Mae of the Week: December 23

Smith, pictured here, preparing to spend another Christmas alone at Playa Flamingo in the province of Guanacaste

This week’s M.O.T.W. is Daniel Smith. Smith, a self-proclaimed ‘Gringo-Tico’ after his 1.5 years in Costa Rica, loves to complain about everything that is different from the U.S. while maintaining no desire to ever return.

Having lived in Costa Rica for 18 months illegally, Smith has never made a ‘visa run’ due to his legally diagnosed ‘gringoenza.’ Though he claims to be fluent in Spanish, he admits to only knowing certain phrases like “Cuanto cuesta?,” “Livin’ la vida loca,” and “Juanes.”