Nicaragua Forum

JCruz
Joined 2017
Posts: 2

7 years ago

Quirks, amusing things about Nicaragua

7 years ago

What are some quirky things that you have noticed; those things you only find when you go out on the streets and not in any encyclopedia or dictionary.
Here's some quirks and amusing things I've noticed:

* Point with the lips or a head tilt, as opposed to pointing with your finger which is generally rude

* Scrunch your brow and nose quickly to ask "what" instead of saying "what"

* Beckoning someone to come by either nodding your head down once or flicking your hand down-wards (don't do it with your pointer finger like North Americans normally do. That's a big no-no!)

* "Idiey" along with the huge and growing list of caliche that you hear. Can't find those in the dictionary

*Phrases that if you translate make no sense but are part of everyday life here
que onda prix?
->Matando la culebra <-
Como estas?
->De humo<- ............................ huh?

* The accent: Drop the 's' and trade it for an 'h' sound. "Vamoh al cahtillo". Who needs an 's' anyway, right?

* Going to someone's house: instead of knocking on the door or saying "hola" it's "Buenas! from the door or gate"

*The "santito" interaction that I often see out in the boonies. Cute!

*Words: know the difference!
Madre = mom or a respectful title for an older lady
Mamita = grandma
Mamacita = sexy thang

*The men at home wearing their button down shirts but only have the first few buttoned with their belly hanging out. My husband's grandpa does this

* The men working outside will wear long sleeves and long pants despite it being "melt rubber" temperatures. Didn't understand til later that it actually keeps them cooler and is an inexpensive form of sunscreen.

*Walmart in Managua whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy? It's just a glorified Pali anway

* Trying to learn Miskito or Mayagnas. Not even close to Spanish. "Dawan yami maimumbia" or "Nakisma" or "Tinki Pali"! Those are the only Miskito phrases I know

*Managua traffic :o Man if you can drive there, I think you'll make it anywhere! And it's gotten way more congested since when I first went there. I still love Managua despite that.

*Girls hold each others' hands walking down the street because they're good friends and nothing else. I have a few friends that do that with me.

*Lime is EVERYTHING; it's the fairy dust that makes everything taste better. I always gotta have some around for my Nica husband. His first question when I'm cooking or when he cooks is almost always "do we have lime?" Achiote is a big spice we use too. I'm just glad Nicas aren't spicy food people.

*Brand names: such a big deal to many people. Names like American Eagle, Ambercrombie, Puma, Totti etc. The big name in recent days is John Deere. Will be interesting to see what the next big name that people look for.

Cost of living = so awesome!
Access to huge variety of fresh produce = YAS!

Starbucks on every street corner in North America are the pulperias in Nicaragua. Every neighborhood has one or way more than one.

That's all that come to mind. What are some things that you find amusing, or neat, or odd? I would love to hear your thoughts and stuff that you notice!

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