Culture in Costa Rica

           My journey through Costa Rica over the last ten days has showed me the vast difference between American culture and Costa Rican culture. It has made me realize how much I have taken for granted at home and made me more grateful for the things I have. This trip has also made me realize how spoiled we, as Americans, are. There are also things in Costa Rica that we do not have in America that I have had the pleasure of enjoying and getting to experience.

            The first cultural experience that I had while I was in Costa Rica, that I take for granted in the United States, is a communication barrier. I experienced this on the very first day that I was in Costa Rica when I arrived at Katie and I’s host family house. Our host mother and father speak no English which makes communication very difficult. We have to use hand gestures and a small amount of Spanish words to communicate with them. This makes it hard to even have a simple conversation at dinner. I did not realize how important communication and understanding a language is until coming to Costa Rica. It has definitely been a learning experience and gave me the encouragement to begin learning Spanish.

            People in Costa Rica eat very differently than those in America. Before coming to Costa Rica I was expecting the food to resemble Mexican food… chips, salsa, queso, quesadillas. But this is not the case. Instead they eat a lot of rice, beans, chicken, and fruit. Some type of fruit, particularly pineapple, has been served with every meal.  Fresh juice is also served with meals instead of water or tea. I have found that when we ask for water (aqua), we are looked at like we are crazy. One good thing about the way that they eat is that it is very healthy. They eat very little fried foods and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Although the food has been delicious, it has made me long for a slice of pizza or fried chicken from back home.

            There are many other things that I have noticed while in Costa Rica that are different from America. For instance, many people here do use hot water. They are used to taking cold or lukewarm every day, while in America we have hot water available at all times. The first week that we were here Katie and I had the “experience” of taking cold showers, but thankfully we are now provided with hot water. Another cultural difference that stands out to me is the road system and traffic here. The roads are curvy and filled with potholes. The traffic is very heavy and the people all drive very fast with little hesitation.

The Value of Communication: A Lesson Learned in Costa Rica

   I never knew the true value of communication until traveling to Costa Rica. The host family that my friend and I stayed with throughout the trip did not speak any English. This was something that I was completely unprepared for. To be honest, I was expecting the family to be bilingual and at least speak broken English. What a flawed perception that was! The only way to communicate with the family was to use hand gestures and Spanish words from a handout. I know my friend and I had to look like baboons when talking to the family at first. We would do things like hold our hands over our heads and move our fingers around to indicate water or walk around the house and point at things to indicate what we were talking about. This, mixed in with our few Spanish words had to be a site. It was frustrating at first learning how to communicate this way, but after the first day it became second nature. Before long we were able to have small conversations with our family, even if they were confusing at times.

     Communication was equally as hard outside of our host family’s home. At some of the nursing homes that we went to nobody spoke English. This is when we learned how valuable Laura, our tour guide, was. She was our interpreter and helped us at clinicals. But Laura was not always available, so we had to learn to communicate with the residents and workers at the nursing home in the same way that we did with our host families. This was a big challenge at times, but it was a great way to prepare us for becoming nurses and taught us how to break the communication barrier so that we are able to assess our patients.

     Although we learned how to communicate with the people of Costa Rica to some extent, there were times when we misconstrued what they were trying to say or still didn’t understand each other at all. For example, our host family tried to instruct us on how to turn the hot water on but we thought they were telling us that there was no hot water. So in turn, we spent the first week taking freezing cold shower because of the communication barrier.

      I have learned that communication is a vital part of life. Without it, you feel helpless. Without it, you feel lost. I have also learned that just because people speak two different languages does not mean that they can’t communicate. It simply mean that they have to work together to form their own language. Communication is something that people take for granted every day, but Costa Rica has taught me the value that it holds.

I would never forget my experience in Costa Rica. I love the whole culture and how they are very conserving people. It was truly a learning experience. The residents like to talk to you at the nursing homes. The country is so beautiful. The people are nice and love their country. They are very good people and love welcoming you to their country. It is best to learn as much Spanish as you can and have a Spanish/English dictionary on you so you can interact with people. I like how they have natural light in the rooms in thier houses. I think we should do that here in the U.S. Our electricity bills would not be so high if we had natural light in our houses in the United States.

Waterfall

                Today we went to the waterfall. It was by far the best experience of my life. I was very negative when we first went down because it was such a long hike and almost all of the stairs were broken. I already had a headache and I was so hungry. Once we got down to the waterfall it was such a beautiful sight. We got in the waterfall and it was such an exhilarating for me. It was an experience I will never forget. I am so glad someone in the group we were with had a waterproof camera that could capture the moment.  I remember thinking how thankful I was and I was so happy I was able to experience it with the amazing people I was with.  If I ever get the opportunity, I would love to go back and experience it again because I do not think the feeling I experienced while in the water would ever get old.

                The hike and the sweat it took to get to the bottom of the waterfall was more than worth it. I hope to look back on this experience when I am struggling through a hard time. No matter what I am going through it will eventually get better. I will look back on everything it took to get to that point and be thankful. It will eventually be worth it like it was getting to the waterfall. I believe this experience will allow me to become more positive no matter what my situation.

How to Care for a Costa Rican Patient- Kaitlyn Usry

How to Care for a Costa Rican Patient

Now that I have visited the beautiful land of Costa Rica and have lived out the culture for a couple of weeks, I have a better understanding of how to care for these beautiful people. The following bullets are only some of the many interventions a nurse could perform to make the care for a Costa Rican patient more effective.

1. Get an English/Spanish Dictionary- This is one of the most important interventions. Without good communication it will be very difficult to care for both the patient and the family. Use the dictionary as often as possible to have effective communication with the patient.
2. Incorporate the family into the planning and care of the patient- family is very important to this culture and their help will often make care easier and more comfortable for both the nurse and the patient. Remember, all decisions should be made by the patient. What is done should ultimately be the patient’s decision.
3. Use natural light to brighten the room- natural light is used during the day in Costa Rica to light up the homes and is used whenever possible.
4. Offer fruits as often as possible- while fruits are great for the body, they are also an important part of the Costa Rican diet and are usually eaten at every meal. Rice and beans are also a staple in their diet and should be offered, as well. ( if not contraindicated)
5. Use touch as a form of care- Costa Ricans are very generous and caring people. They often use touch to communicate and it would be beneficial for the patient if touch is used in his or her care!
6. Regulate the patient’s water temperature to his or her liking if the patient is bed bound. So many times we immediately place hot water in the wash basin because that is what the American culture likes and uses. However, many Costa Ricans bathe in cold water and might prefer that over warm water.

While these are no where near all of the considerations needed to care for a patient from Costa Rica, these most certainly are some important points that should be taken into consideration. It is always important to remember that care must be individualized and catered to meet each patient’s needs. It is important, as a nurse, with all patients, to look up cultural considerations and how to best care for each patient.

Best,

Katie

Costa Rica: Cultural Aspect

Cultural Aspect

It has been my pleasure to experience the Costa Rican culture on this trip. Our host family cooks

us 3 meals a day and they incorporate rice and beans with every meal. Plantains are a very

versatile fruit in their culture that can be used for both meals and desserts. They are also very big

on coffee, coffee is Costa Rica. It is one of their main exports and contributes largely contributes

to their overall economy. A typical day in the life of our host mom consists of cooking 3 meals

a day, hand washing clothes and hanging them to dry on a clothes line in the house, grocery

shopping, cleaning the house and entertaining family and friends. She likes to watch novellas.

Our host dad and mom are retired. Family is a huge part of their culture. Our host family's

extended and immediate family were at their host to visit and/or have dinner with them every

night. When we would go out they always made sure we were together and knew our way to

where we were going and back home. Here in Costa Rica they are very conservative with their

resources. They don't use hot water to shower so we had to request hot water in our bathroom.

They also have sky lights throughout their homes so most of the day they use the natural light

instead of electricity during the day. Their whole house has tiled flooring which keeps the house

cool. They don't leave the water running when brushing their teeth, washing dishes, etc. Overall I

noticed that they try to be conservative with their amenities. Also Costa Ricans overall walk a lot

to places like the mall grocery store, bars, and ride the bus in order to save money and conserve

gas. They also incorporate nature into the construction of their homes, hotels, and restaurant

structure. Everything is really open and connected. It rains almost everyday in Costa Rica for

10 months out of the year so rain jackets and umbrellas are a must. The natural landscape here

is so gorgeous which makes them a natural tourist attraction including the wild life, volcanoes,

and mountains. Costa Rica has been one of the most beautiful, richest and most invigorating

experiences of my life.

Costa Rica Blog: Nursing Aspect

My experience here in Costa Rica was one that I will remember for the rest of my life. The

people here are amazing and their culture is so rich and diverse. Helping the elderly at the

nursing home was a wonderful and humbling experience. I was saddened and shocked to see the

condition that a lot of their feet were in. I was glad to be able to make some kind of difference

in their lives and their healthcare status. The greatest part of the nursing experience was how

satisfied and happy the residents were with the work that we did. Something so simple like a

pedicure that we as Americans and young people take for granted can make a world of difference

for someone else. They really enjoyed the exercise/dance activities. Some of them were

surprisingly limber and able to move very well. Most were really open and accepting of our care

to them while a few others refused to be seen. The most challenging aspect of providing care

was the language barrier. It was difficult to convey what it was I wanted them to do and what

I was trying to ask them. Learning a few simple phrases as well as asking Ms. Laura for help

translating eased the confusion a bit. Overall this experience was very enjoyable and a learning

experience. It taught me how to work with people of different backgrounds and culture as well

as how to effectively communicate with someone that speaks a different language. It has also

taught me that patience is key in these situations and though their may be barriers that may make

providing care frustrating and difficult, that you have to make do with the tools, space, materials,

etc. that you have in order to provide the best and most effective care for our patients and that

their health and well being are the most important aspects of the situation.