A bit of Costa Rican culture

Claire enjoyed her first couple of weeks at her new school and came home EXHAUSTED every day. Her teacher has already figured out that she and Chiara (her lone classmate in Pre-School) are smart cookies and need more stimulation, so will have them sit in on some of the Pre-Kinder lessons with the older kids.

Claire in front of her artwork from the first week (with her P.E. uniform on)

We had another birthday party tonight for one of Claire's new classmates. This one was at Parque Diversiones, about 15 minutes from our house. Claire's reaction when she saw clowns for the first time was priceless. She adapted quickly and was soon dancing and playing along with everything they did. The party was in the Tía Gallina (Aunt Hen) room, so she paid the kids a visit, too. It was utter chaos but a lot of fun.

Claire and her friend Lulu helping one of the clowns with a magic trick 

With Tía Gallina (She now wants a giant Hello Kitty to come to her birthday party. Umm...)

We've very much been enjoying our time in Costa Rica, learning the language, encountering the culture, and meeting the lovely people.

One of the marvelous Costa Ricans who takes care of us every day - Alvaro our security guard

Here are a couple of interesting Costa Rican cultural things we've learned that I haven't yet mentioned:

Four Names
I always wondered about the two last names in Latino culture, so here's the explanation: When a child is born, he or she receives two first names and two last names. The first name is the child's given name. The second name is the dedication name, and can be masculine or feminine regardless of the gender of the child. For example, Claire's previous teacher, María José, is dedicated to Saint Joseph (San José). You could also hear of a man named José María, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. (The cross-gender thing is less common these days, but you still see it.)

For the last names, the first last name is the father's first last name, and the second is the mother's first last name. For example, Claire's name would be Claire Elizabeth Forman Clem, but she would go by Claire Forman or sometimes Claire Forman C. (you often see that with doctors and lawyers on their signs). When women keep their own last names when they get married. They just do. If a husband and wife have the same last name you assume they're foreigners. Sometimes you'll hear de ____ for clarification, but not often. So had Claire been born a Costa Rican, her name would always be Claire Elizabeth Forman Clem (de Something, if she needed to clarify that she was "of the Something family"). This explained a lot once we were told how it works.

Addressing Someone Respectfully
Speaking of names, you don't often hear Mr., Mrs., Señor, or Señora here. If you wish to address someone respectfully, use Don or Doña and the first name. So instead of Mrs. Forman to Claire's friends I would be Doña Mindee.

The Spanish Summary:

A Claire le encantó sus semanas primeras en su nueva escuela y regresó agotada cada día. Su maestra ya se dió cuenta de Claire y Chiara son muy inteligentes y necesitan más estimulación, entonces ellas van a unirse los estudiantes mayores para algunas lecciones.

Tuvimos otra fiesta de cumpleaños esta noche para una nueva compañera de Claire. Claire fue sorprendido por los payasos y Tía Gallina, pero a ella le fascinó. La fue caótica y divertida.

Nos hemos encantado nuestro tiempo en Costa Rica, aprendemos el idioma, nos encontramos la cultura, y nos conocemos la gente maravillosa. Aquí son dos aspectos culturales interesantes costarricenses que yo no he mencionado todavía:

Cuatro Nombres
Los bebés en Costa Rica reciban cuatro nombres:

1. Un nombre propia
2. Un nombre de un Santo a quien el bebé está dedicado
3. El primer apellido del papá
4. El primer apellido de la mamá

Por ejemplo, Claire sería Claire Elizabeth Forman Clem, pero se sería llamado Claire Forman o Claire Forman C. algunas veces. Cuando ella va a casarse, ella todavía estará  Claire Elizabeth Forman Clem (aunque puede añadir de Cualquiera para clarificación si necesario).

Le Dirigirse a Alguien con Respeto
En Costa Rica no escuche mucho “Mr., Mrs., Señora, o Señor” – cuando le gustaría le dirigirse a alguien con respeto, usa Don o Doña más el primer nombre. Por ejemplo, yo estaré Doña Mindee para los amigos de Claire en vez de Mrs. Forman.