Nicaragua

Since we are going to Nicaragua this long weekend and starting the new unit on bananas, the blog will be focusing on both.  

(with host family)--How do Costa Ricans view Nicaraguans?  Why? [keep asking about Nicaraguans in Costa Rica....how has their presence affected Costa Rica, etc.  This may be a touchy topic for your family so let them lead the conversation and you keep asking questions as long as it is interesting and comfortable.]

(for you to think about and respond to...)--When comparing Costa Rica and Nicaragua, what similarities and differences did you notice while on our trip?

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.?

When I asked my mom about Nicaragua, she told me that they have several family friends from Nicaragua. I believe that our conversation was different because of this; my mom knows and respects several Nicaraguan immigrants, so her perception of them must be different from the average Tico's. My mom said that Nicos are just as hard-working as Costa Ricans. She also talked about how their country doesn't have as many advantages as CR does. She said that Nicaragua has had a lot of wars and natural disasters that made it very poor and sometimes dangerous. I believe that this perception comes from the history of their friends who came to Costa Rica as high schoolers fleeing the country. She also said that some people don't really like Nicaraguans, but she didn't seem to want to talk about that. 

I think that my family has been very affected by their relationship with their Nicaraguan friends. My mom's hesitance to talk about why some Ticos don't like Nicaraguans comes from a loyalty to their friends. I believe that this speaks to the Costa Rican culture of friendship and loyalty. Because she knows them and respects them, she felt obligated to defend them and their origins. 

The religion was one of the most striking similarities for me. The importance of Catholicism/Christianity was evident in the amount of pride they take in their churches and their significance on city tours. There is also a big focus on tourism and tourists in both countries. I think this stems from their similar availability of exportable resources; tourism is an important industry because it makes money for people who don't have the resources to make money in other ways. 

One of the differences I noticed was fruit. We had it every morning on our breakfast plates, but other than that I did not see any fruit while we were there. This is a significant difference because in Costa Rica, at least where we are, there are dozens of fruit vendors, not to mention the prevalence of fruit related food items, like fresh smoothies. 

The obvious poverty was also very different. While Granada was very clean and well paved, you could still see children and women begging on the streets. In contrast, San Jose may not be clear of trash or have a lot of sidewalks, but you generally don't see very many homeless on the streets. I think this reflects a difference in the social program focus of the two governments as well as an obvious difference in affluence. 

The final main difference that struck me was the prevalence of indigenous culture in Nicaragua. Because Costa Rica has very few indigenous, it is not important to them. In Nicaragua, however, there were more indigenous people, so the culture and history are important. We visited a history museum that highlighted indigenous culture and artifacts. You could also see the differences in the current culture and the racial make-up of the people of Nicaragua.
In conclusion, I believe that Costa Rica and Nicaragua have unique pasts, but their proximity and increasing globalization are forcing the countries to interact and become more like each other. While this relationship may be shaky at first, eventually, in my opinion, the countries will become more dependent on each other and thus relate more amicably. Even if only for the cheap hammocks my mom emphasized!