My Nicaragua is falling apart before my eyes
My parents came from a land that is falling apart: Nicaragua.
They lived through a civil war that made them leave a life that revolved around violence and left their friends in burial pits. My father left in fear of being drafted in a war against his own people. My mother left to find a way to aid her family. And now the cycle begins again.
For years, those who didn’t agree with the government were outcasts. But the government’s reform of social security was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Last week, the state approved a resolution that would increase contributions by workers and employers into the Nicaraguan Institute for Social Security, while reducing payouts by 5%. This resulted in an uprising.
Ever since the election of President Daniel Ortega in 2007, the state of the country has steadily deteriorated. Money laundering and corruption are evident.
Young Nicaraguans are gathering the courage to finally speak up for a previous generation that didn’t. My cousins, barely older than I am, are out there. Yet, all I can do is simply write this letter in hopes someone hears, not just my voice but the voice all of those who are chanting for change — those who are crying for lost loved ones, those running from the very people who are supposed to protect them.
There’s a well-known symbol in Nicaraguan culture: the tree of life. A symbol of light and hope that is plastered all over the capital, the very place where the police are slaughtering innocent protesters. Not many people know much of my country or the oppression that occurs there. No one will know of the sacrifices families have to make to keep themselves safe. So I plead, hear my people. Allow their chants to echo and have their pleas for change make a difference.
Government officials are fleeing the country, but by no means is this the end. My people will continue to stand up and maybe, just maybe, we will have a victory that bring us together.
Gabriela Ruiz, 17
Hialeah, Fla.
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