By Edgar Bear
After a bloody shootout between the army and the guerillas, the army forced people from their homes and lined them up. They were investigating the youth. They wanted to know if these people were in support of the guerillas.
A friend of mine, Erik and a member of his family were called out. His version of the story is that the army took far too much time with them. The fear of being taken, of being shot dead as others had in previous days and never heard from again was running high. However, the next door neighbor saw what was happening. This neighbor called her husband who happened to be a higher up in the military, and told him of the situation. The husband then gave an order to release the youth. Thankfully, the call came in time because the Nicaraguan Army was known for committing atrocities against its own people where they were often abducted and to this day some have not been found. Nicaragua has a rich history. There is a history of a people who were maltreated by the government for years. It came to be the common folk against those in power. And innocent people like my friend were caught in the middle where some did die for things like simply walking about the city. Yet, thank God, Nicaragua has undergone a tremendous change. No longer does the Somoza dictatorship that was sadly supported by the U.S. government control the country; instead, there is constant growth happening where the country is growing due to its beautiful beaches, food, historical sites, and people. This was our experience in Nicaragua: At the border between Honduras and Nicaragua, a young lady who looked to be a foreigner asked me about the currency exchange rate of the country. I replied, but I also noticed her accent, and asked her where she was from. Maria was Lithuanian and was traveling from country to country by way of hitchhiking. She said she needed to get to another town before it got too late. I was shocked. How could she hitchhike? That’s crazy. And then she asked if we could take her to a place where there was a hostel. As she asked me this, I was quite skeptical. It didn’t matter that she was European; Europeans can also steal and take advantage of people. However, on the other hand, she was traveling in such a way that is unsafe in many areas, and I took it into consideration that she could not overpower us. So, I approached my cousin and he agreed that we could drop her off at a nearby city. So, we did. Note: She was a great person to be around. Sometime later, we arrived in the capital city of Nicaragua: Managua. We stayed with my friend Douglas and his family. Douglas received us with great joy and love. We felt overwhelmingly welcome. He and his wife Diana made sure we were taken care of under all circumstances. They had two kids who were a joy to spend time with. They were incredibly funny; for example, the youngest kid, Jim, who is two year old, when first meeting David said, “Hola, Gringo” (Hi, Gringo). We couldn’t stop laughing. We still don’t know how he knew to say that. After spending a few days with Douglas, come to find out, Douglas used to be an ex-gang member, and not only so, but he used to be the leader of the gang. The stories I heard from Douglas were that his gang often took to the streets to fight not solely with fists but with machetes and oftentimes with guns. Douglas also spent time in prison. This man had lived a hard life. And the reasons that he gave for having acted so violently in his life were because of the environment he grew up in where his family knew war. Yet, Douglas tells me that it is thanks to God that he has changed his life around. He left the gang life and went on to study where he attained a law degree. Interestingly, however, after practicing his profession for some time, he decided to leave it behind in order to serve his community in a Christian organization by the name of Young Life. Douglas works with troubled youth in the area that he lives in which is the not-so-nice part of town. But from what I have seen, after talking to the youth and giving a lesson myself, Douglas has done a great job working with his community. He helped raise leaders in eight barrios where there are more than 50 kids being helped in each barrio. He truly is an inspiration to his community and to the youth that he works with. After spending some days with Douglas and his family, we went to Granada and then San Juan del Sur. Granada has an old Spanish-style look while at the same time it is modern. It is a safe area to walk about and sight-see. There are beautiful buildings all over, and there is a lake nearby that makes the city that much better. And just outside the city, we spent time in the lush green forest where we saw monkeys. One of them, who was about a year old, was quite fond of us and played with us for around an hour. I found this to be amusing and beautiful. San Juan del Sur is a beach town. Here we arrived just in time to see the beautiful sunset. It lit up the sky in an array of colors: purple, pink, blue, white, and those in between. It was inspiring. Then, David had the idea of sitting by the beach and playing our guitar and vihuela (a 5-stringed Mexican instrument that looks like a guitar). As we were playing, a man asked if he could join us. We said it was okay. So, he began to play the guitar, and as soon as he started playing, five of his friends came around to join us. It turns out that he was the guinea pig, he was used as bait so that in all, six people could sing songs with us while on the beach. Regardless, it was a great time. These men sang Nicaraguan songs that pertained to their history and their life. It was unexpected and quite enjoyable. We sang together and we got to know a bit about each other’s lives. Some fought in the war, others traveled by playing music, one of them spoke four languages, and some had lived in the states. Each person there had an interesting life story. This is the same for all people: we each have our stories. We at times want to lump others into certain categories forgetting that there is more to the people than the name given them. We say things like black people are, Mexicans this, white people this, or Asians that. All the while forgetting or not recognizing that we are complex individuals with complex life happenings that shape who we are. Our stories are different. And to take the time to know or to hear these differences according to the individual, brings about knowledge which shapes our own understandings that then hopefully cause us recognize the complexity of the human. And in regards to Nicaragua, we have seen and heard from those who experienced war, who are wealthy, who live in poverty, who enjoy baseball, soccer, education, who love their country, and the list continues. We have seen things we agree with and those that we disagree with. And I find this to be true with all people from the U.S. and other: there are things I have seen in them that I agree with and those I do not agree with; and yet, I attempt to love on them despite my own faults because that is what I am called to do. Some people's names have been changed. -Edgar |
DavidMuchacho simpatico EdgarEdgar is Christian. He loves soccer, traveling, and meeting new people. Archives
July 2016
Categories |