Sidebar #25 - Tico Time

If you’ve ever heard of the phrase “Island Time”, the concept of “Tico Time” is very similar. That might not be surprising given Costa Rica’s tropical nature. The phrase probably originated from disparaging gringos, so take this gringo’s perspective with a grain of salt too. In Costa Rica, like the majority of countries around the world, time is a little less rigid than it is stateside. If a meeting is scheduled to begin at 12:00, it could very easily begin at 12:05, or 12:15, or even 12:30 and it wouldn’t be that weird. Ticos value social interactions and family time tremendously, so often extra time spent catching up with friends and family delays the start of an event or activity. That being said, in more formal and professional institutions, like schools, punctuality is still an expectation. You’d most likely run into an incident of “Tico Time” for something more informal like a cafecito or a fiesta. It really doesn’t halt the flow of day-to-day activity here whatsoever, but it is a fun little quirk about living in Costa Rica.