The trip to the coast is something that many Nicaraguans are not able to do. We were in bus for 6 hours or so and then 2 more hours in panga (motor boat). We spent the first night in Bluefields and ate rondon (a stew of fish, cassava, other vegetables, and coconut sauce). The next morning we took another panga to Pearl Lagoon. Here we stayed at Green Lodge and had Mr. Wesley as our on site director. In addition to being the owner of Green Lodge, he works with mediation and conflict resolution. I wish that I would have had more time to talk to him about this subject. (As we begin our module on the culture of peace, I am starting to become sure that I want to work in conflict resolution after college. I already do some work with conflict resolution, but I believe I could truly be happy devoting my time to this field. My friends for the SIT program, Amber and Molly, think that I have the skills or personality for this field as well).
Back to the Coast...We learned a lot about the situation of Autonomy. The Coast was originally a British Protectorate and was never formally colonized. Now, the Atlantic Coast has been incorporated/conquered by the Pacific Coast and the central government of Nicaragua. I used both verbs because this unification is controversials. Costeños feel like they have been conquered and feel like second class citizens. The Autonomy Law aims to give more rights to the Costeños but at times, these rights only exist on paper and not in reality.
One right is to learn in their mother tongue. There are bilingual schools that teach English and Spanish. However, many children have other languages for their mother tongue. A common language is Creole. One guest lecturer, Angela Brown, told us that Creole should not be called a badly spoken English. When a child hears that their language is inferior, this opinion translates to an opinion that the child is inferior as well. Children need to be empowered and language is part of their identity. Also, Angela Brown argued that if a child learns to read and write first in their mother tongue, then it will be easier to learn other languages like English and Spanish.
We visited a school called PLACE (Pearl Lagoon Academic Center for Excellence). This school is very progressive and is trying to get parents and the community involved in their children's school. The school also offers classes in music, art, and computers. They understand that not everyone will be gifted in the traditional curriculum of school and need other areas to excel and perhaps make a living. Music and art can be great options for these children. The school also works with teacher capacitation and has a system for placing substitutes when teachers are sick. When we were in el campo and visited the comunity of La Ceiba near Maltagalpa, teachers canceling class seemed to be a huge issue.
On Thursday afternoon, we went to the Keyes of Pearl Lagoon. We were very lucky because during other past fall semesters, the weather has not permitted this kind of activity. We collected sea shells, snorkeled and swam in the beautiful water. The Keyes are interesting because they are mostly (or all) private islands. Currently, Pearl Lagoon is going through a process of land demarcation and titling. Most land will become communal property. I am curious to see what will happen with these islands.
On Friday, we spent most of the day with families. Rose and I spent the day with Sony McCoy and his family. (We caught crabs for 3 hours or so. I can tell you more details if you want about the process.) It was a great experienced but I burned my back pretty badly. Afterwards, his wife cooked the crabs in a delicious coconut broth and we ate them with plantains and rice.
On Saturday, we returned to Bluefields and visited the BICU (Bluefields Indian and Creole University). Later that night we had a performance with a Garifuna dance group. The Garifunas are an ethnic group of African and indigenous decent. Some of the rhythms and dances reminded me of West African dance in Boulder. When I danced with this Garifuna dance group, I felt like I was back in Boulder. It was one of the happiest/care free moments of my time in Nicaragua thus far.
Food: fish, shrimp, cassava, pasta, and coconut bread (made with coconut milk)
And of course, crabs that I caught myself.
Finally, I was able to do yoga two mornings on the balconey while the sun was rising = one of the peaceful experiences of my life.
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