Nicaragua Wrap-Up

My time here in Nicaragua has flown by—I can’t believe it’s been a month. All in all it was a great experience spending Christmas time here and learning about the historical and political factors that make Nicaragua what it is. I know I’m a huge dork but I’m actually writing a paper about the Sandinista Revolution and aftermath, and how a socialist state functions (or doesn’t). With Hugo Chavez getting a little bit out of control in Venezuela and the new ALBA treaty, etc., Nicaragua could actually make it onto the American radar very soon.


The last few Nica days after the coffee finca were spent up in Esteli, the northern highlands. Esteli was incredibly important during the Contra war, because the CIA-led contra forces would sneak into Nicaragua from its northern border with Honduras right near Esteli, so this town was especially hard hit and lost a lot of its citizens during the war. As a result, the population is extremely pro-Sandinista. Murals, parks, and statues all over the town remember the victims of the war. Particularly touching is a small park for the children who lost their lives during the war due to terror attacks on schools or land mines. We stayed at a great hotel with an awesome balcony that overlooked the whole town and the mountains in the distance. It was a great place to relax, drink some of the good coffee produced in the nearby hills, and soak up all of the passion for politics this country has before heading out for good.



Although I’m excited to continue my year’s journey I’m especially sad to say goodbye to Nicaragua, and it will always have a special place in my memory. I don’t think anyone can visit here and help but be touched by the plight of these people—how many times they have been taken advantage of and exploited. First by the colonizers, then the U.S. occupation forces, then the dictators, then the Sandinistas. When are the people ever going to have the power to control their own country? The few years of the Sandinista revolution might have been the only time in the country’s history that the people in power actually had the good of the population in mind. Now it is all about power and control of resources once again, and once again it will be the numerous poor of Nicaragua who suffer the most.



On to Ecuador!!