My annual Nicaragua rap.

It seems that each year I have to get this off my chest. Already this is a fucked up blog today because whenever someone says "I just have to say this", you  know that something unpleasant is coming. This is it: My country has done everything in its power to destroy Nicaragua for a very long time. Now I trip over nonprofits and church groups and NGO trying to teach the Nicaraguans how to do everything better. That pretty much means making things as much as possible like the shining light on the hill, America. The thing is that my feeling is that until we solve our problems at home, who are we to instruct others?

We have disastrous health care, massive underemployment, a gigantic jail problem, schools where the teachers can hardly read, nightmares of pollution, expensive wasteful fuel, horrible response to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and corrupt politicians, loss of the middle class, foreign policy fiascoes, shall I go on? What is it that makes us think that we have much to teach those who's country we have raped of natural resources, imported GMOs, mined the harbors, supported repression?

I do not doubt the motives of many who come here. Something in the warmth and the solidity of the Nicaraguan people inspires many. But sometimes I just love the slowness of life here. I love the vegetable lady coming every morning rather than a drive to the market. I love the flexible prices. I love the fact that the vegetable lady can tell me whether this mango was picked yesterday or today and whether this avocado will still be good tomorrow. I like the slow life. I like having time to sit around and schmooze without everyone running off to appointments all the time. I don't think that my life in the USA is better or worse than life here. I respect that many Nicaraguans are not shop-o-holics.

Sometimes I have the sense that we could come here in humility and learn a lot about making life more sustainable and simple. There are big fancy hospitals and that is good, but if you cut your foot, almost anyone can grind a little something or get a little honey or clay and fix you up. I admire the independence from experts.

I do see the problems. I am not stupid. I have no desire to go native, but in most situations, I see teachers everywhere I look.