Costa Ricans, who are locally called ticos (for men) or ticas (for women), have a favorite expression that is notable for its simplicity as well as its vast array of possible meanings. This expression is "Pura Vida". Literally translated, this means "Pure Life". However, this term is used in countless situations. It can be used to show joy, happiness, or satisfaction. It can also mean, "This is the way to live!", "Awesome", "Cool"... or any other similar adjectives. When you ask someone how they are doing, "Como esta usted?", ticos and ticas will often answer with, "Pura Vida!", rather than the admittedly more boring, "Muy bien, gracias." Pura Vida can also be posed as a question. Forget about asking how someone is; people often ask if others are in a state of this pure life. Because here in Costa Rica, Pura Vida isn't really just an expression. It is a way of life, an integral and permanent aspect of the culture here. After all, Costa Rica is not only home to ticos/as. This is their paradise, and they cannot fathom a world without "their" Costa Rica.
On Day 2 of my trip, we started off the morning with a tour of the city of Cartago, the third largest city in Costa Rica. We first visited the Basilica, which is a major pilgrimage site that attracts 2.5 million Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans every August 2nd. The church is a stunningly beautiful building whose architecture displays a mosaic of different styles, as it has been re-built several times after major earthquakes (the most recent of which was in the early 1900s). According to popular legend, the original basilica was built over a river where a statue of the Virgin Mary was found by an indigenous person after the Spanish colonization of Costa Rica. Even today, water flows under the foundation of the basilica and into a fountain. The ticos/as believe that this water is holy and routinely use it not only to bless themselves, but also to drink and even bathe. In fact, one elderly gentleman used the water to wash his face and slick back his hair as he was walking through the church grounds. He did look rather dapper. For a moment, I though maybe he wanted to look his best for a coffee date with his lady friend or perhaps to impress his wife of many years. However, this turned out not to be the case, which is no surprise. The elderly man then walked into the church, positioned himself in the center aisle, knelt on both knees, blessed himself, and began to slowly crawl on his knees down the entire aisle to the altar. My program coordinator - who doubled as our tour guide for the morning - explained that this is a Costa Rican tradition in which prayers are offered while crawling towards the altar in order to pray for a specific cause, such as the health of a loved one or to give thanks for finding a new job. It turns out one part of my prediction was true. This elderly man was on a date, but it was with someone even "higher" than his wife. Pura Vida.
On the rest of the tour, we saw other sites including stores, bakeries, farmers' market, and another landmark called Las Ruinas. The ruins are the remains of a church whose building was begun and abandoned several hundred years ago. This was actually supposed to be the site of the basilica. However, various natural disasters prevented Las Ruinas from ever being completed. The priest believed that these natural disasters were a sign that the church was being built in an area that God did not find appropriate. Or maybe is was because the priest was having an affair with his brother's wife? Sounds scandalous, doesn't it? According to legend, the priest would bring his brother's wife to Las Ruinas to express their love for each other in certain ways that priests have vowed to never do... Of course, the building site was not called Las Ruinas at that time. They were, after all, trying to build a church, so calling the area ruins probably wasn't in their best interest. That would be rather foreboding. Anyway, the legend. Eventually, the priest's brother found out the scheme that had been played out by the unconventional lovers. The priest, according to legend, was then killed by his brother. From that point on, it was deemed inappropriate to build a basilica in a place where a murder and scandalous sex occurred. Pura Vida? Hmmm...
While walking through the streets of Cartago, several ticos/as recognized our program coordinator. Expecting to hear the customary, "Hola. Como estas?" as the acquaintances passed by each other walking in opposite directions on the street, I instead heard, "Adios." Adios? Why would my program coordinator say goodbye to someone he has not even said hello to? Was this some odd Spanish idiom in Costa Rica, where adios can mean both hello and goodbye, accomplishing the same task as Aloha for Hawaiians? Further, was this a term I should be using in the same fashion, since I am trying to embrace the culture and pretend to be a tico? Yes, I realize that I would be the only blond-haired, blue-eyed tico in the whole country. But you can't fault me for trying. But as it turns out, it is a good thing I did not experiment using this idiom before asking about it. Apparently, Costa Ricans are eternally late for every aspect of their daily lives. They commonly say they are on tico-time. This is so widely accepted in Costa Rica, that ticos/as actually think there is something wrong if someone shows up for an event on time. As a joke, I told the program coordinator that Costa Ricans must throw people in jail or admit them to a psychiatric facility if they are audacious enough to arrive for something early. He laughed before abruptly stopping and said, "No, really." He actually had me fooled for a minute, as I didn't realize how good his joking skills were in English. I guess the joke is on me.
As Costa Ricans have perfected the art of being late (are any of my Tapper family members part Costa Rican that I don't know about?), they cannot spare time talking to people that they know when they see them in the street. Therefore, they say "Adios" to each other as a way of acknowledging each other before rushing to their next appointment. Translation: Adios = "Hi. It is good to see you. But I really don't have the time (even if I do have the desire) to learn about how you are doing, so I'm going to say bye and keep walking. Oh, and by the way, let's catch up later." Pura Vida.
After the tour was finished, I returned to the home base and received a pleasant surprise. We were scheduled to have a cultural activity for the day, as if all of the above wasn't a good even dose of the Costa Rican way of life. As soon as we entered through the door of the home base, Latin dance music began to play, and of course, there was a tico dancing along. Because when ticos/as hear music, they must enjoy it to the fullest. After all, it is Pura Vida. Are you getting the hint of how applicable Pura Vida is to every situation in a Costa Rican's life? I certainly am. We were then welcomed - no - beckoned to join. But when you are that dry sponge soaking up all of the cultural moisture, how can you resist? The simple answer is, you can't. So, we didn't. We learned the basic steps of salsa, meringue, cha cha, and cumbia. According to the girls in the class, it was very reminiscent of a Zumba class except that we were dancing with each other for the majority of the time. At the end of the class, we learned a certain dance by a Korean artist who shall remain nameless. However, this person/song is all the rage right now, even though this is the first time I am ever hearing it or dancing to it. But yes, I now know THAT dance. And I'm not embarrassed to admit it because in the end, we have this one life that we should live to the fullest, with as few regrets as possible. Pura Vida... Now I get it.
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