Some of the students here have had the opportunity to have an hour long discussion with Dr. Skar during the afternoon. We are asked to read the local newspapers and choose articles that are of interest to us. Several students chose articles that are related to the education system and lack of resources in the schools.
One article cited a statistic that said that 60% of the schools lack sanitary bathrooms and drinkable water. Coming from the U.S., that statistic is astounding. We take it for granted that when we go to school, we will be able to use the toilets and have a drink of water. At the school I am working at, there are two faucets of running water outside of the classrooms, which I understand that 60% of the schools must not have. However, the bathrooms are simply latrines, four stalls with toilets that give way to nothing but holes in the ground. That is certainly not sanitary and on top of that there is no soap for the children to wash their hands with when they are done. Then they go and have snack time, for which they must bring their own bowl and fork from home. I have seen children that forget forks eat their rice and beans with their bare hands. Something that has surprised me and seems very positive is that the children are gauranteed to have a meal during school. The teacher or school (I haven´t had a chance to ask which one it is) provides uncooked rice and beans, and the children take turns bringing it home for their parents to cook it. They then return with the cooked meal to share with the class the following day.
Another article I read said that 235,000 children in Nicaragua are working selling food on the side of the streets, working in mines or coffee plantations. The kids may possibly go to school in the morning and then work in the afternoon. However, these kids are too exhausted by the end of the day to do their homework and continually fall behind in school. It is not a choice for these children, they are sent to work by their parents to help support the family. Some parents remove their children from school so that they can work full time. It made me wonder, why would they do that to their children, why would they limit their child´s opportunities so drastically? However in Nicaragua, even if a person finishes highschool and goes on to get a university diploma, there is still no gaurantee that they will get a job and have a successful carreer. Jobs are so scarce that there is no incentive to continue with a formal education, what is the point? Most families here make $2 per day and need to support a family with those funds. Mind you, that´s not $2 per person per day, that´s $2 per family. Teachers make around $100 per month, and that is one of the most highly respected fields.
There are so many children in the classrooms and at first I thought to myself, ¨Wow! They really need to hire some more teachers.¨ But I´ve come to realize, they can´t hire more teachers. When the government can´t even pay one teacher a decent salary, how are they going to hire two? A friend of mine who works in another classroom said that her class is supposed to have 40 children, but on a given day there are around 18. One may think, well why don´t they all come to school? We all assume that if a child doesn´t go to school, their parents will yell at them, the school will check up on them, or the truency officer will come to talk to the parents. However, as I just stated above, some parents purposefully take their children out of schools. Others may not have faith in the educational system, and others may just not care. And there will be no police officer coming to the house. There is currently no law that demands that children attend school. In fact, they need to pay to go to school, which is another reason why there is such low attendance.
A law is currently being proposed that will obligate children to attend primary school and to make this schooling free. If they don´t go, the police will check up on them and enforce it. That may be feasible in the U.S., but I really doubt there are enough police officers to check up on that many kids, especially when half of them don´t show up. And even if they do all go, with 40 kids for one teacher, not much can be accomplished. Even now with around 20 kids, half of them don´t recieve the attention they need, imagine if that number were doubled!
Dr. Skar brought up a good point during this discussion, why are the only volunteers the only ones lending a hand in these schools? With low employment rates, surely there are people sitting around their house all day that at least know the alfabet. Why aren´t they going to the schools? My mom here in Nicaragua doesn´t have a job. Neither does her daughter. Neither do many of the other family members of students here in Nicaragua. Why isn´t there that drive to help the youth here in Nicaragua? Why are foreigners coming here to help when the locals don´t even seem to care? Maybe it is because they have become so dependent of the non-governmental organizations´help that the Nicaraguans don´t think they have to. Why isn´t there that will for change like there was during the Sandinista Revolution? They see the daily conditions themselves and their neighbors live in and yet don´t seem to make an effort to change the current situation. Personally, I don´t have an answer. I don´t know. I don´t know what has to happen to make people take a stand for what they believe in.
Friday, July 31, 2009
El Mestizaje
I had heard of the word mestizaje before when I was in Spanish 196 and 197, but when they teach you this word they teach you it in the context pertaining to people. El mestizaje in English refers to someone who has parents from two different cultures, therefore the person themselves is sort of a mixture of the two. However I just learned that this word can be used in a different context, to refer to two cultures that come together and mix.
In Granada there is a mixture of both indigenous culture, and Spanish as well. We see it in the buildings, the outside appears to be colonial, from the Spanish, the open gardens in the inside are from the Arabic culture, and the high ceilings are from Nicaragua´s indigenous culture. Religion is especially important here, and the Catholicism was brought by the Spanish who were influenced by Rome.
I remembered learning about this topic in the previous mentioned class, how two cultures mix together. We were learning about countries like the Dominican Republic, and how sometimes two cultures can influence an area, not completely blending, but sort of how you would shake oil and vinegar and see them both swirl together. Its interesting how two cultures can be similar, yet pose completely different ideologies. Catholicism holds the Virgin Mary in high regard, and although some may argue that Catholicism devalued women by not allowing them to be priests at one point in time, think of how important this religious icon, a woman, is to the religion. On the other hand, you have the Arabic culture that subjugates women, commands they cover up, and that they stay in the home. Think of how our feminine ideal came to be, what it once was before Rosy the Riveter during World War II when women went to work while men were at war, think of where machismo came from. In fact, its even there in language, the vacuum is la aspiradora, the kitchen is la cocina, where does the woman stay, in la casa..all feminine words. And where does her husband go while she cleans and takes care of their children? A trabajo..a masculine word. From Catholicism we get praise for the feminine ideal, and from Muslim religion, we get the sense of machismo.
Whats so great about this course is that you are required to speak in Spanish, and I think this was implemented not just as a learning tool for students, but to show respect to the people that live here. If you travel to a foreign country, you should speak their language. However, I cant stand it when my Republican friends bark out that Latinos should learn English. If two cultures coexist like it does in the United States, we shouldnt demand that Latinos assimilate into our culture, because what happens is that their culture is lost, and this is why I believe many of my friends parents refuse to learn English..because they see their children becoming Americanized and they lose sight of their traditional values. So for clarification, Id like to define the following
Assimilate- to make similar b: to alter by assimilation c: to absorb into the culture or mores of a population or group
enculturate- the process by which an individual learns the traditional content of a culture and assimilates its practices and value
acculturation-cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture ; also : a merging of cultures as a result of prolonged contact
In the United States, we should begin the process of acculturation, because this way neither culture is refusing change because they believe their own is superior, and one culture isnt completely becoming similar to the other. When I was in high school, my french teacher told me that she knew french, spanish, and italian, which would make sense because they all come from latin but she also learned german from when France was occupied by Germany during the war. Why should only the Latinos learn English? Why dont more people learn Spanish? Why should it go only one way? We´re all immigrants, unless your heritage is Native American.
In Granada there is a mixture of both indigenous culture, and Spanish as well. We see it in the buildings, the outside appears to be colonial, from the Spanish, the open gardens in the inside are from the Arabic culture, and the high ceilings are from Nicaragua´s indigenous culture. Religion is especially important here, and the Catholicism was brought by the Spanish who were influenced by Rome.
I remembered learning about this topic in the previous mentioned class, how two cultures mix together. We were learning about countries like the Dominican Republic, and how sometimes two cultures can influence an area, not completely blending, but sort of how you would shake oil and vinegar and see them both swirl together. Its interesting how two cultures can be similar, yet pose completely different ideologies. Catholicism holds the Virgin Mary in high regard, and although some may argue that Catholicism devalued women by not allowing them to be priests at one point in time, think of how important this religious icon, a woman, is to the religion. On the other hand, you have the Arabic culture that subjugates women, commands they cover up, and that they stay in the home. Think of how our feminine ideal came to be, what it once was before Rosy the Riveter during World War II when women went to work while men were at war, think of where machismo came from. In fact, its even there in language, the vacuum is la aspiradora, the kitchen is la cocina, where does the woman stay, in la casa..all feminine words. And where does her husband go while she cleans and takes care of their children? A trabajo..a masculine word. From Catholicism we get praise for the feminine ideal, and from Muslim religion, we get the sense of machismo.
Whats so great about this course is that you are required to speak in Spanish, and I think this was implemented not just as a learning tool for students, but to show respect to the people that live here. If you travel to a foreign country, you should speak their language. However, I cant stand it when my Republican friends bark out that Latinos should learn English. If two cultures coexist like it does in the United States, we shouldnt demand that Latinos assimilate into our culture, because what happens is that their culture is lost, and this is why I believe many of my friends parents refuse to learn English..because they see their children becoming Americanized and they lose sight of their traditional values. So for clarification, Id like to define the following
Assimilate- to make similar b: to alter by assimilation c: to absorb into the culture or mores of a population or group
enculturate- the process by which an individual learns the traditional content of a culture and assimilates its practices and value
acculturation-cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture ; also : a merging of cultures as a result of prolonged contact
In the United States, we should begin the process of acculturation, because this way neither culture is refusing change because they believe their own is superior, and one culture isnt completely becoming similar to the other. When I was in high school, my french teacher told me that she knew french, spanish, and italian, which would make sense because they all come from latin but she also learned german from when France was occupied by Germany during the war. Why should only the Latinos learn English? Why dont more people learn Spanish? Why should it go only one way? We´re all immigrants, unless your heritage is Native American.
La Casa Nicaraguense
La casa nicaragüense tiene una arquitectura única. Como dice en el titulo del artículo, esta variedad de estructuras empiezan con la mas rustica, que es la casa de paja. Este tipo de casa es comúnmente habitada por el campesino, quien por ser pobre, y estar contante movimiento, está obligado a construir una casa muy humilde. La casa consiste de paredes de pajas, sostenida por madera. El piso, es de tierra. O sea, el piso de todas estas casas es el piso en donde se construye.
El siguiente tipo de casa s e conoce como la casa proletaria, o casa típica granadiense. Estas casas se diferencian por la mayor parte por tener un techado de tejas y paredes de barro. Aunque no he podido explorar estas casas personalmente, se dice que estas casas son divididas por unas paredes muy frágiles, que son formadas por un marco de madera que se expande de pared a pared dentro de la casa. Para crear el poco de privacidad que ofrece este divisor, el espacio dentro de este marco es tapado por papel periódico o de revistas, que luego se solidifican con almidón. Estas mismas casas son decoradas durante los tiempos de fiesta, como lo es con la virgen de asunción y fiestas patrias. Estas decoraciones consisten de banderolas de diferentes colores, que decoran todo el interior de la casa.
Otro tipo de casa es la casa colonial. Esta casa es el tipo más antiguo de todos, y casualmente, es el tipo de casa en el cual me hospedo. La casa consiste de paredes de barro, pintadas de cal. Tienen un tejado (techo de tejas) y en el medio tienen un área de cielo abierto en donde se encuentra el jardín. En la mayoría de las casas, la mayor parte de estas es compuesta por el jardín, ya que toma un gran porcentaje de la infraestructura de la casa. Debido al inmenso calor que se vive diariamente en esta zona, los jardines y techos abiertos sirven para ventilar el interior de estos hogares.
El siguiente tipo de casa s e conoce como la casa proletaria, o casa típica granadiense. Estas casas se diferencian por la mayor parte por tener un techado de tejas y paredes de barro. Aunque no he podido explorar estas casas personalmente, se dice que estas casas son divididas por unas paredes muy frágiles, que son formadas por un marco de madera que se expande de pared a pared dentro de la casa. Para crear el poco de privacidad que ofrece este divisor, el espacio dentro de este marco es tapado por papel periódico o de revistas, que luego se solidifican con almidón. Estas mismas casas son decoradas durante los tiempos de fiesta, como lo es con la virgen de asunción y fiestas patrias. Estas decoraciones consisten de banderolas de diferentes colores, que decoran todo el interior de la casa.
Otro tipo de casa es la casa colonial. Esta casa es el tipo más antiguo de todos, y casualmente, es el tipo de casa en el cual me hospedo. La casa consiste de paredes de barro, pintadas de cal. Tienen un tejado (techo de tejas) y en el medio tienen un área de cielo abierto en donde se encuentra el jardín. En la mayoría de las casas, la mayor parte de estas es compuesta por el jardín, ya que toma un gran porcentaje de la infraestructura de la casa. Debido al inmenso calor que se vive diariamente en esta zona, los jardines y techos abiertos sirven para ventilar el interior de estos hogares.
Amar (to love)
I love being here. Every morning I wake up at 6am to study, eat a huge plate of papaya, piña, bananos, sandía (watermelon), huevos (eggs) and tortillas. I have been walking a lot in Granada - I don't have access to a bike, and I didn't drive here :) The walk to class in the morning is pleasant, as the air is still cool and still, and sometimes the breeze from the lake is channeled up the narrow streets. I see women opening the shutters and sweeping the sidewalks, hosing the trash down the street, and men opening the doors to their businesses. Being here almost a week, I am learning the faces on my street and the "regulars", and I am certain that the Granadino/as notice me as I make my way on my daily route through the streets to the Convento.
Granada has been the base of the "conservadors" in Nicaragua - the conservatives. Conservative in Nicaragua does not carry the same connotation as the American definition - the conservatives have stood to defend, or "conserve" Catholic values. There are many churches and buildings with past and present religious ties, and our class is in the morning from 8-9am is held the Covento de San Francisco - an old convent that has been converted into a museum (and our classroom).
My Spanish class is one of the best parts of the day, but I find that I gain the most personal fulfillment from our work in the schools. One of the reasons I chose to participate in the Global Academy is because of our service work in the schools. After class, I walk for 20 minutes with four of my classmates to Las Camillias, a primary school, to help teach first graders. It is difficult and frustrating work because of the language barrier, but I love to teach because of the challenge it presents. Every day is a new day, and if what I am doing is not effective, I try something different. Yesterday I played a memory game teaching colors and shapes (colores y formas) with the children that I am working with, and I learned the shapes in Spanish! I only hope that the children get as much from me as I get from them.
Despite the general poverty and the lack of resources in Granada, I don't think that the lives of the people here are better are worse, just different. I am looking forward to working more with the children and helping them further their education. One of the things that I am struggling with is educational expections in the United States vs. educational expectations in Nicaragua. What constitutes a good education in Nicaragua? Yo no se (I don't know). It is difficult for me to ask because of the language barrier and my 23 years of enculturation in the United States of what an education should include. I am trying to suspend my ethnocentric ideas of a "good education" in order to actually help the children I am working with. Although I came to Nicaragua as part of the Global Academy, which is an academic course, we are not in the schools for ourselves. How can I help the children and remain respectful of Nicaraguan culture? Balance of all kinds is a theme that has been running through my mind ever since I got here - environmental, cultural, economic, political, personal... the list goes on.
I love all of the work that we have been doing here. The day after we arrived, we planted trees for conservation and tomorrow morning we are off to Playa la Flor for sea turtle conservation with Dra. Theodora Pinou. We are also going Mombacho Cloud Forest, and in preparation I have been reading The Naturalist in Nicaragua by Thomas Belt, a book written in the 1880s during Belt's travels in Nicaragua by mule. Obviously, the Nicaragua that Belt traveled of over 100 years ago no longer exists, but his vivid descriptions of the florid and lush tropical landscape jump off the page and provide important information for biologists in the present day. I read it before I arrived here, but rereading it upon my arrival is like unfolding a whole new delicious experience, now that I have (somewhat) have firsthand knowledge of the land that Belt traveled through.
We live on a beautiful planet and I feel blessed to be able to have experienced as much of it as I have. When I write here, I am not trying to make myself seem like a saint or a sinner, I am just trying to be honest about what I am experiencing here, for better or worse. I wish that I could bring everyone who is reading to Nicaragua so you could see how it is for yourself, for better or for worse. Thanks for reading what all of us write here. It means a lot to me.
-Mercedes
Granada has been the base of the "conservadors" in Nicaragua - the conservatives. Conservative in Nicaragua does not carry the same connotation as the American definition - the conservatives have stood to defend, or "conserve" Catholic values. There are many churches and buildings with past and present religious ties, and our class is in the morning from 8-9am is held the Covento de San Francisco - an old convent that has been converted into a museum (and our classroom).
My Spanish class is one of the best parts of the day, but I find that I gain the most personal fulfillment from our work in the schools. One of the reasons I chose to participate in the Global Academy is because of our service work in the schools. After class, I walk for 20 minutes with four of my classmates to Las Camillias, a primary school, to help teach first graders. It is difficult and frustrating work because of the language barrier, but I love to teach because of the challenge it presents. Every day is a new day, and if what I am doing is not effective, I try something different. Yesterday I played a memory game teaching colors and shapes (colores y formas) with the children that I am working with, and I learned the shapes in Spanish! I only hope that the children get as much from me as I get from them.
Despite the general poverty and the lack of resources in Granada, I don't think that the lives of the people here are better are worse, just different. I am looking forward to working more with the children and helping them further their education. One of the things that I am struggling with is educational expections in the United States vs. educational expectations in Nicaragua. What constitutes a good education in Nicaragua? Yo no se (I don't know). It is difficult for me to ask because of the language barrier and my 23 years of enculturation in the United States of what an education should include. I am trying to suspend my ethnocentric ideas of a "good education" in order to actually help the children I am working with. Although I came to Nicaragua as part of the Global Academy, which is an academic course, we are not in the schools for ourselves. How can I help the children and remain respectful of Nicaraguan culture? Balance of all kinds is a theme that has been running through my mind ever since I got here - environmental, cultural, economic, political, personal... the list goes on.
I love all of the work that we have been doing here. The day after we arrived, we planted trees for conservation and tomorrow morning we are off to Playa la Flor for sea turtle conservation with Dra. Theodora Pinou. We are also going Mombacho Cloud Forest, and in preparation I have been reading The Naturalist in Nicaragua by Thomas Belt, a book written in the 1880s during Belt's travels in Nicaragua by mule. Obviously, the Nicaragua that Belt traveled of over 100 years ago no longer exists, but his vivid descriptions of the florid and lush tropical landscape jump off the page and provide important information for biologists in the present day. I read it before I arrived here, but rereading it upon my arrival is like unfolding a whole new delicious experience, now that I have (somewhat) have firsthand knowledge of the land that Belt traveled through.
We live on a beautiful planet and I feel blessed to be able to have experienced as much of it as I have. When I write here, I am not trying to make myself seem like a saint or a sinner, I am just trying to be honest about what I am experiencing here, for better or worse. I wish that I could bring everyone who is reading to Nicaragua so you could see how it is for yourself, for better or for worse. Thanks for reading what all of us write here. It means a lot to me.
-Mercedes
Architecture and the Nicaraguan House
In the United States often when we look at the houses around us, we equate them with monetary value that speaks volumes on how we assume a family lives, and the type of socioeconomic class they belong to. However, few people realize that even back home that there is a psychology to the architecture, that houses are constructed with a purpose in mind.
Obviously one of the first things that stood out for the students here is how the houses lack a front yard and a back yard, but rather have a garden in the middle of the house. Although this may be the type of house that the majority of us are staying in, there is a reading that points out that there are four types of houses that exist here. The first is made of straw, the second of mud, the third has walls made of straw that are able to be moved around, and the last is colonial in appearance on the outside, but not what I consider to be colonial on the inside. In one of the readings, they refer to living in these styles of houses as living in a tree.
We talked about the reason for the high cealings here, for the lack of windows and although they are valid points to discuss, we didn't really talk about how the structures affect community. This is what I mean by how there is a psychology to building. In the United States, after World War II, there was a man named Levit who created houses that were not only affordable, but as my dad would call them, houses that are built right on top of each other. There are two towns named after him, one on Long Island, called Levittown. How does architecture promote, or dissuade, community? For a long time architects have tried to promote community back at home, and they have tried to break down barriers between ethnicities and for the most part it works among a race, however it hasnt been as successful between races. What is the purpose of a porch at home? Architects hope that families will sit outside, and engage in conversations with their neighbors, but it is often to no avail. The first thing I thought of when noticing that there essentially is no front porch here, and that families although seem like they are outside because it is open to the sky, are really inside, and I thought, this cant be good in means of promoting community. If youre inside all the time, how will you ever chat with your neighbors? There is a derrogative word called porch monkey, and it usually refers to either african americans or hispanics that sit outside on their porches for long periods of time. In fact, our government, especially Connecticut's, recruited Puerto Ricans to work the fields in Bridgeport and after work when they'd go home they would sit outside their porches and get harassed by police for loitering.
There's a funny thing about expectations, because what I expected about the architecture of the houses dissuading community turned out to be false. The second day I noticed that when people were walking on the streets, they were greeting each other, they knew each other. That doesnt happen in Manhattan, even when people live in the same apartment buildings. They are in such a hurry, New Yorkers expect to have had things done yesterday, while Nicaraguense dont care if it happens tomorrow. And as a native New Yorker, I can tell you that not having a set plan all the time is very hard at times, but you learn to just breathe and like you would do as the Romans do in Rome, do as the Nicas do in Nicaragua.
So I started looking more as I walked in the streets, observing what it is they do that allows for this sense of community. Although they lack a porch, they essentially sit in the living room with the doors open, so if visitors walk by, they can see they are home and ready for company. I think if architects want to learn a little something about how to promote community, they should take a trip to Granada.
Obviously one of the first things that stood out for the students here is how the houses lack a front yard and a back yard, but rather have a garden in the middle of the house. Although this may be the type of house that the majority of us are staying in, there is a reading that points out that there are four types of houses that exist here. The first is made of straw, the second of mud, the third has walls made of straw that are able to be moved around, and the last is colonial in appearance on the outside, but not what I consider to be colonial on the inside. In one of the readings, they refer to living in these styles of houses as living in a tree.
We talked about the reason for the high cealings here, for the lack of windows and although they are valid points to discuss, we didn't really talk about how the structures affect community. This is what I mean by how there is a psychology to building. In the United States, after World War II, there was a man named Levit who created houses that were not only affordable, but as my dad would call them, houses that are built right on top of each other. There are two towns named after him, one on Long Island, called Levittown. How does architecture promote, or dissuade, community? For a long time architects have tried to promote community back at home, and they have tried to break down barriers between ethnicities and for the most part it works among a race, however it hasnt been as successful between races. What is the purpose of a porch at home? Architects hope that families will sit outside, and engage in conversations with their neighbors, but it is often to no avail. The first thing I thought of when noticing that there essentially is no front porch here, and that families although seem like they are outside because it is open to the sky, are really inside, and I thought, this cant be good in means of promoting community. If youre inside all the time, how will you ever chat with your neighbors? There is a derrogative word called porch monkey, and it usually refers to either african americans or hispanics that sit outside on their porches for long periods of time. In fact, our government, especially Connecticut's, recruited Puerto Ricans to work the fields in Bridgeport and after work when they'd go home they would sit outside their porches and get harassed by police for loitering.
There's a funny thing about expectations, because what I expected about the architecture of the houses dissuading community turned out to be false. The second day I noticed that when people were walking on the streets, they were greeting each other, they knew each other. That doesnt happen in Manhattan, even when people live in the same apartment buildings. They are in such a hurry, New Yorkers expect to have had things done yesterday, while Nicaraguense dont care if it happens tomorrow. And as a native New Yorker, I can tell you that not having a set plan all the time is very hard at times, but you learn to just breathe and like you would do as the Romans do in Rome, do as the Nicas do in Nicaragua.
So I started looking more as I walked in the streets, observing what it is they do that allows for this sense of community. Although they lack a porch, they essentially sit in the living room with the doors open, so if visitors walk by, they can see they are home and ready for company. I think if architects want to learn a little something about how to promote community, they should take a trip to Granada.
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