I am enjoying my four day break because I didn't have class on Friday, and because of the Nicaraguan independence celebration this weekend, I will not have class on Monday either. So far, I absolutely love my classes. I feel that we are talking about issues that are important and will help me in a future career. I love hearing about agricultural issues, policy, and trade restrictions. The Nicaraguan independence parade should start in the next hour or so. I will probably go and watch it, but I am perfectly content to sit here with my music and catch up on my work, and get stuff done. I need to find my sense of adventure :)
Shopping: People always say that shopping here is less expensive than shopping in the US. To a certain extent that is right but I much prefer shopping in the US. I am pretty fussy with what I buy. For example, the other day I had to buy another towel. In the US, I could drive to Walmart, Target, Kohls, etc. and have a choice of 20+ towels, and I could shop around for the one I liked best and wait for a sale or maybe even use a coupon. Here, there was one kind of towel, a relatively thin towel and it was $6. Not bad, but not what I would choose in the states. Another example is in the thrift stores. When I go thrift store shopping--I am looking for a bargain. Here, many thrift stores are over-priced. A well-worn shirt is usually $7 or $8. On the other hand, I did find a store this week that gets new clothes from stores like Gap, Banana Republic, LOFT, etc. and they were reasonably priced, so I am looking forward to doing a little shopping later on. Also, the other day I wanted to buy a binder (I had to take my binder out of my suitcase because it didn't fit). The binder I bought was not even new and looked like it had set on the shelf for a few years. The rings were almost rusty and the binder was full of dust. Definitely not a purchase I would have made in the States--but necessary to keeping me sane here. Finally, I bought pens here because I forgot to bring them along. I bought a bunch of pens, and they didn't even work! Quality that I would complain about in the US seems to be the norm here. Just an opinion.
On Life: In one of the books I read for a class, a man talked about returning from an extended period in Africa and became disgusted when a neighbor man spent all day (Saturday) working on his yard, fertilizing his lawn, trimming his trees, and then ended his day admiring his work with a cold beer. The man returning from Africa was disgusted and was ready to return to life in Africa. The story was written to evoke sympathy for the man returning from Africa and the lack of vision of the American man working in his yard. I, on the other hand feel like I see nothing wrong with spending an enjoyable Saturday afternoon working to take care of his yard. It is enjoyable and more valuable (in my opinion) than spending an afternoon watching television or maybe even going out to eat. In as much as I was hoping that time in Nicaragua would help me separate myself from American culture and the things that it values, I feel like I am clinging to the things I know and love even more. Feeling challenged.
Traffic: Getting around the town is stressful because traffic is so crazy. There are many crazy intersections, but rarely any four-way stops. I have a tendency to think that traffic will yield to the pedestrian (me) so I've almost gotten hit numerous times. Even if you have the right of way, you have to be careful because there are motorcycles and bicycles zooming around cars and will hit you if you are in their way. Definitely not the organized traffic in many US cities.
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