Narrow streets, massive amounts of potholes, century-old rotting bridges and two-hour long traffic jams for a trip that should take 10 minutes. Sounds like one dreaded Monday morning? Such is the reality of transportation in Costa Rica, which just last month reached a breaking point. The tragedy Oct. 22 when the bridge that communicated Orotina and Turrubares collapsed has opened perhaps the biggest can of worms: the long overdue and deliberate negligence towards investing and maintaining local infrastructure has become clear.

This country has two major problems: inadequate preparation for its seismic nature and deplorable road-bridge conditions. Both mix to form the perfect recipe for disaster. Sadly, it seems that Costa Rica only reacts after major tragedies claim precious lives. 23 people died in Cinchona Jan. 9, and five died in October in the Río Grande de Tarcoles. Both incidents have shed some light over the historic governmental negligence that has turned Costa Rica into a time bomb.

Roads in Costa Rica are still pretty much the same as 30 years ago. However, during that time, the population has doubled and so has the size and amount of cars. Obsolete rotondas or traffic circles are still used in San Jose although some are being replaced, and a minor traffic accidents can cause jams of up to five hours. For a nation that strives to become part of the developed group of countries, Costa Rica has to address governmental institutions plagued with problems and delays.

If Costa Rican governments understood that the country would do well to invest primarily in good road infrastructure, natural disaster planning and education, decisions would be easier to make. Improving education will produce better citizens and reduce crime. Decent roads and bridges will reduce the amount of accidents and natural disaster casualties, and good emergency planning and prevention will reduce the loss of life and money.

Costa Rica has three main voices: one from the experts, who make sure they warn everybody about the importance of listening to their recommendations; another from the government, which many times contradicts experts, promises to follow through or excuses itself for not acting; and the third one from the media, which reports both sides. However, for decades, this country has lived on printed and broadcasted words, not actions, and now the voices of the communities are only heard when there are victims to mourn.

According to several government accounts, the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes has been one of the entities with the most inadequate public budget and the highest level of bureaucracy. Infrastructure has been paralyzed for up to four decades, and due to this year’s tragedies, the current administration is being blamed for what dozens of prior presidents failed to implement. However, this government — despite its mistakes and criticism — is doing what many avoided: it has changed the course of action, taking into its own hands projects that have been paralyzed for months, years or decades, such as the completion of the Juan Santamaría airport (paralyzed 17 months), the highway San Jose-Caldera (paralyzed 30 years), and the Costanera Sur (paralyzed 47 years). It has also rewritten the transportation law, among other projects to improve road conditions, including rationing of downtown traffic.

Even though the ministry has 50 years worth of projects to complete, this administration took the first step, and hopefully future presidents see it as a milestone to guide their own path. One problem, of course, is that the country is broke. The San José-Caldera highway project and the Juan Santamaría airport improvements are being paid for by concession contracts. So will extensive improvements of the port of Limón if the government gets its way. The concession holders bring outside money to the country in hopes of making a profit. The average Costa Rican will end up paying more.

Among the most recent successes is the Costanera Sur where the last stretch of asphalt is being put down between Quepos and Dominical. And reports from the Caribbean say that the main highway in the vicinity of Puerto Viejo has been patched. But municipalities are in the same financial boat, and some of the worst roads are the responsibilities of municipal government, who are not getting enough funds from the central government.

The bridge crisis is much more complex than the road situation. Most rural bridges were built during the first half of the last century, many were made primarily of wood, and since they are not major routes of transportation, they have been neglected. Understandably, having such a load of pending issues, the government has been taking care of priority cases, but the latest tragedy evidenced how rural communities are often forgotten, and what is worse, some of those towns are the most visited by tourists. On top of age and materials, the latest study made by the Laboratorio Nacional de Materiales y Modelos Estructurales determined that most bridges in the valley are extremely vulnerable to earthquakes, and that they will issue a separate seismic code for bridges in 2010.

These problems directly affect the expat community, personally and financially, especially to those who invest in tourism and real estate. A country with deficient road infrastructure and collapsing bridges poses a significant risk for clients, service providers and investors, not to mention the financial set back it creates when visitors or potential residents decide Costa Rica is still not ready for real business.

Perhaps the next president should take a look next door and see how much revenue Panamá is collecting by investing wisely in optimizing the city’s landscape and usability. Costa Rica’s biggest competition in Latin America is Panamá, and its threat is growing. Realizing that soon this country will be known as the backyard of Panamá might just do the trick.

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Renting properties in Costa Rica is as common for locals as it is for foreigners. However, relationships with landlords may be negative for expats who expect property owners to adhere to the basic rental laws. When renting a property in Costa Rica, expats can expect many headaches along the way, most of them provoked by landlord negligence.

Even though landlord problems occur in every country, if Costa Rica is the country of choice, expats may be better off buying than renting. Foreigners who plan to live in the country temporarily should prepare to deal with frustrating situations, miscommunications and neighbor issues provoked or plainly overlooked by property owners.

There’s one fact expats can count on: Most landlords in Costa Rica never read the rental law (No. 7527). They have no idea about their rights or duties as property owners or about violations or legal procedures that protect both tenants and owners.

Another fact is that even though some landlords have no idea about the content of the rental law, they will likely and blatantly violate it numerous times, and most of the time they can get away with it.

Costa Ricans tend to avoid confrontation. Culturally, Ticos are taught that standing one’s ground is a sign of rebellion, and as a family-centered culture, Costa Rica has done a pretty good job teaching its citizens that obedience and passivity are the best attitudes in life. That is mainly the reason why business owners and landlords have had the upper hand when it comes to abusing or neglecting their roles in society.

Therefore, once a tenant or customer decides to fight for rights and demand quality for what they are paying, common reactions from service providers or landlords are shock, indifference and even confrontation.

Many landlords have only one goal: Getting the most for the least. They do not flinch at violating the law if it means saving money. Expats should not be surprised if they encounter any of the following situations while renting in Costa Rica.:

Insecurity. Some apartment buildings lack safe, sturdy gates or security systems to keep tenants safe. Many buildings lack intercoms, making it easy for criminals to be buzzed in by mistake or to break in. Only very exclusive buildings have 24-hour security guards or intercoms with cameras. Many tenants come home to find their living quarters emptied by burglars that were mistakenly buzzed in.

Options: In this case, expats cannot protect themselves legally against negligence by the landlord concerning insecure facilities.

Misleading contract clauses. Rental contracts are supposed to have a group of clauses warning tenants of the rules to follow before considering moving into the apartment or house. However, consequences for violating certain clauses are sometimes not specified in the document, making it impossible to know how those violations will be punished. The most common of these situations is a contract specifying that pets are absolutely prohibited in the building. Then some months later one or two neighbors get pets. Problems like excessive noise from barking, odors and dog attacks against neighbors from untrained dogs and negligent pet owners can follow.

Options: Getting some legal advice is key in finding out how to make rental contracts enforceable against insensitive landlords.

Hidden apartment problems. Once a tenant leaves, some landlords tend to repair only the most visible problems, and more serious ones are left untouched until the new tenant complains about them, which can take months until noticed. That buys landlords time to enjoy the initial deposit — which is equal to a month’s rent — and to procrastinate about fixing problems when notified by the tenant. Some landlords play dirty by blaming tenants for recurring problems that can be easily disguised as new problems, such as pipe obstructions and water leaks.

Options: Having a lawyer inspect the apartment before moving in and documenting its condition will help identify which are recurring and new problems. Having another inspection before moving out will protect tenants and help them get back their whole deposit because landlords will not be able to invent or exaggerate damages left by tenants. Besides, according to Section 30 of the rental law, any major deficiencies in the property unknown by the tenant are reason enough to request a proportional deduction of the rent amount. Depending on how serious they are, tenants can file for damages.

Maintenance negligence. Even after months of constantly getting notified by tenants of problems, some landlords have the nerve to gracefully ignore them and use their favorite weapon of choice: words. Sweet little promises or placing blame on contractors that do not show up are common responses that can take months to surmount. Such cases usually end up in legal action by the tenant to break the cycle. Landlords generally tend to push the envelope.

Options: E-mail notifications are much better than phone calls from tenants in case the situation goes out of hand. After informally notifying a landlord of a problem immediately it is noticed, landlords might take care of it right away, wait a little or ignore it for months. According to the rental law, if landlords do not fix the problem 10 business days after getting notified, tenants can take care of it and deduct the cost from the rent. If tenants want landlords to take care of the problem instead (as it should always happen), the situation gets more complicated for tenants. The law details that if the problem is not fixed within the 10 business days after notifying the landlord, tenants can go to court and seek permission from a judge to deposit the next rent payment in court.

The judge evaluates the situation and, if approved, the judge sends a court notice to a landlord to force the owner to take care of the problem before getting the rent from court. There is a process to follow, however, before going to court:

• Tenants have to document all the notifications sent informally (by e-mail) to landlords in a formal letter that must be printed and illustrated by pictures of the problem. The letter must end giving the landlord 10 business days to fix the problem, stating that otherwise the tenant will go to court (juzgado con jurisdicción) and deposit the money of the rent.

• Tenants must get two impartial witnesses – police officers are recommended, since judges will take it more seriously than if family members or neighbors witness it – to attest that the document was delivered to the landlord. If tenants decide to go to the police, they should ask for an acta de observación diligence. Calling services by their correct names saves tenants the run-around in police stations. Requesting for a witnessing service incorrectly will immediately raise a red flag among policemen and they will send tenants to different municipal offices that will not help at all.

• Once the document has been given to the landlord and the acta de observación is duly filled out by the police officers, tenants wait the 10 days.

• If the problem is never fixed, tenants must go to a lawyer to prepare a document to take to court about the case. All proof must be kept and submitted (pictures, acta de observación, letter, e-mail copies) to the lawyer.

• Tenants agree on a day to go to court with their lawyer and process their case. If approved or denied, the judge dictates the procedure to follow.

Neighbor disputes. Even though Costa Ricans tend to be mellow and passive, they can also get quite violent with neighbors or when driving. Ticos can be really territorial. Therefore, whether it is complaints about noise, garbage or pets, landlords do not necessarily strive to keep the peace among tenants. Tenants have the obligation to notify landlords when neighboring tenants cross the line. Landlords are responsible for solving any problems keeping the peace in the rental building. However, that rule is rarely followed. Landlords might even make things worse by not using tact when talking about the problem or blaming the complaining neighbor for being too inflexible.

Reluctance to solve neighbor property issues. Problems from neighboring properties such as large trees that cover one’s backyard, excessive noise, garbage, among others, are most likely going to be ignored by landlords until tenants take it to a law enforcement level.

Options: Tenants should not take the matter into their own hands in this case. They have to make landlords deal with other property owners, since they are solely responsible for their piece of land, even if it is affecting their tenants only. Therefore, the legal steps specified above for maintenance negligence must be followed by tenants in order to get neighbor problems solved.

The rental law specifies all rights and duties for both tenants and landlords, as well as many legal procedures both parties can opt for in different circumstances.

Nevertheless, many landlords get scared once they see their tenants are serious people who will not let anybody walk all over them. Showing up at their door with two police officers, filling out an acta de observación and having a well-written letter with good pictures attached will likely do the trick, and no further legal action may be needed. Landlords sometimes are just lazy and only need a reality check to do their job. Otherwise, courts tend to protect anybody who presents a well-documented case.

Tenants must keep in mind that if they take any legal action against landlords, they may be subject to more negligence in the future or even spiteful revenge tactics from resentful landlords. The rental law specifies that unhappy landlords can notify the tenants to vacate any time after three years of living in their property, but if the apartment is located in the same lot as the landlords’ home and they share a common entrance, tenants can be evicted any time and for any reason.

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Believe it or not, the little green dots represent the epicenters of earthquakes in Costa Rica from 1985 to 2008, based on a new map released last week by the Red Sismológica Nacional. Arrows show the direction of tectonic plates that are causing many of the quakes.

Even though it is common knowledge that Costa Rica is a seismically active country, not everybody knows that it is the third country in the world with the highest seismic activity. In fact, it is the most seismic nations in Central America. One would expect that in a country ranking among the first earthquake-prone nations, its government and population would be decently prepared.

However, Costa Rica might also be among the least prepared countries to deal with seismic disasters, which directly threatens not only its citizens but also its growing Expat community.

They say the best way to predict the future is looking at the past. From the time important events started getting recorded as news (the beginnings of 1900s), Costa Rica has documented rough encounters with its seismic reality, from which the following events are the most significant:

May 4, 1910. A 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook Cartago (the country’s capital at the time), destroying the city, causing between 400 and 700 deaths and leaving hundreds injured. This is the earthquake with most casualties so far. A photographic account is provided by a North Carolina man who posted family photos of the event.

March 4, 1924. Orotina – a town located west of San Jose, 30 minutes from the Pacific Coast – suffered a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, causing the highest level of destruction ever recorded in Costa Rica, and killing 70 people.

Oct. 5, 1950. A 7.7 magnitude earthquake rattled the second biggest city in the northern Pacific province of Guanacaste, releasing the most tectonic energy ever recorded in the country and killing dozens of people.

April 22, 1991. Limón – the biggest city in the Caribbean province with the same name – was shaken by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, causing major structural damage and 50 casualties.

Jan. 8, 2009. A 6.2 magnitude earthquake destroyed the mountain town of Cinchona – in the province of Alajuela – killing 23 people, leaving 7 people missing and injuring dozens, plus changing the area’s landscape and scenic attractions after causing 180 landslides.

Looking into how the government has responded to the latest seismic event, one can foresee what the future holds. The Cinchona earthquake caused 280 billion colons ($482 million) in damages. It destroyed 30 kilometers of roads from Los Cartagos to Cariblanco, of which five kilometers disappeared. Only 40 of the surviving people have obtained government housing and 300 are still waiting in relatives’ homes. 261 families are scheduled to receive their homes in July or August of next year. So far, the government has been sending money to 500 families to rent apartments in nearby towns, but in the next few weeks, the Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social will continue helping only priority cases.

Now more than nine months after the Cinchona quake, President Óscar Arias Sánchez and Vanessa Rosales of the National Emergency Commission inaugurated a new location for the town. That happened Friday. The location is in Ujarrás de Cariblanco, in Alajuela province. The 60 hectares (148 acres) cost nearly $1 million and will accommodate 93 families who were earthquake victims. Arias thanked the families for their great patience and said that construction would begin soon.

Meanwhile, the emergency commission finally has begun distribution of construction materials to help other victims repair damage. The first delivery of concrete blocks and concrete was done in Santa Bárbara de Heredia at the end of September.

In general, surviving victims say government assistance has been insufficient. Irregularities involving the emergency commission response and operations have been reported, including inefficient distribution of goods donated by the population to the affected areas. There was overspending on construction materials two years ago for disaster prevention projects that were never completed and are not being used to relieve the housing needs in Cinchona. There is also lack of disaster action planning and retention of funds donated by the Costa Rican population to the earthquake victims who still need them.

The question is when a disaster like the one in Cinchona occurs in the Central Valley, who is going to control effectively the money destined for emergencies?

Multiple warnings have been given by experts through the media for years. A major earthquake has been predicted by the experts for the area of Nicoya since the 1990s, and the population has been sufficiently informed by newspapers and news programs since then.

For example, A.M. Costa Rica reported Sept. 7 that a new report from the Universidad de Costa Rica characterized the nation as a web of quake faults. Although residents of the Nicoya Peninsula are reminded periodically that a major earthquake is likely there, Costa Rica also has at least 150 local faults that can cause serious damage, the Red Sismológica Nacional, an agency of the Universidad de Costa Rica has warned.

The last earthquake recorded in Nicoya was the one in 1950, and they are expected to occur every 50 years. The peninsula is supposed to be lifted 1.5 meters, but the event will not produce a major tsunami like the one in Asia in 2004, only a minor one due to the lifting of the land.

Big tsunamis are formed only when the ocean floor is lifted. When the shore land is being modified, the ocean does not react as strongly. The towns where most destruction is expected are Filadelfia and Santa Cruz, since they are located in an area where the fault is closest to the surface. This will create a liquefaction effect due to sandy soil characteristics. This earthquake will also be felt in San José, more strongly than the event that occurred in Limón in 1991.

The Red Sismológica Nacional report said that the Cinchona aftermath showed that the country lacks a clear policy on construction. Many of the deaths in Cinchona happened because the land gave way beneath structures.

The Red Nacional said that an important step would be having the nation implement a system of risk management. Such a proposal has been presented by the Colegio de Geólogos de Costa Rica to the central government and to the national emergency commission.

The largest seismic hazard along the whole Central American region is located in the south Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Three tectonic plates converge underground: the Cocos, Nasca and Panama Block. Besides, there are important faults all around the south Pacific territory.

San José is the city with the highest seismic risk in Central America, followed by Guatemala City and San Salvador, due to deficiencies in building structures and urban planning. In addition, San José hosts 2.5 million people, 57 percent of the total population in the country.

Of great concern is the road chaos an earthquake would cause in the Central Valley. Experts from the Laboratorio Nacional de Materiales y Modelos Estructurales determined that most bridges in the valley are extremely vulnerable to earthquakes, a condition evidenced in most bridges after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Limón. The lab will issue a seismic code for bridge constructions in 2010, which will complement the new edition of the general seismic code.

Not surprisingly, Escazú and Santa Ana, areas where most expats live — besides the Pacific Coast — are located over many tectonic faults, and many real estate projects are in high risk of landslides. Ms. Rosales of the national emergency committee said that developers should not be frightened by Costa Rica’s earthquake hazard. Instead, they should just follow the seismic code and environmental recommendations when building.

However, a country completely unprepared for expected and recurrent hazards presents a problem to any foreign investor.

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Being an important expat destination, Costa Rica offers great weather, beaches and plenty of rainforests, and it can be, bureaucracy and all, a good location for expats who want to grow their businesses. However, there is a group of expats who not only do not own businesses but also need to make ends meet. They get to know a very different kind of jungle: Costa Rican workplaces.

Common employment for expats or foreigners looking for a temporary Costa Rican experience include English teaching, sales and customer service at sportsbooks, casinos, other call centers and real estate firms. Jobs in tourism are the fewest, and they usually require applicants to speak fluent Spanish. In addition, some expats or foreigners seek to get hired or, if popular enough, get requested for cultural activities, especially in the music scene.

In many interviews with expates about their employment experiences in Costa Rica, there seems to be some common denominators in Tico workplace environments. Aiming to set the record straight – unlike many sites that sugarcoat everything about this country – the following are some of the most important ones.

Contract discrepancies. Expats who get hired in jobs whre employers do not require work permits should get paid the full amount offered during the interview. Too often companies wait until it is time to pay the first salary to fast-talk foreigners into believing they are required to pay 9 percent of their salary as government withholdings because of immigration scrutiny. This constitutes employer fraud. Employers can only deduct 9 percent of salaries from employees who are registered in the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social. The social security agency in Costa Rica is commonly referred to as the “Caja.” That percentage goes directly to that organization. If employers are deducting the withholdings from unregistered employees, they are keeping the money, plain and simple. They cannot send those percentages to Caja because they would be questioned as to whom that money corresponds, nor will they be exempt from a hefty fine if they are caught employing illegal workers, even when deducting the monthly amount. Expats should ask about this aspect during their interviews, and address their knowledge on the matter.

Other complaints have to do with hours promised vs. hours offered. This is especially true for English teachers. Many report being promised full-time schedules and only being given a fraction of that once they sign six-month to one-year commitments with deceiving schools.

Payment irregularities. This seems to be the aspect drawing the most resentment from expats. Some state they applied for jobs that advertised salaries in dollars to then find out that their first salary was paid in colons. Even if they always had the option to quit, some of them decided to endure their jobs, always worrying about converting their monthly payments to dollars to make sure they reflected accurate exchange rates.

Payment delays are also very frequent, especially in sportbooks or casinos. Expats have reported up to a week’s delay in getting their salaries, always being told bogus excuses by their employers about having problems with bank transfers. The ironic thing is that most call center employers are expats themselves, but they have adopted hora tica (Tico timing) when doing business.

Unannounced, gradual salary cutbacks have also been reported. This aspect is frequent in places where salaries are paid under the table. If management decides to start cutting back on commissions or salary amounts that were initially promised, employees have no way to legally protect themselves.

Lying about payment amounts or payment at all also seems to be common in contracts concerning the music scene. Foreign disc jockeys who are hired in local bars complain about how often they have to address problems with the amount they get paid compared to the one offered, which is also true for foreign performers. Some music concerts have been cancelled, even once the audience has arrived to the location, due to payment disagreements between foreign artists and event organizers. Fans have even vandalized facilities once they find out they are not getting their money back either. Expat disc jockeys who aim to get jobs at radio stations say it is good exposure, but forget about getting paid.

Some of them were lied to during job interviews at different stations, being told that once the ratings were received, they would sit down to discuss compensation. Instead, they were given the runarounds by employers once it was time to discuss payment and when some pressed the issue, they were magically taken off the air. Others opted for sucking up to the station and were able to get full-time administrative jobs that would give them monthly salaries ranging from only $300 to $400.

No degree recognition. Costa Rica may be the education diploma paradise for Ticos, but not for expats. Costa Ricans know the more degrees they obtain, the better they will do professionally and financially. That is why there are so many Ticos enrolled in master’s degree programs and short-term trainings that will give them some kind of certificate or diploma. Those open doors. However, expats rarely share this advantage. Expats with bachelor’s degrees do not get better salaries compared to Ticos who have no college education for call center jobs or travel agencies.

The same happens with post-graduate degrees. English teachers who have master’s degrees or Ph.D.s do not get better salaries or positions in language schools unless they have mastered Spanish as well. Ticos do not seem to recognize professional achievement unless it is spoken in their language. Most expats do not even get it until they are residents. Therefore, foreigners with higher education usually end up founding their own language schools in order to put their degrees to good use.

Crazy work ethics. Although this aspect can be true of any office around the world, at least it is true that in Costa Rica it is the one thing you can always count on in the workplace: From increasing daily tasks with no corresponding raise to blatant favoritism reflected in treatment and unjustified raises from management to certain employees, Expats describe Tico office environments as an indoor Wild Wild West. Even though labor code violations are penalized, and the court usually rules in favor of the victim, work ethics that cannot be evidenced in paper are hard to prove in court. There are many cases of sexual harassment, sexism and verbal abuse that go unreported as well.

Concerning the Costa Rican music scene, anarchy seems to be the rule. Many expat and visiting musicians claim that event organizers, bar owners and promoters leave everything for the last minute, provoking embarrassing interruptions or performance delays due to their negligence concerning sound or equipment quality.

No professionalism. Costa Ricans holding an authority position anywhere seem to think that supervising or managing equals patronizing. Tico employees appear used to being disrespected by their employers or supervisors, but foreigners are not. However, Ticos who are not internationally educated treat foreign employees the same way they treat their own. They could have older expats under them, and they still scold them as if they were children. What they also ignore is that most foreigners will hold their own and put them in their place, which sometimes has resulted in unfair firings, since disrespectful Tico supervisors are usually backed up by companies due to their opportunistic skills. Some expat supervisors are not exempt from being jerks, but they usually patronize Ticos, not fellow expats.

Physical contact and no personal space. Costa Ricans have a very physical way of relating to others. Expats often complain about having to kiss Tico co-workers of the opposite sex on the cheek every morning, even the ones they do not like, as Ticos do among themselves. Many expats also feel Ticos have no sense of personal space, since they usually get too close to walk by or talk to them.

No political correctness. Ticos do not know what the term politically correct means. There is no equivalent for that phrase in Spanish either. Costa Ricans feel free to make ignorant racist, sexist, homophobic and ageist jokes in the workplace, disregarding the feelings of those around them. They also feel free to openly discriminate against others based on race, ethnicity or class. Many expats still cannot get over that aspect, especially because it is legally and culturally allowed.

Moving to any foreign country will always need some kind of adjustment, but most relevant information about what to really expect in Costa Rica is unavailable, and most Ticos do not want to have certain aspects of their culture revealed abroad. They need to keep Costa Rica’s reputation intact, and so far it has been working. Until now.

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Generating, disposing and treating waste has become one of the biggest and most serious problems of Costa Rican culture. The problem is not only a contradiction to the self-proclaimed ecological, diverse and clean reputation of the country, but also accurately illustrates the Tico short sightedness that prevents Costa Rica from becoming a developed nation.

The Tico littering mentality is, in fact, a combination of short sightedness, laziness and pecking order. Many Ticos believe someone else should pick up their messes, as illustrated by going to any fast food restaurant. Rarely do Tico’s pick up their tables and throw their trash in the garbage can.

Government officials lack the vision and commitment of turning waste into lucrative businesses and much needed sources of employment, keeping civilians in the dark about how serious the littering problem is for their health, their communities and the planet. Therefore, Ticos have never worried about what a chocolate bar wrapping or a bottle of water can create when they mindlessly throw it on the street or out their car’s window. They only think of getting it out of their immediate surroundings. They still think recycling is just an ecological trend, not a necessity.

The question remains: What was first, the chicken or the egg? Short-sighted government officials or short-sighted Costa Ricans? As puzzling as that question may be, the reality of this so-called green paradise is changing into a littering nightmare, and faster than anyone imagines.

According to a 2003 report written by Ronulfo Alvarado Salas of the municipal management department of research and development (Dirección de Gestión Municipal Sección de Investigación y Desarrollo) called “Solid Waste,” Costa Rica’s problem became serious in a very short time. Because the waste produced in the country before and during the first half of the 20th century was mostly organic, littering was a minor problem up until the 1950s. However, due to the rapid industrial growth and massive manufacturing, the growing population’s littering habits created a problem that turned into a national emergency reflected in an executive order May 15, 1991.

During the Figueres Olsen administration in the 90s, the department of specific matters (Ministerio de Asuntos Específicos), conducted a study which revealed that up to that point, 55.7 percent of the country’s municipalities were depositing solid waste in outdoor individual garbage dumps, 14.8 perrcent in collective outdoor dumps and the rest in partially controlled dumps. Different associations were formed to solve the waste management problem, which gradually opened a series of landfills and dumps along the different provinces of the country. However, landfills are the oldest waste management method, which consist of burying the garbage and piling it until it reaches its maximum capacity. This leaves the products of leaching and gases untreated unless there is specific equipment to do so, and even though the government has repeatedly announced initiatives to use the energy of leach products and gases, there are still reports that those pollutants are running out of control in the dumps, threatening the subsoil water tables that servcies different communities.

Besides, according to researcher Silvia Soto in her 2005 account on solid waste for the 11th report of the state of the nation (Undécimo Informe sobre el Estado de la Nación en Desarrollo Humano Sostenible), even though the dumps and landfills are working better since local municipalities started hiring private companies as contractors to collect and dump the garbage, the country lacks an integral effort on treating waste and reusable materials and educating the population on the matter. There is even evidence that some of the private contractors are dumping garbage by highways and empty lots in some communities, especially in Limón.

In contrast, private companies banded together in Limón Sunday to pick up mountains of trash along the roadways.

Ms. Soto claimed that there are different programs from the government devoted to educating children about generating waste and keeping communities clean, but no aggressive campaigns have been implemented by the government or the media to tackle the problem and change the littering mentality that has infected Costa Rica for several decades. Two decades ago, the media seemed to be launching an environmental campaign propelled by the government. They broadcast a commercial during some months that showed a family in a car on the way to the beach. Family members were eating and throwing packages, bottles, peels and whatnot out their windows. When they came to a traffic light, a mountain of garbage fell on the car, and a message appeared about not littering. Many Ticos remember that commercial, but no other nationwide campaign followed

All those consulted for this article conclude there is a gap between the need for proper communal waste treatment and the awareness of each individual’s responsibility at the initial phase of that cycle: generating waste. They express concern as to how important the media and schools are for creating a waste-management conscious population committed to eliminating the littering problem. However, they also agree on how the government has not made it a priority to invest in such campaigns, waiting for the private sector to take the initiative. Many private organizations have embraced recycling and educational programs, but. according to Ms. Soto, there is only so much private companies can do, since they do not have access to educating Costa Ricans in a generalized way, and the effort must be complemented by law enforcement and schools in order to be successful.

In terms of law enforcement, several environmental laws have been created, which state the importance of preserving and maintaining a clean environment, such as the Constitution, the general health act (Ley General de Salud), the municipal Code, the environmental act (Ley Orgánica del Ambiente) and the urban planning act (Ley de Planificación Urbana). However, none of these initiatives has any bite when it comes to littering or indiscriminately dumping trash on the roadside or in inappropriate areas.

The old Costa Rican traffic act punished anybody who littered streets with any kind of waste or did not clean their property with fines ranging between ¢5.000 and ¢20.000. The new traffic act – whose enforcement is being postponed for six more months – penalizes citizens who commit the same littering acts with 10 percent of an amount corresponding to the 289.000.-colon base salary of an administrative assistant.

In 1975, the municipal board of San José approved a project to install a waste processing plant to eliminate the landfills, but the government finally decided not to invest in it. Shortly afterwards a German company took notice of the initiative and offered the Costa Rican government a thorough study and affordable plan to purchase its plant and recover the investment from the recycling of metal, paper and plastic (into oil), which the Tico government ignored. To this moment, no plants have been purchased, and garbage is suffocating the biodiversity of the country.

One Reuters article talks about the future plans for waste treatment in Costa Rica. It claims that Costa Rican garbage scavengers are not allowed to enter the landfills to collect their livelihood anymore, since the government wants to solve the problem once and for all, by industrializing solid waste and recovering 70 percent of the generated waste. They hope to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions produced in the landfills to zero in 2021. That’s a very ambitious statement for a country that has not cared ever before about its rubbish statements.

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There is a Chinese proverb that says, “If you are thinking one year ahead, sow seeds. If you are thinking 10 years ahead, plant a tree. If you are thinking 100 years ahead, educate your children.”

This proverb gives light into how much planning goes into Chinese culture. Therefore, if the Chinese think 100 years in advance – reflected in their progressive and hard-working culture – could it be assumed that Europeans think 70 years in advance and Americans 50, according to their progressive history?

And what could be said about our fellow Costa Ricans? An observer of the culture might conclude that Costa Ricans think no farther than their noses. Does that have something to do with why many Hispanic nations keep falling behind global progress? Yes, in fact, it has everything to do with it, and Ticos are definitely not the exception.

From their education or personal expenses to huge white-collar fraud in high governmental positions – including the presidency – Ticos are a vivid example of the Latin short-sight attitude towards life, and who better than President Óscar Arias Sánchez to confirm it?

As he said in his speech for the 5th Summit of the Americas, held this April in Trinidad and Tobago, “No one is to blame except for us.”

So, what exactly is this short-sight attitude? What are its cultural ramifications that extend to this and other Latin American countries?

Unfortunately, the lack of identity or real political struggle for Costa Ricans has made them believe that life is just a comfortable couch where they tune in to passively admire the successes of other countries through their imported TV sets.

According to history books, Costa Rica picked up the pieces after Colonial times and built what they could to show the world they were a dignified country. The only way they thought possible to achieve a decent country status was by importing arts and embellishing San José with the latest architectural and artistic trends, condensed in the buildings of the Teatro Nacional and the Correo Nacional. They thought that those foreign helpers were going to jumpstart the country into building its own identity. They never imagined that instead, they stripped the country from ever having a true solid identity for exactly that: for expecting everything to come from the outside instead of building from the inside.

They thought that with what was left after colonialism, the country could not build itself: It had to be built and defined by the developed nations of the time. Sadly, that way of thinking still shapes Costa Rica’s reality. The country was first rescued by Europe, then the United States (who continues to do it), then by Taiwan, and now by China. Who’s next? Saudi Arabia?

Costa Rican leaders have hidden behind the sad Third World Face for decades to happily receive billions of dollars and distribute them among top government officials. No wonder there have been at least three presidents linked to major fraud. One is on trial for fraud right now, and another stayed in Switzerland.

Despite major fraud and corruption, Costa Rica’s political climate has enjoyed stability since it was established, and its monopoly system has created a seemingly comfortable bubble for the population, instituting soccer and alcohol as the official pacifiers that keep citizens in their seats at work and at home, thinking what the government tells them to, and feeling content with what they do not have.

Ironically, that complacent attitude has shaped Costa Ricans into mediocre achievers. Ticos are accustomed to have foreign nations think for them, invent for them, sweat for everything while they wait until it is available in stores. That is where the Pura Vida concept comes to verbalize Costa Rican identity.

Ticos have a Pura Vida mentality: Do the least and expect the most, take the shortest shortcut and feel proud, think of the most comfortable decision for the time being.

The average Costa Rican male grows up sheltered in their household, where his mom serves as maid, janitor, assistant and what not, and she pampers him until he get off the couch and gets married. The average Costa Rican female grows up to take care of a family that perpetuates the vicious cycle of contentment. Very few Ticos learn the concept of independence, resilience and persevering. They are used to running to Mommy crying and have her put out their fires.

Very few Ticos learn the value of labor because their over-protective mothers convince them they do not need it until they grow up. Naturally, they do not learn to secure their future since they have always had someone taking care of them.

Ticos are never taught the value of schooling either. Culturally, school is seen as an obligatory burden, not as a privilege, and cheating on tests is something to feel proud of. Some college students barely pass subjects because they are just following a life recipe, not their own passion. In fact, very few Costa Ricans are passionately devoted to their profession. Most are only passionate at the soccer stadium.

Therefore, what can you expect from a society that produces and pampers underachievers? You expect people who cannot manage time, money or energy, people who are always waiting for the perfect shortcut to present itself and people who justify everything to keep denying and enjoying their incompetence.

For example, mechanics who overcharge for taking good parts from cars instead of fixing them think they are doing good business for themselves because of how that particular situation helped them financially. The same goes for lawyers who only take lucrative cases, never return phone calls and treat clients condescendingly, and for dentists who do not upgrade their equipment because they think clients will never demand it. These professionals do not think of themselves as thieves or bad service providers, nor do they think of their clients as apple trees. They only think of clients as apples.

Ticos have no worries in their minds other than what is going on at the moment: who they like or not, what handy distractions can serve as excuses to not work, study or worry about their lives, what they want or need to buy for their current needs or trends, or what they want for their next meal. Many quit jobs impulsively the minute they dislike them without having something better lined up, even when having a family to support. Why? Because they know they can always go back to mommy’s house and she will help them. Most of them do not think of how striving through difficult liaisons can serve as bridges to improve their future, how managing money wisely can get them out of debt, or how staying in a job that they may not like until they find something better can strengthen their resume and keep them afloat financially.

Costa Ricans are not usually concerned with planning for when they are up in age either, and very few of them purchase graves or worry about making wills and having things in order if they suddenly pass away.

Therefore, why has this short-sight attitude spread through Latin America? Is it a legacy of colonialism? Not only have Hispanic nations been responsible for falling off the progress wagon, they have prostituted themselves to powerful countries while blaming them for their own lack of development.

Arias lists several reasons for Latin America’s permanent Third-World status.

“Firstly, we only have seven years of schooling, …[we] don’t [raise taxes for] the richest people in our countries, … we don’t spend enough to keep our people healthy, … we don’t build the necessary infrastructure, the roads, the ports, the airports; … we don’t devote the necessary resources to stop the degradation of the environment … it is inequality [what] really shames us, is the product, among other things, of course, [of] not educating our sons and daughters.”

Arias could not have said it better: “the 21st century is the Asian century, not the Latin American century,… [and] we should not wait [too long] to make the changes that we have to make.”

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For most people, going to the dentist is reason alone to have nightmares for several nights before sitting on that dreadful chair and getting tortured by the infamous chilling drill. Having a traumatic experience at the dentist has almost become a rite of passage during childhood for thousands of people. Fortunately, technology is now transforming the painful and horrific aspect of dentistry into a painless and actually pleasant experience for patients around the world, including Costa Rica.

Laser dentistry has been available in the U.S. for some years, and plenty of clinics offer laser treatments. Laser technology is used to treat both hard (tooth) and soft (gum) tissues. It can treat most problems related to dental health, and it is the main tool used for cosmetic procedures.

There are many laser treatments available for teeth and gums. The following, based on extensive interviews and seminars, are some of the most common.

Common soft tissue laser procedures

Periodontal surgery: Lasers are mostly recommended for performing a great variety of periodontal surgeries since they are minimally invasive, produce virtually no pain, bleeding or swelling, eliminate the need of stitches and recovery takes a fraction of the time it takes with normal surgery.

Bacterial infections: Lasers are excellent tools to treat and prevent bacterial gum infections since they can reach deep along the tooth root to kill accumulated bacteria in the gums.

Gummy smile correction: Lasers can trim extensive gums to expose teeth structure and improve smile appearance.

Common hard tissue laser procedures

Cavity detection: There is a special low-intensity laser used specifically to detect the presence of cavities in teeth.

Tooth preparation and fillings: Laser procedures eliminate the need for anesthetic injections and the traditional drill. In addition, the laser rays kill the bacteria inside the cavity, which prolongs the sealing effect of the filling and prevents future formations of cavities in the same places. However, lasers cannot be used to replace amalgam fillings, inlays or crowns.

Sensitivity: Lasers are used to seal the tubules responsive to hot and cold sensations located on the root of the tooth.

Bleaching: Teeth can get up to 10 shades lighter in one painless laser session. The real laser bleaching procedure does not include a laser lamp or painful gel applications that over-sensitize the teeth.

Being afraid of the dentist is a reality for most Ticos and expats since many dentists in Costa Rica have been reluctant to acquire and offer the latest technology to their patients and continue using the dreaded drill, injections and other painful traditional tools.

Some dentists think that investing in laser equipment is too complicated and expensive. Others feel that because laser treatments are more expensive, their patients may still prefer traditional treatments. And others feel that they should work with the equipment and technology they learned to use in school. Whatever the reason, dental technology has not easily permeated the Costa Rican health market, and patients continue suffering. However, just as everything else in this country, change is coming slowly. A small group of dentists is changing the landscape of Costa Rican dental health.

Dental laser technology was distributed to Costa Rica by Biolase – the main laser provider for Central America and the Caribbean – approximately five years ago, when four dentists decided to explore its benefits in their practice.

The pioneers of laser treatments in the country are Ileana Campos and Jenny Mora, who were trained in Florida and San Diego, California, and are certified by the American Dental Association. They train local dentists in their clinic, and Dr. Campos has also conducted laser procedure workshops for dentists throughout Latin America. They use three kinds of laser machines: a) Waterlase (which they use to treat cavities, sensitivity and crowns), b) Laser Smile (for bleaching, periodontal surgery and pain treatment) and c) a special laser for cutting through gums for crown and bridge procedures.

Dr. Campos’ and Dr. Mora’s Clínica Dental de Especialidades is located between San Jose and Guadalupe, not far east of El Pueblo shopping plaza. The clinic does not currently have a Web site. They work by appointment Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. Their phone numbers are 2222-6029, and 2221-4902, and their fax number is 2222-5817. The clinic does not currently own a Web Site.

Diana Rodriguez is the third dentist in Costa Rica to offer laser treatments in her clinic. Fully trained by U.S. Biolase experts and with plenty of experience, Dr. Rodriguez uses the Waterlase machine for treating cavities, tooth preparation for fillings, sensitivity, bone cutting, root canal procedures, periodontal bacterial treatments, a great variety of surgeries and cosmetic procedures as well.

In fact, all demonstrations and trainings conducted by Biolase experts for local Costa Rican dentists take place at Dr. Rodriguez’ clinic, Denti Lase, located in Tower 3 of the CIMA Hospital in Escazú. They work by appointment Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturdays from 8 am to 12 noon. Their phone numbers are 2208-8522 and 2208-8524, and they also have a Web Site.

Jorge Mendez is the fourth dentist who acquired laser technology for his clinic. Trained in New York, Ecuador, Mexico and San Diego and certified by the Chicago Dental Society and the American Dental Association, Mendez uses two types of machines, a) the cavity detector and b) Waterlase, which he uses for a variety of treatments, including cavities, crowns, bridges, cosmetic gum surgery, among other procedures. He also trains local dentists interested in using laser technology.

Dr. Mendez’ clinic, Cosmetic Dental Laser, is located in Rohrmoser. They work by appointment Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6:30 pm. Their phone number is 2296-6010, and they also have a Web Site, which is being updated and will be back to normal by next week.

On average, the cost of laser treatments is naturally more expensive than regular procedures, since the cost of the equipment is higher than traditional machines and the procedures are top quality. Prices can range at double what the regular dentistry treatments are. However, although more pricey, many customers will see the price difference as valuable and well worth it for comfort, fast recovery, fewer sessions and excellent results. In fact, patients should either stop going to traditional dentists or demand that their dentists upgrade their equipment.

Going to a dentist that still uses old equipment is like paying a lawyer that is still using a typewriter because he refuses to upgrade it to a computer. It is simply not worth one’s time or money.

In addition, recent studies have revealed that dental prevention is not only important for oral health but also for overall body health, since a variety of conditions can be detected by certain tooth or gum signs or can be even provoked by an excess of gum bacteria being absorbed into the blood stream. By eliminating the traumatizing factor of traditional dentistry, Ticos and expats can now sit comfortably on the dentist chair, worry only about preventing major conditions and forget about having nightmares before each dental appointment.

Dentists interested in learning about laser dental instruments and procedures should visit Biolase’s Web site and contact Dr. Haidy Vasquez – authorized sales representative for Biolase in Costa Rica – at 2458-1064 to arrange for a demonstration at the Denti Lase clinic located at CIMA Hospital.

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It is not news that Costa Rica is a sex destination, famous for legal prostitution and escorts virtually waiting for Gringos at the airport. Many foreigners who want to have a wild vacation choose this country specifically for that reason. There are Web sites that advertise sex tourism just like any other type of tourism.

Many others come to visit only to move here after they find out how easy it is to find nice-looking women. Most Ticas are very cute, friendly, affectionate, everything one could ever dream and never got from women back home. Whether one is paying for escorts or just found a nice girl casually, Ticas seem to always charm male foreigners.

Therefore, even though a tourist may consider Costa Rica a paradise for a playboy-like lifestyle — and while many do live like that — there is a group of male expats who have ruined their lives since getting involved with Ticas. Naturally, one would wonder how on earth can experienced, well-traveled and even wealthy men ruin their lives in the hands of nice, charming Ticas? The answer to this dilemma is not a simple one.

It is a well-known fact that many Ticas live off of the savings of foreigners who surrender to their nice, affectionate sexual charm. Although it is not considered prostitution, these women are self-proclaimed Gringo hunters, who sell their body and company for what they can get, and most aim to clean men’s bank accounts, take their properties and ideally marry, expanding their horizons and enslaving these Gringo-traps are open about their intentions because of a cultural belief that foreigners are walking wallets and an easy way to get a slice of the American dream. Culturally, a Tica who marries a foreigner is considered lucky, and saying that one is fishing for Gringos is not frowned upon, but rather admired and encouraged.

The real question is how an intelligent man experienced with women can be an easy prey for Gringo Hunters? The following stories might give some clues as to the reasons why this phenomenon is so common.

A 69-year-old Gringo falls desperately in love with a 34-year-old Tica, who visibly looks and acts like an escort. After dating awhile, she convinces the man to finance two credit cards, one for $4,000 and the other for $8,000. Then, she goes further trying to convince him to give her $40,000 for a property that she is planning to steal with the help of a dishonest lawyer, claiming that it belonged to her family and she needed to get it back because someone stole it from them. When the Gringo went to a lawyer for advice on her request, the lawyer gave him a reality check and kept him from coughing up the $40,000, but every time he takes the woman to lunch — he says — he ends up taking a trip to the bank afterwards and paying her debts.

A 58-year-old Gringo falls for a voluptuous 19-year-old Tica and decides to take care of her education. He teaches her how to drive and lends her his new luxury car after she has had her license for only five months. She destroys the car in a crash but suffers only minor scratches and bruises. If she had died, her family could have taken the Gringo to the cleaners by claiming in court that he was irresponsible in letting the woman drive.

Last but not least, a married Gringo has an affair with a much younger Tica, who openly says she decided to hunt him when she met him. When his wife becomes fatally ill and dies, he marries the Tica almost immediately. He takes her to the States with him, and they settle down there. She obtains her citizenship and convinces him to adopt one of her children. Now she is threatening to leave him if he does not adopt and help get citizenship for the rest of her offspring and grandchildren. Before meeting her, he was retired and had a small fortune, and now he is working again despite his age because he cannot make ends meet for his new family.

The stories above share common factors: The three men were past 50 years old when they met the Ticas and they had a financial status that allowed them to treat their dates nicely. The three women are not only much younger than the men, but they also conduct themselves like escorts, wearing skimpy clothes and acting sexy all the time, and they did not have a financial status that allowed them to take care of themselves when they first met the men.

The problem with these stories is that foreigners that fool around with that type of women are usually older than 50 and the only thing going for them is the cash. Most of them have not done a good job taking care of their appearance and cannot naturally attract younger women. They can only attract them monetarily. Most men know that and play according to the rules. However, they also set themselves up for losing it all . . . just for sex.

So, is it an addiction to sex that ruins those men? Can they not set a limit to how much they will finance the lives of those women and their families? What is it? It would seem unlikely that they would keep spending thousands to solve the woman’s problems if she were not their girlfriend.

The definition of a sex addict is a person who uses sex to escape depression or unhappiness about their lives, just like they would use alcohol, food or work. However, defining the Fool Gringo Phenomenon as a sex addiction seems a little extreme and too coincidental.

A local psychiatrist thinks that another reason could be an addiction to neuro-transmitters that produce feelings of pleasure from sex or affection, such as serotonin, dopamine or endorphins. People who are addicted to pleasure may endure unimaginable stress in order to get that rush. It might also be an addiction to toxic relationships, an attraction to drama that makes these men get involved in such a negative love life where they are being openly used, he said.

A more feasible possibility has to do with the legendary middle-life crisis. Young men who are dumb enough to let a woman manipulate them get tired of the cycle at some point, leave and find themselves someone better. On the other hand, older men who struggle with low self-esteem due to their age, failed marriages, work problems, among other aspects, may feel lucky to find a nice-looking woman at all, and, in turn, let the woman walk all over them. Middle life crisis has many ramifications, and it can create severe depression in males, leading to unexplainable behavior like getting into toxic relationships, forming a whole new family as if they were 20 in order to feel young again, or spending all their money on women and even going back to work to keep financing their mates or new wives.

Whatever the reason may be, the ugly truth is that the Fool Gringo Phenomenon is happening more and more in this country, and although they can seek the help of lawyers for certain situations, obvious manipulation is not penalized by law. Gringos cannot go to court for foolishly emptying their bank accounts in exchange for affection. Actually, if they get involved with the really spiteful Ticas, they can end up as victims of domestic violence scams or get sucked into costly child support cases.

Expats or tourists should make sure they have a truly good and financially independent partner who is watchful of their best interest. Sensible rules to avoid becoming a prey to Gringo Hunters include not marrying impulsively, not having children and not financing more than the normal expenses during their dates.

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