Goodbye Heroes and Martyrs

As we have navigated through Nicaragua and been exploring its history and culture, we quickly noticed that Nicaragua has a unique way in which it honors its heroes and martyrs that provides an important glimpse into the country's values and psyche. We learned about, talked about and focused on many of these folks during our time in Nicaragua and in previous blogs, ranging from poets to athletes to dancers to revolutionaries.

One of these folks who has captured my interest is Carlos Fonseca. We were previously wondering why Carlos Fonseca was not recognized in monuments or on T-Shirts like his spiritual counterpart from Cuba, Che Guevara. Was he too radical or leftist for even the Sandinista leadership that still governs Nicaragua today? Had he been forgotten 35 years after his assasination? Were the many books we read on Carlos Fonseca misguided? What was the real story?

In our visit to Managua, we finally found the Carlos Fonseca tomb. This resting place, in a very prominent location immediately off Plaza de Revoluccion, was elegant and is surrounded by azul-tiled pools with an eternal flame to symbolize Fonseca's contributions to Nicaraguan thought and the revolution. As we experienced the memorial, it finally struck me what was happening. Fonseca, by not being seen and featured all over the country, but instead enshrined in one magnificent place, is elevated and his stature heightened. This elegant monument is truly a haunting place and it brought the full force and significance of the 1979 revolution into sharp focus.

Another prominent hero and martyr--Augusto Sandino--stands tall over Managua in a very symbolic way. We walked around the grounds at the top of the Tiscapa Crater, the highest point in Managua (1.6 million people) where the Somoza Presidential Palace was located before the 1972 earthquake destroyed most of Managua, including the Palace. The Tiscapa memorial now has a larger than life statue of Augusto Sandino, the national hero who is the namesake for the Sandinista movement and party. Sandino was assasinated near this spot (supposedly by the Somoza family), as he was leaving a meeting at the Presidential Palace with President Sacasa. With the Somoza family in power, Sandino was hardly recognized in Nicaragua for thirty years after his death. It was Carlos Fonseca who had a large role in intellectually exploring Sandino, his role in Nicaragua, and then capturing Sandino's philosophies (and his name) in creating the FSLN that ultimately led the successful 1979 revolution against the Somoza regime. You can still get a feeling for the nature of "torturo las noches" in seeing El Chipotle, the prison and chambers under the same hill overlooking Managua where political prisoners have been brutally tortured for the past century. An eerie place after reading many accounts of the brutal political tactics that have pervaded Nicaraguan and Latin American politics for the past century.

The next evening as we were experiencing the music, dance and poetry of Nicaraguan culture, our friend Mundo read Ruben Dario's Autumn in Springtime, his sister Marianna presented his Los Cisnes (the Swans) from memory and then our friend Flavia read his famous poem, To Margarita Debayle. In English, Margarita is a beautiful poem for what it says--in Spanish it is magical for not only what the words say, but for the way the words all come together in a truly beautiful song. It was obvious after hearing heartfelt renditions of these poems why Ruben Dario is a deserving national hero and why we had seen him all over the country.

As we were getting ready to depart for the U.S., our amigo and Managua companion and guide, Roberto, had found a Carlos Fonseca T-Shirt that he presented to me as we were leaving. Earlier, our friend Flavia presented us with a beautiful copy of Ruben Dario's famous book of poems: Azul. These treasures meant a lot to us not only as a sign of friendship, but I am also guessing as an acknowledgment of appreciation for our efforts to delve into and better understand this beautiful Central American country and its wonderful and very proud people!

As we were departing Nicargua and standing in line for passport inspection in the Augusto Sandino Aeropeurto, we were struck by and could not help notice (and then smile with warm memories!) about the larger-than-life portraits of Augusto Sandino and Ruben Dario that graced the airport walls. Although there was not a portrait of Carlos Fonseca--his eternal flame for Nicaragua was casting a warm glow on those same walls.

Posted by David

Hasta La Vista Nicaragua!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last night we had a fiesta with all of our friends from Nicaragua. First everybody went swimming, which was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it started to rain and thunder which was a big bummer because we only got to swim a little bit. Then the feast began and all the kids ate dinner while watching Kung Fu Panada 2 in English with Spanish subtitles. Then everybody went up to the sky balcony to take in Catedral and Iglesia La Merced. It started to rain on us again and everybody thought it would be fun to go swimming.  After swimming, Malinda, Marcela, and Mundo' sister Marinette performed a dance and recited Rubin Dario poems from memory.  Mundo, David, Inglesie and Flavia all read Rubin Dario poems as well. It was sad to say goodbye to all of our friends, but we had a really good time. I am going to miss all of our Nicaraguan amigos.

Posted by Nielsen Guy

Adios Nicaragua

Last night we had a wonderful fiesta with our friends and their families.  We ate and drank Nicaraguan food and drinks, watched chicas perform authentic Nicaraguan dances and listened to the poetry of Ruben Dario.  We are scrambling around packing our bags, momentos and memories and enjoying the last few hours of the warm tropical breezes.

This last month we have all learned and experienced so much. We leave this county with a new found knowledge and appreciation for its land and its people.

Ingelise

El Perfecto

In Nicaragua, Dennis Martinez is El Perfecto. In this country that loves baseball, they are celebrating the twenty-year anniversary of Martinez throwing a perfect game while pitching for the Montreal Expos. Fans here are crazy about Dennis Martinez and they have a glow when they recall watching his perfect game.

Many people remember Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series or the most recent gem by Roy Halliday in May 2010. A perfect game is where no runner reaches first base safely--so no hits, walks or errors. There are 27 batters (9 innings x 3 outs). A perfect game is truly a masterpiece that has only been consummated 20 times in Major League history. Martinez's was the 13th!

Martinez was the first Nicaraguan to play in the Major Leagues and he is a national hero in his home-country. Martinez was born in Granada. He pitched for the Baltimore Orioles for ten years, the Montral Expos for seven and then had short stints with the Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves. He had 245 wins in his career, was an All-Star four times, won a World Series with the Orioles in 1983 and pitched his perfect game on July 28, 1991 with the Expos.

When we visited Managua yesterday, we went to the Dennis Martinez National Baseball Stadium where the professional Managua Boer team is playing in the Nicaraguan playoffs. We wanted to go to the game, but we had already planned to see the ballet at the Ruben Dario theatre at the same time. Next time.....

Posted by David

Ruben Dario Teatro

Today (Thursday) we went to The Ruben Dario Teatro in Managua to watch a Nicaraguan dance performance. We had rally good seats and there were a lot of people. The theater is really nice, it is even nicer than quite a few theaters in the United States. The performance was really cool; they did all types of Nicaraguan dances including tap dancing. They can tap really fast and for a long time. They had outfits of all colors, in some of the dances the men and women had matching outfits except the men wore pants and shirts and the women wore dresses, they wore the same colors. They had live Nicaraguan music, you could watch them play it was really cool.

Posted By Maren Guy<3

Ruben Dario Teatro -- Sign in Azul

Laguna De Apollo!

Yesterday we went to Laguna De Apollo in the afternoon. The place we went to is called the "Monkey Hut." It is a hostel and a place to go for the day. We went swimming in the crater, the water  in the crater is so warm it is warmer than the water in San Juan Del Sur. There was a dock you could jump off, there was a lower and higher spot to jump. Andie later jumped off both into the water. Hopefully she will now jump off the diving board. Out a little ways into the water was a floating dock. We swam out to the dock. At first the water was rough then later the water was so clear you could see these really pretty fish swimming in the water. Andie also swam out with Nielsen helping her in the inner tube. It rained for a little bit so then we went up on the porch and played board games then we went swimming again. Then we had to leave.

Posted By Maren Guy<3

The Atlantic-Pacific Passageway

When travelling around Nica, we have naturally focused on what we can see and experience. Yet, as we have immersed ourselves in this beautiful little country, we have also thought about what we have not seen. One vivid example is that we have not seen ocean liners floating elegantly up Lago de Cocibolca (Lake Nicaragua). Hmmmm.....

We all learn a bit about the Panama Canal history-yet most do not remember that Nicaragua was at one time the logical place to build this aquatic passageway and was favored for such a canal during the bulk of the processes that ultimately led to the choice of the Isthmus of Panama. (I did not remember.)

There are many good histories on the Panama Canal--I am a big fan of David McCullough's writing style and his book The Path Between the Seas is a good read. With respect to Nicaragua, the canal was logical for several reasons. First, the Nicaragua route would save 500 miles in transport (a full two days) compared to the Panama Canal. Lago Cocicobilo is an inland lake that is 16 miles from the Pacific Ocean and it flows into the Rio San Juan on the Nicaraguan-Costa Rica border, which then flows into the Atlantic Ocean. In the 1850s, during the throes of the California gold rush, U.S. businessman Cornelius Vanderbilt provided passage from New York to San Francisco (via Nicaragua) for $145. (Note: JetBlu has a one-way fare for $218 and it takes 5:15 with no winds, compared with Vanderbilt's 45-day trip.) He ran a steamship from the Atlantic up the Rio San Juan (with help by railway for certain sections involving rapids) to Lago Cocicobola, where he had wagons transport passengers to the Pacific where another ship was waiting for the journey to San Francisco. It was also important at the time that Nicaragua was not known as a deathtrap like Panama with malaria, yellow fever etc. Yet, we all know the Panama site was chosen for various reasons and Nicaragua.......well...

In considering what this means for Nicaragua today, there are several interesting ways to think about the canal and the hangover that still exists in Nicaragua. First, and most obvious, Nicaragua does not have the aquatic passageway, which--you can guess, is either good or bad depending on  perspectives within Nicaragua.

Second, and more psychologically, the debates surrounding the aquatic passageway are still close to the heart of nationalism that dominates the political landscape in Nicaragua and other Latin American countries today. It appears that anti-U.S. sentiment began to fester when the so-called [Theodore] Roosevelt Corollary expanded the U.S. Monroe Doctrine and exerted greater U.S. dominion over Latin America, which was manifested in the policies leading to the completion of the Panama Canal. These policies continued with President Taft and his dollar diplomacy. In Nicaragua, as the Panama Canal was being completed in 1914, the Bryan-Chamorro treaty between Nicaragua and the U.S. gave the U.S. the exclusive right for 99 years to build the Nicaraguan canal, thus precluding competition for the new U.S. investment in the Panama Canal. In return, the U.S. relieved certain Nicaraguan debts that had accumulated.

This treaty (and the imbedded U.S. domination) is still cited today as a source of Nicaraguan nationalism and the attendant anti-U.S. sentiments that still pervade the political landscape in Nicaragua (Yes, this was exacerbated by the Contra support in the 1980s).

In thinking about this, I recalled a discussion with former President Carter in Merced last year where he indicated that one of his proudest moments as President was signing the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which essentially returned the canal to the people of  Panama in 2000, while the U.S. reserves a right to defend the use of the canal. Like Nicaragua, the people of Panama, within hours of the ink drying on the 1903 Hay- Bunau Varilla Treaty, were basking in their new independence from Colombia and wanted the canal zone back as part of their new country. Panama's  independence finally happened 97 years later......  

Posted by David

What I Will Miss in Nicaragua

1.  Church bells
2.  Brightly painted buildings
3.  Friends -- Flavia, Isabel, Mundo
4.  Being together
5.  Speaking Spanish
6.  Riding the bus
7.  Catedral
8.  Mombocho
9.  Never being cold
10. Mercado

There are a few things I will not miss . . .

1.  Milk
2.  White Wine
3.  Humidity

Ingelise

Muy Feliz

My Spanish teacher Flavia teaches history and geography at a public secondario school in a very poor barrio in Masaya.  Today we were able to visit her school and meet its Director and students.  In the morning the school serves the primary grades from 7 a.m. until noon and in the afternoon the secondario students attend until 5:00 p.m.  There are 930 students in attendance.

The school is slightly larger than El Portal Elementary School and houses approximately 45 students per class.  It is very fortunate to have a small computer lab (very old computers) donated by the cellular company Movistar.  There is no cafeteria for the children, just a small snack bar.  The bathroom consists of an outhouse with a cement wash basin located outside of the classroom.

The students were delightful and all had big smiles on their faces during our visit.  The littles ones were vying for our attention so that we would take their pictures.  They were so excited to have us visit.  The majority of students were dressed in their blue and white uniforms (this represents the colors of the Nicaraguan flag) and had impeccable manners when we entered the class.

Twenty percent of the primary students do not have the appropriate uniform, however, they are still allowed to attend school even though it is against the law.  Secondario students are not allowed to enter the school campus without an appropriate uniform.

Many of you responded to Maren's request to purchase uniforms for students unable to afford one.  Today we were able to provide new uniforms and shoes for six boys and two girls.

We took a public bus from the school with the children (Flavia left us to find a missing student) and found our way to the Central Parque.  From there we went to the uniform store where each child received a pair of pants or skirt, undershirt, shirt and socks.  We then headed to the Mercado Municipal to purchase shoes.  The shoes are made in Masaya from leather.  The proprietor held a lighter up to the shoes to prove they were real leather.  The boys were ecstatic with their new shoes and kept looking them over and touching them. The children's shoes were falling apart and I am sure it was the first new pair of shoes they had ever owned.  After two hours of shopping the children were put into cabs and sent back to the school.

It was a wonderful day and the children were beyond grateful.  Flavia spent her morning off while ill with a migraine to help these children.  It was a good day for all.

We have a small amount of money left and will be purchasing markers for the teachers. Teachers in Nicaragua provide all of their own materials, books, pens, markers and pencils. There is a great need for these items as many teachers cannot afford to purchase supplies for their classrooms.

Thank you!

The School Principal, Flavia and Students (one was missing)

Arroz A La Valenciana -- YUM

Yesterday my friend Isabel made Arroz A La Valenciana for lunch.  It is one of my favorite foods to eat in Nicaragua.  She showed my mom how to make it so she can make it for me at home.  It has cut up carrots, rice, chicken, raisins, peas, onions, celery, bell peppers and a special sauce.  You serve it with pan (bread). Isabel also showed us how to make dragon fruit frescas.  It has pitayas (dragon fruit), limes, sugar and water.  You blend it in a blender machine.  You do not cut the dragon fruit, you just cut it in half and push it into the blender.  You need dos (two) dragon fruits.  She also taught us how to make tostones which are fried plantains.  They taste just like french fries.  The other dinner she taught my mom how to make is pollo jalapeno.  It is really good but I did not like the jalapenos.  You flatten the chicken and put yogurt, garlic and chicken stock and mix it together.  My mom is going to try making it when we get back.

Andie Guy