Costa Rica Facts

In case you read my previous blog.....I got the kids down, the laundry is 3/4 done, the dishes are clean and the floor is mopped. Praise God! It's amazing how much I can do in a short amount of time, but it seems overwhelming in my mind. And then I do it and realize it wasn't such a big deal. You understand, don't you?

Anyway, a few facts about C.R. I think you will find interesting:

Their dialect of Spanish rarely uses "tu." It is the formal "usted."

Also, "ll" is pronounced with a "j." So it would be llama sounding like jama. Totally not how we are taught in the states so we are trying to break that habit.

The streets do not really have names and there are NO street signs with names on them anywhere.

The houses do not have an address number on them. Giving directions is like impossible. "Can you take me to my house by the park?" This is usually how it goes.

There is NO area code in Costa Rica - 7 digit dialing.

There is NO zip code.

People will tell you directions, but then point in a different direction. Always go where they are pointing and not by what they are saying.

A doctor in C.R. makes abotu $800 a month. A specialist about $1,200-$1,500.

A Tico (Costa Rican) will be decked out in expensive clothes, I-pod, cell phone and be on the bus. Or they will have a great car and clothes, but not a great house. Image is everything.

The average Tico takes a cold shower and they usually only take showers in the morning unless they have a job that gets them dirty. The hot water heater is not a big tank like EVERYONE in the U.S. has. That is reserved only for the wealthy. Their water is heated by a little box in the shower that heats the water as it flows. And the water is either hot or cold. You can't really regulate it. We have something very similar. Our kids cannot take showers alone b/c the water is constantly changing.

Baths are reserved for the extremely wealthy. It costs too much to fill the tub. We don't have a tub either. Boy, I am dreaming about the day I get to take a bath again.

A lot of families do not have washers and dryers. They hang their clothes to dry. Once again, this is too expensive for the electric bill. We do have a washer and a dryer and the option to hang our clothes as well.

The average Tico makes $300 a month. Most of the country is considered middle class. This is a middle class salary.

Ticos are about the friendliest bunch of people I have met. They just talk really fast. :) Many people offer for us to practice our Spanish with them. :)

Hope you enjoy these interesting tidbits. If I learn more I'll let you know!

P.S. We will have a house helper who starts in a week and a half. She will come into our home to help us while we are in language school. She will do all of the cooking, cleaning, laundry and some other miscellaneous stuff. She will also help us learn Spanish and will love on our little ones and we will love on her. She will be with us for the year. We cannot wait! Can you imagine, no laundry for a year? Can you imagine, I have to be able to speak at an intermediate high level in a year?