August 2016

BlogAugust 12, 2016 By ipacheco

What does Pura Vida mean…

Costa Ricans (Ticos) use this term to say hello, to say goodbye, to say everything’s great, to say everything’s cool. This is the Ticos way of life. Not surprisingly, Costa Rica has been named one of the happiest countries in the world, mostly because its inhabitants don’t get too stressed about things in general. Ticos have a very relaxed, simple way of looking at life. No worries, no fuss, no stress.

But where did Costa Ricans take this phrase from? According to a study of the expression, by Anna Marie Trester a film called Pura vida came to Costa Rica from Mexico in 1956, directed by Gilberto Martinez Solares. In the movie, “Pura vida“ is the expression of eternal optimism used by a comic character knowed as “Clavillazo”, played by the actor Antonio Espino, who unfortunately can’t seem to do anything right. People started using it then, and it kept growing until the phrase “Pura vida” was used nationwide by 1970. Nowadays, it represents the national motto, which identifies the Costa Rican spirit and our way of being.

Pura Vida somehow manages to be versatile enough that it fits in almost any situation and it makes you feel cool for “pulling it in” when you have a lack of options.

We want to share 6 meanings of “Pura Vida” with you:

1. #PuraVidaMeans “Hello”, “How are you?” “Hey what’s up?” It is used both as an informal greeting and a pleasant farewell.

2. #PuraVidaMeans: “going great”. It is a synonym for “excellent”. It reflects happiness, gratitude and satisfaction towards a situation. “Pura Vida” means that people need to be grateful for the things they have instead of dwelling on the negative things that they don’t.

3. #PuraVidaMeans: “in good health”. It is equivalent to having “well-being”. It represents a deep appreciation of your environment and your surroundings.

4. #PuraVidaMeans: “take it easy” or “no worries”. It is believing things will turn out all right. It means looking at the bad stuff with cheer optimism. It’s synonym of the Kenyan Swahili phrase “hakuna matata”.

5. #PuraVidaMeans : “this is real living”. In essence, life is what you make of it, so enjoy life while you can. It implies a sense of Carpe Diem. Enjoy the moment in your life, while this moment lasts. It is loving life to its full extent. So begin to live because life is short…

6. #PuraVidaMeans: a state of mind and a philosophy. It represents the Costa Rican way of life. It means we are all at the same level. That no matter what your current situation is, it is all good. So you need to consider that maybe…just maybe, your situation isn’t all that bad and that no matter how little or how much you have in life, we are all here together.

The real Pura Vida can only be experienced by personally interacting with the people who created it. So, if you want to know what living a peaceful, simple, uncluttered life with a deep appreciation for nature, family and friends feels like, we at Elemanto Natural invite you to visit Costa Rica. Book your trip with us and experience Pura Vida for yourself!

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Sylvia León Koberg for Elemento Natural.

Sources:

http://www.repretel.com/actualidad/los-significados-de-upe-y-pura-vida-2256

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpIoxofbzjw

http://www.bestcostaricantours.com/about/puravida.html

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Pura%20Vida

Blog Learn SpanishAugust 12, 2016 By ipacheco

Learn Spanish while visiting Costa Rica

At Elemento Natural we want you to learn spanish while taking a trip around Costa Rica. We offer a 2-week program were you we will give you the basics. Enough for you to have a meaningful conversation with any Costa Rican.

You will enjoy small intensive lessons while visiting the main spots of Costa Rica. We offer the full cultural experience: language, travel and gastronomy!

Our excursions enable students of any age to fully absorb the Costa Rican culture while taking in all that this country has to offer.

On your first lessons, we will take a city tour after your classes. You will visit San José downtown and its main attractions, including the beautiful National Theatre, the Cathedral, the Gold Museum, and the Central Market, among others.

Early morning we will also visit the Poás Volcano and its huge active crater. You will be blessed with the cloud forest of the national park and the small hikes to the craters. After the visit, you’ll have more fun at your Spanish classes.

Manuel Antonio National Park, Quepos, Costa Rica.

What a better way to teach our students than giving them the opportunity to communicate with locals! This is done in the field trips. During this learning experience you will visit one of Costa Rica’s most popular national parks: . You will have the chance to talk with locals, admire the rainforest wildlife and take a stroll at the beautiful white sand beach.

On the cultural side, we also offer a tour to the oxcart monument in Escazú. Here you will realize the importance of the traditional oxcarts. We will also take you to an old sugar cane mill were you will see how sugar cane is processed and the products that are made from it. You will also find out about wood crafts made in a responsible way and have chance to buy some artesanías (souvenirs).

How about a taste of authentic Costa Rican cuisine? What better way to understand about the local foods and gastronomy than by making it yourself! One of our classes includes a cooking experience of customary Costa Rican cuisine.

Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna de San Carlos.

To roundup this experience, our course includes a weekend getaway at La Fortuna, home of the Arenal Volcano. There you can hike on the Arenal Old Lava Flows or swim and kayak on lake Arenal. You will also have some free time to explore the town of La Fortuna. You might choose to try other activities like the canopy tour or to experience the world famous Hot Springs.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to travel and learn Spanish in Costa Rica! Book your tour here:

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BlogAugust 12, 2016 By ipacheco

Your Trip to Caribbean Paradise starts with Tortuguero!

Costa Rican Caribbean is a treat to all your senses. The different shades of green mixed with the sounds of calypso and reggae are intertwined with the smells of coconut and spices.

At Elemento Natural we offer you a unique trip in October. Come join us in Costa Rica`s Caribbean experience!

About twenty minutes after leaving San José, we will drive into Braulio Carrillo National Park. Ranging from high-altitude cloud forests to lowlands tropical rainforest, this park has one of the highest levels of biodiversity in Costa Rica. We will continue to Guápiles, and from there to Tortuguero National Park, the gateway to Costa Rica´s Caribbean.

Tortuguero National Park is located on the Caribbean coast of Limón province, about 80 km northeast of the city of the same name. The Costa Rican legislature declared Tortuguero as a National Park in November 1975 to protect the nesting of the sea turtles, the beach and the adjacent terrestrial habitats. It has an area of 26.256 hectares in the land part and 50.160 in the marine zone.

There are no roads to Tortuguero. Access is by boat from Moín near Puerto Limón or from La Pavona Port or Caño Blanco. It can also be reached by a small plane from San José. In order to visit Tortuguero National Park we will embark you on a river boat that will take you along Costa Rica’s north Caribbean coast through an extensive system of canals. Tortuguero, also called “the Amazonian Costa Rica” is one of the most fascinating and popular destinations in our tour.

Tortuguero literally means “land of turtles”. It is no wonder that they are the main attraction of this National Park. Green (Chelonia mydas mydas ), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles nest on these beaches. Green sea turtles neared extinction due to hunting of the adults for meat (they are easy prey when they nest) for turtle soup, and poaching of eggs. The nesting season for leatherback and green turtles goes from July to October. If lucky enough, you might just get to watch turtle hatchlings emerging from their nests and racing into the ocean.

Dr. Archie Carr of the University of Florida formed the Caribbean Conservation Corporation (now called The Sea Turtle Conservancy) in 1959 to study and protect sea turtles, and the turtle-tagging program he began at Tortuguero in 1955 continues until today.

The park has an important biological diversity due to the existence within the reserve of eleven different habitats, including: rainforest, mangrove forests, swamps, beaches, and lagoons. The park was recognized under Ramsar Convention on 1991 for its rich biological diversity and ecosystems (especially wetlands) that support threatened flora and fauna species. The wildlife in this area is very diverse, there are usually large populations of monkeys, amphibians, birds and fish. The resident wildlife includes tapirs, jaguars, sloths, frogs, macaws, toucans and bats.

This is one of the rainiest areas of Costa Rica, and even in the dry season afternoon showers are common. Rain is between 5,000 and 6,000 mm per year. We can distinguish two types of rain: that of short duration which is the most common, and the tropical downpour rain characteristic of the Caribbean that may last up to 15 days. The latter is usually caused by winds from the north and northwest, related to existent low pressure systems.

You will also have some time to stroll through the little town of Tortuguero and the museum of the green turtle, during the afternoon. The park has worked closely with the neighboring village to help its inhabitants understand that preserving their natural resources is key to encourage eco-tourism and sustainable development.

Join us on our trip to Tortuguero, the gateway to Caribbean paradise!

Sylvia León Koberg for Elemento Natural.

Sources:

http://acot.co.cr/portal/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=99:observaci%C3%B3n-de-tortugas-en-costa-rica&Itemid=488

http://www.cccturtle.org/costarica.php?page=research

http://www.conozcacostarica.com/parques/tortuguero.htm

http://www.tortugueroinfo.com/spa/info_tortuguero.htm

http://www.sinac.go.cr/AC/ACTo/PNTortuguero/Paginas/default.aspx

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Blog Learn SpanishAugust 6, 2016 By ipacheco

9 Words to speak like a local in Costa Rica #TheTicosSay

In Elemento Natural we know how important it is to plan ahead. In order to get your way around the country, start by learning what “#TheTicosSay”. If you speak these words to any “tico” they will totally understand and empathize with you. These nine words are an essential part of Costa Rican culture and key to understanding local people and their sayings.

Let’s begin:

Chepe: Costa Rica’s capital, San José, is referred to colloquially as “Chepe”. The word is also used as nickname for people named José.

Examples of use: Today I have to go to Chepe. My friend here is Chepe (José).

Chiva: It is used as a local expression to communicate that something is nice or “really cool”.

Examples of use: That’s really “chiva”! We went on a trip to the mountain it was chivísima (superlative of the word chiva).

Chunche: This word is used to refer to anything, any physical object or thing can be referred to as “chunche”. This expression is often used when forgetting the name of an object. Carlos Gallini, author of the book “Diccionario de Costarriqueñismos” states that the word “chunche” is a derivation of the Quechua word ‘chunchulli’.

Examples of use: Give me that chunche that’s above the table. I have bought many chunches.

Diay: This is a typical tag word (or pet phrase) used by Costa Ricans in conversations. It can be used as a greeting or as a complaint and replacing the word “because”.
Examples of use: -Diay, How are you? – Diay, I’m doing fine. – Diay, I was travelling, that’s why I am happy.

Mae: One of the most popular slangs. It is used as a noun concerning a person, for example: “that mae” means that boy or girl. It is similar to the word “dude” in English. However, it is also a catch phrase used in any sentence.

Examples of use: Mae , how interesting! It’s raining, mae.

Tuanis: It is, as defined by the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE www.rae.es), a thing of excellent quality. It is also used to express that a thing or situation is “just fine”. Some people believe that the word ‘tuanis’ comes from a derivation of the expression in English “too nice” (or very good), but it actually comes from Malespín, a code of war from the XIX century by the Salvadoran General Francisco Malespín, which changed the letters of the word “Bueno” (good in Spanish).

Examples of use: This is tuanis! Everything is tuanis? (fine)

Upe! This word is used when knocking on someone’s door or entering a house. According to historian Costantino Lacariz, in his book “El Costarricense” the announcement comes from the Spanish Colonial period and has a religious background. This greeting, announced at the doorstep of houses, was typical in Nicoya, who annexed it to the celebrations in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe, their Patron Saint. Devotees would knock and ask for charity. ¡Upe! is the shortest version of the long expression: ¡Una ayudita para nuestra Patrona la Señorita de Guadaluuuuupeeeee!

Examples of use: Upe! Hello.

Yodo: Meaning a cup of brewed coffee.

Examples of use: Brew up some yodo this morning. Want some yodo?

These words, called “Costarriqueñismos” are a group of slang phrases that have been adapted or invented by our ancestors and that our generations have inherited. Many of them remain in our colloquial language and are generally accepted and understood by all “ticos” alike. When someone hears them they know they are talking to a “tico”. We invite you to use them. They are history, part of our living language.

Sylvia León Koberg for Elemento Natural.

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Sources:

https://www.facebook.com/costarriquenhismos/?pnref=story 11 de Julio

http://el-callejon-m.blogspot.com/2007/03/diccionario-de-costarriqueismos-largo.html

https://www.facebook.com/notes/costa-rica-y-su-historia/el-origen-de-algunos-de-nuestros-t%C3%A9rminos-m%C3%A1s-populares/452420708139774/

http://www.nacion.com/archivo/Dichos-pura-vida-origen-tuanis_0_1231876914.html

http://www.nacion.com/archivo/par-lectores-preguntan_0_1164683557.html

http://www.crhoy.com/mae-yodo-y-macha-algunas-de-las-palabras-que-aprenden-los-extranjeros-con-el-tico-talk/

What does Pura Vida mean…

Learn Spanish while visiting Costa Rica

Your Trip to Caribbean Paradise starts with Tortuguero!

9 Words to speak like a local in Costa Rica #TheTicosSay

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