Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Nicaragua 2010

I’m sitting in the AA Admiral’s Club savoring the plush surroundings after my 2-week trip through Nicaragua, a poorly-developed South-American country sandwiched between Honduras to the North and Costa Rica to the South.

I find email strangely like a gift right now, my hair is longer, and I have gotten used to having dirt under my nails. I keep discovering small bug bites in random places on my body, and I’ve realized that just about every piece of clothing I own can go at least 2 days without being freshened by cologne (at least I can cope with it).

Steven (my brother) and I arrived on a Thursday night with 11 of his classmates from Emory’s Goizueta Business school. All of the students were enrolled in a social enterprise class taught at Goizeuta. The group was self-selected, and decided to follow an itinerary focusing on philanthropy, social development in Nicaragua, and entrepreneurship as a means to encourage sustainable development.

The ride from the airport in Managua to San Juan del Sur (the coastal village known for its surfing) lasted about 1.5 hours, and it was a good chance to meet the group…smart and socially conscious young professionals in their late-20’s/early 30’s. Sarcasm paired well with ample wit, and there would scarcely be a moment without sing-alongs, silly jokes and well-crafted sarcastic duels. My kind of traveling.

We arrived at 1am, dropped off unceremoniously at our individual home-stays. Steven and I were scooted out at a hostel, introduced as vegetarians to avoid questions about keeping kosher and being Jewish in this very Catholic culture – there isn’t much exposure to Jews in this neck of the world, so we were warned to be cautious. The room was spartan in its appointments, and we weren’t sure that our single bunk bed would hold all 450 lbs of Green. The shower was absent a head, the toilet seat ended 6 inches from the wall (causing us to turn sideways to use the facilities), the soap was completely black from use, and we immediately found that we were sharing a home with a large ant population, and soon-after, their landlords, las cucarachas. The 90 degree weather carried into the night, and fans kept us just shy of swimming in our own sweat. Steven and I made it clear to each other that we would definitely not be able to take 7 days of this. I should now mention that we are apparently terrible judges of our own threshold for budget travel.

Day 2 opened with a breakfast of bread and jam and juice…the hospitality of our host family made us doubt our own desires for the creature comforts of western civilization. By 2pm, we decided to call Chale’s Hostel home for the next 7 days because we felt a bond (with our host family and their child Luz Ximena). That bond wouldn’t earn us A/C or a mattress that had springs or wasn’t still covered in the manufacturer’s plastic, but it sure made all of those factors seem irrelevant. By 3pm, we were sipping beers in a hammock, laughing at what little shits we were for not appreciating the gift we had been given. The lesson was very clear, and it would lead us through Nicaragua. Don’t just lower your expectations, erase them…start from scratch, come to think like these people.

Nica’s survive, but not at the expense of their neighbors. Their society is not socialist, but they have a sense of community that is far stronger than our own conceptions of what such a society might look like. Family is strong here, 3 generations may live together under one roof, and if they don’t, you can expect the in-laws to drop in and out of a couple’s homes several times a day…taking care of children, helping with meals and enjoying each other’s company. Light meals of beans, rice, fish and fresh vegetables keep most Nicas from being overweight.

There are still vestiges of the socialist Sandanista movement, which Reagan attacked so viciously for appearing Communist in scope…vendors sell Che Guevara t-shirts and bracelets to tourists, and murals depicting Sandina appear throughout the country, reminding citizens of the plight of the country.

The following days would be marked by incredible experiences with deep thinkers seeking greater meaning from life. I found the conversations more pleasant without the added burden of obligatory discussions of news that would have otherwise would have been delivered over the internet. ‘In the Now’ is certainly evident as a mindset here…both in tourists and residents.

We spent a day painting a long-ignored school with local parents interested in seeing the rural school revived. The school’s students gathered around, and we serenaded the children with goofy songs while we painted the school inside and out. Afterwards, we played soccer with them, and the community shared heart-felt thanks for our efforts.

Nica’s are hard workers, but they do need outside help to encourage them to develop an initiative. Later in the week, we met with the CARE International office to find out what major challenges were being met by the NGO in Nicaragua. They largely had to do with improving the quality and competitiveness of exports like Milk and Coffee and improving water maintenance in this relatively dry country. A more local foundation associated heavily with our trip was Fundacion A. Jean Bruger, which is centered on developing educational opportunities for children through the college years – the foundation sends about 20 young adults to college a year, an opportunity that most Nicas will never have – annual family income can be anywhere from $500-$2,000US.

Sanitation is also a substantial issue. Lacking garbage pickup or organized dumping locations, trash is simply scattered onto uninhabited land…usually across the street from each home. We spent one day volunteering with a local community clearing garbage from a neighborhood that would have lost roughly 1 ton of garbage to the ocean in the next good rain. It was hot, but we were with great people who cared greatly about improving their own neighborhoods…the language barrier was difficult (my Spanish is 2nd grade remedial, and Steven’s was just a bit better – neither is smarter than a 5th grader), but we played charades a lot in order to get what we needed or convey a point. For experiment sake, we did find a casino, and blackjack is largely the same and the terms 'hit' and 'stay' work just fine…’oh crap’ also translates.

We did get some great vacation in…we took in a canopy tour near San Juan, which had about 14 zipline stops along the way…amazing views of the bay in San Juan and the forest beneath…we took a day sail and beach trip on a boat owned by the resort ‘Pelican Eyes’ – which charred us all…I looked like a zebra tomato. Our host family transitioned from calling us Los Hermanos Verdes (The Green brothers), to Los Borrachos Verdes (The drunken Greens) to Los Tomates Verdes (The Green Tomatoes). It was all in good fun. We also took a first shot at spear fishing with snorkel gear...we didn't hit our mark, but it was a fun challenge to hunt for dinner (we would have starved).

We conquered a Fort in Granada (which is a beautiful City), visited the historical museum, shopped many markets (great for hammocks, t-shirts and wooden odds-n-ends), visited the Volcano at Masayo and hiked to the top (everyone choked mightily from the toxic fumes from the active volcano)…for 2 days we stayed at a coffee farm in the North where the characteristic 90 degree days turned into 50 degree evenings. We played card games, turned a sugarcane mill, milked cows (Steven and I were up at 5am – actually, chickens woke me up at 4am each morning), Steven bronco’d a horse, and we played with stray dogs and cats just about everywhere – and no obvious signs of lice on either one of us.

Last night was my first night of TV in 2 weeks. We watched the Oscars at an Americanized hotel that did actually have hot water. I curled up with my computer, and for a moment forgot about how easy it was to put all the pleasantries aside and live life happily without all the amenities.

Mucho Gusto to Steven, his classmates and my many new friends in Nicaragua for a trip that left an indelible impression on me.

Yours back in America,

Jared