A Farmer’s Creative Sabbatical (6)
Americans Are Ruining Costa Rica
It’s heartbreaking and embarrassing to witness the arrogance of my fellow country people
Costa Rica is one of my favorite countries to visit, as are New Zealand and the Indonesian island of Bali. But I visit Costa Rica every year, if I can, because of its beauty, simplicity, and the kindness of its people. Life here is sweet, simple, slow-paced, and sumptuous. Costa Ricans call it Pura vida.
I come here to write, to paint, to enjoy the jungles and beaches, the toucans and howling monkeys. There’s a quality of air here that’s difficult to describe, but the scents of exotic flowers and fresh ocean breezes permeate, and, in the rainy season, your nose knows when a downpour is imminent.
I visit here to enjoy classic Costa Rican food, like Pinto Gallo for breakfast, and dorado frito for dinner, served whole and eaten right down to the skeleton—the best fish I have ever tasted anywhere. Ever.
No country is perfect, but Costa Rica serves its citizens well. For example, instead of spending—some would say “wasting”—astonishing amounts of taxpayer money on a vast military establishment, they decided instead to invest it in education.
Costa Rica’s energy grid is 99% powered by wind and solar, and fortunately there is plenty of both to keep this country running relatively smoothly.
It’s not “perfect” here
There are a few downsides to visiting or setting up residence in this country.
- Savvy travelers always bring a flashlight, or a portable solar pack for recharging their phones, because you can count on the power going out often, maybe even daily, in the rainy season especially. It comes back quickly, but can be a problem for heavy internet users.
- There are earthquakes. This morning while enjoying my breakfast, there was a loud CRACK! and it felt like a big truck had slammed into the side of my apartment. No harm done except a broken candle-holder that was jolted off a shelf. My resident mutt Bruno, asleep on the sunny deck, didn’t even open one eye. Earthquakes are frequent, small, and rarely noticed.
- There are dogs. Costa Ricans all have dogs, but here los perros are not usually allowed inside the house. They roam freely, make friends with the neighbor dogs, and generally bark incessantly, starting around 5:00AM, sounding the alarm that sunrise is imminent! My gringa friend, a permanent resident here, once asked her Tico neighbor if he could please make his dogs stop barking all the time. His reply, “No hay problema. Just don’t listen!”
- Sleeping late in the morning is not possible. See “There are dogs,” above.
- If your casita or apartment is close to a highway, the noise from motor vehicles—especially trucks and motorcycles—is beyond deafening. All day. Apparently, mufflers aren’t a thing here.
Do I need to mention bugs? Anyone who comes to the tropics and doesn’t expect to experience every kind of insect and spider imaginable should just stay home. Please.
There’s a saying in Costa Rica— “If you kill something, you have to eat it.”
Don’t kill anything in Costa Rica. Nature takes care of itself here, and if left alone, it will usually leave you alone too.
If I said “It’s not perfect here,” what I meant is that it is perfect.
American assholes want it the way they want it
Many of my expat friends have lived here for years, and they would never go back to the States. Most, on Social Security, couldn’t begin to afford to live in the US, where rents are typically higher than their monthly checks.
These women live in beautiful, small Tico-style houses, with small yards filled with astonishing jungle plants, flowers, and trees, sometimes with a river rushing by below. They live in Tico communities, by Tico rules, pay their taxes, wear their masks, and enjoy the pura vida that makes this place so special.
But there are some expats who epitomize the term “Ugly American.”
For a few months prior to my visit, I was following a Facebook group of expats in Costa Rica, mainly to get into the swing of things and to learn about any activities I might want to participate in during my visit.
Regarding the Covid driving restrictions, here’s what one of them posted:
“I don’t understand why we can’t go to the markets when we want to. After all, we are spending a lot of money here, and we ought to be cut some slack!”
Apparently, this woman doesn’t believe Costa Rican laws should apply to rich, arrogant, white Karens. (Is that redundant?)
Americans are getting out of Dodge
Strife, politics, hate, and guns, not to mention drought and other climate change issues, are driving decent, law-abiding citizens out of the USA. Older Americans, like me, are finding their native country an unaffordable and unpleasant place to continue to live in.
They’re moving to Panama, Costa Rica, even Nicaragua, where the living is cheap. And it never snows.
They come, build big houses on the beaches, install swimming pools, and start complaining about everything Costa Rican. So, here comes McDonald’s, then a huge Walmart at the edge of town, and every brown person is expected to be at Karen’s command.
They complain about potholes and ruts, but don’t want to pay for repairs. They don’t want to pay a decent wage for workers because “it might ruin things for other expats.” I’ve heard variations on this theme in every non-European country I’ve ever visited.
They want their “freedoms” regardless of local customs or laws. They want to ruin this and other countries like they’ve already ruined America.
If you don’t like it here, GTF out!
Don’t try to change such a beautiful, unique, and happy place. You can buy a house here, but you can’t buy Costa Rica. All you will accomplish is to make life unpleasant for the Ticos and embarrassing for the rest of us, who actually love things the way they are here. Their economy is heavily dependent on tourist dollars, but they’re learning that maybe Americans just aren’t worth the hassle.
So many American tourists are rude, arrogant, racist, and generally superior. You know who you are! You make the rest of us look bad and you’re not helping our country’s sliding reputation, not here nor anywhere else.
I want you all to go home, stay home, or find another destination that’s already been ruined by American entitled arrogance. May I suggest maybe Guam or Samoa?
Thanks for reading, and apologies for the rant. I’m angry enough to have actually paid $12 for that iStock photo because it’s how Costa Ricans see most of us, especially those entitled Karens who show up, not in shorts and tanks, but decked out in expensive jewelry (it’s not done here!) and glorious mani-pedis. They flaunt their wealth and look down their noses at everything else.
And thanks to ScienceDuuude and WotWU for hosting my raging rants and wandering words.
For more about my sojourn in this magnificent country:
@Shadowgnosis
