My sister recently visited me in Nicaragua, an experience which led to many interesting and good discussions about cultural differences. A lot of things which seemed strange or different to her have seemed normal to me for quite some time, so it was like seeing Nicaragua with new eyes. During her visit she mentioned the differences between cold and warm cultures. Many times warm cultures are also located in warm areas, giving the label a double meaning.
Sara mentioned that warm cultures are more open, more hospitable, and less ‘cold’ than say cultures in the United States, Europe, or other countries. I got to thinking about what she said and tried to look for an example of how things might be different in the States from here. It didn’t take long to find one.
My sister and I were heading back from a day trip of souvenir shopping and had a two hour bus ride ahead of us. About 15 minutes after the bus headed out, we picked up some more passengers. The bus was pretty packed, with standing room only at that point, and a young lady got on with a small child, maybe three years old. The mother was standing holding her daughter and her friend offered to help her by holding the child for a while. However, the friend was also standing so I offered to rest the child on my lap for the ride. The mother gladly accepted the offer and passed the child over. It wasn’t too long before the little girl fell asleep, and how precious she was!!! I ended up holding her for the rest of the ride, more than an hour. My sister was amazed at how openly the mother accepted my offer and how little concern she seemed to have that something might happen to her. For me it wasn’t the first time to witness it but it was the first time to participate. It’s a nice hopeful feeling, because there is a certain amount of trust when you put your child into stranger’s arms.
This example is one of the many I have found which display the warmness of Nicaraguan culture. I look forward to sharing more about Nicaraguans and their lifestyle with all of my friends and family at home. However I know that going home means I will have to adjust to the ‘cold’ culture in the United States. I will need to learn to appreciate my home culture again, a process which will be difficult but hopefully spiritually rewarding.
