Third World?

The term "third world" was coined in the Cold War, and was used to describe countries that didn't prescribe to capitalism (first world) or socialism (second world). I always thought the divisions were based on the wealth of the nation! According to the UN, there are three types of country based on safety and health of living: developed, developing (Costa Rica), and underdeveloped. Their GDP per capita is approximately 1/4th the size of the U.S.'s. There are 4.7 million people in an area about 5/6 the size of West Virginia. The poverty rate is about 23%. But the question remains: what is the quality of life in Costa Rica? Is Costa Rica poor?

A new measure called the Happy Planet Index describes Costa Rica as the happiest nation on Earth. They give scores to countries that combine their ecological footprint, life expectancy, and experienced well-being of inhabitants (includes reported happiness, education, etc.). The U.S. is ranked 105th out of 151, almost entirely because the quantified ecological footprint score is 3 times higher than Costa Rica's; the life expectancy is 0.8 years lower, and the experienced well-being is 0.1 points lower. This measure tries to have a different take on the world than the GDP, which assumes that wealth is the only/best measure of success.

Observations

There are some things that, as an American, seem very strange to be without. For example, most people have a washing machine, but nobody has a dryer—everything dries in the open air (despite the almost daily rain). My host mother told me it's because they use so much energy. Some families have a car or motorbike, but rarely use it—you can get most places easily by bus or on foot. My host family has one car, which is owned by a son who uses it to drive to work. Except perhaps for the very wealthy in this equatorial nation, nobody has air conditioning. Many businesses have it, especially the American brands (Walmart, Pizza Hut), but people at home prefer to leave windows and doors open for the air to circulate. Most of the time you don't really need it, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it when I was trying to go to sleep! It's also very common for people to share bedrooms and house people for extended periods of time. In my host mother' sister's home there are two children who come and go throughout the week, but extra mattresses around for 4 more. Currently there are two past exchange students visiting there, one of whom is staying for several weeks. In my boyfriend's host home, a friend of the daughter's is staying in a spare bedroom for an extended period. It's unarguably cheaper for the guest than hotels/apartments, and I get the feeling that Costa Ricans really enjoy full houses and guests.

4-patty double Big Mac for $3

And again, as an American, there are plenty of things that surprise me to see in a "third world country." I see so many people with smart phones, with probably as many being clutched by people on the bus as I might see in the U.S. The malls here are nicer than any I have ever been in elsewhere. Many products in those malls are as expensive or more expensive than they are in the U.S. (being imported really adds to the price). There are also a good deal of people with expensive road bicycles (the sort you would race), that easily run at least $1,000. People also eat out a great deal, similar to the U.S., but fast food is rarely the cheap option here. Our resident director told us that when he grew up, it would be a special treat at the end of the week for him and his siblings to go to McDonald's if they behaved. Another professor told us that it's stylish to eat at the fast food restaurants, and even a bit trendy to be fat for doing so.

Edit: something I totally forgot to talk about earlier was health, which I should totally remember to talk about! In 2005, the 5 most common illnesses in Costa Rican men were: alcohol dependence, car accidents, breathing problems, and HIV/AIDS. In women they were: rheumatoid arthritis, breathing problems, asthma, depressive disorders, and HIV/AIDS. There are also annual problems with dengue, malaria, and diarrhea, when the rain comes. When I say the rain comes I mean pretty much daily Old Testament-style downpours, so it's easy for water to become stagnant and a lovely breeding ground for mosquitos. Costa Rica has one of the best healthcare systems in the Americas, and spends 1/15th of what the U.S. does on healthcare. It's had socialized medicine since the 40s, and while effectively every resident is covered in the public system, people die on the waiting lists. For example, in the U.S. my little brother was diagnosed with a congenital hernia when he was about 5-years old. He was in surgery the next day to repair it. My boyfriend's host dad here was diagnosed with a hernia last September and has to wait for years for the surgery, because the system is so overloaded. I have read that the only things people are reliably on time for here (I haven't verified this myself) are movies, work, and doctor's appointments.

This is perhaps a small reflection of lack of resources: if there were more money they could have more doctors and hospitals, and the waiting lists would be manageable. But it is also a signal of the main topic of discussion between Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla Miranda and President Obama a few weeks ago: the emigration of educated Costa Ricans. School is mandatory here, and public school is free through high school like in the U.S. University education is extremely cheap, but graduate school is neither cheap nor very diverse in the available fields of study, so many graduate students go to the U.S. and don't return. President Chinchilla was asking a lot about how to ensure that educated Costa Ricans stay in Costa Rica to contribute to society.

Conclusions

In the end, obviously "third world" is the wrong label if you're trying to understand the quality of life here, because whether the country is capitalist or socialist has at best, only a loose correlation with what we're actually wanting to know. There is definitely a lower standard of living here than in the U.S., but that's true of very many countries. I don't feel like I'm "roughing it" here. There are a few creature comforts missing, but it is difficult to say that the Costa Ricans are really missing out on anything when they have different priorities.