CultureShock! Costa Rica

CultureShock! Costa Rica is an indispensable companion for anyone who wishes to live and work amongst Central America’s famously friendly people. Life in Costa Rica often turns out to be more complicated than it seems at first glance but this book will not only help you quedar bien (be on good terms) with the Ticos, it will also provide practical tips on how to settle down in the country, such as where to stay and how to get around. Learn about local attitudes and tradition, and how to manoeuvre through the country’s business customs and environment. CultureShock! Costa Rica will help you adapt to this intriguing society while appreciating its fascinating and unique qualities


Claire Wallerstein’s journalism career started in London, although she soon escaped the British climate to work as a freelance foreign correspondent for The Guardian and the BBC. Claire loves languages (as well as English, she speaks Spanish, German and French) and also works as a translator. She has lived and worked in Germany, Spain, the Philippines and Venezuela, and has travelled widely through Europe, East Africa and South-east Asia. During two years spent criss-crossing Latin America, she visited Angel Falls, Machu Picchu and the Panama Canal—but left feeling most impressed by her experiences in tiny Costa Rica. She spent several months living among the Ticos to research this book, doing everything from participating in archaeological expeditions and crossing crocodile-infested rivers to spending time in indigenous communities and hanging out with the country’s top surfers.