Nicaragua and Culture
Hi,So I have been spending quite a few months seriously thinking about relocating to Central America.
I lived in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala for a few months some years ago and was planning to move back there long term. I live on a fixed income and it is certainly a place I could afford to live and its natural beauty has also appeals to me.
However, I am an artist-writer-poet and am realizing that it is also important to live in a place where culture and art are central to the community. Lake Atitlan is great but it is a bit too small and quiet for my New York bohemian frame of mind.
I have read about Nicaragua and most of the articles say that it is a nation where art and particulary poetry are really valued. This has definitely gotten my attention and it would be great if people could share their thoughts about that.
I know a man who has lived in Guatemala for quite a few years and he also lived in Nicaragua some years ago. We were chatting on the internet and he said he had a horrible impression of NIcragua and basically said it was a "dump" with only a few places as exceptions.
So I am writing to hear what other people's experiences have been. In particular, if you were an impoverished poet from the US looking to relocate to Central America where would you move?
One of the reasons I am excited about this is that I am falling in love with the Spanish language.
In any case, thanks for reading.
2
i like nicaragua, and have spent time in both places, guatemala and nicaragua.3
It would be easy to make preconceived notions, that are ideas or beliefs that a person forms, before actually encountering someone or something. Case in point, Nicaragua. To arrive with your acquaintance's biases and his "dump" assessment in your head you are going to take one negative look at Managua and conclude he is right.Although I do not live in Nicaragua I live nearby and I have visited there many times. There is a something special there that keeps drawing me back. I once encountered a woman there who told me I should be living in Nicaragua instead of Costa Rica and when I asked why she responded that the Nicaraguan people have soul. I know that is an esoteric concept but it somehow made sense to me. It is both a very poor country and a very rich country. Perhaps as a poet you have the ability to see past a first impression.
An impoverished poet , I'm afraid, is going to have a tough time anywhere and if you think you can come to a country like Nicaragua and live on nothing you are sadly mistaken and does any country really need another impoverished person?
4
I am afraid every place in Nicaragua/Central America will be to small and quiet for your " bohemian New York frame of mind" What can you offer the Nicaraguans..? They need food,healthcare, transport, schools.......Leon will be the closest to cather your needs, Matagalpa has a local cultural scene as wel , but will be to small for you. Try touristy Granada if you want to make a living out of it...5
I just backpacked through Central America. First of all Lake Atitlan, Chi Chi, and Antigua were all amazing highlights and will be hard to beat.I fell in love with Nicaragua. It is not a "dump." The people were amazing and the country beautiful. I spent most of my time in the mountains near Esteli. This is a conservative, cowboy area and would not be too liberating for an artist. Leon was alright and worth checking out, but I found Granada to be amazing. It was cheap, there was a very prominent artistic feel with a lot of local culture. I spent two weeks there and was looking into relocating.
I would say the downfalls of Granada would be the amount of tourists. The city is great and cheap, obviously its going to be filled with tourists. Another issue would be "struggling artist" competition. I noticed a lot of people selling street art.
It was a cool place to be. I strongly recommend it.
7
Granada seemed to have a culture of art, even if only a facade. When I visited there was a world poets convention, many young children doing street performances for donations, vendor tents with art, literature and accessories. Amazing food, some surprisingly progressive/ hip coffee shops. Overall a fantastic environment. Outside of the town square area the vibe was considerably and predictably different, and just as merited in it's own right.8
Take a look at San Juan del Oriente, a small town close to both Masaya and Granada. It's an artisan community for ceramics and pottery. Not as touristy as either of the larger towns, and with similar-minded people as you, perhaps.
