30 year Anniversary FSLN

Today is a very important day for Nicaraguans - it is the 30 year Anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution. Thousands of people gather at the Plaza La Fe in Managua to celebrate the fall of the Somaza family dictatorship. This dictatorship - which lasted over 40 years - was harsh, there were many executions, terrorism, and fear. The Sandinistan's - which were workers, peasants and guerrillas - joined forces to defeat them. (My husband knows a lot more about all this than I do!!)

Since we arrived in Nicaragua in May - I often see the red and black flags and read signs that say "FSLN" - this stands for "Frente Sandinistan de Liberacion Nacional" or "Sandinistan National Liberation Front. As time has passed, there have been many failures of the Sandinistan government and there are many different views of how it is all supported - there are less and less people meeting in the square and more celebrating quietly from their homes.

When you ask someone if they are Sandinistan - there is always pride in their answer. I have heard many people say "Yes, I am Sandinistan and this is a great celebration" but I also spoke to my friend Norman who told me that he was not. He told me that years ago, the Sandinistan police killed two of his uncles because they thought they were rebels. Due to this experience, Norman and his family do not belong to that group. They have experienced the corruption first hand.

In my lifetime I have never experienced anything like this. I cannot imagine my country as a dictatorship. I read about how the United States "assisted" Nicaragua - looking back, was it the right thing to do? Politics are so complicated....so many decisions to be made that have impact on so many people. Something that started out so strong, such as this revolution - is now tainted and unsure.

Any political gathering in Nicaragua scares me. I know it's silly but it's true. The girls and I did not leave the gates of our complex today - we played it safe and stayed home. My friend Jason, however, went to the square with a local to experience the event - he said there were a lot of people and it was an awesome thing to see. We heard music and loud speakers all day and all the government offices are closed tomorrow in respect of this Anniversary.

I never paid very much attention in History - actually, I'm not sure my History class would have ever discussed Nicaragua - but it all has impact on us. About how the world views us...supporter or foe...When you hear about a dictatorship, you know that is not good for the people - but then as time goes on, corruption, greed....it gets us very close to where we started.

I apologize for going on and on about this - but I find it fascinating to understand how we are viewed by the outside world. How I am viewed as I walk down the street of this 3rd world country.

So today we made necklaces with shells and put tattoos all over each other - we had our own celebration...there were no flags or speeches just celebrating bringing a Nicaragua child home.