This will be my home for the next several months. I live in a small compound, or vicindario, surrounded by a stone walls and a huge iron gate. The compound contains four other single-story homes each with their own families. Usually when I come home, there are about 5-8 kids running around the vicindario. It makes for an interesting welcome.
When visiting my other classmates, I have noticed that the homes they live in are also part of a community of 3-5 homes in close vicinity of each other guarded by an iron gate that is usually locked after a certain time in the evening. This type of housing pattern seems to be prominent at least here in the town of Santa Ana (I can’t comment on the rest of Costa Rica)
On hot and humid days, when the ventilation within the homes are not optimal, you’ll usually find everyone sitting outside their fronts doors chatting with each other. It’s social and friendly. Having the iron gate at the front allows everyone to feel secure in keeping their doors wide open during the day. It’s not unusual for a neighbor to drop by unannounced to eat breakfast at our table or meander in during the evening to chat about the what’s been said on the news.
