Some things that have happened recently

I'd like to share a few thoughts and experiences that I've encountered in the last few weeks here in Nicaragua.

FINDING MONEDAS
Almost every day I find at least one coin in the street. I like to try and remember the place I find them and to savor that moment and that memory for a second. I'm sure people think it's quite strange to see a gringa bending down to pick up coins that are usually worth a fraction of a cent. Hey, every 1/4 of a penny counts, right? Once I was lucky enough to find a pile of coins all together (see photo of me and my 'treasure' in Leon) and once I even found a 10 cordoba bill (worth 50 cents). I'm actually kind of puzzled as to why there are so many coins left in the dirt, even if they aren't worth much. It's become another fun and entertaining project for me to do here in Nica. I'm curious to see how much I'll have by the time I leave in July. Any thoughts/suggestions as to what I should do with all my coins when I leave?

HAITI
Last week I attended a benefit concert for Haiti. Several of the most famous Nicaraguan musicians (and one comedian) came to RutaMaya, a restaurant that often has singer/songwriters and music/poetry events. All of the artists played for free and donations were taken for the Red Cross in Haiti. By the end of the night donations totaled $1,300! Included in that was an entire piggy bank donated by a 7 year-old girl. I was impacted and impressed by the response since Nicaragua is quite poor financially speaking (second poorest in Central America after Haiti, according to statistics (see "Economy"). It was neat to see how Nicaraguans showed their solidarity with Haitians, having suffered numerous natural disasters themselves.

Listen to one of the songs played by Elsa Basil, one of the Nicaraguan artists.


VIOLENCE
Another thing that I wanted to write about is family violence. There are many organizations here that work to educate families about the impacts of violence in their homes. In Nicaragua, it is quite common for parents to hit their children. I've seen it done for unnecessary reasons that leave the child confused and wondering why they received the punishment. For example, it could be for something as simple as accidentally spilling a glass of juice.

The other night I was watching Kristal, my 7-year-old host niece, play house with her neighbor friend Hanzi. They love to play grown-up by pushing their baby dolls around in strollers, wearing Evelin's high heels, taking on the roles of mother and daughter. Twice I noticed Hanzi beating her baby doll quite furiously. The second time she took off her high-heeled shoe and hit the doll several times in the head. I said, "Awe, that's sad, poor thing," about the doll. She turned to Kristal and said, "That's how it's done right? With a shoe." Kristal just stared with a serious look and said, "I don't know." I couldn't help but assume that Hanzi has seen this type of hitting in her family and it made me sad thinking that it could be happening to her. I wonder how Hanzi will discipline her children when she grows up?

To spank or not to spank? I think spanking is ok, as long as it is done out of love and discipline, and making sure the child understands the reason for which he or she was spanked. I was spanked as a child, and I don't feel scarred from it. I do think that all children respond differently to this type of punishment and perhaps for some a spanking would be too harsh and for others it is necessary. I guess this is one of the things I'll have to think about when I eventually have my own kids to discipline...ay ay ay!