Nicaragua!

Nicaraguans in Costa Rica is a very touchy subject for many Ticans. Many Ticans do not like the fact that Nicaraguans are here taking jobs and using social welfare programming. When talking to my Tica mom, however, this did not seem to be the case for HER. When discussing Nicaragua, she said that Granada was beautiful and that it was very sad to see that many poor and hungry children. She understands why Nicaraguans come here for a better life, more money, and actual opportunities. As far as she is concerned, as long as they don't take the jobs of her husband or children, she doesn't mind. If our family was in a financial or social position where their jobs could be compromised by Nicaraguan workers, I think my Tica mom would have completely different sentiments. 

However, just because my mom may not have strong negative feelings towards Nicaraguans, that does not mean they do not exist. During my Semana Santa trip to Tortuguero, there was a Nicaraguan in my group. He looked Tican, and I would not have known otherwise if he had not told me. He wore a Nicaraguan charm on his necklace all weekend. When a Tican in our group asked him what it was, he silently took off his necklace, put it in his pocket, and said nothing after. Even though he was completely open with me saying that he is a Nicaraguan, he would not tell the Ticans in our group. I didn't ask, but I can assume that he didn't tell them because he did not want the negative stereotype to cloud their judgment of him. He is aware of the common perception of Nicaraguans in Costa RIca and did not want to deal with it. It was powerful and sad to witness this happen. 

For being so geographically close, Costa Rica and Nicaragua are incredibly different. One of the first things I noticed in Nicaragua was the poverty. From right when we crossed the border, there was no hiding the fact that there are an abundance of poor people in the country. There are certainly poor people in Costa Rica, but I think that the level of pride throughout the country makes it seem less obvious. There are also no starving women and children begging in the streets for food or money. This was difficult to see, but I have seen this too much in the United States. 

On the complete other end of the spectrum, I could not help but notice the cleanliness of Granada. I understand that it is a tourist destination, but the streets of Granada were almost too clean. It seemed somewhat out of place with the old cathedrals, busy market, and begging people. I enjoyed being able to see the streets I walked on, it just felt slightly off. 

In addition to the two major differences, there were some minor differences that I noticed. Nicaraguans use the "tu" form when being informal, when Ticans only use the usted form. Food and drink were significantly cheaper, while gifts tended to be more expensive. I also felt more gawked at. Here in Costa Rica, cattle calls are normal but never ridiculously loud. While in Granada, we had men legitimately follow us and stop cars in order to look at us. The differences were there, but we still enjoyed them and the experience. 

PHOTO:  If possible, take photos of the fruit (even better take notice of the bananas) being sold.  What do you notice about the presentation, the sale, the fruits themselves, etc.?

So even though I looked, I didn't actually see fruit being sold. Artisan products, tshirts, and alcohol yes, but no fruits. However, I had fruit with breakfast every morning so I took a picture of that. The placement was very pretty and the fruit was incredibly tasty as well.