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In Costa Rica I spent thousands...
In Costa Rica I spent thousands...

...of colones that is.

1,000 colones is roughly equivalent to two U.S. dollars, so spending thousands is not that much.

The smallest bill they have is 1,000 colones (pictured in red), however the coins go as low as five colones (a penny).

Their version of a dollar bill is a 500 colones coin.

Unlike U.S. coins, more than one shape and size is used for the same denomination (the 5 colones coin can be a silver hexagon, a small gold circle, or a small silver circle). 10,000 colones ($20) is always put underneath the cash register (like a cashier would do with a $50 or $100 bill), and it's common to pay entirely in coins.

When I bought a pair of Havaianas (flip flops), I paid 8000 colones ($16). At the grocery store, I bought a bottle of water for 300 colones (60 cents) and a newspaper for 100 colones (20 cents). Bananas are one fifth of the price of the United States; however melons cost almost the same amount.

I enjoyed paying with a different currency, but all the shapes and sizes confused me at times.

Close

I'm not an adventurer:

1. The last time I saw a daddy long-legs, I ran out of the room squealing.
2. In Spanish class, I hesitate to raise my hand because I'm afraid of making a grammar mistake.
3. I get queasy looking down from my school's fourth-floor window.

Yet somehow, this spring break, I ended up going on what could only be called an adventure.

My family's destination was Costa Rica—with me as the designated translator (having studied five years of Spanish). My excitement about the trip soon turned to anxiety over my Spanish skills.

What if I used the wrong verb tense? What if I froze? What if no one understood me? What if? What if?

Speaking Spanish to Ticos

The speed of native speakers never fails to amaze me.
What I hadn't factored in was how accommodating the Ticos were...starting with our driver from the airport.

Tico

This is what Costa Ricans call themselves—Ticos. Close

¡Hola! Me llamo Heiner y ella es mi esposa. ¿Cómo están?
(Hi! My name is Heiner and this is my wife. How are you guys?)

He greeted us enthusiastically, which made his greeting sound like one really long word.

Although I was scared of messing up my grammar, I couldn't bear to be rude and ignore him. Since I was the only person in my family who understood him, I fought my fear and responded in Spanish.
Felix Also Encouraged Me!



I'm grateful that Heiner, our driver, and Felix, our river guide, encouraged my Spanish.

Heimer and I struck up several conversations during our three-hour drive.

Sure, I made plenty of errors, but Heiner ignored them. He was always friendly and polite.Close

Through talking with him in Spanish I came to the conclusion that you don't have to be an adventurer to have an adventure. From then on, I spoke Spanish to everyone I met with less hesitation.

Once my greatest fear, speaking Spanish, was behind me, I was eager to experience all that Costa Rica has to offer: the landscape, the people, and the actual in-the-wild wildlife...