www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Are we talking culturally, about the entire population, or just the ones in the business, or just the ones that interact regularly with gringos?

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

BashfulDwarf, from my observations it exists to some degree throughout the Costa Rican culture but is perhaps more pronounced when the person is less educated or when they are in a more stressful environment such as the Gulch provides. We gringos experience the lying by the girls in the Gulch since that is who we are most around, but the expats living in Costa Rica can tell you the lying is equal among Ticas and Ticos, and it's not just lying to Gringos; they lie equally to each other. Personal authenticity that we value as gringos is just not as important to Ticas and Ticos as is conflict avoidance and Pura Vida.

A basic tenet in the CR culture is conflict avoidance. A small example is when asking for directions. We gringos prefer the person to say they don't know instead of giving us directions when they know the directions they are giving are likely wrong. It's about saving face while wanting to "appear" to be helpful. Ticos feel compelled to try to help even if they have no clue where you are trying to go. Form and process are more important than actual results. We goal oriented gringos tend to see it just the opposite.

Another example is delivery of your purchases. Manana does not mean tomorrow. It means not today. So, what a gringo sees as a delivery appointment scheduled for 1:00PM on Tuesday, the Tico frequently sees it as just a plan to make the delivery sometime soon and the gringo ranting and raving only causes the Tico to delay even further to avoid the potential face-to-face conflict with the gringo. Pura Vida!

We gringos respond to a lie with "What?!? Do you think I'm stupid?" Just know that Ticas and Ticos view being lied to as a minor inconvenience that is much less than the person not making the effort to lie when they know the truth will cause the teller and the recipient to feel angry, disrespected or to lose face. Even though I think I understand it, I'm still frustrated when it happens to me.

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Slut Puppy in Training

Is low self esteem a prerequisite for being a good Ho or is it a result? ;-)

I am always cautious of generalizations like this. Does that mean in business it is considered acceptable? I'm sure it doesn't apply to law enforcement and the court system, but what about the medical field?

I can accept a cultural desire to avoid conflict, but to embrace bold-faced lying is another thing. I cannot imaging parents accepting lies from their K*ds as normal, but for it to be considered cultural, it must begin in the home.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

There is a big difference between having a novia and a chica that acts like a novia. I prefer the latter. She comes to my hotel, we eat, drink, phuck, maybe go out on the town for the night, come bcak and phuck. I give her money, she leaves. When I want a novia experience I call her again.

Solid advice, bud. I wish I could have *that* here at home, rather than the occasional trip to CR.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

These are some of the most horrific stories I have ever heard. They kinda remind me of my own story which proves that this type of behavoir is not limited to Ticas or Nicas, but Hondurans, 'Hicas' as well! Did you know the Devil was from Honduras? I didn't either until I married his daughter!! Ha, I can laugh about it now.

I met her in a Mexican Restuarant we would frequent while Srs. in Dental School in N.O. She was everything I had dreamed of , a little 105# spinner with long black hair & a body that had been kissed by the sun (thanks Zach Brown). She was a little jealous while we were dating in N.O. but I figured it would all end once we got married. She already had a passport so that wasn't an issue. She seemed hardworking & thrifty enough in the begining. We got married right after I got out of school & started working. Then she became really jealous. I was accused of Phucking every employee I ever had, would be met at the door every day for lunch & after work with accusations & bitching. She never cheated on me, nor I on her. It was the lack of trust & jealousy that did me in. 9 months after we were married we had the twins. During the pregnancy, I kept thinking, well , its the pregnancy hormones & all that will calm down after the delivery. Wrong...it got worse.

She was an expert at playing the part of the victim. She would start an argument, call the police then as soon as the police got there, pick up one of the twins, turn the tears on, walk outside & tell the cops I was beating her an abusing her. Nothing like a new mother with her Ch*ld in her arms claiming abuse. The cops never did anything because of course she never had a scratch on her but they eventually warned me that if they kept coming to our condo, somebody was gonna get arrested! That was it, I was gone. Impossible to live down a Domestic Violence accusation anywhere....that is a Guilty if accused charge.

I could go on & on with the horror stories....yawn.....but I'm sure you've heard them all before a 1000X over.
The point of my rant is even when they get their citizenship, they are still as physco as ever. Tica, Nica, Hica or any other from down south. Well, I've learned my lesson, P4P for me from now on!

Merry Christmas Guys. See y'all in Jaco 1/15-1/18 then at LA in SJO 1/18 to 1/19...Pura Vida

search CRT archives for the "ballad of Rolltide"......the guys who have been here a few years will remember it.

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as my father says "better to be lucky than good"

Ah yes - should be required reading as a primer on what not to do - truly, at the top of the list for tools to frequent CRT - a real one big stupid idiotic jerk, in fact

I was not posting at the time, but remember the saga of Rolltide very well - he tried to resurrect himself on CRT some time ago, but those of us who remembered him pointed out he was a prime example of "pot, meet kettle" if you take my point.

Very difficult to justify his level of stupidity - only one other guy that I remember comes close - I think the thread was called "Squirter spotted in San Jose" (I wonder if it was penned by Rolltides father - you know, someone posting under the handle "Demongers" He posts about his "tool kit" what a tool!)

Great words to live by

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Livin' & Lovin' in Key Largo....oh....And the one in The Keys, too!