There are many differences living here in Nicaragua. The other day we went out to take the truck to Pantanal and the rear tire was performing a high pitched version of the national anthem as it quickly deflated. There is no Les Schwab here but if you roll your tire to the end of the street there is a small stand where the tire wizard lives.
On the way I picked up a companion. A boy of about 13 took me to the tire shop and showed me how to move the tire using the sidewall instead of the tread. He also showed me to lift the tire over the rivers of sewage intersecting the road.
I was surprised to find that tireman had the tools to break the bead on the tire. When he got it off the rim he showed me the six times it had already been patched from the inside. I knew that the kid had to get out to Pantanal later. I was grateful he was helping me.
“When will you go to Pantanal?” I asked in broken Spanish that would have made Antonio Banderas proud.
His response has helped me to understand a little more of Nicaraguan culture. He simply pointed to the tire. It was his way of saying that he had no clue when he would leave. It all depended on events outside his control.
In America we like to have everything right now or sooner. Technology often makes this possible. But in Nicaragua, life is not run by the clock. Last weekend we held a soccer tournament. It was to start at 8 AM. People started showing up around nine and we started at ten.
But that’s not to say that there is not something to learn from Nicaragua’s island time attitude. Sometimes people will be an hour late for an event because they took the time to stop and visit someone. In the states, stopping on the way to a business meeting in order to chat with uncle Lester about the weather would be viewed either as a sign of cowardice or a mental disorder. Here in Nica it’s perfectly normal.
Traffic also reflects this understanding of time. If a truck pulls over into an oncoming lane to stop and buy something from a street vendor or talk to their friend, everyone waits for them. Four cars might be patiently following the bicyclist who has three people and four propane tanks on his bike.
There are so many life lessons to learn here about being patient and valuing people. Please continue to pray for me as I settle into the culture and learn what it means to live at a different pace than in the states.
