Custom Search
How many people come to Nicaragua to escape reality in the U.S.?
Submitted by mujermagnetica on Sun, 2010/02/07 - 18:26.
(1 vote)
I've been reading some of the assumptions about me in my blogs and being I'm old enough to remember the "hippy"days, I've been wondering how many came to Nicaragua as "free spirits."
And when I say that, I mean the type of "free spirit" reaching their golden years, who still insists that pot is a mind enhancer and not addictive, and that hemp clothing is changing the world, and who once worshipped Jerry Garcia and Timothy O' Leary as some type of mentor for mind expansion, and think of veganism as the only diet mankind should consider. The type of "free spirits" who came to Nicaragua to escape the drug laws of the U.S. and to feel "at one with themselves" as they reach their forties and light up a "blunt" at sunset to relax. I'm talking about those who danced in their youth at festivals filled with pot smoke and twirling girls with vacant expressions, who now have that last remnant of this era in the way they wear their pony-tailed hair.
Because I'm getting a sense of this in some of the discussions and having lived in Santa Cruz at one time, the reactions are somewhat familiar, from people who never aged out of this lifestyle.
Could this explain some of the bizarre assumptions people make, where they want my husband and I to be way more exciting than we are? Or is it really stereotyping based on reading too many State Department Safety and Security Reports explaining the evils of Latin America and telling the world: "Domestic travel within Nicaragua by land and air, particularly to the Atlantic side, can be dangerous."
To quote my foster daughter, "I'm just sayin'..." :)
Now, I'll duck and cover, because I sense a huge terremoto coming on...Juanno, "give me shelter, man!"
- mujermagnetica's blog
- Login or register to post comments
Since Thread Hi-Jacking Is So Stylish Lately . . . .
Let me tell you about a Tribute-Book Reading-Concert Shelley & I went to in Managua tonight. Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy read several excerpts from his book" Cuentos y relatos breves" While we were unable to understand 100% of the tribute speakers, we were able to follow along in his book as he read. If you have a fast connection you will enjoy this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-tP-1DlgsA
His brother Carlos Mejia Godoy spoke in tribute, played his accordion, sang his song about why he prefers his burro to a car, told some stories. It was an enchanted evening. Here's something from Carlos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp7-nWslZe0
Here's a clip of the brothers together:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaFfdT9-T08&feature=fvw
What a wonderful bienvenidos to Nicaragua!
And you didn't spend all night telling them about
your disgust when his people come to the U.S. as "illegals?" Wow! I'll bet it WAS a good night!
I wonder how he would have felt knowing that you feel immigrants should leave the U.S. and stop wasting your hard-earned taxpayer dollars, no matter what their reasons are for coming there? And I wonder if he would have winked at you based on reading a few of your comments here about asylum applicants. Things that make you go hmmmm.
It looks like Juanno and Che
It looks like Juanno and Che are winners. Kelley Ann, you were a bit late, as your first response came in after the bell. However, it was such a nice shot, I'll buy you one too. I expect to be in SJDS within the next few weeks, so I will see you then. Che, you're just going to have to let me know the next time you are in town, and maybe you'll have to come to Matagalpa to collect. Just so you all know, she did respond to the post (within about 15 minutes), but it was via PM. You guys think she's sweet here, you should see her PMs. All I can say is zoom, zoom, zoom - she's out there.:>)
holy crap, batman!
i won?
por que? i don't have to send you my credit card information, do i? last time i won something some nigerians charged all kinds of things to my credit card. so you see, this time i am going to be a little more cautious.
btw, i did have a stroke of good luck, it seems a prince needs me to hold some funds in my bank account. smooth sailing from here on out....
pictures to follow.
You too? Wow, what a
You too? Wow, what a coincidence.
BTW, no credit card needed. We only do cash deposits here.
Thanks, Charlie
I definitely need it right now!
I couldn't agree...
...more. She probably does! Buy her one on me!
I'm not sweet at all. and either are you, Charlie
I calls it as I sees it. But the difference is that if I say what I REALLY think here, as you do, my posts are moderated and yours are not. I think everyone realizes that by now. But I can play with that too.
Charlie my friend you have no idea!
Stop in when you come to town! I'll by the first round LOL.
Ensa is on me!
Troll
It's obvious you are a troll. Please go away.
It's NOT Timothy O'Leary, it's
just Timothy Leary, as any self-respecting ex-hippie (like myself) - or well-read person of our age band would know. PC wouldn't know, he was Dutch wasn't he? Further evidence that we have a mole on the site . . .But, then I tell myself: "Wait, PC wasn't THIS strange"......
http://www.google.com.ni/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US...
And they say I was wrong........
ROFL. Boy did I get THAT one right! Albeit, never having been a self respecting hippie or admiring them much, I did get the acid head's name wrong. My apologies! He's was about as engaging as Marilyn Manson is these days.
Calling an asylum applicant's wife a troll
is weak, but predictable. Does your little group of SDJS friends who defend one another instead of acting as individuals with the confidence to stand on their own have such a fragile fear of asylum applicants that they label people in my situation this way all the time? It doesn't speak well. It reminds me of a book I once read. The Lord of the Flies!
I cannot wait to release my story! It will make a few here ashamed, if they have any moral character at all left! But I will no longer address you or the others here who feel inclined to question me. And I ask that you refrain yourself from reading my blogs if they bring you to such a low state of accusation.
Go crawl under the bridge from where you came
If you had something to say, you would have said it by now. Whether you are PC or just someone having a little fun messing with the members here, it's obvious to everyone that you are a troll.
Please take your grandiose ideas of self-importance back to the bridge.
Oh, and being the wife of an asylum seeker (if it's even true) doesn't make you any more relevant, important or worthy of respect. You wear it like a professional victim, hence my belief that you are nothing but a troll. You have nothing to offer Nicaragua and based upon your writing, nothing of substance to offer the literary world. I shall not be carrying your self-published fictional expose in my bookstore.
The truth is always exposed.
And if Nicaraguans read this, I am hoping they are seeing the reason many North Americans don't choose to mingle with other North Americans when they take residence in another country. The ugly arrogance of some small people from north of the border who desperately cling to other North Americans for strength is amazing. Enjoy your facade!
The truth be told - you are exposed, troll
I think that you are a self-absorbed liar based upon your writing and lack of content.
Your comments, by the way, make no sense, which is why you will have to self-publish any bit of fiction you may write one day. My comments to you have nothing to do with the country named on my passport of the national origin of my friends. I think you are bad for Nicaragua. I think you are bad for Nica Living. I also think that you are a troll.
How is it you are going to support yourself here? How is it that your husband will support himself here? Those things that matter to Migracion.
Be nice to her
She, after all, has CDD. Looks like a severe case.ZZT
My book...is with Chicago Review Press, dear
for their Lawence Hill imprint, handled by editor Sue Betz who feels it might add to that label. (That is HARDLY self publishing!) But I guess a small book store owner in a North American enclave knows more about publishing than a qualified person in the industry, eh? :0
And don't worry, when it is released, I will ensure it never is sold in your store, or allow it to be, because I intend to sell the foreign book rights in Spanish. Mientiendes? If you can't read in Spanish, then you will have to purchase it from a U.S. source.
As for my financial situation that is none of your business, and the people at immigration and ACNUR are well aware of how the two of us will support ourselves and satisfied we have sufficient funds. What you think is not relevant to my situation. I'm amused that you think of me at all...
Make sure you get paid enough for all your work.
I don't think I do, but at least I'm being published. Last year my stuff was only I20,000 words (they translate it to Spanish so I suppose I could claim 240,000 words if I was being cheeky).
But then I saw on-line that the average book was 300 words per page and 400 pages long so that's 120,000 words.
So really, I should be very pleased as for the last 3 year or more, I have been having an average of, (and the equivalent of) at least one book a year published (two if you count the spanish version).
Can you believe it? This dumb old rummie get's to put stuff to paper and get paid for it. That's just plain crazy ain't it.?
But coming back to my point, make sure you get the right price going into the deal. My publisher is a cheapo, but I love her to death.
Definitely tops the Gato Bestseller LIst
I carry 50 copies of his book at my store - but they fly off the shelves within a day, leaving us anxiously awaiting the next bi-lingual edition.
An article of mine has been published in those pages, making me a published author as well. And the photos? I admit that I plotted to remove Dan and Cesar from this one-camera town. Now my photography will truly get the recognition it deserves. Not that it hasn't graced the cover on several occasions. Where are my royalties, darn it? Never mind, you spend them on coffee.
I have no doubt about that. The same thing happens on
Amazon. Friends buying friends' books. Sometimes to boost numbers even. A writer I knew had her wealthy husband buy volumes of her books when it was released, thinking it would boost her to best seller so she could publish her next book based on meeting sales figures the first month. The problem was, that the pattern of purchase dropped once all of her friends and her husband stopped buying the next month, and Amazon figured out the scam.
My dog's rear end is published online too, but that doesn't make him a model. ROFL
Speaking of bestsellers
If your husband was a drug runner, he could use the profits to buy up the copies of your book, too.
And if your husband was a drug runner
he could help you turn your coffee house into a global enterprise. But alas, we ARE stuck with the men we chose, no?
He is a drug runner.
Watch how fast he runs on Geritol and Ibiprofen.
Good one, Juanno
That was actually funny! You should write a book of comedy next. Drug runner=drugs, running, who woulda' thought it?
We are legal drug dealers of black gold
And it's the best Black Gold in Nicaragua. It's called caffeine. I own the whole operation - the farm, the roaster, and the cafe. It's best to keep it all under control of one family, which is why we haven't branched out despite the invitations to do so.
Creating Addicts if you ask me.
I gotta drink about 5 times the amount of any other coffee to get close to the early morning buzz of that stuff!
Good! I'll have to come in one day and try your coffee
With your recommendations of course. I'm sure you won't mind, right? I love a good cup of coffee. And I'll take a gander at your book collection, maybe even buy one if I take a liking.
Not doubting you....but
BTW, you DO know with all your experience that 120,000 words is something that most reputable publishers won't even entertain by an unknown, right? They usually like to limit it from 70,000 to 90,000, because when it gets too wordy, there are usually too many nouns instead of verbs and the adverbs tend to run wild. Here's the breakdown:
* A short-short story is defined as 500 to 1500 words
* A short story is defined as 2000 to 7500 words
* A novelette is defined as 7500 to 17,500 words
* A novella is defined as 17,500 to 60,000 words
* A novel is defined as 60,000 to 125,000 words
The 125,000 word level though, is usually a turn off, unless you have a few best sellers under your belt, or you are publishing in an alternative fashion. But hey! If you are doing it, I'm going to be the first to congratulate you and say you are a better man than I am. I don't hate a good writer, I love them!
Wow! You really ARE an all round guy...
Athlete who swims the English Channel, writer extraordinaire, law enforcement officer, buddies in high places, from an array of places...England, Canada, you have it. I'm assuming a jet setter, billionaire, and many other things too, no? I know I'M impressed! So when is your next lawn party with the Kardashians?
Hey Juanno!
Don't you dare call my friend a cheapo!
The beauty of the internet is the permanent record
I don't claim to know a lot about publishing for I would never in a million years publish most of the books that have made it to print, and yet somehow millions of trees die so people like Sarah Palin and Kato Calin can publish their autobiographies. What I do know is that self-promoters rarely live up to their hype. Great writers don't need to go around bragging to strangers about their potential deals. And what you may or may not have with the CRP is inconsequential as the story isn't over and you don't have a contract.
What I do understand is great literature, and editors, publishers, booksellers and authors have told me that I have one of the best collections of books for the size of my store that they have every seen. I go into medium-sized bookstores in the US all the time and always leave with the knowledge that my shelves have more to offer than most bookstores, in part because there are so few wasteful books such as the ones listed in the CRP catalog. I am all for independent publishers and writers, but let's face it - there is nothing earth-shaking about the titles published by CRP, which I consider a mid-level publisher, by the way. CRP as a publisher doesn't live up to the hype you claim your story will generate. (And they don't' even list their Spanish titles online.)
I actually carry some Spanish titles in my store, but because we have a public library in town (the first lending library in Nicaragua) and most Nicaraguans are unable to afford books and the illiteracy rate here is very high despite Rosario's proclamation that illiteracy was eliminated in his few short years as the ruling despot, there isn't a large demand for Spanish titles. Also, the cost of Spanish titles published in the US are usually considerably higher than the cost of book published in English (in part because of the translation fees and limited market in an English-speaking country). It seems that given your Argentinean background, you would have more success having your story published there, where there are tons of publishers and more bookstores per capita (in Buenos Aires) than in Cambridge, MA.
You could never ban a book from my store, btw - only I have that right. There is nothing stopping me from buying any book and reselling it should I choose to do so. I make my book selections based upon quality (what I wouldn't mind on my own bookshelves should the store fail) and customer demand, which is why there are a few books by Fern Michaels and Luanne Rice on the shelves, Oh, and truth. I am pretty hard core when it comes to selling non-fiction - crap and half-truths won't make it to the shelves.
Don't flatter yourself - I am not thinking about you - I am thinking about Nicaragua. That's the only reason I responded to your posts. That and I swear this is deja vu because I recall PC writing about political asylum (with all sorts of extraneous details) a couple of years ago. Too bad I didn't save the emails.
Even if you aren't PC incognito, I would be willing to bet a case of Flor de Cana that you don't last a year in this country should your husband get asylum. (And even if he gets asylum, how do we know you didn't pay off someone? Bribes are a lot cheaper in Nicaragua than the US. A little donation to Albanisa might do the trick, eh?)
You know, the beauty of the internet is the ability to save a screenshot. I would think that if you were truly being courted by a publisher (as opposed to sending someone a query), the last thing you would want is someone pulling up this thread the day your book is published. See, that's the beauty of putting your real name to things. It keeps you honest. Surely this thread will generate a front page Google placement under the term "Nicaragua Asylum" should a publisher, agent or reviewer want a little more information.
Get me a cup of cappuccino wench...
and stop writing so much. I've already admitted they are a mid-level publisher on here before. However, they HAVE produced some interesting best sellers in a category I admire, and that is why I was delighted to have them request my book. I certainly have not represented myself as gleaning a contract from Penguin Putnam or Harper Collins, or releasing the stuff of future movies, as if I'm some avant garde, up-and-coming author. That's not me. I'm simply the little guy that has a story to tell and some people who want to read it. I don't need to play that game for the some small book store proprietor in Nicaragua. Nor, have I EVER said that I'd be rolling in dough from my publishing venture with this book. That's not the reason for it, even a dimwit could figure that out. The royalties will probably barely amount to minimum wage. (I've been doing this awhile, my vitriolic one). So no high expectations in the economic areas from this.
You seem to think that every woman is as gullible as you are. I'm not, dear. I'm a bit more seasoned and I'm concluding a bit older than you. And if our situation wasn't so pitiful, I would conclude that you have a little envy for whatever odd reason, because of your downplaying of Chicago Review Press. That seems about as petty as it comes. I'll let them know that the proprietor of a book store in Nicaragua doesn't think they are "all that" and see if they don't laugh.
I think the fact that you realized the internet is a permanent record should be of grave concern to you, not me. After all, you are a person trying to brand their book store. I am a writer trying to brand my work. We are two different animals. I can afford to be controversial,caustic, and argumentative. You just look like a mean old bat, and it doesn't behoove you to brand your business that way. People will buy books from @#$#4ches. They may not frequent a store run by one, for obvious reasons.
And I certainly CAN ban my book from ever being sold in your store. I can tell my publisher not to ship/sell or grant to you any license or right to obtain the book in Spanish or English, and they will most definitely honor that order as part of a contractual agreement (not that I think the sales potential there is going to boost my royalties), but I DO have that option. Now, if you are so desperate as to purchase the book used and sell it, then I have no control over that. But since it has already been sold at that point, I've already made the money and so has the distributor, so what you do with it is no skin off my bones.
While I agree with you about the vacancy of Sarah Palin, I'm also not sure you are scoring any points with your crowd. They seem to have a right lean, and you are putting down their favorite cheerleader. As for your silly threats about screenshots and other stuff, I'll file those right behind your claim to knowing good literature. Everyone is an expert until they have to do something, then they realize they may not know it all. Now where's my coffee, woman? I like mine with a nice espumita on top! You sound very qualified for that to me.
It's only Star*ucks for you - you are PNG at El Gato Negro
(I am sorry, Fyl. I said I would stop but I am having too much fun.)
The difference between you and me is that for most of my life I have had publishers, authors, friends, editors, journalists, professors, and customers tell me I should be writing books, not selling books. Even my catsitters have saved my instructions on how to care for my pets because they found them quite humorous. Most likely I will actually write a book one day. In the meantime, this is so much more fun than writing in my journal or on my blog. Truth be told the only reason I ever got to this thread was because I cannot get past page 400 in "Shantaram" thanks to its syrupy prose describing the his love's lips as full as a grape in the sun - hello! It's called a raisin - and the two paragraphs describing the lagoon green (think algae) shade of his love's eyes. People say it's a great book, listing it as one of their favorites. Now I understand why Harlequin does such a great business, but I digress. My writing is usually humorously sarcastic by nature and it's good to keep up the practice, for it had delved into cynicism as of late given the seriousness of the global economic and political collapse coming soon to a theater near you. In the meantime, I am rather enjoying making you look like a fool to your supposed publisher. I am betting they didn't request your book but rather you sent them a query and they might consider it after it is complete. Actually, they might not even exist by the time you complete your saga, as the G-20 (well, G-19) are about to default on their debts, sending the economy into a downward spiral for which there is absolutely no possibility of recovery according to the Bank of International Settlements, but I am sure you are already familiar with this and thus that is why you chose Nicaragua as a place to seek refuge and you and your husband are not counting on the royalties of your soap opera.
I think you are prolonging your husband's misery just so you have something to write about. After all, you don't have a book worthy of the Chicago Review Press if you pay off some officials to grant your hubby residency or asylum.
These are the titles offered under the Lawrence Hill label of the CRP: http://www.chicagoreviewpress.com/catalog/showCategory.cfm
Please send them my regards. I am sure they will understand my desire to keep Vonnegut, Allende, Amis, Eliot, Steinbeck, Toltz, Tolstoy, Mailer, Wright, Atwood, Hemingway, Faulkner, Michner, Greene, Garcia Marquez and company on the shelves given the limited space. However, I must admit I am intrigued by the title, "Big Black Penis". It would probably be a book that sold a number of copies on name alone. That I remain in business when bookstores all over the world are closing their doors is testament to my ability to not invest in books written by people whose friends and family members (and not authors, publishers, journalists, professors, etc.) urged them to write a book about their unique human experiences.
Downplaying the CPR isn't petty. It's realistic. As a bookstore owner, I would go out of business if I relied on their titles to fill my shelves. I only hope they realize just what fruitcake you are before someone at the publishing house drops some acid and decides your prose is worthy of publication. (See? Drugs are good!) I should send this link to the CFO of CRP and have him block your number before risking the company's future on your fiction.
I won't even bother to cut and paste the hypocrisies of your grandiose-self effacing psychosis. You obviously forget what you have written on this site. That's often a sign of a liar.
The others are right. You really are crazy because a logical non-crazy person knows that there would be nothing to stop me from going into the Goodwill or a flea market or a garage sale and purchasing said book and to resell in my store. You cannot have, "No copy of this new or used may sold at El Gato Negro, San Juan del Sur Nicaragua" printed on the cover, which would admittedly be good for my business. Fortunately I am a sane person with exceptional taste in literature and as my happy customers can attest, I would never stoop so low as to put your worthless drivel in my store - even in the Free box. Now you can lean back a breathe a sigh of relief and save yourself the embarrassment of suggesting to a publisher that a book be banned for sale at a bookstore. Of course, you might be embarrassed when this post and comments makes its way to the CPR tomorrow morning.
A friend chided me for wasting my time on you, but I must admit that I have been muddling through "Shantaram" in between paragraphs, and honestly the candy apple prose is easier to take than yours. However, at least it got me writing about something other than economics and politics for a while, so that's a good thing.
Now I get you!
You are a person who has longed to write a book and never had the discipline to accomplish that task. So, you bought a book store to satisfy your whim. And now you are irritated that someone else has accomplished your dream. This finally makes sense!
Let me be the first to tell you that I encourage you to write your book and try to publish it. I'm not a dream killer, I'm a motivator. And frankly, I love reading other people's experiences and work.
You may have a wonderful story to tell, and I'll bet you do. But "writing in journals" won't allow your story to be told. And when I finally come to your coffee shop and have that coffee (since you will never realize it was me) after I pay, I will give you a copy of my book, signed by me, to show you I don't feel any animosity towards you. I will introduce myself even. And then you can make a scene and run me out of your shop, if that's your thing. ROFL
Here are some pointers in the meantime:
1. Lose the adverbs and adjectives to make your writing more succinct.
2. Don't base your skills on family members or friends; but join sites where skilled people can critique your work and be honest with you. You will gain some much needed skills to give your writing clarity.
3. Don't downplay anyone that might give you a chance to publish. They don't like that, and your magnum opus may not be considered by the "big guys" as the gift that you believe it is. Most of what we write our first time is pure crap. I know mine was.
4. Using phrases like "but I digress" is shunned in most publishing communities. It interrupts the rhythm of your speech and the flow. Any unnecessary verbiage is frowned upon, so cut it all out of your writing.
5. Learn the art of etching a mental image instead of narrating everything. Your writing will be more polished. It's that old "show vs. tell" thing and a BIGGY with publishers. Telling is abstract, passive and doesnt' involve the reader. Showing is active and brings the reader into your work.
6. Maintain a thought and carry it through. Don't interject other thoughts that confuse the reader as to the direction you are moving with your writing.
But most of all, practice, write, rewrite and never give up. I think you could have promise with some work. I don't know if your story is marketable, but that remains for you to prove. I have published many things that were crap in my long writing career. Don't become alarmed if you feel overwhelmed and take the book in small bits to push it to the finishing point. And one bit of advice that helped me...never ever assume all your little "gems" are diamonds. Be real with yourself and only keep the good stuff. Then, have enough confidence to push it through. Every person goes through the denial process, but it is those who stick with it that succeed. And never let others beat you down mentally if they critique your work. I've seen ball busters in every forum. They are people so envious that all they can do is try to put your work down. Those will be your best friends if you remove yourself from their critique. Because their honesty sometimes has validity, where others will not want to hurt your feelings.
And I hope that you really DO publish your work someday and then come back and read this. I have a feeling your will laugh at yourself for being so unpolished and unprofessional in your assumptions. Until then, don't keep your project on the back burners, move it to the forefront.
And buenos suerte!
P.S. The best writers began somewhere. And if you aren't like me, your spelling won't interfere, nor will dyslexia. I suffer from both problems.
Wow! She has almost written
Wow! She has almost written a book that may or may not be published, and she's an expert on that now. What more can I say? WOW!
Actually, my dear, I've written four.
Three novels I'm editing now and a memoir. And my work has been published in magazines, journals, and a few books (although these pieces were only poems). I've been working as a writer (and getting paid for it) for years on the corporate side. And my fictional work has been applauded by many and hated by some. But I stopped writing in journals long ago, about when I was 17.
I did my time in the ranks of corporate America, writing the most banal marketing pieces one could imagine. They were colorless, boring, sales pieces that my superiors directed me to write. But it taught me a great deal about using active language. I broke free form that at one point and graduated to writing success stories for corporate software, systems, and services and that was more interesting (probably because I had the luxury of traveling for some of those pieces to see the facilities). After that, it was writing direct response radio ads (60-second scripts without extra verbiage). And finally, it was publishing my own work, first online, then in journals, then in magazines and finally, contributions to two anthologies. So now, there is one finished memoir and four novels that I haven't had time to edit properly and read like crap.
And here I am, offering advice to a gal who would like to have half of what I've done, after she spit at me all day and tried to convince me of what #$#$ I was. Imagine that! A woman who actually cares about those who write? Amazing, eh?
She is paying the freight
She is paying the freight for everything. And that explains a lot.
Nothing adds up
Paying the freight just means she has a few thousand bucks to pay for the container. In an earlier post, she laments her lack of funds:
"I wish sometimes he had been a drug runner, because I would easily pay off some people like narcotráficantes do, and move very easily where ever I chose. As a matter of fact, they might sponsor us. And I would have a sufficient bank account to move anywhere in the world I chose, and travel back and forth would not even be a thought."
Not that drug runners necessarily make a lot of money. Read "Freakonomics" and the chapter "Why drug dealers still live with their mothers".
There is something else going on.
I didn't mean she was just
I didn't mean she was just paying the freight for her container. I'm saying she is paying the freight for hubby, and she has paid his freight for as long as she has known him.
Yup...I'm not wealthy.
Just comfortable enough to get by, like most who come to Nicaragua. You do seem very concerned about my economics though, for someone who has no use for me...
You shouldn't show a person how fascinated you are with them, when you are trying to discount them. For instance, I know very little about you.
Narcissism
Your vanity is too much. I am not interested in you at all. I am interested in the well-being of Nicaragua. I am interested in knowing whether or not you can support yourself and your husband without taking money from Nicaraguans. Can you actually provide some form of economic stimulus for the country? The vast majority of people who move here think Nicaragua is cheap and they can live here forever without having to worry about income - and then a few months later reality sets in. (And sometime in the next year when the pension crisis hits and the US Social Security checks are cut off, then the excrement will really hit the fan.)
I see lots of foreigners coming to this country who quickly run out of money. Even if you live a frugal life, a medical emergency or a death in the family necessitating a last-minute plane ticket or a vehicle breakdown or being falsely accused of committing a crime (Eric Volz ring a bell?) can destroy every last bit of savings. I have watched foreigners from Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Canada, the United States, Germany, England, France and a lot of other countries resort to despicable behavior just to meet their monthly expenses. There are too many foreigners working illegally here, taking jobs from Nicaraguans. I try not to be too judgmental because I like some of these people and i do understand why some business owners need to resort to this, but the bottom line is that foreigners working as bartenders and waitresses are taking jobs from Nicaraguans and they are not paying employment taxes to the Nicaraguan government. As someone who pays a lot to INSS (Nicaraguan social security) and far more taxes than most businesses, i take exception with people who skirt employment law. Income is also something that Migracion cares about and is most likely part of the asylum interview process. What is so special about your husband that he should be allowed to have a work permit and take a job from a Nicaraguan?
Please do not think that this topic only applies to you. I have written about it long before you appeared on this site.
As for me, I am transparent. You can search this site or Google my name and everything pops up. I don't use pseudonyms. Using my real name keeps me honest and true to myself. I stand by my words and when I am wrong, I admit it, make any necessary apologies and move on. I've had to eat humble pie many times in my life, but when I listen to my instincts, I am not often wrong. Right now my instincts are telling me that your situation is not what you claim it to be.
Your "interest in Nicaragua" revolves around my blogs?
I think at this point you are licking your wounds and trying to reshape your image here. And I don't blame you. Some of the pettiness in the way you have approached me doesn't show your best side. I'd probably work up an excuse for my behavior too, but your excuse making is a bit ridiculous and transparent when it comes to the post above.
The same reasons you claim concern over Nicaraguans paying my expenses, with regards to my financial position, might affect you. For instance, you could become a quadriplegic in an automobile accident (very likely from the way I hear the driving is there) where your husband died, and you might become a drain on the economy. My father became quadriplegic at 58 and it taxed my family's resources in ways you will never understand. Even I don't wish that for you or your family, in spite of your venomous exchanges with me (simply because I hurt one of your friend's feelings).
As I said, YOU aren't part of my equation. Therefore I have no interest in looking you up, getting to know you, or much of anything else concerning you. My interest in human beings has a purpose, especially as a writer. And if the person doesn't demonstrate something I find remarkable, then I simply don't waste my time. (And this isn't an invitation for others to send me emails about this woman because I don't choose to look her up).
There are so many things that could happen in life. And if all of these things were of concern, I'm sure the Nicaraguans wouldn't allow any of us to come to their country, including YOU.
Right now, my instincts tell me that you are a busybody and have a deep seated and desperate need to know things that do not concern you and are none of your business. And I'm thinking of the gall of a woman to approach me about my finances is a bit humorous if not completely rude. I don't owe you or anyone else here an explanation. Certainly not to fulfill your need for gossip. Now move on! You must have better things to do than this little personal tête-à-tête with me. It's a bit of an amusement, but growing more boorish by the minute. At least demonstrate some semblance of a personality or humor if you must entertain the crowd. Surely, you can demonstrate humor, no? And I won't ask you to eat humble pie or any other flavor when you find out about me. I prefer to be the person that lets others see how wrong they are without gloating about it, so that they learn a lesson. And I certainly don't expect an apology when you find out how wrong you are about human nature.
Your self-delusions seem to meet the criteria
Your header alone is sufficient for this definition I have lived in Nicaragua for almost five years. I first visited the country almost seven years ago. Obviously I had an "interest" in Nicaragua before you ever popped your crazy head into this forum.
http://www.winning-teams.com/definitions.html#narcissisticrage
Paranoia Paranoia is a functional disorder characterized by symptoms of delusions of jealousy, and delusions of either grandeur and / or persecution, which can't be explained by other psychological disorders. Intellectual functioning is not impaired. The paranoid is quite capable of coherent behaviour within his or her delusional state. Narcissists often suffer from paranoia.
Narcissism Narcissists suffer from narcissism (see Recognize a Narcissist). Narcissism relates to an exceptional interest in or admiration for oneself, especially in one's physical appearance or mental endowments.
Narcissistic rage Narcissistic rage, as the name suggests, occurs when a narcissist goes into a rage. This happens when the narcissist suffers a psychological wounding of his essential self. Such a blow to his core identity will typically lower his self-esteem and produce feelings of humiliation, shame and rage.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a mental disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the American Psychiatric Association, is the handbook used most often in diagnosing mental disorders in the United States and internationally. The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) is a commonly used alternative.
Diagnostic Criteria (DSM-IV-TR) A narcissistic personality disorder as defined by the DSM (see also DSM cautionary statement) is characterized by a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:
has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g. exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
believes that he or she is 'special' and 'unique' and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
requires excessive admiration
has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations
is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her
shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes
Envy Envy is a feeling or an emotional state of grudging or admiring discontent aroused by the possessions, achievements, or qualities of another, involving the desire to have for oneself something possessed by another; covetousness. Envy is usually linked to narcissism, paranoia and projection (or projective identification) and tends to be evident in varying degrees in all narcissists. "Envy always involves a comparison - we envy that which we lack".
A common method used by narcissists to get rid of the painful envy emotion is to use projection, or projective identification (see definition below). The narcissist projects the feelings that he does not want to have into the person he envies, that is, the object of his envy.
For example, a narcissist who is envious of a better qualified colleague at work may greatly exaggerate and publicise minor failures by his colleague, and at the same time ignore or greatly understate his successes.
Troll
It's obvious you are a troll. Please go away.
AMEN!! And wouldn't it be easier
to get asylum in Costa Rica? Or Canada? Canada takes everyone . . . Why Nicaragua?? Nicaragua is a small country and it's going to fill up really fast cuando la MM y el Salvadoreno llegan. I may have to look at Panama.
Why do you care?
That's what puzzles me. It makes me wonder what your political agenda in Nicaragua is. Why would you be concerned over who comes to a country that is not even yours? Certainly, the Nicaraguans helping us aren't upset at all by his application, so why are you? And others should be wondering this too.
You keep deflecting, Ms. Psy-ops
We care if a member or Salvatrucha comes here. We care if a criminal shows up at the border. I care because I live here and I invested my time, money and heart here. We care if someone without any skills or anything to offer to the country comes here and then tries to take jobs away from poor Nicaraguans. Nicaragua is facing a drought with the possibility of famine this year. Middle class people worry about civil war. Foreign aid has all but dried up. If you don't have something to offer the country, then you are not needed here. And we have enough internet cafes, by the way.
My guess is you chose Nicaragua because you don't have the resources to live anywhere else.
If you are even real.
Sarah Palin, bored with Alaska, & Tea Party, hijacks Nica Living
I tend to lurk on this site because I don't have time to keep up with the comments. That said, Flor de Cana and jugo de pina have forced me to add my two worthless centavos to this thread.
First, if you refuse to look up Peter Christopher, you do yourself a disservice. Your arguments and prose are quite similar and I could not blame anyone in this group for thinking that you were PC disguised as a troll, particularly since you deviate from the topic of asylum. I actually thought your were PC at first and I was not surprised when I saw other people comment on the similarities of your long-winded arguments. (And I can be long winded and wanting the last word, but at least I back up my stand with facts within the pages of prose.) I still cannot figure out why your husband is seeking asylum, particularly in Nicaragua. If you want to write a book about it, fine, but why waste your time on this site?
In regard to the topic of this thread, you suffer from a case of Clue Deficit Disorder, as your stereotypes of those expats who live here are wildly off-base. The hippies live in Costa Rica. Almost every expat I know has a libertarian ideology and the vast majority are not vegetarians, let alone vegan. You don't routinely (if ever) hear the Grateful Dead as background music in the bars and restaurants, even at my store - and I like the GD. As for wanting your husband and yourself to be more exciting than you are, no one has suggested that. No one here knows who you are, particularly your husband, whose vague description can only lead one to believe that he is some sort of narco-trafficker/political activist (though Salvatrucha/Mara-18 was my first thought) whose views are not accepted in the US, El Salvador or Nicaragua, even more confusing given the diametric ideologies of the countries involved (in principle if not actuality). You seem to be the one who wants to build up the drama in your partial revelations. You even mention rescuing your foster daughter from an LA gang, so don't criticize people here for making a reasonable assumption about a mysterious man of Salvadoran origin kicked out of the US and denied asylum in Nicaragua, particularly when you do not provide details that prove otherwise.
"Frankly, I don't care who or what Peter Christopher is enough to bother looking him up. He sounds like he touched the nerves of a few here that wear their "patriotism" on their sleeve, and that's not a new concept. And what I'm noticing is the average age group of the people who feel a need to spit venom here and then sink back on their wrinkled haunches and feel dismayed that a woman might sling it back. And forgive me, but that is what made me think you might have one of the most submissive wives on this planet."
That's exactly what I would expect PC to write.
BTW, no one cares if you are a woman with strong beliefs. There are many women with strong beliefs who post on this site. Most of the wives and girlfriends (Nica and foreign) of the male posters here are very strong women, which is what made them attractive to these men.
Your first post attacks cowardice and yet you cannot stand up for your beliefs. You say you have strong political beliefs, but are afraid to show them. I have very strong political beliefs and I am not afraid to show them, even if they go against the present dictatorship of the foreign country where I live and pay taxes. If my husband was in need of political asylum (and for just cause), I would be plastering his name all over the internet in hopes of attracting favorable attention and in hope of protecting him. We'd probably be seeking asylum in Denmark, Germany, Czech or the Netherlands. If your husband's life was in danger for his political beliefs, then certainly someone could have taken action by now. If his life was truly in danger, you would not be posting this on the internet. It doesn't really matter to me, only that I wasted so much time in reading all your posts in hope of learning something about the asylum system. The info I gleaned came from other NL members, not you. In fact, I really haven't found anything relevant in your posts.
Your posts and replies are written to antagonize rather than ask or impart information. If you really are not Peter Christian, you should spend less time posting and more time discovering why you have little credibility here.
I am not interested your posts or responses other than specific details of the reasons that caused the asylum situation. There is no point in sharing only part of the information, unless, of course, you view it as hype for your future novella.
Priceless
Clue Deficit Disorder. Double Bravo. I am adding that to my list of stolen gems and will use it appropriately ( may not that way, but rest assured I will). And it typifies her actions precisely.ZZT