Download - 2 U.S. Independence Day 2015 U.S. Independence Day 2015 3 Iticotimes.net/picnic2015/Picnic2015.pdf · 2 U.S. Independence Day 2015 U.S. Independence Day 2015 3 O n behalf of the government

U.S. Independence Day 2015U.S. Independence Day 20152 3

On behalf of the government of the United States, the staff of the U.S. Embassy wish-es all Americans residing in or visiting

Costa Rica a wonderful Fourth of July holiday! This is an important day to come together, remem-ber our history, and celebrate our great nation.

One of the U.S. Embassy’s top priorities is to provide excellent customer service to the near-ly one million American citizens who travel to or reside in Costa Rica. From assisting those in peril to renewing passports to answering any question you may have, the Embassy’s American Citizen

Services section is ready to help! We encour-age everyone to celebrate democracy this 4th of July by taking the necessary steps to vote in the 2016 U.S. elections. We recommend overseas U.S. citizens get in the habit of completing Feder-al Post Card Applications to ensure receipt of your ballot. We invite you to go online to http://co-starica.usembassy.gov for more information.

We are very proud to celebrate the day with you and share our continuing commitment to uphold the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans.

I would like to convey to the American Col-ony in Costa Rica my best wishes on the Fourth of July. You are part of our nation:

You became members of Costa Rica the mo-ment you set foot in our country. Those of you who have been living in Costa Rica for a long time can attest to the warmth and friendship of Costa Rica towards the United States. Allow me to wish you well, since I will not be able to be with you on this very important occasion when you commemorate the independence of the 13 colonies. All the best, and ¡Pura vida!

Message from the President of Costa Rica

Luis Guillermo Solís President of the Republic of Costa Rica

Message from the U.S. Embassy

http://costarica.usembassy.gov/

http://costarica.usembassy.gov/


Message from the American Colony

Once again we are here celebrating our tra-ditional Fourth of July Independence Day Picnic. This is the 55th year the American

Colony Committee has united us for this gather-ing of Americans living in and visiting this lovely country of Costa Rica. Many of us are accompanied by our Costa Rican friends and family members as well.

This year we celebrate by recognizing our Liberty Bell: “Let Freedom Ring.”

Every year when I attend this event I go home

with a little more knowledge of U.S. history. At the picnic you will see, displayed on the podium, origi-nal Liberty Bell artwork by our member, friend and world-famous artist, Mr. Jim Theologos. This art-work can on seen the front side of all of our 2015 T-Shirts, worn by our 300 volunteers at this year’s picnic.

Why, when and where did the Liberty Bell be-come part of our history?

The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of Amer-ican Independence, located in Philadelphia, Penn-sylvania. The bell was commissioned by a London foundry in 1752 and was cast with the lettering “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” The bell cracked when rung after its arrival in Philadelphia, and was twice recast by local workmen whose names appear on the bell. It was used to summon lawmakers to legis-lative sessions and to alert citizens to public meet-ings and proclamations. The bell was not rung on July 4, 1776, after the vote for independence by the Second Continental Congress, but was rung after the official reading of the Declaration of Indepen-dence four days later. In the 1830s the bell was adopted as a symbol by abolitionist societies, who named it the “Liberty Bell.”

So let the bells ring for us today, and truly en-joy this day of celebration.

Charles TurnerPresident, American Colony Committee

[email protected] / (506) 2258-1558

Editor: Katherine Stanley Obando

Contributors: Zach Dyer, Jonathan Harris, Robert Isenberg

Design and Layout:Mariana Urbina, haimeluna

JULY 4th

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A Look Back at a Different World: Remembering the Fourth of July Picnic, 1965JONATHAN HARRIS | THE TICO TIMES

Archives / The Tico Times

Fifty years ago today was simply unforgettable. Sure, I was all of 6 years old, and had only just begun to have my surroundings indelibly

imprinted into my future memory, but if you were around back then you must remember, too. The skies were bluer than they’ve ever been since. The grass was huge and very green in the empty pas-tures that surrounded the old U.S. Embassy Res-idence. There were cows roaming the streets, and we all had cattle guards to keep them (mostly suc-cessfully) out of our homes.

It was a very special day. My family woke ear-ly and walked to the Embassy Residence for the pic-nic, which, as it is today, was held in the morning to avoid afternoon showers. It may have been the last time my Dad had to hoist me on his shoulders most of the way because I couldn’t keep up. If I had been asked then where I would be living in 50 years, I would have wondered why I would be living any-

where but where I lived then – which, of course, is where I live now. A location obviously selected to be within walking distance of the picnic in San Rafael de Escazú.

The Embassy Residence was special to us for several reasons. One reason that stands out even more than the picnics themselves was that John F. Kennedy shook my brother’s hand at an event there two years before. JFK had Costa Rica thoroughly smitten, and my brother was no exception: I don’t think he washed his hands for years afterwards. Of course, my mother later inadvertently threw out my brother’s diary where Mr. Kennedy wrote a note to his friend Michael.

Seen from the enlightened perspective of 2015, Costa Rica was a different world in 1965. It seems unreal to describe that world now. The coun-try was embarking on its new path forward that had started in 1948. We Continues on Page 12


were very isolated. We didn’t have U.S. fast-food chains. We couldn’t even buy ketchup. My favorite birthday present was a small bottle of Welch’s grape juice, which to me was a fine wine. We didn’t have American TV, and movies arrived years after their original release. Transportation by horse out here in the boonies was still commonplace. Poisoned meat was still thrown in the streets by the authorities to control rabies. All Americans spoke Spanish, very well, and most of our friends were Costa Rican; they wel-comed us in their homes, as they were welcome in ours. We were assimilating. The 4th of July picnic was our one opportunity to parade Uncle Sam and the American flag, and invite all our Tico friends to share our special day.

President José “Pepe” Figueres was a hero, not only to Costa Rica, but to those of us who had

adopted this country as well. The holiday was a time to hold hands and celebrate both our coun-tries’ heritage, and vow to move together towards a better future. Thanks to Jack Fendell, who started the American Colony’s July 4 picnic tradition, we continued to live our shared lives and our shared heritage. The picnic epitomized our two cultures learning to live, and grow, together.

There were relatively few American families in Costa Rica then, and we knew them all. In fact, it seemed to me that my parents knew everyone on the planet, but certainly everyone at the picnic, U.S. and Tico. There was no visible security entering the picnic except for the very impressively outfitted Marines who couldn’t help playing with the kids. Everyone was welcome, regardless of nationality. No IDs were checked. It was a party for all.

July 4, 1965 was a Sunday, so nobody had an excuse to not come – if, that is, they could make it out to the hinterland of Escazú in the morning. I remember arriving vividly:

The huge gates are wide open. The crisp Ma-rines stand on either side and welcome you. You are immediately impressed with the fact that you’re walking towards the grandest house you’ve ever seen. It is immaculately white with huge columns around its entrance holding up a balcony. There is an oval drive with a beautiful garden in the mid-dle. It is mind-blowing. Surely even the real White House wishes it looked like this.

What a great day to be an American… in Costa Rica.

The Ambassador and his family, whom, of course, we and everybody else know, make a point

of greeting us personally. The adults mingle, which means the kids are let loose to run around. Parents go get a drink (beer?), and walk around in their Sunday best laughing loudly, making us very glad to go and do all the kid stuff there is to do. There are the games – three-legged races, sack races, egg tosses – the same theme there always was and al-ways will be.

But I had two favorite events. I think we all agreed. You simply had to get on the oxcart that did continuous loops around the oval driveway, and you had to watch Woody Woodpecker.

As you can imagine, it was a beautifully paint-ed, Sarchi-style oxcart led by two huge oxen. The concession to human cargo was rubber tires. The man in charge was our gardener’s cousin, and he swooped me up seamlessly into the insanity of too many other small children in the cart. Nothing much happened, and oxcarts were a common sight back then, but the fun of it was beyond description. It was the Costa Rican version of a hayride, I sup-pose. You could stay on as long as you wanted, and boastfully wave to anyone you knew, which was ev-eryone.

Then there was Woody Woodpecker. We didn’t have TVs at home. No cartoons, no Elmer Fudd, Mr. Ed or Bewitched. That was yet to come. But the Embassy was special. They had a garage with a projector, an unstable screen, and more kids than could be accommodated in the folding chairs

President José “Pepe” Figueres embraces U.S. Ambassador Viron Vlaky at the 1973 Picnic. Archives / The Tico Times

Fun and games at the former Ambassador’s Residence. Archives / The Tico Times

lined up for them, all screaming as the scratchy reel of endless black-and-white Woody cartoons started to show. It was hot. We were all hungry and thirsty. It was loud. It was very, very fun. I can picture ev-ery corner of that garage. The rat-a-tat theme song rings in my ears as I remember it.

I also remember being told that the Secret Service had brought down the latest Woody car-toons just for us on a special plane.

Food was plentiful, and wonderfully un-healthy. As I recall, it was free, and all we had to do was run up to a stand and place our order, even when we couldn’t quite reach the counter. Mrs. Ja-gush was in charge of hot dogs. But it was very Cos-ta Rican too, because that’s what we were all used to and loved. There were sugar-encrusted churros, little plates of gallo pinto, gallos de chorizo, and tons of ice cream. It was like a Costa Rican feria, American style.

As the years went by, I never once missed a picnic. The residence was moved to where it is to-day a half mile down the road, where the picnic continued to be held for years until it began to be held at the Cervecería grounds. As the American population grew, the flavor of the party changed. In high school, years later, we arrived as usual and had fun as usual, lost every event as usual, and left before the rains came.

And we all, whether we admitted it or not, missed Woody Woodpecker.

The former U.S. Ambassador’s Residence as it appears today. Alberto Font/The Tico TimesTimes

Costa Rican President Daniel Oduber addresses picnic-goers at the Bicentennial Celebration. Archives / The Tico Times


“Parisians never notice the Eiffel Tower.” This anonymous quip is true almost anywhere you go:

If you live in a special place, you sometimes forget that certain things exist, even major monuments or touchstones of national pride. People in Costa Rica love their volcanoes and gallo pinto, but even native-born Ticos and longtime residents overlook certain items – cultural, geographic, and even verbal.

The list of Costa Rican nooks and nuanc-es is endless, but here are some of our favorite examples. Most of these have attracted a mas-sive following over the years, but it’s amazing how many people say, “I think I’ve heard of that, but…”

American Football League of Costa RicaIn Costa Rica, everybody loves soccer. Men, women, babies and great-grandmothers love soccer. But “American” football is also gaining steam: The Costa Rican Federation of Amer-ican Football hosts its season in the first half of the year, and teams like the Cartago Rap-tors, Santa Ana Bulldogs, and Escazú Toros

face off in the gridiron. Each year, the games draw growing crowds of fans, and now and again the league will organize a game against a U.S. or Panamanian team. If you’re tired of overhyped NFL shenanigans, or you just miss the bone-crunching beauty of a live game, re-member that football is alive and well in Cen-tral Valley stadiums.

“The Little Devils’ Game”Folks often hear about “El Juego de los Dia-blitos,” the centuries-old ceremony that takes place in the indigenous villages of Boruca and Rey Curré, but they have no idea what it is. In-deed, the Brunca communities seem so hidden in the Talamanca Mountains that they might as well be Shangri La. But if you have a decent 4x4, you can visit a place like Boruca anytime you like, and visitors are free to watch the four-day “games,” which usually take place around New Year. Chosen villagers dress in fearsome balsawood masks and face off with a man in a “bull” costume, charging each other for hours at a stretch. You’ll also be welcome to chi-cha, a sacred drink made of fermented corn.

Five Things Even Long-Time Residents Might Have Missed in Costa Rica ROBERT ISENBERG | THE TICO TIMES

“Bombas”If you haven’t enjoyed one of Costa Rica’s most entertaining pastimes, you are missing out: The bomba is a silly (and often bawdy) rhyme told loudly at parties. Years ago, Ticos would gather at village festivals, and in the middle of a song or dance, someone would scream, “¡Bomba!” and everyone would freeze. The screamer would then recite a poem, which is roughly Costa Rica’s version of a limerick, and the crowd would laugh hysterically. Then the music would start up again, and dancing would resume. If you speak decent Spanish, ask some of the older folks whether they know any bombas. What you hear might shock you.

Parque de Diversiones and Ojo de AguaWhen Parque de Diversiones was established in 1981, its purpose was actually quite pure: The amusement park’s entry fee helped pay for the new Children’s Hospital in San José. Parque Diversiones has the usual, well, diver-sions: There are rollercoasters, pendulums, tilt-a-whirls, and other carnival favorites. But parts of the park are also distinctly Costa Rican in character. You’ll find statues of Tío Conejo (“Uncle Rabbit”), the trickster hare

who stars in the children’s stories of Carmen Lyra. There’s even a reconstructed “pueblo an-tiguo” in the middle of the park, to show what Costa Rican life was like in ages past. Travel-ers rarely hear about Parque Diversiones, but for fans of fast rides, it’s definitely worth a visit. The wetter equivalent is Ojo de Agua, a waterpark near San Antonio de Belén. Unlike other places, Ojo de Agua caters to locals, and whether you splash in the waterfalls or try for a high-dive, there’s rarely a tourist in sight.

Oceanfront Trail of PuntarenasWhen most people bring up Puntarenas, they usually think of super-sweet “Churchills” and hardboiled eggs. But around 2009, Puntare-nas introduced something unusual for an old port city: a “ciclovía.” Costa Rica has a smat-tering of bike trails, but Puntarenas has one of the best – a broad, smoothly paved route that circumscribes the bay and offers spectacular views of incoming ships. For the first time in its history, Puntarenas has become a destina-tion for joggers and cyclists looking for a scenic jaunt. And during festivals and weekends, this path draws hundreds of grillers and picnick-ers. BBQ and a Pacific sunset? Lindísimo.


How Will You Celebrate the Fourth?ROBERT ISENBERG | THE TICO TIMES

It’s a time-honored Picnic Program Tradition – we asked a few U.S. residents of Costa Rica what they’ll do this year to enjoy the holiday.

Name: Jamie Wallace (pictured with his wife, Heather Brent)Age: 43Occupation: Business attorney and former restaurateur. Blogs at findyourcostarica.com.Came From: Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaLives In: Jacó

How will you celebrate the Fourth of July? This will be our second Fourth of July in Costa Rica. We arrived here in June of 2014 and have been focused on embracing all things Costa Rican from day one. As a result, we have been more concerned with celebrating Costa Rican holidays than with celebrating the U.S. holidays we are accustomed to. Unlike last year, where the Fourth was just like any other day in beautiful Costa Rica for us, we might meet up with expats in Jacó this time around and revel a bit.

What do you miss about the Fourth of July in the U.S.? One of the reasons we are in Costa Rica is to experience cultural differ-ences. Thus far, we honestly have missed very little about our lives in the U.S., including hol-idays. That might be because we are here on a family sabbatical for a finite period and know we will be returning to the U.S. when it ends.

Our logic is pretty simple. We can always do whatever the U.S. thing is when we get back, but we might never have another opportunity to experience the Costa Rican thing in our life-time. ¡Pura Vida!

Name: Tanya WoodsonAge: 31Occupation: Mental Health Therapist, founder of Walk In New EnlightenmentCame From: Washington, DC.Lives in: Escazú and Puerto Viejo

How will you celebrate the Fourth of July? I will be celebrating the Fourth at Mun-doloco Bar & Restaurant, in San Pedro. It is the place that has the ambiance that most reminds me of a venue in the States, where I used to celebrate this national holiday. Great selection of dishes, including hamburgers – the main course for North Americans on this special day – music, wine and beer. This is also a special place for me, as it is where I met my husband!

What do you miss about the Fourth of July in the U.S.? I miss celebrating this sig-nificant holiday with my family and friends, who all come together to have a gigantic pic-nic followed by “BBQ hopping,” where we go from house to house to have cook-outs with delicious hamburg- Continues on Page 32


New AMCHAM President Says Costa Rica is ‘Well-Rooted’ in TourismZACH DYER | THE TICO TIMES

A s Costa Rica faced worries about its privileged spot as a world-renowned tourist destination amid high oper-

ating costs and neighborhood competition, the Costa Rican-American Chamber of Com-merce elected a seasoned veteran of interna-tional hotel management as its president on Jan. 27.

Dennis Whitelaw, country manager for Marriott Costa Rica, took the reins of the busi-ness chamber on Feb. 1.

“I’m honored and humbled to have the chance to work with such a great team,” he told The Tico Times.

Whitelaw, 58, has worked for Marriott for 36 years, including more than 25 years focusing almost exclusively on Mexico and Central America. His most recent post before Costa Rica was in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for 14 years. Whitelaw also worked for Marriott in

Guatemala, where he served as an AMCHAM president, before returning to Mexico and eventually moving to Costa Rica.

“Costa Rica is well-rooted in tourism compared to other countries,” Whitelaw said, adding that the level of service offered here is above its regional competition in Nicaragua, Guatemala and Cuba.

“Costa Rica has a [high] level of intelli-gence, literacy and hospitality, and people de-liver good service. Those other countries have a ways to go in improving that. Maybe their infrastructure is going up, but they’ll need to invest in these other areas to make sure they match [Costa Rica],” he added.

That’s not to say that there’s no room for improvement. The new AMCHAM president said that as long as Costa Rica continues to polish its diverse offerings for tourists with a focus on eco-tourism, the $2.6 billion sector of the economy should continue to grow. Speak-ing for Marriott, Whitelaw said the company looks to double its presence here in the next five years.

Whitelaw said that as AMCHAM presi-dent he would continue the chamber’s efforts to support controlling the government’s fiscal deficit and work to attract more international companies after a disappointing contraction in foreign investment during 2014. The busi-ness leader said that AMCHAM is “conserva-tively optimistic” about Costa Rica’s outlook in 2015. He listed inflation, taxes, the cost of energy and infrastructure among the areas of concern.

Some Costa Rican business leaders have expressed concern about what they interpreted as a “historic” jump in unemployment recent-ly. Whitelaw said that

Dennis Whitelaw. Courtesy AMCHAM

Continues on Page 28

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http://vultr.ticotimes.net/2015/01/12/tourism-season-kicks-off-in-costa-rica-despite-high-costs-for-travelers

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http://vultr.ticotimes.net/2015/01/27/some-members-of-costa-ricas-business-sector-alarmed-over-historic-jump-in-unemployment


unemployment is always disappointing, but he had not yet heard specific concerns about it from AM CHAM members. One of Whitelaw’s goals for 2015 is to establish a “labor bank” to facilitate the hiring process for skilled work-ers. The labor bank would collect résumés and posts them on AMCHAM’s website for mem-bers seeking applicants with a specific skill set.

Whitelaw said that he has enjoyed work-ing in Mexico and Central America in large part because of the people. “Friendships are for life in Latin America,” he observed.

The New York native has lived in San José with his wife and three children for more than two years, and has another daughter from a previous marriage living in Brooklyn.

“My family visited me once in Puerto Vallarta in those last 14 years, and they’ve been with me three times here in the last two years,” Whitelaw said.

Another good sign for Costa Rican tourism.

http://vultr.ticotimes.net/2015/01/27/bilingual-job-fair-to-offer-3800-jobs

http://vultr.ticotimes.net/2015/01/27/bilingual-job-fair-to-offer-3800-jobs


The American Chamber of Commerce in Costa Rica (AMCHAM) has been offering services to U.S. and national

businesses for over 40 years. With promo-tional opportunities, networking between U.S. and Costa Rican businesses, and forums on politics, social responsibility, anti-contra-band, tourism and more, AMCHAM has been working to strengthen Costa Rica’s business climate.

Alberto Arguedas has been the execu-tive director of the organization since 2014. Before joining AMCHAM, he led the Ger-man Chamber of Commerce in Costa Rica for five years and has worked in several different sectors across his 15-year career.

He shared AMCHAM’s outlook for Cos-ta Rica in 2015 with The Tico Times and the chamber’s efforts to fight black-market goods in the country.

Arguedas said that AMCHAM expects the Costa Rican economy to improve slightly this year, despite the effects of a downward trend globally in foreign investment and other challenges.

Before Costa Rica can take full advantage of the opportunities out there, Arguedas said there are several hurdles the country needs to overcome. Infrastructure deficiencies, red tape, curbing public spending to slow growth of the deficit, and improving efficiency and competition in the energy sector were some of the Chamber’s top concerns.

Foreign direct investment in Costa Rica was down 21 percent in 2014 amid a glob-al slowdown, and overall exports from Costa Rica dropped 17 percent during the first three months of 2015. Turning around the drop in FDI is critical, according to the director.

“Attracting FDI is essential to generate new jobs and help reduce the current unem-ployment rate,” Arguedas said.

Costa Rica’s successful application to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will create greater opportunities for FDI, “without a doubt,” he said.

Intel’s partial exit from Costa Rica in 2014 shook up the export sector, but Arguedas said that Costa Rica must overcome the hurdle of a currency that has strengthed against the dollar while many have fallen this year. Costa Rican goods must compete with devaluation in other countries that give their products a comparative edge on Tico-made goods.

“The Central Bank’s efforts to control fluctuations in the exchange rate, pay atten-tion to the deficit, inflation, and other macro-economic variables are of the upmost impor-tance to promote a positive environment for the export sector, which is key for our econ-omy,” Arguedas said.

Chamber Seeks Greater DynamismZACH DYER | THE TICO TIMES

Alberto Arguedas. Courtesy AMCHAM



Along with sharing information and advocating reforms to improve Costa Rica’s business fundamentals, AMCHAM has been working with authorities to combat illegal trade, a practice that puts consumer heath at risk and robs the country of tax revenue.

Since 2006, one of AMCHAM’s main projects has been combating contraband in Costa Rica. Black market pharmaceuticals, alcohol, cigarettes and other goods have been passing into Costa Rica at a growing rate in re-cent years.

“Illegal trade in Costa Rica not only af-fects financial revenue,” Arguedas said. “It represents a serious threat to stable employ-

ment and citizen security, since it’s linked with networks of organized crime.”

The Chamber’s latest initiative in this field was the launching of a web app called Mercado Illegal, which allows individuals to anonymously report illegal products to au-thorities. The application won the IP Champi-on prize from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on April 20, 2015.

Arguedas said that AMCHAM looks for-ward to the efforts of Costa Rica’s business chambers, non governmental organizations and proposals from President Luis Guillermo Solís to encourage growth in the economy.

“We’re hoping for greater dynamism this year,” Arguedas said.

Continued from Page 30

ers and hot dogs that are cooked on the grill. Just before dusk, I join in celebration with hundreds of others at the National Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland, to watch as the skyline explodes with a breath taking display of fire-works – a climactic ending to a day of grand festivities!

Name: Matthew Seth BertucciAge: 39Occupation: Software EngineerCame From: New OrleansLives In: San Pedro

How will you celebrate the Fourth of July? If I am in Costa Rica, I usually just en-joy the day off, since I work for a U.S. compa-ny, and relax. If I am in the U.S., I usually do a barbecue with the family.

What do you miss about the Fourth of July in the U.S.? Well, I miss the excuse to get together with family and friends, but each country seems to have a lot of those excuses, so it all balances out.

Name: Tom HumesAge: 58Occupation: BookmakerCame From: New York CityLives In: Escazú

How will you celebrate the Fourth of July? I will watch Cagney’s “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”

What do you miss about the Fourth of July in the U.S.? The Macy’s fireworks in New York City. Also the parade in my home-town, Baltimore.




A Few Fun Facts about the Fabulous Fourth: How to Celebrate in the KnowTICO TIMES STAFF

The Declaration of Independence, hot dogs and sparklers. That’s about it, right? Not so fast. Here are 10 interesting facts for the Fourth of July fanatic in all of us – some old favorites, and others more obscure.

1. Start celebrating on July 2nd.The Declaration of Independence was first adopted by Congress on the 2nd, prompting John Adams to write his wife Abigail that “the 2nd of July will go down in history.” Not quite – the Congress then adopted a revised version on the 4th, and that’s the date that stuck.

2. Pause to remember two Founding Fathers in particular.In an odd and infamous coincidence, the aforementioned Adams and fellow former President Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration, died within hours of each oth-er on July 4, 1826. Another President, James Monroe, died on July 4, 1831.

3. Eat food. Way too much. Mostly hot dogs.According to Bizmedia.com, approximately 155 million hot dogs are consumed on July 4 alone – that’s one for every two people in the United States, and more than enough to stretch from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. five times over. Have you had one yet today? Get cracking!

4. Don’t ring the Liberty Bell.The first major celebration of the Fourth took place in Philadephia in 1777, and the famed Liberty Bell has always played a central role in the celebrations – but the bell has not been rung since 1846, to avoid further cracking it. It is symbolically tapped 13 times every year on the Fourth.

5. Watch the skies.The American Pyrotechnics Association esti-mates that more than

Alberto Font / The Tico Times



14,000 professional firework displays light up the skies in the United States each 4th of July. Sounds like an average December night in Costa Rica – albeit of the homespun variety.

6. Hug a Brit.Eight of the 56 signers of the Declaration were born in Britain, and the Liberty Bell was cast there as well.

7. If you’re 26, 45 or 70, you deserve an extra beer.Those are the ages of the youngest Signer (Edward Rutledge), the average age of all Signers, and the age of the oldest Signer (Ben-jamin Franklin), respectively, according to Pi-oneerwoman.com.


8. And speaking of extra beer…The tune for “The Star-Spangled Banner” was taken from a London society drinking song.

9. Tip your hat to Rwanda and the Philippines.July 4 is the date of their independence cele-brations as well.

10. Enjoy the convenient color combinations of a U.S.-Costa Rican lifestyle. Isn’t it handy that the same three shades can color you patriotic for both countries’ Inde-pendence Days? According to our old friends at Wikipedia, the United States and Costa Rica are two of 30 countries worldwide with flags of red, white and blue.

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Costa Rica, the Quiz: How Much Has Your Adopted Country Changed You? KATHERINE STANLEY | THE TICO TIMES

The Fourth of July is a day for U.S. citizens in Cos-ta Rica to celebrate our

home country – but also to cel-ebrate the large and unique U.S. population in Costa Rica and our love for our adopted land. Many of us take pride in our knowledge of the country, language and cul-ture; swap stories with fellow expats about moments when we realized just how at home we had become in a new place; and enjoy the continual learning curve that comes with living abroad, whether we’ve been year one year or several decades.

In honor of that process, here is a special quiz to mea-sure just how Costa Rican-ized you have become. This is inev-itably imperfect, incomplete, and full of generalizations, but to paraphrase the Bard, if what follows should offend, think but this, mae: It was written with love and admira-tion.

Section 1. In the kitchen• Five points if you put ice in your beer. Double if you if you also do it on visits to your home coun-try, occasioning horrified looks. Triple if you are also British or German.

• Five points if you have personally prepared any of the following during the past month: gallo pinto, olla de carne, your own chilera.

• Leche Pinito is: A) Powdered milk (0 points). B) A national treasure (5 points). C) Something you have carried across international borders to give as gifts (15 points).

• You have eaten a tamal (1 point). You have

helped make them (5 points). You have organized, directed and executed the tamal-making (500 points and honorary citizenship).

• You drink your coffee: A) With food, always. Otherwise it’s café con lengua and completely sin gracia (5 points). B) You don’t drink coffee (subtract 25 points). C) In a to-go cup while walk-ing down the street (subtract 50 points).

• You make your coffee using a chorreador (5 points).

• You keep your eggs on the counter instead of the fridge (5 points). Double if you bought them from the egg man. Triple if you and the egg man are on a first-name basis.

Section 2. Transportation

• Have you done any of the following within the past week? Emitted a preventive automatic honk as you approached an intersection at full speed (5 points). Used your hand extended through the window, as driver or passenger, to signal another driver (5 points). Ridden three to a bike (10 points). Ridden home on a skateboard while holding onto the back of a bus (50 points, but also, what would your mother say if she could see you doing that? Stop that immediately!).

• Is a stop sign an indication that you should slow down (1 point)? A meaningless roadside decoration (5 points)? Or an indication to come to a full stop while looking both ways (subtract 20 points)?

• Is passing on a double yellow line acceptable in certain situations (1 point)? Illegal (subtract

10 points)? What is this “double yellow line” of which you speak (20 bonus points)?

• Can you describe the life story of the busker on the last bus you took (10 points)?

• One point if you give your home address in ref-erence to another point. Five if that other point is a bar. Ten if it is a plant or tree of some kind. Twenty if it is something that no longer exists.

• One point for every minute in your last cab ride before the taxista asked you where you were from.

Section 3. Gestures and Language• Quick! Without thinking, pronounce the fol-lowing: Imperial, rice and beans, Popeyes, ice. Five points for each word you automatically pro-nounced como Dios man-da: imperiAL, RICE-an-beans, Pop-EY-ess (three syllables, middle one rhymes with hey). Ten points if you pronounced ice, EEE-say (yes, I wrote it in lowercase letters, but we’re setting the bar high).

• One point for every way you can spell Michael Jordan.

• When you want to signal some-one to come here, do you wave your hand in a downward fash-ion (10 points), make a “ssst! sst!” sound (also 10 points), or beckon (subtract 5 points)?

• Two points each if you regu-larly use any of the following sounds: O-pa, Upe!, Uuuuuuy!, jueeeee….

• When texting/chatting online, do you type “Hahaha” or “Jajaja” (1o points for the latter)?

• If you correctly use vos, 15 points. Exclusive-ly usted, 10 points. Tú, subtract 10 points (yes, there is a pro-tuteo movement in Costa Rica, and if you can convincingly describe said movement, you can have your points back, although in de-

fense of national linguistic idiosyncrasy we won’t reward you any additional points).

• Five points each if, on visits home, you have unwittingly spoken in Spanish to a non-Span-ish-speaking and very confused taxi driver or waiter. Double if you did this to a family mem-ber.

Section 4. Miscellany• One point for every member of the 2014 Men’s National Team you can name. Five points for every member of the 1990 Men’s National Team you can name. If you need clarification as to which sport, subtract 100 points.

• Five points if you kiss your female Gringa friends on the cheek.

• Complete the follow-ing phrase without any help: Verás a tu pueblo vali-ente y viril, la… (10 points).

• Five points each if you have been to any of the following: a rezo, a ride on the Tagada, a bullfight. Triple if you have been inside the bullring (and please see the comment for

riding your skateboard behind a bus).

• Twenty points if you have a toothbrush and toothpaste in your purse/backpack/office desk drawer right now.

• Five points if you automatical-ly clear your agenda for the day whenever you have a trámite of any kind.

• You know you’re not going to add up the points at the end because that’s just too obsessive-compulsive for you. Mae, qué pe-reza (25 points).

Your score: 0-50 points – Don’t give up your first passport just yet. 50-100 points – Intermediate pura vida. Over 100 points – Mae, más Tico que el Güipipía.

http://vultr.ticotimes.net/2015/01/30/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-the-maikol-yordan-movie-but-were-afraid-to-ask


…can have two toes (really fingers in their hands) or three? Costa Rican has both variet-ies; two-toed sloths are slightly bigger.

…sleep about as much as humans in the wild?

…can climb only 6 to 8 feet (1.8-2.4 meters) per minute?

…are terrific swimmers?

…blend in with green leaves to avoid predators, thanks to the algae that grows on their fur?Sources:InBio, livescience.com and nationalgeographic.com

Help him get back to the jungle and find some food.


The Star-Spangled BannerNational Anthem of the United States of America

Noble patria tu hermosa bandera Expresión de tu vida nos da: Bajo el límpido azul de tu cielo Blanca y pura descansa la paz.

En la lucha tenaz de fecunda labor Que enrojece del hombre la faz, Conquistaron tus hijos, labriegos sencillos, Eterno prestigio, estima y honor, eterno prestigio, estima y honor.

¡Salve oh tierra gentil! ¡Salve oh madre de amor! Cuando alguno pretenda tu gloria manchar, Verás a tu pueblo, valiente y viril La tosca herramienta en arma trocar.

¡Salve patria! tu pródigo suelo Dulce abrigo y sustento nos da; Bajo el límpido azul de tu cielo ¡Vivan siempre el trabajo y la paz!

Noble Patria, tu hermosa banderaNational Anthem of Costa Rica

O say can you see by the dawn’s early light,What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last

gleaming,Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the

perilous fight,O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly

streaming?And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in

air,Gave proof through the night that our flag was still

there;O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,

Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first

beam,In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:‘Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.And where is that band who so vauntingly sworeThat the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,A home and a country should leave us no more?Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’

pollution.No refuge could save the hireling and slaveFrom the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth

wave,O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O thus be it ever, when freemen shall standBetween their loved homes and the war’s

desolation.Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n

rescued landPraise the Power that hath made and preserved us

a nation!Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall

waveO’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

U.S. Independence Day 201548

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