Nicaragua 2010…if not us, then who?

What can I say about a trip that has so vastly affected my life in so many ways? When first presented with the idea to go on this trip, I instantly wanted to be apart this life changing experience. It was time to leave the simplicity and mundane routine of my life in New Jersey for a more meaningful experience. The idea of going to a third world country, a life that was so outside and foreign to mine, not only excited me but at the same time terrified me. Regardless, I was determined on going and opening my eyes and heart to the loving people and vivid culture of the beautiful country of Nicaragua.

When we first arrived to Nicaragua, we were immediately met with smiles, and for the remainder of the trip we were shown a kindness and a hospitality that transcends any we were accustomed to in the States. It was as if the people of Nicaragua, a people who have very little, were willing to give whatever they did have in order to make us happy and comfortable. The best example of this was seen all throughout our stay in the campo. Our campo families, who we all developed close and loving relationships with, taught us that even though you may not have worldly possessions or materials, there are much more important things in life like community, laugher, soccer games, thunderstorms, family, friends, and most importantly love. All of the people we met throughout this trip taught me so much about the human will to survive, endure, and persevere. My most vivid memories of this spirit were shown through the Nemagon workers and the hundreds families that lived and worked out of this enormous garbage dump. There was this sense of community that I have never experienced in America. We heard testimonies of their overwhelming desire to provide for their families, but to also provide and protect those families in their community.

Ironically, I went to Nicaragua with the idea that our group would somehow have something to teach the people, but it was us who learned so much from them. I not only learned much about the country and how the relationship shared between Nicaragua and the United States greatly affects every policy of this rich land, but I also learned a lot about myself and what it truly means to be a servant leader. Every experience we shared with the people was filled with emotion and this overpowering urge to help. I want everyone to know the struggles and heartache of these people and to know that we as a county need to become educated on the unjust American policies that continue to hinder and stunt the growth of Nicaragua. The people of Nicaragua have spoken, and for decades their cries have fallen on deaf ears. It’s time for change, and that time is now. Through my experiences I now feel that it is my civic duty to not only bring awareness to my personal communities about the injustices and adversities that plague the Nicaraguan people, but to allow this awareness to encompass a larger scale of people, perhaps state or even nation wide. If we do not try to campaign for the people of Nicaragua, then who will? Certainly not the representatives of the US Embassy we visited, nor the corrupt Nicaraguan government officials, and unfortunately not even their very own president.

I will never forget the people and culture of Nicaragua. This is experience was beyond life changing and I hope that in the future I am able to participate in trips just like this one. It’s hard to believe that it only took 10 days for me to fall in love. In only 10 days I realized that something had to be done to try to help our family in Nicaragua, and I truly hope and believe that through all of our delegation training we will be able to develop some type of concrete plan to help alleviate and bring awareness and later change to many of the pressing problems in Nicaragua. It was not enough to simply sit idly in classroom learning about the country, its people, and their problems. We had to truly submerse ourselves in that culture and get down in the dirt and dig, plant, protect, cry, sing, dance, laugh, and nurture right along side of our brothers and sisters of Nicaragua.

Bonner love,

Ashley

Back at Home

I wish I could have blogged more while in Nicaragua but we had limited internet.

There are so many things and experiences I want to share but it is impossible to convey everything via a blog post. I come back to this country after seeing all of the theories and models taught in campus classrooms with airconditioning and smart boards put into practice. Professors who worked at the world bank lecture about the greatness of free trade agreements, market control, and marvel at the wonders of neoliberalism. But citizens living with these practices live without sovereignty and with poverty and inequality. The same bandaid cannot be used for every country; yet over and over again it's slapped on despite overwhelming evidence that it is not providing higher standards of living for these people.

Every person we spoke with said you are our microphone, and when we asked what we could do for them they all said share my story with your family and friends in america. We can do so much more that we think we can to help these people. I don't think Americans understand the power they have to create positive change. The people we met use their limited resources and limited access to power to fight for a better Nicaragua. They all continue to fight for their communities and their people. They want a better Nicaragua for their children.

Since I've been home, people have asked were people nice to you and it makes me think of how welcome we were everywhere we went. The warmth and strength of these people was astounding. People brought us to their homes, introduced us to their family and their history. When we went to see the nemagon workers, this woman who can sometimes barely get out of bed saw Narolyn scratching a mosquito bite. She went to and brought back medicine for her and then wanted Narolyn to take it with her. That would never happen in the US.

I never expected to love this country so much and to love its people. I never imagined the effect it would have on me. This was not a textbook or a DVD; these were real people who shared stories, homes, hugs, tons of emotions, and hope. I thank Witness for Peace for their existence in this and in other countries. I wish I could bring more people through this program and watch them learn.

I cannot wait to begin taking my experience and sharing it, taking everything I saw and bringing it back to TCNJ and fighting to create change.


Since it came on while i was writing this, i thought i'd share this song
Wavin Flag-K'naan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlV6t1k3y00&feature=related

"un pueblo con hambre es un pueblo sin paz..."

Day 1 and 2 in Nicaragua
what is Solidarity...what is nonviolence?, questions that were asked to this delegation as we embarked on learning about this country's storied history and fragile present as well as site visit around the city of Managua. We thought about the question asked and realized after much deliberation that both words have evolving meaning and a sliding scale of acceptable meanings. Nonviolence for instance could be interrupted as I suggested would be the strict adherance to the law while in pursuit of progressive ways to fight for justice...., but in the context of Nicaragua, how about of the laws created were inherently unjust and the "system" created never allowed you to be a winner, but a peg in a growing machine of inequality and injustice. Yesterday we visited a community cultural center that had a visual time line of the country's history, and in part of the mural there was the quote from a Nicaraguan nobel peace prize winner that said, "un pueblo con hambre es un pueblo sin paz...", when theres hungry there will be no peace...
peace and hoodlove
-Fred

Health Promoters and The Dump

Our second full day in Nicaragua was jam packed with amazing things. I felt a myriad of emotions today ranging from rage to complete sadness to absolute amazement. Today was the first time I cried in this country from sheer heartbreak.

This morning we had a talk about Neoliberalism and basically went over everything I've ever learned in every course of Economics I've taken at TCNJ. As an Poli Sci/Econ major, its a high number. Before we started our day, my room of AshleyR, Se, Narolyn and I had a really great discussion that ended up being an intro to our group discussion. We talked about US farm subsidies and letting the market control itself and then we all used the same examples in our Witness for Peace group talk.

After our first talk, we went to a community set up by the lagoon that provides Managua with all of its drinking water. Because most of the people do not have original deeds to that particular property, the water company has been trying to kick the people out of the community. Ironically that same water company also sends a bill to each of the houses for turning on the water for a few hours at night with the smallest amount of pressure. The community had to install their own pipes and when the water company found out they turned it off until they reached an agreement to pay. A similar struggle happened in order to get electricity for the town. The woman we met with today, Maria, plays an active part in the community and fought with these companies to get basics for her neighbors, family, and friends. I never expected to see that sense of community here. They watch out for each other, ensure people are not destroying the environment around the lagoon or contaminating it. More importantly than her activism in getting the community electricity and water, she is a health promoter and acts almost as a full functioning nurse for her community. She runs a clinic out of her house and gives out treatments including nebulizers, injections, taking blood pressure and more. Once a week she goes for classes and there's one day she is officially open, but in her words they are always open. It was amazing the way she took initiative to bethis in and for her community. The whole program is funded by a canadian group of health workers. In addition to running a health clinic out of her own house, she also runs a sort of day camp program out of her house for the children of the community. The children take painting class and create things. It keeps them busy and away from the streets she says. What she does has created a larger sense of community. She is a powerful and incredibly inspiring.

That afternoon I met one of the most amazing women of my life. I will never forget her or her story. I cried for the struggles she had to endure and for the strength she possesses. She spent years living off the dump trying to do anything and everything to avoid having to go back but with a child and hunger, she did what she had to do. She later became extraordinarily active in her community and as she said little by little she rose up and now has her own house, works in a free trade zone, and organizes the youth of the community in soccer games and other things for the youth. She works with children to allow them to take pictures of their community and like Maria also works with people who have symptoms of malaria. She goes as far to go to peoples houses to ensure they continue their treatments.

I cried as she told us how she had to cook rice that had gotten pesticides in it and gasoline dumped on it. As the words we were hungry and we could taste that though it had been thoroughly washed it still tasted bitter and that even the animals didnt want to eat this rice came out of her mouth I could not control the emotions that were running through me. She said people tell me they do not have my strength and I tell them we all have strength; we are strong when we need to be. Before today, I never knew of her existence and after this afternoon, I'll never in my life forget her.

Witness for Peace Nicaragua Delegation

Day 1

On Monday, June 28, 2010, after a long day of flying, we arrived in Managua, Nicaragua around 8:30 PM. We anxiously waited behind a line of people ready to exit the plane and then rushed to claim our luggage. It was then that we made our way outside to taste our first breath of humid, Nicaraguan air. We were greeted by the Witness for Peace (WFP) representatives Gaylan, Brook, and Christine (who would be mobilizing us through our delegation) and boarded a small white bus which was driven by a man named Marcos (although clearly a native, he greeted me with a smile when I explained to him that my Spanish was solely minimal—this provided me with momentary comfort, something I needed to suppress my nerves at the time). The first thing that struck me as we drove was the liveliness of the city. People of all ages congregated in store fronts, on decks .. there were couples who walked hand-in-hand, young barefoot boys, no older than 10, who played together, and countless others. I felt such a strong sense of community already and my eyes had only touched the surface of what I knew this country would show me in the next ten days. We drove past an outdoor soccer game that had stands filled with more fans than most of my high school soccer games, and people worked out in gyms which were fully exposed for the only thing separating them from the street were metal gates. I soon realized that a sufficient amount of places would be designed like this to allow ventilation.

Another thing that struck me was how the city was painted. The colors of homes, public buildings, billboards, and all else in the area gave the vision of poverty and evident social injustice a more accepting appeal. As much as this cohesiveness of the natives brought a smile to my face, it was still overpowered by the worst poverty I had ever seen.

Once we arrived at CEPAD (de la Rotonda El Periodista, 200 varas al sur, 200 varas arriba), our place of stay for the next three days, things began to settle in. We walked through a gate, which would have a guard present 24/7 to a large open area filled with a few tables, a large cage with a parrot inside, 3 stray dogs meandering around, and doors which led to our rooms. Inside the rooms was a single fan, a few twin size beds, and a bathroom. The rooms were not as bad as I had anticipated, although there were more bugs than I was ready to stomach so soon in the trip (I learned by day 2 that while showering I simply couldn’t look around..but really, it’s not that bad).

Since we were all exhausted, our itinerary held nothing but an introduction session for us on the first night. Here Gaylan, Brook, and Christine provided us with some background knowledge to ensure that we were aware of the history that Nicaragua held and had a clear understanding of what our delegation was all about. In sum, it was explained that Nicaragua has been under heavy, social, economic, and political strain for numerous years now. Although the country is a beautiful one, filled with rich culture, it is exceedingly poor—noted to be one of the poorest in the Western hemisphere. The current crisis in the nation has its roots in a long history of unbalanced relationships with rich countries such as the one it shares with the United States (WFP).

We were explained that during our delegation we will be witnessing a handful of the unjust economic relationships that exist in Nicaragua and, “get the opportunity to meet with workers, farmers, economists, feminists, activists, and other representatives from the Nicaraguan society to learn how external debt, free trade agreements, and foreign corporations impact the daily lives of the people,” WFP. We will be spending a lot of time listening and hearing the perspectives that aren’t so accessible to us in the global North and have the privilege to meet with Nicaraguans who will share with us their stories of struggle. It is our aim to, “directly witness the effects of US policy here. In sum, we hope to coordinate our efforts and work towards shaping a world in which just economic relationships are cultivated and nourished, which means taking action in the US when we return from Nicaragua,” (WFP).

Day 2

Thus far, I had not done much speaking. I had been taking everything in and most of what I had been feeling came from what I had seen. I had many fears of not getting as much out of this experience because of others due to the language barrier. I knew that it was essential for me to step outside of my comfort zone and speak the little Spanish that I had remembered (from previous years of study) to feel somewhat connected to the community. Even if it was something as simple as thanking Blanca, the woman who would be cooking our meals while we stayed at CEPAD for her food, it was a start.

Day 2 began with a presentation on Nicaraguan culture. We learned proper hand gestures and sayings to use when communicating with the locals as well as other differences in their way of life. One example was that Nicaraguans do not use addresses to get from place to place, but landmarks as references to one’s location. I was taken back by how much knowledge taxi drivers were noted to have (we were told that most can recall locations which have been knocked down for up to 30 years).

At this point we were asked to try and recognize how quick our culture is to judge. We so desperately want to impose our views onto others and here that is exactly what we want to avoid. We talked about solidarity, staying true to yourself and your beliefs while accepting the differences in the world and its people, nonviolence—what it is and how it’s defined, and outlined some hopes and aspirations for the days to come.

After this discussion, we headed towards a local market called Mercado Israel and shopping mall for a socio-economic contrast tour. While on the bus we were told to be cautious of the photographs we were taking and learned of the term, “poverty pornography,” and how repeated picture taking could be taken offensively. Although it was understandable that we wanted to capture these moments by an image, it was more important for us to actually experience them.

We were split up into three groups, each representing one Nicaraguan family (my family included Ashley R., Todd, Joey and I). We were given 40 cordobas, or $2—the average income of a family of 6 in Nicaragua—and were told to go into the market and purchase enough food to feed us for the day.

I felt exceedingly uncomfortable. The market was congested, loud..the language was unfamiliar; I felt countless sets of eyes on me, there were flies, hundreds of them, flooding the produce which hung from metal bars and sat on wooden tables. There was stand after stand with bags of rice, beans, and vegetables. We walked down a narrow path searching for the best prices. We attempted to create a meal which would comprise good nutritional value, but this was more than a challenge when you only had $2. We settled on 2 pounds of white rice, a pound of beans, a small avocado, two cucumbers, and a flavor packet for the rice. We realized that this would be just enough to feed 4 people, when our aim was to feed 6. Also, we hadn’t considered other expenses the average family incurs each day—money that I spent in a few days back in New Jersey could feed a family of 6 for a month.

After leaving the market we went across the city to a mall, which was beautiful. There were stores such as Guess, Audi, Nine West, and many other names familiar to me. We went inside a few stores to take note of the pricing and how it differed from those in the United States. I picked up a pair of women’s Nikes that would sell in the US for about $100 and they were marked $230. We would later discuss that because there aren’t many competitors that the stores could charge this insane amount for a pair of sneakers. These shoes were $230, and I had just played the frustrating role of a family member attempting to feed myself and 5 others with $2..

The rest of the day was spent going over some more history of Nicaragua and site seeing in Managua. The day was long, I was exhausted..but I had already seen and learned a lot. I was both excited and nervous for what tomorrow had in store.

Ashley Covello

Our 1st night and 1st full day

So this was my blog for last night when we first got here but we didnt have internet until today so here it is:

WE ARE IN MANAGUA!!!!!! and ITS MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are unfortunately one short. WE MISS AND LOVE YOU BRITT!!!!!

It is almost unbearably hot and humid. By the time our 30min ride from the airport to CEPAD was over my hair was destroyed. There's nothing to do but accept that I will rock a fro until I come home. Managua is very different than what I expected. Not as developed or city like. It reminded me a lot of like Guanica, Puerto Rico but much better. There's a lot of graffiti all over the place, "FSLN" "Viva la revolution" and "Viva Daniel" are all over the place. I wonder how long it has been there and why people have not removed some of it. It is literally all over the place. There are also a lot of people outside of their homes in groups. We drove with all of the windows down. CEPAD is just as hot as everywhere else but it is nice. There are 4 of us in our room but we do have our own bathroom. I happen to have an irrational fear of bugs and there are a lot of bugs here in managua and in our room there are also bugs. Sejour is a lifesave as she is the only in our room who kills them. I'm excited for what's to come.




This is today's blog:
We went over a lot of Managuan history and customs today. I now know how to hail a taxi and tell people i'm terrified among other useful things. We also talked about giving gifts and taking pictures, two things i never would have thought about before. We are discouraged from giving gifts to our homestays because it gives the wrong message about why we are coming to the community. As for photos our guide used the phrase "Poverty Pornography" and I think we as a society need to own up to this. We went to a market this morning and learned what you can really buy for $2 as far as food is concerned and it is not much. It was beautiful and colorful with tons of people walking up and down the stalls. After the market we went straight to a mall and saw the contrast between the two worlds. Somethings, even though they are produced in Nicaragua, are more expensive here than they are in the US such as Nike sneakers because they are produced in Free Trade Zones and so cannot be sold directly in the country.
We came back and had lunch, and on that note our food is great! Like this mysterious woman Blanca cooks and has been cooking for this organization for a very long time and knows what we can and cannot eat. the food is wonderful. Blanca is only mysterious because her daughter brings the food and we've never actually seen or met her but i need to find her.
in the afternoon we went over the nicaraguan military and historical timeline where we talked about the somozas and sandinistas and how the history has brought us to the present we are currently witnessing. we took another tour of the city and saw the monuments that describe the history of this country and its people. we visited the peace park when soldiers brought their guns to be cemented into the walls of the park but the park which was suppose to serve as a symbol of hope for the future is forgotten and possibly dangerous due to numerous squatters. it, like many other parts of the city, have been discarded to the side. It is unbelievable that across from the former palace is a new beautiful palace build by taiwanese money that no one is living in. There are stark differences like this everywhere. i am eager to continue learning about this country!

I know I'm missing things but other people need the computer.

Background Information for Blog Readers

Greetings to all friends and relatives following this blog!

As the Bonner scholars travel today, many of you may be wondering about Nicaragua. Below you will find three links that will give some insight into what they are about to experience.

First, you can review a brief history of Nicaragua, written for a general audience, at the Lonely Planet website: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/nicaragua/history

Next you can review the U.S. State Department's Nicaragua information page. Don't be alarmed at this website's focus on safety and security issues-- Nicaragua is safer than most other Latin American countries and many cities in the US. However, the State Department's information is designed to protect U.S. citizens abroad: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_985.html

Finally, you can keep up with current events in Nicaragua by reading Nicaraguan newspapers on-line. Several from this source are electronically published in English: http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/nicaragu.htm

Warmest Regards,
Diane Bates