Hot, Cheap, and Fascinating

"What do you think of Nicaragua?" a good friend of mine -- the Weasel -- asked.

It's a question that I hear a lot. "Great" is my stock answer.

He wasn't having any of it. "Oh come on, you can do better than that. What do you really think of Nicaragua?"

(This is one persistent Weasel.)

Okay, okay.

1) FASCINATING. I think the place is very interesting, politically. People are over-the-top passionate about their politics. That and a highly-polarized environment leads to a highly-charged atmosphere. The media can be vicious and as my Spanish improves -- albeit slowly -- I enjoy the ongoing dialogue more and more.

2) HOT. It's really warm, especially from March to July.

3) CHEAP. I'm crazy about this part. No one loves a good deal better than me. Taxi rides for fifty cents. Hair cuts for $2. Pedicure for $3. Movie tickets for $2.50. Three months of computer school for $60. Gotta love it!

Nightmare on Limón Street

It has been an absolute NIGHTMARE trying to open a bank account.

Forget about a personal banking account. (Those are next to impossible for anyone without Nicaraguan residency.)

I'm talking about a bank account for the BECA Foundation. Seems like U.S. 501(c)3 status AND official recognition by the Nicaraguan government is not sufficient.

What is going on here?

I've been offered several explanations:

1. Financial Crisis
   
2. Nicaraguan Banking Crisis of the 90s
3. Overly zealous banking superintendency
4. "You are missing ___ document(s)." (Insert a number of your choice.)
   
5. "You are missing ___ signature(s)." (refer to point #4)

Working in a "developing" country can be challenging -- mostly because one is working in a different culture with different norms, habits, and behaviours.

This challenge is not cultural, as far as I'm concerned. It's just plain dumb.

There. Now I feel better.