Our Visit to Nicaragua

We recently traveled to southern Nicaragua for four days to San Juan Del Sur, Masaya and Granada. It was a mandatory excursion for the program in order us to renew our visas. Before the trip, we heard a lot of negative remarks about Nicaragua and the Nicas so I was not enthusiastic about going. There tends to be an undercurrent of anti-Nicaraguan sentiments among Costa Ricans, so when we told our families and other people we were going they warned us it was going to be dirty, dangerous and very impoverished. However, I am glad we ventured on the journey ourselves so we could experience the culture for ourselves. One thing is for certain, Nicaragua is very different from Costa Rica.
Even though Nicaragua is poorer than Costa Rica, it certainly does not deserve the bad reputation among the other Latin American countries. From my experience, the Nicas were very friendly and helpful. I did not feel unsafe walking around at night. Although they may be poor, the Nicas do not seem to complain about their situation. The Nicaraguans seem to be very easy-going and laid back individuals. Although I heard many negative things about Nicaragua before I went, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and I have no bad impressions of the country or its people.
-Maggie