Costa Ricans’ excessively polite way of talking is just one manifestation of the extreme value that the culture puts on respect. The good thing about this cultural trait is that it makes Costa Rica a friendly place for foreigners and everyone else. There has never been a guerrilla insurgency in Costa Rica, the country doesn’t have an army, and very rarely will you see two Ticos shouting at each other in the street. The downside, however, is that respect/deference at some point crosses the line into extreme non-confrontation. Anger gets hidden, real opinions are masked, and it’s quite difficult to know, really, what Ticos think about you. This attitude can have some very frustrating manifestations when it comes to business relationships (see below), while in everyday life it sometimes seems like Ticos are just doing their best to tell you what you want to hear – or tell you something, anything. They will give you directions to places they’ve never been, they will explain things they themselves don’t understand, and they will occasionally completely fabricate answers to your questions. Eventually, you learn to tell the difference between Ticos who know and Ticoswho are just telling you something because they are afraid to say “no” or “I don’t know.” But it can be bewildering, and it gets frustrating when this apparent inability to give straight answers or negative news carries over into retail and business.