A most difficult thing to get used to is the way Costa Ricans view time. When invited to a social event in the United States or Canada, it's considered ill-mannered to arrive late. Not in Costa Rica. Should you receive an invitation for dinner, say at 8 p.m., and you actually arrive at that time, you are likely to embarrass the hosts; she is probably in the shower and he is still at the office. Typically guests arrive from one-half hour to two hours late.

It doesn't matter, because the 8 o'clock dinner isn't served until midnight anyway, with guests going home about 1 or 2 a.m. Even after several decades of exposure to Latin American time, I've never understood it nor will I ever. When invited for a social gathering at 8 p.m., I always ask, "Is that 8 o'clock Tico time, or 8 o'clock gringo time?" The reply is usually a grin and, "Better make that 9 o'clock."

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