Costa Rica - "Pura Vida" - The "Tico" way

         "Pura Vida" is the national slogan, have you heard that phrase before?  If you haven't, it only means one thing: you have to come and visit “Costa Rica.”

          “Pura Vida” is the most commonly used phrase in Costa Rica, and literally means “Pure Life,” but the saying goes beyond its simple translation: it is a way of life for all Costa Ricans; it actually symbolizes the idea of simply enjoying life and being happy, regardless of the circumstances surrounding them.

          If you look up the Urban Dictionary http://www.urbandictionary.com, and search on the phrase “Pura Vida,” you will find the following description: The law of the land in Costa Rica.  The expression is used in many forms, from a greeting, to a synonym for "excellent."  Ticos follow this lifestyle and are some of the most easy-going people on earth.  It is a synonym of the "hakuna matata"  this is a phrase in the Swahili language, which means, “there are no worries.”

                            

          In My Opinion "¡Pura vida!”  -means- “all is good!”

          Every tourist and foreign resident can hear this Spanish expression in informal settings as a greeting, a farewell and as a way to express gratitude or satisfaction.  It can also refer to someone who is nice and friendly.

Let’s see some examples:

¡Buen día amigo!  ¿Cómo vas? Pura vida, ¿y vos?	Hey, my friend!  How’s it going? Pura vida, and you?
¡Nos vemos mañana! Pura vida, ¡chao!	See you tomorrow! Pura vida, bye!
¡Muchas gracias! ¡Pura vida!	Thank you very much! ¡Pura vida!
¿Usted conoce a Marta? ¡Claro!  Ella es muy pura vida	¿Do you know Martha? Sure!  She is very pura vida.

          After a while, the question that kept popping into my head was; how did Costa Ricans come up with this phrase?  Well, after doing a little research I found out that a film called “Pura vida came to Costa Rica from Mexico in 1956, directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares.  While a small population used it then, the phrase “Pura vida” was used nationwide by 1970.

          In this movie, the phrase “Pura Vida” was used as the expression of eternal optimism, played by the comic actor Antonio Espino, who unfortunately can’t seem to do anything right (the staple of his character).  He was a Mexican comedian (1910-1993), known by the artistic nickname Clavillazo; he used the phrase "pura vida" as a crutch in all his films, which were numerous.

          All the research about the “Pura Vida” phrase, lead me to observe how the majority of the Ticos I have met, use that phrase in the regular basis and sometimes even as a substitute of more elaborated responses to any issue at hand.  In all fairness, the common denominator is always that sense of “don’t worry, be happy,” after all, life is too short to worry about things we cannot change.  That is the state of mind, I want to achieve this lifetime.    

          The other interesting question many visitors seem to have when they visit this country is why Costa Ricans are called “Ticos.”

          During the mid XIX century, people born in Costa Rica were known and called Costarricans; however, during the Central American war against the filibusters led by William Walker (1856-1857); the allies, noticed that Costarrican soldiers had the peculiar habit of using the diminutive form in many of the words they used in the regular basis.  In the Spanish language, to create the diminutive form, the ending on the word (o or a) is substituted with ito or ita; somehow, costarricans decided to use the ending ico or ica. 

English word	Spanish word	Diminutive	Costa Rican Diminutive
Cat	Gato	Gatito	Gatico
Duck	Pato	Patito	Patico
Kid	Chico	Chiquito	Chiquitico
Brother	Hermano	Hermanito	Hermanitico
House	Casa	Casita	Casitica

         

          Since Costarricans during the mentioned war, called each other hermaniticos, with the intent of showing affection; soon, the word tico emerged as a nickname for those brothers-hermaniticos in war.  The nickname took a life on its own, becoming the synonym of Costarrican.

          Now you know as much as I know, Costarricans are Ticos, because they chose to call each other that way as a demonstration of affection within their group.

          Next time you plan your vacation, think about Costa Rica, where life is “Pura Vida” surrounded by “Tico” kindness and natural beauty everywhere you look.  It will be “a different way to experience life.”

          After living here for almost seven years, I can tell you that I have learned to see life from a different point of view.  It is worth it!

The Wood-Stork, a mythical bird with a vacation home in Costa Rica!

          There is an old myth that somehow has become a heritage to many cultures: the belief that babies are delivered the stork; it is certainly an easy way out when a curious young kid starts asking questions.  I use to wonder, who came up with such an idea?  Well, one of the myths came from Scandinavia and was promoted by Hans Christian Andersen.   A second myth which is also very interesting, is the one that says that when a stork flies south for the winter, it visits the watery swamps of Egypt where the souls of unborn children live.  Upon returning, it would carry a child back. The regular absence of the stork during migration made it a likely target for this myth.    http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/legend01/stork.htm

            It seems like the myths around the storks, lean on the fact that storks are deeply nurturing and protective of their young, very family-oriented and conscientious homemakers.  They also return in pairs to the same nesting spot year after year.  Storks are fertility symbols and are associated with springtime and birth.    

            In Costa Rica, we do not have the white-stork responsible for all those myths; however, we have a different variety called Wood-Stork; with over 1 meter height (3.3 ft.), Wood-Storks are the second tallest birds in Costa Rica, exceeded only by the Jabiru-Stork. Their plumage is white with black feathers on the bottom of their wings. They look odd with their unusual and bald head, but they fly gracefully. These are gregarious birds; they nest in dense colonies atop mangrove or other trees by the water.   

            Wood-Storks are very common in the north and central pacific of Costa Rica; however, last week we started seeing them on the mangrove trees between the beach and the backyard of our house in Costa Ballena (Southern Pacific).  It has been quite a joy to see them flying so gracefully and perching on the trees in large numbers.

            Wood-Storks use their massive beak as a tool for food gathering.  They feed in waters no deeper than their beak and catch the food, and then they toss their heads back and swallow it.  Storks do not use their vision while they collect the food; they simply do it by touch.  They appear to have a super high reflex response on their bill after they touch food.  Their diet includes: fish, crayfish, tadpoles, salamanders, shrimp, frogs, insects and occasionally baby gator.  They also use their feet to stir the bottom of the water that helps to separate the prey from the vegetation and besides; it creates the water movement of a “feeding frenzy that might attract fish to become prey.  Wood storks are big eaters and usually feed in flocks.

            Wood-Storks can glide for extensive periods of time on warm currents at up to 300 meters or more, and sometimes they dive and flip, as they soar down from high in the sky.  They fly with slow wing beats, with their long and broad wings, soaring and circling like hawks.  They are unbelievable acrobats when performing turns, dives and rolls.  They fly with outstretched head and legs.

            Wood-Storks like to nest in large colonies.  The nesting period is different based on the geography; however, it always synchronizes with 

the wetland cycles when the food is 

the most plentiful to feed and raise their chicks.  They like to nest on high trees, 30 mts /98 ft, more or less.  A pair (couple) of wood-storks will build the nest with sticks, vines, leaves and Spanish moss, turning it into a shallow cup/platform where the female will lay the 2 to five creamy-white  eggs, one or two days apart.  They have an incubation period that last around 30 days and is a shared task between male and female.  The chicks hatch at different times; therefore, the nestlings will differ in size during the first few weeks; this is the time when they need the most attention from their parents.  During their first week, the chicks are feed 15 times a day by regurgitation.  Parents provide shade to their young by spreading their wings, and carrying water on their throats, to dribble it over the chicks.  They usually leave the nest at about nine weeks of age.  They reach their sexual maturity at 4 years old.  This species produces only one brood per season.

            Wood-Storks live between 11 and 18 years their body size goes from: 33 to 45 in (85 to 115 cm); from beak to toes, they can reach 3.3 ft.  They have a wingspan of 4.9 to 5.8 ft (1.5 to 1.8 m).  Their identifying features are their pink feet.

            Wood-Storks are quiet birds, usually silent.  Sometimes they make a croak noise, much like the bullfrog, and upon occasion, they hiss like a snake.

            When you visit Costa Rica, there is a good chance that you will get to see these mythical creatures; after all they have their vacation home here.

pictures by Bill Wright