Nicaragua 2

I had plans to go to the village today and help with reconstruction but unfortunately the roads leading into it were closed due to heavy rain and floods right now. It feels like the rain won’t stop but hopefully there are some breaks in it so I can head over this week. That being said, I am setting out tomorrow on the main beach here to do a cleanup rain or shine. Due to the floods and rivers that have formed out of nowhere, a lot of garbage has washed up along the beach. Hopefully we can make some good progress tomorrow.

A drive through Nicaragua

I arrived in Nicaragua last night. We walked out of the airport and there was a distinct smell of a third world country. It’s not a bad smell, it was just familiar and brought back a sense of nostalgia for me after coming here four years ago. My uncle and I asked the taxi guys for a ride to the hotel. They all started laughing for some reason, and one taxi guy says it is close and he will take us there for five dollars. It turned out the hotel was directly accross the street from the airport, about twenty steps away. That’s when we understood what they were all laughing about.
I woke up this morning to get ready for the car ride to Playa Iguanas. This is where I am currently staying. This car ride was nothing like I’ve ever seen before. We set out on the main rode and immediately there were students and workers protesting on the streets with large blockades.  I asked the driver what it was all about and he told me that the students hate the president of Nicaragua. He dropped their pensions a little while back and huge riots emerged. A little over two weeks ago 608 people were killed by police in a tragic incident. He said the president restored their pensions but it was not enough because many people died already. All they want now is for the president to step down from office. The government can’t do anything about the road blocks because protestors set them up all trhoughout Nicaragua in all the main roads. The protestors have certain times where they set them up and most of the citicens are ok with it because they don’t like the president either. That being said, they let tourists through because they realize this is something that can’t be stopped and is good for the economy. Our van got stopped by a young man in a ski mask. He opened the door and looked inside, then shut it and told us we could go through. This was a little different than a drive through Newport.
The car ride continued. It’s pretty crazy all of the things you can see on a road through Nicaragua. We drove past pueblos (villages) and saw little children sleeping in baskets on the side of the street. It was shocking for me to realize that these children have nothing in life. A little farther down the way I saw a man that appeared to be jacking off on the side of the road.. Little kids walked by him and seemed to walk past it like it was a common occurence. The worst thing was that there were no police or anyone  around who cared to stop him. I know this is a little intense to read but this is the state of poverty that a lot of these villages are in.
This car ride gave me a new perspective on a lot of aspects in my life. I know that change is slow, always has been, and always will be, but I think more people need to be aware of what is actually going on in this part of the world and a lot of other parts like it. This gives me a new appreciation for the life that I live.