Pura Vida Culture

Here in Costa Rica they have a deep love of nature and a genuine pride in their country.

My friend and I were recently on a tour with our favourite guide. We went to a nature centre where we saw sloths (including a rare sighting of one on the ground—they only come down to the ground once a week), toucans, a boa constrictor, a viper and the famous red eyed frog and more. Our guides really wanted us to see all that we could—they went above and beyond because they wanted us to love what they loved. They clearly loved the animals, even the snakes, and the plants and were so proud of their country. That pride was evident in the place we stopped for our meals--they were so happy to be able to accommodate my dietary restrictions and make me a fabulous meal with as much choice and variety as everyone else (something that is not always the case for me).  The person teaching us about coffee and chocolate from Costa Rica reminded us that as a small country they need to focus on quality not quantity.

What shines through in this country is that they love what they do and they take pride in it—whatever it is.  While this job may be a stepping stone to the next, they enjoy this job. Then they enjoy the next. 

As always, when I am here I think there is a lot to learn from the Pura Vida culture of this country.