First Impressions

            Nicaragua’s a poor but beautiful country.  I feel like an outsider, observing the world through the bus window. Even when I’m interacting with Nicaraguans the linguistic and cultural differences form a sheet a glass between us. Nevertheless, everyone is friendly and I can communicate just as well with a smile as with rudimentary Spanish skills. The buildings are crumbling and horses and dogs wander through the countryside and city streets; hand-painted buses blare dance music as they pass; storms can explode in a matter of minutes. The United States seems ridiculously sanitary in comparison.