"The Nanny Diaries" and IFOBTAO

Actually the book was "You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again:The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny." Yeah, I read this kind of stuff once in a while.

As the title suggests, the book documents the adventures and ongoing thoughts of Suzy, a young, wide-eyed young woman who ventures off to Los Angeles and secures a job as a nanny for a super-uber-wealthy couple.

What could I have possibly gleaned from this journalistic gem?

Bear with me on this one. You see a good part of the book chronicles Suzy's complaints about how incredibly cheap the power couple are, despite their billionaire status. Stingy. Close-fisted. Penny-pinching. You'll find all of the above in Suzy's rants about her former employers.

Ultimately, I came to the following realization. I could relate.

But NOT to Suzy.

To the power couple!

Now, this couple very well might be super-uber-stingy, but there is an alternative explanation for their miserly behaviour. They could, like me, suffer from IFOBTAO [ahy-fohb-tou].

Huh? IFOBTAO.

Yep. Irrational Fear Of Being Taken Advantage Of.

In Nicaragua, it is always in the back of my mind.

When I'm negotiating a contract.
When I'm buying a coffee.
When I'm hailing a cab.

All the time.

I acknowledge that I have more resources than the typical Nicaraguan. Mucho more.

But people who deal with me in Nicaragua here think I'm a super-uber-cheapskate.

Listen up, all my Nica friends and associates, I'm not that cheap.

But I do suffer from IFOBTAO.

And I'm really not sure if there is a cure.