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Any idea who Tica Linda is? You’ll probably say “something like a Miss Costa Rica”? You’re partially right. Tica Linda is the queen of the “festejos populares de San Jose”, but more about that later. This was the start of the use of the word as a designation used by the general population. What does […]
by Ivo Henfling 
Do you often have a creative moment, just like I do? If you are a creative person, Costa Rica is probably a good place for you. In fact, you need to be creative to be able to survive. It doesn’t necessarily mean you can make a living by being creative, probably not. Unless you are […]
by Ivo Henfling 
Being a landlord in Costa Rica is not so easy. Finding the right tenants in Costa Rica is sometimes a tough task. I am a landlord myself. Dany and I thought it was a good idea to purchase a small 2 bedroom condo in Sabana as income property some years ago. Hey, I’m a real […]
by Ivo Henfling 
Costa Ricans use animals quite a bit in their expressions. The tiger is one of them. Pa’l Tigre means not feeling well, feeling sick or not having done well. Estoy pa’l tigre = I feel terrible. Something that is not usable anymore, out of order, esta “pa’l tigre”. Esta máquina esta pa’l tigre. Me fue […]
by Ivo Henfling 
Did you know that culture shock is good for you? Honestly, I didn’t either. The other day, I saw this article about culture shock by George Santayana and I thought it was awesome. Problem is that most of you are not in your 20’s anymore, so you don’t adjust as easy as an exchange student. […]
by Ivo Henfling 
Did you read Ned Nossaman’s Costa Rica poem last year? The title of this Costa Rica poem was Costa Rica ~ Pura Vida! in which Ned shared his feelings for Costa Rica with us. Is moving to Costa Rica a consideration for you? Ned wrote another Costa Rica poem, with some smart guidelines. This time […]
by Ivo Henfling 
You don’t want to be called The Mother of Tarzan in Costa Rica, you know why? In the past, I have been telling you about certain slang words used in Costa Rica, to give you the opportunity to go a little bit native when you move here. Learn the way of the local people and […]
by Ivo Henfling 
The use of slang in Tico Spanish is just as common as it is in any other language. Que chapa is one of those often used words in Tico slang. It would be helpful for you to understand why someone might call you a chapa. Or maybe when someone is a collector of chapas? What […]
by Ivo Henfling 
The translation of huevo in English is egg, but manda huevo is something totally different. When you move to Costa Rica, you will want to communicate with your local neighbors. In their own language of course, not in yours. They speak Spanish. Spanish is a real easy language to learn, if you make an effort. […]
by Ivo Henfling 
If you really want to go native when living in Costa Rica, you should learn the typical Tico slang or Tiquismo that is used by the locals. In other blogs, I have told you about Chunches, Upe and some others. Today’s turn is for “estar parado de uñas”. What is parado de uñas in Costa Rica? […]
by Ivo Henfling