Cariño

Cariño means affection or tenderness.

There is a lot of this in Costa Rica. They hug and kiss a lot. When people meet on the street who are friends, the woman and men kiss, and the men shake hands, sometimes they do that abrazo, which is kind of a half-hug.

Women and men call each other "Mi Corazon" and "Mi Amor",(to be clear-men do not call other men "mi amor", in case some of you were really confused), even if they aren´t more than friends or aquaintances. Even teenagers do this, not just the older people. I read about this in several guidebooks, so it was no surprise when my host mother´s daughter, who is my age, went to say goodbye, and put her cheek to my face to kiss it. When I went in to meet my host mother´s other daughter in her bookstore, she came up and kissed me on the cheek.

Of course, this sort of things feels a little weird to us stuffy North Americans, but I realize it´s normal. Some gringos would say that this is wrong, that the Ticos don´t really feel this much affection for others and its all an act. Actually, in many other places in Europe, such as France, this is completely normal.

You know, it really does not matter if it is an act or not. I don´t think it is. But I have always liked the fact that latinos in general are so much more demonstrative than Gringos. One the big differences between the two cultures is that Latinos go out of their way to make others feel better about themselves, to make sure that they do not lose face, and to make them feel loved. Even if it´s not true, this cariño sure seems to make a cold world a little warmer.

Juanito

Next Costa Rican Entry: Hace Calor