I often find that, in general, Costa Ricans (Ticos) have wonderful manners. Their mothers have taught them well! For example, you won’t find a Tico who would enter your house without first asking, “Con permiso?” (Unless he is a thief!) That means, “With your permission?” Waiters will also always use that phrase when leaving your table.

Another of my favorite phrases is “Para servirle.” Literally meaning, “To serve you.” After you ask for something in a store or say thank you for the service you just received, you’ll also hear the same thing. This weekend I was walking past a vendor in the mall. She very politely smiled and said, “Para servirle!” – of course, trying to get my attention and let me know she’s there if I’d care to buy anything.

On the other hand Ticos can be very offensive and rude in certain situations. I have this friend with whom I’ve tried to make plans with many times. He always says, “Sure! Let’s do that.” And then we make plans to meet somewhere at a specific time and place. He never shows up! Needless to say, after getting burnt several times now, I’m not going to make plans with him anymore.

He is certainly not the only Tico who does that to me. If they show up at all, they are terribly late. I had firm plans with two people on Saturday night. We were meeting at the mall at 7:00 pm. One didn’t show up at all and the other was an hour late!

From what I understand and have experienced, it just seems that Ticos don’t like confrontation. They want to please everyone and tell you what they think you want to hear. One last example is going someplace like a farmer’s market. Someone trying to sell their goods to a Tico will never hear back, “No thank you.” Ticos will tell them, “Sure. On my way back over this way” or something to that effect. All parties know it’s a lie, but it’s the way things are done here!