The Costa Rican People // Los Ticos, La gente costarricense

After a conversation with my fellow students about this "third-world country" we're staying in, I wanted to share what I think of the people I've met in Costa Rica.

I feel completely safe when I walk down the streets of Turrialba. A girl, alone, clearly a gringa, most likely completely ignorant of the things she's doing 'wrong' - and no one harasses or hackles her. An occasional "hola" or even "hello" with a smile are what I've come to expect from these friendly Ticos. I can ask anyone - el anciano sitting on the bench, la muchacha vacuuming her car, el joven walking to school - for directions, and all eagerly help me, many going so far as to walk me to where I'm going, even if it's out of the way.

The public transportation? Clean. Efficient. Full, but not over-crowded. Leaves from the station on time. You may have to wait at your stop in the middle of the route for a bit, but I consider it good for my health to be forced to slow down every once in a while. The conductors and pasajeros alike are eager to help this extranjera get off at the right stop. And when I didn't, the driver allowed us to ride the entire bus route, returning us to our stop and climbing out of his seat to lend us a hand out of the bus.

People here are resourceful. The shops are packed to the gills with items to buy - at home, the amount of products available here would take up twice to three times the space. Urban sprawl, anyone?
Resourcefulness continues into the PT clinic where I've been volunteering. I've helped for 3 weeks, and we've used little more than a cardboard box, a bag of plastic balls, ankle weights, and a hula hoop. If I had as many creative treatment ideas as the PT I work with, I'd be worth a lot of money.

And people here are incredibly determined to be clean. I was in the habit of sweeping my floor once a week at home; here, everyone does it daily. It's an ever-enduring war to fend off the continuous onslaught of various types of creepy-crawlies spilling over from the jungle into homes. That monster wasp I killed last week? I left for work before tossing it out - it was cleaned away for me when I came back.

All in all, the people of Turrialba have been most welcoming, most kind, and most gracious. I've had home-cooked meals in two separate homes (and invited to four!), personal car-rides to the city center when they saw I was waiting for the bus (3 times), and gifts of food on various occasions.

I've been wined and dined, welcomed and appreciated. I aspire to become more like the Turrialbeños I've been blessed to meet.