I?ve been in Cost Rica for a few days and I?ve learned so much already! Staying with a host family has definitely been a new experience, but one that I appreciate. I have been able to experience first-hand what it?s like to live in a Tico?s house. A ?tico? is what you call the people of Costa Rica. The cuisine has been very delicious and it kind of reminds me of home. Everyone is so nice and respectful here.
A big difference that I?ve noticed between Costa Rica and the United States is that family tends to live nearby or stay close to each other. My host family has family that lives in the same street. All but 2 house are their family, from cousins to uncles to brothers and parents. All of the Barboza?s live in the same street. In the United States, people are always looking forward to move out of their house at 18 and move far away. In many Latin American countries, children don?t move out of their houses until they?re ready to settle down and start a new family. Another difference that shocked me was that there are no real address names. As a person who likes to know where she is and where she should go, I was very surprised. The way people use addresses here is that they use a landmark and then they say X meters in Y direction from said landmark.
My favorite part has been seeing how green and eco-friendly this country is! Everyone recycles and they don?t really use plastic bags in their trash cans. Costa Ricans take care of their country and are not wasteful at all. They make sure that the water isn?t running without it being used or that all the food you eat doesn?t get thrown out. Even if food isn?t eaten, they use it as compost, which is so cool. This country is amazing and generous and so humble and I really love it here! I?m excited to see what else I?ll learn next week.