Today I woke up with a swollen lower lip. It was so swollen when I first woke, it split down the middle. All the sun I've had the past two days has no doubt caught up with me. So, I stayed out of the sun today completely - off we went to the nearest little market here.
Dirt roads wove over the crispy dry geography. Rail-thin horses ran by us on the roads. A man on a homemade cart drove two weary donkeys up a hill with a trailer full of bricks. When we got to the 600sq ft concrete building, we entered the darkness to two sullen women behind iron bars at the counter-top.
The selection there was modest to say the least. Stacks of neatly packed goods, heavily dust-laden on the shelves - not from being there a while, but rather from the dust constantly kicked up by the road just outside. No produce but a basket of onions and tomatoes. Coke, soft-drinks, crackers, soaps, toiletries in supply. This is the largest store before making the drive to the city of Rivas, (population of 156,000), which is 3/4-1 hour away by car (Rivas is our city for stocking up once a week).
The two women retrieved the goods Hubby requested. My thoughts jump the iron bars to their side, wondering what they are thinking of us. "tourists..."
There is such a huge divide from what we are used to. The cultural differences, the poverty... There is an off-balance feeling here. We see how privileged we are versus the levels of poverty not often seen in to this extent at home, but how do we plug in to making a positive difference? We bring what we can fit in our luggage (school supplies, clothes etc.), but it doesn't seem like much at all. There is also consideration for not wanting to offend people by giving them things- Nicaraguans are very proud people.
There are few businesses in the area here to patronize. There are two or three
truly locally owned restaurants. The owners of the restaurants we visited were so lovely and warm, one owner giving each of us hugs as we entered her establishment. We loved having more traditional foods on top of that, but upon our last trip, two people in our
party became pretty ill after a night out. It can occur anywhere, but food standards are what they are when there is
limited fresh water, and an outdoor kitchen on a dirt floor. Being hit-or-miss, means
one meal can take a person out for days and with a young child, we chose this time to prepare our own meals most of the time.
In the area we visit, we have come across foreigners who
have started and maintain projects within the community while they are here (art classes for local children, surf houses encouraging tourists
to bring down what they can for the children when they come - mail
service is not an option here so everything must be brought in luggage
to donate), but most visitors are seasonal and we haven't come across any
infrastructure set up for doing this kind of thing here.
Many locals in the two villages we are within, are employed by the
tourist communities here, managing properties, cleaning or doing
security. Many are employed, but it would be nice to have
the communities surrounding this area thriving more than they are. The villages and houses do not reflect a great
dispersion of that tourist dollar. Considering $8 per day is a good
wage, labour here is incredibly cheap. Relative to the
tourists that come, it would be nice to see the locals benefit more from people who wish to do more.
For instance, some kind of training for massage therapy for locals to
learn, then earn way better independent wages. Or authentic Nicaraguan
food 'catering'- perhaps in-house cooking of meals. I'd buy our
groceries and pay to have some meals made, or be taught some fantastic
recipes to bring back home! Spanish-speaking groups for kiddos while
there. I dunno... Perhaps these things are already available and it is just a
matter of organizing accessibility of them. Gotta do more research.
In Northern Nicaragua, Jiquilillo, a group of Canadians including David Sakaki, a Kamloops Firefighter and his wife Sue, and Don 'Monty' Montgomery (Monty Beach Lodge) and the many volunteers, have been working within the local communities to build a system of "volun-tourism", giving visitors to the area the opportunity to volunteer within the communities - working with the children in the classrooms, educating locals, sorting the shipping containers full of medical supplies and clothes Canadians have donated to the area etc.. David Sakaki and the Kamloops Fire Department have also acquired and shipped down a number of firetrucks and facilitated fresh water systems for use in the villages and area. Their work sounds absolutely astounding. Donations to their cause can be made to "Kamloops Fire Department Operation Nicaragua". Please check out their website at http://web.me.com/kamloopsfirefighters/Kamloops_Firefighters/Home.html
The divide of tourists and locals is one I am not sure how to plug in to here, but I am
putting it out there that we will find some ways to become a respectful, positive
part of this community when we visit.
When we returned from our little grocery trip, we had lunch, played a family game of "Go Fish" ("Gold Fish" as my daughter calls it), and surprisingly, had a nap. No energy today.
This evening, there was a gathering here. Two couples, friends of Chica & Buck arrived. We shared drinks, while Bambam and Buck flew around the kitchen. When it came time to eat, I nudged Hubby for us to get going, to make our own dinner and allow them all to visit, but they threw food at us. YUM - best meal since I've been here. These guys are fantastic cooks. Shepherd's pie, fresh lobster and cucumber salad. Amazing! So full. They are so lovely. Wish they both lived closer and came to my house all the time!
Returned here with my daughter having taken a fall down six concrete stairs on the way. OUCH! Big bruise on her forehead. She was on the stairs looking up with her flashlight at the gekkos and lost her balance.
Hubby returned after I put Little M down, and we played Nertz, the card game. I like playing with him. Though it is a game of speed, we just kick back and get silly. I love our family time.
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