Living in America

So far living here hasn’t been radically different to the US.

Now by that I don’t mean it’s “like” the US or UK. It isn’t. But the culture shock has been minimal (I’ve lived in a few different places so maybe I’m a bad guide on this and you’ll have to make up your own mind). It’s early days and I’m sure I’ll update as sh*t happens.

Pros

  • There’s a McDonalds on the corner (and whilst I would be the first to deny McDonalds has anything to do with culture, having those golden arches appear down the road is strangely comforting.)
  • There are english music radio stations. Well the music is US / UK but the DJ’s and ads are in Spanish :).
  • You can buy cornflakes at the supermarket. I can list a lot of places I’ve been where I would have killed for a bowl of cornflakes. And you can buy a lot of US brands at the nearly Multiplaza Mall.

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  • Did I mention there’s a big Mall.
  • They drive (generally) on a consistent side of the road. This is a biggie. In some countries, the “road” isn’t nearly as well-defined (try Bangalore at rush hour and you’ll see what I mean).
  • They refuse to let people out into traffic (must have got their road manners from Chicago). You do the same thing here you do there – shove.
  • And there is internet, the great equaliser. We’re globally connected even in Costa Rica!

Cons

  • English isn’t the main language. People do speak english (some better than others, but it’s not always reliable so thank you Google Translate). Having said that it’s been better than in some other countries I’ve visited (I know for a fact a lot of French speak English, but they act like they’ve never heard the bloody language. Just saying.).
  • Addresses are kind of up in the air (some places have them, some don’t. You’ll learn how to use GPS co-ordinates or wander aimlessly for hours).
  • Roads are either modern, or not. And sometimes modern ends in not. Such is the joy of exploration.
  • You see a lot of homes with some form of physical security (gates, fences, people) and I’m still working on this one. I know it can be an issue but I’m working out how much of an issue.
  • People smile at you if you smile at them. OK, this is definitely dependant on where you are in the US, but I’ve found that if you smile randomly at someone in Chicago, they think you want money, are trying to pick them up or have the crazies. Here they genuinely smile back and it feels good. (I believe if you see someone without a smile, give them yours.)

So far I haven’t had to interact with any officials. The police I’ve met have been courteous and offered direction or advice but I haven’t crossed one yet in any other capacity. I used the bank ATM but haven’t applied for an account. I took a little tour of a city building (just walked around) but haven’t had to pay taxes or get a drivers licence. I’m sure there will be fun and games when it happens but there was when I moved to the US.

LTPV!

Gary