Unfortunately my blog entries can not be accompanied by pictures until I get my hands on an Olympus cable. Either way it is worth mentioning that pictures would have a tough time telling the stories of the past several days. I have learned my first lesson on receiving visitors in Nicaragua. KEEP IT SIMPLE! Doing anything in this country as a tourist is equally as expensive as it would be traveling to some place in the United States for a weekend. The nice restaurants are priced not for Nicaraguans, but for Americans. Somehow these people have heard what it costs to buy a nice steak and lobster dinner. The first question I should be asking myself right now is what the HELL was I doing eating a steak and lobster dinner? Well, you would have to know my visitor to answer that question, but I was. The price? Well, we don't really need to break down the budget item by item, but we started out in the hole after a pick pocketing incident, and the 180 bucks I spent to get my surfboard down here was definitely a shot to the trusty Peace Corp salary. To only make matters worse, financially that is. I have to buy a bed, a fan, really I need like 12 fans, but a single fan will have to do for now, and whatever else you might think of buying to survive living on your own down here. I don't know, a little mini stove, refrigirator, que mas? Either way it's gonna get expensive. The bed I bought this morning set me back 3400 Cordobas, divide that by 19.45 and you get the dollar amount. I don't want to look at it otherwise I would just tell you what it was. It might not sound like a lot, but if you keep in mind that I will not make much more than that amount in the entire month of August you start to understand my pain.
I know that you can't put a price-tag on having a friend visit you, but if you could it would be an expensive one. Back at it this morning in my site and judging by the looks of my bank account I'll need stay away from all places that even know that Americans exist for at least the next 9 months. For some reason Nicaraguans have in their minds that American's have money. When I see folks traveling from Europe I grab the closest Nicaraguan and do a quick conversion from Euro's to Cordobas just to put things in perspective for them. You should see their eyes when we convert Pounds to Cordobas. That is when they get really excited. Still no matter what I say they never seem to truly buy in. The common belief is that while I live here and don't make money now, somewhere in the United States of America sits a bank account full of money that I will use to buy all of my dreams with once I return from this 2 year retreat into poverty. I only wish that their idea was in fact my reality. There have been occasions where I was approached by a sick, possibly starving child in the streets. Of course I would love to hand each of these children the keys to a bright future, or at least enough money to buy themselves some clothes and food. But instead I had to explain to them that no matter how long they looked at me with their saddened faces it would not change the fact that I can not share my money with them. My food? Yes, when there is any left over, which we know is not very often, but not my money. I try to explain that I am a volunteer, I don't actually make very much money, but of course I just get that look that says, "you selfish American, go ahead and eat your jumbo hotdog while I try to fight these parasites off another day".
I can hang my hat on at least one thing this week. On Thursday I will be 27 years old, and I know that everyone has sent big checks to help me save the world. If not, at least pause today and remember me when you stop by Starbucks to pick up that Iced Cappacino.
