A letter from Costa Rica

All about Costa Rica

26 Aug 2014 | From Paola of Costa Rica

POSTCROSSING SWAP

I got this lovely two-page letter from Paola. Both sides of the paper are completely written with greetings and things and stories about her and her beautiful country, Costa Rica.

Paola works as an Interior Designer who enjoys solitude and the stillness of things in this rather crazy  and fast-changing world. A wanderlust flowing in every inch of her, she likes meeting people, having new adventures and challenges, interacting with the environment, and analyzing how our consciousness is expanded and renewed as we do all these.

She thinks highly of her country. Though she revealed there was a time when she didn't like her country at all. All changed after she traveled around the world and gained new perspectives. Every country has its beauty and flaws.

Costa Rica, according to her, is a small country in Central America with only a population of 4 million 5 hundred. You can actually see the entire Costa Rica in two weeks staying in different places. You can travel in one border to the other in two days. Costa Rica is known for its progressive environmental policies, being the only country to meet all five criteria established to measure environmental sustainability. Once a backwater colony, since attaining independence in the 19th century, Costa Rica has become one of the most stable, prosperous, and progressive nations in Latin America.

The things she loves most about Costa Rica are its diversity in flora and fauna, its summer and rainy seasons, the beautiful beaches, inredible mountains and volcanoes, the fruits and grains, and the friendliness of its people. Costa Rica have no military army. They don't have wars, people are kind and friendly, and a lot safer to live in compared to other Central American nations. Its capital city, San Jose, which she described as dirty, disorganized, and chaotic, is almost entirely European influenced. It is the sixth most important destination in Latin America and ranked 15th in the world’s fastest growing destination cities by visitor cross-border spending.

She shared to me a typical phrase Costa Ricans normally use: "Pura vida". It means "pure life". Everything is fine, relax, going with the flow, slow down, enjoy, take your time... When asked "How are you?", they will probably reply with "Pura vida" - everything is fine and good.