Leon, Nicaragua: 6/28-7/18
I can't even begin to put this trip into words. the past 3 weeks have been surreal and dizzying and incredibly stunning. i won't bother to try and detail every day's adventures, since i've already wrote about them in my journal. there were definitely moments that stand out, like English tutoring and living on a dollar a day, and there are moments that will just stick in my head, like when Kishawra farted for the first time in our room.
-Logistics of the trip: I spent 20 days in Nicaragua. I stayed in a hostel with 20 students (all rising seniors); two of those kids were from Boston, and the rest were from all parts of California. We had 2 adults who came with us (Roxy and Amelia), and we had 2 in-country coordinators who planned our trip and who we met at the airport (Oliver and Aaron). I shared a room with 6 other girls, and we had 1 bathroom and 3 fans at our disposal. Every day was something along the lines of wake-up call, breakfast, field trip, lunch, seminar, planning for tutoring, dinner, tutoring, and then nightly meeting.
-People: So there were some ratchet people on this trip, but that's okay because in the words of Athena or Kishawra, there's a little bit of ratchet in everybody. On the real though, I now know the lyrics to some profane songs, and am accustomed to hearing something like, "The struggle is real when these bitches be mad thirsty." I've become friends with people who I don't think I would even talk to in 'real life,' and they've made my experience that much better. Also, I've earned the nickname "Blendi" and it's bizarre not hearing someone screech "BLENDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!"
My 2 in-country coordinators were amazing and inspiring; I cried like a baby when we left them at the airport. Oliver is British and has spent 2 years in China, and also raps in his free time. He likes to pick on people as a sign of affection, and answers everyone question you can throw at him. Aaron majored in English and taught at Unan, one of the universities, for a bit. He's also very charming and hilarious.
-What we did: Everyday was different, but I'm proud to say that I've now hiked a volcano, sold cereal drinks in the market, salsa danced, made ceramics, taught English (to university students), played hide-and-go-seek with children who live in Nuevo Amanecer, visited various schools and sat through a philosophy class (in Spanish), made a tortilla and milked a cow, and changed some lives at Las Chavaladas by painting murals and making sports equipment.
-Leon itself: Leon is a college town; there are about 4 or 5 different universities there, so people come from all over to study. It's also very popular for tourists, since going east gives you volcanos and going west gives you the beach. Walking on the street gives you a glimpse of all different types of life; the street traffic varies from horse-drawn wagons to industrial trucks. Ladies will sit on various spots of the sidewalks in their frilly aprons and sell mangoes or tortillas, and stray dogs are everywhere. It's Nicaragua's winter right now, so it rains pretty frequently, and when it rains, it pours. Traffic is very scary; something I will never get over is crossing the street.
It's common and acceptable in Nicaraguan culture to call someone out based on their appearance. There are also very very very few asians in Nicaragua (I once asked Ollie how many asians there were in Leon; he replied, "At the moment, I believe 1"). Put those two together, and everywhere I went I heard people call out "Chinita! Chinita!" It wasn't offensive, but it did get a little annoying.
I think I've learned and grown a lot throughout these past few weeks. I've learned to not take even basic things for granted, such as being able to turn on the sink and use the water to brush my teeth. The luxury of even deciding what I want to eat is something that the majority of the world cannot afford. I've learned that every story and situation has not one, not two, but generally several facets to it, and that in order to understand those stories and situations, you must understand every side. Things are never what they appear, and oftentimes digging is required to see what they truly are. I've learned to not make assumptions about people, and that at the end of the day the best thing you can do is simply respect other people's choices. I've learned that happiness is dependent only on yourself, and that the best thing you can do is create as much happiness as you can and share that with those you care about. I've learned that every thing I do has a ripple effect, whether it's in an economic, political, or social sense, and I've learned that maybe "developed" countries can learn a thing or two from "underdeveloped" countries. Most importantly, I've learned that all these things I've learned only count when I apply them to my life. I don't have to found my own NGO or leave my home and go build wells in Chacraseca, and I don't have to major in development studies or renounce all of my nice things and live on a dollar a day. I can think and act like a responsible global citizen when I carry my experiences with me and utilize the lessons I've learned in everything I do.
