Why Not Costa Rica? It's Much Closer to

Posted: Jul 8, 2014

We are told that the children from Central America invading our southern border are seeking a life free of political persecution with opportunities to advance their educations. OK, I can understand that. What I can’t understand is why these children have to undergo the travails of threading their way through the iniquity and corruption of Mexico to attain their goals in the United States when there exists a very attractive alternative right in their own backyard. Way back in the late 1940’s Costa Rica disbanded its army and promulgated laws to ensure that all of its young people were entitled to a free education. That national edict now extends to a college education at state expense. And these are national directives that the good people of Costa Rica take quite seriously. Drive down any highway in that beautiful country and you will quickly become frustrated with the too frequent Zonas Escuealas that crop up every few kilometers. But each and every one of those rural school zones are the seed beds for greater educational growth and national development. So let’s look at a few positives for those youngsters abandoning say, the Dominican Republic, for a future in the United States. Costa Rica is much, much closer and you do not have to cross the lengthy and predatory state of Mexico. And, hey, you speak the same language so that huge linguistic barrier no longer is a factor. Then there is the cultural adaptation that will be considerable in the U.S. but will be negligible in Costa Rica, a country seriously Americanized while still maintaining its Tico culture. The food is still rice and beans. So, if your goal is self-improvement through education free from governmental oppression, Costa Rica presents a very workable alternative. ;