On the Descent

A few weeks back, a relatively common day, I think a Wednesday, came and went, nothing unusual happened. However, this seemingly regular ole’ Wednesday was anything but; it was actually the halfway point of my 27 months of service in Nicaragua. Writing to you today, I have now spent 14 and one-half months in Nicaragua! Wow! Speaking in Nicaraguan metaphorical terms, I have reached the peak of the volcano, hung out for a little bit admiring the view and I am now descending.

Throughout the ascent, the first 13 and one-half months, I have struggled and pained and taken a few steps back to regain my footing. Trust me when I tell you it was not easy. Easy is not why I joined Peace Corps and easy Peace Corps should not be. Even with it being difficult, I have enjoyed the ascent, shared great times with both American and Nicaraguan friends, discovered a whole new culture and mindset, and joked about how hard the ascent was while feeling pain everywhere in my mind and body. During the thirteen and one-half month ascent, I have also learned much more than I have taught (even being a teacher) and taken much more from Nicaragua than what I have given.

Please allow me to share a few quick lessons/thoughts which Nicaragua has reinforced for me. I hope that these lessons, repeated often yet forever relevant, strike a certain chord with those of you reading from, my home, the United States of America.

Money does not buy happiness (nor should it!)

A recent study revealed that out of top 10 happiest countries, Latin America, a region stricken with poverty, represented 8 of them. I was not able to get an exact ranking for Nicaragua, who come in second place on the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere list, but I can tell you that Nicaraguans are pretty happy people even if they do not like Nicaragua in general (something like 3 out of every 5 Nicas would leave the country if given an opportunity). Nicaraguans know how to enjoy life, they dance at every possible occasion, drink at every possible occasion, and spend a lot of time with their friends and families. They also smile a lot except for when the camera is on them (because pictures are for formal occasions and formal occasions are serious). I believe that the fact they spend a lot of quality time with friends and family is the key in all of this happiness. Personally, you can put me anywhere in the world, rich or poor, with a few good friends or family members, and we will be happy and have a good time!

Back to the lack of money thing…They know that they do not have a lot of money but they do not feel “poor.” I caution everyone to not just feel sorry for people who do not have a lot of money or resources; they do not feel sorry for themselves! Instead talk to them, do something with them, help them do something for themselves. They have grown accustomed to living a life without much or any luxury and feel that they have enough. Maybe they are not prosperous but they have enough to live happy lives. And on a personal note, I did not even make close to enough money to file taxes this year yet I am as happy as I have ever been.

I do have much more to say on this topic as I have obviously given it a lot of thought during my Peace Corps service but I will keep you anxiously waiting for more.

Patience really is a virtue (and a necessity in development work!)

By nature, I am not a patient person and anybody that knows me well would tell you the same. But I would have jumped into a volcano by now had I not learned how to be more patient in the past 13 months. Consider this. There is a popular Nicaraguan phrase that translates to “there is more time than life.” Meetings do not start on time, things NEVER go as planned, and water and electricity are not regulars in life. Things do not work on an American schedule here. Nicaragua really has not changed all that much in the last 100 years, at least from what I have heard, and Nicaraguans do not seem in any big rush to change things…they want change but why the rush? More time than life, right?

Development work, the type that I am doing and Peace Corps is doing, really does take years, even decades, to develop. Who knew?!? I spent the first year here getting very frustrated with the people with whom I was working and the lack of progress in my work only to realize that not only was it not helpful but it was hurtful. I have found that Nicaraguans do not respond well to frustrated people (meaning me when frustrated). They respond much better to strong, direct, well-articulated arguments (like most people do). So I have learned to channel those daily frustrations into positive energy helping to motivate those around me.

Noise and disorder can be beautiful.

In my past life, those two words had very negative connotations. As Americans, we want peace and quiet and order (maybe not in that order). We try hard not to bother the people around us and do almost everything with an eye on the law. Come on, we even stop at red lights at 4am when not another soul is driving on the street.

Most people would think that going to a country like Nicaragua where there is abundant land, few people, and little development will equal peace and quiet. However, those people would be dead wrong. Even in the middle of nowhere, it can be difficult to get a good night’s sleep due to howling dogs, crowing roosters, and fire crackers (yes they are EVERYWHERE here). I used to get woken up very early every Friday morning from the squeals of the pig my neighbors were slaughtering.

But noise and disorder can also equate to a raw freedom that we do not have in the United States. People are very free to do what they want here even if it means bothering their neighbors. We can play music as loud as we want at whatever hour of night, throw trash on the streets without anyone telling us not to, and drive the wrong way on one way streets only fearing a honk, and shoot of fireworks to celebrate every occasion. As you can see raw freedom can be good and bad, but I believe it can also be very liberating.

With these little lessons tucked into my pocket, I now begin the descent…less than a year to go (unless I decide to extend). From the experience of my eight or so volcano climbs, I can tell you that the descent is no less arduous or time consuming than the ascent; it just requires a whole new set of muscles and renewed mental strength, and as always a good sense of humor. Estoy listo!