CultureShock! Costa Rica

Claire Wallerstein

Description

CultureShock! Costa Rica is an indispensable companion for anyone who wishes to live and work amongst Central America's famously friendly people. Life in Costa Rica often turns out to be more complicated than it seems at first glance but this book will not only help you quedar bien (be on good terms) with the Ticos, it will also provide practical tips on how to settle down in the country, such as where to stay and how to get around. Learn about local attitudes and tradition, and how to manoeuvre through the country's business customs and environment. CultureShock! Costa Rica will help you adapt to this intriguing society while appreciating its fascinating and unique qualities

Sujets

• Costa Rica

Informations

• Publié par: MarshallCavendishM
• Date de parution: 10 août 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 4
• EAN13: 9789814435284
• Langue: English

Extrait

This 3rd edition published in 2011 by:
Marshall Cavendish Corporation
99 White Plains Road
Tarrytown, NY 10591-9001
www.marshallcavendish.us
First published in 2003 by Times Media Pte Ltd; 2nd edition published by Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited in 2006.
Copyright © 2006, 2011 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Request for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196. Tel: [phone], fax: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail]
The publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this book, and specifically disclaims any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose, and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
Other Marshall Cavendish Offices:
Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited. 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196 Marshall Cavendish International. PO Box 65829, London EC1P 1NY, UK Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd. 253 Asoke, 12th Flr, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Marshall Cavendish is a trademark of Times Publishing Limited
eISBN: 978 981 4435 28 4
Please contact the publisher for the Library of Congress catalog number
Printed in Singapore by Times Printers Pte Ltd
Photo Credits:
All black and white photos by or from the author except page 233 (age fotostock/ALVARO LEIVA); pages 4 , 122 (age fotostock/DOUG SCOTT); pages 77 (alt.TYPE/REUTERS); pages 34 , 68 , 103 , 138 , 141 , 146 , 154 , 179 , 188 (Frans Baas); pages 11 , 18 , 38 , 52 , 58 , 185 (Instituto Costarricense de Turismo). Colour photos from Photolibrary. Cover photo: Getty Images
All illustrations by TRIGG
ABOUT THE SERIES
Culture shock is a state of disorientation that can come over anyone who has been thrust into unknown surroundings, away from one’s comfort zone. CultureShock! is a series of trusted and reputed guides which has, for decades, been helping expatriates and long-term visitors to cushion the impact of culture shock whenever they move to a new country.
Written by people who have lived in the country and experienced culture shock themselves, the authors share all the information necessary for anyone to cope with these feelings of disorientation more effectively. The guides are written in a style that is easy to read and covers a range of topics that will arm readers with enough advice, hints and tips to make their lives as normal as possible again.
Each book is structured in the same manner. It begins with the first impressions that visitors will have of that city or country. To understand a culture, one must first understand the people—where they came from, who they are, the values and traditions they live by, as well as their customs and etiquette. This is covered in the first half of the book.
Then on with the practical aspects—how to settle in with the greatest of ease. Authors walk readers through topics such as how to find accommodation, get the utilities and telecommunications up and running, enrol the children in school and keep in the pink of health. But that’s not all. Once the essentials are out of the way, venture out and try the food, enjoy more of the culture and travel to other areas. Then be immersed in the language of the country before discovering more about the business side of things.
To round off, snippets of basic information are offered before readers are ‘tested’ on customs and etiquette of the country. Useful words and phrases, a comprehensive resource guide and list of books for further research are also included for easy reference.
CONTENTS
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Map of Costa Rica
Chapter 1
First Impressions

Chapter 2
Overview of the Land and History
History
Modern Politics
Dismantling a Nanny State
Education and Literacy
The Country
Farming and Land Distribution
Provinces and Towns
Protected Areas
The Environment
Chapter 3
The People
Black Costa Rica
Indigenous Peoples
Nicaraguans
Gringos
Quakers
Religion and Witchcraft
Values and Attitudes
Women
Homosexuality
Chapter 4
Social Customs and Attitudes
To ‘ Quedar Bien ’
Gestures
Conversation Topics
Insults
Bribing and Bargaining
Flirting and Romance
Gossip
Piropos
Names and Surnames
Nicknames
The Pulpería
Dress Style and Body Image
Chapter 5
Survival Skills
Getting There
What to Bring from Home
Accommodation
Telecommunications
Where the Streets Have No Name
Getting Around
Buying a Car or Bringing Your Car to Costa RIca
Health
Banking and Money
Shopping
Crime
Newspapers and the Media
Chapter 6
Food and Entertaining
Basic Tico Fare
Sweet Stands
Fruits and Vegetables
Afro-Caribbean Food
Coffee
Dining and Entertainment Etiquette
Chapter 7
Enjoying Costa Rica
Cultural Background
Guanacasteco Culture
Sports
Free Time
Activities, Hobbies and Sports to Pick Up
Fiestas
Calendar of Events/Fiestas
Chapter 8
Learning the Language
Voseo
Vos or Usted
Tiquismos
Afro-Caribbean English
Chapter 9
Business Practice and Customs
What Kind of Business?
Red Tape for Foreign Workers in Costa Rica
Types of Companies
Rules for Employers
Business Customs
The Business Environment
Chapter 10
Fast Facts
Heroes and Villains
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Places of Interest

Culture Quiz
Do’s and Don’ts
Glossary
Resource Guide
Further Reading
About the Author
Index
INTRODUCTION
Costa Rica was the first country in the Americas, by a few hours at any rate, to declare war on Nazi Germany and Japan after the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Hitler failed to retaliate, however, because—according to a Costa Rican joke—he couldn’t find the country on his world map. It was totally obscured by a squashed fly.
The joke may be corny, but it doesn’t exaggerate the Lilliputian size of Costa Rica. At 51,000 sq km (19,730 sq miles), it is about half the size of Ireland, and yet is one of the most visited destinations in Latin America.
Unsurprisingly, scores of travel guides have already been written about the place. Aside from a handful of outdated or Spanish anthropological texts, however, most books limit themselves to either glossy photographs of the country’s national parks and wildlife or bus timetables and restaurant reviews. The Ticos (as the Costa Ricans call themselves) are a proud people, and often complain that visitors don’t really understand them.
A Costa Rican tour guide told me he regularly has to answer questions such as: “So, how far are we from San Juan?” (the capital of Puerto Rico, a different place entirely), “How big is this island?” and “Have you got any cannibals here?”. “They’ve seen all the Discovery Channel documentaries about our wildlife and endangered species,” he complained. “But what about the human species?”
The lack of information for visitors wanting more than a cursory cultural overview could have a lot to do with the fact that Costa Rican culture can seem so bland at first sight. It is almost as if the country only began to carve its own identity with the civil war in 1948, and then gave up soon afterwards when North American cable television and package tourists arrived.
The country was an impoverished backwater during the Spanish Empire and didn’t have an advanced pre-Colombian civilisation, such as the Mayas or Aztecs, to leave behind any awe-inspiring archaeology or any sense of a shared ancient past. The only place where any real folkloric traditions remain in Costa Rica is the northern province of Guanacaste—which until 1824 was part of Nicaragua. Costa Rica also did not fight the kind of bloody independence battle with Spain that left an indelible stamp on its neighbours. Most of the country today bristles with fast-food restaurants, gringo fashion, soap operas and pop music imported from other Latin American countries.
Scratch the surface, however, and you will find that Costa Rica is actually rather unique precisely because of its special history. Travellers arriving from neighbouring countries will immediately notice the physical and social differences from flashy, brash, outgoing Panama and underdeveloped Nicaragua, plagued by inequality and corruption.
One of Costa Rica’s unique characteristics is, well, its lack of large extremes. Historically poor, rural, and lacking in mineral riches, it has a tradition of self-reliance and individualism, an enormous middle class (ostentatious displays of wealth are frowned upon) and a hatred of violence: the army was abolished in 1948, former president Oscar Arias Sánchez won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987, and the country is the seat of the United Nations’ University for Peace.
Costa Rica is also a country of paradoxes. It is socialist yet fiercely anti-Communist, it is a ‘green idyll’ yet with one of the region’s highest rates of deforestation, it is urbanised but with a rural mindset. Paul Theroux, in The Old Patagonian Express: By Train Through the Americas , noted how Costa Ricans ‘go to bed early and rise at dawn; everyone—student, labourer, businessman, estate manager, politician—keeps farmer’s hours’.
Ticos—who earned their nickname because of their habit of turning words into cute diminutives (making, for example, a momento a momentico for example)—ar