There are clearly some differences between Canada and Costa Rica, but besides the temperature, it’s the subtler things that make the differences beautiful. Affected by everything from the history to the climate, these contrasts let us peek into culture of the countries. I could list each variation, from public transportation to the brands they sell, but there are two I really noticed – about animals and food.

I’ll start with animals. In Costa Rica, sport hunting is banned, completely, and there has been talk of shutting down all zoos, too, as living conditions in cages could be described as less than great. However, animals are still often used as tourist entertainment, and are fed – making them dependent on humans. The opposite could be said of Canada, or at least to less extremes. For example, several plans have been put into action on reducing pet-i-fied animals, but sport hunting is still widely common. Stray dogs are far more common in Costa Rica than in Canada, though many of them seem well fed, just … free.

As my second point, the first thing I’d like to point out is that outside of Liberia, I’ve yet to see a chain fast food restaurant – most of the food that’s considered ‘fast’ are called sodas. They’re mainly family-run, and serve casado – a basic meal serving beans, rice, vegetables, salad and a meat, usually chicken, fish or beef. Fun fact – casado is Spanish for marriage! Along with the casados, you’ll usually get a ‘refrescos naturales’ – a fresh juice blended with milk or water. Sometimes the flavors are predetermined, though sometimes you’ll get to choose. Pineapple, soursop and mango are some of my personal favorites. I’ve also seen a lot of pizzerias, though I can’t say I’ve tried them.

Now, one of the favorite beach time treats for all, well, most of us, is a copa. Copas are shaved ice, typically cherry or kola, with condensed milk and evaporated milk. Usually you can’t walk ten metres on the beach without seeing a copa vendor! They’re tasty, but potentially not very clean. The vendors scrape off the ice using a device, then put it into a cup, and the condensed milk is left out in the sun. One thing my Mom noted was that it would totally be against health code in Canada. Another thing against Canadian health code would be the open air restaurants – almost all of them are! It’s refreshing when you get both the shade and the breeze… and the bug bites – not so much.

So, in conclusion, these little things affect, and have been affected by, the culture of the countries. It’s part of what makes traveling so great – you get to explore these contrasts in culture – and figure it out for yourself.

Bye for now,

Ema