Living with a Host Family in Costa Rica

There are a few things everyone should know before living with a host family in Costa Rica.

Living with a host family is a spectacular way to immerse yourself in the local language, culture, customs and traditions of Costa Rica. I have lived with two different Costa Rican families and suggest that living with a family is the best way to get the most out of your experience abroad. However, there are a few things that everyone should know:

Wash your Underwear Separately

Costa Ricans (also known as Ticans) never wash their underwear with the rest of their clothes. To them, mixing underwear with regular clothes is dirty and disgusting.   You also never want to assume your host mom will wash your underwear for you, because she won’t and will be offended if you ask her.  Just as (almost) all Americans know to separate white laundry from colored, Ticans assume everyone separates their underwear from the rest of their clothes. 

Small Meal Portions

Take small portions at meal time so that you know you have room for seconds. In Costa Rica a woman’s pride is her cooking and a way to compliment her is to always take seconds (and if you can, thirds) while raving about the amazing taste and texture of the food.  This will win your host mother over right away.  I always got full right away, and not wanting to gain fifty pounds during my stay, I quickly learned to take many small portions rather than one large serving at meal time.

Greet Everyone

You may feel over friendly, but make sure to great everyone in a room with a handshake to men and a kiss on the check to women. It is rude in Costa Rica to not say hello to everyone in a room when you enter, and you want to make sure your host family is not embarrassed to introduce you to their extended family and friends. 

Do not flush your toilet paper

The plumbing in Costa Rica has much lower pressure than in the US. If flushed, toilet paper almost always clogs the system and the toilets back up and flood.  In Costa Rica there are always trash cans next to the toilet for easy disposal of your toilet paper. Respect your family’s plumbing and floors and throw away your used toilet paper rather than flushing it. Dropping the paper into the bowl can be a habit since we have been doing so all our lives back in the States, however if your paper drops it is worth sticking your hand in and pulling the paper out of the bowl rather than flooding the family’s floor.  Make sure soap is at the sink for sanitation before doing so. This tip is good to remember for any time you might find yourself using the bathroom in Costa Rica.

Always Wear Shoes in the House

Costa Ricans always wear shoes in the house, normally a pair of in-house sandals or slippers. Most if not all floors are tile because of the heat, and are considered to be cold and dirty and gross on the feet.  Just as you respect your mom’s house in the States by taking your shoes off, keep your shoes on or change into another pair if yours are dirty while in your Tican host mom’s house. 

Speak Spanish

Speaking Spanish with your host family rather than English (many Ticans speak English) guarantees that you learn the language. Have an agreement with the members of your family from the very beginning that they will only speak Spanish to you. You will find that having to speak for survival sake makes learning the language come faster and forces you to learn. Take a pocket or electronic Spanish-English dictionary with you in your bag wherever you go. It can be frustrating at first, but the effort is worth the reward of speaking a second language. After four months of living in Costa Rica with host families I was speaking fluently.

Participate in Family Activities

Take advantage of living with your host family. Living with a Tican family rather than in a dorm or apartment with other foreigners allows you to participate in actual Costa Rican life.  Make an effort to partake in family discussions (or at least try to keep up with them), eat with the family at meal time, and sit and watch television at night with the family (which is a Tican custom).  Ask your family to take you to local restaurants, markets, soccer matches, parks and bars. You will find that locals know of locations that foreigners otherwise do not, and you will be given an authentic insider’s experience.