Originally Posted by Blarobbarg

Thanks!

Nicaragua is tragically beautiful. It's a country marred by centuries of colonialism, slavery, dictators, poverty, and bloodshed. The shadow of the revolution in the 80's and 90's is always looming. There was so much hope that life would turn around, they ousted a horrible, violent, evil man only to replace him with another. The government is very visible, and many Nicaraguans are nationalists to a fault, but much of that is just a mask to protect themselves. The Nicaraguans that are opposed to their government usually keep quiet about it, because as my Spanish professor put it, "people disappear."

The culture is so oversexualized that any vaguely attractive woman (or any gringa, ever) is going to be whistled at, hit on, or propositioned completely unashamedly by just about any random guy on the street. My assumption is that most of these men are married, it's rare to find men 30 or above who aren't, here. On that note, violence against women and girls is pretty acceptable here, so the number of girls or women that have physical or mental scars resulting from abuse is very, very high.

I see drunks, addicts, and homeless people on an everyday basis. They're everywhere. Most of the kids in the country don't receive education, because though the schooling is free, they are required to wear a uniform, which is outside of the price range for the majority of Nicaraguan families. Therefore, kids work like adults, often for longer hours and in harsher conditions that anyone I know in the United States, selling odds and ends on the street or in the bus terminals. Many kids are without families, or in more cases, have families that they don't feel safe around, so they just wander.

The people (with exceptions, to be sure) are usually pretty closed off and cold to strangers, even to other Nicaraguans. My theory is that they're so used to be stomped on their entire lives they're just done with everyone and everything. So many I meet are consumed by apathy or depression. A lot of people are absolutely desperate for hope. Many more have given up on ever having any, and have accepted their lot in life.

The countryside is breathtaking, and it's great to be able to see mountains, volcanoes, lakes, jungles, etc... but honestly, the reality of the sea of dying humanity around me takes away some of the prettiness.

There are great Nicaraguans to be sure (I know a lot of them), and there are people looking for a better life, and there are people who want to better Nicaragua, but they are in the minority. The country is a long way away from being "modern."