On Thursday I rode on the back of Ubaldo's motorcycle to a very rural school in Jinotega called Colegio El Paraiso (The Paradise). It was raining during most of the 45-minute ride and the sinuous and steep dirt/clay roads were full of huge holes and rocks. Although I had a helmet with a face guard and Ubaldo blocking the elements in front of me, I was absolutely soaked and covered in mud by the time we arrived. I was wearing sandals (all I have left after I was robbed last week) and they were absolutely full of mud. All the little kids were pointing and laughing at my feet. Wasn't feeling very professional, but it was a good ice-breaker...
El Paraiso lived up to its name in terms of natural beauty. I have never seen such lush, tropical jungle in all my life! There were even more amazing vantage points that we passed, but considering the rain and the road conditions, I couldn't very well ask Ubaldo to stop so that I could take some pictures.
This sign explains how many millions of cordabas (the national currency) were used to repair the school. The national government's logo (or at least one of them) is in the upper left-hand corner of the sign and says 'United Nicaragua Triumphs!' MINED (bottom right-hand corner) stands for Ministerio de Educacion (easily close to English).
This mural in the school's 'hallway' asks, 'What are my footprints?' Environmental preservation is the mission of many governmental projects and non-governmental organizations.
I have to say that this is a rather nice latrine. Most latrines are missing at least one of the following parts--door, roof, walls, toilet lid.
It is a good sign that the school has a fence intact around it. Most elementary schools have stricter security precautions than Brown University. There is a lot of theft and vandalism that takes place in the country.
After interviewing one of the teachers, I found out that she lives in this little wood hut during the week. She visits her one-year-old daughter, who lives in Jinotega with a nanny, on the weekends. MINED decides which teachers will work in the rural schools and will not allow her to transfer to the urban area. Although she misses her daughter tremendously, this little hut isn't suitable for raising a small child.
There are three classrooms, two of which have wood panel dividers to create four small classrooms.
Most of these children are too poor to afford school uniforms. Half of them were absent because they are cutting coffee.
I thought we were going to wipeout on this road when it was raining...
El Paraiso, which turns out to be the name of the coffee cooperative in the area, is very beautiful but extremely poor, as you can see.
The owners of this very small house spray painted the name 'Daniel' on the side, refering to Daniel Ortega, the current President.
No comments:
Post a Comment