Stitching it back together

Life has a way of healing itself that sometimes require great effort or sometimes none at all. My last post bellies the fact that these small pieces have been accumulating and piling up for some days now which culminated in a frustrated post.

I hardly post about religion or my personal belief but prayers have always calmed me down. It is a way for me to let go and accept the fact that there are some things I have no control of and will therefore have to (at some point) let go and leave my fate to a higher and more powerful entity. I never pray for solutions, I pray for strength in adversity (big or small) and always, ALWAYS all of a sudden the scattered pieces fall into place.

I slept a troubled sleep last night but woke up to see the pieces, one by one, gathering themselves in almost perfect alignment again that I even wondered why I spent agonizing moments worrying about them in the first place. Such , I guess, are the ups and downs of life.

I'm not sure how to end this post as I yet have to see the other pieces do the same but from what I have seen so far, it can only go one way, slowly but surely. For now, I have more meaningful things to enjoy and be thankful for.

When things fall apart

Ever had those days when nothing really works or anything you touch turns into muck? What's worse than those kind of days is the fact that it's not something you can rationalize or really explain (what's eating you) or what's gone wrong, how, where and when. I have been having those days lately. There's just a bunch of things that needs repairing and none of them are done right, for instance....and a whole bunch of other non-essential but must do things that either can't be done properly or on time, specially if you're at the mercy of others who are supposed to know what they are doing and have been doing it for the longest time. The more one thinks about it, the more it mucks the brain inviting other irrational moves or decisions that just worsens the situation.

Owmmmm....Deep breath...eeeexhaaaaale. This should be over soon.

Finally, real rain

Today, for me, heralds the rainy season here in Nicaragua having woken up by its pounding on our roof in the wee hours of the morning and its incessant pouring today. Many said that it's supposed to have started on the 15th of this month. We have had welcome showers here and there, even on V's birthday party, that helps cool an otherwise hot, hot, hot summer. Many people are happy that rain has finally arrived...it has been scorching hot.

We will probably have 4 months of this at least and at some point within those months, it will rain every single day and in most days, pour really hard. What I remember from last year was how heavy it can fall in late afternoons and pound our roof in the evenings - like it just might cave in. Many roads to beach resorts on the Pacific will be impassable with rivers overflowing on kilometers and kilometers of unpaved dirt roads. A real challenge to traverse even for 4-wheel drive vehicles. In some Suburban dwellings in Managua, there may be days when you feel like you're running an obstacle course zigzagging through debris from soil erosion - trash, tree branches, rocks, etc.

To me rain means seeing the frogs again (we have this small variety whose skin I heard is poisonous), mosquitos (sancudos)...they come with the rain and are extremely vicious (this type) and on the home front, erratic cable service. On the otherhand rain also means an end to scheduled power outages, green, green grass, abundant garden and less dusting.

When it rains, it does pour indeed, literally here in Nicaragua. Just another season.

A good marketing (or spamming) ploy

In checking my spam folder, an email preview caught my eye as forwarded jokes. Although the person who sent it is not anyone I know, I opened it anyway (it wasn't an executable file) and manage to read up to the bottom...and of course, there, not only did it say 'forward' (we do like to forward jokes when we think they're funny), I also saw the ad. It's the first time I have encountered this kind of spam where you yourself could even be a party to it. Best is each line is infused with words that when clicked redirects you to an advertiser...clever huh.

Interesting nonetheless (sans the links):

Hey, have you ever wondered why:

If corn oil is made from corn and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from (baby oil will of course redirect you to the Johnson's baby oil site, etc)?

Why is bra singular and panties plural?

If money doesn't grow on trees, why do banks have branches?

How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered.

Why do you have to put your 2 cents in when it's just a penny for your thoughts. Where's that extra penny going to?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

What disease did cured ham originally have.

Why is it that people say they slept like a baby when babies wake up every 2 hours.

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

Why are you IN a movie but you're ON tv?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

If Wile E. Coyote had money to buy all that ACME crap, why doesn't he just buy himself dinner?

Can you cry underwater?

Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, twinkle little star have the same tune? (wow, I've never thought of that before - I actually started humming...and YES, they do!)

Why did you just try singing the 2 songs above? (guilty)

Do you ever wonder why you gave your email address in the first place? I emphatically disagree with this one but I too wonder how they get my address to send to...one of the sites that claim 'we don't store your data...etc, etc', must have!

Attention Carnivores

Dining experience here in Nicaragua has been a tad disappointing for us. Given the economic situation, most 'fine' dining places supposedly serving good food are outrageously expensive. We most of the time end up paying for the whole gamut between $ 60-80 between the 3 of us (before tax). Personal recommendations or endorsements based on personal experiences are highly valued specially within the expat circle - doctors, hospitals, restaurants, places to visit, hotels, etc. - for lack of knowledge (time to get to know) about the country of post. As far as dining places goes, we found out that service, availability and quality are not consistent (taste is not an issue here - just how many ways can you serve a Ribeye steak) and therefore have stopped recommending restaurants. We just say we've been there and see if you like it yourselves.

Steaks on sizzling plates (a la plancha) are common as Nicaragua also produce good quality beef, not comparable to Argentina or even Honduras but good. The way steaks are served here, including what they refer to as 'Ribeye' is thinner than elsewhere. So, 3/4 is mostly well done, medium rare would be your medium well - FYI.

T the viking and V have their moments when they really feel like having their good old fashioned 16 ouncers and I believe that we finally found THE place. Tucked within the residential area of Los Robles just behind Metro Centro is a restaurant called 'Restaurante de Don Candido' predominantly patronized by locals (probably one of their best kept secrets), where they serve the thickest and most tender Tenderloin and Ribeye we've ever ordered here. Their prices are very reasonable given the quality of their meat at between $18 - 22 (before tax). One of the few places I can take the flak for recommending as I believe it would be hard to go wrong with the kind of meat they have plus the excellent service where the waiters actually know what they are talking about. Here's how to get there but it's best to call for specific directions as it took us 15 minutes (while within the area) to find it:

Restaurante de Don Candido
Los Robles, del Chamán 75 vrs al Sur, Casa #53
Tel: 277-2485
Cel: 882-2266
Email: candidos@cablenet.com.ni

If you don't feel like going out, you can also get good quality meat from the German-Nicaragua owned Bavaria (incl imported cheese, sausages and cold cuts)....but everybody knows that....what I think most don't is that every now and then they also sell what is called 'Bife de Chorizo', steak (beef) with a good layer of fat - I'm not sure what it's called in English but I suspect it's Tenderloin. They sell it pre-cut in 2s for somewhere around $16 per pack. It was recommended by one of T's Danish colleagues, say, on a Wednesday evening and we ran to get it the following day. Good that we did as there were only 5 packs left....yes, we bought them all. As with all good imported things here in Nicaragua, you don't know when they're gonna have it again.

We had it for dinner that same evening served with wild rice with mushroom and Bearnaise sauce. Good meat like that is more a Vikings specialty than mine, so it was T who prepared it. It was excellent and turned out exactly the way I like my steak which is a feat as V prefers his medium well, mine medium rare and T's 3/4 (or tres-cuarto, as they say here). The supply we have right now will tide us over (our cravings) for the next 3 months at least, so Bavaria is always worth a visit.

Note: The wild rice can be bought in La Colonia for between $10-12 a pound (I don't remember exactly) and needs to be cooked or simmered after boiling for 5 minutes for almost an hour before it is ready. I love the wild rice for its consistency - kind of pops in your mouth when you chew on it. You may need to add condiments for taste like salt, pepper, bell pepper or mushrooms - the possibilities are endless. That night, we dined fine prepared by a dashing chef for a reasonable $15 meal each.....I was just lacking candles.

Georgian National Ballet in Managua

A string of coincidences lead us to bring V to The Teatro Nacional Ruben Dario here in Managua to see the Georgian State National Ballet perform.

Photos courtesy of Russian Music and Videos

The only other time we've been there was via the Norwegian Embassy's invitation to a concert (Piano in A minor) by a guest Norwegian Pianist (apologies as my memory fails me again big time) and the Nicaraguan National Orchestra to commemorate Edvard Grieg's 100th year death anniversary.

We love the performing arts but not enough (I guess) to really pay attention to what's going on in the theater circuit. If we're lucky enough to be informed of some performances we might be interested in, we go. We try to expose V to the various forms of art and its appreciation, but only lately as I have been very careful not to force him too much to it (lest he's not yet ready) as he also might develop abhorrence towards the activity.

The (real) first time was last year in New York where we brought him there precisely for the purpose of exposing him to Museums and Broadway. Although having been slowly exposed by a string of International and Scandinavian schools, it must be more fun visiting museums with your peers than doing the same for longer periods of time with your parents. At the end, we asked him to stand for at least 20 seconds in each piece that catches his attention and tell us what he thinks about it or what he sees. I imagined him counting silently 1..2..3..4.....20 ha-ha. But then after the trip, we found out that the Picasso pieces in general interested him and his favorite museum was The Museum of Natural History and Guggenheim his least. That's a start.

Sometimes our own ignorance (okay, mine) makes us miss some must-sees. V was invited by his music teacher to be a guest performer (recorder) at the Teatro National Ruben Dario this June where he will have a solo number - 'La Mora Limpia'. We accepted the invitation and of course wanted V to be familiar with the Teatro (the stage) where he's going to perform to dispel some of his nervousness. Our opportunity came when we received this email from M:

Dear All

On a good friend's insistence, I was dragged along last night to see the performance of the Georgia National Ballet at the Ruben Dario. And what an amazing experience that turned out to be. I hadn't been exposed to Georgian culture before and didn't really know what to expect. It was a heady mix of folk dance, acrobats and ballet with everything from peasants to princesses and cossacks to ninjas. The music, though simple, was mesmerizing; a 4 piece band consisting of clarinet, 2 accordions and drum evoked flavours of ancient Persia, Byzantium and modern Russia. Similarly the pageantry of costumes traversed Eastern Europe to the Middle East over the last millennium. The visual and audible feast absolutely entranced the audience; the dancers and musicians got a long standing ovation.

The good news is that they are repeating the performance next Tuesday night. Seriously consider going and do take along children - who will equally love it. Be prepared to see sparks flying, whizzing daggers and women in long dresses who float across the stage as if being transported on an invisible pulley.

M

M described it really well, more than I ever could. So folks, the Georgian National Ballet (Although picked up from Youtube, It's exactly the same performance that we saw, only this one has some sort of intro where you can see them practicing), if given the chance, don't miss them perform. A unique experience that our whole family enjoyed, specially V.

An anecdote: When V learned that we are going to a ballet -because that's what it is, after all - I saw him grimace a bit. We reminded him how he enjoyed Billy Elliot....that worked.

V's never ending celebration

I don't remember celebrating my 13th birthday in a particularly special way. I don't think I even considered it a milestone. V's 13th was a really big thing for him, we actually felt it coming to pass like a series of terrestrial rumblings that are sure to culminate in an eruption. Weird, I thought but maybe that's just how kids are now a days, they just mature earlier than we did during my time.

V is now in that place where on the one hand, he likes to talk and act like an adult - like when he insisted on taking me out to dinner on my birthday (T was out of the country for work) in a fine dining restaurant and not only paid but acted like an escort. I can already see the gentleman behind the awkward haircut and unsure gait - while loving to indulge in the silliest physical games on the other.

I shouldn't even have worried, he is more talk than action at the moment as evidenced by how he celebrated his birthday party with his friends.

Like any other children, they only wanted to eat:

Have loads of fun (read: be silly):

Play:

Make noise (WARNING: Ear splitting, watch (and listen) at your own risk - not recommended for those truly musically inclined):
V

S

Hang out:

Pass out (thank god!):

Only to re-fuel:

For more activities.
I guess the biggest change is the company he prefers to keep. Doesn't matter what they do as long as they do it together.

And where did mommy and daddy figure in all these? Well, we too had fun if not more being spectator ions, for a change.

PS - After all that fun, V was grounded on the Monday following his birthday weekend. It turned out that he was not able to do his homework from the previous week for being so excited for his party. There was a lesson to be learned there and a week's grounding should do it. It's ok to have fun as long as we do not forget our responsibilities. We have to do what we have to do and birthdays are no exceptions.

Bank account details, my A*S

Sorry for the title but I mean it. Sure it's in my spam folder which I check every now and then as legitimate mails sometimes for whatever reason gets redirected there. $12.5M does sound REAAALLLLY good but not good enough for me to throw my details around. Are there honestly st***d people who fall for these kind of scams that's why they still proliferate? Unbelievable!

If it's real...I just lost $12.5M. I can live with that.

FROM MRS GRACE COMPAORE,
BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGER,
FOREIGN REMITTANCE DEPT,
BANK OF AFRICA (BOA),
OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO.

MY DEAR,

I AM MRS.GRACE COMPAORE, THE BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGER AT THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE DEPARTMENT OF BANK OF AFRICA (BOA) OUAGADOUGOU IN BURKINA FASO. WITH DUE RESPECT AND REGARDS, I HAVE DECIDED TO CONTACT YOU ON A BUSINESS TRANSACTION THAT WILL BE VERY BENEFICIAL TO BOTH OF US AT THE END OF THE TRANSACTION.DURING MY INVESTIGATION AND AUDITING IN MY DEPARTMENT, I CAME ACROSS A VERY HUGE SUM OF MONEY BELONGING TO A DECEASED PERSON, A FOREIGNER WHO DIED IN A PLANE CRASH WITH HIS ENTIRE FAMILY.PLEASE THIS IS A CONFIDENTIAL MATTER AND IT REQUIRES URGENCY.

THE FUND HAS BEEN IN HIS ACCOUNT WITH THE BANK WITHOUT ANY CLAIM OF THE FUND IN OUR CUSTODY EITHER FROM HIS FAMILY OR RELATION BEFORE OUR DISCOVERY TO THIS DEVELOPMENT.ALTHOUGH PERSONALLY, I KEPT THIS INFORMATION SECRET WITHIN MYSELF TO ENABLE THE WHOLE PLANS AND IDEA BE PROFITABLE AND SUCCESSFUL DURING THE TIME OF EXECUTION. THE AMOUNT INVOLVED IS USD$12.500, 000 (TWELVE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND U.S DOLLARS.) MEANWHILE THE WHOLE ARRANGEMENT AND DIRECTIVES NEEDED TO PUT CLAIM OVER THIS FUND AS THE NEXT OF KIN TO THE DECEASED WILL BE FORWARD TO YOU UPON YOUR ACCEPTANCE. INFORMATION WILL BE RELEASED TO YOU AS SOON AS YOU INDICATE YOUR INTEREST AND WILLINGNESS TO ASSIST ME AND ALSO BENEFIT YOURSELF TO THIS GREAT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY.

IN FACT I COULD HAVE DONE THIS DEAL ALONE BUT BECAUSE OF MY POSITION IN THIS COUNTRY AS A CIVIL SERVANT, WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO OPERATE A FOREIGN ACCOUNT AND WOULD EVENTUALLY RAISE AN EYE BROW ON MY SIDE DURING THE TIME OF TRANSFER BECAUSE I WORK IN THIS BANK. THIS IS THE ACTUAL REASON WHY IT WILL REQUIRE A SECOND PARTY OR FELLOW WHO WILL FORWARD CLAIMS AS THE NEXT OF KIN TO THE BANK AND ALSO PRESENT A FOREIGN ACCOUNT WHERE HE WILL NEED THE MONEY TO BE TRANSFERRED INTO ON HIS REQUEST AS IT MAY BE, AFTER DUE VERIFICATION AND CLARIFICATION TO DESIGNATED BANK ACCOUNT.

YOU CAN SEE THE WEBSITE BELOW COVERING THE PLANE CRASH BY CNN & BBC NEWS.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3348109.stm

I WILL NOT FAIL TO INFORM YOU THAT THIS TRANSACTION IS 100% RISK FREE. ON SMOOTH CONCLUSION OF THIS TRANSACTION, YOU WILL BE ENTITLED TO 40% OF THE TOTAL SUM AND 10% WILL BE SET ASIDE FOR EXPENSES INCURED DURING THE BUSINESS WHILE 50% WILL BE FOR ME. YOU HAVE BEEN ADVISED TO KEEP TOP SECRET AS I AM STILL IN SERVICE AND INTEND TO RETIRE FROM SERVICE AFTER I CONCLUDE THIS DEAL WITH YOU.

I WILL BE MONITORING THE WHOLE SITUATION HERE IN THE BANK UNTIL YOU CONFIRM THE MONEY IN YOUR ACCOUNT AND ASK ME TO COME DOWN TO YOUR COUNTRY FOR SUBSEQUENT SHARING OF THE FUND ACCORDING TO PERCENTAGES PREVIOUSLY INDICATED AND FURTHER INVESTMENT, EITHER IN YOUR COUNTRY OR ANY OTHER COUNTRY YOU MAY ADVICE ME TO INVEST IN. ALL OTHER NECESSARY INFORMATION WILL BE SENT TO YOU WHEN I HEAR FROM YOU. I SUGGEST YOU GET BACK TO ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE STATING YOUR WISH IN THIS DEAL.

PLEASE REPLY TO MY MASSAGE BY INDICATING YOUR BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS WHERE THE FUND WILL BE TRANSFERED TO. ALSO, SEND ME YOUR PRIVATE PHONE NUMBER FOR EASY COMMUNICATION.YOU SHOULD CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY AS SOON AS YOU RECIEVE THIS LETTER.

YOURS FAITHFULLY,
MRS GRACE COMPAORE

V's coming of (a certain) age

Today's going to be a very busy day. V will be celebrating his 13th birthday tomorrow andis very excited about it too because to him (and to him alone - he will always be my baby - I'll get over it but more later than sooner) he is officially a teenager. I must admit that I have already seen drastic changes in his preferences since he was 11 to in fact, herald this era.

He is still the sweet kid that he is and is not afraid to show affection in public albeit less than before. He likes making his own decisions specially regarding his clothes and....ooohhh, our perennial fight, since last year...his hair.

On the plus side, his birthday celebrations has become easier to plan, not necessarily cheaper, on the contrary, just less guests (only good friends, sans parents - unless they're good friends of ours too - and sans nannies) therefore less logistical nightmare. No more piñatas (yehey), therefore less small candies but bigger ticket item give-aways. I remember when we had to prepare for 50 people where less than half of them were their nannies or drivers.

But then the gift also gets bigger. This year (quite late compared to most) we're taking him for a weeks trip to Disney World in Orlando and a Seven day Cruise up to St Martin. We can't of course, NOT let him NOT open a gift on his day (just seems cruel somehow, so we still got him his very first real hand-held radio with an 18 mile range which he has been hankering for since Christmas. Hard to win huh. Last year we got him a Wii console (that came with a game) with the agreement that he buys the games out of his own savings. Still we gave him Wii accessories last Christmas -Game Cube controllers. T and I have already agreed that he'll get his own laptop next year because he's been using mine a lot for his homework and researches. Yes, it only gets more expensive each year.

This year will be a long birthday celebration. He's planned for a pool party for Saturday 1pm - 6pm where some close friends (about 8) will be sleeping over. They have agreed to rent some DVDs that's supposed to scare the cr*p out of them and then play Paintball on Sunday after breakfast, then Pizza lunch before they finally part.

That suits us just fine. as you can see, it doesn't require our involvement much (no more emceeing...and no more clowns!!!). Just the food prep and the obligatory candle blowing on the cake. For the menu, he actually wants prepare it yourself meals. So we agreed on: Hotdogs, burgers and Kentucky-type but home made fried chicken. Except for the chicken (and the Lasagne), they will have to make their sandwiches themselves...I'll just have to put all the garnishes on the table, which suits me just FINE.

To all the Moms (and to you too Mother!)

Living with guilt

Having written my previous post, brings me now to my present one. The title, borrowed from one of my fave read blogs Africa Expat Wives Club, calls for me to write about it as it is true that there is some level of guilt you have to live with when posted in a 3rd world country - Africa Expat Wife's post must have been my last read before my internet service went out. I have indeed met quite a few in the business of aid, the Diplomatic Corps and even those within the private sector, most specifically spouses that carry a tremendous amount of guilt living in a poverty stricken country (why they need to be aided by international organizations, in the first place). Unlike the working spouses who feel that they are doing their part of aiding the country through their work, the spouse live a comfortable, if not ostentatious lifestyle...some, not all.

The only way I differ from them is that I grew up in a third world country myself and have had to live with poverty surrounding me on a daily basis. I am not jaded, I just know my limitations. I too know what I have given up to warrant a comfortable life while on post (it is a choice).

Guilt to me is impotence. There's just so many things in the world today that can make us feel impotent, if we let them...detrimental to mental, emotional and physical health, that eventually render us useless than we already are in some cases.

I am putting forth the following not as an advise nor to assuage guilt but just my own guiding principles:

1. I am for sustainable development
2. I refuse to be a party to creating a dole-out community subsistence
3. I believe in teaching people how to fish, rather than set their table for them
4. I believe in working for your keep
5. I don't give money to street children as it only keeps them on the street, instead I give food - fruits, biscuits, etc, whatever I have at the moment other than change. And yes, I get a thank you less than half the time and a frown very often.
6. I only support feeding programs for the orphans because feeding programs for non-orphans only encourage irresponsibility on their parents end.
7. I support schools for the disabled
8. I believe in empowering women
9. Relative to #8, I support the marginalized sector of society mainly the women and indigenous groups.
10. Most importantly, I believe that everyone should be empowered with self pride, knowing that what you are spending, wisely, if I may add, comes from hard work.

By 'my limitations' I mean that I cannot change the world single handedly but can help when I can starting with those who are close to me. I come from a family that always had someone, a distant relative or other staying with us because my grandparents are sending them to school. Half the time, they have to do something in the house to help us. We have always had nannies, maids and drivers in the Philippines because that's just how the economic wheel has turned ever since I can remember. In our case, they have been with us since I can remember...like family. Part of my grandfather's day is to sit down in th evening with my nanny and the driver for a round of beer. My cousins and I have had the same nanny when we were kids as our parents and our nanny's children have worked with us in the house. A symbiotic relationship is how I see it. Job creation as needed. They worked their keep.

In Kenya, our predecessor, before they left enrolled their gardener in driving school and recommended him to us as a driver. An honest hardworking guy, we decided to hire his wife too, contrary to our rule of thumb (no personal relationships), who was a stay-at-home wife and never had any work experience at all. I trained her (quick learner and very smart) and now works for another expat (she was quite in-demand even before we left), whereas her husband now works for someone with a very responsible position in the UN. While with us, they managed to move their children to a better school.

Relative to this I worked with a women's organization in Kenya where I was part of a project that taught design (accessories). I agreed to this because I saw how these women work hard to earn a living. What was sustainable in this project was that the women covered all aspects of the business. They were taught accounting, sourcing, purchasing, profit and loss, etc. It made me feel good to be a small part of something that I knew would last even after we leave the country...yes, expats of limited existence within a country is bound to leave sooner or later. That makes me really think hard of what I am leaving behind. Am I leaving behind a project that will not subsist on its own once the donors are gone? Or a project that will close down when the changing of the guards come to pass...which is an eventuality.

Charity begins at home as the cliche goes works very well for me...literally. Our empleados here at home, together with us follow these simple guidelines:

1. I am not a bank nor a financial institution - I am more flexible than that but should definitely not be abused.
2. Emergency situations or otherwise can be covered by a loan up to a month's salary payable in 3 months (anything can happen within that period).
4. Succeeding loans can be had depending on how much of the previous loan have been paid off.

5. I give them extra monthly to buy their food because I believe I should not have the temerity to change their pallet imposing on them the food we eat. In Kenya, this is more the norm as the tribal food preference will drive you crazy.

These simple guidelines, from what I have seen have taught them, specially M, to be responsible with money. I do what I can in my own little way. To me what is important is to leave behind a legacy of respect for oneself on how you have earned your keep, pride that you indeed deserve the lifestyle you have and the responsibility you have for others, specially your children.

I do not triple their salaries like some expats do (to assuage guilt maybe?), double maybe, as the salary level here is also outrageously low given the cost of living, in fear of creating an economic imbalance. Are their salary levels sustainable when we leave? Would they be able to get a job giving them the same salary level (which by law will still have to be increased on a yearly basis)? If not, how do they revert to the lifestyle they have been accustomed to while they were working with us? A did buy the latest phone model the moment I increased his salary (so did M, by the way)...but that was before he got married, now I hope he knows better...priorities, priorities. Will they then have to give up their cheese? Or worse, move their children back to public school when they've had a taste of private schooling?

I'm not saying that this is happening to us right now, but those who out of guilt, inadvertently, drastically bucking the economic trend is innocently creating havoc that could threaten to skew an already skewed economic graph of a country. An unsustainable surge which I believe does more harm than good in the long run.

This early, I can already say that when we leave, I have glowing recommendations for all of them and I won't even be exaggerating. Hopefully, they will move on to better jobs - for M, if she finishes her secondary education, which I insist she does - or at the very least keep the well paying jobs that they have.

There have been success stories of course. T's predecessor's driver-gardener now works for the embassy as a full-time official driver...another stepping stone, yes, but at least they can say that they have done it themselves and owed no one in reversing their economic situation. Hopefully, these values will trickle down to the next generation and as they say here, poco-a-poco and slowly but surely...if I may add. In all these, I have learned that I cannot change a culture that has been developed for centuries in a blink of an eye and regardless of what I do, my impact will not so much even make a ripple in a sea of hopelessness.

I know of spouses that went back home (leaving the other half to fulfill their contract) because they cannot take the sight of poverty or carry the feeling of impotence on a daily basis. I, on the on the other hand, refuse to be dragged into the abyss of despair of seeing poverty all around me (there are other things that drag me there believe me)...without turning a blind eye, I know that I can only do so much and I do what I can.

But then again, that's just me.

Suspended internet service is hazardous to my mental health

Yes, you read right...pathetic, you'd think, my rationale would be that on the net, I can choose which news or type of news I would like to read.

Having said that, AGAIN, I will break one of my sacred rules in maintaining this blog...and that is not to write anything that would put my host country in a negative light or at least write about what's going on here - on an economic or political level, anyway.

No internet connection means reading the local newspaper. There are 2 known local newspapers here and I subscribed to the one we have now mainly because not only do they have a promo for a year's advance subscription, we also get a discount card in some restaurants and that is just so.....typical me. Later in the year, I found out, well, I heard that the one we are subscribing to is critical of the incumbent government more than the other one and therefore either exaggerates or reports on every single thing that the current government might be doing to put it in a bad or worse light than it already is. It really depends on who you talk to...those who voted for the incumbent say that yes. they are overly critical while opposition supporters call it fearless journalism. I have linked both newspapers, you be the judge. I am a third party observer and therefore have no opinion on the matter (read: my lips are sealed).

Although I DO read the newspaper every now and then (believe it or not), these couple of days' news have finally alarmed me (okay, a bit), coupled with some other (official) security reports that I have been personally receiving.

Monday started with a nationwide transport strike, where those who chose to still service the public have been forcefully restrained (from plying their trade) by the striking group. The reason for the strike is that they have been requesting a dialogue to negotiate with the Ministry of Transport to freeze the price of Petrol (economic reports say that Nicaragua's petrol, per gallon, is the highest in Central America by $0.50). From today, there have been reports that the police have detained some strikers outside Managua, specifically in Leon. It doesn't look good as the government denies funds for subsidy exists to enable the price control. I feel the striker's pain as when we put on petrol last Saturday, I realized that my cost for petrol is in fact now close to double. For the Prado, I now spend a bit more than $C 1,700 (roughly $ 85.00) every 2 weeks, depending if we go out of town or not...and that's diesel even, as opposed to $C 900 (roughly $ 45.00) when we first got the car in January of 2007. It's not the price but the jump that scares me.

We too are affected with the strike, of course, I now give Adolfo extra to take a cab from home but that cannot last long as if this goes on and the way 'taxistas' are threatened to stop running and customers are forced to get off the cabs, soon there won't be any cabs to take. I suggested to Adolfo to take T's bike for now, instead of having to be forced to walk for miles and miles to get to work but he declined. He'd rather walk he says as the area where he lives is not the safest in Managua. Therefore, him on an imported titanium bike would just be begging for a robbery attack.

Signs of desperate times indeed. Also in the news is the closure of a big Taiwanese textile firm at the Zona Franca, their economic Zone here like PEZA in the Philippines, leaving 14,000 unemployed of which 70% are women, who by the way also took to the streets or plan to to protest unemployment (there are at least 3 more Asian companies planning to close down at the zone) and to remind the government of its election promise of job creation. The companies are leaving for various reasons but one of them is the increasing cost of production coupled with the effect (sales loss) of the economic down-turn in the US considered to be the biggest market of companies that have relocated here from Asia. Business is business after all.

Relative to this of course is the issue of the increasing price of the 'cañasta basica', the security situation where more people get robbed and more houses (even with security guards) get broken into even in areas that were considered safe only a couple of months ago. I learned yesterday that quite a few security personnel were not able to report to work, well, because of the transport strike. We're lucky with ours, they go to work on their bicycles. Desperate times call for desperate measures indeed. So much for the safest country in Central America...the least violent, maybe, but 'the safest' is no longer safe enough.

Headache...can't read anymore. Double headache to write about it. If interested, follow the (newspaper) links to read more as there's so much more to read about. None of them are good (right now, anyway)...well, there's actually one company that announced it's investment in Nicaragua by opening a factory that will employ 800 people...but really, what does that mean to the other 13, 200.

Now you see what I mean by the title of this post.

Oooppps, they did it again!

This time for a shorter period, 2 days, I'm talking about my internet connection. Our service, AGAIN, was suspended for non-payment, and AGAIN for the same reason.....the bill was not delivered on time. Sometimes we feel that they do it deliberately. Not that Cablenet gets anything out of it because as far as I understand, there's no reconnection fee. Only the inconvenience of not having internet connection while they are resolving the matter. Resolution means that they either send us the bill, finally, or check their records thoroughly. I'm not well-versed in this matter as the bills are paid in T's office. The procedure is for the bills to be delivered here at home, so I can check that they are correct (which I honestly do only erratically) - plus I really want to monitor our utilities usage - then immediately handed to T, so he can pay it in his office, together with other utility bills. Reconnection is therefore handled on T's end, why I don't know if we pay a fee for it or not.

Before I continue, let me digress a bit by saying that T hates to owe anyone anything, personal favors included, if can be helped - and that includes financial institutions. Talk about us living within our means. I didn't have to adjust on this part of his personality when I married him because my grandfather is exactly the same. Amazing how 2 culturally diverse people can be alike in so many ways. In both cases, credit card bills are paid on time...the moment they arrive and the whole amount to boot, no minimum payments for these two. I remember when my grandfather gave me my first brand new car as a gift that took a loooong time to process (imagine my agitation) because he wanted to put down 80% down payment and the balance to pay in one year - soured the deal for most financial institutions as they won't get anything out of it....just paper work. I have a feeling I'm worse though because if it's not something I can pay in cash, then I don't buy it. Simple shopping mantra by the way...for a shopaholic...no cash-no buy...no cash-no buy...ohhhmmmm.

I used to joke that the banks might not consider us to have a good credit standing because it would appear that we don't have credit ha-ha.

So just imagine us living in a country where most bills are delivered after the due date where we have to pay interest or penalty fees...just because_______ (I'll leave this blank because dog knows what's going on at their end).

An interesting case in point... Adolfo our driver has added another task to his multi-tasking list. Not only is he V's driver, body-guard, friend, soccer mom, cheerer, our part-time gardener, all-around fix-it guy (around the house), pet groomer...he has started a bill pick-up service too (well, just for us). For the past 3 months the social security bill has been consistently arriving past the due payment date and the succeeding bill always reflects the penalty of late payment. We have talked to them many times about this and yes, the famous shoulder shrug at its most elegant, is what we get. We just have to pay...regardless. Asked why that is, I swear they really gave this answer: there's no one to deliver! My Spanish may not be perfect but it's advanced enough for me to understand that one!

So having been defeated by the system, I have decided to have him pick-up the bill if it hasn't arrived on a given date. Yes, I succumbed (head hanging low). This means that every month, we now have to go to their office 3 times (well, once in the bank to pay). 1. to pick-up the bill; 2. to pay it; and 3. to verify payment - a week or so after (so the empleados can use their seguro anytime when they need it) where they have to stamp or sign or whatever it is they need to do with the papers to reflect updated payment.

Now, I only have to compute my gas usage to see how much damage it's doing me...hmmm. At the end of the day, my costs doesn't really matter as I don't want to give them the satisfaction of conducting business without scruples. Right now I am in Nicaragua, yes, but I would have done the same if I am in the Philippines - but then this I haven't experienced there. For all the Philippines' faults, at least customer service is highlighted and short of bending over backwards we try to resolve matters in a positive manner or at the very least try to give a proper answer instead of just shrugging our shoulders. I Should know...I worked in Sales / Marketing / Customer Service all my working life while I was there.

The villainess in all of us

Through a link from my fave fashion blog, Marbella Style, I found out what my villainess name is or are...I tried with both my married and maiden name. At the very least, I found out that I was better off married than single:

MR (maiden) = Soulless Spider
MH (married) = Heartless Siren

I'd go for the latter anytime.

Would you like to know yours?

Celebrating (Dutch) Queen Beatrix' Birthday

Although celebrated here in Managua on the 29th of April (Friday), I must confess that I don't know exactly when Queen Beatrix' birthday is. What I do know is that the celebration by the Dutch embassy is significant to us. Together with the Norwegian National day, we (just T & I, really) kind of dubbed them as the parties of the year (within the expat circle). The 2 celebrations are big in terms of number invited guests.

As far as I can remember, it was the first official function we have attended after we got here and it's there that we started to meet friends and therefore started living a more active social life. Unlike other places we've been to, we sort of had a longer adjustment period here, 7 months to be precise, having arrived in October 2006.

The Dutch, much like the Danes are very relaxed people. Like last year, when all the speeches (powerful) were done, a very relaxed and fun atmosphere ensued. Although no-nonsense people, they know how to have fun...the kick-off-your-shoes kind of fun even. So, kick-off our shoes, we did, indeed!