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Article written by Carmen Wise, Photos by Mike Wise.
The above is the verse of one of the many love songs Nicas sing to their lovely, serene country: "My beautiful Nicaragua, how joyful my Managua..."
Nicas who found themselves exiled during the Sandinista reign, when private property was seized, are returning to their country. Most have had their properties restored to them. These returning Nicas are now at the forefront of developing Nicaragua toward a prosperous future. We met some of these economic warriors. Their years in the States taught them much about entrepeneurship, developing real estate, and financial and managing skills. Nicaragua is blossoming under their expert care.
Mike and I and the many who are investing, whether they be expatriates or returning Nicas, feel we are on the ground floor of a positive surge to prosperity. While some investors are looking for a quick profit, others revel in being pioneers. Mike and I genuinely want to make a contribution to the betterment of this country and its beautiful, talented, hard-working citizens. With my expertise in the arts, education and a special concern for the rescue, treatment and training of dogs, and Mike's in finances and engineering, we hope to help Nicas help themselves. Mike has longed for years to build his dream villa. This is his chance.
Our building is just a few blocks away from the lovely central park, on a fairly nice street, not prosperous, but not rundown. Many of the homes on that street are in the process of renovation. The streets are all cobblestone and there are flowers and palm trees everywhere. Like the houses in the central district, our "house" displays wrought-iron doors and windows. At present, our property is rented by La Universidad del Oeste who will continue to rent it for the duration of their two-year contract. The University hopes to build its own edifice, funds pending. The Director boasts that La Puerta (the gate) is up already adorned by the University's insignia. It's a start. Mike and I are quite taken that we "own" a University. It fits nicely with our own sense of values and our credo that Education is the answer to everything (after Jesus of course). When Mike came home with the news that the offer had been accepted, I jokingly noted that at last Wisedogs University has a campus! Somehow it all fits. The property, by measure of Mike's nearly 12-inch feet, is approximately 100' by 150', so 15000 square feet. We have more than enough room for a large swimming pool, a lovely separate courtyard, an outdoor kitchen, three bathrooms, four bedrooms and whatever else we need. Right now there are real rooms on one end of the property used as classrooms that we can use as bedrooms during renovation. The courtyard is a basketball court. There is a bare bones bathroom and a snack bar. Other classrooms ring the perimeter but are just closed off spaces under the roof overhang, some of which are screened in. It's all open air, as it has to be in such a humid, hot climate. We will need to do extensive renovations.
As for me, I felt I was home again. Living in Nicaragua is not a stretch for me as I was raised in Peru and Costa Rica, which is just two hours away from Granada. In fact I felt so at home in Granada that coming back to Canada did not seem real. I had a dream soon after returning that indeed, living in Canada was the dream and Nicaragua the reality. The next two years will fly by.
So what do you think? Are we wild and crazy? Well, God knows what's in our hearts. Please come and visit us when the time comes. If we are still building, bring a hammer and nails. Just kidding. All labour will be done by Nicas who need the work. But you can supervise along with us. And we'll take you to wonderful places like the Pacific Ocean, which is 1½ hours away. We'll tread carefully near the fiendishly active Masaya Volcano if it's having a good day and not burping up rocks. We will savour a cool Nica beer in one of the pretty restaurants at the scenic lookout over the sparkling crater lake Apoyo. Or machete our way through the pristine jungles of the extinct Mombacho volcano with its magnificent vistas of Granada and its great Lake. We will laugh at the antics of the tree monkeys and sigh in awe at the colourful birds. There's so much more we don't know about yet. We'll discover Nicaragua together.
Speaking of which, I am entranced by Nicaraguan music, as I mentioned at the beginning of this discourse. We were privy to a performance by Los Hermanos Mejia-Godoy who have their own folk nightclub in Managua. They are hailed as the voices of Nicaragua. I have never heard better musicians nor prettier music. Outstanding guitar players. However no violists in their bands. Maybe the brothers will allow me to fiddle with them on "Mi Linda Nicaragua" if I promise to play from the heart.
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These are people hurt by a recent revolution (in the 70's), a grossly corrupt government (Ortega), and a devastating earthquake that flattened almost every building in Managua, also in the '70's. Nicaragua, through its present democratic government, now elected five times, has found respite and recovery and even more exciting, restoration and resurrection. Through all this adversity, perhaps because of it, Nicaraguans are fiercely proud and devoted to their nation and each other.
Mike and I have just purchased property in the heart of the lovely Spanish colonial town of Granada, no doubt named after the romantic city in Spain. Granada is about 80,000 strong, and sits on Lake Nicaragua, which with a width of 100 miles is known to all as El Mar Dulce, the sweet ocean. Granada is a World Heritage Site as it has been designated the oldest city in the Western Hemisphere. It was settled in the 1500's. Because of this status, city regulations require that all buildings in the Central district remain in Spanish colonial style.
So what does our property look like? Pretty nice once you understand its context. Most homes in Latin America do not have verandas and front porches. The outsides are pretty but somewhat nondescript, usually high walls, with a gate. The home itself is ensconced within, airy rooms surrounding a lush courtyard.
The best part, and perhaps something we should consider in naming our homestead, is a gigantic Mango tree, the tree of Mike's dreams, about in the middle of the property but off to the side. All my life, all my life, I have dreamt of trees such as these, to paraphrase the Lorax. Mike has his Mango tree. He has his villa-sized property. He has his wonderful warm climate.
As I said earlier, Mike and I will be on the ground floor in a country that has little but whose citizens are willing to work hard for more. We are eager to share our knowledge and good will with them. It appears that unlike the many places we have visited and lived, the expatriate community is small. Most Americans and Canadians visit their properties only on occasion. We will live there and our community will be drawn from the Nicaraguans for the most part. We are looking forward to this.
To stave off culture shock, we'll dash off to Managua, just an hour away, and sit with a cafe latte in one of its modern shopping malls. The movie theatres are luxury itself. We can sing the night away at one of the rocking nightclubs, or eat too much Churrasco (spicy steak) at one of the five-star restaurants.