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incentralamerica
  9/26/2016 16:51 EST

We just got back from Nicaragua and feel we need to write this to warn those who are non white on how they will be treated in Nicaragua. Throughout our trip we found them to be the most unfriendly, rude and unlikeable people (not to mention extremely racist). We have traveled to most of Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala to name a few but our experience with Nicaraguans made us very wary on how they treat those who are not whites. We found it outrageous and we think it is only fair that you are warned before you go there. We personally saw people at the hotel (a big fat hotel in Granada) be downright rude to a person of Asian descent and serve whites with a smile and avoid the Asians, a black family sit in a restaurant and get bypassed by the owner who then went on to take orders from whites (this was specially disgusting as we saw the father there with 3 young teens and they were not served at all and they finally just got up and left), security at the airport only checking non whites/giving them the complete run down and going over their personal belongings one by one, our cab driver telling us that they do not want Chinese there at all..the list goes on. At the airport you will be singled out for checks -the lame excuse is "random" but there is nothing random about it. We observed them pulling people who were not white and checking them thoroughly (Managua). When we mentioned this to the tour operators they denied it (their business depends on tourism) but even our experience was the same.

KeyWestPirate
  9/26/2016 20:07 EST

There could be some special sensitivity to non-Spanish speaking, non-whites because of all the Africans and Haitians massed at the south Nicaraguan border.

Lighter skin is prized among Nicaraguans as more Spanish, but I don't see that as necessarily racist.

Negrita is a common nickname for someone darker, but I've not seen it used in a demeaning fashion.

There is antipathy towards the Chinese here, and unfortunately,, anyone of Asian descent is "Chino" to the average Nicaraguan.

I'm surprised at your experience in Granada,,, which to me is the epitome of good customer service in Nicaragua.

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elduendegrande
  9/27/2016 10:33 EST

You seem to be hypersensitive to me.

There is resentment (justified or not) towards Korean owners of factories in the zona francas. In the unsophisticated world or Nic, that be "chinos". , just as many europeans are lumped into "gringo" by the unsophisticated.

There is some political anti-chinese hysteria due to the threat of a chinese canal lifting Nic out of its homegrown poverty and the bad deal their own government made as far as compensation for land taken.

One of the refreshing things about Nic is people are free to speak their minds and are not hemmed in by political correctness.

Nicas also watch the evening news and talk to relatives in the US which will make them leery of foreign blacks, On the other hand, huge percentage of Nics have mixed black ancestry and this is not a problem as they are well mixed into the society.

iguanalover
  9/27/2016 10:55 EST

We have been searched at the airport coming and going, four times as I remember. They went thru our belongings, piece by piece and seemed very interested in the dried beans from Colombia. My husband has blue eyes and I had blonde hair most of my life. We pay a skin tax at the Mercado but that doesn't bother us, we lived in on the Asian side most of our lives and we are very used to a skin tax. We love the Atlantic side which is mostly black. People were very nice to us. We have also spent time in El Salvador and, well, it is El Salvador and not for the timid. let us say. Our street, we live in the suburbs, is crowded with people up until about 9 every evening and people are up at 4 AM going places before the heat.
Nicas I have never met help me with my groceries and they have stopped traffic to make sure this Grandmother can cross the street. We have had a very different experience. If you don't like Nicaragua, do yourself a favor and don't go to Asia.

KeyWestPirate
  9/27/2016 13:17 EST

It's easy to focus on a specific incident and generalize across an entire ethnicity.

I just lost 12 chickens,, some guy came by with a sack in the middle of the night. There ARE lots of thieves here, and they are Nicaraguan,, but they are far outnumbered by the honest people. The thief or thieves (probably two since I didn't hear anything) passed on a Ryobi drill I left sitting out.

This is a bit off thread here,, but you have to protect yourself in Nicaragua. This takes a bit of getting used to, and some never can accept this aspect of living here.

The police have zero interest in minor crime -unless you pay them in some fashion to take an interest. This usually involves fuel for their vehicle,, meals,, and a tip.

If you pay them enough, they WILL find out who stole the chickens, and crack the thief's head, but you have to weigh all that against the cost of twelve chickens, and the bad feelings you will create.

I spread the word around. It's a small community,, everyone is plagued by chicken thieves here. Everyone knows who the thieves are, but you can't shoot people here (for the good or the bad), so everyone lives with it.

I took the theft as a wake up call. I have alarms, but didn't have anything set up in the area where the chickens roost. Wasn't much there to steal -except chickens!

dumluk
  9/28/2016 15:46 EST

Anyway to boobytrap the chickens, or the chicken pen? I think I would prefer to pay the cops to crack him over the head.........so he knows there is payback......

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atz111
  9/28/2016 18:33 EST

Need to man up. Screw the cops.....they be you chickens you pop the MF. Good and hard. You think the locals think better of you for eating a mouthful of s**t? No. They be thinkin you a pussy and silly gringo and laugh at it.

elduendegrande
  9/29/2016 10:19 EST

Nic. has a kind and polite exterior. Strangers are treated well and people are generally helpful, although being clean and polite helps this along, even if your language skills are weak.

That being said, Ni. is often rough around the edges. It is not like American pansy universities where the weak and spoiled can have a time out in their "safe zone" where high paid administers protect them from the real world.

People come to work hungry at times, and sick, etc., and many take jobs for which they have no talent, because on the bottom any job is better than none. I suspect some of the employees of local hardware stores are relatives of the owners who think work is beneath them and work accordingly.

Crooks are crooks, bad customer service (or the more common "service with a yawn") is common. Generally, I have found the chain stores and the tourist operators to have better customer service than the row run in the boonies.

englishvinal
  10/10/2016 13:32 EST

Nicaragua is not "politically correct" thank goodness.
In Nicaragua anybody/everybody has the FREEDOM to approve of, dis-approve of, associate with, avoid, shun, any other individual, and the FREEDOM to express what they think or feel, as long as they do no harm to the person or their property.

The man or woman who goes to Nicaragua can change the response of the other person by understanding and ingratiating themselves with a demonstration of genuine caring or helpfulness....

Or.... the Nicaraguan visitor can simply shrug their shoulders and walk away... what IS ... is. Let it go. No hard feelings. - There is always some other little cafe or place to go that likely will not have the same response to you.

Nica is a very VERY poor nation, the people are naturally stricken with a human failing "envy".. and they do show their feelings, usually in the form of resentfulness in some form. They use the tiny power they have to make the object of their envy "invisible".. or cause them aggravation.
Get OVER it... if you are going to visit a FREE place, then recognize that sometimes the "kitchen gets overly warm"... Freedom is not free, remember?

OR... you can just stay within the US.. and be politically correct all day long and fit right in.

Personally I LIKE being free!

ElGreco
  10/11/2016 11:20 EST

I'm sorry you had a bad experience, you might be TOO sensitive, I have notice that some African Americans are very self conscious about their skin color and think the whole world is against them, It is true that there is still racism in this world but NOT everybody has that poison in their hearts, I have gone to Nicaragua and noticed that the customer service in restaurants SUCKS but that doesn't mean I am being discriminated against, The poor Nicaraguans whenever they see a blue eye blonde hair person automatically think they are rich and therefore they get better service than even us Nicaraguans, A gringo represent money, better TIPS$$$ then that of the average Nicaraguan, I remember when I first when back to Nicaragua I used to tip $50 or $100 cordobas to my waiter(he leaped with joy) ,, I have even encounter African Americans in my trips to Nicaragua and everybody I've met felt welcome and happy with the treatment they got, SO take a lot off and enjoy this wonderful world the good Lord has given Us.

glockdiver69
  10/11/2016 11:55 EST

@incentralamerica: You need to lighten up. You are way to sensitive. I, as well as I am sure most people on this forum, have to deal with "gringo pricing". Even though I can speak enough Spanish to get around (which often lowers the price), I am still paying more than my Nica friends. I DEAL WITH IT! Searches at the airport is common. They have searched by 7 year old's backpack (and he a blue-eyed, blonde white kid). It is not racist, it just IS what it IS. Not going to change.
Nica will always be different that the US. Thank GOD for that. If you don't like Nicaragua, then don't come back. Stay in the US and wear your "Black lives matter" tee-shirt and complain to people who actually care what you are saying. I don't. Nicaragua and its people are a very welcoming, open people who like to express themselves. If you can't go along with that, then don't come back.

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bluewind
  10/11/2016 18:57 EST

I can understand that people living in poverty have some resentment towards others that are doing better, but to see me as an example of why their situation is what it is is just not right. Yes, I was lucky enough to live in a country where I was able to do well and I wish the Nica's had those same opportunities I had, but I'm not responsible for their situation and shouldn't be blamed for it. Nor do I feel they have the right to make it acceptable to steal from me because they feel they they have been short changed in life. I'm the kind of person that is more than willing to share what I have with anybody. But for someone to see me as the cause of their problems and take advantage of me is just not right. That might be their mindset, but it's not mine. I could easily see others more fortunate than me and find ways to take from them and feel like I deserve it cause I didn't have the advantages they have. Sure, if I and my family were starving and had no place to live, you can bet I'd do anything to take care of them. But to break into homes, beat people up or worse to steal their TV's or I-phones is not right. I can understand breaking into a house and stealing food, clothes, etc., without harming someone, but harming someone just because you feel you got the short end of the deal is just wrong.

bluewind
  10/11/2016 19:09 EST

Pretty much the narrow mind I have come to expect from many expats. This black and white attitude is what concerns me most when considering moving to another country. Maybe that's what's required when moving to another country. There are many things going on in the states that concerns me. I do believe black lives matter, but I also believe white lives, hispanic, asian, middle eastern, etc. lives matter. I also believe that cops lives matter. But this doesn't seem to fit well with many expats. Your either for this or against that. Your either a patriot or not. Been this way since 9/11. Seems that finding an open-minded expat is hard to find.

englishvinal
  10/11/2016 19:48 EST

I understand what you mean. More than you know. '
I went to Nicaragua in 1998 wagging my happy generous minded tail! I pretty much trusted what appeared to be poor but good folks.

I planned to start a cafe and provide work for Nicas, and HELP people .. help Nicaragua in my small way to become more prosperous.

My husband and I bought about 43 acres of absolutely beautiful land with an unfinished stone house .. even had a swimming pool. It was in a coffee growing elevation, cool and pleasant. A college town where a little cafe with home cooked food would have been welcome.. or so I thought.

We took folks at their word, we trusted people... they smiled and skun us alive!.. We lost our entire liquid life savings.. long story and rehashing it doesn't improve it.
We lost the entire contents of a 35 foot shipping container of personal things and household goods along with 2 diesel trucks.
Gone.... we had to return to the US and I had to work to pay the charges I had put on credit cards to pay for our move to Nica.

All I have left is the land, which has appreciated a LOT... which fact I am grateful for...
.... my husband passed away from the Parkinsons that was one of the reasons we chose to move to Nica.. (help caring for him that we could afford.)...

Now I am 77 years old, in good health and I am going to sell the land for the best price I can get... and avoid the real estate sharks who are so eager to "help me"..

So, do you think I can relate to your thoughts?... I can, but if I had known what I know today, none of this would have happened to us. I would have been graciously "prepared" to deal with the society that I came into.

What is... is, but we can manage it if we know what to expect. Nicaragua is STILL a beautiful country and there is a lot of opportunity for someone who has determination and forewarning about the pit falls.

englishvinal
  10/11/2016 22:12 EST

My friend who boards with me worked for Pan Am airways for 22 years .. station chief in Managua. He raised his family there until the revolution... and after things settled down he returned because he has many friends and relatives from pre revolution days.

He says that "racial bias' has always existed in Nica. nobody thinks too much about it one way or another, that is "just the way it is". The negro bloodlines from Jamaica settled on the east coast.. Blue Fields areas .. and have always been "looked down on" by the folks from the west coast. Even in politics, heritage kind of governs how "high" you are going to go.
Native Nicaraguans don't have the emotion attached to what has been labeled "racism" in the US..
Interesting.

elduendegrande
  10/12/2016 10:31 EST

People raised in the Equality Myth in the US wander the world looking for Nirvana, which they will never find. Nobody is particularly equal to anyone else, especially not by government mandate,
There is a definite track record. Where ever you go in the world, some people succeed more than others. Live with it and seek out the successful and keep a wary eye on the also rans.

KeyWestPirate
  10/12/2016 10:43 EST

Cream will always rise to the top.

But the government can mandate that all the milk is homogenized,, giving the Black Lives Matter crowd a shot at the brass ring.

The grievance industry has replaced the environmental movement as the biggest driver of the US economy.

Slackers, all.

bamalam999
  10/12/2016 12:25 EST

Breaking into homes and stealing or harming ? I am not sure where you will ever find your utopia where this doesn't happen. I have travelled the world, and the crime in Nicaragua is much less then most. My sisters car was stripped for parts in the galleria parking parkade in houston yesterday. An old couples house was broken into, they were tied up and robbed in the small town in central canada that I am from. And someones chickens were stolen from an expat in Managua last week. And discrimination? I am sorry you feel you were discriminated against, but again I think you have to travel more to find your utopia. In canada it is against the native canadians, in india it is against the untouchables, in france it is against the eastern Europeans. In Nicaragua, if anything I would say it is against the whites. Everywhere I go I get a white skin tax of at least double. I am the target of shakedowns by the policia, they will steal my chickens before they will steal my hispanic or black neighbors. And why do they go after the whites? Beacause they assume based on history that the white people that come here have money based on them coming and buying up the land. Just like in parts of the usa , canada, and france, that they assume that the blacks, native canadians, or eastern Europeans are more likely to rob you. Because history has shown us that is the case.

englishvinal
  10/12/2016 12:36 EST

Dear 'bamalam'

You are absolutely spot on!.. In every word you wrote.
Thank you.

After all my "experiences" I have only solidified my opinion that Nicaragua is ONE of the locations left (that is available to people seeking to escape the "western-bankster-politically-controlled, ever tightening noose) where a man or woman can taste "freedom"...
Understanding that "freedom" is in the eye of the beholder.. Smile! Some people are "free" to go out and order MacDonald's fish burgers.

I have tried to contact a couple of people via ExPat Exchange's system and apparently I do something wrong, so I would love to converse with you relative to the land in San Marcos.. please drop me an e-mail at:
[email protected]

Thank you,Nancy

feliceb
  10/19/2016 13:14 EST

a greta message with a lot of truth and I really like the last sentence.
May I contact you privately?
Thanks

englishvinal
  10/19/2016 15:57 EST

Feliceb:
Thank you ... Yes feel free to contact me at [email protected]
I welcome a communication from anyone who might be interested in forming a partnership with me in a Nica project, especially if they are serious about moving to Nicaragua and living there permanently.
And I am happy to share my real experiences in Nica that might benefit others.

And also from anyone who might just be interested in purchasing my land in San Marcos outright..
Thank you for your note.
Nancy E. Vinal

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