¡Saludos desde Nicaragua!

Today we explored the complexities of Nicaraguan politics.  Although we learned a little bit about Nicaraguan politics on our history day, today we went more in depth and had the opportunity to experience it.

Presenting Don Filemon with his gift

Our day started with breakfast at Buffet Estelí, followed by an informative seminar on politics. The seminar had two parts.  First we had a reading, “President Daniel isn’t a nice person, but Nicaraguans will re-elect him anyway”, (Time 2011) which revealed possible past corruption and killings in President Daniel Ortega’s government.  Second, we had the honor to hear firsthand about the revolution from Don Filemon, an FSLN official.  He taught us about the history of the FSLN and how it played a role in the revolution. It was interesting to hear him speak on the three insurrections of Estelí because it highlighted the history of the city around us.  Don Filemon was an excellent speaker and adept politician, tactfully diverting the brute force of some of our poignant questions. Our group didn’t hesitate to ask difficult questions, which pushed our understanding of the role of politicians. We appreciated the time that Don Filemon took in order to further our knowledge on a topic so dear to himself and fellow Nicaraguans.

Presenting Dona Guillermina with her gift

After lunch and preparation for our English classes, we made our way to the Museum of Heroes y Martyrs. At the museum, we met Doña Guillermina Mesa, who informed us about the three Estelian insurrections and how they are remembered. She told us the month of July is bittersweet for Nicaraguans; they celebrate the revolution but also mourn the loss of the brave freedom fighters.  Afterwards, she shared with us her personal experiences during the revolution, which she rarely recounts due to its painfully agonizing memories. These memories   including how her family was torn apart and how she joined the fight. The trials she spoke of touched and moved us all. Many of our teammates expressed their compassion towards Doña Guillermina, including Adrián, whose features reminded the inspirational woman of her late son. Her story was perhaps the most moving one we have heard. We were all thankful to have the opportunity to hear this brave woman express her family’s role in Nicaraguan history.

Adrian and Doña Guillermina

To wrap up our day, we continued our English classes. It was great to see familiar faces mixed in with eager new ones. At first, one of our two beginner classes didn’t have any students. That group joined the other classes to assist with teaching. While some groups sang the ABC’s along with their students, others discussed idioms such as “Go with the flow.” After a while, more students showed up, allowing us to educate more people. It was rewarding to see some of our students move up into higher courses — it proved how well we have been teaching our ambitious scholars.  At the end of the night, everybody felt a sense of improvement; the beginners were starting to form sentences, the intermediate students began incorporating adjectives into their comparative and superlative sentences, and the advanced students didn’t have trouble expressing themselves in complex ways. All in all we left the Bomberos station knowing that we furthered our student’s knowledge.

It was our pleasure to lead the rest of our teammates in this knowledge-packed day. This experience prepared us for our future as leaders. There were some hiccups along the way but that didn’t stop us from making the best of it. We are thrilled that we had the opportunity to showcase our leadership abilities.

Abrazos desde Estelí,

Chloé and Josue