The Simple Life

Surrounded by a tropical rainforest in San Carlos, Costa Rica, I am once again reminded of how people can enjoy more of life...with less. I am currently living with a host family of five and working on an eco reserve with student volunteers in a rural town called Javillos, near the Volcano, Arenal.

My first impressions of Costa Rica are that its people, the "Ticos" are quite friendly, and that they live quite simply--without many material items. My home is small; a one story building with 5 bedrooms, a living room, two bathrooms, one shower, and an open kitchen /dining room. My family's home is quite grand compared to most of the homes in the neighborhood. Most families have patios in front of their homes under awnings so that they can relax outside in rocking chairs. It is quite hot and humid here, even in the rainy season (winter), so the doors are left open allowing air to pass through for most of the day, they are then closed at night.

Beautiful arrays of pastels cover the exteriors of the houses within the neighborhood. Turquoise, yellows, blues, pinks, greens...and some with murals of flowers or frogs, it is really quite incredible. My host family's house is a pastel green with yellow trim. The inside walls are painted green and yellow to match, with stained wood walls to separate the rooms. The floors are covered with large square ceramic tiles, as is custom in most homes. This provides a nice surface to keep clean while it is still comfortable to walk around barefoot; this is especially nice for the kids and I, for it is an ideal surface for playing soccer on the front porch!

My host family's house is surrounded by five other houses occupied by relatives. The entire property is owned by my host mother's family; her father Senior Ramon Vasquez owns more than 350 acres in the area and throughout Guanacaste (a territory of Costa Rica). I found this to be especially interesting because compared to living standards in the US they continue to live quite moderately.

My family consists of mi Madre, Dinia, her husband, Roy, and their three kids; Jordi (the eldest son at 17), Delany (their daughter who is almost 10), and Dario (the youngest who is 7). The families of Dinia's brothers and sisters live in the surrounding houses along the road, as well as her parents; who live in a house across the property (they have a citrus grove of lemon and orange trees).

There are usually many children running around day and night, they range in ages from one year to seventeen. This is really fun for me because I get to play with them and they help me with my Spanish (and laugh at the things I say). The boys are around 7 or 8 years old so we play a lot of soccer, while the girls are older so we draw and I let them play with my makeup.

The common phrase in Costa Rica is "Pura Vida" (poo-ra-vee-da) which signifies a simple and more relaxed approach to life. It is used commonly in their language as a response to many questions; How are you?...Pura Vida, What is up?...Pura Vida, How did you like the rainstorm yesterday? Pura Vida. It represents a way of life for the Tican people.

I have only been in Costa Rica for one week, but already I am quickly coming to know the meaning of Pura Vida. Regardless of how much money they have, families here live with fewer accommodations. For example, most families own only one vehicle and some take local transportation via bus or bike to work or to the store; they own fewer clothes and perhaps have one cellular phone to share between them. With such small living spaces they are constantly interacting with their family members. I enjoy watching the tender affections and closeness between the kids, their parents, and with relatives. They often greet each other with a kiss to the cheek or a handshake...even when they live next door and see each other daily.

My host mother washes all the clothes by hand, prepares our meals, and cleans the house every day while the kids are at school. She hangs the clothes out to dry...which can often take a few days since it is so humid. The family provides most of their own food. They have cows, chickens, and fruit trees so every day they bring in fresh milk, eggs, fruit, and the family makes cheese. There is also a lake near the property so fish is a staple in their diets, as well as fruit and vegetables since they have the orchard and organic gardens.

The food is excellent! The common Costa Rican Diet consists of rice, beans, fruit, and vegetables with meat once a day. Each morning, (Ticos get up very early, often at 5:30am) I have a piece of watermelon and a plate of either rice and beans, or eggs and tomatoes with a cup of coffee. The coffee in Costa Rica is fantastic; we have coffee in the morning and once again in the afternoon with bread, or crackers with jam. For dinner, Dinia prepares fish, chicken, or pork with vegetables and rice. I think my diet is very balanced. Except with fewer carbohydrates and sweets...which is good

This past weekend I went with Dinia's family to watch Dario play soccer. Each town has their own local soccer team, and on Sundays they meet at one of the fields to play. It was great to see Dario and some of the other kids play! They were so excited. Their soccer league is quite different than what we experience in the United States. Girls and boys can play together on the same team, and they rotate wearing uniforms when subbing players. Many of the kids play with tennis shoes and some play barefoot because they either don't have shoes that fit them or would rather play without them. The coaches are local people and also serve as the referees. It was incredible to see how many people showed up to watch

I bought Dario a soccer ball the other day when I went to a nearby town, Cuidad Quesada, (The city of Quesada) with Dinia. He loves that soccer ball! We play soccer with some of the other kids on the porch nearly every day. He carries the ball with him everywhere...even to the table for meals (but Dinia won't allow it)! He was so excited to play in the soccer game, although he is younger and smaller than most of the other kids playing. When he finally got his chance to play, he quickly ran onto the field but then was too shy to touch the ball! Regardless of not touching the ball, he continued to run around quite eagerly with a smile on his face. When the game was over all the kids changed out of their uniforms and sat with each other to watch the next game...they drank soda out of plastic bags (kind of like piping frosting onto a cake)since it is cheaper than buying cups, and they shared snacks of chips and fruit. It reminded me of when I played soccer in grade school; when we were all aware of the score but it didn’t really matter who won or lost…it was just fun to play.

Another element of Pura Vida that I have come to observe is how well everyone knows each other in the neighborhood. When we drive down the road, or when we walk to the store we have to stop multiple times to say hello or chat with the people. It is apparent that I am currently the only foreigner in the neighborhood. Since the high tourist season is over and the area I am in is about 40 minutes from the touristy areas...everyone seems to know I am new. I have had several people from the community stop by to say hello or greet me because they heard I was in town. They all want to make sure I feel welcome, which is awesome!

Along with my host family, I also spend a significant amount of time with some of the older kids that live near me. They are in their early twenties so they are excited to chat with me about the United States, or other countries I have visited. They also like to practice their English! I don't start my Spanish lessons until this Wednesday, since Tuesday (Tomorrow) is their Independence Day; a national holiday. I am excited to learn more about their cultural events as they celebrate together...as one of my goals in this experience is to learn as much as I can about their culture, customs, and to fully immerse myself into the Costa Rican way of life.

My Spanish is improving immensely! I have only been living here for one week, and already I can communicate quite well! My host family can sometimes speak very fast but I am learning quickly. Imagine how much I will have improved by February! In the evenings I spend my time playing with the local kids or teaching them English. Each night Delany prepares a list of vocabulary words in Spanish, which I translate to English, then we quiz each other on all the words. Not only is this a great way to practice communicating, it is also a really easy way to get to know each other.

As I reminisce over my first week in Costa Rica, I must say that I have observed and absorbed so much of their culture already! I am excited to learn more, as I do each day...about the intricacies of their culture and day-to-day life. Pura Vida.