I hadn't really thought about what our conversations would cover, but in hindsight I'm thinking that she did really well to keep the conversation flowing for some 60 hours over the three weeks. Having found out about my work and interests on the first day I suppose she used that as a base, but I'm sure she also took advantage of my presence to find out what a foreigner thinks of some issues that are perhaps not openly discussed between Nicaraguans.
There were two main subject areas: Nicaraguan political history, and Nicaraguan social issues. Mostly she would give me a topic and my homework was to research it and return ready to discuss it with her the next day, so I actually got a double benefit as I not only improved my Spanish but also got to learn more about this country that I like so much.
So I learned more about the Somoza period, about Violeta Chamorro, about Alemán and his corruption ... about the Sandinistas too, and current views of Daniel Ortega and his wife ... but in some ways the social issues were far more interesting. We discussed machismo, the shocking extent of single parenthood and of teenage pregnancies, of physical and sexual abuse within families, and of local views on homosexuality. She surprised me by raising the subject of anal sex at one point (apparently encouraged for young people as a means of avoiding pregnancy - but also something her boyfriend was trying to persuade her to try), and during our conversations about child abuse she confessed that she was sexually abused by her uncle at the age of eight - and that I'm one of only two people she has ever shared that information with. There were tears when she told me. I also know at what age she lost her virginity, and that her father used to drink too much... They were astonishingly open conversations. Fascinating for me but also a way for her to hear a different viewpoint on things. She told me on the final day that her boyfriend and family were teasing her about me, apparently she was talking about me and my life/views a lot at home - and she told me that our conversations had made her consider whether she really wants children, or whether it is just the social pressure that makes a Nicaraguan woman assume that she wants them. Wow! It was strange to get to know someone so well, to connect on such a level, and then just say "goodbye and thanks for the lessons". But perhaps in some ways my transience facilitated her openness with me.
Back at the living quarters, all students are treated to one 'activity' each school day. Occasionally a trip out of Laguna de Apoyo - a visit related to the local political history, such as the prison outside Masaya where Somoza's National Guard held and tortured political prisoners (the photo to the right shows blood stains on the walls of one of the torture areas in the prison), or a quick meeting with the woman known during the revolution as "La negra" (the number 2 to Camilo Ortega, who was never captured as her nickname was deliberately coined so as to mislead - he skin being quite light in tone). She's still a feisty lady, who entertained us by recounting how her exasperated husband issued her with an ultimatum: "La revolución o yo!" (the revolution or me). She chose the revolution, of course.
We were also shown some videos on the history of the Sandinista revolution and on more recent socio-economic issues in the country. All tying in neatly with my language lessons. All in all a very interesting three weeks.
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