Visiting Costa Rica

  Cultural History of Costa Rica                                                     1808 Coffee becomes the principal crop  Coffee production began in Costa Rica in the late 1800's. It became even more popular in the 1900s when the Costa Rican government started giving land to anyone who wanted to grow coffee. By around 1830, coffee had become the most successful crop in Costa Rica because of this incentive program. In my first post, I discussed the trip I will be taking in 2024 to Costa Rica. I will be staying on a piece of this land that was given to grow coffee, which has been handed down for generations. An estimated 10% of Costa Rican families make their living through coffee farming. (Brennan, 2023)                        1838 Costa Rica proclaims its sovereignty and independenc...

 Worldview Communication between Cultures: A culture’s worldview is directly linked to how members of that culture perceive the world and live in that world.  (Samovar, 2017) The dominant worldview in Costa Rica is religious in nature. According to  WorldAtlas , the dominant worldview in Costa Rican culture is Christianity, specifically Catholicism, at 60-75% of the people claiming to be Catholic. (Velzer, 2022) Some key aspects of this worldview include the deep spiritual belief in Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and everlasting life. The cultural expressions of this worldview include fellowship with other members of the community in a church setting. The ethics of the culture include following the Ten Commandments and living a virtuous life. People value honesty, humility, and formality. The values of the culture are based on their religious beliefs. They believe that once they die, they wi...

Family Structure in Costa Rica Most families in Costa Rica have a multi-generational family structure, with the elderly living in the household or living nearby. Traditionally, Costa Rican families have been a traditional style, but over the last 30 years, this has changed. Single-parent families rose from 8.6% in the early 80's to 13.8% in 2011. Most of these single-parent families are led by women. The friend I will visit in 2024 living in Costa Rica is renting a home from a family that owns a multi-generational farm with all family members living on the same property. They all have their own home, but they are very close together. My friend tells me that the family she stays with are very close. They care for one another and the needs of the family as a whole. Child rearing has been chiefly the job of the woman in the family. Women include mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. They have been typically the parent that will stay home and care for the children. Y...

The culture I plan to study is the people of Costa Rica. I chose this culture for a few reasons. A good friend recently moved from Oregon to Costa Rica with her husband and 2 cats. I will have the opportunity to visit her in October of 2024. I am so excited to learn about this culture before I travel. This study will give me a look into the customs, experiences, local life, and nature. This deep dive will also prepare me to look at things from another culture's point of view.  I would like to experience all this culture has, including exploring the natural world, hiking in the rainforest, visiting a bird sanctuary, exploring the beach, and scuba diving. I would like to visit the local hangouts and museums, enjoy the local cuisine, and immerse myself in the culture. I plan to have a fantastic experience, and this blog will be something I will use for learning and to treasure after my trip.   "In studying other cultures, we do so very often from the perspective of o...