I moved permanently to Costa Rica for many reasons, but the political situation in the United States was not one of them. And to this day, I do my best to live unaffected by whatever is transpiring in my home country, as difficult as that can sometimes be. Recently, on a Facebook page dedicated to U.S. citizens living in or considering a move to Costa Rica, someone asked about the political leanings of Gringos here.
The answers were spread across the ideological spectrum. What became clear is that the foreign-born community is as diverse in its beliefs as the locals. But one thing most of us have in common is that politics is not a major topic of conversation, especially in face-to-face encounters. We are here for all that Costa Rica has to offer. If we were truly interested in being political animals, we would have been better off staying put in the States.
My compatriots and I do our best to get along, regardless of ideology. For me, a perfect laboratory for this is every Thursday night at a bar in Quepos. There, we play a weekly trivia game that attracts players from the United States, Costa Rica, Canada, and Europe. We are a mix of right, left, and center, and we get along great, mainly because we are there to have fun, socialize, and spend a couple of hours over drinks and tests of knowledge.
Another Facebook post asked about the political leanings of Costa Rica. I did not answer, but if I had, I would have said the following: Costa Rica is a socially conservative country. Family is number one. Old folks are not shuttled off to nursing homes. Younger family members care for them. Religion is big.
Dios is mentioned a million or so times daily throughout the land. Abortion is illegal. While marijuana use is much more widespread than in previous decades, there is still solid opposition to its legalization. Change comes slowly, but at the same time, the average Tico is open to new people and new ideas.
And yet, Costa Rica also checks many of the boxes of a democratic socialist country. It has a national health care program, heavy government involvement in many layers of society, and countless organizations that begin with the words Instituto Costarricense de. It also has a state-owned and operated electric company, ICE, which does a great job of bringing light to even the most remote areas of the country.
Unknown to most Gringos here, Costa Rica once had an active Communist Party. One of its founders was Manuel Mora, who was given a full state funeral when he died in 1994. The other founder was writer Carmen Lyra, who, in an ironic twist, is now pictured on the 20,000-colón note. And Costa Rica still has its share of men named Vladimir and Lenin.
That was then. Costa Rica at present is politically more conservative than ever. But if your reason for coming to Costa Rica is to possibly live in a place where politics does not dominate every conversation, you may find what many of us have found. The country has its debates, its divisions, and its contradictions, but daily life here is still shaped far more by family, community, weather, work, food, friends, and the simple act of getting along.
Read more of Don Mateo’s writing from his newly published ebook.
