My mom named me Gustavo Adolfo. I was born in Puntarenas, next to the sea, but my home was in Cedral, a small town of Montes de…

See also: Save the date - a Costa Rican abroad encounters social calendars I recently moved back from the United States to a Spanish-speaking country. While walking…

Sometime between cave dwelling and Airbnb, human beings managed to develop not just the concept of private property but also the notion of private space. We developed…

See also: Going out on 'un date' - the cultural quirks of romance A couple of years ago, my family and I took a road trip in…

For anyone who grew up in Alajuela, April conjures up images of flag-filled parades, where the humming of the drums and the whistling of the flutes merge…

Recommended: Save the date – a Costa Rican abroad encounters social calendars Childhood is a country of its own. It is a place with a particular set of…

Recommended: Ticos in a winter wonderland It is perhaps fitting that Valentine’s Day should be named after a martyr. More than anything, February 14th evokes that delectable yet…

As the clock strikes midnight and the fireworks light up the night sky, thousands of Costa Rican families prepare for the rituals that, for generations, have marked…

Recommended: Save the date - a Costa Rican abroad encounters social calendars In a brilliant short story by Sergio Ramírez, a veteran meteorologist discovers that, owing to…

There can be major adaptations in a minor culture shock. In terms of way of life and social norms, the gap between Costa Rica and the United…