Leon, Nicaragua -- night

Earlier this afternoon, I walked over a kilometer from the center of Leon by way of la Calle Ruben Dario to the indigenous area of Subtiava. From there, I walked just a few more blocks to arrive at el Barrio Felipe Santana. Of course my memory served me well, and so I arrived with no problem at the home of Don Clemente and Dona Maria. They were very surprised to see me. And I was nearly as surprised that Dona Maria remembered my name without a second thought. I gave their 9-year-old grandson, Jairo, his gift, a basic but complete world atlas. Later, just before leaving, I wrote my Spanish name ('Tay'), his name, today's date, and an inscription of Marti's lyric from Versos Sencillos, to perhaps impel the boy to one day chase the horizon.

I stayed for a little over three hours, telling stories of my life and job in the States, as well as stories of my adventures in Central America. I also took a walk around the neighborhood, which I saw hans't changed a bit. I wrote down their address, in hopes that I will follow through with a postcard or two in the future. And finally before leaving, I got a photo in the front doorway in the same spot as three years ago with Don Clemente, Dona Maria, Jairo, and Ines.

Later, on my walk back down la Calle Ruben Dario, I stopped back at a vendor whom I had asked directions to reach Felipe Santana. Another younger teenage girl was there, but said that the other woman would return shortly. I asked for a cantaloupe, and she offerred me a seat to eat right there. So I ended up talking with her for about half an hour. After going over the usual trivialities, I asked her specifically about her studies and her goals. She said she is studying to be an accountant, because it is a good job and in demand.

Then, she asked me about my job. That turned the conversation onto the tangent of human rights, specifically women's rights. After explaining that men and women are equal, and Nicaragua must pursue two avenues to realize this: juridically and culturally. The two methods would dissuade machismo, and punish severe cases of machismo. I said that a man and a woman should be in an equal relationship with each other. I made other specific points as well.

But, after a few minutes of elaborating, an older man approached us who had been overhearing our conversation, and he asked me directly where I was from. I replied that I was born in Colombia and that I am medio-tico, medio-gringo. He made a comment about religion and immediately walked away without waiting for a response.

I asked the girl to clarify, but first guessed that the man implied that, according to biblical references, a woman has a place in the home and at the side and service of her husband. I quickly explained that the culture in biblical times was represented in the Bible, but that much time had passed, and hence our present culture is not the same as in biblical times. Furthermore, I explained that if the message of the Bible (namely the teachings of Jesus Christ) could be simplified or summarized, it would be a message of love and respect for all fellow humans, as brothers and sisters alike. In this respect, the mistreatment of women, and hence its Latino manifestation, 'machismo,' is contrary to Christian practice. The girl was in agreement, I believe, with my analysis.

But I concluded by saying that the consciousness - of Latinos in general and Nicaraguans in specific - must be raised. And I countered that by admitting my surprise that the Sandinista revolution did not have more of an effect in that respect. But she clarified that things have definitely changed and improved.

Along somewhat similar lines, I had a good conversation with a German this morning before leaving to visit la "21." Its really too much to get into here, but the theme of the conversation was globalization, with our agreed consensus being international sustainable development. I analyzed this international process, however, as remaining dictate to separate national wills due to the strong identity of sovereignty and the flipside weakness of international organizations such as the United Nations.

Briefly, I said that the people of each nation must first raise their consciousness to the effects - positive and negative - of globalization and methods of international sustainable development. Second, each populace must put pressure - first democratically, then by other means as/if necessary - on its respective government to enforce regulations on trans/multinational corporations, and thereby create a better, viable, healthy world. Third, each government must actually respect its populace and enforce, as just explained. Fourth, the MNC's must respect and follow methods for international sustained development. And fifth, there must be international cooperation to enforce these objectives among nations.

The whole process, granted, is ideal in this simplified form. I believe the United Nations must gain more power and respect to actually achieve the goal. But first and foremost, the first point must be completed. With many nations being isolated, or having limited contact, with the rest of the world, this first point remains difficult until a better diffusion of ideas reaches all corners of the globe via improved communication and transportation. And that last, of course, is the real motor of globalization itself.