MEET THE COSTA RICANS!
Sitting at the southern edge of Central America is a country bordered to the North and South by Nicaragua and Panama. This small land mass is filled with loads of tourist attraction centers such as beaches, tropical rainforests, volcanoes, hot water springs, and wildlife.
What most eyes may seem to ignore from this idyllic scenery is the people of this great land. With a population of five million people (the bulk of these having Spanish and Native American ancestry), the Ticos –a word derived from hermanticos, meaning little brothers –have managed to ensure that their precious traditions and cultural nuances survived till this very day.
The primary language spoken here is Spanish, and other indigenous languages have survived over time, about six of them, and some of the locals still speak and communicate with it. Most of the country are practicing Catholics and there are churches in even the smallest towns of Costa Rica as a testament to this fact.
The Costa Rican people are very friendly, warm and generous people, as well as patient, determined and hardworking. The Ticos are also known to be very polite, and saying no to requests can be very difficult for them to do!
Many foreigners leave with a tale about the Costa Ricans friendliness. Mine was having the first car that passed stop to help me repair a flat tyre at 2am. That doesn’t happen back home! Then when I offered him a gratuity he wouldn’t accept a penny, he just left with a big smile.
The Ticos place so much value and importance in their community and its growth, and they all try to play their significant part in building. They are also known to have very large families.
Ticos take their music, dancing, annual festivals and parties very seriously! as they believe it plays an integral role in family functions and communal gatherings and that the culture and tradition of the preparation of the food are just as important as the feast itself!
Soccer (called football) is the primary sport played by locals here, as it is with countries like England and Brazil. The locals are very skilled in this game, and they have helped visitors and tourists to brush up their skills and knowledge of the rules of the game after many lessons learned from just one or two games played.
For some tourists, getting to know the people of Costa Rica turns out to be the icing on the cake after a rollercoaster ride of adventures in the lovely country.
