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Cubans are just about everywhere :)….My father received political asylum from the Brazilian embassy in ’60-61, but ended in Venezuela so I was actually born in Caracas. A Tica friend and I went to meet my family in Santa Clara and La Havana a few years ago around Christmas time. We spent the whole 2 weeks meeting and getting to know them. When I landed in Cuba it was a very strange feeling to recognize faces and attitudes–to feel at home in many ways even though I had never been there before. It was challenging observing everything and making sure I didn’t say anything that could be construed as subversive so as not to create a problem for the people that live there–but I was amazed at how much they could accomplish with so little. I hear that Santiago de Cuba is beautiful and one day I hope to get to know more of that island and its people. Most of my family is in Santa Clara, very few made it out and those that are out live either in the US or Costa Rica. There are a good number of Cubans in CR right now (recent and not so recent arrivals). The first time I went to CR in ’82 some friends insisted on taking me to the “Cuban’s Farm” in San Carlos by Muelle. When I talked to them I realized that it had been their great, great grandfather (or something like that) that had been Cuban and had settled on that farm late 1800s when the oxen cart was still used to haul things around :-). It was a beautiful farm and they were very generous with me, but I found that kind of hospitality throughout all of CR, especially in the more rural areas.
I know some people in the Central Valley area who could offer lodging, there’s a bunch of smaller hotels and some larger ones throughout, but it definitely depends on which area of CR you want to visit. As someone else suggested, try not to spread yourselves too thin or you will spend the whole time traveling to and fro and that’s not exactly the best part of being in CR. Let me know when you know the area(s) you want to visit and timeframe and I’ll gladly help anyway I can. Have a great trip! Rebe
Hi Dernocom, What part of Cuba will you be visiting? I would love to know your impressions and how your trip goes. I’m Cuban and haven’t been there in a few years. The Cubans on the island are very dynamic, well educated, fun loving culture with a “resolver” (just get it done) kind of attitude which also entails the “sad story” (in CR it’s called sacando el violin) to get more out of you–Unfortunately, some of those sad stories are uncomfortably true. Some of the contrasts the people experience during this “special period” (as Fidel calls it) can be very sad to observe, but they seem to be very inventive in finding ways to get by. Many Cubans also offer “non-official” tours, taxis, B&B type home stays, paladares (little restaurants) and are tour guides to get by and they’re pretty good at it. Finding gasoline is always fun there, but maybe now, at least for tourist, they have this more under control–some of the concoctions they make to deal with their shortages are amazing. I hope you have a wonderful trip!
My gosh, look at that, we may agree more than expected. I would hope the “someones” would be all gathered. It’s so true most things are situational which is why attributing them to someone’s supposed character flaw is usually off the mark. Cubans are never going to be accused of not being straightforward, I agree again, it’s the intent that counts most. You can be straightforward and not call anyone nasty, hurtful names, something that was certainly expected in my very straightforward Cuban family and although the reverse could be said of less confrontational attitudes, they’re just a lot easier to deal with. BTW, although I do love to laugh and have been know to be funny from time to time, the gratitude was wholeheartedly genuine…. but in a pinch I could gather some hunter friends of mine to help any bunnies in distress in April 🙂 Pura Vida!
Glad to hear you had already contacted MINAE–you might want to ask some of the orgs you’ve been working with about their experience setting up (if they’re NGOs). Sounds like really interesting work. I did research for GEF/IICA/CATIE in Talamanca that was linked with the Mesoamerican biological corridor and I will never forget that experience. I’m trying to get a hold of some personal contacts, but a lot of people are out on the field and it’s hard from Jersey and I’ve been out of the field for few yrs, but I will write again when I have more info. I don’t know this org personally, but I’ve been told they do cooperate with other orgs regarding community & sustainability. Fundacion Accesso http://www.acceso.or.cr (there are some people there that speak English). Do you know them? I also called a friend in CR so that she can get the contact info for an American girl that works for Federacion Costarricense para la Conservacion del Ambiente (FECON)– both of these are NGOs and could give you an idea about starting your own–who knows, you may find ways to collaborate on some future project. Best of luck with this wonderful journey. Pura Vida!
If your wife is anything like you, I’m sure we would have a wonderful time with my friend who is a very charming and funny lady. You’re right, stranger things have been known to happen, nice people turn mean and not so nice could also choose to be nice…who knows, life is always about options and full of possibilities… 🙂 Pura Vida Alfred!
I wish you the best of luck with such a noble endeavor. Margaret Mead said it best, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” People like yourselves would be an asset wherever you go and whatever community you choose to belong to.
When you do visit CR you might want to visit Monteverde. This community is made up of American expats (mostly from Quaker backgrounds) and Ticos/as and are some of the most respectful people I have ever met anywhere. Martha Moss taught us that we all need to have more than tolerance for one another, we need to strive to respect each other. Even though these expats settled here after being jailed in the US for being peaceful conscientious war objectors and then again being threatened with incarceration many decades ago (when that wasn’t a popular option), they built up this community with inclusive values (it’s not a religious commune by any means, but it’s also not an anything goes type of place), they continue to speak English, but also learned Spanish, they enjoy their family ties, food, culture and support counterparts with issues of importance within the US and CR. They actually strive to live up to the values they express in this CR community and that’s not an easy task anywhere when you’re coming in as an outsider. They give more than lip service to family values, striving to be inclusive and cooperative with locals from their most explicit attitudes to their most implicit ones—-from their words, to their welcoming attitude, to their economic activities. There are more reasons to go to Monteverde than just to visit the beautiful Reserve which I’m sure you will find in your CR guide books or eat their cheese. I don’t know about now, but most things were closed on Mondays so you should try to plan your stay there knowing that. I hope you get a chance to visit one of their “Friends Meetings,” a walk thru their artist galleries, enjoy coffee/tea with old fashioned American & CR pastries at Stella’s and some horseback riding and great canopy zip lines too. It’s a great place for grown ups and kids alike. Whatever you choose to do, I hope you enjoy your trip to CR. Pura Vida!
Never Alfred, but please bring your wife so that her and I could go see the art or I can introduce her to my wonderful friend Cristina who lives right in Alajuela while you guys talk..This way you can be assured she would get to know a very nice CR family, have a wonderful time and I can be assured to still be alive to enjoy another glorious Costa Rican day…
I wanted to thank you for providing this link to CEPIA. I didn’t know about them and just took a look–They seem to have an extensive program that I’m sure the people in these communities appreciate. It’s always nice to see what can be done when people care…Pura Vida!
Passive aggressive behavior is expressed to dodge unpleasant chores people feel forced to accomplish while avoiding confrontation and is only pathological when it’s part of a pervasively pessimistic attitude and since everyone on this Forum is here of their own free will and most don’t seem to suffer from this type of pessimism, then the label doesn’t seem to match very well.
Also, this type of resistant behavior is followed by expressing authoritarian demands as a defense mechanism and is sometimes expressed with snide remarks, sarcasm or barbed humor. Well, now I can understand the resemblance, but rude and annoying remarks are not necessarily exclusive of pathological passive aggressive behavior and we are all (including me) prone to using them when feeling attacked–obviously some of us more than others and I would hope we would all choose an alternate route. Again, not a match.
Lois’ article had incredibly valid points to make and why should she or her total article be disavowed just because you might disagree with some of it or even all of it? I think there’s been a real case plaguing this thread of let’s just throw out the baby with the bathwater and doing it while poking other forum members straight in the eye (nothing real passive about that). I can’t imagine how this will help anyone see another point of view, it’s just serving to make everyone’s eyes hurt and may end up making all of us blind. As much as I dislike the CR “serrucho de piso” business, it’s starting to look endearing in comparison to the indiscriminate disqualifications and character assassinations that have been attempted on this forum from one member to another.
EVERYONE balances their individual identity and benefits with the collective benefits and identity of their social groups. Some cultures are more individualistic so they tend to express themselves in more “self-enhancing” ways while other cultures are more collectively oriented so they tend to “enhance the collective” more and their roles in that collective. On the whole, people from even the most individualistic of societies tend to yield to the collective gain freely because we are most definitely social creatures and need one another to live and truly be well. Latinos, Asians and African cultures tend to be more collective in their thinking and underlying philosophies, but that will never mean that they have totally wiped out their individual identities nor the need to obtain the most out of a situation for themselves—it’s a balancing act that tends to lean one way or another depending on your situation and your culture. Costa Rica and its culture is not perfect–I don’t think that’s a news flash for anyone since we are all well aware that human perfection can only be an illusion and beauty is certainly subjective, but I happen to appreciate the sense of community and belonging that I experience when I’m in CR. I know that I will always find people to be accessible and helpful (not servile) wherever I go (which hasn’t failed me in 25 years) and I really enjoy not being poked in the eye when expressing a view in a respectful manner. We could all learn from them and I’m sure this is not only a particular or unusual view of mine–I really do wish we would all give it a whirl…
Hi Aaronbz, you’re very wise about just how effective some respect can go to diffuse difficult situations on all sides. It seems you have a lot in common with an American named Benjamin Franklin…. When Ben was in the House, there was a new member that didn’t like Mr. Franklin, but Ben didn’t attack him and/or choose to be servile to him either, he actually thought about it and then chose to instead treat him with respect and one day also respectfully asked him for a favor. Ben requested that this new member lend him a very valuable book and once the new member had lent him the book out of the courtesy, he was thrown into a state of dissonance…On the one hand he didn’t like Ben Franklin, but on the other hand he had just lent him a very expensive and rare book–his behavior didn’t agree with his automatic dislike for Mr. Franklin, but since he couldn’t change a fact (the lending of the book) he then started to change his opinion of Mr. Franklin by rationalizing that Ben was known to be an honest man and that he wouldn’t have lent anyone one of this prized book if that person wasn’t somewhat decent. This thinking reduced the difficult man’s dissonance and later Ben Franklin states that they became “great friends.” Ben reminded those he was retelling this story of the maxim, “He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another than he whom you yourself have obliged.”
Respect which goes beyond tolerance, the willingness to genuinely help and also accept help from others which gives others certain power over you in some way takes a fair share of humility and creates an amazing foundation for the interactions between peoples of every culture and every walk in life…I have no doubt you will have a wonderful time in Costa Rica…
For the vacation part of your stay, finding a good hotel (incl all inclusive ones) will not be a problem in CR and there are also smaller hotels/cabinas throughout the country, but have you considered staying in a Tico home for part of your stay where you wish to explore the culture and people to see if CR might be right for you and your family? The number of members traveling with you may be a limiting factor, but you would be surprised that some of the hosting families usually can accommodate 1-4 people for very reasonable prices. These are available in the Central Valley area or while visiting some of the more out of the way communities? Many families have been providing this service for universities and language schools in CR for many years, but they also offer it to other types of visitors and you can negotiate lodging, meals and laundry service plus you get the added bonus of getting to know a real Costa Rican family up close and personal. For our college students, this was one of the most culturally enriching parts of our language-cultural program in CR. I would caution that you make sure you have all of the particulars clear so that you’re not unpleasantly surprised when you arrive. If you choose to go this route, I still know some wonderful families in the San Jose & Heredia areas and I could give you their contact info, but for other areas it would take a bit of digging (just in case anyone is wondering: I do not charge or make any money by offering this). Many of those families were wonderful to our students and I would recommend them in a heartbeat. I agree with grb1063, you really need to get to know the “less traveled” places in order to get a good taste of CR culture and the time of year can also make a difference and not just because it’s more difficult to get around under torrential rains, but it might also allow you to see how they handle holidays, elections, etc. There’s a lot to see and experience, hopefully, this trip will be one of many other vacations spent in CR…Enjoy your trip…Pura Vida!
Cognitive dissonance leads us to FULLY disregard the opinions and experiences of others that are inconsistent with our own views and beliefs without considering the portions of reality that they are sharing not only because we believe the facts are being skewed, but also because it just plain makes us uncomfortable—the worst part is when that also leads us to make attributions about people’s characters and intentions without really knowing them or their true motivations and this goes for even the most truly enlightened and knowledgeable of us in the forum and in the article. It’s one of the hardest things to keep in check, but I would hope we all try…
Lois, I had forgotten just how amazed I was to see people years ago when in the humblest of homes the women waxed their floors everyday and how much pride they took in its cleanliness and in the neatness of their children’s uniforms…Looking at my unmade bed and books laying about in spite of having people help me with chores, made me nostalgic thinking about those days in CR when it seemed there was time for everything, including the appearance of your home, thanks for reminding me:)…unfortunately, I rush off to school…
Absolutely Aaronbz, it shouldn’t be about the monetary cost of the gift, it should be about the thought and I agree with Mr. Benson, some socks would be nice too, just maybe not as fun for the little kids, but taking them out to a soccer (futbol) game or movie would be really exciting for the 9 yr old…I can’t wait to hear of your experiences in CR. I also hope you get to meet some of Costa Rica’s artists once you’re there. Once you meet one, they will introduce you to others and I imagine that this might be very interesting to someone who’s an artist like yourself. Let me know if you need a contact or go to the UCR Art School and you should be able to meet some people there. Pura Vida Aaron, Rebe.
