Day 8: Corinto, Nicaragua

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Our drive this morning through the Port City of Corinto had us feeling more encouraged about life in Nicaragua than we felt about conditions in Guatamala. Although there was still evidence of much poverty (including hundreds of small shacks on the edges of the garbage dump), there were people out sweeping the areas in front of their homes, small well-cared for gardens, etc. The school we visited is near Chinandega, another city about a 1/2 hour away. During the talk given to us enroute, we were pleased to hear about the progress Nicaragua has made since the civil war, (36 yrs long, ending in '96, I believe) particularly with regard to education. Here, it is important! Education is free all the way through, and, it is mandatory! This in itself bodes well for positive change in the country.

The school we visited is for underprivledged children. It has about 500 students, from 8 - 16 years old. However, in this school, children must pass an exam to enter, then everything is provided for them. Their uniforms were - guess what Liam? - navy blue bottoms and white tops. I have to say that these students looked VERY spiffy! Everything tucked in - spotlessly clean - I don't know how they manage it!

We started our visit with a band concert of the older children - probably aged 10 - 14. And were they ever good! They played some wonderful salsa and mariachi music. I took a couple of videos to show you when we return. The front row was brass and woodwinds, while in the back row were the bass, guitar and various percussion. After the concert, we were given a tour of a museum which is attached to the school. Our tour guide was a 14 year old student, who was so self-assured and expressive in his explanations. There was a translater there for him, but there was no question that he thoroughly knew the history of Nicaragua. Then we had a tour through the classrooms - small open air rooms off a central courtyard. What did we see? Kids working hard, kids fooling around, reasonable class sizes, very crowded class sizes, etc. They didn't seem bothered by us. I think, because it is a Foundation, they are used to having visitors - that is one source of their funding. After the classroom tour, we went to the woodworking shop, the sewing rooms and the shop where they make candy from coconut, mango, etc.

Staff told us that 70% of students at this school go on to University, but if the students don't do that, the school wants them to be prepared to do some other kind of work, so they make sure they have the skills. We watched a soccer game, girls skipping, and just visited with the kids on our way back to the bus. The same Foundation also has a school for 500 children that live in the shacks next to the dump. Most of their parents earn their living recyling from the dump. Staff felt that people have now changed their attitudes towards education in Nicaragua - just a few years ago, parents would want their kids out of school as soon as possible to help earn money, but now they want them to stay in school, realizing that this could change their future.

We were back to the ship around noon for some relaxing and a movie. Then dinner, and the presentation on Costa Rica, which we will be visiting tomorrow.

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