Wow. What an experience!
-2 days travel by microbus (1 day there and 1 day back)
-We only spent 45 minutes going through customs at the border…a LASP record!
-2 days in the capital to learn Nicaraguan history through excursions and charlas
-I felt like the time spent in Managua prepared me for living among the Nicaraguans. I gained a greater perspective of the destructive history that Nicaragua has…starting with colonialization…up to the current corrupt political system and lack of development as a country. Inspired by the 1849 Gold Rush and the American declaration Manifest Destiny, William Walker came to Nicaragua with the purpose of enslaving the indigenous people to make slave states out of Latin America….native Augusto Cesar Sandino conquered the Marine occupation in the 20th century but was killed by Somoza, from whom sprouted a corrupt dynasty.
The 1972 earthquake destroyed Managua and surrounding areas. To this day, Managua has never re-developed because Somoza used international funds for his own riches instead of stabilizing his country and people. In the 1960s the world lit up with youth and student revolutions and movements including the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional in Nicaragua. However, in the 80s progress retreated again as Reagan denied importation of arms to Nicaragua in the Boland Act. Fearing any kind of socialism, the US intervened, getting rid of any suspicious person, ripping people out of homes and bombing innocent people. My host dad did not have to fight in the Contra-war but he did know the fear and devastation for his family and community.
Currently, the Sandanista Daniel Ortega is finishing his second 5-year term as President and also manipulating the constitution so he can run consecutively in the 2011 election. In the upcoming election Ortega and his Liberal opponent Aleman carry corrupt political records. Many Nicaraguans do not even consider going to the polls to face the electoral fraud that seems hopeless. The current presidency has its strengths and weaknesses. For example, Ortega is supporting the poor who suffered from recent flooding in Managua. He is making himself look good before re-elections by supporting the construction of block houses for the protestors of Nemagon. These are past banana workers who suffer from cancer and other internal effects because of Nemagon, a chemical banned in the US 20 years prior to its illegal use by North American companies (Dole, Del Monte, Shell, United Fruit, etc.) in Latin America. 500 people sacrificed their work and families to live in this shack community in front of government buildings to fight to have a voice and be recognized as human beings by their own leaders. So it may look good for Ortega to build them dignified houses with electricity and water source, but after 18 years of protest and no change, I am uncertain that this is what these people really need. What are Ortega’s motives?
Nicaragua has such potential to be beautiful and thriving economically. Unfortunately, corrupt government, the 72 earthquake, and the ContraWar pulled Nicaragua behind in development. It is the second poorest country in Latin American after Haiti, lacking in education, literacy, and job opportunities. Yet, I was enamored by the people who extended the table of hospitality and solidarity with me….when I lived with them for a week!
-5 days of home stays in rural/urban communities
LASP students broke into groups of 4 to live in various evangelical communities around Managua and Masaya. I lived with Pastor Eleodorio, wife Nachita, daughter Raquel, son-in-law Moisés, and baby grandson Hazael. What a blessing! Although sometimes our group felt like we were on a “mission trip,” we were privileged to fellowship with the people of our families and church community. This church has worked with a North American missionary and experienced North American youth groups; therefore, they held this positive perspective of the US…saying that Americans are very generous people with the resources and abilities they have. The PURPOSE of the home stay was: build relationships with the people. Gracias a Dios, I embraced every moment of life with my familia nica: packing our family and church community on the back of the pickup truck to go to the market, eating mountains of gallo pinto (rice and beans) while dialoguing with Raquel or Pastor, sitting and “being” on the front porch in a hand crafted rocking chair, playing with children, learning from their dedication to the church, learning from a 16 year old amiga Jessica, getting a pedicure from neighbor girl Wendy, clearing church property with machetes and shovels, learning how to hand wash my clothes, learning how to make typical deep fried food or sugary fresh fruit “refrescos”, receiving the blessing of being their guest. I was truly humbled and amazed at the value of my words that they would repeat to others and will hold on to. Parting with our familias was very emotional all around.
I had the opportunity to see a church serving the Lord not only within its “building” but OUTSIDE of the block walls. This church has always traveled to smaller communities to minister. Four churches have sprouted from their faithfulness of evangelizing. I am not necessarily gungho about their evangelizing methods, but they show me faithfulness to the world, the ones that need to be reached as their mission in the kingdom of God on earth. Granted the evangelical church struggles from authoritarian leadership thanks to the North American evangelical influence and the machismo culture. Also, Nicaraguans have always been the underdogs, so they lack confidence in their own potential…they openly hold their hands out in expectation of help instead of thinking for themselves. I do not have the correct response to these issues, but the answer is NOT charity simply giving them money or building a house or church for them…Charity attempts to justify the giver without forcing them to get their hands dirty or know the true reality of the poor. Our capitalistic system thrives off of the poor. We will never defeat poverty as long as there are riches. But we can seek opportunities to extend the table, live with them, hear their stories, and be a voice for them.
O so much more I could say!!
-2 days exploring the colorful colonial Granada and processing the home stays…
Finally, to conclude the Nicaraguan journey, we relaxed and transitioned from our impacting experiences together! Granada and León are the two most visited cities of Nicaragua. They have actually been developed to attract tourists. The most impactful experience for me was talking to the locals or the artisans on the street. I even got to help a 17 year old girl weave a row of a hammock in one of the stores. She works 8-6 Monday-Saturday and gets to go to school on Sundays. She earns $5 for each hammock she makes and can make 3 in a week ($15/week). I also learned from a Swiss supervisor that this is a social project that supports women and children, providing school materials, refuge from abuse, and opportunity to work and acquire a skill/trade that is useful. Such a beautiful thing to interact with the people!
Thanks for hearing my reflections.
En paz, Joanne
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