During my time in Costa Rica, I became familiar with a lot of local phrases and words. While foreign at first, these pieces of culture found their way into my every day vocabulary during my time abroad and I'm sure a few are going to find their way back to the states.
¡Por dios! // Oh my god!
My Spanish professor used this so many times during our first week of intensive Spanish class. Our language skills were lackluster, to say the least, and she shared jokingly shared her disbelief at our poor skills with this phrase throughout the semester. But by the end of our time together, our profe was proud of us!
Media Naranja // Half of an Orange
An endearing term, this cute idiom is a phrase that stands for soul mates or better half. My mama tica, my host mom, would cut oranges in half every morning for our papa tico. It wasn't until I discovered the meaning of this phrase that I was in awe at the depth of love small actions can relate.
Tuanis // Cool, Tranquil
Our first week in Costa Rica, we explored the local night life as if that was our soul purpose studying abroad. We were still learning our way around San Jose, but we found the legendary Hoxton Pub we heard all of our peers talking about. We waited in line outside of a house, politely declining the offers of lollipop salesman standing beside the crowd. It was in that line that we bumped into an adorable girl, a stranger that spoke English but looked like a local. We met Jennifer, and took seats at a table in the patio, then began our onslaught of questions about cultural differences, our experience so far, and who we each are. It was during this interview session that we asked about slang that Costa Ricans use. She didn't hesitate on responding with 'taunis', explaining that people used it to describe a relaxed situation or a good time. We all looked at each other and around at the bar, and said 'this is taunis for sure''.
¡Qué dicha! // How Fortunate
I had a fun time learning this one. At first, I was told it meant 'how cool'. I said this in response to everything I saw - the mountains, beautiful flowers, a interesting outfit... you name it, and I would say, '¡Que dicha!'. It wasn't until I said it in our study abroad office and our program director Karla overheard me and corrected my mistake, that I learned this phrase was a way to remind others of their good fortune. It is mainly used after people share an optimistic story or share about something they have been blessed with.
Pura Vida // Pure Life
This is the golden thread that sews Costa Rica together. It found its roots first as a phrase used to describe Costa Rica's peaceful environment, an image supported by the country's choice not to create an army and by the easy going citizens. Akin to the way fans of the same college football time exchange the motto of their team in passing as a way to say "hello", "good-bye", or "how's it going", Costa Ricans use 'Pura Vida' the same way.
I'm sure most extreme case of 'pura vida' in action happened when our bus driver slammed on breaks inches from the arm of a toll booth, believing he was cleared to pass until the lever started falling. In a rush, he ripped the easy pass sticker from the window and passed it to the toll booth operator, cheerfully saying 'pura vida'!
