This is my Life

I don´t know how much people know about Nicaraguan culture. Before I left to come here I thought I wouldn´t be having ice cream for two years and that I would be eating basically Mexican food. There is ice cream, no Mexican. There are many interesting things about the culture here...so many that I clearly can´t and won´t mention them all in this blog, but a couple of things happened to me this week that have to do with the machista culture here(if you don´t know what that means, look it up).

I am constantly yelled after when I walk down the streets. Men of ALL ages call out to me, "I love you baby!" (thanks to Hollywood it´s one of the only phrases everyone knows) or "Te acompaño?" (Can I accompany you?). All of these are annoying and I have, more or less, learned to ignore them. I now only respond to people if they use my name when they catcall. Since I´m one of two white women in the town, it isn´t much of a filter but it´s something.

Every once in a while someone catches me by surprise. This happened twice this week (and it´s only Wednesday!).

Monday at noon I was walking to school. It was hot. I was sweating. A man in the passenger seat of an approaching taxi HELD HIS BABY OUT THE WINDOW (I´m talking maybe three years old, maybe) and had it say, "Adios amor!) as the taxi drove by me. I couldn´t help but be appaulled and smile at the same time.

The second instance when a man surprised me was on my walk home from my night class. I have to walk by a place where men hang out in the evenings (but it´s owned by a female friend of mine so they don´t bother me too much). I heard a young man say, "Adios Jocelyn." I turned and said goodbye and continued walking. He started walking with me, which was somewhat alarming but we were in a well lit area and I was going to a friend´s house, not my own. Anyways, he started up a conversation about how his dad lives in Indiana with his mom and sister. He´s getting his papers together and should be there in December. He was so excited to tell me this and then he said, "Let me show you their pictures!"

Of course I declined. But he kept walking next to me. He pointed to his house and asked again if he could show me their photos. I said, "Okay but I´m not going into your house." I waited on the sidewalk and he brought out three HUGE photos (for those of you who have been in a Nica home, they were the giant wooden ones but with REAL backgrounds...no superimposing!). He held them up in the streetlight. I appreciated them and bid him goodnight and went on to my friend´s house.

Why did this interaction surprise me? Because this young man (20 years old maybe) did not hit on me or act weird at all. He just seemed genuinely excited to show me his family. It was like he wanted to be just my friend. It was pleasant.

Other things that have happened: I realized I haven´t really lived in Cincinnati since I left for college. A 25 year old man was shot to death in a bar in my town (6 bullets from an "enemy´s" gun). A 5 year old bought me an ice cream. I found out I have to look for a new place to live because the owners of the house I rent just sold the house. I have to move out in October. Perfect. Who wants to rent to someone for 5 weeks? Oh, and I found that out from their daughter who´s in 4th grade.

Wish me luck on the house hunt!