Likes, Dislikes, and the Unusual

Almost daily I arrange and rearrange different mental lists compiled over my 5 weeks here.

Like:
1. Being able to buy mangos and avocados for under $1 and delicious tacos for 50 cents each.
2. Being able to see the stars every night from the courtyard of my house.
3. Lack of throngs of tourists.
4. Nica hand gesture when they get excited about something - wrist flicking that produces a loud sound. (Have told myself that I must learn that one before I leave.)

Dislike:
1. Having to always be careful about what I eat and drink.
2. Not being able to take a shower (or sometimes even brush my teeth) whenever I want to.
3. The mosquitoes.
4. The endless honking from cab drivers and "Adios" from male passers-by (although I am certain I get only a fraction of the "attention" that fairer and lighter-haired women get).
5. People chucking their trash out the windows of a bus. Unfortunately, people are not very ecologically-minded here. But guess when you are that poor, the environment is the last thing on your mind.

Unusual:
1. Fast food is an oxymoron. You go to what looks like a burger joint and end up waiting for 15 mins (or more) for your order. And they have table service, so it's more like going to a restaurant!

2. Nica time and "promises" - Like most other Latin American countries (or Mediterranean countries for that matter) the concept of time is a tricky one. I have learned that you can never trust the hour that people tell you. And that you should always arrive at a restaurant before you get hungry, because you will be waiting for your food for at least an hour (usually 1.5 hrs). I made the mistake of going out when I was hungry once and really regretted it. All the fruit juice I gulped down while waiting for my food did not help my hunger.

Related to this is the other endearing characteristic of most Nicas: that they make plans and ask you to go somewhere and then change their mind at the last minute. This happens all the time. So now I never believe my colleagues when they say "Let's go out tonight." I have told them that I will believe them when we are actually out the door, together.

3. People always react with surprise when they find out that I'd gone anywhere by myself, without knowing anyone. "What?!? You went alone?" is usually the reaction I get. I wonder why people here are not more adventurous or curious in spirit. But then I guess it is the same way back home with a lot of people.