When we arrived at the port of Puntarenas, we walked around the boardwalk area and then went to a restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we headed back to Ciudad Quesada, and on the way back we stopped at Alejandro’s aunt and uncle’s house for coffee.
We spent a beautiful weekend together, and I am grateful to have met a family that is willing to answer all my questions about Costa Rican culture. Seeing as it was Alejandro’s parents, Rosemary and Federico’s, anniversary, we naturally spent much of the weekend talking about their marriage, stories from early in their relationship, and about the roles of men and women in society and in marriage. Here I’d like to share with you all some of the stories they told with me, as well as some other information about the perceived roles of men and women in Costa Rican culture.
Rosemary and Federico met when they were 16 and 18 years old, respectively. They spent 8 years together before they were married. At the time, it was unthinkable that a woman would move out of her parents' home before marriage. Rosemary spent years imagining a life with independence from her parents and wanted to marry Federico as soon as possible. Federico, however, felt significant pressure to be completely financially independent before marrying Rosemary and taking her out of her parents' home. Federico shared that he grew up with very little money, and earning money at the time was a difficult feat. He felt insecure about marrying Rosemary because he wouldn’t be able to provide for her.
