Nicaragua... Mel and I have been here for almost a month now. Um...
This is Melissa, Mel to most. Mel Sandoval. She is rad.
...
Flying out of the Big Manzana
We arrived in Managua on July 15th after a lovely night of sleeping on the airport floor, before which we spent some quality-time wondering if we would, seriously, be sleeping on the floor, and laughing at an automatic door that spat out pre-recorded, asinine greetings such as:
"Hey there gorgeous...you look great today."
"I hope you have a fulfilling day."
"Nice shoes..."
If only I had recorded it. The voice...oh God. Whatever woman they commissioned to say those things had to have taken a month-long intensive insincerity course. Thank you Fort Laderdale Airport, estranged step-child of the Second Seminole War.
We arrived in Managua on July 15th after a lovely night of sleeping on the airport floor, before which we spent some quality-time wondering if we would, seriously, be sleeping on the floor, and laughing at an automatic door that spat out pre-recorded, asinine greetings such as:
"Hey there gorgeous...you look great today."
"I hope you have a fulfilling day."
"Nice shoes..."
If only I had recorded it. The voice...oh God. Whatever woman they commissioned to say those things had to have taken a month-long intensive insincerity course. Thank you Fort Laderdale Airport, estranged step-child of the Second Seminole War.
Managua: Previously an indigenous settlement along the southern coast of Lake Managua. Destroyed by Francisco de Cordoba in the early 1520s for having the gumption to resist slavery. Capital city of Nicaragua since 1857 when William Walker, this American "filibuster" i.e. psycho-megalomaniac who wanted to rule all of Central America, had the previous capital, Granada, torched. (If there is anything constant about this country´s modern history, it´s the murderous meddling of outsiders, from Spain, to Britain, to the U.S.)
It's home to about 1 million people, one fifth of the total population of Nicaragua. About half of this whole country live on less than a dollar a day, and basically have no food security. The massive poverty is obvious in the city - trash all over the place, homeless youth and adults, tent villages constructed from garbage bags and wood, towns of corrugated tin. Warnings aside, we never had any negative experiences in the city. Parts of it are beautiful, but, like most cities, I found it overwhelmingly crowded and cut off from mama
earth at times. And grinding poverty hurts my soul...so having it in my face constantly is difficult. Makes thinking seem more important than it might when I´m surrounded by friends, joy, and abundance in New England. Not that everything´s dandy there either, but in my circles yea, more or less. And people are generally better off than is possible to appreciate without seeing 3rd world realities. I don´t really have pictures of these things; I would feel like a jerk taking those shots.
The first place we visited in Managua was La Plaza de La Republica. Full of gawdy Pink signs advertizing the upcoming 29th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution.
La Concha Acustica
El Malecon (the pier). Just beyond La Concha. Sunset over the beautiful Lake Managua, which God help you, you better not swim in. Sewage has been steadily pouring in since 1927. Plus, right next to the lakefront lies a 100 acre dump called La Chureca, teeming 30 feet high with half a century worth of trash and constantly on fire.
Two young ladies sat nearby us, and we almost left without befriending them. Thankfully, we said hi, they realized we spoke Spanish, and we ended up arranging to meet up the next day and play soccer. Gladis and her niece Roxanne. They brought a scraggly, half inflated soccer ball and we were soon joined by several random, highly talented guys for a good hour of concrete futbol. Soccer reminds me that I am not in shape. And that I have asthma. Hm. Fun times nonetheless. And afterward we got to visit the girls´ family nearby. They were super poor; dirt floor, tin roof, little furniture...cinderblock-shack half sheltering such a warm and lovely family. I was really struck by their openness and generosity, and I wish they had email, or a phone, or a mailing address...
Parque Ruben Dario
...
Managuan Art
La Catedral Nueva
(built sometime in the 90s...very square, grey, and gross. All in all, fairly aesthetically unpleasing except from a distance)
"Fuera Colonialismo Yanquí" (out with Yankee Imperialism)
Having learned much more about Nicaragua´s brutal history and the enormous role the U.S. government has played in it, rarely in a positive way, being here sometimes feels quite strange. I stand out most everywhere, and get just as many stares as my gorgeous girlfriend (and I don't think it´s because of my beautiful beard). The overriding sentiment, due to the experience of reality outside of the United States, is that the U.S. is a greedy, imperialist nation. What I have constantly heard though, from thoughtful Nicaraguans I've spoken to, and from the politicians, is that there is a clear understanding that the U.S. government and its citizens are two very different things. Carlos Fonseca, the father of the Sandinista Revolution, stressed that, as does Daniel Ortega, the current FSLN (Sandinista National Liberation Front) president (back in power after falling out in 84). I would love if Americans generally could rise to such an understanding towards "enemy" states. And keep in mind that every country we´ve fought post WWII has been dirt poor, and that poverty and oppressive dictatorships often bring about guerilla warfare, and that guerilla warfare vs. our massive industrial-military apparatus equals huge civilian casualties...
No comments:
Post a Comment