Two Worlds

The power just popped off and back on...10 seconds...now its back off. Luckily this cyber uses laptops so I can keep typing without power. Loosing power is a common trend in Nicaragua...at least in the poor areas. It is amazing the infrastructure I have taken for (power is back on) granted my hole life in New Jersey - running water 24 hours (and clean!), electricity 24 hours, paved roads (that are safe), airports, fire stations, emergency services, garbage removal!...(so many more)...

While the contrast of the quality of these services, including education, has a huge contrast between rich and poor areas, the inequality of them certainly feels staunchly greater in Latin America.

Two worlds exist in the United States as well, but it slaps you in the face in Latin America. In Tegucigalpa I walked to the poorer areas despite being told not to. You see homes in places you would never think were meant to be built. Scrap pieces of metal seem to be barely supporting homes well enough to prevent a devastating domino of houses. This image reminded me of Valparaiso, Chile where the poorer you are the higher up the hills you live. These homes are the average dwellings of a Latin American family - scrap wood or metal, dirt floor (or part dirt), a makeshift kind of kitchen, and mushed into the homes surrounding it. No one owns a car, maybe a old pick-up truck that appears to be falling apart, everyone walks or uses public transportation.

If trends continue poor urban communities (like the type described above) will be where the vast majority of people live in the world. In fact as USAID reports: "In the next 30 years the world's population will grow by 2.2 billion people. Of these, 2.1 billion will be born in cities. 2.0 billion will be born in the world's poorest cities. Over 1 billion people will be born in slums if we don't do something now."

In the local market yesterday, in a conversation with Canadian tourist, she comments that "everyone in Nicaragua is pregnant, or has many babies." - Without a doubt, poverty and population growth are correlated.

Leaving the city no tourist goes, Tegucigalpa, I headed to San Salvador. The Tica Bus only stopped at the first terminal, I was told it went to the second where Sussy was planning on picking me up. The paved road it parked at appeared to be dirt from the amount of dust covering it. Small homes, all attached, and 4 men saying "taxi? taxi? taxi?" - this was the Latin America I know. I take a taxi to the other terminal, exit the Latin America I know and enter the other side of Central America where only the privileged may enter.

After only two or three days living in the suburbs of San Salvador - protected by an armed guard that walks the block 24 hours, eating at fancy restaurants, and going to nightclubs (all of which seem to be placed within NJ style malls) - it becomes easy to think that this is average. What surrounds you, no matter how bazaar, seems to eventually feel as if its common. Everyone owns a car, feels safe at night, eats three meals a day, has safe drinking water, can shower each morning, and can afford to go out at night.

At the huge mall, in "Buffalo's Territory" - a buffalo wing chain in San Salvador - after Sussy's friends asked me about my first day in San Salvador: I said it was nice, went on a huge walk through part of the town, walked around some residential areas, then took a microbus to Antigua (the neighborhood center not far from where Sussy lives), walked around some more, and took pictures. The two friends - one in a Polo shirt, the other in clearly some other expensive brand outfit - both respond: "are you crazy!?...you took a microbus!" Shocked at my daring act they explain how they can't believe I did not get mugged, "its so dangerous" they tell me. As a debate pursues I comment "what about the 90 percent of there country that uses public transport?" ..."no more like 40 or 50" one of them responds. - I chose not to argue, it was clear they had never been taken a public transport, and never will.

It is amazing how separated the rich and poor are in Latin America. Culturally I feel the elite in Latin America relate more to the United States (or Miami) then the average person in their own country.

41 percent of El Salvador lives under two dollars a day - I spent ten dollars on wings a drink and a good tip that night.

A life of highways, malls, and nightclubs seems to be the lifestyle in El Salvador during my few days. Signs of the right wing political party in control of El Salvador literally fill the road sides throughout the wealthy areas - they are there to constantly tell the rich to be fearful of the poor.

"ORDER, CLEANLINESS, AND SECURITY" reads the banner of the man running for governor. You have to go into the poor areas to see FMLN posters, which some read "end corruption, end poverty." ...Protesting is illegal in El Salvador.

Fear of the poor is a trend in most rich areas of the world. Many of my friends from New Jersey question my decision to live in Trenton, just in the same way Sussy's friends questioned my decision to take a microbus. They have no idea if its safe or not, what it feels like to take public transport, or walk around Trenton, but via numerous ways - parents, friends, media, movies - they have been told to be scared of, not concerned for, the people living in those areas.

We tend to pass fear of a group or race or country or city without considering the narcissism of such advantages we hold. Is it safe in Nicaragua? Yes, but even if it is not their are 6 million other people living here...should their insecurity deter me from experiencing a bit of the life they live, or do we not travel places because we are truly afraid of the people there.

If we let fear control our lives we will only live to create more fear. Instead if we first consider the similarities everyone holds we can begin to eliminate the artificial boarders we have created.