| ABOUT NICARAGUA |
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| Profile: Country Description (by Moon Handbooks Nicaragua authors Josh Berman and Randy Woods) "Fiery and molten under its shifting skin, peaceful and vast on the surface of its great lakes, Nicaragua is at once inspiring, frustrating and as deeply relaxing as a low-slung hammock. Here you'll find all manner of adventures, be they the kind with vines, monkeys, and machetes, or the type of unsought intercultural epiphanies that brand our souls for life. Nicaragua, the black sheep of Central America, is sorely misunderstood in the world. Since disappearing from the headlines in the early 1990's, life in Nicaragua has moved steadily forward., leaving behind in the rest of the world's minds only olive-clad images of the war-torn 1980's. But this is not a nation of perpetual crisis! The revolution and ensuing civil war that ended in 1990 now make up one more chapter in the nation's tumultuous history, and their recent memory add grit to the reality of today's Nicaragua. Nicaraguans-nearly six million of 'em--are fiercely proud of their heritage. Everything that makes them Nicaraguan-from the geology and history of their land to their poetry and music-- distinguishes them from their Central American neighbors. Nicaraguans survive amidst the day- to-day struggle that is life in the Developing World and they do so with a vitality and an ability to enjoy life in a way more prosperous societies seem to have forgotten. Nicaragua's toddler tourism industry continues to stretch and improve, nourished by a recent investment boom and a steady increase in visitors, and it is this freshness that makes touring Nicaragua such a powerful, rewarding, and challenging experience. Canned tourist programs are few and far between, and a trip here means spending time among Nicaraguans, whose charm, strong opinions, and casual hospitality are probably their nation's greatest attraction. They will show you that there is more to do and see in Nicaragua than you'll ever have time for--even if you make this your home for several years. While Nicaragua has never failed to attract visitors, the majority have been less than traditional tourists--people from all over the world have come here to work, write, study, paint and volunteer. Increasingly, they are also coming to relax on Nicaragua's beaches, hike her jungles, float her rivers and explore her countryside." -Moon Handbooks Nicaragua, 2005 Edition, Josh Berman and Randy Woods, Pgs. 1-2 Current Political Environment The current government is the fifth democratically elected government in recent Nicaraguan history. The government that toppled the Somoza dictatorship, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) held the country’s first democratic elections in 1984 and then lost the elections to a U.S.-supported coalition in 1990 at which time it ceded power. Daniel Ortega, the leader of the FSLN government of the 1980’s, won the much-watched presidential election of November of 2006, and assumed power on January 10, 2007. His leadership has the potential to usher in a new era of creative public-private partnerships as he combines his longtime commitment to poverty reduction with a more recent appreciation for the role of the private sector and macroeconomic policies. About Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast & the town of Bluefields The Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua is economically speaking the poorest region of a very poor country yet it comprises 57% of the national territory and has a vast supply of natural resources. The marine life on the Caribbean coast is unparalleled; the coastal rain forests are second only to those in Brazil. For more information, see: http://www.yorku.ca/cerlac/URACCAN/Coast.html The town of Bluefields is the capital of the South Atlantic Autonomous Region of southeastern Nicaragua and is located on Bluefields Bay at the mouth of the Escondido River. Bluefields’ population was 45,931 in 2000 and is Nicaragua's chief Caribbean port, from where hardwood and seafood, mostly shrimp and lobster, are exported. The population of Bluefields is largley made up of people from three distinct indigenous groups, two different groups of African descent (with divergent histories) as well as people of mixed Spanish and Indigenous ancestry (“mestizo, meaning “mixed” in English.) In this region, Creole English and Spanish, three indigenous languages are spoken as well as Garifuna, a West-African based language that has incorporated other languages over the years. The great cultural and linguistic diversity of this region makes the coast a fascinating place to visit, and is also a huge asset to any service-learning program or educational travel program. Why Nicaragua for Study Abroad and Service-Learning? During my nine years of experience leading trips to Nicaragua it has become clear to me that this country, with its rich history, cultural diversity, rain forests and volcanoes, is an ideal location to develop service-learning and study abroad partnerships. Opportunities abound for the development of collaborative research projects (with a Nicaraguan university or NGO), academic exchange programs or service-learning programs. In addition, the two very distinct coasts of Nicaragua offer incredibly diverse cultural and ecological resources and experiences. The Caribbean coast, home to indigenous and English-speaking ethnic groups, is an ideal place to develop an educational program in Latin America for students with no Spanish-speaking background. |
