Week four

Over the last four weeks I have been observing and listening to the things people say and the customs of the people I am living with and around. I have found that this is an interesting place. In this post I will describe some of the interesting things I have learned about Nicaragua since I got here.

Firstly are the motorcycles. There are motorcycles everywhere. I am pretty sure that there are more motorcycles than cars in Nica. Most of the time the motorcycles will be carrying more than one person, usually a man and a woman, the man bringing the woman to work or something like that. The interesting thing about this situation is that in almost every case the man is wearing a helmet but the woman is not. I was told at one point that the government noticed how many people used a motorcycle to get to work and transport things but that no one was wearing a helmet. So the government funded an effort to get helmets to the people. Oddly enough this has only helped half of the people riding motorcycles. I also really love the fact that the man is always wearing the helmet, I suppose he would not want to die in a crash, too bad for the woman behind him…

Another interesting and slightly disturbing thing I have learned in Nicaragua is the deliberate lack of commitment. In Nicaragua and apparently other Latin American countries is was common for a man to have more than one lady, a lady that he would marry and have a family with and then another lady where he would just have another family with. Recently there has been a bit of a feminist uprising in Nicaragua and the women are not going to take the two timing any more. No, instead they are going to join the men in their infidelity. So in Nicaragua no one marries any longer, and it is a common and accepted thing for a woman to have a child and raise it on her own.  I asked how the more religious people took this, and was told that they do their own things and try their best to either ignore it or try not to be so obvious when they themselves participate in the actions. I can only imagine some of the drama that must go on with some of these people.

Other strange thing here in Nicaragua is that after you use the bathroom, do not put the paper in the toilet, instead put it in the conveniently located trash can next to the toilet. If you do continue to put the paper in the toilet you might end up with a hefty bill to clear up the septic system…

It gets soo hot here during the middle of the day, no wonder the Spanish invented the mid-day siesta, it is totally impossible to work at that time of day! I am starting to really dislike the heat down here. I was not made for this type of heat, and everywhere I stay, the only relief is a fan and the occasional breeze…

Also my stomach is still off and on. Today I ate my last lunch with the family before I moved into my new home for the next four weeks. All we had was chicken potatoes and rice, but now I feel like crap… I guess it is time to venture out for a ginger ale. Here’s hoping that the new cooking does better things for my digestion…

Also leaving my family was a little weird. I am sure they were told at the beginning of my stay with them that I would only be with them for a month. But when it came time for me to leave they wanted me to stay so badly. Like when I told them that I was going to the other place they got offended like I did not like living there. When I told them that it was because I signed up for a month here and a month there and that I could not change it, they still asked if I had wanted to stay if I would have. It might have something to do with me not speaking a lot of Spanish and something getting lost in translation. But I think they were just acting a little too funny to just want me to stay because they liked me. All in all I liked my stay and would stay with them again if I came to Nica, although hopefully they will not mind if I bring my girlfriend with me the next time.