Costa Rica: A Return to Origins

This blog will capture the experiences and learnings of our TWELVE Canadian participants.
Check back daily for updates and new postings.


Introducing a new Origin Experience program

Last February, the first group of Starbucks partners traveled to Costa Rica to take part in the pilot Origin trip. Less than a year later, another twelve Canadian partners have been awarded the same opportunity to visit, learn, harvest and truly experience life at our farms in Costa Rica. Follow along and learn from their daily adventures. Through this powerful first-hand experience, partners will be better able to understand and articulate ethical sourcing practices, quality standards and relationship with farmers. It will also help us create a network of passionate advocates to inspire customers and other partners, as well as serve as coffee leaders.


Friday, January 29, 2010

Fun, Goofy, & Weird Stuff about Costa Rica

In absolutely no particular order....
In Costa Rica, it is not uncommon to give coffee to babies (in their bottle, with milk) and to young children. I found this astonishing! Having had the "pleasure" of a two year old a few times in my life, I simply could not imagine a two year old on espresso!

Naming conventions are very different here. Children take their father's name, but add their mother's maiden name to their full name. So when you see a name on a business card like Carlos Jose Gomez Guzman, this persons name is Carlos Gomez and the Guzman is his mom's maiden name. Often this is abbreviated as an initial thus: Carlos Jose Gomez G. or even more commonly, Carlos Gomez G.

Costa Rican women do not take their husband's last name. The woman uses her full maiden name for life. No changing of national ID cards, drivers licenses, etc. She also adds her mother's maiden name.

If you should die while here, you are buried here on the same day you die... no embalming... nada. They just plant you! Everyone looks to see your obituary on TV several times per day!

There are few street signs in Costa Rica and even fewer addresses. Read that as almost none. Just about all addresses are in terms of a well-known building or landmark; often the local Catholic Church, cemetery, or another fixed location. But just to keep things interesting, some addresses are phrased in terms of building that may have burned down 20 years ago! Also, when you see an address that says 200M west of something, that normally means 2 blocks and NOT a true 200 meters.

All (honey) bees in Costa Rica are of the Africanized variety i.e. killer bees. The older species were bred out years ago.

Front doors of almost all commercial establishments almost always open INWARDS. This is against every fire code in the USA, but here, perhaps because they have never had a tragedy in which hundreds died because the door could not be opened outwards, there is no such code.

There are Bullfights in Costa Rica, but the bull is never hurt and often, the bull wins!

You will see a LOT of folks carrying machetes... those really long, sharp knives. You see this especially in the country and areas away from San José. The machete is the Costa Rican equivalent of Duct Tape. It is used for everything, but almost never as a weapon.

In many countries, pedestrians have rights. Drivers must yield to them or suffer the consequences. In Costa Rica, the Spanish word for pedestrian is "Target". Be real careful when walking around... especially in San José and especially at street corners.

At 7 AM every morning, most if not all Costa Rica radio stations broadcast the exact same program. It begins with the Costa Rican National Anthem and provides the government and other authorized entities a way to send messages or information nation wide.

Volcanos


Part of the Pacific Ring Fire Circle, Costa Rica has over 200 identifiable volcanic formations dating back over 65 million years. Today, however, only 100 or so show any signs of volcanic activity, while just five are classified as active volcanoes. Most of the volcanoes in Costa Rica lie in the northern part of the country and in the Central Highlands.

Considered to be among Costa Rica’s top tourist attractions as they captivate the attention of both tourists and scientists from all over the world, these volcanoes are a key part of this country’s spectacular natural diversity. This is because they have played an important role in how the lush landscape of this region has come into being. Due to the many eruptions over the past millennia, the soil in Costa Rica is rich in many minerals and is very fertile. This fertility in turn has contributed to dense verdant forestation, which supports not only a myriad of bird & wildlife species, but is also home to numerous tropical and exotic plants and trees as well

Where we are staying


Our hotel is an antique-filled, hacienda-style and stands on a 30-acre coffee plantation with magnificent views from each of our rooms.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Education


The briefest sojourn in San José makes clear that Costa Ricans are a highly literate people. The country boasts of 93 percent literacy in those 10 and over, the most literate populace in Central America. Many of the country's early political figures, including the first president, José Maria Castro, were former teachers and shared a great concern for education. As early as 1828, a law made school attendance mandatory. In 1869, the country became one of the first in the world to make education obligatory and free, funded by the state's share of the great coffee wealth. Then, only one in 10 Costa Ricans could read and write. By 1920, 50 percent of the population was literate. By 1973, when the Ministry of Education published a landmark study, the figure was 89 percent.

The study also revealed some worrying factors. Over half of all Costa Ricans aged 15 or over, roughly 600,000 teenagers, had dropped out of school by the sixth grade. Almost 1,000 schools had only one teacher, often a partially trained aspirante (candidate teacher) lacking certification. And the literacy figures included many "functional illiterates" counted by their simple ability to sign their own name. The myth of "more teachers than soldiers" and the boast of the highest literacy rate in Central America had blinded Costa Ricans to their system's many defects.

The last 20 years have seen a significant boost to educational standards. Since the 1970s the country has invested more than 28 percent of the national budget on primary and secondary education. A nuclearization program has worked to amalgamate one-teacher schools. And schooling through the ninth year (age 14) is now compulsory. Nonetheless, there remains a severe shortage of teachers with a sound knowledge of the full panoply of academic subjects, discredited rote-learning methods are still common, remote rural schools are often difficult to reach in the best of weather, and the Ministry of Education is rife with political appointees who change hats with each administration. As elsewhere in the world, well-to-do families usually send their children to private schools.

Village libraries are about the only means for adults in rural areas to continue education beyond sixth grade. The country, with approximately 100 libraries, has a desperate need for books and for funds to support the hundreds of additional libraries which the country needs.

Culture


Costa Rica is best known for its natural beauty and friendly people who prize the environment and peace. With its political stability, extraordinary biodiversity, natural attractions and reputation for conservation, Costa Rica is a magnet for nature lovers from all over the world. The diverse topography allows for a large number of outdoor activities. Governmental programs have safeguarded the country's image as an ecotourism destination and have promoted Costa Rica as one of the best places to experience the tropics, while protecting the environment from negative impacts of tourism. Approximately 27 percent of the land is designated to National Parks, forest reserves, and reservations for indigenous people, allowing Costa Rica to develop a very large national park system. An influx of Costa Ricans visit these national parks on weekends and major holidays such as Easter Week, Independence Day, and the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. These parks, some of which are noted worldwide for their vegetation and wildlife, also attract international tourists.

Politics


Costa Rica is a democratic republic with a strong constitution. It is seen as one of the most stable countries in Latin America. Costa Rica has avoided the violence that has plagued Central America; it is seen as an example of political stability in the region, and is referred to as the "Switzerland of the Americas". Executive responsibilities are vested in a president, who is the country's center of power. There also are two vice presidents and a cabinet designated by the president. The president, vice presidents, and 57 Legislative Assembly deputies are elected for 4-year terms. A constitutional amendment approved in 1969 limited presidents and deputies to one term, although a deputy may run again for an Assembly seat after sitting out a term. An amendment to the constitution to allow second presidential terms was proposed and also the constitutionality of the prohibition against a second presidential term has been challenged in the courts. In April 2003 the prohibition was officially recognized, in a highly polemic resolution, as anti-constitutional allowing Óscar Arias (Nobel Peace Prize, 1987) to run for President a second time in the 2006 elections and winning them on very tight elections. Arias is a promoter of free trade and supports the free trade agreement with the United States. Costa Rica uses a form of proportional representation to elect its national legislative body.

Governors appointed by the president head the country's seven provinces, but they exercise little power. There are no provincial legislatures. Autonomous state agencies enjoy considerable operational independence; they include the telecommunications and electrical power monopoly, the nationalized commercial banks, the state insurance monopoly, and the social security agency. Costa Rica has no military by constitution but maintains domestic Police and armed National Guard forces for internal security.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Economy


Historically, Costa Rica's economy has been based on agriculture, including the production of coffee, bananas, pineapples and ornamental house plants, but in recent times ecotourism, electronics, pharmaceuticals, financial outsourcing and software development have become the prime industries. Costa Rica's location in the Central American isthmus provides easy access to American markets as it has the same time zone as the central part of the United States and direct ocean access to Europe and Asia.

The economy has been expanding in part because the Government implemented a seven year plan of expansion in the high tech industry. The central government offers tax exemptions for those who are willing to invest in the country. High levels of education among its residents make the country an attractive location for investors. Several global high tech corporations have already started developing in the area exporting goods, including chip manufacturer Intel and pharmaceutical companies such as Procter & Gamble and Glaxo Smith Kline. Trade with Southeast Asia and Russia boomed during 2004 and 2005, and the country is expected to obtain full Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) membership by 2007 (the country became an observer in 2004).

For the 2007 fiscal year, Costa Rica showed it's first budget surplus in 50 years, however economic growth has slowed in the past two years as the global downturn reduced export demand and investment inflows. In 2008, economic growth was at 2.6 %, however inflation was at 13.4%

The unit of currency is the colón (CRC), which trades around 530 to the U.S. dollar.

Demographics



In 2009, Costa Rica had an estimated population of 4,253,877. The majority of people in Costa Rica descend from Spanish settlers. In contrast to its neighboring countries, little mixing of the Spanish settlers and the indigenous populations occurred. Therefore, a vast majority of Costa Ricans are either of Spanish or Meztizo heritage. In addition, there are significant numbers of Costa Ricans of Italian, German, Jewish, and Polish descent. Together, European and Meztizos descendants make up 94 percent of the population. About three percent of the population is of African descent, also known as Afro-Latin Americans. Another group are English-speaking descendants of 19th-century Jamaican immigrant workers. Another one percent is composed of ethnic Chinese.

Today, the indigenous population numbers less than one percent, or around 29,000 individuals. In Guanacaste Province, a significant portion of the population descends from a mix of local Amerindians, Africans and Spaniards. There is also a small expatriate community of American and Canadian retirees

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Geography


Costa Rica is bordered to the north by Nicaragua and to the southeast by Panama. It has both Caribbean and Pacific coasts. A series of volcanic mountain chains runs from the Nicaraguan border to the Panamanian border, splitting the country in two. In the center of these ranges is a high-altitude plain, with coastal lowlands on either side. Over half of the population lives on this plain, utilizing its fertile volcanic soils. The Caribbean Coast is 131 miles long and is characterized by mangroves, swamps and sandy beaches. The Pacific Coast is much more rugged and rocky and, thanks to a number of gulfs and peninsulas, is 630 miles long.

Weather Overview
Costa Rica is a tropical country with only two seasons. The dry season occurs between late December and April, and the wet season lasts the rest of the year. The Caribbean coast, however, tends to be wet all year. Temperatures vary little between seasons, and the main influence on temperature is altitude. San José, at 3772 feet, has a climate that the locals refer to as 'Eternal Spring' with lows averaging 60°F and highs averaging 79°F. The coasts are much hotter, with the Caribbean averaging 70°F at night and over 86°F during the day; the Pacific is a few degrees warmer still. The humidity at low altitudes can be oppressive.

5 days to go


Hard to believe it's five days to Costa Rica. Especially looking forward to visiting the Bella Vista coffee farm.