The Top 10 Things I *Shockingly* Don’t Have in My Nicaraguan Home

Since I know the Top 10 Lists have been such a hit and are in such high demand, here comes yet another Top 10 list…

1. A Refrigerator

I know, you’re probably thinking, “How does a person live without a refrigerator?”, or for those of you still in college-mode, “Where does she keep the beer?” Well, let me assure you, it can be done. I’ve learned from my fellow Nicas that you can keep food for several days just by reheating/boiling it 2-3 times a day. So I don’t have to cook everyday – I’ll usually make something that’ll last me a few days and just reheat it every few hours (ie: my favorite, rice and beans ;) ). The only downfall is that I can’t keep juice or vegetables for days, and if I want a cold drink, I need to buy ice (but I’ve grown accustomed to luke-warm beverages). But luckily, I have a market here so I can do my vegetable shopping daily if I want to. (As for the beer, well, that’s what bars are for).

2. 24/7 Water Access

I usually only have water access before 8 or 9 AM and in the late afternoon and evening. This isn’t so bad, as long as I get up in time to wash all my clothes and shower. Otherwise, I have water stored in large garbage cans and bucket showers are always an option!

3. Hot Water

This was an amenity I learned to live without in Costa Rica, so not having hot water here wasn’t as much of a challenge. Taking cold water showers here is pretty refreshing because it’s so hot during the day, but at 5 AM before I go to school, the temperature drops pretty low and taking an ice-cold shower…not so much fun.

4. A Toilet

I managed to get through all of training and my first 3 months in-site (living with a host family) with a toilet, and the idea of having to live without one was not something I was not looking forward to. But, eventually, I have grown accustomed to my latrine, or outhouse, and have even developed the “ganas” to sit down! It’s not so bad, except when I get up 1-3 times in the middle of the night and need to go (for some reason this only happens to me in Latin America). However, a small plastic pan does the trick ;) (TMI?).

5. A TV

Not having a TV was never really a big deal for me, since I don’t really have the time to watch it and would rather spend my free time reading or talking with friends than watching Brazilian soap operas dubbed in Spanish that I can barely understand anyway! I do miss my Oprah, though.

6. An Oven

I do all of my cooking on a two-burner gas stove that was handed down to me by the previous volunteer in my town. It does the job! And besides, I don’t think I ever used the ovens in my apartments in Burlington, either. Who says women need to bake pies (Sex & the City reference for all you fans out there)?

7. A Washer and Dryer

Yes, I wash all of my clothes by hand and dry them outside on a clothesline. It’s not so bad, as long as I have time to do it and it’s not the rainy season. I learned the hard way during training that too much rain = moldy clothes. Not fun. I only have until May to enjoy the sunny weather!

8. Regular News Access

This is something I deeply miss – waking up every morning to the crisp New York Times in my email inbox. But now, with internet access limited to my time at the internet cafe, and not a whole lot of money, I barely have this luxury anymore. Yes, there are local newspapers here, but they’re impossible to find because they’re only sold by people walking by on the street (and for some reason never in my neighborhood). Occasionally, though, I’ll get a glimpse of CNN in Spanish from the states at someone’s house who is lucky enough to have cable (like when my teacher-friend, Marisol, paints my toenails every couple of weeks).

9. A Couch

Just plastic, but still somehow expensive, chairs, a very cool-looking chair from the artisans in Masaya (how I miss Masaya) that I bought in Matagalpa, and a pretty awesome hot-yellow hammock that hangs right in the middle of my kitchen/living room!

10. A Pet

This, I know, doesn’t seem like an essential item. But for an animal lover like me, it kills me not to have an animal in my home, especially with all of the stray dogs that wander starving in the streets. Well, for me a pet is a huge responsibility, so if I got one, I would want to take it home with me to the states, and it’s doubtful I’ll be staying in one place and not traveling for the next 12+ years of my life (or roughly the animal’s lifespan). And I wouldn’t want to leave the animal with someone here, either, because frankly, people just don’t pamper their pets the way Americans do. However, I am happy to say that I do have plenty of visitors in my yard, including cows, horses, and the occasional chicken. So that pretty much does the trick.

I’m sure there are other things that I’ve grown accustomed to not having that I’ve just forgotten about. I guess you’ll just have to come and visit me and find out (although I’m sure after this Top 10 list, my chances of getting a visitor have diminished)! Other things that I think would be a given that I don’t have at home: internet access, a microwave, a DVD/VHS player (although I luckily have my laptop for that). For the entire 6 months that I lived with host families, the only time I could listen to my own music was on the headphones to my iPod. I know, I have an iPod and a laptop and I’m in the Peace Corps, I shouldn’t complain. But for me this was a big deal – not being able to blast my music at maximum volume on a stereo system with amazing sound quality. Up until last week, I managed to get by in my house with these teeny tiny speakers to which I could connect my iPod. However, I finally had enough and decided to splurge beyond my Peace Corps living stipend and get a decent stereo. It was well worth it, and now my neighbors will have exposure to American music beyond Celine Dion’s “My Heart will Go On” and cheesy 80s love songs.

That’s all folks! Hope you enjoyed this week’s Installment of “Carolyn’s Ridiculous, Yet Humorous, Nicaraguan Life”. Keep an eye out for new pics coming soon!