Random Facts That Don’t Make it in my Daily Entries

I was thinking about all random things that happen here in my life in Costa Rica that I don’t write down in my daily events. Here are a few I thought you all might enjoy

1. Mami always calls me Tita. Every morning when I wake up she asks “How did you sleep Tita”. It makes me feel so loved and all warm and fuzzy on the inside. You can here her yelling Tita from anywhere in the house when she’s trying to get my attention.

2. Even though my Costa Rican parents have been married for over a decade, they flirt with each other like they just starting dating last week. They are so lovey dovey (especially Papi) and they make each other laugh non-stop. It’s very cute to watch.

3. Surprisingly, Mami’s brother (my uncle) is also named McKenzie. This is very strange since most people can’t even say McKenzie here. He was named after the last name of some actor. Apparently there are a few other Latinos named McKenzie.

4. All the light switches are horizontal rather than vertical.

5. I have to open 4 locks just to get into my house. People are much more concerned about security here since petty theft is so common. Sadly, the front of our house (and almost every house here) looks more like a prison than a house.

6. There are these little birds that hang out in our backyard that occasionally fly into the kitchen. We have to catch them with our bare hands and set them free again.

7. All butter and margarine is bright bright yellow here. Its very strange and somewhat unnatural looking (at least to my North American eye)

8. Many times Costa Ricans have no clue who has the right of way on the road. Therefore, when mad chaos occurs at a 4 way stop, you merely try to honk your horn first and maneuver your way into traffic. Papi is a crazy driver in this regard.

9. The school year here is based around the coffee season. Therefore, kids start school in February and end in early December. From a Costa Rican’s perspective summer is primarily the months of December, January and February. There is no such thing as Spring and Fall, but rather rainy season (winter) and dry season (summer)

10. Costa Ricans have an odd fascination with condiments. For example, Papi will put ketchup and mayonnaise on his white rice. There are a million kinds of mayonnaise (mayo with lime, mayo with tomato sauce, etc). They come in these weird squeeze tubes rather than a container like we’re used to. Also, ketchup is referred to as tomato salsa and almost never called ketchup.

Hope you enjoyed my random facts about Costa Rica. Love and miss you all!