Don Mateo

When you hear the word jungle spoken in reference to Costa Rica, your first thought likely strays to monkeys swinging through trees, scarlet macaws, toucans, blue morpho butterflies, and our unofficial national symbol, the sloth. But live here long enough and you may find yourself traipsing through a less appealing jungle, that of the Costa Rican bureaucracy.

A friend who lives in New York City was all over social media in the wake of the 4.8 earthquake that hit the east coast of the US on Thursday. The sensation of the earth moving, and the building he was in swaying was a first for him. All I could think was, ‘Welcome to the club’.

Is it just me, or does it seem like too many people are looking too hard for something– anything– to get upset about? The internet is overloaded with whiners and nitpickers, broadcasting the latest outrage to their delicate sensibilities. While it can be tiresome, it can also be contagious. The more I watch, the more sorry little nits I have to pick. How petty can I get? You tell me. The following are little things that can drive me crazy in CR:

Laura Fernandez takes office as Costa Rica’s new president while Rodrigo Chaves remains close to power, as the country faces rising crime, exchange rate pressure, and economic uncertainty.

A Costa Rica expat reflects on the lingering summer heat, the late arrival of Green Season, and the disappearing art of living without air conditioning.

Is there any device that humans now use more frequently and publicly than the cell phone? Once merely a portable telephone and text message sender, the cell phone is now an all-purpose communication and life center, indispensable to most, and certainly to anyone living and working on the grid. With more than 4,000 signal towers throughout the country, coverage is thorough, with only the more remote and mountainous areas having weak signals.

A Costa Rica expat reflects on surprising global coffee consumption rankings, local coffee culture, and why the country’s coffee habits seem stronger than the statistics suggest.

I moved permanently to Costa Rica for many reasons, but the political situation in the United States was not one of them. And to this day, I do my best to live unaffected by whatever is transpiring in my home country, as difficult as that can sometimes be. Recently, on a Facebook page dedicated to U.S. citizens living in or considering a move to Costa Rica, someone asked about the political leanings of Gringos here.

Newcomers to Costa Rica have to adjust to certain cultural and lifestyle habits here. A short list might include rice and beans being a breakfast staple, one-lane bridges on busy two-lane roads, milk sold at room temperature, pedestrians walking three abreast with their backs to traffic, and the difference most mentioned by first-time visitors: used toilet paper goes in the waste can and not the toilet bowl.

According to the website Franchisetimes.com, my household income in Costa Rica puts me solidly in the middle class. I live comfortably, if simply. Bills are paid on time, there is food in the fridge and a car in the driveway. In-country trips to the beach or the mountains are within the budget.