Friday, November 21, 2008

Spoke too soon!

Another lesson in Don't Make Plans in Latin America: I may have been cleared to go back to Nicaragua by my doctor but due to violent protests in Managua my return trip has been delayed to Sunday, when Peace Corps Nicaragua believes things should be calmer in the capital so I can get in and get back to my site where everything is normal.

Two days doesn't seem like it's too important, but those were two precious days to me that I was planning to spend with roommates who will be leaving on Monday as well as buying the needed stuff for my house (aka Everything! Refrigerator, gas stove, bed. When they say 'unfurnished' in Nicaragua, they mean unfurnished) before we have to be out of the house, which would be Monday. And that means that I will need to use Monday to do moving and buying of things when I'd really rather be at school trying to organize some kids for a summer English class I had been thinking about before I left. Needless to say, I feel a little stressed and I'm sick of being here by myself so I'm just ready to go back to Nicaragua.

As for these violent protests, unless you've been reading the World section of the Washington Post or specifically looking for it, I don't think anyone knows what's going on. Municipal elections were held on November 9th to elect new mayors (Each department/state in Nicaragua is divided into municipalities that include many towns so mayors in Nicaragua have more responsibility than those in the U.S. Plus there is no equivalent of state government, so there you go.). The Sandinistas (the party of President Daniel Ortega) is claiming victory in about 100 of 146 municipalities and have been accused of voter fraud by the opposition, the US, the Catholic Church, the Organization of American States, and lots more people. The elections in Managua and Leon, two of largest cities, are particularly contested and protests have been violent at times, but from what I've heard things in the rest of the country are fine. Right now volunteers are supposed to avoid going to Managua except for emergencies.

That's the basic rundown. If you wanna read more, here are a couple articles I found online:

The Economist

This Washington Post article is a little sensationalist in my opinion, but it's got some good points

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