Living in Costa Rica for some time I have noticed a stark difference in the way people greet one another here as opposed to the U.S. For sure there is the tradition whereby men greet ladies with a light kiss on the cheek. That is of course noticeable within the first hour of your first […]
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Where did the word “gringo” (or in feminine form, “gringa”) come from anyway? I have heard many stories, including the oft told one about the Mexicans during the Mexican-American war imploring the U.S. soldiers in green uniforms to leave their country by shouting “green go!” However, according to Wikipedia that is just a story and bears […]
One question that I frequently get asked is….so, Scott, how did you end up in Costa Rica? What’s your story? I usually respond by asking them how much time they have. Since I don’t believe I have addressed that question in this blog, here goes…..caution: I don’t recommend that anyone else out there follow the […]
This morning I feel compelled to address what has become a “pet peeve” of mine. It is the habit of folks from the U.S. to always refer to their homeland as “America” and to themselves in an exclusive manner as “Americans.” The fact is that “America” or “the Americas” consists of the continental land mass with […]
I have an affinity for terra cotta roofing (“teja” in Spanish). You know the rustic red clay circular roofing tiles, which when they age tend to attract black soot, or mold, that makes them appear all the more rustic. Being of Spanish colonial influence, they are widely used in Latin America. I can remember being in Medellin, Colombia […]
One of the great joys that I have adopted since living in the Latin world is música ranchera, or what we sometimes call “música corta-venas.” Well I guess not all songs of the “Mexican Ranchera” variety are what one would consider “corta-venas.” That moniker is limited to those songs that reflect a state of being […]
Life throws curves. It never ceases to amaze me the extent to which that statement proves to be true. Everyone has heard of “Murphy’s Law” right? You know the immutable physical law that states that “anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” Well in Costa Rica that law tends to work double-time. For instance, […]
For many years I couldn’t get enough of the “self-help” stuff by writers and speakers such as Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Stephen Covey, Jack Canfield and so on. I still enjoy that stuff and there is some really helpful advice contained in it. However, for years my focus, often based on their advice, was on […]
I wrote last time about things that inspire me, a great book, movie or artistic performance, but it is not often that one gets inspired by a hotel. Well that happened to me this weekend as I had the privilege to stay in one of the four hotels in Costa Rica that have earned the […]
If someone asks me what my favorite movie is, I tend to think of those that have inspired me. Those that touch me somewhere deep down inside, maybe even bringing a noticeable tear to the eye. Of course, being a “tough guy” I would never let “you” notice that. Examples that come to mind, well, recently I saw […]
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