Diplomatic - and other consequences of US foreign policy
You're special,
the staff at the US Consulate told me
Every other American
Ever involved in a similar accident or case
(ie, that involved someone else dying)
has been sent to 'preventative prison' until the case is resolved,
which can take days, weeks or months
(by preventative they mean preventing you from fleeing Nicaraguan justice)
which can take days, weeks or months
(by preventative they mean preventing you from fleeing Nicaraguan justice)
I was the first (in their experience) to be given
unsupervised house arrest after only
unsupervised house arrest after only
2 days in the local jail.
They didn't officially know how it happened, but
they thought my whole case was
marked by the
humility and genuine sadness I and my family expressed.
I laughed.
But surely everyone is humble and sad
in this situation
(of having accidentally ended the life of one of the people they
supposedly came to serve)?'
All the expats I know here work in NGOs, aid agencies, or as missionaries
in this situation
(of having accidentally ended the life of one of the people they
supposedly came to serve)?'
All the expats I know here work in NGOs, aid agencies, or as missionaries
No, actually not.
Other Americans have been perceived as arrogant and demanding
of special treatment. The Nicaraguan police, courts, and
press don’t like that.
Right after the accident happened the media assumed
you would be the same, and there were media reports of a
frivolous, reckless gringa who cared nothing for Nicaraguans.
The reports changed tone after my first day in court, when I was so distraught and horrified that I kept a
sheet over my head, sobbing and banging my head against the table.
How else could I feel, trapped in a nightmare-turned-reality in which my car had somehow ended the lives of two women, gruesomely, who were just waiting to catch the bus to work?
you would be the same, and there were media reports of a
frivolous, reckless gringa who cared nothing for Nicaraguans.
The reports changed tone after my first day in court, when I was so distraught and horrified that I kept a
sheet over my head, sobbing and banging my head against the table.
How else could I feel, trapped in a nightmare-turned-reality in which my car had somehow ended the lives of two women, gruesomely, who were just waiting to catch the bus to work?
I can’t imagine anyone else feeling any less torn apart.
But apparently such is the reputation and stereotype of Americans here
that people assumed I was and would be
unrepentant, uncaring, and refusing to take any responsibility for the situation.
But apparently such is the reputation and stereotype of Americans here
that people assumed I was and would be
unrepentant, uncaring, and refusing to take any responsibility for the situation.
I wanted to throw up when the Consul General said the Embasssy wanted to learn from my case to help them deal with the next one.
Next one, he said,
accepting these accidents as just another
inconvenience of living in Nicaragua.
Next one, he said,
accepting these accidents as just another
inconvenience of living in Nicaragua.
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amazing writing and reflecting. i'm struck by how often we universalize our experiences and emotions -- and how it's only later, perhaps through others lenses that we realize how differently we react and choose -- at least compared to how others have under similar circumstances. for me, this is a great reminder in my own life -- of how many times I've assumed how I chose was the only possible choice. Even under the worst situations, when we're not completely in our right minds, who we are seems to take over and choose the right/wise path. At least that's what this post means to me.
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