This was drawn by a fellow Nica 47 in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language if you forgot the acronym), it shows some of Nica's finest attributes: lakes, volcanoes, coffee, fruit, etc.
I wanted to begin this post with a little game I call “Imagine if…” The purpose of the game is not for me to complain about my life here, but sort of as a self reflection of things that would have bugged me back in the U.S.
-Imagine if…every time you had to go to the bathroom you had to walk outside and would be greeted by the biggest cockroach you’ve ever seen in your life that’s stuck right on the wall by the toilet.
-Imagine if…that toilet didn’t flush 98% of the time because water only comes for 3 hours each day, so to flush you have to pour water down the toilet (and sometimes the water goes out for days at a time, aka this week no water for 4 days)
-Imagine if…your water had to be stored in old oil drums because sometimes you don’t know if the water will disappear for a couple of days without warning.
-Imagine if…large ants (like you would find in the forest) crawled all over the house and were especially fond of the kitchen table crumbs.
-Imagine if…your kitchen was fueled by 3 inch diameter sticks that had to be replaced at least 8 times a day.
-Imagine if…your only transportation was a crowded bus where you get pushed and shoved, or you have to jump off the back, or the dude next to you smells like major B.O. (and there’s a 2 hour ride ahead of you…yuck!)
These are just a few of the daily tribulations that face Nica PCVs (well more specifically me), but I’m sure there are PCVs who have it a million times harder in respect to water, weird bugs, fuel, etc. Please don’t get me wrong, PC Nica is pretty cushy in general and for us Business Volunteers it’s especially cushy compared to the Ag Volunteers who are really out in the boondocks.
Thinking about the things listed above makes me appreciate home so much and makes me appreciate an even cushier life in the U.S…or hell, the cushier life in Loomis right? I mean Loomis is like Pleasantville (and Del Oro was like “Highschool Disneyland” as Aunt Anne would say), it’s a bubble I grew up in where nothing bad ever happened and life was never hard. I knew no hunger, I knew no violence and I never doubted that my parents always loved my sister and me. Life was amazing growing up and it still is amazing for me. It kills me to see kids who have no shoes or who beg on the street or who receive a bare minimum education or…the list of sad things goes on. But, why am I here? I’m here as a representative of my country, to exchange ideas across cultures and help out where I am wanted by the people of Nicaragua. Yes development is a part of PC, but I believe the main focus of my service is showing Nicas that we are alike and different at the same time. I’m not here to tell them to change anything, I’m here to collaborate with Nicas to create innovative ideas to fit their education model, their cultural model, their business models, etc.
Let’s see if I can explain this in a concrete example…try to follow me here. For example, there is no right or wrong way to catch a fish. However, there are more efficient techniques to catch a trout which many men/women developed through trial and error or maybe through the study of trout behaviors. But then those techniques would probably not be the same for the native perch in Lake Nicaragua, where Nicaraguans have developed other types of techniques. Maybe what could make their techniques better is bringing in a professor of fishology (yes I know that’s not the correct name) from who knows where and then he/she could collaborate with college students and fisherman to conduct a research project. Maybe that project will provide inspiration for those students to study further on about migration patterns or threats from pollution that would effect the fish population.
So, that’s how I see PCVs…we are here to inspire others to think creatively about the problems surrounding them. We are not here to dictate CORRECT answers, there is no such thing. I am here as a role model for young adults: at 23 I have a college degree, no kids, no husband, and I always have future goals. I am here to teach themes like self-esteem, goal setting, and leadership to these young adults, just like I did when I was a camp counselor at Camp Menzies. Same lessons apply here as they did to my teenage girl scouts. Inspiring these kids to see they have the ability to not get knocked up, to not be machistas (aka have respect for women), that if they have innovative ideas there are resources to help develop their ideas further. For example, I’m sure most young girls have no clue that MINSA (Ministry of Health) gives out birth control and condoms for free, or students don’t know of the countless NGOs who give out scholarships or small business grants that many times go unused. I’m here to teach them about the resources that Nica already has and how to utilize those resources to the fullest extent.
Now, me being a realist I can see people asking me: “But how can they do these things if they are most preoccupied with feeding their families?” Well, I can tell you how surprised you might be if you saw how many kids used the 20 cents their parents gave them to buy unhealthy Dorito-type chips instead of saving it in a jar like my dad did when he was little. I feel like people aren’t starving here like in other countries, but the quality of life is far from perfect. I also understand that Nicas don’t like/don’t know how to save money because they are always afraid their money will be taken away from them, either by the Cordoba falling or the government taking it away. Of course they are afraid to save! It seems like the Nicas who are serious in saving their money do so in U.S. dollars because they have more confidence in the U.S. currency. I guess it makes sense since the dollar has more purchasing power than the Cordoba…I think that’s the correct economic term (ahhh, how I miss International Econ).
On a happier note, we swear in next Friday and then Saturday I’m off to my site! This next week is pretty busy for us! Monday we take an all day field trip to the north east in the department of Matalgalpa to visit an Ag volunteer’s project. Tuesday we say goodbye to our families and head to Managua for the rest of the week. Wednesday and Thursday we have charlas (seminars) that last all day. Friday we get to party a bit, that shall be a great ending to the first 3 months! Sorry if this post was hard to follow, it was sort of sparked by a couple of thoughts I was having on a very crappy bus ride home last week. Next post I want to talk a little about the Sandinistas in Nica.
Thank you to Jan and Mamow for more letters and to Mom and Dad for sending the packages on the way.
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