Riteve : Costa Rica Car Inspection

Costa Rica has a national system of annual car inspection called Riteve. Having a current Riteve sticker allows you to drive confidently and legally. It is a common experience which makes me feel like I really live here. Both of our 2 experiences at Riteve were weird and notable.

While many people think moving to Costa Rica is about living in a country with no army, ecotourism, seeing lava at Volcano Arenal, surfing at Malpais/Santa Teresa or doing the canopy tour at Monteverde ..... getting your car inspected is more indicative of day to day Costa Rica life.













The process starts out impressively smooth and logical as you make your Riteve appointment on the internet choosing place, date and time. We did our first inspection in Alajuela. They said our emissions didn't pass the test, but that was the least of our issues. By the time we had worked our way through the inspectors' paces, one of the technicians destroyed our brakes. We had to drive home using the handbrake to stop. Last week, we decided to go to the Puntarenas Riteve for our second inspection. This time an inspector destroyed a line that held the car's power steering fluids. We drove home with the steering wheel barely working. On a better note, a technician allowed us to re-do one of the tests 5 times until we finally passed.

In a different culture I might have complained or written a letter to right the wrong. That seemed like a waste of time here.

Many people pay someone to take their car for inspection. I'm beginning to see the wisdom of not going through this process.

Once again patience and a sense of humor are a virtue in navigating aspects of Tico life.

Cerveza, por favor...Gracias!!!

My Dinner With Juan

I met Juan a number of years ago when he was the head teller at Banco Popular. At 25 years old, he was half the age of many of those working under his supervision. Juan would help me in English in order to practice. Over time, he would be anticipating my bank stops, saving up lists of words and idioms for translation.

Now he works for Proctor and Gamble in San Jose, a prestigious job in Costa Rica, and during our dinner we both spoke about the challenges of living in two cultures. There are huge and numerous differences that we both see from our outsider vantage point of a foreigner living in another culture.

When he calls Cincinnati, and asks his suppliers how they are, they often respond with, “Not too bad.” There are only two answers for most Ticos to “How are you?” … Todo Bien or Pura Vida. For a Costa Rican to even have the word bad in your answer is socially unacceptable,

Juan was trained at P & G to give great service to “go the extra mile.” This is a new concept for him. In Costa Rica, “No Hay” is the most common response when a worker doesn’t have what you ask for. It is rarely followed by an explanation or a further attempt to find out more specific information.

At Banco Popular, Juan’s co-workers routinely kissed each other on the cheek to say hi and touched each other playfully and jokingly. He learned at P & G that this could be considered sexual harassment at a large U.S. company.

There is no right or wrong here, just 2 different cultural realities and norms. In order to best live in a foreign culture, it helps to understand the paradigm shifts. I’ve seen many non-Costa Ricans here filled with frustration and confusion when situations defy their logic and past experience. It’s been a long journey for me to flow smoothly here and has required a premium of patience and openness…and few shots of Guaro.

My Dinner With Juan was cool for both of us to discuss and laugh about our observations from living in each other’s cultures.

Living in the culture is an expression of eco-tourism.

Mi Destino/My Destiny in San Ramon, Costa Rica

This will be my 6th Christmas season living in San Ramon, Costa Rica. Wow...I have grown, changed, been at emotional highs and lows ... and truly spent my years 45-51 experiencing things that I never imagined for myself. I'm thankful to the Ramonense (San Ramon natives) for taking me in and making me comfortable in this special town and country.

While the differences began as English/Spanish, snow/sun, expensive/inexpensive. I now feel the subtler differences... the ones that take awhile to get. Living in the present is a spiritual pursuit in the 1st World, while here it is intrinsically a part of life. A comical and sometimes difficult reality is that it's hard to make plans with people for days or even hours in the future. Punctuality and efficiently productive days are not a big part of the culture. When I walk down the street I shake hands with all my men friends and kiss all the ladies. This takes priority over rushing to accomplish and puts a smile on my face. Another way of saying this is... San Ramon and Costa Rica are more about being than striving. For most of us 1st World folks, this has the potential to create a happier and healthier life.

In the USA I had a series of careers...mortgage banker, vegetarian restaurant owner, CFO of a high tech company, restaurant reviewer for a newspaper, diamond sorter. I was born in Brooklyn, New York...graduated with a degree in International Politics from University in Albany and have lived in Ithaca, NY for over 25 years.

I spent the first years in San Ramon, Costa Rica renting a $70 a month apartment and living without car, phone, tv, all the accoutrements of my 1st World life. I walked the streets learning the language and little by little became a part of the scene. And I had my share of angels helping me make a life here. Pablo and Mary at the cigar store, Jimmy Lee the chiropractor, Sylvia (my landlady) and her family. Alonso and the folks at El Buho (now Rincon Poeta) and all the others who kept me here when the loneliness and the sometimes seemingly insurmountable daily challenges would have led most sane people to leave and go back to the comfort of their known life.

Now, over five years later, I have traveled Costa Rica from the Osa Peninsula to Guanacaste and been in every country in Central America. The nightime streets of Managua or San Salvador hardly resemble the Pura Vida of Costa Rica. San Ramon is clearly where I belong. For the last 2 years I have had a girlfriend and partner Janet with whom I own a home and other properties around San Ramon. You can visit our website at www.costaricapm.com to learn more. Feel free to contact me.

Costa Rica is a culture centered around the family while the USA feels like the ultimate expression of the individual. Having Janet here has connected me in a deeper way in San Ramon. This being Thanksgiving, I am thankful for how my years in Costa Rica have helped me to appreciate and connect with my own family. Now that I've given a little background on myself...I'll be regularly adding new postings, sharing my experiences and reflections on life in San Ramon and Costa Rica

Pura Vida
Steven

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