July 7, 2013

Today was incredibly interesting. We learned about two prominent political parties in Nicaragua, the Sandinistas and the liberals. We had two speakers from each party. They informed us on both stand points of where they think there country is and how they feel it’s being governed. I was most surprised that everyone was very involved and interested in the facts which we were told. These two parties resembled very much the political parties in the U.S. The differences in their standpoints were very clear to everyone.

We received two young female visitors from the Sandinista party. They focused mainly on women’s rights and how they are striving to help the women and children in poverty. They were all about the government assisting the poor throughout their time. In contrast to them, the liberals were also two young men in their mid-20. They emphasized education and structuring the government as a whole.

As group we worked very well with organizing the information we were given from both sides.  We were able to put pieces together to formulate a better opinion of both parties. As we also received more of a non-biased opinion from one of our coordinators, a true Nicaraguan. We were then able to have an incredible discussion on what we had learned throughout the day.

Being the leader of the day was very interesting, as I learned a lot about myself and things that I am interested in. Never would I have realized that I would be able to lead a whole group of teenagers who are mostly older than I. I have also discovered a new interest in politics. In my opinion, both groups of speakers were inspiring. By being able to represent your country and your own beliefs in front of others in something very hard to do. As leader of the day, I could not have chosen a better day to be leader of the day. Even though there may have been some obstacles, when you look back on the day, the experience was absolutely amazing.

Hangin' with the Liberals

Hangin’ with the Liberals

 

All work and no play makes a sleepy Inderpal!

All work and no play makes a sleepy Inderpal!

Presenting the Sandanistas with a gift for speaking to us

Presenting the Sandinistas with a gift for speaking to us