The Pure Life

“The Pure Life”
One of the first things you learn when arriving in Costa Rica is that “Pura” means pure and “vida” is life and that “Ticos” are always saying “Puravida”. It is basically how we feel and how we live. Whenever you ask someone a question, almost all the time the answer is “Puravida”. Everything and everyone in Costa Rica is puravida. Everyone seem to enjoy life even though things are more difficult and move very slowly. A simple explanation why everything in Costa Rica is Puravida is that we are not too worried about anything. When someone says they are “puravida”, it’s because everything is OK.
It seems to me that for the locals, the essence of life is to take time to enjoy each unique moment and not to worry about what you cannot fix.
So my advice to you is, when you go to Costa Rica don’t get too upset about the bad roads, the awful traffic, the long lines at the ATM machine or the eight construction workers standing around “fixing” whatever is blocking your way. If you come to Costa Rica and expect everything to be efficient, and no hassle you will definitely be pura frustrated!
Remember that us ticos deal with this everyday and we still find everything to be Puravida.