It's rainy season!

Community at the beach during an El Recreo outing. Jenna is taking the picture.


It’s now been nearly 7 months since I arrived in Managua last December, which means I’m one quarter of the way done with my time here, and over half way done with my current house community. Emotions are mixed. On the one hand, this (working in Barrio El Recreo and living in intentional community in Managua) is the most challenging thing I’ve ever done, and part of me will breathe a sigh of relief when I get through it. I also eagerly look forward to the arrival of 4 new Jesuit Volunteers with whom I will spend 1 year of my life come this December. So from that perspective, I’m happy that time is flying by. On the other hand, I have an inexplicable love for everything about life here, including work in El Recreo. My everyday life feels very meaningful, and I am thankful for that. I also love my current community and will be very sad when 4 of them are replaced in December. So that makes me anxious that time is flying by so quickly. Anyway, there are three topics that I would love to touch on in this entry; an update on the current political and economic situation in Nicaragua, work at Projecto Generando Vida, and a recent retreat to the beach! Feel free to skip around, as the sections have headings. Also, there are some random pictures at the end.

Nicaragua’s current political and economic situation: Jodido. That’s Nicaraguan for ‘in big, big trouble’. On the political front, the former revolutionary leader and current president is quite frankly running this country into the ground (not that any of his competitors would have done differently). Roads are still being paved in the poorest neighborhoods, but that’s about the extent of presidential action in the past 1.5 years. Graffiti is going up all over the city equating President Ortega with past, despised dictators of Nicaragua.
Recently there was a nonviolent protest against what many people see as a growing dictatorship. Some crucial background info to the protest: In Nicaragua there are two main competing parties; the FSLN (“revolutionary” party lead by current President Daniel Ortega), and the PLC (more conservative party lead by corrupt and gluttonous former President Arnoldo Aleman). Aleman and Ortega got formed an alliance a few years back to help one another consolidate power, a move much despised by the Nicaragua public. As a result of that pact and of general party corruption, dissenters from the FSLN and the PLC tried to rise in the party ranks to change their party’s course, and were subsequently expelled by the party leaders. So, expelled dissenters from the FSLN formed a new party called the MRS (basically the “renovated” FSLN), and dissenters from the PLC formed a new party called the ALN. Many Nicaraguans were quite hopeful for the MRS and ALN, which represented an end to corruption and power hoarding by Ortega and Aleman.
Now to the protest. Elections for Mayor of Managua (an extremely powerful position) are coming up soon. The PLC and the ALN got back together after realizing they have no chance if they continue to split the conservative vote in the country. The MRS tried to run it’s own candidate against the powerhouse FSLN and PLC parties, but the Electoral Commission (under pressure from the Supreme Court, which in turn is controlled by the FSLN) refused to put the female MRS candidate on the ballot for some ridiculous reason regarding her filing process. So, about a month ago, she went on hunger strike, demanding to have her name on the ballot in November. MRS supporters staked out a major intersection for weeks across the street from the Electoral Commission, while their mayoral candidate lay in a hammock without eating. People held banners saying “No a la Dictadura” (no to the dictatorship- what many believe Nicaragua is heading toward with power consolidation and pushing opposition candidates off the ballot). A famous quote by the MRS founder and former presidential candidate (before dying suddenly of a heart attack) was displayed on a giant banner at the front of the crowd, reading “Yo naci en una dictadura, no quiero morir en otra” (I was born in a dictatorship, I don’t want to die in another). The protest grew in popularity over the weeks, it was all over the news, etc. Apparently things got a little violent with the protestors blocking the entire intersection and police beating them back with clubs. After a little under 3 weeks the MRS candidate had to be hospitalized and the hunger strike came to an end unsuccessfully. So, 4 years ago two dissident parties formed out of the mainstream FSLN and PLC parties, giving Nicaraguans hope for a future of a legitimate multiparty system. Yet due to random deaths, political pacts, and corruption, to date the FSLN and PLC parties remain the only ones on the ballot.

Projecto Generando Vida, Barrio El Recreo – the shovel incident, job changes: I recently decided that my afternoon class was too out of control and was causing me too much stress and exhaustion. I met with the director of the Project and we arranged to hire a Nicaraguan teacher to take over my 4th grade class in the afternoon. I will now serve as a tutor for 2 or 3 of the most troublesome or struggling students. This move was essential, I believe, to my health, to the quality of education for my students, and to allow me to put more energy into trying to salvage my morning class. I don’t really view it as an admission of failure, although I did initially. I think that it is being realistic and putting resources and talents where they can best flourish (a Nicaraguan is better at managing a class than I am, I am better working with small groups of students than with entire classes). It should be a good change for everyone, assuming that my replacement is not a flake. The change will start in three weeks; one more week of classes, two weeks of vacation, and the change will start with the commencing of the second semester in late July. Wholeheartedly accepting ones limits is not something that American culture really teaches, but it is something I’m learning here. Human beings can not, in fact, do anything if they just put their mind to it. But we can discover our talents and be content with those. I am not exceptionally talented at teaching a group of 15 violent, disturbed, vulgar, and cruel 4th graders (they have positive qualities too) to be peaceful and treat one another with respect while simultaneously teaching math and Spanish and English and sudoku. Maybe a Nicaraguan teacher is better at that, and I’m ok with that. I look forward to the opportunity to focus on 2 or 3 students in a setting that is not a class room.
In my morning class, I had to expel a student for the first time. Jonathan, a 14 year old who is about my size, but a lot bulkier, recently registered for my class. He has developmental issues and a serious problem with anger management and violent outbursts. He was quite calm for the first two weeks in my class, but the other day someone slapped him in the back of the head while I was out of the room, and I came back in after he had falsely accused a female student of mine and thrown juice all over her nice clothes. She, while screaming and crying, tried frantically to attack him, so I told him to sit down outside on a bench while I tried to restrain the girl. By the time the girl was sufficiently restrained, I looked over toward the library, where, about 30 feet away, Jonathan and another student of mine, a much smaller 10 year old were yelling at each other, the 10 year old likely harassing Jonathan for throwing juice on the girl. I decided to walk over and break that one up too. I got about half way to Jonathan, when he picked up a shovel. Trembling with anger and screaming at the 10 year old who was making fun of him, Jonathan raised the shovel over his head to swing, and the 10 year old kind of cowered and went silent. I probably paused for about 3 seconds, feeling as though my heart had stopped, and thinking out loud to myself “no way….”. Then I screamed at Jonathan like I’ve never screamed before and ran at him. He paused with the shovel still raised to swing and looked at me, I told him to give me the shovel, he responded with “he started it…”, so I grabbed the shovel away from him, and the ten year old ran away. I had my hand on Jonathan’s shoulder, half restraining him, while he trembled probably with anger and with fear of getting in trouble. All 14 of my students had formed a semi-circle around us to get a glimpse of the action. I was quite shaken and just stood there for a good 30 seconds before doing or saying anything. My supervisor was gone that day, so I just sent Jonathan home, telling him that, for the safety of the other students I would probably have to expel him. My supervisor and I talked with Jonathan the next day and expelled him from the Project…apparently not the first time he had been expelled for violent behavior. I think the rest of my students breathed a sigh of relief the next day when I told them he wouldn’t be returning…jeez.

Retreat!: On a happier note, about 4 times a year Jesuit Volunteer communities all over the world go on a 3 or 4 day retreat, and we just had our second of the year. We went about 4 hours to a secluded beach community in northwest Nicaragua and stayed at kind of a hippie ecolodge run by a gringo. The lodge was about a 60 second walk from the beach, and it was made up of little huts in a big grassy field. The place was great- composting toilets, very energy conscious, and provided a lot of cool projects for the local community. We kicked off retreat with 24 hours of silence, which was spent meditating, walking for hours on the beautiful beach, sitting in the surf, napping in hammocks, etc. The rest of the retreat was spent mostly in discussion (and playing on the beach) about the state of our community, how we feel like we are each living out the four JVI values (spirituality, community, simple living, social justice), and affirming one another’s gifts and strengths. It was very refreshing to escape from the city and just sit for hours being in awe of nature, and in the discussions I feel as though we made some serious headway on a lot of communication issues that have been plaguing community life. I think it’s safe to say now that I live for retreats!

So that’s the last month y pico in a nutshell. Thanks for reading. And just so you all know, Barack Obama has the official endorsement of the President of Nicaragua. Take it or leave it.

Peace,
Michael (aka Miguel/ Mycole/ Mateo/ Manuel/ Profesor Miguel/ Profe/ Pro/ Chele/ Gringo)


Jenna with some kids on our street (from left; Jassen, Jenna, Yahoska, Belkis)


El Recreo staff meeting, Mary's family present during their visit in May


Father Joe, a Jesuit priest and our in-country coordinator, speaking out against Guantanamo during a protest/vigil/stations of the cross during holy week


The protest/vigil/stations of the cross ended at the U.S. embassy in Managua


Gringo friends of ours in Managua hanging out at our house