Yesterday I was talking some friends I have made since I move to Costa Rica and they let me in into a very interested subject: What are people in Costa Rica afraid of? I don’t even remember how we got to that subject, yet it is quite impressive to see what troubles the minds of my neighbors.
The main thing as always is money. In Costa Rica economy decreases each and every day and with the raise on the price of the US currency their own currency goes way down, making their salary worth much less. Also, they seemed to be afraid having the utilities services prices go up because of this, so they are now taking extreme measures to be affected a little as possible: walking more, turning off lights and changing light bulbs to fluorescent ones, changing their diet and so on.
It is quite impressive to see how much Costa Rica struggles to continue having the peaceful life they know and to see they are willing to do so much about it. In Costa Rica, properties are not always linked to the same companies for utilities: while some people get their power from the ICE, others have contracts with different companies, especially in rural areas. I bring this up because these small companies are actually doing more to encourage saving that the ICE itself and it surprises me a lot.
Another thing they take very seriously is education. Costa Rica has one of the highest rates of education level in Latin America. Young people often work and study at the same time and it seems to be part of the traditions. Costa Rica does not accept mediocrity on this matter which something lots of countries could benefit from. Just the fact that every where I go I can easily find someone who speaks English fluently is remarkable.
Last but not least is real estate: Costa Rica has amazing architectures and lots of homes are works of art. They like to take advantage of the area, the sightings and location and often buildings are thought out to comply with nature and the surroundings, which is always a plus.