Nicaragua

Greetings

Men greeting Men – Handshakes are the norm.

Women greeting Women – Informally, just a smile and “Hola” or “Mucho gusto”, sometimes a handshake if it’s a bit more formal. A light hug and a cheek kiss are common for friends and family.

Men greeting Women – Informally, just a smile and “Hola” or “Mucho gusto”, sometimes a handshake if it’s a bit more formal. A light hug and a cheek kiss are common for friends and family.

Communication Style

• Most Nicaraguans like to appear helpful and will try to tell you what you want to hear, even if it is stretching (or at times completely altering) the truth.
  
• Most Nicaraguans are very polite and they rarely say anything that would be offensive to anyone present.
  
• For a foreigner to try to understand something fully, it’s usually best to “triangulate,” ask (at least) 3 different people the same question to see if you can arrive at an approximate answer.
• While many Nicaraguans are generally direct about surface things, i.e., a person’s distinguishing feature. E.g., age, weight, skin color, marital status, how many children you have, asking how much you make, how much something costs, etc.), they are pretty indirect when it comes to answering those same questions.
• Although most Nicaraguans are generally direct about surface things, i.e., a person’s distinguishing feature. E.g., age, weight, skin color, marital status, how many children you have, asking how much you make, how much something costs, etc.). they are pretty indirect when it comes to answering those same questions. There’s a little verbal dance that happens in order answer a question without answering it.

Personal Space & Touch

• Most Nicaraguans prefer standing a little less than an arm’s length apart during conversations. This distance may be less between good friends and family.
  
• Women should be pretty reserved when speaking to an unknown man in a non-business or professional setting, otherwise very minor actions (a smile, eye contact, being engaged) could be easily interpreted as welcoming romantic advances.
• There is usually little to no touching during initial conversations or meetings. Good friends and family may touch more.
  
• If there’s any hint or suggestion of unwanted flirting (with regards to members of the opposite sex), it’s perfectly appropriate (and recommended) to distance oneself.

Eye Contact

• Depending on the person’s class, eye contact varies. Typically the people from the lower classes do not look into a foreigner’s eyes, but there doesn’t seem to be any taboo of looking at them.
  
• For the more affluent, direct eye contact is common.
• Staring at foreigners is common, especially in more rural areas.

Gestures

• Pointing is done with the lips – pucker the lips and raise the chin briefly in the direction of the thing you’re pointing to.
• A finger wag is very common (especially to taxis or passing buses wanting to know if you want a ride). Done just like an adult would do to a child in the USA.
• Rubbing two index fingers together usually indicates that you want to pay for something.
• Nose Crinkle: to indicate, ‘I don’t get it’ or ‘what are you saying?’ – crinkle your nose, kind of like Samantha on Bewitched, only with one swift movement and not the wiggle.
• Hand sweep - Palm Down: to gesture someone to come toward you – using hand, palm-side DOWN, sweep them in.
• Hand Sweep – Palm Up: to gesture someone to eat – using hand, palm-side UP, sweep them in.

Views of Time

• Being on time rarely happens, showing up a half hour, even an hour late is acceptable.
• By and large, buses between major cities/towns run on schedule, unless there is a breakdown or bad road. Not as reliable in smaller towns/villages.
  
• Punctuality is not valued very much and time is given freely. La Hora Nica is a very interesting thing. There’s an expression, “Hay más tiempo que vida,” “There’s more time than life”.
• Typically business meetings will start up to ½-1 hour late, though joking comments will be made about the lateness of the attendees, and that that attribute is common in.

Gender Roles

• Work opportunities for women are varied and available depending on social class.
• In the rural areas, the roles are fairly ‘traditional,’ – women in their spheres, men in theirs. It should be said, however, that there’s a lot of value to this. A woman who is good at what she does (cooking, cleaning, etc.) is highly respected.
  
• Men work hard in the fields and when they come home, it gives the women pride (and they work hard at it) to be able to receive them with a prepared meal and a clean home. Additionally, women in the rural areas are less talkative, generally. The man wears the pants, even if the woman sewed them.
• In the more urban areas, where women work outside their home, it is not uncommon to have an ‘empleada,’ or housekeeper. So, many of the ‘traditional’ household duties are taken care of by these (poorly paid) women/girls.
  
• However, when guests come over, it is ALWAYS the woman – regardless of what position she holds outside the home – to provide for the guests. Here, you’ll find that women are equal contributors to group conversations.
  
• Going to a bar alone or into a pool hall (alone or accompanied) is not done if a woman cares about her reputation.
  

Taboos

• Taking your shoes off at a meeting is considered rude as is putting one's feet up on a desk or chair.
  
• Avoid saying ‘no’ when someone offers you something to eat/drink.
  
• Cleanliness is highly valued so it is best to avoid being seriously unwashed in public places.
  

Law & Order

• The legal age to purchase alcohol is 19, but it is not heavily enforced.
• The legal smoking age is 16 but it is not heavily enforced. Cigarettes and cigars are readily available and a great majority of students and adults smoke.
• Being in possession of small quantities of drugs is illegal and usually results in serious jail time for foreigners. If you are caught trying to take drugs in or out of the country, it is an automatic lengthy jail sentence.

Dress

• For Men- Khakis, slacks, and a button down shirt. Everything should be cleaned and pressed. Suits and ties are common for the financial industries.
• For Women- Slacks, pants, skirts/dresses and a blouse or button down shirt are common. Everything should be cleaned and pressed. Many women also wear what many in the professional world would consider ‘too revealing.’ It’s not uncommon to see a black bra under your sheer yellow blouse.
• Jeans and more casual attire is appropriate in some industries. Shorts are usually not worn to work.
  

Titles & Business Cards

• Titles are somewhat important and it is best to address people directly by using their professional title or Senor, Senora, Senorita, followed by the surname.
• After getting to know someone, Nicaraguans generally call one another by their first names. As a sign of respect, it is best to use "Don" or "Donna" in front of the person’s first name.
• If someone has a B.A., "Licenciada." If someone’s an engineer, “Ingeniero.” If someone is a teacher, "Profe."

• There is no specific ritual surrounding the giving of business cards although it is advisable to treat the card with respect.
• It is advisable to have one side of your business card translated into Spanish. Present your business card with the Spanish side facing the recipient.

Meetings

• It is best to show up on time for an initial meeting although typically they will start ½-1 hour late.
• There is usually some form of small talk before getting down to business. It is best to allow your host to begin the business discussion.
• Conversation topics to avoid include: politics, class issues, and religion.

Negotiations

• Nicaraguans value relationship building and harmony so it is important to avoid hard selling, pressure tactics and any sort of conflict or confrontation.
• Decisions are usually made from the top down.

Gift Giving

• Although not expected, gifts are always welcome and should always be wrapped in some way.
  
• Some people open them in public, others don’t – both are okay.

In the Classroom

• The school year usually runs from the end of January through December. Other than Christmas vacation, there’s about a week in April for Semana Santa.
• University students tend to dress well. Shorts and flip flops are looked down upon.
• Grades generally follow a 0-100% scale, with 100 being the highest and 70% being the pass/fail mark.
• Lecture is the most common form of teaching.