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For those that live here, do you consider yourself a guest? In other words, are you treated better than Ticos. I ask this using the premise that I treat my guest better than my friends, as my guest are here for a short while so I roll out the red carpet for them. I love my friends but I can’t roll out the red carpet for them everytime I see them.
So, do you feel like a guest here. I sure don’t. And I am getting sick and tired of people refering to residents here as guests. I recive no preferential treatment, in fact I am somewhat abused by the Gringo Pricing System. That’s not how you treat a guest.
I don’t treat my guests any differently than I would treat anybody else which is normally with respect so why should the Ticos treat me any differently?
I do consider myself a guest in their country – and always will be no matter how long I live here – but don’t expect preferential “guest” treatment and, as for Tico pricing I’m not sure I have ever been “abused” by it…
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comWe are legal permanent residents. The question of seeking Costa Rican citizenship remains open. Regardless, we will always consider ourselves to be guests in this country and will try to conduct ourselves as if we are. We understand that we have neither any right to be here nor any right to expect special treatment.
And, unlike some, we do not have a sense of ever having been taken advantage of financially. Yes, people talk about “Tico” and “Gringo” prices, but how do they know?
The prices in the supermarkets are clearly marked. The prices loaded into the computers at the fereterias and what they are. If you’re negotiating the price of a car, real estate, etc, then like everyone else you must watch out for your own self-interest, but how do you know you’re being singled out due to your nationality?
Hello Wake up.IN new York they are minorites prices too. If you buy acar or get a loan. Please stay in your country.
We need some more constructive comments from you bushito rather than insults or we’ll have to say goodbye.
People with no credit or bad credit obviously are more risk and are therefore charged more.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.com[quote=”DavidCMurray”]We are legal permanent residents. The question of seeking Costa Rican citizenship remains open. Regardless, we will always consider ourselves to be guests in this country and will try to conduct ourselves as if we are. We understand that we have neither any right to be here nor any right to expect special treatment.
And, unlike some, we do not have a sense of ever having been taken advantage of financially. Yes, people talk about “Tico” and “Gringo” prices, but how do they know?
The prices in the supermarkets are clearly marked. The prices loaded into the computers at the fereterias and what they are. If you’re negotiating the price of a car, real estate, etc, then like everyone else you must watch out for your own self-interest, but how do you know you’re being singled out due to your nationality?[/quote]
David, I value your opinions here. This time, as usual, it is right on the money as far as my own observations and I agree with you. I read a lot of negative views about crime and “gringo prices” and I suspect that these are mostly anecdotal experiences and not general, widespread realities.
when I stayed there I never thought about the semantics.
I had Tico neighbors,lived within my means and acted as if.
sometimes the ability to stay there,live and be A part of wasn’t much different from how I live day to day.
for me,actually it was like living in miami.I used spanish and didn’t think much about it.wspeed – my point exactly. Why should I feel like a guest. I never feel like a guest at home and this is now my home… so …
Guest –noun
1. a visitor to whom hospitality is extended.
I am not a visitor. I am a resident.
I am residing here not visiting here.
My point is that I don’t feel any different here than I do in my home country. I am not a guest there; I pay taxes and contribute to society in my home country, and do the same here, so why should I consider myself a guest when I am shown no preferential treatment (hospitality (and I don’t expect it). I am treated just like everybody else, except I often encounter discrimination here. Or maybe you don’t believe that many (I would say the majority) of Ticos are ethnocentric.
This stuff about me representing where I came from is passé. When I see a Japanese person acting nicely or poorly I do not draw a generalization that all Japanese are alike.
If you are a visitor here, then maybe you can consider yourself a guest and hold your self to some “higher?” standard of behavior. For me, I live here and will act the same way I act where ever I live, and that includes contributing and speaking up when things are unbalanced. If more people spoke up there would be less crime and more order.
Maybe some people feel like a guest because they don’t speak Spanish well. I guess you could feel alienated by that and that separation could make one feel like a guest. I have integrated and very much like the Tico social mores and do the same as they do. I am not trying to impose my US social mores on Ticos (trying to change them) and think that if I wanted this t be like back home then i would move back. No way, I love it here and this act like a guest thing doesn’t fly for me. It like i have to experience Gringo Guilt because my country is the wealthiest and polices the world. A thankless job by the way. I need to show no excuse for my wealth and I don’t flaunt it. Just try t blend in like every other grain of sand, and not stand out like as a “guest.”
@ 2bncr,
glad you got it,before I hit send,I looked at my post and wondered.
theirs so many times that I feel folks are either desensitized or too sensitive to the basic rules of existance.
in my avvy,that was my “car”.sometimes I did menial task,for A Tico.and made what he would pay,A Tico.
not that i needed to,and I didn’t put myself above anyone.
ya know,theirs an old biker addage that shines this light.when I realized it after doing time,and getting clean and sober I’ve tried to make it my mantra,“don’t ride in front of me,I’m not A follower.
don’t ride behind me,i’m not A leader.
ride beside me,and be my brother forever”.
people should be good to each other,naturally thats utopian.
the thing is,my concern should be about me and my interactions,and the impression I leave you with.
we should treat each other as neighbors,regardless of the noted or implied status.
it’s all about goodwill.Well said. The biker thing is a little strange because the most dangerous place to ride a motorcycle is next to another motorcycle. That why biker clubs ride single file. Takes one to know one.
[quote=”2bncr”]Well said. The biker thing is a little strange because the most dangerous place to ride a motorcycle is next to another motorcycle. That why biker clubs ride single file. Takes one to know one.[/quote]I’m an old rice rocket/drag race guy.in miami we always rode side by side and in syncronicity.
and when I was in NC we’d do the bike rally in Myrtle beach and the local rallies.they always rode side by side.and to them it was in defiance of the local law about it.
my father rode too.my mom had photos of him and his friends from cali to NJ to Miami.doubled up.
they have A law against it in many places now.which would indicate that it was a practiced norm at some point.
often on history channel you’ll see the gangland show about Bikers.they’re always tandem going through town to the cemetary or the bar.Parade style riding for sure exists, doesn’t mean its a smart thing to do though. For good reason there is a law against it.
My situation is a little different, since we moved back for family reasons its not like we are visitors. After the first week and everyone stopped by to say their hellos it is back to the normal life. How ever what really amazed me and my wife is how much Ticos think we are the crazy ones moving back. Most Ticos would not move back for family they would rather live in the U.S. and just send money back if needed. Ticos among Ticos would rather live the high life in the states than take care of their own family.
Besides the crime, the higher cost of living (with less demand for goods – go figure) what upsets me most is the changing of the culture. There is a move toward traditional values in the US (small move but a move none the less). I first came here about 20 years ago and the difference in cultural values is significant. It’s not all smiles like it used to be. Materialism and greed are running rampant.
20 years ago we would marvel at the tranquil calm Tico and think, how can they be so happy with so little. Then the cars started to pile in. Yes not so long ago there was no traffic here. You could drive anywhere any time of the day without traffic and that included san Jose. When the Ticos started to drive we realized that the quickest way to make a calm Tico an macho monster was to put the behind the wheel!
To side track, walking has its rewards and those are that you earned your arrival. Driving is cheating you way to your destination. Do you see many people happily driving somewhere. Take a moment to look at driver’s faces – stressful.
You see a lot more happy walkers that is for sure.
Man I miss the traditional values. Arias and the new woman are moving this country to be the US and what is worse, it is the same bunch a cronies that are strangling the life out of the average Tico. When the cost of building and good is down in the states and from what I hear pretty much worldwide, and the demand here is low (jut go into your local hardware store and witness the empty sheles9 the cost of living and building here keeps going up.
It sure isn’t supply and demand. So what is it. I’ll tell you what, It the greedy few that control the markets in Costa Rica.But since the asinine slander laws here have everybody afraid to name names the situation perpetuates itself.
Greed,
manipulation
slander laws
loss of fundamental values
This is what is killing the lifestyle here and eliminating the smiles.
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