Fixing the Problems that Need Fixing -or- Money, in Every Color of the Rainbow (you pick the title)

As we all know there are many sad problems here in Nicaragua: extreme poverty, high unemployment, hunger, clean water, pollution, education, basic plumbing and electricity, poor infrastructure, flooding issues, tropical diseases, corrupt police force, I could go on and on. With so many problems, choosing one to begin with is like trying to find out what came first, the chicken or the egg? How can you have clean water without first stopping pollution? How can you stop pollution without educating the people? How can you educate people when they are starving? How can you feed people without clean water? It is a vicious cycle. Families can't afford to sent their children to school, instead they are put to work selling gum in the street and therefore they will not get an education and the same thing will happen in the next generation.

Aww, but the Sandinista's, they know where to start...MONEY! I would say with them its all about the GREEN, but here we have what I like to call monopoly money...it comes in shades of red (500 cord bills), blue (100 cord bills), lavender(50 cord bills), orange (20 cord bills) and the ever popular green (10 cord bills)and of course good ol' American greenbacks are always welcome! So money...no Mr. Ortega didn't just pass a bill investing more money in education, or poverty relief programs, instead he thought he would spend a bunch of money to print some new money! What do you do when you don't have money? Just print more!

So there are some new bills on the money exchange scene...don't worry, they are still the same color, but waterproof, made out of some sort of plastic-y material. The coolest feature is the circular translucent spot, seemingly made so you can see what is underneath your bill (Is that the floor or my foot? Now you can know for sure!) They also have new illustrations, no longer is Jose Santos Zelaya honored on the widely used 20 cordoba bill (who was that dude anyway?). Now the 20 honors the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua, because we all know how much the Nicaragua government loves and appreciates the Caribbean Coast, a people that are often discriminated against and an area of the country that is virtually forgotten and barely represented in the government.


Last night on the news (after they showed the bloody dead people in the street), they said there are more new bills to come!!! Not only will they start printing the fancy, new, plastic-y bills for the 100s and 500s as well, but they are also making a much needed 200 cord bill! Thank goodness! EVERY, SINGLE, DAY, I think about how handy it would be to have a 200 cord bill, and now my dream is coming true!!!

It is already very difficult to get change for a 100 cord bill (equiv. to $5), don't even think about getting into a taxi without asking if they can make change for it! Poor Cezanne, finally making it home after a long afternoon of errands, found the driver coundn't make change. After a short argument she had to get back into the cab and go to the closest gas station so she could get smaller bills. Oh yeah, and then the cabbie called her a bitch because she was upset that he didn't have change! The good news is she didn't get mugged, which you should fall on your knees and thank God for every time you get out of a cab safely.

And 500 cord bills (the red ones) don't even think about paying for anything with one of those! Most people in Nicaragua are lucky to make 500 cords a day, no a week, rather a month, so trying to pay for something with one is nearly impossible. The minute you get one in your hand, start worrying about where you can break it down into 100s. And then do the same thing once you have the 100s....but that will all change now with the 200 cord bill right???

It is clearly tax money well spent by the Sandinistas!

I wonder what color it will be? I guess, the only color left in the rainbow, YELLOW!