Hotdogs and bird poop

First off, Mom, Dad, Jeanette, Abuela, and Abuelo I miss you all. I love you so much. I’m going to email you really soon. If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be privileged to have this experience.

 

            Now enough shout outs, from day one Nicaragua has been such an exciting experience.  It smelled like hot dogs when we got out of the airport and Keyla was pooped on by a bird . All good signs I love hot dogs and bird poop is a sign of a good luck. Thanks for takin’ one for the team Keyla, ; )

 

            Today, March 19, 2009 has been an emotional rollercoaster that is this experience and its only the beginning. Jhon’s been holding Yoga sessions in the morning and I haven’t attended yet but I was watching this morning and you could see the difference in everyone’s energy. Breakfast was fantastic as usual; all of the food has been mind blowing.  The real core of today’s lesson was taking off our blinders and allowing ourselves to be enlightened. Patty, one of our Witness for Peace, guides gave us a brief idea of how the economy has evolved and what has caused Nicaragua to be in the position they are. Some of you at home may think that this is just like any other Central American nation. There are areas with a great deal of tourism and others with a great deal of poverty and that is just how it is. That is so far from the truth it is absurd. There is no physical development in Nicaragua. No buildings, no construction, no road work, and business are run out of people’s homes; like hertz car rental and Pennezoil oil change.  Also, please take into consideration these homes are the size of some your garages.

            Our next speaker Ernesto carried on where Patty left off explaining where the Nicaraguan government is spending their money and some changes that need to happen to make Nicaragua a developing nation. He also gave us history on the landscape, trade, genetically modified organisms and their deadly impacts. This was really eye opening and he made it a fun lesson we all enjoyed it and came out more knowledgeable. The next destination was something that I really wish I could type out and say what emotions I felt but I can’t I felt so much at once I could only quiver. We visited the dump called La Chuleca. In this dump live families. You may have heard about this in passing while talking about this delegation with one of us. However, you will never understand how serious this really is until you look into the eyes of those who live there.

            Yami was our next speaker, she has lived and worked in the dump and in fact holds a position of power there. She is a fascinating human being and in her human essence she expresses what it truly is to have hope, be determined, and understand what it means to be human. In La Chuleca we saw the dust and burning garbage. It was scary at first. Yami poured her heart out to us explaining how hard it was for her to understand how humans can be equal but people still be forced to live in the conditions of La Chuleca. She is a such a strong human beings and does see the good in the world regardless of all of this. These people still smile everyday and they love, they cry, they fight, they help, and they bleed just like everyone of us. I know it seems so cliché to say some of this but it has so much meaning. I have never respected people so much in my life. I was screaming, embarrassed, and furious on the inside. If I did that on the outside I think the team would have bugged out and ran away from me hahaha.  The excess I have in my life is brutal. These people live in a nation where to have food, to have a home, to get an education are all privileges. These are all human rights by existing on this earth as a human being you immediately have every right to food, shelter, and education. I can already feel a great change with in myself and those around me this is all very real. I am not coming back to the United States the same person. I don’t mean that I’m not going to be the same sarcastic S.O.B. that I always have been. I mean my consideration for my actions and its effect on the universe. As well as how connected I am with the universe and my fellow human. Some may think its an exaggeration or may simply disagree with some of this and that is perfectly understandable. However, sometimes when we stand back we see that , ignorance is not bliss, it is blindness. I love you family. Thank you again. Snoogins.

 

- Steve