Ashley:
We’re reaching these close of an incredible trip. No day was the same and the days were never predictable, no matter what the itinerary said. Each day has held something new- new organizations, new understandings, new perspectives, and new sights. It has been difficult for me to write for most of the trip. At the end of every day I have been thoroughly exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. This kind of exhaustion can be cleansing, but has often left me feeling overwhelmed and with no words to accurately describe my experiences. Our first night of our homestay (day three of our trip), I asked Ishrat how we would take our experiences back with us when we left the country because it is my perspective that if we only come to the country for the excitement of telling others about all the places we’ve been, the impact of all the lessons learned have been lost. We reflected on why we wanted to initially come on the trip, what were hoping to gain from it, and finally, how we wanted make an impact from our experiences. Much of our discussion centered on understanding people and their experiences better, growing as individuals, and making connections that could not be made in the same way is classroom. This conversation has helped me to stay centered on the trip and my intention is for it to carry over after we arrive back in the States as well. We have met and listened to so many resilient, strong, and hopeful people.
Things I am reflecting on:
Political corruption
Distribution of power, access to power
Growing inequality
“And I continue to struggle.” -Julio Cesar Mena, works with HIV and AIDS THEOUGH THE ANICP and SIDA organization, HIV+
“My name ‘Juanita’ is just a name. I face discrimination not just because I am a woman or just because I am a transwoman. I face it for both, because of what I (my body) represents to people- neither man or woman.” -Juanita Urbina, member or La Corriente, a feminist LGBTQ organization, transgender woman
“And I continue to struggle.” -Community organizer, affected by renal disease, faced the death of family members and thousands of coworkers
Culture of health and prevention rather than reaction
Sustainability- of programs, of agriculture, wholistic sustainability
Solidarity, Revolution
Invisibility of poverty
Inter-country development, communication
Personal combination of social work, public health, social justice, and human rights into all that I do
Ishrat:
During our study abroad, we visited several organizations throughout Nicaragua that exposed us to the reality of this country. Nicaragua is beautiful for its culture and people, but the country continues to face social, economic and political issues that needs to be looked at more carefully.
One of the social issues in Nicaragua is discrimination against transgenders. On May 16th, we visited Juanita Rubina. Juanita, once Juan, is a transgender woman who went through a transformation from a man to a woman. She spoke to us about her struggles in the Nicaraguan society and how people mistreat and look down upon not only the transgender community but also the LGBTQ community. She came out at the age of 11 and has been facing discrimination to this day. From Juanita, I gained a new perspective of what discrimination feels like. She could neither fall in the category of a male or a female in the society because of the way she looked. And she faced even more discrimination in the appearance of a women, as usually many Nicaraguan women are overpowered by men. It is unfortunate that I have to say this; I believe things will change but it will take time. People have to understand that each one of us is different but we are all humans. We have to learn to give the same respect to others that we want to receive.
On May 20th, we visited Cafe De Las Sonrisas and I left the place with a little more inspiration. Antonio, the founder of the organization was the one speaking to us at this meeting. Antonio is from Spain and came to Nicaragua as a tourist. He fell in love with the country and has been in Nicaragua since then. He said “I fell in love with this country and got my heart broken.” He loves the people and culture of Nicaragua but is heartbroken by the fact that there are a lot of issues in the society.
His restaurant/organization, Cafe De Las Sonrisas grew out of the idea of creating jobs for young people with disabilities to learn how to work in a restaurant and also learn skills such as hammock making. I was inspired by his ideas and how well he followed through them. He mentioned many times “Be a North American, do without thinking, and do it right away.” As bad as it sounds, I think being impulsive can sometimes turn out to be good if it is something you are passionate about and you follow through it successfully. Because he wanted to create jobs for people with disabilities and give them the dignity they deserve, he followed through his plan right away and that is why he is where he is right now.
He believes that people with disabilities are capable of so much more than what society gives them credit for. I found similarity with Antonio in the outlook that all humans are equal and that no one should be treated any more or less than others. People with disabilities are capable of doing and achieving whatever they want but it is up to all of us to give them that chance. It is our responsibility to allow them to be humans, make mistakes and grow from it rather than treating them like people who are incapable.
I am not saying all of this just from hearing Antonio speak to us. I was able to see first hand of their hard work on making the hammocks. They are truly people just like us with brilliance, intelligence and capability. One of the very last touching moment I had on this trip was a small activity one of the waiters had us do. He gave us ear plugs to put in our ears as we ate our dessert. I had not been in pure silence for a while, so the earplugs were certainly calming and peaceful. But a few seconds later, I experienced the sad reality for those who are unable to hear, those who are deaf. It was definitely a bit of an emotional moment for me as I thought to myself how can they stay in this silence for their entire life if I can not even handle it for a few minutes. This activity definitely impacted me in that I will never look at another deaf person the same way. I will be not only more understanding but also know that despite their disability, they are people capable of anything!
Cafe of SMILES 🙂
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next blog!