Culture Shock of Coming to Nicaragua 🇳🇮

[@terrycrousore7235]

Thanks!

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

Wow, thank you so much!! And my pleasure.

[@johnmclaren1538]

Thanks brothet

[@dallasbarkman1261]

Excellent, thx for taking the question.. Will definitely share

[@normarios1663]

I'm moving there,in the new year..I know I will be good there,is super expensive in the United States,the cost of living is out of control,that u can't even owe nothing..I live in Tampa Florida,and trust me,it got really insane I'm ready for this move,I wanna be happy I don't care what people tell me .Thank u for all the feedback u provide for us about Nicaragua

[@marylmpaulson1855]

Go for it. Make it a reality. You will be very happy there because everything is so cheap. But you will have to buy local products .shop locally and travel by bus.

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

That's great to hear (that you are moving here, not that Tampa is so expensive.) Nicaragua is ready for you!

[@sofiataboada7438]

1. Kissing people on the cheek to greet for the first time 2. The catcalling and flirting 3. Food is so fresh and unprocessed 4. The colonial architecture- gardens in the middle of the house, the connection with nature and the elements- rain. 5. The importance of family. Family, friends, church, cultural traditions. 6. Society not as materialistic or consumerist. Not looking for the latest toy, etc. These are some of the things that were a culture shock to me as a kid moving there. Nicaraguans in general are very happy, jokesters, artistic, and put a lot more value in human connection than material things. This is very hard for Americans to understand, because of their obsession with consumerism, material things, money.

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

I lived in Europe, so #1 seems natural to me. I forget about that. It's second nature even having grown up in the US.

[@sofiataboada7438]

@@ScottAlanMillerVlog haha yes, Europeans also kiss on the cheek so it's an easy transition. I remember one time as an 11yo kid reaching up to kiss a freshly arrived American missionary man. He was in so much shock, his jaw dropped, hahaha... I didn't realize what the problem was but then remembered it's not the custom in the US.

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

@@sofiataboada7438 jaja. Missionaries definitely should be expected to be trained in and familiar with basic social customs. Even in the US, people kiss on the cheek when from certain regions.

I've never seen homelessness here in 20 years. Yes, dirt floors and outhouses but clean! Dirt floors swept. Pride is strong even among the "poor." No tolerance for drugs helps. Family is everything.

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

I have, but very little compared to the US. It does exist, but it is quite rare in Nicaragua. And what I've seen is mostly in SJDS.

[@GoochGooch-cc7sj]

@@ScottAlanMillerVlogmost of the “homeless” in SJDS are entrepreneurs. Their businesses model is taking cash from gringos.

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

@@GoochGooch-cc7sj jaja, and they are often expats!

[@dubNoFunkinSoul]

Definitely noticed the pride and the family aspect. Two reasons why we are excited to move to NI.

[@GoochGooch-cc7sj]

Poverty in Nicaragua. I used to believe that too, far less than North America. I have friends in Canada that make over 200k a year that are living in poverty due to the culture of trying to look good. In Nicaragua I go to my friends grandparents farm, they have an abundance great food, live a chill life. They live in an old Brick house with a dirt floor and have homemade furniture. I’m not sure if they even have a use for money. I see no poverty there.

[@DaleGamburg]

There is no money but no hungry child ren or homeless ness. Usa money, but hungry children n homeless ness. With my pension I'd be homeless. Rents r so high. It's hard to find a regular job when you 65

[@boink800]

48% of the population in Nicaragua lives below the poverty line, 79.9% live on less than $2 per day and the per capita Income is $1,921. That's a huge culture shock for many.

[@dallasbarkman1261]

Yes, however his response is correct in that different people will have a different level.based on their prior experiences & willingness/open mindness for adventure/different experiences

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

That's definitely not the real poverty line here. 80% on under $2 a day is not accurate. There's two critical things here.. one is that the income rate is completely misleading (I have videos that explain why that's fake) and so can't be used in a poverty calculation and the second is that the actual hard numbers can't be real. If you drive around the country, it's instantly clear that that's not real. The country is super poor, yes. But the number facing true poverty, rather than just low income, is far lower. High, but nothing like these numbers.

[@psion13]

I grew up in the US and I have experienced food insecurity multiple times, it can cost $100 USD per week for a person to eat healthily. I have only visited Nicaragua, but I would not expect to have that experience there.

[@enough1494]

Communal life style IS what I have missed since 2019 when I moved to Louisiana. I have been in the same condo, never visited more than 5 minutes with neighbors, same people. Weird, very weird!

[@DaleGamburg]

There's no hot water cuz it's so hot you wouldn't want to take a hot shower the water here is perfectly cool to cool you off on s hot day

[@dallasbarkman1261]

Yes, my son loves that shower time @ grandmas . Kids can also play in their shower as they have one outside too My son says " it's sooo.. nice having a cold shower there "

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

In Managua, the ground water is great. In Leon, it's super cold. In Matagalpa, it's absolutely painful. Depends on where you are. In Leon you need a heater. IN Managua, there's no need at all. But in Matagalpa, OMG I don't know what I'd do without one.

[@DaleGamburg]

@@ScottAlanMillerVlog yes it really depends where you are.like you said Ometepe us a different animal, but what a view!

[@psion13]

@@ScottAlanMillerVlog I bathe in gichi-gami! :)

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

by the shining big sea waters?

[@DaleGamburg]

It's not igloo brand

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

That it is not ;)

[@tomdesantis938]

Awesome video Scott my biggest shocks were poverty,bathrooms took getting used to my biggest shock is family dynamics . Mother’s rule fathers seem almost useless there . Dating is very different I don’t understand jealousy latinas are very jealous . It’s almost flipped compleatly from the us . Nicaragua men imo are not typically faithful whereas American women are the cheaters. It makes it easy for an American man to shine there. I love the culture shock of life is slower and more enjoyed sitting on the porch drinking a beer or in the park in Managua chilled out listing to music. Smoking a cigar with a beer in your hand in public is very relaxing to me . One shock when dating is most females want to date in the day time they have a saying devils play at night saints play in the daytime. My other favorite Nicaragua saying is money makes the monkey dance.

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

Poverty we all get. But in what respect were the bathrooms a shock? I mean... Nicaraguans use the same toilets and stuff as Americans. But the look and feel of the bathrooms are very different.

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

I think the big difference between the US and Nicaragua in dating is not that men or women cheat. In Nicaragua they don't consider it cheating as long as it's kept secret. It's not more men or more women, it's basically everyone. It's a polyamorous society, but in secret. It's a pre-colombian pattern and if you don't know enough people, it's hard to realize it is there because it really is kept secret. But the secret dating world is huge and very different.

[@tomdesantis938]

@@ScottAlanMillerVlog well I’m used to having hot and cold water in the shower one knob was shocking at first remembering to not throw paper in the toilet. Oh and once in the park in Managua you have to pay to poop not much but when you’re in a hurry. Don’t forget to buy the paper too lol 3 sheets really I’m used to making poop mittens as my ex wife called it lol

[@tomdesantis938]

@@ScottAlanMillerVlog now you got me watching my girl hmmmm

[@DaleGamburg]

However it's hot here but Texas az n California r way way hotter from April to august. Fan works most of the x. N I'm gonna invest in a swamp cooler.

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

It's so true. I moved from Dallas and summers in Nicaragua are nothing compared to Texas

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

Loads of swamp coolers at PriceSmart!

[@DaleGamburg]

In the states I order or buy my high quality health supplements . Here a$12 bottle same brand is $28 .yes I can go thru a packing company that'll ship to sjds or Rivas but then I gotta I take a 2 hour bus ride and a1 hour ferry plus a cab . Plus wait 4 weeks , I can't afford air shipping. If you live in Managua, who wants to you got Walmart, sjds that's literally an American enclave but most places it's a struggle to the simplest things like get fish oil. There is no high quality dogfood on this island ometepe.i live on the wild side grantted I don't have a moto but there are 3 ATMs outside of moyogalpa. If u go urban things r definitely more convenient but if your into a country lifestyle. The simplest things r impossible. It's $1400 cordobas roughly $50 for a 50 lb bag of crap dogfood imported from Honduras in Altagracia. There is no non corn dogfood I can dog food cheaper in the states now this is not an urban area granted .it's not the culture I've lived in Mexico got anything I wanted no prob. It's getting my basic necesitas like organic shampoo I speak Spanish fluently I have no problem with the culture just organic shampoo there are no Rubbermaid containers here and the plastic containers here are not airtight. A medium sized igloo ice chest is $87 here $30 $40 in the states. I needed a battery for my Motorola cell phone , America n companies are sanctioned. I can get one in Costa Rica no prob it's not the culture everybody does their own thing here any way it's getting what to me are bare necessities . Took me 6 visits to the bank cuz 3times the manager wasn't there on a week day if you phone the bank they don't answer or call back. Culture is fine it's organic shampoo that's a prob .

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

Good dog food at PriceSmart. Ometepe, definitely not, but someone can deliver from Managua. You can hire out someone making dog food, too. A lot of the Nicaraguan experience is thinking outside of the box. Oh... that's a good video idea.

[@GoochGooch-cc7sj]

I’m not sure what organic shampoo is. But it sounds like something that you could probably make. As for dog food, I think there are better things available for your dogs in Nicaragua. Dog food is more of a convenience thing, like frozen pizza for people. You would be better off killing chickens, fish, pigs and feeding them a natural diet. Not sure about the whole fish oil thing, but fish are available everywhere.

[@DaleGamburg]

@@GoochGooch-cc7sj fish oil just an example n lake is polluted, full of plastic factory dumps 8,000 lbs of mercury a year in lake I google it

[@DaleGamburg]

@@GoochGooch-cc7sj fish are 0.46 mercury level

[@DaleGamburg]

@@GoochGooch-cc7sj yes I make the dogs chicken soup they're crazy for it