First Impressions

The trip from Managua, the capital to our small town is supposed to take three hours, but for us it ended up taking six. Although, this was a lot of time spent in the car, it gave me the opportunity to observe and take in the country. 

As we got closer to the villages that our clinic serves, I was struck by the poverty that surrounds me. I have definitely seen impoverished people in every country I have visited, including the United States, here it seemed to be every family. Throughout the six hour long drive, I didn’t see a single house that I would consider to be the home of a middle or upper class family. While Meg assured us that they do exist, I am still surprised that the vast majority of people in Nicaragua are so poor. You can tell whether the home is better off than others if they have a well or even are lucky enough to have running water. The families that are doing better may also have a television, although they look nothing like the flat screens we’re used to at home. 

The typical house here seems to have a small building for sleeping that will either have hammocks or a small bed for the whole family to share and then a separate area, with a palm-leaf roof, that’s used for cooking over an open fire pit. I also couldn’t believe how many people sit outside in their plastic chairs, watching the cars go by.

 The animals here are skin and bones, you can literally see the ribcages on horses, cows, and dogs. They look as if they would fall over dead at any second. I can understand however, that it would be hard to feed your animals if you are barely able to feed your family. 

While it was surprising to see how different people live here, I'm excited to get to know the people of this country. I think the work we're going to be doing in the clinic, especially in health education, will really be rewarding and help the community.