The tree, the dog, and the rooster (Oh ya, and the mouse that lives in my house)

My roof... there are 2 types of roofs in Nicaragua, a tile roof like this one or a zinc roof (very very hot). The tile roof is so cool that I am able to remain inside my house during the hottest part of the day.

I am sad to report that the “gripe” has struck again. Current score Gripe: 3 Brie: 0. No worries though because Nicaragua has taught me that nothing beats gripe like a boiling bowl of soup at noon and HOT water all day long (no cold or chilled water allowed)!

The title of this blog is a bit misleading because the tale I am about to tell bares no resemblance to one of Aesop´s Fables. Unfortunately, there will me no “moral of the story” and in truth, the story itself has no resolution (as of yet). Let me set the scene: Across the street from my ranchita there is a small house that occupies a half acre of land. The owners have a small “farm” that consists of pigs, roosters, chickens dogs and maybe a goat (I have heard the call of the goat but have yet to confirm the goats existence visually). In front of the house there is a very large tree with a thick trunk. Tied to this tree, on a 6 foot long chain, is a very spunky, rambunctious and vocal dog. Everyday at 6am the dog awakes and begins to bark. Meanwhile, the rooster begins to crow. Now comes the fun part; the owner chains up the rooster about 1 foot from the dog. The rooster is just out of reach of the dog, but he is close enough to mock the dog with his crowing. Therefore, the dog barks and throws itself awkwardly toward the rooster, the rooster continues to crow every 10 seconds, and the dog never gets any closer to catching the rooster. This scene has been occurring day in and day out since I arrived at my site. I am tempted to go across the street one night around 11pm, when everyone’s asleep, and set the dog and rooster free. For now, I will contain myself but the crowing and yelping are starting to get to me!

Here is a picture of the tree (far left), the dog (center) and the rooster (far right).

There is a small mouse that now occupies my house (I promise this is the only rhyme I will ever use in any of my blogs…unless, I turn into a rapper and then I might include some of my song lyrics and backup beats). Basically, the mouse lives outside for most of the day, but then at night I will see it out of the corner of my eye running along the wall in my living room. I am tempted to get a cat, and would consider this option if I weren’t so allergic. Which is worse, runny nose and eyes with skin irritations or a mouse? I have also considered buying mouse traps; however, I don’t like the idea of having to remove the traps after I have captured the mouse. So for now I have a pet, of sorts.

An orchestra of vendor voices can be heard throughout the day weaving up and down every street in the neighborhood. They sell a variety of products from meat, to produce, to household products. The tune goes something like this:

“Espejos me amor” (“Mirrors my love”)

“Yuka, enselada” (Yuca and salad)

“2 avocadoes for the price of 1”

“Naranjas para fresco, piñas para fresco” (“Oranges and pineapple for juice”)

“Fresh cheese, cheese”

“Aquacate, Aquacate, Aquacate” (“avocados, avocados, avocados”)

“Fish, chicken and beef…lower prices for today only”

“Tacos, Taaacoooosss”

“DVDS, CDs, New Movies just released”

“Crema, leche” (“cream and milk”)

“Dulce, Bon Bons, Dulce” (Candy)

Why ever leave the house when everything one could possibly need is being sold at the front doorstep! I have yet to buy meat products, or pirated DVDs from the vendors. However, I do enjoy the avocado special 2 for the price of 1. I also enjoy yuca, a plant root that tastes like a sweet dense potato, which Nicaraguans just love. There are always deals to be had especially on the weekends!!

I recently made quite the expensive purchase; I bought a genuine Burberry tote for $1. Of course I am joking, although not about buying a tote (which in fact is just a giant plastic bag with a zipper on top) but it is not a Burberry tote nor was it marketed as such (the colors and the pattern simply remind me of this popular brand). The tote is very Nica**, as everyone seems to carry one on the bus and in the market place. The totes range in colors and themes. During Nicaraguan Fall Fashion Week, the “Winnie the Pooh Bear” tote and the “I love New York” tote were showcased and flew off the vendors shelves immediately. Now it is near impossible to find either one of these popular themes…but I will keep looking…I sense some awesome Christmas presents for people back home! The tote is great for stuffing all sorts of stuff into such as live chickens, rice, beans, assorted groceries, wood scrapes, yards and yards of rope (anything and everything…skies the limit). I have only put groceries in my bag (no live animals…yet) but I feel a sense of belonging and pride as I cram my bag full of stuff and throw it on the bus, just like all of the Nicas. How great it is to belong…plus I figure it makes me less of target for theft, because who in their right mind would go after a cheap looking plastic bag…case and point, an expensive looking backpack (mochila or bolsa) sticks out like a sour thumb.

**The term Nica simply means Nicaraguan. It is not a derogatory term and just as Nicaraguans call me a gringa, I call them Nicas.

My tote:

In my never ending attempt to assimilate I have done quite a bit of observing. Through these observations I have noticed some interesting cultural practices:

1) Some Nica men have grown out just 1 pinky nail to extreme lengths, while keeping the rest of their nails neatly manicured. I have inquired into this cultural difference and have only been told that the long nail comes in handy. Essentially it functions like a flathead screwdriver. I have yet to capture a picture of this “pinky flathead” because the logistics involved in this photograph are complicated. But if I ever find a willing hand model I will post the picture ASAP!

2) Many people also have gold teeth (or no teeth at all). This is due to the fact that the diet is high in sugar and people do not brush their teeth. However, it is also a fashion statement to have gold teeth. I was also told by another individual that having gold teeth is “cool and very attractive.” Therefore, I am getting my two front teeth capped in gold to help with the assimilation process.

Another use for the Swiss Army multi-tool (which I never leave home without): I finally got my new wash basin installed. Some chavalos came over to my house dug up some dirt, chopped up some cement and finally connected the water pipes. Everything was going great until the water turned back on around 3pm. The chavalos had left and they forgot to put an on/off knob on the top of the water pipe. Therefore, there was no way for me to easily turn off the water, and unfortunately the water was turned to the “on” position. Of course, it was raining and water was gushing out of my wash basin. The yard started to flood and I went into a momentary panic…HOW DO I TURN THIS THING OFF??? Then I remembered my multi-tool. With cat like speed and agility, I ran into my house, dug through my backpack and found my Swiss Army multi-tool…then I had to find the correct tool (Yikes…50 different options…so difficult to pull out each tool…not sure what I am looking for…out of breath from running into my house so quickly). I just started pulling out every tucked in Swiss tool: mini-scissors, pokey thing, mini-knife, bigger version of mini-knife, bottle opener, cork screw...and about 44 more mini-tools that I don’t know the names of or their purpose. Finally, I found a wrench and I was able to shut off the waterworks display in my backyard!! The yard resembled a lake, but the water was finally off and my multi-tool saved the day. I never thought I would use my multi-tool but low and behold I used it…and it was awesome.

This is my new wash basin (where I do my laundry, wash my dishes, wash my hands and get water). Don´t worry I bleach it a lot to keep everything germ free and clean!