One thing I planned to do with the Costa Rica Daily Boost, but have neglected a bit, was to celebrate great dates in Costa Rican history. So to make up for lost time, here are three at once.
Today, in 1949, the author of the words to Costa Rica’s national anthem died. I don’t know about you, but I am very partial to the words of Costa Rica’s national anthem. I learned them as a college intern living with a beautiful family in Tibás; the dad made me learn the words and sing the anthem for visiting family members, who listened gleefully. (This was very good preparation for working for the president, as it turned out, since I attended approximately 1,007 events where the anthem was sung.) The lyrics are a gorgeous celebration of peace, hard work and humilty. They also remind us that tranquil farmers are always ready to tear shit up if anyone gets in their way. Thank you, José María Zeledón.
Tomorrow, Dec. 7, in 1976, the Clodomiro Picado Prize was created for excellence in science. Clodomiro Picado was a Nicaraguan-born badass Costa Rican scientist whose name also endows the Clodomiro Picado Institute, a world leader in snakebite research whose scientists save lives all around the world. It’s seriously amazing. You can read about it here.
And Sunday, Dec. 8, is the anniversary of the day that the Parque Nacional was created. This is one of my favorite spots in all of San José, for the following reasons. 1. It’s gorgeous. 2. It was the start of my morning walk to work when I first became a reporter here. 3. It’s home to the National Monument, which an evangelical legislator climbed and then refused to come down, at great public expense (emergency workers had to surround the statue for hours, as well as a very annoyed gringa reporter who had a hard time not heckling him), because he was protesting the government’s punishments of noise pollution by evangelical churches. And 4. It has a little pool with a tiny bridge across it and mermaids painted on the bottom. What else could you want from a park? If you’re in San José, pay it a visit and chill out for a while.
Here’s a recap of this week’s posts:
Monday Motivation: Environmental alarm bells are going off in Costa Rica.
Tuesday Beauty: A poem about December in warm places.
Wellness Wednesday: A champion for mental health in Costa Rica.
Travel Thursday: What are the best Costa Rican spots to visit when the rain stops?
Have a great weekend!
I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter).
katherine stanley obando 
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