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Today was a good day.  Number 1 its Friday and it’s a free day. I don’t have plans so I lie around in bed, have coffee, and start planning Aaron’s vacation when he comes to visit. After, I head out for my normal run up to the mirador (up the never ending hill I force myself to run up twice) and then decide to go to the grocery store.  Before I head out anywhere especially for my run I mentally prepare myself for remarks that will surely be made by Nica Men.  Whether its cat calls, blowing kisses at me or sounding like Gollum from lord of the rings by calling me preciosa I try to prepare myself by taking a moment, throwing some punches or reminding myself why I’m here.  I’m prepared…Well I thought I was.  What I wasn’t prepared for was getting verbally assaulted by an Expat in a Pali.  I’m use to taking hits from Nica Men but from another American while I’m in Nicaragua…definitely not.

I walked into Pali and had my handy Peace Corps tote bag to carry my umbrella and groceries.  I picked out my stuff and saw what looked to be either an American man or German in there too.  This is uncommon and of course he stands out.  I get behind the American in line to checkout and he starts ranting to the cashier about how terrible America is. First he said to the woman cashier that Nica women are more beautiful than American women, which fine to each his own, but then he starts making outrageous remarks about our President, the first lady and the US.  He finished his rant by telling the cashier that President Daniel Ortega is the best President. The whole time this man is ranting the cashier is just looking at me waiting for me to say something.  She looks as puzzled as I do.  I had plenty to say but my mom raised me better than that and I took the high road.  I looked at him and said in Spanish “I am a Peace Corps volunteer and I will be living here for 2 years.  Have a nice day.” He left.

After he left the woman cashier just looked at me in disbelief that I hadn’t reacted and said “He’s crazy”.  She then proceeded to tell me that she sees me run every day and I must really love it because I run a lot.  I told her I did and thanked her for checking me out.

I guess being here I’m never going to be fully prepared for anything and I just need to go with the punches.  I could have reacted, I had plenty to say to him, but that wouldn’t have done me any good.  The cashier would have thought I was just as crazy as him and two Americans fighting in bad Spanish in a Nicaraguan super market would be pretty ridiculous and have the whole town talking.  I’m glad I didn’t react the way I could have.  I feel better about myself and have no regrets for the way I handled the situation.  The silver lining here, the Nica cashier totally had my back.  She seemed more offended than I was.