Nicaragua and Bananas

This week I was looking forward to talking to my Tica mom about Nicaraguans. Through classes, news, and other people I have heard about how Costa Ricans do not like Nicaraguans for various reasons, therefore it causes conflict. In the past, when talking to my Tica mom about “controversial” topics, I have found that she has always had a very positive outlook. For example, when we talked about coffee culture and the idea of Starbucks, much to my surprise, she said that she loves Starbucks! She said that they use Costa Rican coffee (never mind that they mix the beans), and the only problem is that it is rather expensive. This was very surprising because most Ticans I have talked to are very against Starbucks because it mixes beans, which decreases the quality and the coffee, overall is just bad. Based on past positive responses, I was interested to see whether my Tica mom would share the negative opinion of Nicaraguans like many other Costa Ricans. The first thing my Tica mom said was the Nicaraguans were very easy to spot. Their face shape, as well as their accent, gives them away instantly, which I found very interesting because I would never be able to tell the difference! I guess that could be why spotting Gringos is so easy for them. If telling the difference between a Nicaraguan and a Tican is so easy, picking out an American must be a piece of cake. When I asked about their presence in Costa Rica, my Tica mom pointed out that there are a lot of Nicaraguans as well as people from Panama (Panamanians?).  Many of them work on the coffee plantations. When asking about how that affects Costa Rica, she said that although many people make a fuss over their presence, she doesn’t mind at all. She said, “Ticans wouldn’t want to work on the coffee plantations anyway” so it’s a good thing that there are people who want to work there. I realize this kind of response is probably rare, however I find it fascinating and very refreshing. I’ve always compared the feeling of Ticans towards Nicaraguan immigrants to be similar to how people in the U.S. feel about Mexican immigrants coming to the U.S. Many people in the U.S. don’t like it because the Mexican immigrants are taking jobs and working for less, which is “unfair.” However, those jobs aren’t wanted by Americans anyway, so in reality it’s just the premise of having our jobs taken that sparks the opposition. I believe that it is similar in Costa Rica. Although people in Costa Rica wouldn’t want to work on the coffee plantations anyway, they still don’t want Nicaraguans coming and taking those jobs because of that premise. As a result of what I have learned, I want to become more open minded when I get back to the U.S. especially when it comes to the issue of immigrants. I want to be more like my Tica mom, being accepting of other people and situations. Before judging or taking a side, I should think, “Is it really necessary or beneficial that these rights/jobs be reserved only for a certain group of people?”

                When talking to my Tica family about Nicaraguans, we talked a lot about Nicaragua in general and life there. One of the first things my family told me about was the poverty. They warned me that it is much more evident there, with many people begging in the streets. And as a matter of fact, that is one of the first things I noticed upon arrival in Nicaragua. Children were waiting for us to get off the bus immediately after arriving. It made me think back to Costa Rica and how even though I know there is poverty, it is more hidden. Another theme for this week is bananas. With regards to fruit in Nicaragua, although the fruits served are the same as in Costa Rica, they are much less abundant. In the entire three days we were there, I believe I saw all of one or two fruit carts. The picture below is in the central park in Granada (the one right outside of our hotel). 

As you can tell from the photo, this fruit cart is very small, whereas in Costa Rica, as I walk to school I see at least 5 fruit stands filled with fruit. I’m very curious as to why that is. One other thing my Tica family told me before leaving was not to drink to the water or buy food off the street because it is very unsanitary. I wonder if this could have an effect on the fruit. If the water is bad and other foods are bad to buy off the street, I’m sure fruit would be awful, carrying many diseases. I went to Nicaragua expecting the sale of fruit to be as abundant as it is in Costa Rica and I also expected the quality to be good. Fruit seems like such a staple to all of Latin America, therefore I figured that its presentation would be just as elaborate as it is in Costa Rica. After visiting, one of the things I learned is that all Latin American countries are different. Although the countries are similar in their political and economic structure, each one as a different culture, with different values, and more specifically, different food staples. This experience has encouraged me to take the time to learn more about the countries in Latin America; what are their food staples and how is their culture similar and different to U.S. culture as well as Costa Rican culture?