Nicaragua: Move to greener pastures

A few months ago on a quiet Friday night I sat down to watch television and discovered that every single channel had been taken over by government programming and instead of a movie, sitcom, telenovela, or interesting news program, the only option I had was to watch the signing ceremony of the proposal to build a canal through Nicaragua. Maybe you have also heard the news about this proposed and highly controversial inter-oceanic canal through Nicaragua. The feasibility studies are supposedly being completed right now and construction is set to begin sometime in 2014. Whether the canal is a good idea or not is another topic for discussion. For now, I would like to focus on something the canal would obviously connect: the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.  

If I were to tell you that the culture along the west coast of the United States (Washington, Oregon, California) was the same as that of the east coast (New England, DC, the Carolinas, etc.) you would probably laugh in my face. Although the geographic limits of Nicaragua are situated much closer together than the coasts of the States (I live in a country in which one can travel by bus from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast in a matter of hours), the same holds true for the difference in respective cultures of the west and east coasts here. 

September marks six months since my arrival in Nicaragua; half of that time has been spent living on the Pacific side of the country and the other half on the Atlantic side. Three months on each side of the country has allowed me to observe and make the following comparisons:

Pacific (the west): 

-Mostly homogeneous population which is primarily mestizo (people of mixed European and indigenous ancestry), Catholic, and Spanish-speaking 

-Culturally similar to other Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America

-Houses made of cement blocks

-Relatively easy travel between cities on paved highways

-Most cities are within a few hour bus ride to the capital city

-Six-month rainy season 

-Volcanoes

Atlantic (the east): 

-Mixture of six different ethnic groups speaking four different languages. These include mestizo, indigenous, and African-descendants who speak Spanish, English creole, and other indigenous languages such as Miskito. 

-Culturally similar to former British colonies in the area; more Afro-Caribbean flavor (yes, this means better music)

-Houses made of wood, a cheaper building material and more susceptible to weather damage

-Many isolated communities which are only accessible by boat or horseback

-Poorest region of the country, economically speaking

-Nine-month rainy season

-Coconuts

My community is situated on the Atlantic side at an interesting meeting point between the two coasts, with a culture that is neither 100% Caribbean nor completely like that of the Pacific side. I speak Spanish the majority of the time, but also interact with people who speak English creole (my Spanish is way better than my creole, for the record). If this supposed canal is built it is likely to come through or near my site, which would be a huge game-changer in the local economy. Until then, we shall pass the time sitting and listening to the rain while eating our coconut bread.