I’m Costa Rican, grew up here, but lived in the US for ten years after high school (until two years ago). I agree with most of what you say, except for the following comment:

“So they think “We’ll send them to the English schools”, which while they certainly offer more, are generally no match for any decent suburban school in the USA.”

I attended one of those “English” schools (Lincoln School) and it is not only a match, but I’m sure provides a much better education than many suburban American schools. Lincoln school students consistently score higher than the average student at our sister schools in the US on standardized tests given to both samples. My Lincoln education prepared me more than adequately to excel at Yale and later on at my grad program at Harvard - as did many of my classmates who went to college and grad school in the US. And like Lincoln, there are at least five other schools that provide quality, bilingual education. You are right in that these schools are EXTREMELY expensive (although not as expensive as most private American prep schools). Another important matter to point out is that all these schools are located in the San José metropolitan area (except a couple that have satellite campuses in Guanacaste), so this could present a logistical problem for foreigners with school-age childeren who would like to live somewhere else.

That said, I really enjoy your blog.

Keep it up

Nice comment! I am not a student of Costa Rica history though I did read a brief history before I came here. It did not mention this part of CR history, though I should not be surprised as US history books leave out a TON of things. I appreciate the feedback!

To Frank

I have not heard of it, but that means little. There are about a zillion I do not know. Have fun!

Anyway, my wife and I are planning a trip to Costa Rica and we were looking into the Maquengue resort to be exact and wanted to know if you ever heard of the place and if so, good or bad?

Frank Moessa

I found this website with some information on slavery issues in Costa Rica: http://qiyamahinislam.blogspot.com/2008/01/afrocaribbean-roots-in-costa-rica.html

In fact, during my last visit to Costa Rica, I was shown checkpoints along the highway to Limon, where the government used to restrict the movement of black plantation workers on the Limon coast. The older generation of people of West Indian descent on the coast evidently has some anger toward the Ticos, although that has seemingly improved for the new generation. All I am pointing out is that this issue may be more complicated than you make it seem. It also may vary depending on what area of Costa Rica you are talking about. But I certainly would not say that Costa Rica has been completely free of racial conflicts or disparities.

I KNEW that you would immediately send a comment. I have learned over the years that the totally uninformed and ignorant simply cannot find it within themselves to just shut-up and learn. Nope… like little energizer bunnies, they go on and on.

So ONE TIME I will respond to totally your stupid comments, then no more. I am 100% sure that nothing I can say will ever make it through your dense skull, but TRY to read and understand. Then you will not appear publicly to be such a complete jackass.

I will a admit difficulty in responding as you change subjects in mid sentence, but I will take your silliness and try to make sense with my replies.

“I am talking to the sexual slavery, and human trafficking that goes on in Costa Rica all the time.”

The HUMAN TRAFFICKING that you have read about (obviously not clearly) refers to Costa Rica as being a traffic route for HUMANS (not children for sex) trying to get into other countries, most notably the USA.

The LAWS are for the prosecution of these mules, the ones who arrange these trips through CR. In all the years I have been here, I have NEVER seen anything indicating that human trafficking is an issue here. Has it ever happened? Probably, but is the norm… not at all. Other Latin American countries DO have this issue, but I doubt you will pay any attention if I told you, so I won’t! You REALLY need to learn how to read!

Sexual slavery? Where? SEX FOR MONEY IS LEGAL. The ARE NO SLAVES here.

…”surely you have heard of sex tourism. Costa Rica is world famous for such depravity, and it you close your eyes then you are condoning it.”

Of COURSE I have! I wrote about it in detail in The REAL Costa Rica website. Sex tourism is HUGE in Costa Rica, and more important, it is 100% legal! As you have issues with reading, I will repeat that! **IT IS 100% LEGAL**.

“Prostitution may be legal but it is not legal to sell, buy, or abuse minors in which Costa Rica is known as the Thailand of the West because of sex tourism”

What a sentence! Did you proof read that?? You insist on throwing in the MINORS when discussing sex tourism. Neither Costa Rica NOR Thailand permit sex with minors. They BOTH permit adult sex tourism. Costa Rica IS known for sex tourism FOR ADULTS, but NOT FOR SEX ABUSE AGAINST MINORS! Stop lumping those together. I know you want it to be that way, but it is not.

The nasty little secret which I have written about least least 5 times is that the issue is NOT foreigners coming here and having sex with kids. It is the Costa Rican MEN. Fathers, brothers, uncles, neighbors. It is rampant and my wife, the one who married me for my money (even though she has more than me and she too thinks you’re an idiot), can tell you of the 30-50 girls in her hospital at any one time, all under 14-15, every single one being pregnant by a male relative or neighbor.

In all my years here, I have seen and read about SEVEN men arrested for child sex and identified as foreigners from ANY country. In comparison, I have seen and read of no LESS than 400 men arrested, all with Latin names and identified as Costa Ricans or some other nationality in Central America. I met and dated a lot of women before I married and at LEAST 70% had some story of sex abuse at the hands of a male relative.

Incest is a national disgrace and is covered up, but make no mistake, it is NOT the foreigners doing the abusing. You want to raise an issue? Raise THAT one.

I resent all the airport signs, in English, making it appear that those English speakers are at fault. It is a HUGE lie and leads the totally uninformed (i.e. YOU) to make ridiculous generalizations.

“It is not the beautiful place you make it out to be. Only for the very very few who are wealthy, the rest live in poverty”

Lady, you must be about as dumb as a box of prunes. Actually, it is a very beautiful place which is proof to me you have never set foot here as even a relatively ignorant person as yourself would have noticed the beauty almost everywhere.

I am guessing you are site impaired as well?

There absolutely IS poverty here. This is exactly the same poverty that is in the US. In fact in every country in the world. Yes, there is an upper class too! Just like in the US? In fact in every country in the world? But you conveniently (or ignorantly) leave off the HUGE middle class. More lack of knowledge. The middle class here is enormous, far larger than either the upper class or the poor, and they live very nice lives indeed. My wife was in that middle class. Your total lack of knowledge is truly amazing though you write as if you had a clue!

“…poor Costa Rican women, many of whom wouldn’t marry old ugly men like you if it were not for your money.”

Well my “poor old woman” (and she told me to tell you that age 52 is NOT old and to mind your own business!), before I EVER met her, owned and still owns two homes, property in San Ramon, property in Guapiles, and is developing an apartment complex.

Oh, she is not using one cent of MY money.

Sad that you feel the need to attack her as she is one of the kindest and most genteel women I have known in my life and would never dream of attacking you. She has worked at Costa Rica’s second largest hospital for 32 years, educated herself, went to UCR, has an undergrad and masters degree, raised two kids, totally without help after her husband died of brain cancer when the kids were very young.

Lady, she is so far out of your league as to be a joke.

Oh, and I am not all that ugly. My wife thinks I am cute!

and finally:

“I am not a bonehead”

Oh, but of COURSE you are, and you have again proved it by your comments.