travel agent, my doctor or my landlord. Here, I do. Touching cheeks makes me feel a connectedness to others, and when you think about it, is much more sanitary than a handshake. 9. On the comfort front, it is hard to beat the climate in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. I have lived where there were 15-foot snowdrifts and where I became accustomed to perspiration dripping down my neck all the time. Living where I need neither air conditioning nor a heater is such a pleasure, and I’m sure, far healthier. 10. Something that is changing here that I regret are the window displays in stores. Once there was nothing that caught my attention, and I had no desire to buy. I wasn’t lured into being a consumer. Now they are getting both more artistic and more products, and I have found myself stopping and thinking I would like that something. 11. Because the growing season is so rapid, fresh vegetables and fruits are available most of the year. If one were a vegetarian, one could live very cheaply here. 12. And finally, what cinched my love affair with Costa Rica was discovering that their national bird is the yiguirro. The yiguirro (which I can’t even pronounce) is very similar to the U.S. robin but smaller, and even less colorful. The yiguirro [Turdus grayi] neither threatens anyones existence (it is certainly not a bird of prey) nor is it a rare or endangered bird. It is a common little dun-colored bird, an Everybird, if you will. I think a people who chooses the yiguirro as the national bird has something to say to the rest of the world about peaceful co-existence, humaneness, self esteem and equality. Happy Holidays to everyone in and out of Costa Rica More Jo Stuart: |
||
|
American-Tico-owned firm cxcc COMPLETE AUTO SERVICE DOOR TO DOOR Commercial and Personal Import and Export xxx Perry Edwards {Amer} Zinnia Stewart {CR} Port Limon Agency (bonded & licensed) (506) 758-2062/2022 |
 |
 |
|
How to live, invest or find romance in Costa Rica 
|
|
|
