Escandaloso!

Yesterday I wanted to talk about some things that are very different here than in the US.

First, fires. There are dumps, dumpsters, and dumptrucks in Managua. But in the case of chopping down a lot of trees, or if there is a lot of stuff to get rid off, many houses just pull it over to the side of the road and light it on fire in front of their property. Every other day or so, I can smell the fire from across the street in my window. This seemed so different from what's legal in the US.

Second, selling animals. I mentioned in my last post that we went to the zoologico on Thursday. Well what I forgot to mention is that they were selling a hawk. In a cage. For $1000 in the back of the zoologico. First of all, what is someone going to do with a pet hawk? Second, hawks need a VERY LARGE area for their habitat. I was astonished when I saw that.

Third, beer at the mall? So today we went to metrocentro (the mall here) and stopped for lunch in the food court. I ended up going to a place with Nicaraguan food. As I was ordering I saw something that looked out of place.  Next to the soda refrigerator was a beer refrigerator! And then I looked around and I saw some empty beer bottles on the floor in the food court. It was so strange to see them being sold in the food court at the mall... something I couldn't see them doing in the US.

Seeing the differences here makes me think of how protective we are in the US. I walked into a store and saw a row of set of knives on sale, open so that you would be able to look at them. I was watching the man mop the floor in the food court without putting up a wet floor sign. It's all the little things that are so important in the US, but really are nothing to bat an eye at. With lawsuits left and right in the US, no wonder we're so protective.

Time for Saturday afternoon nap!

Nos vemos!