If you guys do not know, about a lifetime ago (last semester; Spring 2017) I studied abroad in Costa Rica for a semester. That experience was life-changing. It was my first time out of the country and a non-English speaking country at that. During this period, there were so many things that I could list that stood out but I will just list a few.
Observation 1 :
Costa Ricans not only communicate through speaking, but through car horns. (Its a joke…but not really)
You’re probably confused at the moment, so let me get straight to the point. The sound of car horns is something that you will constantly hear on the Costa Rican streets . Its a very distinct and interesting way of navigating the roads. It serves as a language in itself. Whenever I got in a taxi or even just walking down the street in general, all I would hear is the ding and honks from various cars driving down the road. These honks meant different things depending on how they sounded and what was going on in the street. Also, just to let you know, this is not something that I just construed in my head. My friends also noticed it too. We discussed it with one of our taxi drivers, so I would say it is pretty much scientifically proven. Honks could send different messages such as:
- greeting someone you know
- to let someone in
- to say thank you
- that signature angry honk that we know of when someone cuts you off
Observation 2:
People don’t use “hola” much. This stuck out to me because in Spanish class in the U.S. we use hola a LOT. However, in Costa Rica I caught on quick to use Buenas or Buenas dias. The one time I used hola it felt weird and I stopped. There was no way I was going to subject myself to looking even more touristy.
Observation 3:
Unlike in the U.S. where we give handshakes to strangers and hugs to our close friends, Costa Ricans greet individuals with a hug and kiss. It took me a while to get used to doing this because I like personal space. However, it has grown on me and I can see myself using it when I return to Costa Rica.
Observation 4:
Books can be photocopied (this makes it super cheap $$$). Our teacher at Universidad de Costa Rica tried to explain it to us but the country has an agreement somehow that allows them to photocopy textbooks. Instead of me having to pay astronomical prices to buy my textbook, I got them for about $10. It was so clutch because my bank account would have been hurting, like this semester, if I had to shell out a couple of hundred dollars.
Observation 5:
My host mom used some sort of dish washing paste to watch dishes instead of dish washing soap. It was different but in my opinion using dish washing paste is more efficient because you only use what you need.
Observation 6:
Not that it was extremely important to me but Costa Rica does not have actual addresses. They use landmarks to give directions to different places. If I needed to take a taxi to get to my location, 9 out of 10 times, I would not go. I was nervous to get lost. Don’t be like Dave (DeAndrea), get in the taxi and take the adventure.
I remember in Costa Rica, I went to get my hair braided because I was in dire need. I felt like a little kid because my host mom had to walk me out of the house to tell the driver where to take me. On top of that, the lady that did my hair had to do the same. I felt like such a kid. I, a 20 year old girl, who can’t even get from one place to another.