By rachels522
One of the reasons I decided to study in Costa Rica is because I wanted to spend more time with animals, connect with nature. This morning my host brother took me to his family’s farm to see his baby cows. The cows were incredibly sweet and adorable. I was beyond ecstatic to meet the cows. I thought that this would be the most exciting part of the day. Turns out I was very wrong…
As I walked back towards the center of town with my host brother I started to hear vague sounds of drumming. Monteverde, Costa Rica is a small, quiet town. Loud drums seem extremely out of the ordinary. As I approached the crest of the hill I saw what looked to be a small marching band in front of a modest stage. As we got closer to the festivities I learned that the town of Monteverde was celebrating its banderos (firemen) and inaugurating a new class into the force. The celebration was also for the brand-new fire truck that the town had purchased. I stood with my host brother and watched the festivities. About 200 ticos (Costa Ricans) lined the streets waiting for the presentation to begin. Finally a woman began a short speech, lasting roughly 4 minutes. The speech was followed by modest applause, nothing too special. After she finished speaking she got off of the stage and starting hugging everybody.
This wasn’t just any woman though. It was Laura Chinchilla, president of Costa Rica…. And I was standing maybe eight feet away from her!!!! I can’t even begin to describe how incredibly excited I was. Laura Chinchilla is the first female president of Costa Rica. She represents las mujeres (females) on a world stage! She took pictures with my homestay brother, homestay cousin, and eventually me (I’ll upload the pictures to show off as soon as I have enough Internet). I can officially say that a head of state has hugged me.
However, even though I was elated, the ticos seemed nonplussed. She was walking amongst the people with no bodyguards. My host family had been much more excited while watching a soccer game. There was no security in sight. I didn’t hear one siren (with the exception of the new fire truck, of course!). To me this was crazy. Living in D.C. I am pretty used to seeing important members of state. In fact, the night before inauguration I missed my train back home because of Obama’s motorcade. As most students in D.C. know, the presidential motorcade consists of multiple ambulances, unmarked cars, motorcycles, and police cars. Since I missed my train, I headed to inauguration. There was security on every corner, watching every block. The snipers were visible on the roofs. However, in Costa Rica, a country with no army, there was hardly anything marking this occasion as significant.
This epitomizes the tico lifestyle. Everything is tranquilo. Over the past few days I have learned about how laid-back this culture is. There is no stress. The whole country runs on “tico time,” meaning very, very slowly. In this short time my host family has helped me to relax. I love to have plans and a schedule for my day. My host family has made it clear that plans are not part of the Costa Rican lifestyle. Until I saw the tico’s reactions to seeing their president I did not realize just how relaxed a culture can be.
Furthermore, it was amazing to me that a president would come up to Monteverde for this occasion. The only way to get to Monteverde is three, slow hours up a gravel road. There is nowhere to land a presidential plane or helicopter. To me this seems like something that a town would celebrate, but not a big enough occasion to warrant a visit of the president. Can you imagine Obama coming to a tiny village because of a new fire truck? Absolutely not. This further made me realize what a small, intimate country I am in. In a place where fire trucks are appreciated, and the pace of life is slower it is easy to enjoy the simple things in life. No wonder Costa Rica is the land of Pura Vida (pure life)!