Today is one of those days I feel a little nostalgic living in Costa Rica. In this country, since the main religion is Catholic, Halloween is not such a big celebration as it is back home, especially in Guanacaste where people just don’t to celebrate it all, all there is are a couple of Halloween parties in some bars and that is it: no decorations, no trick or treating, nothing.
In Costa Rica, San Jose does have a few more celebrations going on, just this past week I received pictures of the decorations set on a friends neighborhood, so I am guessing that the do have more of the Halloween spirit in the Capital city of Costa Rica. As I informed to you in another entry there will be quite a few celebrations tonight: the Halloween fund raiser, DJ Max Graham in Heredia, a band that only appears in Halloween called the Goat Killers and even and Irish Celebration for Halloween is scheduled! Adults seem to be a lot more into Halloween than youngsters in this country.
However, Costa Rica Halloween celebrations seem to be some sort of different tradition: Mascarade Day! In Costa Rica carnivals there are always these special costumes, completely hand made that resemble people and in some cases the character of the Costa Rica urban legends such as La Segua or el Cadejos and these are called Mascaradas. So today there will be a few parades celebrating this lovely art form.
The Mascarada in Costa Rica was originally celebrated in the City of Cartago, where along with Escazu in San Jose, are two cities with the most horror stories in the country. The Mascarada was celebrated in tribute to the Virgin Mary. So there you go in Costa Rica traditions there is also something that can be related to the Halloween we know.
While doing my daily research yesterday, I came across a blog very similar to this one where a woman who has apparently traveled the world her whole life writes about Costa Rica. I often read those articles since the blog shows up every time I look for news about Costa Rica in Google but yesterday I was beyond surprised with her article.
This woman, who claims to have lived here in Costa Rica for over 16 years claims that Ticos do not have artistic talent and that probably it is not part of theCosta Rica education to be artistic. I was talking to a Tica friend of mine and she felt insulted for the article, given the fact that she is a photographer and painter herself. Also, I may have only been living here for a few months but I have to admit: Costa Rica arts are quite impressive. Almost half the people I meet play at least one instrument, I have also read 2 books that were simply wonderful, written by Costa Rica writers and I have bought paintings made by locals as well.
There are a least 6 concerts advertised every week for local bands that play anything from Cumbia to Heavy Metal, all with original material, not to mention Maria Jose Castillo who got 2nd place in the Latin American Idol competition just last week. So I wonder how is it that someone who has lived here for so long hasn’t been able to check how creative people are in Costa Rica. Tourism itself is also embraced on culture: ocarinas, glass figurines, accessories paintings and all sorts of hand made sculptures are displayed and on sale everywhere.
Actually every time I go to San Jose, I always notice a small fair with local artists on some park, where they paint; right on the street, circus shows are presented as well and musicians are always part of those little celebrations. I think this woman is definitely seeing a different side of Costa Rica; arts are everywhere, so I wonder where exactly she hasn’t seen creativity in the people for 16 years.
Believe it or not, it is true: Costa Rica will now begin to play American Football professionally. An American Football coach named Benjamin Vega has created the Costa Rican American Football Association (ACFA) with the future goal of actually creating a Football Federation in a near future. Apparently, several highschools (mostly private schools) have signed up to play a national championship, among these schools areCountry Day, Kamuk, Light House, San Paul and Saint Clare. The national football championship which will begin competing next year in what would be the first official competition of its kind in the history of Costa Rica.
Costa Rica has several professional leagues in different sports such as swimming, volleyball, basketball and of course soccer, which is the most followed sport in Costa Rica. Organizers have high hopes with the inclusion of this sport in Costa Rica and they expect that at least 16 university teams may compete using soccer fields, as they have similar dimensions as typical U.S. football pitches once the American footballleague is put together. At the moment, Reyhan Fraile, president of ACFA, has expressed his wish to create an adult league once the federation is established. The first American football tournament is scheduled for the second Saturday of January, with seven high schools confirmed
In Costa Rica, athletes have proved that discipline and strength can be reached no matter the social status, collecting several medals trophies and achieving high numbers in several championships worldwide. This effort has also been recognized by the Chinese government: this year the construction of a new and very modern national stadium was possible through a donation from that country to Costa Rica in an effort to motivate young athletes to pursue their dreams.
It is very impressive how Costa Rica continues thriving to give more and more positive activities for youngsters, the efforts made everyday to keep going further and further in education, technology and now sports proves that Costa Rica is definitely not the third world country some of us thought it was.
Today Costa Rica celebrates one of the most important holidays they have: Independence Day. Costa Ricawas officially declared an independent country on September 15th, 1821 and although they received the news on September 14th, they celebrate receiving the news with a parade of paper lanterns at 6:00 pm sharp. Costa RicaIndependence Day is celebrated on the date the news was officially received however, the independence document was not signed and official until October 29th, 1821.
Since that date Costa Rica became a Republic and began living under their own laws and duties, no longer under the jurisdiction of the Capitania General de Guatemala which was actually ruled by Spain. Costa Ricawanted to have this opportunity since as we all know their beliefs are very different from the rest of Latin America and besides being the “odd man out” Costa Rica is, in some areas, a role model, starting with the fact that they are the only country in America without an army since 1948. Also they based all their laws with the principle of peace. Costa Rica also tries to prove that knowledge can be the best weapon making education mandatory and free for everyone up to high school and including 3 public universities to support their very high rate on literacy.
Costa Rica may be hated by their closes neighbors, mostly because Ticos do tend to appear clueless and as if they couldn’t care less about the rest of America, yet their efforts and assistance provided to other countries is not always taken into account mostly because they don’t make fuzz about it. Also other countries think that since they are not willing to fight in a battle or war, they just don’t care. They do oversee the fact that Costa Rica provides asylum to thousands of immigrants and gives them everything from social security to education for free, so in a way they help by doing tasks other countries won’t do.
Costa Rica land is rich not only soils but in people and I am very proud to be a part of these country. Its people have opened up to me as if I was a Tico myself and I am also celebrating Costa Rica Independence Day since they helped me with my own search for peace and good living.
Stripper Cow and “Bistek Encebollado” : Cow Parade Costa Rica
(Pictures by GGC)
This year Costa Rica joined many other countries around with the very much expected Cow Parade, which is the world’s largest public art event: Artist from the selected country will create original designs on cow statues provided by the organization and for a few months all these original art pieces will be exposed to the public on the main cities of each country; at the end of the show, the cows are auction and the money collected will be donated to an specific cause. While the cow sculptures remain the same each artist is supposed to bring it to life with inspiration and creativity.
Costa Rica was picked to hold the Cow Parade this year and did and excellent job just like previous cities have such as France, United States, South Africa and England. During the first week of the exposition a lot of confused locals looked at the cows shocked and at the police had to intervene to make sure the pieces of art were not vandalized. Costa Rica is well known for having very talented artists and it was definitely shown during the Cow Parade: ecological themed cows, ordinary portrays of the life in Costa Rica, social themed and even some were made tributes to well known characters of San Jose.
The auction for the Costa Rica Cow Parade auction took place last Wednesday at the Museo de los Niños and although not all the cows were sold, they managed to raise a good $108 000, which will be all donated to charities in Costa Rica such as the Hospital the Niños, Hogares CREA (drug addiction rehab center) and the Fundacion Obras del Espiritu Santo which is a charity organization created and managed by just one priest and a whole bunch of volunteers that take care of underprivileged children of San Jose, Costa Rica. The rest of the cows will now go on a tour through rural cities in Costa Rica so they can also participate and enjoy the fun and beauty of the Cow Parade.
Since last week another great advance in the film industry for Costa Rica has hit the movie theatres: El Camino is another film that depicts the struggle two young immigrants go through trying to find their parents who migrated to Costa Ricain search of a better life.
The lead actress herself, 14-year-old Sherling Velásquez strongly identified the plight of her character: She never got to know the mother who left her and her younger brother with their grandmothers more than a decade ago to come to Costa Rica in search of a better life for herself and her children.
Every year, hundreds of Nicaraguans trespass the Northern border of Costa Rica due to the high level of poverty they have to live with in their country: once they arrive they get low paid jobs as security guards, construction workers and house maids in the best case scenario; some end up selling goods on the streets illegally. Although in Costa Rica education is free, these immigrants cannot complete their studies since the low salary they receive is hardly enough to get by and send back to their relatives in Nicaragua, so very few of them find better jobs than those, not to mention some might be staying illegally in the country.
In Guanacaste, Costa Rica has the biggest immigration rate of Nicaraguans, being the proximity to that country. Just like in the United States immigrants not always get to taste that so called better life they searched for and end up hanging out with the wrong crowd in some cases; you could say that the issues created are very similar to the ones we North Americans are used to living with Mexican immigrants in our country: some are real honest hard workers, some may be blinded by frustration and end up being a burden to society.
It is not good to assume that all immigrants will create problems or become criminals, the way Costa Rica handles the immigration problem is actually helping those who care staying here legally granting them the same benefits a regular Costa Rica citizen has so they can succeed, of course not everyone is willing to go through all that paper work and working illegally in any country is of course a problem.
To some people Costa Rica is a just a huge rainforest in the middle of the continent where it would be nice to take a nice long vacation. To some other people, it is an island with pristine beaches where surfers go to hide (It is not an island by the way) and to some of us Costa Rica has become our home and we are happy to embrace everything that comes along with becoming a Tico.
I am fool for culture and arts, so I take my time to indulge myself with local crafts and let me tell you, Costa Rica arts are quite impressive, it actually amazes me that they don’t get more spotlight around the world: paintings, photography, music and believe it or not, film making. There have been a few films made in Costa Rica, yet there was no school for film production up until a couple of years ago. This month there are three different film productions from Costa Rica featured: El Cielo Rojo (100% Tico Pop Corn movie), El Camino (several countries from Central America and mainly Nicaragua and Costa Rica were part of the production) and Ta Tau (a documentary on psychological views on tattooing). Most of these films were made with very little budget but the talent has given great critics to the pieces.
I have checked newspapers and seen interviews on television and Costa Rica artists are very proud to showcase their work, according to reviews I have read the audience is very amazed and thankful. Although there have been some difficulties young people have raised their voice claiming to be taken seriously in the industry, which I must admit: I admire. Costa Rica has shown potential and the carriers of that potential are here to stay.
It is definitely worth to check that cosmopolitan side of Costa Rica treasures, the insight of the culture itself and how technology is becoming a huge part of the evolution of the arts industry in Costa Rica. Soon Costa Rica real estate will not be one of the most important markets in the country and arts such as photography, film making and music will take its place. I strongly recommend you try to get a glimpse of these pieces of work; they are definitely amazing pieces of art.
A lot of people that come to relocate to Costa Rica are not only retirees looking for a place to rest and enjoy life. I have also noticed that a lot of youngsters come here looking for work opportunities to gain experience and in some cases, immigrants from other Latin-American countries come to Costa Rica to look for better living.
In the case of immigrants from neighbor countries, most of them end up working in low pay jobs: cleaning houses, babysitting, as construction workers and such. It is very hard for them to get a job in Costa Rica besides those, mostly because of the background they come from: Most of the countries that surround Costa Rica are in war, or a known to be very violent, so employers do hesitate on hiring them. Yet if they prove to be knowledgeable and have good recommendations they do get a chance. Costa Rica has opportunities for every one but they do take good care of their people.
Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty
It is also very common to see immigrants from Europe and USA teaching languages: English, French, German and Italian are the top languages taught in Costa Rica. English is however very well spoken and high percentage of inhabitants is at least bilingual. That is actually one of the perks of buying property in Costa Rica: there will always be someone that speaks English nearby. French and English are taught in high school, there are also some schools that teach three languages to kids which they will fully speak by the time they graduate. Education in Costa Rica is taken very seriously and you notice this as soon as you sit and chat with a local.
Now, although there are several call centers in Costa Rica, you need to have labor permission to apply for a job there, so make sure you have all your documentation organized. In Costa Rica listings for jobs are found on the newspaper or online so you shouldn’t have trouble searching for a job. For young people who just want to gain experience or earn college credits, a lot of companies in Costa Rica will hire foreigners as interns for a few months, all you need to do is contact them.
In Costa Rica, real estate agents can al so help you with the requirements necessary to work in the country,they will not be able to find you a job per se, but will make sure you are fully aware on how it works, the documents you need and such. Do not be afraid to ask.
Today we are experiencing the beginning of one of the most expected sports events of this year: The Beijing Olympics. The best Athletes from all over the world will compete for the most important sports honors in the next few days and Costa Rica has send its most impressive performers to show and prove their skills.
In Costa Rica, athletes have been very successful in previous Olympic Games, and nothing less is expected from the group that is participating this year. A total of 8 athletes are right now waiting for their competitions that will take place during the next couple of weeks. All the competitors come from different parts of Costa Rica. These are the athletes and the schedule their competitions will be on:
Kristopher Moitland: Black belt for Tae kwon do. Competition will be held on August 21st at 7:00 pm
Henri Raabe: Cycling Road. He will be the first Tico to participate this year: Competition will be held August 8th (today) at 9:00 pm
Federico Ramirez: Cycling Mountain bike. Competition will be on August 23rd at 1:00 am.
Nery Brenes: Athletics 400m Men. Race will be on August 17th at 7:00 pm.
Allan Segura: Athletics 20km walk Men. Race will be held on August 15th at 7:00 pm.
Gabriela Traña: Athletics Marathon Women. Race is scheduled on August 16th at 4:30 am.
Mario Montoya: Swimming 200m freestyle Men. Competition will be on August 10th at 4:30 am
Marianela Quesada: Swimming 100m freestyle Women. Competition will be held on August 13th at 4:30 am.
All the schedules above are given in Costa Rica time. These athletes have participated for Costa Rica in many world championships and have returned to Costa Ricawith good scores, medals and trophies; they traveled with their coaches and some with their family as well. As you can see Costa Rica treasures are not only in real estate or the beautiful beaches ad rainforests: people are quite valuable too. Good luck for all the athletes in the Beijing Olympics 2008.
After a while “in training to be a Tico” I have come to realize that, when you have a house in Costa Rica, there are certain items that you are almost required to have to be a real Costa Rica homeowner, or least prove that you are living the Tico lifestyle. It is part of the necessities of the area, small details that are not included in any Costa Rica real estate guide or listing, small thing you didn’t think you would need until the time came for you to find it out.
The first thing you find out is that in Costa Rica, mosquitoes come out in evening and when they come out they are hungry and you are fresh blood. Bug repellent might be kind of awkward, but there are also ambiance repellents, make sure you get some of both.
While you are at it, in the supermarket they also have the two main ingredients for a regular Costa Rica meal: rice and beans; you will need these especially if you like to invite your friends over, they will always expect these two legumes to be part of the meal. To cook any Costa Rica traditional meal you will need Salsa Lizano, it is a cheap home made sauce found anywhere, quite tasty if I may add. Fruits and vegetables are bought at La Feria as I explained in previous posts, so you will need your own shopping cart to run this errand.
While in the US, we are more used to wearing slippers at home, let’s remember that Costa Rica tropical weather is warm, for this matter Ticos wear flip flops, yet they call them chinelas. Costa Rica homes do have lots of windows, but if your home doesn’t have air conditioning you will need to get fans for every room.
When it comes to having guests, there are certain items that in Costa Rica are well known: Imperial beer, Guaro Cacique and Tapa de Dulce, these are regular beverages of the area, be careful with the Guaro, since it is basically industrially distilled moonshine. As per snacks, there are many delicious items: pejibayes, deviled eggs and home made dipping souces are always part of the deal, yet my favorite one is the Yuca, which you can make deep fried or just boiled, either way, it is one of Costa Rica’s most tasty meals. In Costa Rica, home owners always take care of their yards and the land is very rich, so if you have any fruit trees take good care of them, because whatever grows on them, you will consume. And don’t forget the Chorreador, although you will find coffee makers anywhere, Costa Rica coffee tastes better if it is made in a chorreador.
