Managua

I don't like traveling to Managua so I'm glad it's not too frequent of a trip for me.  It's just hot, dirty, and can be very dangerous.  I usually don't feel much danger on my visits because I go straight from the bus terminal to the office or another safe location (via safe taxi).  However, for many Nicaraguans, traveling in Managua is a safety risk.  You would think that the main targets would be gringos/backpackers/tourists, but because there usually aren't many of those walking around Managua, robbers target Nicaraguans.  My host brother, Jasser has been the victim of a few crimes.  After getting off a bus once in Managua, he was held up at knife-point and his pockets were emptied.  They took away his cell phone (which was probably valued at $30 or less?) and about c$200 (less than $10).  Just today, it was a little more extreme, when he and another girl were held up at gunpoint, losing another cell phone and pocket money.  I can't imagine how I would feel with a gun pointed at me, but I'm sure thankful that he's alright.  It's easy to get worried and never want to travel to "places like these" because of the potential danger, but things like this can happen in any country, in any big city really (or even smaller ones for that matter). 

Peace Corps does a really great job making sure that we have safe alternatives to the dangerous public transportation and I'm very thankful for that.  I try to travel with other PCVs whenever possible and take as little risks as possible involving my personal safety--not including the time I held the snake at the circus.  But in all seriousness, I generally feel safe living here and I do not encounter danger daily as some people do, thank God.  I think that experiences like these help us to realize that we need to be more proactive about our safety when traveling and not let our guard down.  It's not to say that we can't have fun and visit friends in other places, but it's important to take warnings seriously and take preventative action to avoid risky situations. 

I usually don't worry very much about my safety on a daily basis, but having my family here visiting certainly made me more aware of all the potential risks.  I remember feeling at times like I was herding my little ducklings around and being extra cautious about which streets we walked down and what time we were visiting certain places.  Whereas, when I'm with Frank, or some other PCVs, I don't worry so much, but I guess that's also because I know they're accustomed to Nicaragua and know what's going on in the different areas. 

I hope I didn't scare anyone too bad with this post, but it's just something to be aware of when you're traveling to an unfamiliar place.  Although we would like to believe that everyone is friendly and helpful, there are bad people out there that like to take advantage of others.  Fortunately though, many of the experiences that I've heard of in Managua involving guns and/or knives, the weapons were just used to scare and distract the people, and not actually used to harm anyone.