1- The country’s environmental friendliness
Costa Rica, which set a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2021, has already achieved this goal. As the founder of companies operating in the renewable energy sector for nearly seven years, I applaud this approach and the work being done in this direction. Furthermore, 25% of the country has been declared a national park. You can’t even hammer a nail. More than half of the country is covered in tropical forests. Even in tourism, they have a concept called “responsible tourism.” They ensure that hotels and related buildings are built in harmony with nature.
2- The country’s peaceful approach
I congratulate Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias, who appointed me Honorary Consul of Costa Rica, and the peaceful approach prevalent throughout the country. For those who don’t know, Costa Rica hasn’t had an army since 1948. The police provide security for the country.
I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the photos taken with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs to whom I served for over 10 years.
Our picture taken with Bruno Stagno Ugarte, Minister of Foreign Affairs during the presidency of President Óscar Arias Sánchez, in his office in Costa Rica.
Our picture taken with Jose Enrique Castillo Barrantes, Minister of Foreign Affairs during the presidency of President Laura Chinchilla Miranda; Ekhart Peters Seevers, the Ambassador to Madrid to whom I was then affiliated; and Ninoska Gutierrez Kırcı, the professional director of our Honorary Consulate, at the official ceremony at Anıtkabir.
Our picture taken with Manuel González Sanz, Minister of Foreign Affairs during the presidency of President Luis Guillermo Solís, in front of our Honorary Consulate.
These days, we’re hearing Trump’s suggestions that NATO countries should increase their armaments. At the most recent NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium, US President Donald Trump argued that member countries should increase their defense spending to 4% of their national income.
This is double the alliance’s current target. Member countries had pledged to increase their contribution to the NATO budget to 2% of their gross domestic product by 2024.
Responding to Trump’s statements, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the primary goal is to increase this contribution to 2%. You can read more detailed information at https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-dunya-44789806.
Amidst this depressing climate, Costa Rica shines with its peaceful approach. Costa Rica, on the other hand, has invested the budget it would have allocated to the military into education. Education is free for all citizens, which is why the literacy rate in the country has risen to 97%. Most of the new generation speak at least one foreign language. The same goes for other countries. This trend toward armament and nuclear power is a bad sign.
3- People with positive personalities
Of the thousands of people I met in Costa Rica, I only disliked two. I’ll keep those two names to myself. This is a very small percentage. Generally, the vast majority are positive and motivating. I have friends there who are as close to me as friends. Spending time with Costa Ricans, and even meeting with them, is a pleasure for me. This joy is why I enjoy my role as Costa Rican honorary consul.
Here’s an example of Costa Ricans with positive personalities, success, and good people. In this photo we took on Costa Rican Liberation Day, celebrated every 15 September, on my left are Alejandro Jimenez, the long-time CEO of Efes (yes, we’re talking about Efes, which is owned by the Anadolu Group and operates in many different countries), and his wife, Lucia Greco. On my right is Viviana Quesada, former spa manager of the Four Seasons Hotel, with her mother and her child in my arms.
4- The Pura Vida Philosophy
Costa Ricans, who place happiness at the core of their lives, love dancing and having fun, a part of Latin American culture. In fact, they learn to dance and enjoy life at a very young age, as the cute dancing child in the video below does.
As I previously wrote in my article http://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/pura-vida-veya-yasami-anlamla-donatmak, Pura Vida is a philosophical approach unique to Costa Rica and can be interpreted in Turkish as salt hayat, güzel hayat, yalı toya toya (living to the fullest), or pozitif hayat. Regardless of its use, it always reflects a positive expression. My understanding of Pura Vida’s “positive life” is this: Life is beautiful to the extent that it is imbued with meaning. Therefore, we must take responsibility and strive to create what is positive and meaningful. This is the fundamental reason for my website, which I aim to enrich every day with your contributions and participation.
5- The country’s natural beauty
When you visit Costa Rica, your heart is lifted. It has lemonade-like air, tropical forests, and many other natural wonders like volcanoes. You feel at home in this magnificent environment. Everything is lush and green. With temperatures hovering around 27-28° C. year-round, this tropical climate has only two variations: dry season and wet season. The temperatures remain constant; the only difference is that during the wet season, at certain times of the day, what we call tropical rain pours down like a bucket. As someone who has experienced this from time to time, I can say that being exposed to that rain is a joy. After all, water is life, and here, you can see the beauty of the vegetation abundantly nourished by water. For those with a craving for food, I can say this: the variety of tropical fruits in Costa Rica is endless. You can enjoy tasting flavors you’ve never seen before. They have truly fascinating tropical fruit. Costa Rica is perfect for animal lovers and nature lovers. A small country like Costa Rica (51,100 km2) contains 6% of the world’s biodiversity. You can find many fascinating animals and other species there. For more detailed information, visit http://www.costarica-embassy.org/index.php?q=node/12 .
Now, I’d like to share the lyrics of a song about Costa Ricanness that I heard recently, which crowns all this beauty. Costa Ricans call themselves Tico (for men) or Tica (for women). If you’re wondering why Tico, I’ve heard a few explanations. The most striking one is that in Spanish, tico and tica, when added to the end of a word, like –ito and –ita, make the object described smaller, cuter, and more endearing (similar to the –cik and –cık extensions in Turkish), adding a touch of sincerity to the meaning. Just like Costa Ricans. For example, casa means house in Spanish. When you say it as casita or casitica, you get cute little house.
You can listen to this wonderful song about Costa Rican heritage, sung by Carlos Guzman, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_b461aac3w .
You can find the lyrics to this beautiful song below:
I am Tico (Soy Tico)
I am Tico, because Costa Rica is what I feel deepest,
Because I cry when I hear the guitar,
When the marimba trembles and at sunset…
I am Tico, and when I look out the window,
The mountain enchants me, my heart overflows.
I am Tico, because I feel the songs of my homeland in my heart,
I dance to “Liberian Moon,” “Caballito Nicoyano,” “La Patriotica,” and “Pasión”…
I am Tico, and as I gaze at the horizon at dawn,
The lament of the ‘yigüirro’ adds emotion to my feelings.
And when the sky splits open and the rain pours down,
I feel just like a seed,
The scent of the fertile land becomes my path,
My dreams overflow from this simple soul.
I’m Tico, because I embrace every stranger I meet with my warmth,
I’m Tico, because I live with love,
And the pride of the land that inspires my song…
And when the sky splits and the rain pours down,
I feel just like a seed,
The scent of fertile land becomes my path,
My dreams overflow from this simple soul.
I’m Tico, because when a purple nest adorns my gaze,
My soul shakes, my eyes fill with emotion.
I’m Tico, and if that doesn’t speak to you,
Come, let me show you my country,
Just give me a chance!
* A clay-colored robin native to Costa Rica.
I hope there are more people around the world who, like Costa Ricans raised on the Pura Vida philosophy, place positive thinking and the good life at the center of their lives…
Tag: lifestyle
