Nicaragua: Let the words fall out

As of late, I have been studying for the Graduate Record Exam, better known as the GRE. One day while I was studying vocabulary, I came across the following passage:

Analog is a noun meaning something that is comparable to something else.

Some commentators have posited the existence of an analog to the Protestant work ethic in Chinese culture, which they call the "Confucian work ethic," to explain the economic success of some countries with large Chinese populations.

Upon reading this passage, I immediately reflected on the population of my community here in Nicaragua. My city is home to a handful of people with Chinese heritage, and those families seem to be quite economically successful, relatively speaking, within the community. It seems, therefore, that the local population here could be supporting evidence for the above sentence included in my GRE study book. 

Among the Chinese-owned businesses in the city are an internet cafe, a restaurant that serves Nica food, a fancy gym with workout equipment, and a restaurant that serves Chinese food which also has a brand new pool available for public use. Many of the Chinese descendants are also community leaders (including a former mayor), and professionals such as doctors, dentists, and university professors.    

Now let's rewind a bit. How did they end up in Central America, in this almost-middle-of-nowhere city on the river? The story goes that a number of them fled China during the "difficult times" two or three generations ago, and hopped on a ship to make a life wherever it would take them. Since our city is home to an international port, this is where they landed. The people here say it was the Chinese immigrants who played a major role in developing the city into what it is today.

In deeper reflection, I wonder if work ethic really is a culturally-inherited practice. Do our definitions of success differ based on the culture into which we are born? Why do some places (and people) more easily "develop" than others? Can the accepted norms of a specific place be changed, or do newcomers adapt to the accepted norms of their new home? 

In the coming years it will be interesting to observe the developmental and cultural changes within Nicaragua as the inter-oceanic canal is constructed, especially since it is a project being carried out by a Chinese group from Hong Kong. We shall see if an increase in Chinese immigrants results from the project, and if those potential immigrants easily find economic success because their "Confucian work ethic" allowed them to do so.