Posts
Sorry, I spent my computer time catching up on Facebook. Like I said earlier, only high school to college-age students would dream of posting their personal thoughts on a wall. Seriously.
I just thought I'd shout out to my Grandma--Happy Birthday Grandma! I won't be near a computer on your birthday, so I'll say it now!!
Also, people go to bed way early here. That's probably because the sun sets at (no kidding) 6 p.m. on the dot. I timed it. We've also had some trouble on the street perpendicular to ours--a few neighbors have been jumped. I wouldn't mention anything, but I feel it's fair: if you don't read any new posts after about two weeks, you'll know I was kidnapped. That should help you sleep soundly.
Sorry, it's a terrible joke. However, tomorrow, I will write on Democracy, and my personal thoughts of both Solís' lecture and the Embassy field trip.
Have a nice evening, and don't worry, I can run really fast...
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
TLC or CAFTA, Part II
At the U.S. Embassy in San José, Costa Rica, we were lectured by three different personnel; David Hensen, a Ms. Martinez, and a third lady whose name I was unable to write down quickly.
Martinez started the group off by asking us to give our definitions of an Embassy, and what we think the U.S. Embassy's main job is. We gave several answers, but Martinez clarified that the U.S. Embassy seeks to "protect the U.S. interests overseas by being U.S. representatives." She admitted that many anti-United States feelings make her job harder. Also, because this Embassy is overseas, it is their unique job not to make the U.S. Foreign policy, but to implement it. She continued with a list/ratio of workers hired at that specific embassy who are U.S. citizens versus the number who are natives. She urged us to check the government website on this matter.
David was next, and he outlined the four pillars of the embassy: Security, Democracy, Opportunity, and Prosperity. He said the embassy was helping the Costa Rican government, but there were nuances in how to approach the ideals of the country. He said that the workers at the Embassy wanted deeper engagements with the region, but that they had very high expectations for Costa Rica and thought the country would stay cooperative with them.
He told us that Costa Rica wanted CAFTA, as was shown by the 51% vote positive. However, Costa Rica "does things differently", and even though they were under a deadline, Costa Rica almost didn't make it to passing CAFTA. However, "the voice of the people was heard" and Costa Rica accepted the trade agreement. He also felt that the economy was becoming more open with CAFTA, and that this trade agreement would really help Costa Rica in the long run. David felt that Costa Rica's infrastructure was not as good, and cited that only 30% of Costa Rican roads are in good condition, which explains why the leading cause of death in the country is auto accidents. He also said that the ports on the coasts are very underdeveloped and need to be run by privatized companies. Also, at the ports, there is only 3% of water treated, which makes the beaches bad and spreads sickness--a negative effect on tourism.
David described the way that CAFTA was ratified in Costa Rica. It went through a 4 step process:
1) Negotiations--all the reps of the countries involved met in Aug 2004 to discuss "free trade" and the terms of such an agreement.
2) Ratification--all the reps returned to their countries with the skeleton of the agreement, and it was decided by a public vote. All citizens of age were shown both the pros and the cons and asked to vote on the agreement. CAFTA passed in Costa Rica 51% yes to 49% no.
3) Implementation--once it was passed by the public, the government of each country put it to a vote to pass legislation to allow it to proceed or not. All of the countries passed it.
4) Entry into Force--the agreement is now a law, and it is allowed to start in the countries that passed it.
According to David, the advantages of Costa Rica is that the country now has almost tariff-free access to U.S. exports. The U.S. is also able to help monitor and prepare the other countries to trade with each other, and it can improve labor standards. David told us that many blamed the U.S. for interfering before the public vote because one of the U.S. ambassadors went around giving his side of CAFTA. David felt that the U.S. was not using any illegal practices, but using the same methods as Costa Rica with Canada and Panama with their ambassador. He blamed Ottón Solís for the bad press, saying that when the U.S. ambassador came to do a press conference, the date was canceled. Instead the ambassador took his opinions to the people. When Solís wanted to reschedule, the ambassador was unable to make it at that time, but Solís insisted on that time anyway. When the ambassador didn't show, but was replaced by another, Solís said that the first ambassador had hidden because he didn't want the bad press. The "bad press" came anyway, according to David.
The third lady (and here, we shall name her Jill) reiterated the idea that the U.S. policy is designed to protect democratic space. She felt that Costa Rica could improve and learn how to opperate better in terms of democracy. She defined the difference between free trade and fair trade: free trade limits tarifs on imports and exports, while fair trade supports the equality of workers, responsible use of the environment, and responsible disposal of waste. Of course, she mentioned, you can always find stats that favor different ways. /Jill/ was unable to explain the difference between CAFTA and NAFTA (you'll recall that Solís said they were exactly the same), but said that CAFTA would help Costa Rica with its exports. The two greatest exports at this time are not bananas and pineapples, they are microchips and medical equipment.
All three encouraged us that if we liked being abroad to go to work for the government as ambassadors who protect U.S. interests overseas. More information about jobs here.
Tomorrow, I will write about Democracy, since it seems to be a common theme here. Also, my group did our presentation with my political cartoons! I was honored. Hopefully after my rant about democracy, I will write a post about my reaction to the CAFTA/TLC thing.
Have a wonderful day!
P.S. Here is a link to my pictures from the Limón trip to present!!
Martinez started the group off by asking us to give our definitions of an Embassy, and what we think the U.S. Embassy's main job is. We gave several answers, but Martinez clarified that the U.S. Embassy seeks to "protect the U.S. interests overseas by being U.S. representatives." She admitted that many anti-United States feelings make her job harder. Also, because this Embassy is overseas, it is their unique job not to make the U.S. Foreign policy, but to implement it. She continued with a list/ratio of workers hired at that specific embassy who are U.S. citizens versus the number who are natives. She urged us to check the government website on this matter.
David was next, and he outlined the four pillars of the embassy: Security, Democracy, Opportunity, and Prosperity. He said the embassy was helping the Costa Rican government, but there were nuances in how to approach the ideals of the country. He said that the workers at the Embassy wanted deeper engagements with the region, but that they had very high expectations for Costa Rica and thought the country would stay cooperative with them.
He told us that Costa Rica wanted CAFTA, as was shown by the 51% vote positive. However, Costa Rica "does things differently", and even though they were under a deadline, Costa Rica almost didn't make it to passing CAFTA. However, "the voice of the people was heard" and Costa Rica accepted the trade agreement. He also felt that the economy was becoming more open with CAFTA, and that this trade agreement would really help Costa Rica in the long run. David felt that Costa Rica's infrastructure was not as good, and cited that only 30% of Costa Rican roads are in good condition, which explains why the leading cause of death in the country is auto accidents. He also said that the ports on the coasts are very underdeveloped and need to be run by privatized companies. Also, at the ports, there is only 3% of water treated, which makes the beaches bad and spreads sickness--a negative effect on tourism.
David described the way that CAFTA was ratified in Costa Rica. It went through a 4 step process:
1) Negotiations--all the reps of the countries involved met in Aug 2004 to discuss "free trade" and the terms of such an agreement.
2) Ratification--all the reps returned to their countries with the skeleton of the agreement, and it was decided by a public vote. All citizens of age were shown both the pros and the cons and asked to vote on the agreement. CAFTA passed in Costa Rica 51% yes to 49% no.
3) Implementation--once it was passed by the public, the government of each country put it to a vote to pass legislation to allow it to proceed or not. All of the countries passed it.
4) Entry into Force--the agreement is now a law, and it is allowed to start in the countries that passed it.
According to David, the advantages of Costa Rica is that the country now has almost tariff-free access to U.S. exports. The U.S. is also able to help monitor and prepare the other countries to trade with each other, and it can improve labor standards. David told us that many blamed the U.S. for interfering before the public vote because one of the U.S. ambassadors went around giving his side of CAFTA. David felt that the U.S. was not using any illegal practices, but using the same methods as Costa Rica with Canada and Panama with their ambassador. He blamed Ottón Solís for the bad press, saying that when the U.S. ambassador came to do a press conference, the date was canceled. Instead the ambassador took his opinions to the people. When Solís wanted to reschedule, the ambassador was unable to make it at that time, but Solís insisted on that time anyway. When the ambassador didn't show, but was replaced by another, Solís said that the first ambassador had hidden because he didn't want the bad press. The "bad press" came anyway, according to David.
The third lady (and here, we shall name her Jill) reiterated the idea that the U.S. policy is designed to protect democratic space. She felt that Costa Rica could improve and learn how to opperate better in terms of democracy. She defined the difference between free trade and fair trade: free trade limits tarifs on imports and exports, while fair trade supports the equality of workers, responsible use of the environment, and responsible disposal of waste. Of course, she mentioned, you can always find stats that favor different ways. /Jill/ was unable to explain the difference between CAFTA and NAFTA (you'll recall that Solís said they were exactly the same), but said that CAFTA would help Costa Rica with its exports. The two greatest exports at this time are not bananas and pineapples, they are microchips and medical equipment.
All three encouraged us that if we liked being abroad to go to work for the government as ambassadors who protect U.S. interests overseas. More information about jobs here.
Tomorrow, I will write about Democracy, since it seems to be a common theme here. Also, my group did our presentation with my political cartoons! I was honored. Hopefully after my rant about democracy, I will write a post about my reaction to the CAFTA/TLC thing.
Have a wonderful day!
P.S. Here is a link to my pictures from the Limón trip to present!!
Monday, February 23, 2009
TLC or CAFTA, Part I
Hi! I have returned! I'm actually working on a 7-page paper right now that's due tomorrow at 8 a.m. so I have decided to take a break (I'm on pg 4). Also, our entire group will be going to Nicaragua this weekend and staying for two weeks. Please do not be alarmed if I write nothing. I will most likely have no access to the internet. I am bringing my camera, and golly gee I will visit the volcanoes!!!!
TLC, or CAFTA:
Central American Free Trade Agreement, in Spanish, Tratado de Libre Comercio, was instituted by the offices of Washington D.C. to better trade with the 5 Central American countries (Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama) and the Dominican Republic. In CR, there are only a few companies that supply electricity, gas, internet, and communication for the entire country. But they have low prices.
The biggest issue it seems is the cell phone price. Right now, in this moment, at department stores, people can buy a cell phone for the equivalent of USD 2, and pay about USD 7 a month for service. Even less for only text messages. Many worry, however, that with the "penetration" of the TLC, big companies looking to make a profit will take the money. Not that it's that much, but if the big companies start selling their cell phones at a lower price, it is natural (given the laws of supply and demand) that the people will buy phones from foreign countries who can raise their prices as soon as other companies are out of business. This is what Rockefeller did with the oil in the 1900s.
Also, why should Ticos pay other companies? They have a good product at a good price with a system that works, right now.
We had the honor of being lectured by the leader of Costa Rica's Partido de Acción Ciudadano (PAC) political party. He ran for president of the country in 2002 and got third place, the first time in history that the bipartisan election has been broken. Ottón Solís feels that, especially with TLC, US foreign policy methods are outdated. He gave 8 reasons for this, but I was only able to write down 7 (I think this was one of the many days one of my pens died). Here they are:
1) US foreign policy reacts to current events already in motion, instead of anticipating them
2) US foreign policy documents tend to describe, thus, the situations and not the causes. This is not an analysis.
3) US foreign policy diagnostics tend to ignore economic model issues
4) US foreign policy tends to have a "black/white", "enemy/friend" approach to the acceptance of its policy
5) Policies tend to ignore tensions and political views
6) Policies are pushed as though whatever suffices in the US will suffice for everyone else
7) Policies tend to take into account only the short-run view, and not the immediate consequences.
In my own eloquent style, Solís is more or less saying that the US is trying to cross the culture gap without a bridge. He also feels that a) CAFTA is exactly the same as NAFTA--read one, you've read them all, and b) the previous points are a clear demonstration that US foreign policies are not tailored to fit the individual country, but formed in Washington D.C. and enforced abroad.
Here are some random quotes from his lecture:
"Soldiers fight for freedom of democracy, but at the same time, this takes away the freedom for a country to build its own economic model."
(On TLC) "We want telecommunication to be a social tool, not a profit-making industry. Why can't you respect that?"
(On Latin America's "inability" to maintain non-corrupt leaders) "Corruption is not an issue of Latin American politics; we live in a culture of corruption."
"I get myself to believe that the problems [of US foreign policy] were a product of the Bush administration because it is easier to believe it will change [with the next administration]. If I were to say, 'This is a running problem of the US,' then I am blaming an entire country, which is bad for all negotiations. We need to have diplomacy when we assign problems."
Okay, back to work for me. But I will counter this opinion above with what we heard when we visited the US Embassy.
TLC, or CAFTA:
Central American Free Trade Agreement, in Spanish, Tratado de Libre Comercio, was instituted by the offices of Washington D.C. to better trade with the 5 Central American countries (Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama) and the Dominican Republic. In CR, there are only a few companies that supply electricity, gas, internet, and communication for the entire country. But they have low prices.
The biggest issue it seems is the cell phone price. Right now, in this moment, at department stores, people can buy a cell phone for the equivalent of USD 2, and pay about USD 7 a month for service. Even less for only text messages. Many worry, however, that with the "penetration" of the TLC, big companies looking to make a profit will take the money. Not that it's that much, but if the big companies start selling their cell phones at a lower price, it is natural (given the laws of supply and demand) that the people will buy phones from foreign countries who can raise their prices as soon as other companies are out of business. This is what Rockefeller did with the oil in the 1900s.
Also, why should Ticos pay other companies? They have a good product at a good price with a system that works, right now.
We had the honor of being lectured by the leader of Costa Rica's Partido de Acción Ciudadano (PAC) political party. He ran for president of the country in 2002 and got third place, the first time in history that the bipartisan election has been broken. Ottón Solís feels that, especially with TLC, US foreign policy methods are outdated. He gave 8 reasons for this, but I was only able to write down 7 (I think this was one of the many days one of my pens died). Here they are:
1) US foreign policy reacts to current events already in motion, instead of anticipating them
2) US foreign policy documents tend to describe, thus, the situations and not the causes. This is not an analysis.
3) US foreign policy diagnostics tend to ignore economic model issues
4) US foreign policy tends to have a "black/white", "enemy/friend" approach to the acceptance of its policy
5) Policies tend to ignore tensions and political views
6) Policies are pushed as though whatever suffices in the US will suffice for everyone else
7) Policies tend to take into account only the short-run view, and not the immediate consequences.
In my own eloquent style, Solís is more or less saying that the US is trying to cross the culture gap without a bridge. He also feels that a) CAFTA is exactly the same as NAFTA--read one, you've read them all, and b) the previous points are a clear demonstration that US foreign policies are not tailored to fit the individual country, but formed in Washington D.C. and enforced abroad.
Here are some random quotes from his lecture:
"Soldiers fight for freedom of democracy, but at the same time, this takes away the freedom for a country to build its own economic model."
(On TLC) "We want telecommunication to be a social tool, not a profit-making industry. Why can't you respect that?"
(On Latin America's "inability" to maintain non-corrupt leaders) "Corruption is not an issue of Latin American politics; we live in a culture of corruption."
"I get myself to believe that the problems [of US foreign policy] were a product of the Bush administration because it is easier to believe it will change [with the next administration]. If I were to say, 'This is a running problem of the US,' then I am blaming an entire country, which is bad for all negotiations. We need to have diplomacy when we assign problems."
Okay, back to work for me. But I will counter this opinion above with what we heard when we visited the US Embassy.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
FINAL DAY OF ICADS!!!!
Today is a momentous occasion. Today is the last day of my Spanish classes. For a final project, each student has to speak for 8 minutes on a topic of their choice (that relates to Costa Rica) and use a visual. I'm waiting for my turn--I'm second-to-last in my group, and really, I'm not nervous. I used the excuse of a visual to map out my points. I can totally do this.
I just wanted to mention something random.
YOU, YOU, YOU ALL, and YOU:
When I took Spanish in the States, we are only taught two forms of second person: second person singular and second person plural, tu and ustedes. Or, you and you all. There are two other forms of you: you formal, and you friend. More or less. In Spanish, those two are the vosotros form and the vos form respectively. I was generally taught that usted or ustedes is used formally for someone older or someone you've just met, or someone you respect. The form is very informal, used for a friend or someone younger than oneself. I was taught that the vosotros form is used only in Spain, a relic of the Reina Valera period Spanish (like 'Old English', Reina Valera is 'Old Spanish'). The vos form is new to me; I never learned about it in school. It is used everywhere here in Costa Rica, and it is reserved for good friends one's age. And the verb conjugation resembles the tu form and has accents like the vosotros form. It's weird, but is sounds cool when used correctly. I want to learn! Also, here in Costa Rica, everyone uses when talking to one another, regardless of age. It's almost indecent to use the tu form unless one is angry.
Like I said, random.
When I return, I will expound on the ideas of TLC. It's long.
I just wanted to mention something random.
YOU, YOU, YOU ALL, and YOU:
When I took Spanish in the States, we are only taught two forms of second person: second person singular and second person plural, tu and ustedes. Or, you and you all. There are two other forms of you: you formal, and you friend. More or less. In Spanish, those two are the vosotros form and the vos form respectively. I was generally taught that usted or ustedes is used formally for someone older or someone you've just met, or someone you respect. The form is very informal, used for a friend or someone younger than oneself. I was taught that the vosotros form is used only in Spain, a relic of the Reina Valera period Spanish (like 'Old English', Reina Valera is 'Old Spanish'). The vos form is new to me; I never learned about it in school. It is used everywhere here in Costa Rica, and it is reserved for good friends one's age. And the verb conjugation resembles the tu form and has accents like the vosotros form. It's weird, but is sounds cool when used correctly. I want to learn! Also, here in Costa Rica, everyone uses when talking to one another, regardless of age. It's almost indecent to use the tu form unless one is angry.
Like I said, random.
When I return, I will expound on the ideas of TLC. It's long.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Blessed
Yes I am. Really.
My host family is so loving to me--I joke around with my brothers Edgar and Esteban, my host father always gives me a hug, my host nieces Raquel and Camila take an interest in what I have to say and try to include me in what they're doing. Camila has recently started reaching out to hold my hand when we walk to the store with doña Isabel, and just after lunch today, my host mom told me that every day she thanked God that I was the student he picked for her family because I'm easy to live with and quick to learn. She teased me about being able to eat nearly everything she puts in front of me (which is something new to a family who has hosted many North American students), and how I ask so politely when I'm confused.
I'm so thankful that when I drew from the family lottery that God wanted me here to be a blessing to this family. What they'll never be able to fully understand is how much of a blessing they are to me!
By the way: Happy Valentine's Day (or Day of Friendship in Costa Rica)!
My host family is so loving to me--I joke around with my brothers Edgar and Esteban, my host father always gives me a hug, my host nieces Raquel and Camila take an interest in what I have to say and try to include me in what they're doing. Camila has recently started reaching out to hold my hand when we walk to the store with doña Isabel, and just after lunch today, my host mom told me that every day she thanked God that I was the student he picked for her family because I'm easy to live with and quick to learn. She teased me about being able to eat nearly everything she puts in front of me (which is something new to a family who has hosted many North American students), and how I ask so politely when I'm confused.
I'm so thankful that when I drew from the family lottery that God wanted me here to be a blessing to this family. What they'll never be able to fully understand is how much of a blessing they are to me!
By the way: Happy Valentine's Day (or Day of Friendship in Costa Rica)!
Friday, February 13, 2009
More hard work
Golly, I hate homework. I hate it. That's too bad, huh, seeing as I'm a study-abroad student...
This week, they gave us just as many papers as the last week, and a few mini oral exams. I actually like the oral exams because I can pick a subject and run with it. I'm good at that.
I've noticed some more -itos that I think will be interesting:
GRAFFITTI:
Seriously, it's everywhere. And it looks like graffitti is mostly found on walls without murals. I've only seen one mural with graffitied writing on it. Maybe the young people are respecting other artists...? Regardless, the graffitti was one of the first things I noticed coming to San José. You can really tell a ton about the city you're living in if you pay attention to the graffitti. For instance, I kept seeing phrases in Spanish like, "Costa Rica, say NO to TLC!" or "Costa Rica doesn't sell! NO TLC!" along with the frequent brush paintings of former president Bush's face with devil's horns, or Mickey Mouse ears (this one really confused me). I also see many phrases denouncing Oscar Arias, CR's current president, with all sorts of explicit suggestions of what should be done to him for "giving in" to "TLC". Thus, the conclusions I draw solely from the graffitti is that 1) TLC must be some governmental manuever, 2) the young people (since it is assumed that generally high school to college-aged students would dream of posting their personal thoughts on a wall) disagree with TLC, 3) the US government must also be playing a part somewhere, and 4) the current CR president has angered the youth either by his involvement with TLC, or with Bush. I never knew graffitti to be so political! And yes, now I know the "full" story behind the graffitti, which I must unfortunately save for another post. It's long.
U.S. EMBASSY:
My culture class took a "field trip" to the U.S. Embassy on the northwestern side of San José. I was a bit peeved that none of the teachers told us we would have to pay our own fare, as I just had enough for that day and today. Now I'm in debt to two girls and my host mom until I can get more money from my card. Oh well. It's life...
The Embassy was huge, with perfectly manicured lawns, and guards, and huge iron gates, and no pictures allowed. None. The guards confiscated cameras at the entrance.
Maybe I was really sensitive, but it bothered me--all of the big-ness, and the high security, and the fact it was out of the way of the city, up in the mountains, and in the rich part of town.
GAYS AND LESBIANS:
As I'm sure many of you may have guessed, there are few gays and lesbians in CR. Nonetheless, I have seen couples, and they are usually in the younger generation. There aren't too many in the 40's and up generation from what I can tell.
ABORTION:
It's illegal in this country, except for extreme cases where death of the mother or of both would cause a doctor to recommend an abortion. The illegal clinics where abortions are done are hard to find and expensive.
CHILDREN:
Nearly everybody loves little children here. On the buses, if a lady gets on the bus with a cute little toddler in tow, the other passengers will talk to the child and tell him/her how cute they are, or how strong--baby talk. I have never seen that in the U.S. Ticos will also talk to any children and baby talk them.
Okay, I am (in the words of my host brother Esteban) "Mucho cansing"--from muy cansada which means very tired. It's a made-up Spanglish term.
Good night!
This week, they gave us just as many papers as the last week, and a few mini oral exams. I actually like the oral exams because I can pick a subject and run with it. I'm good at that.
I've noticed some more -itos that I think will be interesting:
GRAFFITTI:
Seriously, it's everywhere. And it looks like graffitti is mostly found on walls without murals. I've only seen one mural with graffitied writing on it. Maybe the young people are respecting other artists...? Regardless, the graffitti was one of the first things I noticed coming to San José. You can really tell a ton about the city you're living in if you pay attention to the graffitti. For instance, I kept seeing phrases in Spanish like, "Costa Rica, say NO to TLC!" or "Costa Rica doesn't sell! NO TLC!" along with the frequent brush paintings of former president Bush's face with devil's horns, or Mickey Mouse ears (this one really confused me). I also see many phrases denouncing Oscar Arias, CR's current president, with all sorts of explicit suggestions of what should be done to him for "giving in" to "TLC". Thus, the conclusions I draw solely from the graffitti is that 1) TLC must be some governmental manuever, 2) the young people (since it is assumed that generally high school to college-aged students would dream of posting their personal thoughts on a wall) disagree with TLC, 3) the US government must also be playing a part somewhere, and 4) the current CR president has angered the youth either by his involvement with TLC, or with Bush. I never knew graffitti to be so political! And yes, now I know the "full" story behind the graffitti, which I must unfortunately save for another post. It's long.
U.S. EMBASSY:
My culture class took a "field trip" to the U.S. Embassy on the northwestern side of San José. I was a bit peeved that none of the teachers told us we would have to pay our own fare, as I just had enough for that day and today. Now I'm in debt to two girls and my host mom until I can get more money from my card. Oh well. It's life...
The Embassy was huge, with perfectly manicured lawns, and guards, and huge iron gates, and no pictures allowed. None. The guards confiscated cameras at the entrance.
Maybe I was really sensitive, but it bothered me--all of the big-ness, and the high security, and the fact it was out of the way of the city, up in the mountains, and in the rich part of town.
GAYS AND LESBIANS:
As I'm sure many of you may have guessed, there are few gays and lesbians in CR. Nonetheless, I have seen couples, and they are usually in the younger generation. There aren't too many in the 40's and up generation from what I can tell.
ABORTION:
It's illegal in this country, except for extreme cases where death of the mother or of both would cause a doctor to recommend an abortion. The illegal clinics where abortions are done are hard to find and expensive.
CHILDREN:
Nearly everybody loves little children here. On the buses, if a lady gets on the bus with a cute little toddler in tow, the other passengers will talk to the child and tell him/her how cute they are, or how strong--baby talk. I have never seen that in the U.S. Ticos will also talk to any children and baby talk them.
Okay, I am (in the words of my host brother Esteban) "Mucho cansing"--from muy cansada which means very tired. It's a made-up Spanglish term.
Good night!
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