Pura Vida

Paint a picture of paradise. Then go to Tortuguero, Costa Rica and I guarantee, your picture will look identical to this setting. You want a word for it? I'll give you two: Pura Vida.

Pura Vida, literally meaning "pure life," makes up 50% of the Spanish spoken in Costa Rica. It is a greeting, conversation starter, and answer to almost any question. But more than that, it describes the people’s way of life.




It explains the mystifying beauty which encompasses Tortuguero.
One morning, Jimmy (our tour guide) took us on a boat tour through the Cano Palma. Lush green trees towered over the rich underbrush. Beyond the sight of the mangroves hid the mystery of the rain forest with over 11,000 birds and thousands of amphibians. If you looked close enough, you could spot the Jesus Christ lizard camouflaged among the emerald leaves. And in this paradise, we heard the hoots of the owls and the mating sounds of the birds.

It was here that we realized that we are just one piece of the puzzle. In suburban Northern Virginia, it is too easy to forget this. We are so busy rushing to soccer practice and cramming for tests that we often do not think about how our small actions affect something on the other side of the world. For instance a plastic bag. Convenient, clean, easy, right? Not for the beaches it washes onto; not for the water receiving harmful chemicals; not for the sea turtles who think it is a jellyfish. We are often forced into this rushed lifestyle where speed is prioritized over sustainable, superficial over natural. But does it really need to be this way?  Imagine if we could change our ways just like Costa Rica has changed theirs, to focus around one simple rule- Pura Vida.
Here, it has not always been that way, but over time the people of Costa Rica realized that if they embraced nature and utilized its resources instead of destroying them, they would be successful, and happy.

They realized that nature is beautiful and irreplaceable, and they worked to keep it that way. For example, over 25% of all land in Costa Rica belongs to state parks. Instead of building a road, people take boats to get around Tortuguero because a road would cut through this serene scene. The men work as boat drivers and tour guides instead of loggers. The live sea turtles act as a larger source of revenue than the dead ones. The sustainable cycle of eco-tourism continues.  

By embracing nature, and taking advantage of the greatest gift it offers, beauty, Costa Rica is able to preserve such vital resources, and maintain a stable economy. My hope is that developing countries throughout the world can learn from Costa Rica. Instead of following the ways of the past which include excessive logging and deforestation, these countries can be a step ahead and recognize that nature offers not only beauty but the path for a thriving economy. Like ants and trees, flowers and bees, success and nature offer a symbiotic relationship.

 
And isn't that what Pura Vida is all about?

 

Many thanks for this picture and many of the others:

 

 

Elizabeth Hurley and EF Educational Tours