Nitin Rishi reports back on three weeks in Nicaragua

Zulu Ten kicked off their Nicaraguan Easter celebrations (Semana Santa) reminiscing the long days of trek. We trekked from El Terrero to Las Palmas, the small community where we helped complete the rustic museum dedicated to Leonel Rugama, the revolutionary Nicaraguan poet. Living in El Terrero, and only travelling in the mornings to Las Palmas to work on the museum had unfortunately meant that we had not developed such a personal relationship with the community as we had done in El Terrero.

Spending the night in Las Palmas was pretty special for the whole group, it was amazing to see how sustainable and progressive this community was, and despite it’s proximity to El Terrero, things were very different. There is a lot of pride towards Leonel Rugama, arguably heightened by the fact that all the members of the community that we met were relatives of Rugama! That day came to a close with an amazing meal and Nicaraguan music around the fire.

Our next day in Las Palmas began with an eye opening episode. The community had offered to allow us to milk the cows, and we all accepted. Milking a cow is an interesting sensation… Anyway, after the milking, one of the cows tripped over because of the ropes that had been tied to its legs. After several attempts of trying to lift the cow, the community surrendered to the fact that it had broken its leg, and it was unlikely to heal. To our surprise their resolution to the problem was to kill and sell her for the meat. A pick up truck blasting salsa music soon arrived, and a gang of Nicaraguans armed with machetes and daggers arrived at the scene. Without hesitation the cow was stabbed in the neck and blood poured out of the writhing creature. They skinned it and began work to obtain their meat. A milking cow in the Miraflor region of Nicaragua costs in the region of $400 dollars, and they only get $200 for the meat. That’s a big financial loss for the community, not to mention the shortage of dairy that is to follow. There was a lot to take in, and for most of us, it was the first time we had seen an animal been killed. It’s so easy for us to get our meat on a plate, but as we saw the journey to get it there can be a lot more complex.

A trip to Esteli allowed us to see the contrast between rural Nicaragua and the city. Esteli is flooded with murals depicting the revolutions, and of course the local hero - Rugama. It was a pleasant change. It was back to work after the Easter celebrations and we finally began working on the highly anticipated community centre mural. Painting and plastering resulted in a pretty impressive centre.

Our time at El Terrero raced by, and when the time for us to return grew closer, we realized how settled we felt in this place that was initially so alien to us. Additionally, the importance of our presence in the village became clearer, and not just for the purpose of building the centre and museum. Many of the villagers have very routine lives in the villages, which means that our presence there gives them a change - basic English lessons, the games with the children, spending time with the families - it’s something different, both culturally and from a general perspective. It was such a unique experience, and sharing it with such an amazing group of people made it a very memorable phase.