We’re with you, Marie.) (Courtesy of Marie Hawkins) “The warmth of the Ticos, the weather, the landscape, the coffee, the pejibayes!” she raved. When asked what she loves most about this little piece of Earth, she says it’s a mix. When she turned 18, she married a Tico and moved to Costa Rica, where she had two daughters and worked as a teacher.Īfter 23 years, she moved back to Tennessee for personal reasons, but she wasn’t done with Costa Rica. Marie Hawkins is a writer who was born in Kingsport, Tennessee to a U.S. Marie Elena Hawkins (Courtesy of Marie Hawkins) See also: The Alabama woman who became Costa Rica’s first lady While the First Lady says she hasn’t yet received her cédula, or national identity card, she feels really proud to have become a citizen – and that she’ll let us know as soon as it arrives. After that, she and her family will get together at their home and celebrate, as they do every year. ![]() She says she also liked the fact that she could walk around peacefully, just as in her hometown of Madrid, and that beautiful tourism destinations are easy to get to when she wants to catch her breath and escape the city.Īs for today, September 15, she has a jam-packed government agenda to attend to. When reminiscing about what made her fall in love with Costa Rica, she said it was mostly the people. Peñas Domingo holds degrees in political science and international relations and is a rural development specialist. “She kept telling me what I always tell her: ‘ Ya sabes lo que sabes – you know what you know – now just do your thing,’” Peñas recalled. Watch President Solís tell The Tico Times about his own family history of immigration.Įven though her whole family was supportive, Peñas says that Inés, her daughter, born in 2006, was the one who helped her calm down. “But those who choose this country as their homeland of their own free will deserve twice the credit, because they do it consciously, not just because of the call of their blood or their land.” “Those of us who are Costa Ricans and love Costa Rica are proud to call ourselves its daughters and sons,” he wrote on Facebook. That weekend, the President posted on social media to express his pride. The exam has two parts, one focused on Spanish proficiency and one focused on social studies, which are administered on different days. “I knew everything, but I was scared to mess up.” “I was really nervous,” Peñas, who hails from Spain, told The Tico Times this week. She’s lived here for 27 years, has a Costa Rican daughter and is the long-time partner of President Luis Guillermo Solís, but it wasn’t until this year that Mercedes Peñas finally took the naturalization exam. We hope to tell more stories from new Ticos in 2018!)įirst Lady Mercedes Peñas Domingo (Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera via Facebook) (Why only women? Just a coincidence: of the new Costa Ricans we reached out to, all those who responded by press time were women. Because, just like other Ticos and Ticas, they celebrate Independence Day with pride and lots of love. Today, on the 196th anniversary of Costa Rica’s Independencia, we want to share their stories and their excitement with you. Their link? During the past twelve months, all five have gone through the process of becoming a Costa Rican citizen. ![]() At first glance, the First Lady of the Republic, a writer from Tennessee, an Australian small-business owner, a Honduran student, and an eight-month-old baby girl living in cold Alaska have absolutely nothing in common.īut that’s only at first glance.
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