Hola a
todos! It’s been a while since I’ve done this segment of my blogs, and I
thought that it would be a great way to show my progress of becoming more like
a Nicaraguan (for better and for worse as you soon shall see). So enjoy!
Hopefully this will help to explain some of the weird things I do when I come
back home.
Nica Facial Expressions: As much as it pains me to admit
this, I have picked up the very Nica habit of using my lips to point to things
while I’m talking. When I was in training this used to drive me crazy because
it made it even harder to understand Nicaraguans. Now I do it when I
can’t/don’t feel like using my hands to point. To my American readers: please
help me stop when I come back home.
Nica Cooking: I now willing cook Nicaraguan foods for the
majority of my meals. This includes: gallo pinto (of course….), a whole
multitude of fried food (fish, plantains, breadfruit…), and all kinds of food
that contains coconut milk. I also have started putting ketchup on EVERYTHING.
It’s terrible…and delicious. Don’t worry mom, I still manage to squeeze some fruits
and vegetables in there J
Nica Beauty: Contrary to the stereotypes surrounding Peace
Corps volunteers, I actually spend more time on my appearance than I did in the
states. This is mainly due to the fact that Nicaraguans put a lot pride on
their appearance. Therefore, in order to not blend in with the more touristy
white people who usually come in tevas and khaki pants (not that this is a bad
thing, I just have to integrate, and they don’t), I have to put in an extra
effort with my appearance. This includes: using hair accessories, regularly
having my nails painted with elaborate designs, and actually wearing makeup.
Nica Music: Although I was already in love with all kinds of
latin music, I was not with reggae. Thanks to my neighbors who blast the reggae
remix of almost every song you can think of, I’ve slowly come to not only
appreciate, but actually like reggae music. If any of you readers need
convincing to get on the reggae train, check out Lucky Duube. He’s a South
African reggae artist who is the Bob Marely of the musical world here. In
addition to having super smooth melodies, his songs also cover a lot of complex
and relevant issues. As country music is really popular with the creoles here,
I also have developed an appreciation for this genre as well.
Nica House Calls: Another wonderful part of f Nica culture
is the impromptu house calls. People here rarely like to make solid plans
unless pressed. Therefore, most visits are unannounced and can occur at all
hours of the day. After being here for over seven months, this no longer
perplexes me. Rather, I have started embracing this tradition. Instead of
calling someone to try and set up a visit, I’ll usually get up and walk to
their house (barring that they live close by) to call on them. To my American
readers: when I show up to your house unannounced and am perplexed at why you
may be upset/caught off guard, this is why.
Well, that’s all I can think of right now. I’m sure that
there are a multitude more, but you’ll have to wait until the next post in this
segment to hear about it.
