Remotely Seek Help

This How To is about how you can get assistance in Nicaragua when you are not there. That could be looking for your lost brother/husband/girlfriend, completing a real estate deal or, well, just about anything else. (This is inspired by four recent "events" I got involved in.)

First, a couple of points to think about. They are a lot more important than you may realize.

• People in Nicaragua speak Spanish. But, even Spanish isn't "the same Spanish" everywhere and the further you get away from population centers, the more the language changes.

  If you speak good Spanish, you will be fine. There may be understanding problems but the fact that you do speak Spanish will be a plus. Even trying to use your Spanish, no matter how bad, is better than just not getting involved.

• Cultural differences are probably more important than language differences. All too many Gringos try to assign their value system and their understanding of "how it works" to a situation in Nicaragua. I know all so many people who have ignored this and got themself into a complicated and usually expensive situation as a result.

So, what to do? First, if you don't speak Spanish well enough to carry out your business, find someone you trust that can act as intermediary. Generally, you will be better off to find someone that you know locally rather than picking someone in Nicaragua that you don't know very well. There are reasons for this:

• A local friend is just that, a friend.
• If the intermediary is local to you, you can observe them and more easily identify a questionable action.

• Most people in Nicaragua who are bi-lingual (particularly if that is Spanish/English) see English as their key to an opportunity. You want an intermediary but not an opportunist.

• Someone local to you is less likely to have a hidden vested interest in what you get told about the situation on the Nicaraguan end.

Now, if you can find someone local to you that you can trust that has lived in Nicaragua, you will likely get the biggest win. That is, they will understand the cultural side in Nicaragua. If they are local but not really a friend, however, they could have the same vested interest/family ties in Nicaragua as someone living there.

In Nicaragua, word of mouth is the key. Information travels rapidly in the local community by word of mouth. But, it generally doesn't travel to the next city. Thus, a "big city lawyer" will be a lot less use to you than a local campasino if you are trying to find out about where to buy a used pickup or a piece of land 10 kilometers outside of Condega.

In addition, in local communities, outside "authority" is generally a minus. (This really isn't different from rural Kentucky or whatever.) Having someone who "lives across the street from the church" asking questions is much better than a guy from town or a guy in a uniform.

Beyond that, think about what people have to gain from a particular answer. Income is very low here. Something that seems almost trivial to you financially might be more than a month's income for the person you are talking to. Too quantify that, $50 might be a month's wages for a maid working full time. If you suggest maybe you should call the seller/courthouse/whatever directly and your helper says, "you don't need to bother—I can do it but send me $20 for bus fare" it could really mean "let me stall for a month and get a week's pay from you".

This is not intended to be pessamistic or disrespectful of Nicaraguans. It is simple economics. You appear to them as a huge source of needed income to buy their daughter a school uniform or buy a sack of beans. Think about how you can build a working relationship that benefits you both rather than just appearing as a temporary source of money.

Note that this system also doesn't discriminate against you just because you are a Gringo. It is much more like "you have an opportunity because you can pay for it". I know of poor Nicaraguans who need to get a government agency to do some paperwork. They are told it will take three months but, someone with $10-20 for a "propina" can get it done in a few days.