Crime and Costa Rica

Well, after a combined total of 10 months, I finally became victim of a crime (one worse than being overcharged for yogurt at the pulperia. I was walking with Janiere not far from the U. Latina, on our way to la Villa for a pitcher when this guy who had been walking in front of us stopped and turned off to the side. That should have been our first clue.

A few second later he was barreling down on me, grabbing my arm, and yanking my bag. I fought back a bit, but realizing that it was me and petite Janiere (who had $200 and her ATM card in her bag) I ended up just sort of giving up as he broke the strap off my arm.

So, I lost my cellphone and a little bit of money and I am now officially initiated into Costa Rican life. Once my friends found out I was ok, they all added, "yeah, well that always happens."

On the one hand, it makes me feel better that this is not unusual, that I wasn't specifically targeted any more than anyone else (although I am sure pur speaking English made us more of a target). Further, while crime is high, violent crime is not...and I'm fairly certain he didn't have a weapon...other than his hands which left pretty blakc and blue marks all over my arm.

On the other hand, it makes me really mad. Not just that I was grabbed and my stuff taken - but how incredibly helpless I felt. Yeah, my stuff's gone, I lost 30 phone numbers, and he broke my H&M purse. I didn't even bother to report it though, and I could probably buy my own cellphone back today in a pawn shop in San Jose. The police can't really do anything about it - nor do they even pretend that they're going to try.

This seems pretty stupid for a country that wants to be a tourist destination. Almost the only tourists I know who didn't like Costa Rica had been robbed - pickpocketed, had luggage stolen, ripped off by a driver or something like that. But sometimes Costa Ricans are so busy talking about the Costa Rican exception (ie peaceful, democratic, tropical paradise) that they don't bother to see that with the deterioration in social services and investment in human capital Costa Rica is stumbling into the same human security issues as the rest of Central America. Good for you - you haven't had a war since 1948...but you still have hungy people, poverty, unemployment, lack of education, poor infrastructure, and deteriorating health coverage.

Now all of this is fairly understandable in a country like El Salvador or Nicaragua which suffered military conflict and US intervention for decades before finally trying to put together a democracy. It would be ridiculous to expect them to just jump up, dismantle their culture of violence, and pow! create a working democracy with levels of high human security, social security coverage, and education.

But Costa Rica, my little tropical paradise, what's your excuse?