Meijer is an amazing place, isn't it? If you don’t live in Michigan, you might not be familiar with Meijer, but it is one stop shopping at its best. After living in Nicaragua for ten years (I can’t believe it’s been that long!), still one of the things that is most difficult to get out of my blood is the joy of one-stop-shopping.
Most of the world does not have it. Nicaragua has a lot of great stores and conveniences now. Most of the population is unable to enjoy them due to their cost, but there are grocery stores that are fairly well stocked, and there is even a big Costco-like store called PriceSmart. However, there is no one stop shopping. It is fairly typical for Liam or me to spend the better part of a day shopping for one item. Recent examples would be a birthday present for a 5-year-old girl, or a part for a lawnmower. In the United States, we would head to whichever store was nearest to us, and buy both, rather easily. In Nicaragua, it may take up most of my day, and I may or may not come home successful. I might run into a political rally that stops traffic, or a semi-truck parked perpendicular across three lanes of traffic, or the stores might be closed on a Saturday because all hardware stores close at noon on Saturdays. If I get to the store that has the part, they may or may not be willing to sell it to me. My selection will be limited, the prices will be high, and the service will likely be poor. It may be that we go to the gas station on the way, and they have no gas.
But! I have a car! I don’t walk a half mile to the bus stop, wait for twenty minutes for a bus that only takes me part way to the store, transfer to another bus, hang off of the back of it because it’s so full, and then arrive to find the store doesn't have what I need. And I usually leave my kids with my husband, or with a babysitter. I wouldn't choose to drag my four kids around town with me all day because I have nowhere else to leave them and I am a single mom. The cost of the birthday gift or the lawnmower part might be a little frustrating, but it doesn't keep me from putting food on the table. In fact, if I were a typical Nicaraguan, a lawnmower part would be known as a machete, and I wouldn't be buying anyone a birthday gift, especially someone who’s outside my own family.
I miss convenience as much as the next North American living down here. At times I complain about how long it takes to get something done or to run a few errands. It’s easy to find things to complain about. But if we stop a minute, it’s equally easy to find things to be thankful for. I’m thankful for the finances to buy the things we need, an air conditioned car (with seat belts) to drive around in, pleasant (even if not always fully stocked) grocery stores, and so much more. What about you?
