This past week, we spent three days and three nights staying in the home of a family in León, Nicaragua. Because none of us spoke Spanish fluently, we were anxious to say the least. As soon as we walked into UNAN-León and met with our new family, we were instantly greeted with hugs and smiling faces! There, we met our new house mother, Sandra, and her daughter, Claudia. Sandra is currently in her fifth year of studying social work at UNAN, in addition to her three existing degrees, and Claudia is a licensed pharmacist. When we arrived at our new family’s home, we quickly recognized the large number of people that were living in such a small space. A two bedroom house with one tiny bathroom did not seem fitting for a family of almost 10 people, many of which hold several university degrees. 
During the first night of our homestay, we spoke with the youngest sister, Carolina, who is 17 and is studying her first year at UNAN-León. She explained to us that although public university is free for students in Nicaragua, many graduates often find themselves unemployed, and unable to find any suitable work due to a lack of opportunity and the country’s poor economic state. In this conversation, Carolina showed us the list of educational programs the university offered, as well as their rank and need in society. To compare: in the U.S., prestigious fields of study such as law and mathematics were at the bottom of this list in Nicaragua and were not as respected within the Nicaraguan culture. However, the most respected fields of study according to this list, were sciences such as psychology, biological analysis, and orthodontics. Although these top fields are highly respected, there is still an extreme drought in the workforce, which leaves less of a demand for these highly respected areas. This economic climate leads many overqualified people to resort to selling food and drinks on the streets or find additional work to supplement to their income, and to live in a way which does not at all reflect their educational achievements. In conclusion, this homestay helped us to understand many of the educational and economic issues that are affecting the majority of citizens in León, as well as provided us with a firsthand experience of their day-to-day lives.
Con cariño,
Kelly, Steph and Sue
Prepared for whatever may come!