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If crime is as bad as some say it is, then all your efforts combined won’t be enough against what appears to be a strong cultural force. If what I read and hear is true, Costa Rican society doesn’t seem interested or capable in dealing with petit crime. If true, larceny is a popular national passtime, tolerated by nearly everyone including the police.
That is why I am interested in finding out as much as I can about this issue. Because if crime is a endemic as you say, you may as well acclimate yourself to it and simply join in the game with the right spirit. Set up your barriers as the opposing player. Expect that sometimes you will win and sometimes you will lose. You will be robbed now and then. When that happens, just smile and shake your head. Those pesky, rascally thieves beat you again. I suppose if I can live happily in a country with a strong catholic religion everywhere, I can live with thieves. In fact, I don’t see a whole lot of difference between them.
Edited on Jan 04, 2009 12:56
Edited on Jan 04, 2009 13:02
God helps those who help themselves . . . to other peoples’ stuff. And all you gotta do is go to confession afterwards, so yes, it is tolerated and just a damn nuisance to the police. So, I’ve done an about face on this issue. I love Costa Rica. I love my life there; I love my house; I love all of it. I was just ill-equipped on some levels to face the possibility that I too could be a victim. So I will be as pro-active as I can be; maybe some of my measures will deter them. Maybe not. I will at least make it a lot more difficult for them to get in and that’s about all we can do. And I take a little solace in the fact that what they usually steal can be easily replaced. It’s not like they walked off with my mother’s Waterford, or the jewelry my husband gave me, or my artwork. And they didn’t vandalize anything, which they often do in the states. So today I am grateful that it wasn’t a worse experience, which it very well could’ve been.
I think we should just consider crime as another cultural aspect to which we must adapt in Costa Rica.
Nicaragua has less crime than Costa Rica even though more of all the economic disparities which are the causes of crime can be found there than can be found in Costa Rica. Have you ever wondered why they would have less crime? According to some U.S. embassy analysts, the Nica police are more professional due to their Sandinista training. Perhaps the Costa Ricans should invite the Cubans over to offer some helpful advice in police training.
When I was in Cuba many years ago, I saw the positive effects of their neighborhood watch system. Each neighborhood had a “cederista” in charge of keeping an eye onthings.I could walk the streets of Havana at 2 in the morning in complete safety. I hear it is still relatively safe comapred to most other large latin cities.
Edited on Jan 04, 2009 13:35
The latest report I heard was that crime is very much on the rise in Nicaragua. Maybe it’s not as bad as El Salvador (yet) but it’s bad and it’s the gringos they are targeting. I think it’s just good to be prepared.
Maravilla,
I’m sorry it happened to you.
You can’t say you weren’t warned MANY times.
You did the right thing by keeping little of value.
I understand EXACTLY how you feel, the personal violation, the ire, the loss of faith.
I’m amazed at your total about-face on matters of violence. Give yourself some time for the trauma to wear off. But my God woman, you weren’t even in the country when it happened! Get a grip!
I repeat, for the nth time, the best possible advice for anyone thinking of moving to Costa Rica:
BUY A CONDO IN A TRULY GATED COMMUNITY.
Even then, furnish & equip it cheaply, and drive a common (but not popular) used vehicle.
Get a grip? I have one now. I didn’t have one at first. And what does my not having been there have to do with anything? My neighbor sent me detailed photos of the mess they created, room by room, pile by pile, cupboard by cupboard. It was shocking, but as the days passed, I realized that there were things I could do to remedy the situation so I didn’t feel so helpless. And it’s not like I’m a robbery virgin! I’ve been robbed a total of 4 other times in various parts of the world.
From my previous post _
Point A: The point is that most people spend the extra money to prevent them from feeling violated.
Now you will spend more money on “protection” than the vlue of what was stolen from you.
Point B: It’s not about the monetary loss. It’s about their precious ego.
Now it tunrs into a battle of whose most clever – you or the thief.
Point C: Thier inability to let go of obsesive control and feelings of superiority. Refer to point B above
Point D: It’s not the bars, but their mindset that cages them.
You got control of your mind after the blow to your ego. Now you can come to accept the most important point – Point E (see below).
Point E: I chalk the losses up to the price of doing business (living here).
That’s really about all you can do. Police ain’t gonna help. You can call Costa Busters I guess… Arrrrrrrr
Just to keep it in perspective.
Here is a link to a very nice town here in florida.I feel for you Marvella. My son was burglarized, his home ransacked, everything of value stolen, his wife, their maid and he were all beaten up. They drugged his four dogs, mugged and tied up his two security guards, disalarmed his security system and were dressed in suits and ties. That to me sounds like a movie. Oh, his wife was seven months pregnant at the time but that didn’t stop them from socking and kicking her. She was black and blue all over but the baby was okay. My son now has weapons and will shoot at anyone who comes near his property or family with the intent to kill them and face the consequences. Keep your low profile and keep safe.
That is my point. Be sure to check out any city in the US you might want to run back to. Then the weather today. Then the price of a banana. ONLY 4 MORE YEARS UNTIL RETIREMENT.
I see your point but many on this site are saying the whole country of Costa Rica is a bad neighborhood. I am still not convinced of this. I believe where and/or how you live has everything to do with whether or not you become a victim. And this should be true everywhere…even in Iraq or Costa Rica. How big of a target are you?
Just to stae the obvious: When armed, well dressed thugs break into a home in Costa Rica, I have to assume they have some knowledge of what kind of wealth is in the home. That home is a big target. If you are wealthy, you need to be concerned and you need to take extra protection measures no matter where you live. The measures you take for protecton should be comensurate with your size as a taget. You increase your target size regardless of wealth when you live or travel in certain areas.
The threat of physical violence is worse than having your “stuff” stolen. So protecting myself and my house is NOT about my ego, it’s about not having something like Marcia described happen to me. God, Marcia, I am so sorry to hear that. It must have been awful. But I just heard of a similar story in the US, so it’s not only CR who has thugs without a conscience. Sprite, I think you just simply don’t get it. You want to believe that you will be safe, not a target, etc. But you don’t know that for sure because even the modest little Tico houses in my hood have been robbed. People who don’t have hardly anything are having their homes invaded. So protecting your premises and your physical being is what it’s all about, at least to the extent that you can do these things because there are way too many unknowns in this equating of personal safety.
I don’t know for sure that I WILL be a vicitm of crime in Costa Rica either. There just is no concrete evidence either way. It’s all about probabilities. Right now, unfortunately, the odds for you have become 100%. The odss for others like David and Scott, are zero percent.
Edited on Jan 06, 2009 08:25
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