2/22
Today we got up really early and enjoyed our last pancakes from Hostel Oasis. We quickly headed out and joined our Nicaraguan friends from the learning center. We presented our gift, a crib for her baby, to Liliam, a teacher from the learning center, and headed out to excursions with the kids, Ramona, and Liliam. We were able to talk to the kids in Spanish and they all thought that Gavin was Justin Bieber. A group of girls also fell in love with him especially Wendy; they followed him like groupies.
Our first excursion was to Coyotepe. This was a political prison during the Somoza dictatorial regime from the 1940’s until 1979. We climbed the steep path to the prison which offered incredible views. We were then brought underground into the prison cells. The first level was for low scale prisoners including simply sympathizers for the revolution against the regime. The cell bars were cut down and it was still incredibly small and cramped and offered little light. We then went further down to a more sinister level of the prison. The light was little and the cells were mostly used for torture. It felt like the set of a horror movie. The guards induced both physical and psychological torture; there were blood stains on the walls as well as prisoner messages saying “I want to die." This level held more serious prisoners to the dictator including journalists and anti-Somoza activists. This level included areas of completely dark torture rooms as well as rooms were people sat in their own excrement. There were no beds and people often went insane. There is a third level down but has since collapsed and is said to be a mass grave. The prison held satanic cults until the last 20 years when the Boy Scouts cleaned the prison up for a public museum. The death count is hard to tell as the guards dropped the dead bodies into the crater of the nearby Masaya Volcano, which was our next destination. (Editor’s note: While this seems dreary, it was a great lesson in Nicaraguan history for the group)
We then stopped for a quick lunch of authentic Nicaraguan food, which paled in comparison to Ramona’s. The bus then took us to the volcanic craters where Gino gave us a more detailed ecological lesson on the Masaya Volcano craters. There are four craters, one of which is active. The vast sulfuric acid clouds billowed from the crater and blew across the other craters. Occasionally, when the wind changed, the acid in the air would send people into coughing fits. The views were even more incredible than at Coyotepe creating the perfect medium for indie pano pics. Being next to the volcano’s crater was like being next to a white abyss. It is not surprising that, as Gino informed us, a Spanish missionary, believed it to be a gate to Hell.
After our tour of the volcano and a few group pictures, we headed to Apoyo Lagoon. When we had to say goodbye to our Nicaraguan friends, some of them cried (mostly Wendy crying about leaving Gavin). Gavin gave Wendy a bracelet as a goodbye present. The hostel we are staying at has a beautiful view of the lagoon. After arriving, we all immediately went swimming and kayaking. We spent the rest of the night playing pitch, playing pool, and relaxing in hammocks and around the hostel.
I know that others have said this but touring around with the Nicaraguan children made me realize that they are very similar to us and listen to similar music such as Skrillex and One Direction. This experience with the children has worked to end prejudice that we might have held against developing countries and their people. Seeing the political prison and all of the craziness that surrounds it made it more real than reading it in a textbook ever would, and made me feel very strange and eery about being inside the lower levels of the prison. Hanging out with the Nicaraguan children today made all the work we did this week even more meaningful because we knew we were not only helping a great cause but a great group of people as well.
(The rest of our group would like to apologize for the excessive indie-ness of this post, and for any weird phrases or terms that may have been written. It’s because Collin was one of the people writing this blog post.)
Sara(factual expert), Kayleigh(down to earth editor in chief and realist support), Moira(moral support and co-journalist), and Collin(co-journalist and indie editor). Zach Lee as backdoor journalist
Sorry there aren't pictures.. didn't have time to wait for Brooke to send them along. It would have taken four more days.
