www.CostaRicaTicas.com

You don't miss an opportunity do you Berk?

crit·ic - Noun - A person who tends too readily to make captious, trivial, or harsh judgments; faultfinder.

As well traveled as Mr. Sullivan is you would think he would understand first hand cultural and economic differences. I wonder if all his travels have been under the warm security blanket of the United Stated Government. He shows no empathy what so ever for people less fortunate than himself. His rebutals lack substance and are childlike " i got you last".The negative comments he has recieved reflect that some have no empathy for people like him. Mr Sulivan did you really grimace and shudder, was it really that bad for you. Did you find BO from working class people that cant afford hot water really Rancid, couldnt have been worse than the guts of all those deer you killed and cleaned. Dogs shit and K*ds piss, did you ever pick up any of that garbage or did you just bitch and whine. You used those words to dramatize and defamate a country and its people, to puntuate the negative.

A few observations,
Crime is a problem in any city anywhere in the world, the larger the city, the worse the crime generally and the colder the people toward each other. Those of you who live in small towns in CR certainly get a warmer reception than you would in Pavas or Tibas where there is much crime and drug use. Also the poorer areas of a large city tend to have more crime and drugs which breed problems and a gringo living in these areas is going to be viewed more negatively because of the jealousy bred by the assumption that all gringos are rich and you have it better than they do, plus you are more likely to be viewed as a target. There are areas of any city or town in most of the world which are not safe to venture into, but crime can strike anywhere, anytime.
I don't know the Desamparados area well but it sounds like Mr. Sullivan would have been happier finding a nice modern house in a newer area and selling his wife's house or giving it to the family. I can promise you even if you don't live in close vicinity to the family they will still find you.
I never had a problem of long term water or electricity outages in CR but it is perpetual in areas of Managua and a real pain in the ass. We had to keep garbage cans full of water all the time because you never knew when it would go off, also flashlights and batteries and candles.
Also not all latinas hate the US and get terminally homesick as witnessed by the current immigration and illegal resident problem in the US. I think Texas is about 40% Hispanic and growing. Everyone misses their family from time to time, but reasonable visits usually take care of the problem.
Living in a third world country is as has been said not for everyone. You have to be fully aware of what you trade for what you get and make sure the deal is right for you. It sounds like Mr. Sullivan made a noble effort to satisfy his wife and they both realized it was not for them. He is correct in saying you can't go back, things always change.

Goetz

_________________
In heaven there is no beer, that's why we drink it here!

Well based on Wits report I am willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. He has talked to him and I have not.

The only thing that I would like to add is that I have yet to meet a Gringo living in Costa Rica (assholes excluded of course) that thought that Ticos are racist against Gringos. My experience has been the opposite. In a Tico sort of way they aspire to be more like us, not the other way around. Costa Ricans are some of our best friends in the world. That is what I have experienced. The United States, not Mexico, not Columbia, not Venezuela, is the country that most Costa Ricans feel they are most closely aligned with. Most see that as a positive thing.

So if I was out of line with my comments about Mr Sullivan earlier I do stand corrected. But something is not quite right with the picture presented here.

If I may, (hopefully without further offending anyone)- Perhaps I've missed something as to how or why this transpired but I find it a little surprising that a member hunted down and actually called the abogado letter writer, then invited him to join and respond on CRT. Not to make a big deal of it but why bother, just seems a little extreme to go to that length for the rest of his story...

KC, sure Ticos are friendly people and do not show blatant racism towards gringos but if you think they ALL love you (or us) I disagree. They love our money. Just like some chicas pretend to love us while they disdain, lie, steal, cheat, con, manipulate and use us, do you honestly think certain Ticos don't act and feel the same way? I have seen several examples of gringo-hatred in the gulch anyway and am constantly on guard against scams, thieves and gringo-pricing, albeit surely it's not as prevalent in the small towns like where you reside.

I’ve had many wonderful experiences in Costa Rica. I’ve enjoyed the beaches, volcanoes and rain forests. I’ve sampled almost every dish you can imagine. I’m particularly fond of the staple food gallo pinto con huevos.
I’ve been stung by a scorpion and suffered a bout of dengue fever. I picked up an inner-ear virus that caused permanent hearing loss.
I enjoyed numerous parties in family homes and other venues with mariachis.
I bought my way out of a minor traffic accident for $6.
I watched two taxistas trying to stuff a homeless guy into a trunk and beating him about the head with a machete after he tried to rob one of them. I saw a guy covered with blood come out of the back room of a cell phone shop followed by two guys pushing him out the door.
I have never set foot in the Del Rey, nor have I ever been with a Costa Rican prostitute. I came to this website only at the invitation of a fellow Nebraskan who suggested I read the comments about my letter to the A.M. Costa Rica and post my own responses.
Many of you think I failed to educate myself before moving there. To the contrary, I read everything I could find, and made several trips there. We have a number of Ticos residing here in Lincoln, Nebraska. I’m pretty sure we know them all.
I would still like to know where ACCURATE information can be found. Fernando Berrocal claims that only about 400 robberies per month occur in San José. ICE, on the other hand, reported a few months back that on average, nearly 400 cell phone owners suspend their service each day, suggesting strongly that nearly that many are taken by force daily. Mine was.
The U.S. consular sheet on Costa Rica suggests crime is no worse than in large cities. They do not say on what statistics they base their report.
Two teenage chapulines who lived in my neighborhood met violent deaths at the hands of other chapulines con armas during my nearly thirteen months in Desamparados. One of the murders occurred less than 100 feet from my front door, the other only a stone’s throw farther.
I enjoyed CableTica a lot. You can watch many programs that cannot air in the United States. I watched the uncensored versions of movies I had seen before and was so surprised to hear the language and scenes that never made it past the U,S. censors. The corner video stores always had or could get anything showing in U.S. theaters, sometimes before it ever hit them.
My wife had a lot of family living very close to us in Desamparados. Her parents and brothers live in Guanacaste, a little south of Playas del Coco, south of Filadelfia and west of Belen. They were very supportive.
I heard the term gringo used pejoratively probably as frequently as I heard it used as a racist term.
I’m trying to show that there was good as well as bad.
I gave life in Costa Rica a fair chance – for over a year. Few of my critics here have done that, and those that have can dispute little if any of what I’ve said.
One letter to the editor to the A.M. Costa Rica (or perhaps the Tico Times) referred to life in Costa Rica as the Dura Vida as opposed to the Pura Vida. For those of us accustomed to life in the U.S., over time, life in Costa Rica does seem very hard in many ways (just sit on the couch or sleep on the foam mattress).
A full 80% of Costa Ricans do not feel safe outside their homes. “Gringos” are perceived as being more wealthy and are more likely to be victims of crimes. What percentage of the latter who reside in Costa Rica do you believe actually feel safe outside their own home?
Yes, my family and I will return to Costa Rica. In the future, we will probably fly in and out of Liberia and confine our travels largely to the Pacific coast, where I felt semi-secure most of the time. We will likely own property there in the future as well.
I really wanted to explore the rain forests, volcanoes and other natural attractions with my two sons as they grew older. However, as a responsible parent with the legal right to raise my Ch*ldren in the United States, I could no longer justify trying to raise them as Ticos.

Abogado

My friend, you owe us absolutely no explanation. I appreciate you putting yourself out there and therefore making yourself a target of barbs from people who disagree with you. Each situation is unique and you reported yours as you saw it.

BTW, many of my comrades on this board speculate as to how to meet and form a successful relationship with a non prostitute Tica. I find it interesting that you were able to meet and woo your wife without ever setting foot in Costa Rica, much less the Del Rey.

Best of luck to you in getting the practice back in order and to you and your family in making the readjustment.

Ciaociao

Here's the story, as it appeared in the November 2, 1998 Daily Nebraskan:

TIM SULLIVAN is a third-year law student and a Daily Nebraskan columnist.

Dicho y hecho

(No sooner said than done)

Something odd happened in the fall of 1993, and again about two weeks ago, but before I tell you
what happened, you need a little background info:

¿Qué está diciendo? (What is he saying?)

No sé. (I don't know.)

It all started on the morning of August 25, 1993. It was a Monday morning I recall vividly.
Fue el día en que yo comencé a aprender español.

(It was the day I started to learn Spanish. Now, I may have just slaughtered that translation
horribly, but only my former Spanish teachers and I know for sure, right?)

At 7:30 that morning, I walked into the classroom on the northwest corner of the second floor of
Oldfather, took a seat in the back row and waited.

Already there was Carol Klucas, who didn't know it yet, but was to become my Spanish 101
instructor.

My decision to go to college had been a spur of the moment one.

I approached her before she started class, and asked about getting an override. Because I had
made the decision on Friday to quit my job and to start classes on Monday, I needed an override
to get into Spanish 101, as all sections were full.

She told me to wait until she took roll and to talk to her again at the end of class.

¿Cómo estás? ¿Cómo te llamas? (How are you? What's your name?)

Me llamo Tim. (My name is Tim.)

¿Qué? (What?)

Timoteo.

¿Timoteo?

Sí, Timoteo is your name.

Hola. Me llamo Timoteo. (Hello. My name is Tim.)

Newly christened with the name "Timoteo," I was off to general registration for new students,
and I tried to register.

My first attempt failed miserably. I had forgotten one minor little detail - getting myself
readmitted.

Still pondering whether or not I liked mi nombre nuevo (my new name), off to Admissions I went.

An hour or so later, I'm back in line at the union, but this time things clicked, and I was suddenly a full-time estudiante (student) quien asistía la universidad (who was attending the
university).

Something strange happened in the weeks and months that followed.

The clothes I wore became mi ropa. My car was mi coche. Spanish class started a las siete y
media de la mañana, rather than at 7:30 a.m.

¿Puedo llamar a un abogado? (Can I call a lawyer?)

No, probably not. I asked for it.

Not only did I ask for it, but I went at it con mucho gusto. (With much pleasure.)

Marcela van Olphen was my next profesora de español.

I have never met anyone like her.

Hubo mucha paciencia. (She had a lot of patience.) Not only that, but I was in love. (Sigh.)

Recibí una "A+." (I got an A+.)

Spanish 201, which I took in the first five-week session of the Summer of 1994, wasn't so easy.

Dr. J. Augustín Pastén B. (I never did find out what the "B." stood for) saw to that. He scared
a bunch of people into dropping during the first week.

But I hung in there, even though it was one of only two times I have opted for pass/no pass.

¿Me van a molestar por ser humano? (Am I likely to be harassed for being human?) The guy was the
201 coordinator and reputed to be the toughest.

Silvia Martínez-Gonzaléz was my profesora for Spanish 202 in the second five-week session.

She was from Mexico. Cantamos canciones. (We sang songs.)

Recibí otra "A+." (I got another A+.)

Mis profesores de español wanted me to take higher level courses. I was just glad it was over.

That is, I was glad until a couple of weeks ago.

I was sitting on a park bench in front of the Laundromat I go to when two girls drove up in a
car with in-transit stickers in the windows.

The girl driving tried to park the car in a parking space. Her friend got out and tried to point
which way to turn the wheel, etc., but the girl driving just couldn't seem to park the car in a parking space without hitting cars in the adjoining spaces. She must have tried seven times.

Both of them were smiling and laughing. I was rolling.

Finally, the girl driving got out and said "Could you help me, please?"

I stopped laughing long enough to say "What, park your car?," and she said "Yes, please!"

So I got in her car and guided it safely into the parking space.

It turned out she had been driving for only a couple of weeks and was still learning to drive.

I gave her my phone number and found out her name was Yorleny.

She actually called that evening, much to my surprise.

The great thing about meeting Yorleny is that she has become mi amiga nueva (my new friend) who
is helping me re-learn my Spanish. It's coming back muy rápido. (Very quickly.)

Because she came here from Costa Rica only three months ago, I'm working with her on her
English. And learning a lot about Costa Rica, too.

Until now, I never considered it useful to have fulfilled my Spanish requirement.

So as you drudge through your language classes, just remember that it may be worth it some day
when you least expect it.

Your language classes may help you bridge cultural gaps that could reap huge rewards for you.

Dicho y hecho.

Te amo, Yorleny.

(Editor's note: Spelling and grammatical errors are the sole responsibility of the columnist.
Spanish professors should grade and return this column to him. Not me. My skills in Spanish are
legendarily bad.)

Nice Tim, appreciate sharing that story and your replies back to the forum as well.

If you ever need cookies delivered to the family in SJ, drop a line

Abogado,

I wanted to welcome you to the board.

I haven’t had a chance to read your remarks yet. It is remarkable that you would take the time to follow up and share your insights. I wanted to let you know your time and effort is appreciated.

Paco, you are 100% right. I didn't mean to paint an overly ideal picture. Costa Rica is by no means a utopia. Costa Rica has its share of problems. There is a percentage of the population that dislikes as much as most of the rest of the world. There is also a pro-socialist minority that is Pro-Chavez.

Most definitely, our money plays a role why Costa Ricans like us. Lets be clear about that.

My point is that it is better to have them like us for our money rather than have them hate us for it, don't you think? At least they like us!!!!! This is more than can be said most places these days. My point is that by and large, the Costa Ricans are about as good of friends that we have any where. If it is for our money, so be be it. We need all the friends we can get.

Just because the Chicas that doesn't mean they don't love us does it? Please don't burst my bubble. LOL

Adonado,

It is remarkable how different our experiences have been.

There are a couple points that you make that I would like to address.

You are right, it is hard to get accurate numbers for virtually anything, which leaves a lot of room for conjecture.

I also read the report of 400 robberies a month in San Jose. It was reported by a law enforcement official that was threatening to resign from his position because his department was overwhelmed by the high number of robberies in San Jose(400 pr month). (I don't know if you noticed, but his numbers didn't add up. He said there had been 2700 robberies in 2007 as of Sept. That doesn't work out to 400 p/month) He was a government official lobbing for more resources for his department. so while I would grant you that good numbers are hard to come by, his incentive would have been to over report, not under report.

I don't know what percentage of people are afraid to come out of their homes. Crime has grown here and I know that Costa Ricans are concerned about it. I am unaware of general fears that people have for going out of their homes in my community. I do know that some communities have been more impacted than others. 80% is a very big number and paints a very broad generalization. Perhaps this is true of your neighborhood, but it certainly is not true of mine.

Thanks again for sharing your perspectives.

I don't disagree with much you say, abogado. I just restate what I said before. If you have enough money and are monogamous, then Beverly Hills beats San Jose (let alone Desamparados) all to Hell. I can't afford to live in Omaha, let alone Beverly Hills, and have the same lifestyle. I am also not in a monogamous relationship. For these reasons Costa Rica is a better option for me than the USA. But IF I had the money and IF I was living with the 'love of my life' then I agree that the USA is a cleaner, saner environment. Excluding the weather, that is. So it's great that you prefer the USA, and I'm satisfied to live in Costa Rica. May your happiness continue, and may mine continue as well.

_________________
"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

dupe post... how the hell did I do THAT?????

_________________
"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

I don't think anyone would argue that Costa Rica is a safer place to raise Ch*ldren than Nebraska.