Hacker News Reader

Comment by ninju | Hacker News Reader

If you need to deliver some official documentation to some in Costa Rica it's gotta be tough

I wonder how DHL, FedEx and other delivery services handle it.

They hire local people that know the system and can navigate it. When I was in CR navigating was not simple, but I always got where I wanted to be. In a way it was interesting as very precise time was not possible, I think that makes people a lot more relaxed - probably "relaxed" is the best way to describe my work colleagues in CR.

> I think that makes people a lot more relaxed - probably "relaxed" is the best way to describe my work colleagues in CR.

It's one of many reasons Costa Ricans tend to appear very "relaxed". The national motto is "Pura Vida", which translates to Pure Life. It can be used to say hello, goodbye, yes, no, maybe, anything really :).

My wife and I use it whenever things don't happen as planned to us in CR. Like when the electrician says he'll be here 9 AM Monday, that translates to "sometime next week".

People tell you what you want to hear, because it's rude otherwise. You get all kinds of wrong directions too, because people want to be seen as helpful even if they don't know. When people tell you something will be done on $day, it is sure as sunrise that it absolutely will not be done that day, and probably not that week, and maybe not that month. People make do, and don't stress too much -- pura vida!

Sending law clients original documents (USCIS approval notices, etc.), was always a nail-biter. Shout-out to DHL, which never missed one. Still we'd keep hitting refresh on the tracking # till it was delivered. Sounds a little easier now.

We had a motorcycle messenger deliver an affidavit to the house once. The company asked for our GPS location, we gave it to them, and he showed up (in the middle of a rainstorm.)

Reply on news.ycombinator.com