Until We Meet Again

As the end of our mission drew near, the group became more thoughtful, more deliberate in our actions. We shared our thoughts with each other nightly, and learned about ourselves as well. Here’s some of what I learned:

Nicaragua is Beautiful
Not just its people are beautiful; the country itself is a lovely place. From the colonial city of Granada...

Catedral de Granada

 ...to the views of Lake Nicaragua (AKA Lake Granada AKA Lago Cocibolca)...

Boat ride on the lake, sightseeing among the 365 islets created after Mombacho Volcano erupted thousands of years ago.

...to seeing an active volcano at night...

Looking into the Masaya Volcano caldera to see the red hot lava.

...the parts of Nicaragua we got to see when we weren’t working were really stunning.

We Don’t Have to Worry About This Generation of High Schoolers
As I said earlier, I went on this mission with a group of high school kids. We did a medical mission; they did a humanitarian one. They built a home, painted 2 murals, and became one with the people of the barrio. 

Learning the art of rebar and cement block to build a triplex

Painting the mural designed and led by Mr. Burrell

The “good-bye” party

The emotions they shared and their reflections of what they had seen and experienced - and better yet, what they wanted to do about it - left no doubt in my mind that the world will be in good hands when it’s their turn to take the wheel. I was so impressed with their growth and their acceptance of it.

America Plays a Part in Poverty
This was probably the hardest thing for me to wrap my brain around - in many cases, poverty doesn’t just “happen.” It is exists as a means for something else. Did the pictures of how people live or how some have to sort garbage make you uncomfortable? It made me feel terrible. Would it make you feel worse if you knew the inexpensive clothes you can buy at Target or Walmart (among others) help perpetuate this poverty? Ugh. It did for me. 

Briefly, let me give you a grade school version of how: Nicaragua has 2 coasts, the Pacific and the Caribbean. It had gold. It has multiple volcanoes, meaning fertile land. In the 1500s explorers saw the value, and eventually the British come and plunder the Caribbean coast. Mexico jumps in for a while, and Spain had some power too. Ultimately Nicaragua becomes independent in the late 1800s. The US gets involved when it helps get rid of a dictator, and gets to install military bases. This means they can throw their weight around, and they did it quite a bit starting in 1909.

Stuff got really serious when the Somoza family killed the grandfather of the Sandinista movement and took over power for 44 years. They were dictators of the “not nice” type, but they were rich and they schmoozed with the Americans. When the Sandinista movement took hold, the Somozas fled to the US and used their $ to convince the US to get involved even more. The argument - who wants more communism? Perhaps you recall hearing about the Iran-Contra scandal in the mid-80s? Well, the US tried to give money to the Nicaraguan Contras to fight against the Sandinistas but when Congress found out, that ATM was shut down. Instead, Reagan and pals sold arms to Iran, and then used that money to fund the Contras. If Hasenfus’s plane hadn’t been shot down and he hadn’t been questioned, we might not ever have known.

Anyway, the US continued to have a toe-hold in the country as a result of its involvement. The war-torn nation, coupled with a wave of natural disasters (multiple devastating hurricanes and earthquakes) was desperate for an economic revival. Enter the Free Trade Zone, started by Bush in 2004. Bottom line, US and other international companies get tax free status in these zones as long as the items made there leave the country. Hmmmm. Economic growth? Or cheap labor for rich corporations? You decide.

Companies using these Free Trade Zones pay workers somewhere around $150 per month. That’s $5 a day. And if there’s a big order and a worker is told they must do overtime, they’ll be fired if they don’t. After all, there are plenty of other people who are working in the dumps who would rather work in that sweatshop, right?! These cheap goods are not sold in the countries where cheap clothes would be welcomed...no, they are sold right here in the USA so we can buy more than we need to keep our closets full. (Thanks to Mike McLean for interesting me in this part of history!)

A little more of what poverty looks like.

Washing clothes - poverty doesn’t stop laundry.

One mission trip will not fix these inequities; but it can help us to understand poverty instead of criticize it. I will never again wonder why my patient here in the US has 6 roommates in a 2-bedroom apartment. I will now understand that living with running water - HOT water - a toilet, and an actual floor is a blessing. Even if I have to still share a bed.

The Mama Margarita does great work for the people of this barrio - from safe food, education and recreation for the kids, to dental and now medical missions for all. If you feel compelled to help, click the link below to donate to the Foundation. All $ goes directly to the people. It would be greatly appreciated! 

http://mamamargaritafoundation.org 

Living the Dream

The poverty here is the real deal, as you can tell if you’ve read my previous posts. Sometimes your brain can play tricks on you, and you feel a little like you’re in a movie and it isn’t real. Sometimes you question why people would ‘stay’ this poor. Then you wake up and realize no one would want to be hungry, dirty, or thirsty. We all want the same things for ourselves and our families, no matter where we call home.  

Working from home

This young woman makes and sells tortillas outside her home, using a makeshift adobe oven and the bottom of a barrel as a pan. She sells them to members of her community and takes pride in her work. Many young women like her went to school, but the public school systems here are reported to pass everyone regardless of grades, instead focusing on maintaining voters for the party in power, among other things. As a result, much of the population is relegated to these kinds of jobs, including waste picking.

One morning at the clinic an 8-month-old baby with a foot rash showed up. A 12-year-old girl gave the baby’s information to the triage nurse and sat on the bench with the baby until a doctor was available. A small little girl, likely 5-years-old or so, tagged along. When Dr. Perla discharged her patient the baby was next, and the doctor asked who was responsible for the baby (the dentist was seeing patients too, and sometimes the moms were spread thin between kids). No adult responded. After a pause the preteen said the person responsible for the baby was the 5-year-old, who cares for the baby everyday while their mom was at work.

The medical team just stared at each other. This tiny person, barely out of toddler-hood, was responsible for this child. There was no other choice for the family - they needed to eat, someone had to work, and Mom was all they had for the job. The visit was a quick one, a comprehensive note was written to give to mom, and we all silently praised the healthy baby and the job her sister was doing to keep her that way.

It can get mighty depressing thinking about such hardship, but there are plenty of lightbulb moments too. Literally.

While visiting some of the homes, we looked quizzically at syringes hanging all over the place. The infrastructure is pretty minimal in the barrio, and people splice wires from the poles to use for power. However, when your walls are made out of scrap corrugated metal there really isn’t a spot for a lightswitch. Watch this:  

It was amazing to see such ingenuity...regardless of education level! (That is a syringe and 2 ends of a live wire! Kids, don’t try this at home.)

Travel writer Rick Steves has a wonderful book called, Travel as a Political Act. He advocates that travelers need to be cultural chameleons and leave our ethnocentricities at home, if not in the garbage. This helps us understand and empathasize. In fact, 96% of the world exists outside US borders - 96 percent!!! As Americans, we are crazy if we think the way our 4% thinks is the only way to think. Steves writes, “Just like Americans have the American Dream, others have their own dreams. Put yourself in the shoes (or sandals, or bare feet) of the people you meet.” 

Maybe the dream is to make tortillas, or maybe it is to babysit your sister so you can eat that night. Perhaps the dream is to be a third world electrical engineer. Whatever it is, it deserves respect. 

The Medical Mission team, from all over the Western Hemisphere (with the donated charts, thanks Gina!)