Writing POC 101

Nicaraguan Characters - @grootmorning

Hello!

First off, I would like to say that I grew up in the United States, however am still insanely proud of my heritage!

For those who don't know, Nicaragua is a country in Central America, right between Honduras and Costa Rica.

I've only ever seen Nicaragua presented once in a book, and it was in respects to a Nicaraguan bakery.

And much like every Central and South American country, Nicaragua has its own unique customs, foods, and even names that make Nicaragua unique and beautiful!

I am always incredibly proud when latinos are presented in media, but hate the fact that more often than not, all other countries besides Mexico are forgotten, and we are presented as gangsters and drug addicts.

As a personal experience, I've been asked if Nicaragua was a country in Africa, and even had a history teacher once ask me what language they spoke there (it's Spanish, as is with the majority of Latin American countries besides Brazil!).

So, to begin, just some basic Nicaraguan facts!

Language

As stated before, the main language of Nicaragua is Spanish! However there are a few indigenous languages spoken on the coast, as well as even a small percentage Chinese Nicaraguans, and Palestinian Nicaraguans that retain their ancestral language.

Food

(Probably my favorite topic, to be honest)

Much like many Central/South American countries, there are some foods that translate throughout every country. But, there are some amazing differences that I feel really aren't appreciated or known.

The staples of Nicaragua is rice, beans, and corn!

The average meal can consist of rice and black beans separately, maybe with some fried eggs or meat (chicken usually because beef is expensive), and cheese!

Or if you're feeling pretty spicy, you can also get the rice and beans combined together to make Gallopinto!

There are some parts of Nicaragua that are known for their cheeses! Mainly Quesillo. Other cheeses can be cuajada, or queso para freir (fried cheese).

A cheese is usually served with each meal!

Be aware that if you talk about tacos, enchiladas, or tamales, in Nicaraguan terms are all very different foods! Tacos are closer to taquitos/flautas, enchiladas are closer to looking like empanadas, and empanadas come wrapped in banana leaves!

Plantains are absolutely my favorite food, and can come as tajadas fritas, which are like the equivalent of slightly thicker plantain chips. Or cut thicker and fried to make them soft and super sweet.

Religion

The main religion of Nicaragua is Roman Catholicism, though there are a wide range of different religions, there is also a fairly large evangelical christian movement going on right now as well.

Usually the center of a town/city is the catholic church, and they even give directions based on where your house is in regards to the catholic church.

The People

Like many latin american countries, the people can be a mixture of a wide variety of races. The majority, and probably more stereotypical look, is the black hair, brown skin, and dark eyes of the Indigenous people, but there has also been a Chinese and European influence! My father's grandparents were actually German and I have a few cousins who look completely white passing, with freckles, light skin, and red hair, even though they are full-blooded Nicaraguan.

So when you write your character, don't be afraid to be even a little creative!

Names

This is actually something that I haven't seen much from any other latin american countries, which I think makes it quite unique.

The Nicaraguan people have a way with names, let me tell you that, I once read an article that said that they had perfected the art of creating new ones.

Of course there can be the common, Jose, Luis, Maria, but they are probably less common in Nicaragua than you would expect.

There has been influence from European names, so you can find someone named Edwin, Karen, and Justin just as, or maybe even more common than those!

Added twist is adding Spanish phonetic with the European name so Yosten (Justin), or Jeyson (Jason) or even Greysy (Gracie).

I've met people named Daniuska, Oneyker, Carisell, Esmirna, and Dineika.

A common thing that seems to occur, is combinations, so my sister-in-law's first name is a mixture of both her father's name and her mother's. Or even some people finding a name they like, and changing a couple of letters to make a completely new and unique name.

So in that case, you can have a Justin, Jostin, Joston, Yoston, and Yostin as all completely different people.

The result of a lot of creativity becomes a complete slew of different names you may never experience!

Accent + slang

Every latin american country has it's own unique set of words they use, don't use, and pronunciation of those words.

Nicaraguans tend to cut off their 's' at the end of words, as well as place 'la' when referring to a girl. So, for example, 'la Tita' or 'la Carisell', usually 'La then the name of the girl'.

They also use 'vos' a shortened version of 'vosotros'!

A common phrase used is 'va pues' a verson of 'dale pues'!

which can be used as 'alright', but because of their intonation is sounds more like 'va pue' (vah p-oo-eh).

Basic (but important) facts:

- The majority of Nicaraguans in the United States are based in Florida. They now even have a mini Managua there.

-When motioning for someone to come closer, they don't use the hand gesture with your fingers pointed upward, rather, pointed downward.

-Every park has free wifi as mandated by law

- Costa Rica/Nicaragua relations are usually pretty tense, Nicaraguans usually believe that Costa Ricans are prideful and look down on Nicaraguans. However during the revolution a lot of Nicaraguans took refuge in Costa Rica to escape the draft/civil war. My father actually spent a good deal of his life living in Costa Rica, my sister was born there, so we too also feel a strong tie there as well.

If you have any questions or feel like I missed something, feel free to message me! I look forward to seeing more Nicaraguan representation on Wattpad!