Web www.guiascostarica.com

Student Guide

GETTING TO KNOW COSTA RICA

Sampling of established tours:

3 day / 2 night tours: Guanacaste Province, Tortuguero National Park, and Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve.

1 day tours: Lankester Botanical Gardens, Irazu Volcano National Park, Poas Volcano National Park, the Butterfly Farm, Jacó Beach, and San José City Tour.

SHOPPING

There are many arts and crafts shops throughout San Jose where you can acquire beautiful examples of the artistry of not only the Costa Rican culture but the Latin American, too. The variety of handmade woven, wooden, leather and ceramic crafts will keep any avid shopper entertained for countless hours.

The Plaza de la Cultura, La Casona, the Mercado Central, Plaza de la Democraica and the Mercado Nacional de Artesanía are found in the immediate downtown San Jose. The Plaza de la Cultura offers open air booths where local and foreign arts and crafts are on display. It is usually set up on weekends, but during the week there will still be a certain amount of displays (address: avenida Ctl. Calles 5 / 3). La Casona is a big old two story building where you can fin crafts from all over Latin America (address: calle Ctl. Avenidas 1/Ctl.

The Mercado Central is very typical of the Costa Rican way of life. It consists of a maze of shops and restaurants, flower vendors and product stands. It isn’t necessarily the safest or calmest place to buy souvenirs, but it is interesting and very Tico (address: avenida Ctl. Calles 6 / 8). Finally, the Mercado Nacional de Artesanía is like an immense souvenir supermarket (address: avenida 4B, calles 9 /11).

Outside of San Jose: Moravia is a small town just a 20 minute bus ride from San Jose that has a wide array of arts and crafts shops. La Rueda and La Ocarina are just some of the shops found here. Also, many Costa Rican crafts people make their homes in Sarchí, where they create gorgeous pieces from leather and tropical hard woods. These artists paint patterns, originating from when the Moors invaded Spain, on oxcarts, trays, bowls, etc.

HOLIDAYS

Holidays are:

January 1: New Year’s day; Holy Thursday and Good Friday; May 1: Labor Day; August 2: Day of Our Lady of the Angels, Patron Saint of Costa Rica; August 15: Mother’s day; September 15: Independence day; December 25: Christmas day.

MEDICAL INSURANCE

A comprehensive medical insurance packages are available to cover the cost of medications and doctor expenses in the event of illness while studying and traveling in Costa Rica. For more information, please contact the nearest Costa Rican consulate.

MISCELLANEOUS

• We are in Central Standard Time (6 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time).

• 110 volt A.C. 60 cycle is used throughout the country.

• Movies are usually is their original language with Spanish subtitles.

• Ticos are caring and happy people who will go out of their way to assist you as long as mutual respect is shown.

• Furthermore, the Costa Rican people are very polite by nature. It is appropriate to say "con permiso", "perdón", "disculpe", and "con mucho gusto" (your Spanish teacher will elaborate on these terms).

• A good way to avoid contracting an illness is by always washing your hands before meals.

• The abbreviations used to indicate address are: C.= calle (street); Ave, = avenida (avenue); and Ctl. = central.

RECOMMENDED READING

The Costa Ricans, by Richard, Karen, and Mavis Biesanz, Waveland Press, Prospect Heights, IL. Contains an excellent description of the Costa Rican’s social history and culture.

Costa Rica: A Natural Destination, by Ree Strange Sheck. John Muir Publications. Has emphasis on the national paks.

The New Key to Costa Rica, by Beatrice Blake and Anne Becher, Editoria Texto Ltda, Costa Rica. Guidebook.

Costa Rica, by Paul Glassman, Passport Press, 1989. Guidebook.

The Costa Rica Traveler, by Ellen Searby, Windham Bay Press. Guidebook.

SPORTS

The official and undisputed favorite Costa Rican sport is football (soccer to the U.S.A. and Canada), but because of its cultural and geographical diversity many other options are present. Tennis, jogging, basketball, golf, horseback riding, bungee jumping, and skate boarding, are just some of the sports practiced on land.

Water sports find Costa Rica to be an ideal place to propagate in because of its large quantity of rivers and the two bodies of water within easy reach. Examples of this are surfing, swimming, fishing, white-water rafting, kayaking, windsurfing, snorkeling, and sailing. If you are a great sport buff, you may want to bring your own equipment (i.e. tennis racket, frisbee, etc). There are also many gyms where you can make arrangements to pay only a dropin fee. There is a complete list of gyms and spas at the end of the guide.

ADJUSTING TO LIFE IN COSTA RICA

The Costa Rican culture, like the American and the Canadian, has its roots in the European culture; however, it originated from a different part of Europe and is more European in its present form than the U.S.A. or Canada.

Perhaps the central difference lies in the family structure. The extended family is still the rule, rather than the exception. People have close relationships with their grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins (even second and third cousins), often living in very close proximity and, sometimes, even in the same household.

In general, children grow up experiencing a wider variety of relationships than their counterparts in North America. Also, a high value is placed on blood relationships. A person recognizes a responsibility toward another person simply because he/she is relate to that person regardless of that person’s character or personality .

This is extremely difficult for North Americans, with their experience of the nuclear family, to grasp. Associated with this is the fact that the more traditional male / female roles are still the norm. The male is thought of as the head of the household and, generally, males are catered to by their wives, mothers, and daughters. They are respected, obeyed and, in general, have much more freedom than women to behave as they choose. Women, hence, have much less liberty in their permitted behavior than their North American counterparts.

Not only is the family structure still strong, the sense of community is very much alive. Neighbors are not simply people occupying the next dwelling. People have close relationships with their neighbors, who may well be their relatives. Because of this, everybody knows everybody else’s business; a situation many North Americans, who place a high value on privacy, find difficult to live with. There is little opportunity to be anonymous if you are a member of a family and neighborhood in Costa Rica since gossip – much of it motivated by a read concern for the welfare of the members of the community – is a favorite community pastime.

The positive side of this situation is that the members of your host family and neighborhood will be truly concerned for your well – being. It is highly unlikely that people would stand by, uninvolved, if you where in danger. As a member of the community, if only temporarily, you are not treated as a stranger or an outsider. You may call on other members of the community for help, comfort, or to share good times. True, being a member of the community places you under certain constraints, but it also provides you with a type of security that you cannot have as an individual.

DRESSING IN COSTA RICA

The Costa Rican people are very diverse when it comes to clothing, yet, usually they are not as casual as other cultures in their dress. They tend to dress up to go out in the evenings or even to go to San José. Very provocative or very informal wear may attract negative or unwanted looks or comments. Shorts, jeans, t-shirts, tennis shoes, etc, are all acceptable for foreigners in the eyes of the locals, but just be conscious of the place you are in and whether your clothing is appropriate (i.e. jeans at a formal event aren’t necessarily proper).