ad astra

Today is October 9, which means that I’ve been in Costa Rica for 2 months.  It’s hard to believe - time has been flying.  It feels like yesterday that I was waiting for the new LASPers to arrive, and now Core Seminar (their first class) is over and tomorrow we leave for Nicaragua.

For me, Nicaragua was an amazing trip when I was a student, and I’m hoping that the students enjoy it this time around.  One of the most interesting things about visiting Nicaragua is the contrasts between it and Costa Rica.  There is a tendency in the United States (and I would assume the rest of the world as well) to lump Latin American countries and cultures into a homogenous block (I’ve met multiple people who refer to Latin Americans in general as Mexicans).  While obviously there are similarities stemming from a common Spanish heritage, assuming that all Latin American countries are basically the same would be like assuming that Alaskan culture is basically the same as Alabaman (is that a word?) culture.  Similarities?  Probably.  Identical?  Not so much.

One of the most obvious differences between Costa Rica and Nicaragua is the level of poverty.  In 2005 the World Bank estimated that in Nicaragua almost 50% of the population lived below the national poverty line, compared to 25% in Costa Rica (using the international poverty line which defines poverty as less than 2 US Dollars per day, Nicaragua is at around 34% compared to Costa Rica at around 5%).  This disparity between the two countries is arguably linked to historical factors.  While Costa Rica has enjoyed a relatively stable democratic system since the 1940s, Nicaragua has experienced almost constant instability since the 1930s.  Part of this instability was due to actions committed by the Reagan Administration in the 1980s (how many people know that the Iran-Contra scandal involved the United States illegally selling arms to Iran to help fund counterrevolutionary groups in Nicaragua?  I didn’t until I went to Nicaragua.), but the Nicaraguan government also holds much of the responsibility for the current problems that the country faces.

Besides these more obvious differences, there are also striking cultural differences between the two countries.  While speaking stereotypically doesn’t ever give the whole picture, I would say that Nicaraguans are generally easier to really get to know than the average Costa Rican.  I’m not sure why that is, and I could be wrong, but it seems to me that it is much harder to achieve more than a superficial relationship with a Costa Rican than it is with a Nicaraguan.  It’s something I noticed the first time I was there and is something that other people who have visited both countries have commented on as well.

Something that I think is really interesting about Costa Rica and Nicaragua is that, to me, both countries seem to be a microcosm of what is happening right now between the United States and Mexico.  Costa Rica has a huge influx of Nicaraguan immigrants, much like the flow of Mexicans into the US, and because of this there is a growing xenophobia in Costa Rica regarding their neighbors to the north.  I have heard Costa Ricans use all of the following (and worse) to describe the Nicas: vago (lazy), bravo (rough), sucio (dirty), engañoso (deceitful), ladrones (thieves).  I would guess that most of you at some point have heard Mexicans described in a similar way.  What usually surprises me about these comments is how casually they come up.  Their often said in passing and like they’re stating a fact, as if everyone knows that Nicaraguans can’t be trusted.  It’s a sad situation, but it seems to be a common one between rich and poor countries all over the world.

So that’s my unprofessional input on Nicaragua.  Hopefully it was interesting to someone.  And like I said, it could all be wrong.  It’s just kind of a collection of things I’ve picked up during my brief experiences there.

I’ll be in Nicaragua until October 21, and I’m sure I’ll have stories to tell once I get back.  Until then, for those of you in the zones where you’re lucky enough to experience fall, enjoy the best month of the year!