"Pura Vida" in Costa Rica

Anyone writing about Costa Rica has to try to explain pura vida.  The problem is, it's untranslatable. It would seem to mean "pure life," or more broadly, "enjoy life."  A better approximation is "appreciate life." The reason the phrase is important is that it is a unifying principle for the people of Costa Rica, who call themselves Ticos.

Think of the moment on Thanksgiving Day, right before you start to eat, when you focus on what you have to be grateful for. Family. Friends. Life itself.   The chance to do things you enjoy. It is a moment of pura vida.  Now imagine living almost every day pura vida.

Pura vida smooths human relations with clients and strangers, as well as with family and friends. A nice response to gracias in Costa Rica is simply pura vida.

The words don't always have to be said -- just lived. Here's an example of an experience in the town of La Fortuna, which was named for having been lucky enough to have survived a volcanic eruption from Mount Arenal...  On one edge of the town square there is a small shop that sells ice cream and chocolates -- a good combination anywhere. Slava and I went inside to get some ice cream. My husband is loyal to vanilla, and to his distress he saw that the carton  for vanilla was empty. The guy behind the counter saw that vanilla-with-chips, or vanilla-with-nuts wouldn't do, so he offered to scrape whatever he could from the carton -- and wouldn't charge for the cone. Slava ended up with a satisfying tower of his favorite flavor.  He didn't pay the man directly, but he made a donation to the charity box on the counter set to benefit poor children in the area. In response to the shopkeeper's generosity Slava was moved to participate in pura vida. I can tell you that the shopkeeper was pleased.

After the morning visit to the ice cream shop we strolled down the street to scope out the place we expected to have dinner that night. It was a Costa Rican soda, a common kind of inexpensive eatery that is set up with tables and chairs under the protection of a roof, but without the frivolity of walls.  Well, Soda Vaquez turned out to be a good place for casado, a typical Costa Rican dinner. (According to the helpful website Wikipedia, casado means "married man" and may refer to the homestyle eating of a married man -- rice and beans, plantains, salad, tortilla, and maybe some meat.  Or it may refer to rice-and-beans, a joined dish that is essential to casado.) 

As we were perusing the menu at Soda Vaquez and talking with the proprietor, she asked our names. Chatty and friendly. But we were startled when we came back that evening, and from the back of the place the proprietor called out when she saw us, "Slava!  Shirley!" The rest of the guests must have thought that we were old friends of hers.  We were certainly treated that way.

In Puerto Viejo we stayed at a small place called Blue Conga, run by a French-Canadian couple, Marisa and Pierre.   These ex-pats thoroughly understood and embraced pura vida.  Marisa made us breakfast each morning. Pierre offered to take us on an excursion to Cuhuito National Park, a 30 minute drive away. He took us in through the entrance for locals, which did not require an entrance fee, just a donation. Pierre made a donation for the six of us he had brought along, and he spent four hours taking us through the seaside forest, pointing out birds and spiders and frogs and monkeys.  We knew he wouldn't take any payment or tip for his services. Another couple tried unsuccessfully to get him to take money for gas.   In the spirit of pura vida Slava and I gave money to be donated to Cuhuito National Park on his next visit. That Pierre and Marisa accepted.

Note that the spirit of pura vida was shown by a French-Canadian and a Russian-American, as well as by native Ticos.  Around the world it's possible to find lots of people who show compassion, gratitude, and a real appreciation for nature.  What I love about  Costa Rica is that pura vida is the unifying national idea. If more international tourists visit Costa Rica, then maybe the spirit of pura vida can spread around the globe.