Alternative Spring Break: Nicaragua

Last spring, several Carnegie Mellon students traveled to Nicaragua as part of an alternative spring break through the Center for Global Education. The group was part of the Global Studies House and included: Rachael Harding, Sruthi Chintakunta, Modolu Fatukasi, Akshay Sameer Dave, Manasi Kishor Patil, and Ismael Smith-Wade-El. "It was a humbling experience and one that showed me that there is a world outside of Carnegie Mellon, outside of Pittsburgh and outside of America," said Dave.

In Nicaragua, the group began their trip in Managua where they learned about Nicaragua's history from one of its natives and toured the city. "History plays a major role in Nicaraguan life, politics and outlook," said Fatukasi, something he realized as a result of the trip. They saw first-hand the poverty endured by city's residents, but they were impressed by the people and their resiliency. Said Patil, "Nicaraguans are always ready to learn new things and adapt."

On their second day, the students traveled to the Crater Santiago, an active volcanic crater outside the town of Masaya and then to a pottery workshop. At the workshop they learned about the process of pottery, as well as about Nicaraguan folklore and dancing. The group then went to Granada, the old capital of Nicaragua and the site of remnant Spanish colonial architecture.

The following day included a visit to the Jubilee House, an NGO that organized co-operatives, in Sandino City, just outside of Managua. That afternoon, they traveled to a Managuan free trade zone industrial park and spoke with the industrial park’s legal advisor. The advisor explained Nicaragua’s attempts to attract foreign investors, create jobs and fight poverty, and how free trade zones help with all three. This visit included a tour of a Mequila, or a sweat shop. As the students were leaving, the work day ended and all the workers ran out to catch buses or walk home. A few union members stayed behind to talk about their efforts to improve conditions at that particular sweat shop.

Three meetings made up the bulk of the group's fourth day in Nicaragua. The first was with Susan Kinne, the Director of Universidad Nacional De Ingenieria’s (National Engineering University’s) Program for Alternative Sources of Energy called Grupo Fenix. Later, they met with Leonel Teller Sanchez, Press Secretary of the Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC) at the PLC Headquarters. After that, they left Managua for Esteli where they met with Wilfredo Rodriguez, Director of Public Works Projects for the Municipal Government of Esteli and took a walking tour of the city. "Despite the fact that Nicaragua has a bad infrastructure," said Chinakunta, "the people are willing to go forward and make an effort to make it a better place to live in."

The next day, the group traveled to Miraflo, a village two hours from Esteli, where they visited the community school for students from first to sixth grade and spent the night at houses in the community. They enjoyed wonderful hospitality and learned about farming, the community, the culture, and even how to make tortillas. "What touched me most were the people of Nicaragua," said Patil. "Their spirit was inspiring. They were always eager to learn about new things, to co-operate and help each other and had a very strong sense of community."

After their stay in Miraflo, the group left for Palacaguina. There they toured Las Segovias Coffee Mill of PRODECOOP, a coffee co-operative that works with the farmers of Miraflor. After the tour, they enjoyed coffee and discussed the implications of fair-trade. They also participated in a coffee cupping session, where coffee was tasted and smelled for richness and quality. Later that day they met with Evenor Madriz, President of the Coffee Growers Association of Esteli.

The final day of the trip had a distinctly economic focus. The first thing in the morning, the group met with ProNicaragua, a private organization that works with the government to promote Foreign Direct Investment in Nicaragua. That was followed by a lunch meeting with Carlos Pacheco, a nationally respected economist who talked about the effects of globalization in Nicaragua. "One of the major themes of our discussion was transnational companies, which fuel and are fueled by American consumerism, a culture in itself," explained Harding. "I used to think that consumerism was ok; it was just different from other cultures. My experiences in Nicaragua are challenging that philosophy."

The group finished off the trip with shopping at the bustling local market. They packed a lot into their short time in Nicaragua, and the experience has clearly affected the participants. "I see that a world history class can teach us that colonization is bad or that freedom is good," said Dave, "but the experience of meeting real people with real stories and seeing real actions with real consequences is simply invaluable."