Recently I was in a Florida store when the subject of Costa Rica came up. Funny, it seems to come up a lot when I’m around. Could it be that I steer the conversation that way? No! Couldn’t be.

Anyway two people, a man and an unrelated woman each looked horrified when I said I was living in Costa Rica. The man looked at me with a pitying stare and gave me the wisest advice he knew how to give. “Hope you know how to dodge the bullets” he said shaking his head in disbelief that anyone would go anywhere out of his particular county of Florida. I happened to know that in his very small town there had been three car-jackings on one lazy Saturday afternoon, but he preferred to think he was safe while the rest of the world was in danger.

The woman asked with a very superior tone to her voice “What about the rebels?” I told her there are no rebels in Costa Rica and she must be thinking of somewhere in Africa, but of course you can’t convince a closed mind.

I tried to explain to each of them that Costa Rica is far safer than Florida but they would have none of it.

That same week there was news of two serial killers in different parts of the United States. And then there was the story of the U.S. Marine wounded in Iraq and on leave from Walter Reid Army Hospital. Surgeons had to remove one leg and one arm. He was released from the hospital to go out to dinner with his wife. And outside the restaurant the couple was attacked by a gang of youths who saw he was unable to fight back. They beat up the Marine and his wife and stole $500 sent to them by loving relatives.

Nearby Orlando (Florida) had just passed it’s own worst record ever for homicides at 36 and a man run down by one car while crossing the street was then run over by three more cars. And of course none of the four drivers stopped to help.

Yet these two people thought Costa Rica dangerous even though they didn’t even know where Costa Rica is.

COSTA RICA is not entirely crime free. San Jose has some dangerous neighborhoods. But the simple truth is that people are far safer in Costa Rica than in the United States. Most Costa Ricans are kind and generous and will do anything they can to help others particularly people from North America and Europe.

We are having a security system installed on our property because it just makes sense to do so. We watch other cars as we travel for suspicious behavior but we really feel far safer in Costa Rica than back home and I think you will too.