I need a Dolla...literally

So while we wait for my parents account of how they’re trip to Nicaragua went down, I decided I’m going to write a post about what’s almost always in the back of everyone’s mind: money. And this is has been spurred by a few recent conversations with ex-pats in the area, my folks, and friends in the states. In particular, I’ll talk about how much money I earn, and the best way to stretch out a buck. 

What's in your wallet? And that's right, I still use a Velcro wallet

So how much does a Peace Corps volunteer make in a month? Well it depends actually on exactly where you live. It stands to reason, that if you live in a bigger city, where the cost of living is higher, you should get paid more. Being that I don’t live in a large city, in fact, I live in the opposite of a large city; I don’t get that extra 1000 Cordoba boost. . Instead, on the last Thursday of the month, 4670 Cordoba (C$) are deposited into my account. A Cordoba, or cord for short, is the monetary unit of Nicaragua, and is also commonly referred to as a peso. Seeing that the current exchange rate is 23 cords per 1 dollar, which means I make a whopping 203 USD every month. That’s right, 203 bucks, which is what I’m sure a lot of you have spent in one night out at the bars. Incredibly enough, it turns out, for me at least, that 203 a month is more that enough; I am able to even save money. Now as my peace corps friends know, as well as some Nica’s, I’m super “pinche”, which means cheap, and haggle over every cord I spend if I’m able to. I maintain a strict ledger of all expenditures, and know more or less exactly where every cord is spent on any given day. On a side note, it’s actually is a great example for my students when we’re studying accounting, as it is a real life example of how practical money management is; how it can be used in situations that don’t pertain to business as well. As a result of being so pinche, I live within my means, and comfortably enough. I’m never too hungry, I can pay for all the things I need around the house and for school, and the money I save is put towards weekends with friends in fun and exotic spots around Nicaragua, or the occasional toña. So far, I’ve never had to dig into my own pocket for everyday necessities, but that isn’t the case for all volunteers. Be it that they don’t manage their money well, they live in a particularly expensive city, or are willing to spend on certain luxuries; a fair amount of volunteers will supplement their budget with money from their own pocket. Depending on how fachenta you are, that can be anywhere from 10 extra bones a month, to well over 100. Whatever it is, if you blow through your monthly stipend to quickly, to put it simply, you’re shit out of luck, and the peace corps won’t help you.

Nica currency, the only bill missing is the "red snapper" or the 500 kord bill. While its supposed to be accepted anywhere, no one ever wants to break it, making it a super inefficient bill to carry, and a pain in the ass

Now the breakdown:

• Rent is 60 usd a month (1380 kords) for a fairly large house that I think is fair to assume, is larger than most of my friends apartments in the states
• The weekly budget is just under 27 usd, or 600 kords, which as one of my NY friends told me, is how much he may or may not spend on lunch each day. On some weeks, I won’t even spend all of this. More or less is spent as followed:
• 300 – 400 kords on food (13 – 17 dead presidents)
• 100 kords on transport to my schools (4-5 green baks)
• 80 kords on laundry
• The rest on home supplies, skool supplies, and day surf trips
• Utilities put me back another 100 cords, and ebery few months I need to buy a new gas tank, by the far the biggest expense outside of rent, which fetches a price of 350 pesos. 

So although some volunteers will tell you we’re not paid enough, I beg to differ. And I’m sure that in some instances, and I’m mainly referring to life in the “big” cities, that they may be justified. But part of the reason we’re down here is to live the same lifestyle as the rest of our community members and experience their daily struggles. We’re not supposed to be making money here, or living as comfortably as we were in the states. As my PC recruiter inferred during my interview almost two years ago, at points we’re even expected to go hungry in our service. It seems to me that those that typically complain are those that are to an extent trying to live a lifestyle that is similar to one they at point had in the states. Well folks, that just ain’t how it’s suppose to be in my book.  And what is really crazy, is that we typically make more than the average Nicaraguan does, Nicaraguans that have to support entire families on the same or lesser amount. Makes you think how lucky most of us are back in the states, huh? I know that’s how I feel.