Oral History Project

I interviewed Yaritza Gonzalez, a student at Dartmouth College who participated in the CCESP trip last winter, 2014.

Please click on the following link to listen to the interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B29odaZxVUw

When did you go to Nicaragua and what community did you go to?

This past year during winter break I went to Nicaragua. We were specifically in Siuna. That is a part of Nicaragua that is in the South East of Nicaragua. We were not in Managua which was the capital. We stopped by there briefly but we spent most of our time, which was about 2 weeks, in Siuna.

Was this you first time doing a service trip in another country?

No, I had done a service trip before to Ghana. I had spent 3 month in Ghana. Ashama-ghana. I was there to do community service, specifically teaching classes in English for 6th and 3rd graders.

What sparked you interest in going to Nicaragua or just helping local communities?

I was interested in working with different communities across the world because coming from a very tight knit community myself, from Los Angeles, CA, specifically from Inglewood, that’s where I’m from, I learned to value the idea of community building and community service. I didn’t know that was the name for it back then. I just know that we did it because it was expected of us as community members. My mom always taught me that you needed to provide as much as you can with whatever you have to anyone. And so those values were instilled in me and I wanted to put those values above anything else here at Dartmouth College. Because there are so many oppotuniries to be able to travel and have it fully funded by the college, I took advantage of that, not just in Inglewood but in other countries also.

What did a typical day in Nicaragua look like for you?

A typical day would be waking up very early, around maybe 6. We all slept together in the same space so when one person woke up we all woke up. We didn’t have an alarm or any electronics. Then we would have breakfast, which consisted of coffee and also beans and rice. I can’t remember the specific things, but there was usually always beans or some kind of staple food that was easy to make in masses. It was really nice beasue the women that cooked for us were always very friendly. We would always help them with dishes after the meal, then we would chat about how things were going. We’d talk about music. People would sing and dance. Giselle Fallo, which is one of the students that went with me would always be singing with ther ukulele. Then after we would eat, we would distribute ourselves into different teams and then we would go into different work loads. Some people would work on making cement to make the latrines. Other people would make cememnt for stoves. Sometimes people would go and do gardening. That was one of the projects that they had started that was new. Gardening to be able to make local vegetables for the people around there and to sell them. Then after that we would go back in for lunch and had the same kind of meal and then go back to work again The we would come back in again to shower and eat. Then after dinner with my group of friends that I made there we would sing and dance. Josefina Ruiz was one of the other students that was there and I became vey close to her because we both like to sing and dance and we were very fluent in Spanish so we were able to communicate with the wokrers that were with us. We would always sing rancheras and corridos and las alabanzas. It was really nice having that down time. Then we would go to sleep and start all over again.

What does the typical day of a Nicaraguan look like?

For their typical day, I learned a little bit of it. At least for the women, it was mostly taking care of the children and cooking throughout the day. It takes a long time to make the food. I feel like they would wake up really early and make the breakfast and then spend the rest of the day to washing dishes and then make food for lunch. It was centered around making food for the family, while the men went to work. I don’t know specifically on what because we were always with out group but I’m assuming they would go out to work. Some women also work. I don’t want to say it was very gendered in that sense, but there were a few women that would be the owners of little shops in the town. In the evening I would see some of the women go out and wash their clothes in the river because that’s how we showered sometimes.

Based on your experience in Nicaragua., what would you say is one of the biggest problems that they face?

Based on what I learned from when I was there, I recognized that they have come a long way. A few years back they didn’t even have electricity, but that’s something they’ve been improving. They been slowly developing, but I feel like that’s hard to say because every community is developing but I feel like they have come a long way from the way that the trip used to go before. We just focused on latrines and stoves. I guess having the right equipment at home was a big necessity, materials that would help them live a more comfortable life. I mean people there I’m sure are open to adapt to whatever they’re given, but it would be nice to be able to have more commodities, and I feel like that’s what Bridges to Community is doing, providing a more comfy livelihood. Aside from that I guess I would have to do more research, but this is just based on my experience.

Did you ever interact with little kids in Nicaragua?

I personally love little kids. I was one of the people that went to help with the mural making at one of the schools. They would always be there trying to help us or provide ideas. I know Josefina and I would always be singing with them and dancing with them. Sometmes during our down hours we would play games and show them Ninja or color with them and play soccer with one of the girls. There were 2 little girls that would always try to talk to us and play with us. So, I definitely interacted with them. There was also a baby there and I think another team member would go and carry him. It’s very community oriented.

Did you think there was a big difference between the kids in Nicaragua and the kids here?

I know even when I go back to Mexico, that’s where my parents are from, my cousins are easily entertained with very minimal things and it’s because you learn to value what you have. You learn to live with what you have and when you know very little of the outside world, it’s easy to stay comformed. They were very happy. They didn’t have the luxury of seeing what the world has, ipads etc. I’m sure if you were introduced to an ipad or an iphone they would want to play with it but they’ve learned to also value what they have.

Do you have a takeaway lesson about your service trip that you would like to share?

When it comes to community service, it’s more so to build a relationship with people. It sometimes feels like youre taking more from them than they are from you, but in this sense I think that because they were left with something that they could very much use like a latrine, it’s something that makes it more sustainable and more hygenic. Overall, I think the biggest take away is the relationships that you build with the people and to make sure that you carry on those relationships even beyond that trip. As people of the country, going to Dartmouth College you will be a leader in the country, we should carry those stories so that more people are aware of what is going on. It may sound naïve or idealistic but that’s kind of what I took away from it.

Do you think there is something that we could learn from the Nicaraguans?

I think this idea of perserverance and resistance is huge within the culture. I think that based on the history that they’ve had I’m sure you’ve laerned that they’ve gone through so much. The fact that they had a civil war and that America was involved in that and fostered it, is really important in the way they present themselves. They have a lot of pride. I guess we could learn to be better allies to the people in Nicaragua rather than impose our own views.

What did it feel like when you were done with your service trip?

It was bitter-sweet because we really did build good relationships with the people there. Like dancing, that’s a huge way to build a relationship. You’re having so much fun bonding after having worked and being sweaty. It was bitter sweet because we really did get close to them in that short amount of time. I felt sad but at the same time I felt excited to share what I had learned with my peers and continue the conversation.

 

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