When one spends more than a few days in a certain place, one begins to think of oneself as more than a tourist, or at least I do. For many reasons, I like to think of myself as somehow superior to the other gring@s I run across in Nicaragua. Because I have someone who calls me daughter, I sometimes use vos instead of tu and I attend the public university here, I think it should be clear to people that I am not exclusively a tourist. However, it is painfully obvious to all that I am not Nicaraguan and no matter how hard I try I will never blend in. Before I left, a friend jokingly told me to go to a tanning salon and dye my hair so I would appear Nicaraguan. After being here for all of three weeks, I have come up with my own list of measures that would help me appear more Nica.
1) I need to invest in a pair or two of those really tight jeans, the ones that make you butt look big. The only problem with this change is that the weather here is equivalent to DC in August.
2) Although I generally surprise people with my Spanish, I need a quick Nicaraguan accent.
3) I need to work on my abs, I believe they are crucial in maintaining control while standing on a crowded (read at least 3 people deep in the aisle) bus going around the many traffic circles.
4) I need to wear strappy high heels. This change is a bit of a debatable one as I am already taller than 90% of the population of Managua (percentage based on observation).
5) Keep wearing brightly colored shirts.
6) I need to enact PDA. All over my university are students “studying” draped over their significant other.