Overall my trip to Nicaragua was truly a life changing experience, one that I suggest every experience if given the opportunity. Most of what I’ve discussed in my entries has made Nicaragua sound like a well developed place to live but that is not at all the case.

Things aren’t always sweet in Nicaragua. The informal economy makes it so that people can survive but this does not mean that they’re thriving and most of those who do have legitimate jobs still make less than some of the poorest Americans.

In my opinion one of the biggest problems in Nicaragua is the lack of government support for companies and organizations. All of the organizations and agencies that we attended had great ideas and implemented everything that they could but without government support and funding, being completely successful can be a challenge. My trip to Nicaragua was one that taught me more than I ever expected to learn. I now understand that I am extremely privileged and that I should be using my privilege to help others succeed. The biggest example of this was at the Children’s hospital. Seeing how underdeveloped the facilities were made me sad yet motivated to help the people of Nicaragua.

This study abroad trip wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without the guidance and support of Ruth, Cesar, the CGE house, and Hector (our amazing driver). I hope they all know how truly thankful I am for them taking this journey with us.

But while everything is not great in Nicaragua, Antonio from Casa de la Sonrisas said it best: In Nicaragua you will see a lot of poverty and in the United States you will see a lot of misery.

Just because times are tough for the people of Nicaragua, they always find a way and never lose sight of what matters.

Thank you for everything Nicaragua

Love Always,

Lauren

After spending much needed time at Cafe de la Sonrisas learning how to make a hammock, enjoying a delicious lunch, and doing a little sign language we headed on to the Lagoon! The remainder of the day was spent relaxing by the water and then exploring Granada which is clearly a tourist area (never expected to hear so much English in Latin America).

The next morning we met a potter and indigenous leader in a small community called San Juan de Oriente. Here we learned how to make pottery in a traditional way. The clay is pressed out by dancing on it, the brushes used for painting are made using the hair of women from the community, and everything else used from the rocks for polishing to the colors for decorating came from the earth.

While the process of making the pottery is long (and a little tedious), the incorporation of tradition, culture, and spirituality makes it all worth it.

That evening we continued on to the Mountainous region Matagalpa. This area is about the size of Frankfort, Ohio with one stoplight and is extremely country. Not the rural experience that we’re used to in the states as it is very poor but definitely the country.

The view from the hotel is gorgeous but there’s little wifi and it’s close to impossible to walk down the large hill to “town”.

Despite the secluded hotel situation, Matagalpa taught me a lot. Most importantly to be thankful for everything I have.

While traveling to the coffee farm I watched children swing on makeshift swings made out of rope and wood. The drive there was 100 times worse than driving down 772 in Ross County or through the mountains of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee as we traveled on a long, winding dirt path.

Next we went to the community school which confirmed that I need to work with children for the rest of my life. The area was very impoverished but the children were so happy and full of life. Second to children, my biggest joy in life comes from coffee!

Directly next to the school is a coffee cooperative. The speaker spoke about social projects taking place for the community such as the rural community tourism which provides accommodations to families, lunch, and bird watching. After learning about the community we got to dive into the culture!

We explored the coffee farm (jungle), made tortillas, engaged in a traditional dance, and learned about natural medicines while making and tasting syrup made for curing colds.

– Lauren

After departing from Managua we traveled on to Masaya where we visited an active volcano and from there we continued on to Granada where we sat down with the owner, founder, and operator of Cafe de la Sonrisas or ‘Smiles Coffee’. Antonio spoke to us about moving from Spain to Latin America in hopes of opening a restaurant in Costa Rica. Along the way he ended up in Nicaragua cooking for adolescents and young adults with physical disabilities.

The blind and deaf children as well as other at risk youth could not get jobs so Antonio decided to open a shop for making hammocks and taught the children how to make hammocks (it’s a large tourist attraction).

He also opened a restaurant attached to the facility. This restaurant is only open until 3:00pm so that mothers do not worry about their children with disabilities. In order for the deaf workers to wait tables Antonio came up with a system which uses pictures in the menu to allow workers and customers to work together.

From there Antonio began to start other service projects such as allowing breast feeding mothers to come to the restaurant and breast feed their babies while enjoying a drink for free.

The work Antonio is doing is the work that could make the world a much better place.

A basic human right is to have the right to fully develop.

León Homestay

After meeting with the students at the university, we went back to the homes that we would be living in for the next 2 days. Amanda and I were extremely blessed in being placed with Papa Juan and Mama Ruth. They have 3 daughters and now 2 bonus daughters (Amanda and me). We were immediately greeted with open arms and dove right into the Nicaraguan culture.

I felt right at home during my stay with the family. On the first night Juan and Ruth did not get home until late so we went out for pizza and then a late run to the ATM and supermarket to make sure we had everything for the next day.

The next morning after eating breakfast with our families we were rushed out the door to start our day! Papa Juan and Mama Ruth had to work so they dropped us off at Tia Sandra’s (Aunt Sandra’s) and we were on our way. Our first stop of the day was to La Casona where we met with the Police Department in León who works with preventing  . This is done by bringing inmates in to help run the facility after being reinstated into society.

Our second stop was to meet with 2 individuals about community human rights. Here we went into detail about community human rights. The idea of the center is to oversee the different things taking place in Latin America from Motorcycle accidents to human trafficking and sexual violence.

The next stop was to a museum which was originally a prison. This museum gave us very important cultural history including the reasons behind many of the superstitions in León as well as the traditional dances and more.

Our final educational stop of the day was to the Cathedral and downtown León where we were able to explore and learn more of the area’s history. We explored the top of the Cathedral for at least 30 minutes in the blazing sun but with the help of Tia Sandra I learned so much.

Seeing how religious León was became very appealing to me as we counted 1, 2, 3…. muchos (many) churches from the top of the Cathedral. Each building beautifully built.

That evening we were able to spend time with all of our families as a unit as we went out dancing and seeing the nightlife of León. Leaving the next morning was a painful goodbye but thanks to social media, pictures, and a special letter from mi hermana (my sister) Natalie, my family in León will always have a special place in my heart.

-Lauren Hitchens

Upon arrival in León we were greeted by Don Juan who would later be known as “Papa Juan” by Amanda and myself. Don Juan and Profesora Ruth both work in the social work department at the University of León.

Our first stop was to the University of León where a few students gave a presentation about human rights in Nicaragua and talked about what it means to be a social worker here.

After the amazing presentation we broke up into 2 groups for a question and answer session. Ricky and I sat down with 18 social work students from the University of León and told them about our experiences in the U.S. as both college students and minorities. The students asked us a lot of good questions but along the way I learned more from them than I ever imagined.

After explaining why I chose social work as a career I asked 2 individuals why they chose social work and understood that while their are similarities in the profession, there are also huge differences.

One young man stated that he wanted to get rid of the stigma of being a social worker by his family and family friends which consist of doctors and lawyers. He also mentioned wanting to find acceptance for LGTBQ individuals.

Another young man stated that he was from the countryside and that things are still very traditional there. He was raised to help others by his father but in a way that was very old school. This meant that if someone got into a altercation they would have to sit in front of a community of elders and from there the elders would determine that punishment and/severity of the offense.

In addition there are a lot of situations which need mediated in his community and because of his age and personality he is often asked to be the mediator. This young man decided to be a social worker so that he can legally and ethically help his people by counseling them and also finding justice.

Hola from Managua,

When we arrived at the airport on May 21st the nerves began to set in. I was leaving the country for the very first time, in a different time zone than my family and friends. To make matters worse I thought I was super prepared and then an unexpected baggage fee and the removal of my sunscreen, body wash, hair products, and extra bug spray took place. The entire flight I was super anxious but the moment we landed in Nicaragua I felt at ease. It was busy (traffic laws here are very suggestive) yet peaceful as a light rain fell on the way to the hotel. That evening we did some exploring of Managua and went to bed around 7:00pm (flying is so exhausting!). The next day we met with Joseph at the Center for Global Education in Nicaragua where he gave us a thorough background of Nicaragua. Joseph gave a detailed timeline of Sandino, who did everything in his power to destroy the dictatorship taking place in Nicaragua up until now with President Daniel Ortega who is a part of the FSLN and an original Sandinista (Sandinos army). Seeing the full circle from destruction and corruption to a bit of peace for the Nicaraguan people put a lot of things into perspective. This information session was very helpful and little did I know that everything he said would relate to pieces of what every other speaker said along the way. That afternoon we went to NicaHOPE, a program for children living and working near Managua’s trash dump. The goal of NicaHOPE is to get children and their families out of these trying situations by engaging them in after school programs and also teaching them how to make and sell jewelry they make using recycled goods (picture attached of jewelry I bought). The next day we left for León and due to the word limit I’ll add more about our homestay there to my next post!