Pictures, Finally!

I´ve taken some sage advice from Josh, and started to post some of my photos up on Picasa. Some slideshows are shown here to the right, but all of the albums can be found here.

A Brief History

Nicaragua, like many other developing countries, has a very conflicted history when it comes to foreign influence. Like most countries in Central America, from the mid 1500´s until the early 1800´s, Nicaragua was subject to Spanish rule. Nicaragua gained its independence in 1838. In the late 1800´s, the US and several European countries gaine dinterest in Nicaragua as a prospect for a canal to connect the Pacific and Atlantic, but for many reasons it was dropped and the Panama Canal was built instead.

The beginning of the 20th century brought about the start of the US Intervention in Nicaraguan History. Fueled by interests in the Canal and other Nicaraguan Exports, the US held a Military presence in Nicaragua from 1909 to 1932, supporting the rebelling forces against President Zeleya. Eventually, with the support of the US, Somoza came to power. His family would continue to rule for the next 43 years, which is known as the Somoza Dynasty (1936-1979)

Named after a revolutionary from the 1930´s, a revolution was started in 1976 labeled The Sandinista Movement. On July 19, 1979, the revolution came to a succesful end and the Sandinista Front took control of the government. Due to a strong national unity, and an active involvement of the people, the government and economy should immediate improvements. The new government, however, was not supported by the rest of the world. A main opposition, due to support from Castro and Cuba, came from the US. Not only did the US enact a trade embargo to stifle the growing economy, but the US also funded a counter revolution which later came to be known as the Contra Movement.

The Sandinista Revolution started out with grand intentions, listing female equality, free education and secure human rights as many of its main goals. Sadly, from all of the opposition and struggling ecoomy, quickly fell victim to the usual corruption and stagnation that is all too common to developing regions. While there is still an annual celebration to commemorate the Sandinista Victory (July 19th, which I was lucky enough to be here for), many Nicaraguans will openly grumble about Ortega´s failures - the current President - and his shameless self promotion. At least it´s a good sign that they can openly grumble about it without the fear of higher powers punishing them for treason. It is a long slow road to true independence and freedom, but Nicaragua is renowned for its rebellious spirit and will not give up any time soon. While the government here is not flawless, it represents the voice of the people to at least a certain extent. Someone once said that democracy is the worst form of government we know of, except for all the others.

Continued Globalization...

Continued from here

Please believe me when I say that I´m not trying to elicit some ground breaking argument for us to settle, once and for all, the ultimate status of globalization. First of all, you´re absolutely right, it is an extremely complex topic with not just black and white answers. Secondly, I know all to well where an argument with you will lead (I refer you to your "cats vs dogs" argument with Kristina circa 1994). Finally, given our chosen professions, I figure no matter how valid my points are you will still manage to write circles around me. That being said, let me take another crack at this. I´m not too sure how much I can comment on the backlashes of globalization, but I can make a few estute observations and comparisons in regards to the culture washing you refer to.

First I will make a general observation on the acceptance of, for lack of a better reference, American culture in these two countries. From my perspective, Kenya seems more open to accepting American Culture. My guess as to why is that American Culture there seems to be associated with an unshakeable image of wealth and prosperity. The extreme poverty of Kenya puts them in a position to be in want of anything representing wealth and prosperity. Nicaragua, on the other hand, seems to be more independent and indifferent to American culture. This may be for several reasons. Maybe the proximity of Nicaragua to America makes everything more readily available, and thus not as new and exciting. Another reason could be be because of the conflicted historical relationship of Nicaragua and America (see the US supported former Samoza Regime, the US established National Gaurd, the US funded Contra movement in opposition to the Sandinista Revolution: all of these are relatively frowned at by Nicaraguans).

On a less speculative note, I can compare the concept of a mall in Nicaragua to one in Kenya (a mall being the epitome of mass production and consumer culture). The mall we visited in Kenya (Nairobi) was referred to as the Yaya Center. The outside seemed average enough, just another large nondescript building in town with a very small parking lot and lots of people sitting around outside. Inside was another story. In most other places in Kenya, I felt like a novelty. Between my white skin and my, well, white skin, I stood out like a sore thumb. The Yaya Center easily had the highest concentration of other white people I saw anywhere in Kenya. Exploring some of the stores, I began to see why. The price tags were catered to the higher income population and more frivolous individuals. Also, the mall only had a few stores and took maybe 15 minutes to pass them all before you found yourself retracing steps. Nicaragua (Managua) on the other hand, is rife with shopping malls. Not only are the malls bigger, but the prices are much more reasonable and I had the blaringly obvious pleasure of being one of two "gringos" in the place (the other being my friend). Again, these reactions of locals to the malls may be becaus eof the relative distribution of wealth, or it may be because of the availability of such luxuries.

In terms of how the different generations seem to accept this globalization, it seems pretty comparable in both Kenya and Nicaragua to America. The younger the person, the easier it is for them to pick up a new contraption and figure out how it works. While visiting a school in Kenya, I relinquished my new digital camera - which I was still learning all the features of - to an overly curious little kid (who was a former street kid with very little first hand experience of technology). Not only was my camera returned with a rapidly filled memory card, but settings had been changed (seemingly intentionally and unintentionally) that I didn´t even know my camera had. In Nicaragua, I have seen many signs of the same. At least in Malacatoya (the main village I am working with) It is safe to say that the younger the family, the more likely they are to have appliances like TVs and Radios (the only houses with nothing more than a few lights are houses where only the grandparents remain, all kids have moved out and started their own families). All in all, Youth in both countries, and America too for that matter, seem more open and apt to pick up new things (technology, fashion, entertainment, etc.). This could be due to a less concrete connection to how things were, or it could be attributed to being less afraid of the rapidly accelerating change (due to lack of perspective) of the world we live in.

Discussion on Globalization.

A comment from my brother, Josh, currently in the Peace Corp stationed in Moldova.

Brett,
Thanks for trying to take a stab at my question. I have to say though I'm a little confused by the direction of the response you take.

You mention that what I ask “is a bit of a loaded question.” But I'm wondering why you say so. Trust me when I say I wasn't hoping for an indictment of globalization by you. Obviously it's a complex process with more gray than black or white. But still there has to be some dissenting voices, and I'm curious to know what that backlash is and how it differs from Kenya to Nicaragua. Or maybe you are saying – if I am reading between the lines correctly – that there is no backlash.

You say you haven't had any negative conversations about downsides of Western culture. That's good, (great, in fact). But does that suggest to you that there are none to be had, or merely that people are too polite to mention these downsides to a guest in their community (and a representative of that particular hegemonic institution in question).

I don't think anyone could argue the myriad benefits of globalization. You mention access to information and more freedom of choice, which are certainly true. But I wonder how that access is spread across the economic line: is it equal for poor and wealthy alike? What about in the families you visit? How do they compare with an average American, or even an average Nicaraguan family? Has this new information focused itself in the hands of the wealthy and thus compounded the economic divide, or has it helped to close the gap.

You mention seeing people on the buses with tons of American clothes and that there is an abundance of American products for sale. So how does this help the people. Maybe they look cool (or at least like the characters from Western movies they see). But at what price to their economy – and taking that a step further – to the livelihood of the individual. What effect does the flooding of cheap second-hand clothing on the market have on local or national clothing businesses. Can anyone compete with this? Or is this just another way that a poorer country is forced to become irrevocably reliant on a wealthier country.

If you want a place to start asking people around you, I suggest CAFTA (and it's relationship to Nicaragua's increasingly lopsided trade balance) or the rise in the drug economy. Or maybe, when you're visiting those families, do an informal survey of how many family members are forced to work abroad to send remittances home for lack of local job opportunities. I read somewhere that Nicaragua is more than 50 percent. What effect is the lack of one or both parents having on the families, and how will this manifest itself in the future generations?

You may be correct in saying there isn't a backlash to globalization and that it's benefits outweigh its costs. But I am pretty skeptical of the rosy picture you seem to be painting. Mostly I am surprised because I have never been to a country where people (with a little probing) aren't willing to voice their concerns about the effects that a more dominant culture – be it American, Russian, French or any other former colonial power – have on their own culture. And here you've been to two in the same summer.

My response:



You present all valid points, those are indeed many of the blaringly obvious downsides of globalization. Perhaps, also, I have managed to paint an overly rosy picture; but I want to make sure that you know not all effects of western culture and technology have the negative effect of providing youth of a developing country with false idols such as 50 cent and Tupac (I am referring of course to your blog posting here and your underlying implications that Western Culture and Mass Media can give the wrong impression). I don´t disagree with this view in particular, mind you, for this effect can even be seen in the United States with kids having an overly romanticized view of the “Gangster” way or gunslinging in the Wild West even. There are many downsides to globalization, but all too often these downsides are blown out of proportion to the effect of ignoring how it indeed helps more than we know. I am not saying there are no backlashes, I´m saying the backlashes should be fairly obvious and I want to focus on the unseen benefits.

I will start by citing one of my first observations in Kenya. The Telecommunications network there is, in my opinion, more advanced in many ways than that of America. Almost no one has a land line, but cell phones almost as common in the States. The network there, however, has many more features that are well ahead of the times in America. Cell phones are pay as you go. You add minutes to your phone by either buying a scratch card with a special code that you text to the network hub, or you go to a vendor and they literally text more minutes to your account. This same feature, in fact, is in Nicaragua as well. Additionally in Kenya, if my friend is out of minutes and I have some to spare, I can actually text them some minutes if desired. Because of the established communication giants in America, this is something that we should not expect to see in our country anytime soon. Because of the lacking infrastructure in developing countries, however, they are able to implement this newer wireless technology much quicker.

This feature has provided not only a simpler method for communication with greater availability for the masses, but has had several other positive effects as well. When I say people buy minutes, I mean that they add a balance to their phones (Kenyan Shillings in Kenya, and Dollars in Nicaragua) and then the balance is diminished based on the calling rate applicable to who you call (it costs more to call land lines and international). This means that when you give some of your balance to a friend, you are literally loaning them money. The way that this feature has been put to use is that vendors can actually sell their goods without having to accept cash. It is very possible, and quite common in fact, for people to buy things such as a soda or batteries by sending a text rather than handing over some bills.

This example is more of a convenience than an actual benefit, but there is another underlying benefit. Having a bank account is a luxury that has not been available to many Kenyans in the past. Because of minimum balance requirements and excessive service charges, a bank account was common only to the upper class. The capabilities of this Telecommunications, however, has effectively given the middle and lower classes access to the advantages of banking. People have even gone so far as to use the service as a substitute for ATM´s in some places.

In response to your question on American Products and how they benefit the people, I can´t be quite as optimistic, however. Nicaragua has a very troubled history (both political and economic) that has been heavily influenced by past and present US politics and desires. While superficial benefits can be seen in the availability of low cost “quality” products from companies such as Walmart (which owns at least two of the major supermarkets here), one can´t help but wonder how much of those profits actually stays in country and how much is filtered North to the corporate headquarters. Additionally, this irrevocable reliance on a wealthier country is blaringly obvious for me. The proximity of Nicaragua to a wealthy nation makes it seemingly worse here than in Kenya (although not by much). Because of the lack of Industry here, many products are purchased from foreign companies. Additionally, this means that when the product breaks down the only replacement parts available usually come from foreign companies as well.

I can´t say for sure how long this effect will last, probably for decades to come due to the political instability of the region, but I can say it is not unnoticed. It will take time to fix, but people are trying. Many people do realize the benefits of economic independence and domestic production over imports, and I have already read several books on the topic in my time here. There is a reason why I have been working on technologies with simple designs using locally available materials and technologies. This is the same reason why I am working with a local NGO rather than a foreign service. While it has become a bit of a fad word recently, it is promising to see that there are more prevailing sustainable solutions today than ever before.

A Return to Productivity

I don´t want to give the impression that I´ve spent the last month lounging around in front of a tv, but I finally feel like I am once again being productive. My first three weeks in Nicaragua seem to have been filled with nothing more than finding excuses to force myself into becoming familiar with both the projects of the NGO I´m working with, as well as the way of life and day to day happenings of Malacatoya, the village in which I spent at least half of my time. This past week, however (week 4 of 9), I have actually started to collect data for the turbine assessment I have been assigned.

My first step in this project was to become familiar with how it all operates. Malacatoya is a village of over 100 houses, but 30 of these houses have recently been supplemented with electricity from a microhydro turbine that´s more or less in the middle of town. I say more or less, and use the term town in the loosest sense possible, because these thirty houses I´ve been getting familiar with are connected by nothing more than a network of steep and muddy mountain trails. Needless to say, I´ve quickly become accustomed to my new rubber boots being an acceptable substitute for which a high-tech americanized hiking boot would normally be a requisite. After three weeks of wandering and socializing, my first real act as an Engineer was to start my census by making a map of the houses with electricity. This was done, oddly enough, by doing what I had already been doing for the last few weeks (wandering and socializing), but this time I had a GPS in tow to mark the connected houses as waypoints.

After a having the full picture of how the houses were distributed on the network, it was time to get to know the turbine. To do this, I needed a voltmeter, a clock, a good book, a hammock, and an Ipod with solid headphones to block out the incessant whirring of a water jet being converted into electricty.

*Technical description, skip if needed*
The electricity is produced by a three phase generator which is connected via belt drive to a paddle wheel driven by the water jet. A three phase generator is a much simpler and cheaper design than other motors by altering the output current into three identical loads (or phases). The requirement with this, however, is that these three outputs need to go to equal loads (or demands). Enter me and my responsibilities. While watching the turbine for 24 hours straight, I took notes on the three outputs (the turbine house is in the middle of town with three lines branching out in different directions to 10 houses each, 30 total). Because of the controlling mechanism connected to the generator, the electrical output corresponds to the demand of the network of houses. Therefore, by watching the output I get an idea of the demand and whether or not the three lines are balanced unevenly (a invariable unbalance will break the generator).
*End of technical description, tune back in*

The 24 hours actually passed surprisingly quickly. I used a hammock that I bought at a market in Nicaragua for $8, a sleeping bag (a cotton sheet pretty much) I found for free at some point in college, a book I got as a Christmas Present (Going Postal by Terry Pratchett, very entertaining) and my Ipod to pass the time. Maybe it was the noise, maybe the novelty of the experience ("camping" in a rainforest), or maybe the bugs, but I really only slept for a few hours that night and was fine the next day.

The next step of my investigation is currently halfway done. I am going from house to house to see what appliances (tv´s, radios, dvd players, fridges, lights, and fans are all common) exist and how often they are used. While its interesting enough to see what the village has opted to use their new found electricity for, my favorite discovery is the predominant intimacy of the community. Many times in my first pass at surveying the houses and their appliances I would see the same people in several different houses through out the day. This happened so often, in fact, that I really couldn´t tell who belonged to which house by the time I was done.

All of this said and done, I really only have one more week of work to do in Malacatoya. I have ten more houses to survey, a few odds and ends to measure, one more day watching the turbine spinning round and round, and a forced failure of the turbine to monitor(telling the entire community to turn all of their apliances on at the same time and watching how the system responds). Whats next has yet to be seen. I have five weeks left and only a few simple tasks to do. I think now is when the real explorations start and I find out what the rest of Nicaragua is really about!

"Impending Globalization..."

I´ve recently been asked by a globally aware, if not conscious, individual to express my observations on the views of how "people from [Kenya and Nicaragua] try to hang on to their indigenous culture in the face of impending globalization". In my honest opinion, it´s a bit of a loaded question. I´m sure I am reading far too much into the direction that this question intends, but only for the purpose of providing my answer. Of course there is the point of view that globalization will have the effect of completely erasing unique cultures. There is the remote possibility that everyone on earth, given enough time to intermix, will be the same shade of light brown and have the exact same culture and language and currency. Sure, its a possibility, but thats not my opinion.

In my expereiences over the past two months, I´ve encountered some very interesting questions about life in America. More often than not, they stem from preconcieved notions of unlimited wealth or complete and unregulated freedom in America. I haven´t had many (none actually that I can think of) conversations geared towards the down side of western culture. Maybe it´s because I haven´t been digging deep enough, or maybe it´s because its not what most people think of.

My current observations on globalization have been that people here are very receptive. Granted, I haven´t really experienced what could rightly be deemed an "indigenous culture". I´ve only experienced life in rural villages. Nevertheless, people love to be able to tap into the rest of the world by means of a radio or a television. More often than not, of course, its for mindless entertainment, but it´s still information. People do stick to their ways, but like everyone, they crave something new, they want to see whats on the other side of the fence.

As I was taking the bus from my village to Managua today, I had an interesting revelation. On a side note, to get from my house in Malacatoya (a village of about 100 homes, connected with nothing more than a muddy mountain trail, and only 30 have electricity from the turbine I´m helping to improve) to Managua (the capital city of Nicaragua) I have to walk for 45 minutes, and take two busses, and walk another 20 minutes. On the bus today I was looking at the various other people with me. It dawned on me that the majority of clothing with a brand or label was indeed American. While not as prevalent in Kenya, it was still noticeable. Hat´s people were wearing had names like Oakley, Birkenstock, various college sports teams, Disney, etc. Also, hygeine products like Head & Shoulders and Scott Tissue are very common. While maybe not manufactured in the US, they´re all American brands.

I think what I´m trying to get at is that there seems to be very little resistance to globalization. While it may not be consciously acknowledged and welcomed, it seems that globalization does have a positive effect on development in a third world country. While availability from other factors such as remoteness and lack of income still present a major issue, information and opportunity of frredom of chioce is slowly expanding its reaches to even the most remote of places in both Africa and Central America.

This expanse of information and products, however, doesn´t seem to erase the local culture. It may mix in here and there, but it doesn´t have the dominant effect that many skeptics seem to think it might have. As can be noticed in places in America too, driving two hours out of the city and in to the country you can notice many changes. The accents are different, slang is different, clothes are different, gait si different, the list goes on. Even such a close proximity doesn´t have the mixing effect that people predict globalization will supposedly have. Of course, thats just my opinion from an unformulated, ranting, exhausted, soap box mounted perspective. More unphilosophical stories will come tomorrow.

A Comparison of Markets

Yesterday was another fieldtrip out of Managua, nothing official of course, just a visit to a market of arts and crafts in Masaya. While exploring the market, I couldn´t help but draw a few parallels between it and the experiences of a market in Kenya. First of all, and most blaringly obvious, were the names of the markets. Masaya Municipilidad (the market in Masaya) is oddly close to the Masai Market we experienced in Nairobi. Another similarity was the most common types of gifts. Small bracelets and leather pieces were by far the most common souveniers at every booth, in both Masaya and Masai.

There were a few differences though. While Masai (in Kenya) was an open air market with very few vendors even having tables, Masaya (Nicaragua) was (while not in a building per se) was covered with a roof and each vendor had their own store/table. Another difference was the method of salesmanship. In Masaya (Nicaragua), most vendors are sitting by their tables, always saying "any questions?" as you pass by or show a glimmer of interest. In Masai (Kenya), however, before we even entered the square of the market, we were swarmed with people trying to pawn off their goods. In some cases people would even try to grab our arms or shoulders to direct our attention were they thought it belonged.

Both experiences were a little overwhelming at times, but fun nonetheless. Given the chance, I would definitely return to either one. At the Masaya Market (Nicaragua) I picked up a hammock for only $8 (after a little negotiation of course). I´ll be putting it to good use over the next week when I return to my village, so we´ll see how the quality is!

A Better Perspective

At first (expectedly, of course) I was constantly thinking that I had managed to get myself in over my head. My experiences in Kenya didn´t seem to carry much weight or prepare me in any way what so ever for this new adventure in Nicaragua. I couldn´t understand much of the language and I would feel overly nervous when it came time for me to try and communicate my thoughts, opinions or answers.

Having a few days to readjust back in Managua (after a week in the village and absolutely no one to speak english with) I´m beginning to see that those thoughts were born merely of shock and awe. I still have trouble understanding some of what is said, but I´m no longer afraid to stumble over my words and force my way through a conversation.

My 4th of July celebration has consisted of many affirmations. Despite the fact that there has been very little "American" about this holiday, it has been by far my most edifying Independence Day yet. Going out to dinner with two other girls, I´ve been the one to barter with the cabbies. My size, accent and confidence seems to carry more credibility and bargaining power than my companions. My time in Kenya has led me to have no shame in lowballing some one who I now know is trying to take advantage of my skin color. The conversations at dinner were on the different perspectives of the relative absolute poverty of different countries (the unanimous conclusion is that it would be preferrable to be poor in a village in Nicaragua than be poor anywhere in the US). The check after dinner was hastily produced by our waiter with several attempts to elicit an excessive tip (which we were able to catch and avoid on the mere principle of the matter).

I know when I return to the village on Monday, I will be back in over my head, but at least I´ve had this peace of mind and reassurance to know that my lessons are being learned and the experience has not been fully wasted! I´m keeping a close watch on the number of days I have left, and even though the number is currently at 46, I feel like it won´t be enough time to see, do and learn everything I hope to.

Day to day

So I´m back in civilization again, but ever so briefly. I´ve spent the last week in the middle of a nicaraguan forest, living in a shack (which actually has electricity and a shower, more or less) and completely out of my element. The only way to get in touch with the rest of thew world is to hike for 45 minutes to the top of a peak to capture a glimmer of cell service (even then it costs an arm and a leg because I´m so far out).

The family I´m living with is incredible, but the adjustment has been a little tough for me. They talk a mile a minute, with a very different accent than my americanized spanish education (which was in high school, mind you) prepared me for. To the majority of questions, I can only respond "¿que?" (what?). After asking that two or three times, I usually just surrender and say "si" (yes), not knowing if it´s an appropriate answer or not.

The head of the household is named Pablo. He´s fairly young (I would guess in his mid 30´s) and really friendly. His wife, Irma, is very intense and I feel like she´s always yelling (wether out of frustration because of something her youngest has just done, or in hopes that it will help me understand more of what she´s trying to say to me). The oldest son is named Juan Pablo, or Pablito, and is 14 years old. He´s seems more mature than a lot of friends I had at GU, but then again most college kids are pretty immature anyways. The next oldest is Marlon, who is 7. He and I have been attached at the hip for the last week, romping through the hills and forest together every day. He´s old enough to know more spanish than me, but young enough to have the patience to help me learn what he´s saying. The youngest is Lionel, and is only 2. He´s extremely boisterous and rarely listens to his mother or brothers (maybe thats why I like him so much).

The part of the country I´m in is incredible. I´m in central Boaco (a state in Nicaragua) in the mountains and forests of central Nicaragua. It rains almost everyday, which means most of my days are speant sloshing along muddy trails wearing my newly acquired rubber boots (which cost me about $7). There are several streams through the area, and one is big enough to have a few swimming holes. I haven´t seen them all yet, but the most recent one I´ve been shown is 10-15 feet deep (I´ll save the stupidity of cliff jumping for when I´m closer to my departure). Fruit trees are everywhere, and sugar cane is easy to come by. The Machete that I carry with me everywhere comes in pretty handy for a simple snack on the go! Every meal I have consist of rice, beans and tortillas. Luckily I´m not sick of it yet. Actually, it´s a nice change of pace from the college life style of waking up and asking myself "what the hell did I eat yesterday?"