Latin people know how to throw a party and Ticos are no exception to that rule. You can count on there being music, maybe a little karaoke, plenty of good food and drink and dancing, lots of never ending dancing. I am now officially a gringo-tico-colombiano having been dating for some time now a great lady who is 100% “paisa” (Colombian from Medellin) and no one (I repeat, no one) throws a party like the Colombians. For them it is an art form. But I have really enjoyed the social scene that exists here. Costa Ricans are always very warm and inviting, even to someone who doesn’t speak the language perfectly (still working on that….see Como Se Dice post). I love the greeting that men always give the women by a light kiss on the cheek. I love it that the culture here is out-of-their-way polite and they will bend over backwards to make you feel comfortable. And I love the unabashed revelry they engage in when the party really gets going (usually after the Cacique, Centenario or Imperial has been flowing for a while…..or in the Colombian style, Aguardiente). Problem is that I am getting too old to stay up all night dancing and acting as if I were still 20. But it doesn’t hurt to try. I guess the sense of joy that Ticos show when they are celebrating is the reason that they own the colloquial expression….pura vida. Literally translated “pura vida” means pure life and when they are partying it does seem that what it occurring is “pure life.” Life being lived full-out with no inhibitions, reservations or pretensions. I can remember going to parties in the U.S. where everyone seemed so uptight and unwilling to let it all hang out. Here it is just the opposite. As Celia Cruz sang….La Vida es un Carnival. And why not? You only live once, to coin a cliche. I still sometimes feel restricted and “shelled” in social situations. I believe it is part and parcel of my upbringing in the U.S., where children are taught that it is better to be “seen and not heard.” That is what my father always told me. Better never to show your true self because it might offend or put-off someone. Here there is none of that non-sense. It is all about enjoying the moment…..being 100% in it. After all those “moments” in our lives do not repeat. They come and they go and all that is left is the memory. I love the way Costa Ricans make the most of the moment.
Pure Vida!
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