So I’d like to start this entry with sharing the realization that I have experienced culture shock here in Nicaragua. I wasn’t sure if this would be something that would really be an issue for me and in reality it hasn’t been. In fact I didn’t even realize I had experienced it until I read some PC materials about what culture shock is like. So it’s taken me until now to be able to share it with you. Part of my goal of keeping this blog is to share the Nicaraguan culture and now that I don’t find it as crazy, I can laugh about the weird things that I see here.
At first I just felt down right guilty about everything, guilty about everything that I did have or didn’t have. For instance, I felt super guilty for having a laptop and bringing it out in front of my family. Then I felt super guilty that my bed was hard as a rock and that I thought that I deserved something better than what the rest of my family slept on. After getting over the guilt I was just plain angry about the poverty for quite awhile until I just started embracing everything Nica. This took quite some time, but now with three months here in Nica I can laugh at all the crazy and ridiculous things I see daily.
I’d love to share some of the things that led to my culture shock, but now I’ve accepted as part of my daily life here.
Oil- Every thing is cooked in massive amounts of oil. I’m talking a fried egg is literally drowned in oil so it cooks on both sides without flipping it. My stomach did not agree at first, but now I eat mostly just fresh food and cook my own eggs, thus avoiding the issue all together.
Beans- Red beans, not black, are served with every meal here. We all know beans are a great source of protein, but black beans are better for you than red. Black beans are even cheaper than red here, but because red beans are such a huge part of the culture a family will not buy black beans in place of red unless they are 2 points off starving. Frustrating!
Coffee- Some of the best is harvested here. Unfortunately most Nica families can only afford Presto instant coffee and that is what most families will offer their guests. The excellent coffee that is produced in the mountains is mainly exported to other countries before being sold locally because the coffee bean farmers can make more money this way. One only has to splurge a little bit more at the grocery store to get it.
American Clothes- Since many fabricas(factories) for American brands are located here, Hollister, American Eagle and A&F dominate the population. I wish I had some pictures, but everyone wears clothes with English writing and have no idea what it says. For example I saw an older lady, probably someone’s grandma, wearing a hot pink t-shirt that read “looking for Mr. tonight”. My all time favorite was the morning after our fiestas Patronales here in Nandasmo when I spotted the town drunk(Picado), still hammered wandering the streets with a bright orange t-shirt that boasted “I am the after party”, classic!
Noise- It’s constant unless you are purposely out in the wilderness. Fireworks are a daily performance in the streets. Trucks crawl through the streets announcing sales, fiestas, and other happenings via loudspeaker. Churches play loud music religiously, ha! My families TV is constantly on or we are blaring the radio, which I happen to love. Bands will not hesitate to play in the streets until 4 or 5 am. Loud and live music also makes for great fiestas!
Privacy and Personal Space- There is none. People are literally on top of you on public buses. People stand in your personal space at all times. There is nothing private from your Nica family. Everyone knows where you are in the house at all times, including the bathroom.
Transportation- The main mode of transportation is retired American yellow school buses that have been pimped out and repainted in bright colors. There is a bus schedule and for the most part it is followed accept when a bus breaks down, there are political rallies, or someone just decides not to drive their bus that day. In the isle of the bus there will be people selling food, drinks, or other random things and constantly yelling about the product that they are trying to convince you that you need. How does one know what bus to take? Well there will be a guy half hanging out the door yelling the names of the stops they are going to make of course!
Beaches- They are plentiful and have world class surfing . Most Nicas don’t enjoy swimming, mainly because they can’t. Come Semana Santa(like spring break here) Nicas will go all out and party relentlessly on the beaches for a week until they are physically destroyed.
Trash- Everywhere. I’ve learned to control my rage when I see people throw trash in the streets. Since there is no waist management system in many towns/villages, people will burn their trash in the street in front of their house. Can we say toxic?
Ok, so that all probably sounds really negative, but there are many great things about Nica. There are some beautiful Spanish colonial cities. The people are very nice and the land here is absolutely gorgeous. Some of the most beautiful volcanoes, lakes, and beaches can be found here. As you can see the people need education more than anything. I know the work that I have come here to do is appreciated and hopefully very effective in changing the future for Nicaraguans.
I hope I didn’t all scare you away from visiting because despite the lack of education here in Nicaragua there is a wealth of tradition, loving families, and a beautiful land awaiting you!
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