If you’re not yet living in Costa Rica, you may not have noticed that we really don’t have doorbells here. You may find some in the larger cities, or buzzers in high-rises but overall, doorbells are quite rare.

And while you could simply knock on the door, Costa Ricans have a culturally different way…

So as you walk up to your neighbor’s door, the way to announce your arrival is to say the following expression: ¡Upe! (pronounced oo-pay)

From what I’ve researched, this term is really only used in Costa Rica so trying this out in another Spanish speaking country may cause confusion 😉

There are so many ways to assimilate and integrate into Costa Rica culture. I hope you found this cultural insight helpful in your journey of moving abroad.