EATING OUT

Wherever you eat, be it a small soda (informal eatery) or a sophisticated restaurant, dress is casual. Meals tend to be taken earlier than in other Latin American countries; few restaurants serve past 10 PM. Local cafés usually open for breakfast at 7 AM and remain open until 7 or 9 in the evening. Restaurants serving international cuisine are usually open from 11 AM to 9 PM. Some cafés may be closed Sunday. Restaurants that do open on Sunday do a brisk business: it's the traditional family day out (and the maid's day off) (foders.com).

Rice and beans are the basis of many Costa Rican meals.

Costa Ricans are Friendly

A strong family structure exists here, and much of the leisure time is spent with relatives and friends. On sunny weekend afternoons, San Jose’s urban parks are bustling with people out for a stroll or just visiting one another. The majority of the population is Catholic, and the church bells are heard ringing throughout small villages and towns for morning mass. Divorce is legal, but frowned upon. Usually, the children live with their family until they are married.

The government contributes money to the church, and religious education is part of the public school curriculum. Formal education is highly valued in this society, with a literacy rate of 93%.

Ticos are good dressers and take great pride in their appearance. They are generally, Pro-U.S., and enjoy U.S. fashion, music and food. Newcomers agree that Costa Ricans are fun-loving people who will go out of their way to help foreigners and make them feel comfortable in their new environment. While welcoming and friendly, Costa Rica is also home to certain cultural traits that many foreigners may find hard to accept.

Punctuality, for example, is relaxed. It is customary for Ticos to arrive late to social events or business appointments. Bureaucracy and bribery are routine and Costa Rican are famous for taking their sweet time. This is changing, however, as the country inserts itself into the global marketplace accustomed to on-time delivery and quality (thinkabroad.net).

DEMOCRACY

Democracy is a cherished tradition, along with the sense of individual liberty and freedom. There are more schoolteachers than policemen and the army was abolished in 1948-9. Costa Ricans are proud of their peaceful tradition that has stood the test of time and regional turbulence. (thinkabroad.net)

Costa Rica USA Chamber of Commerce

Vice President Joe Biden meets with leaders from South and Central America in San Jose, Costa Rica

''Biden is coming to Costa Rica because of how it is as a country -- development with social justice, done peacefully, without revolution and without war,'' said Constantino Urcuyo, a professor of political science at the University of Costa Rica. (miamiherald.com)

Top Eight Reasons to Invest Your Future in Costa Rica:

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