Back to Basics: A Trip Through Nicaragua

On my trip, I set out to learn about the way Nicaraguan culture has given shape to the buildings there, and in return, how the buildings have shaped the people’s lives.  I looked at the role of architects and engineers there, the various building types in the different regions I visited, and how spaces are utilized differently there than they are here in the US.  What I found was a culture in which people live lives full of grace and love amidst squalor; a place where buildings are cherished places for whole communities with the power to change lives.

I spent the majority of my time living in the city Matagalpa.  It is located in the northern region and is in the middle of big mountain range.  It would rain everyday at the same time almost exactly.   I took lots of day trips to the surrounding countryside to get to know that area quite well.  After a few weeks there, I had integrated into the society to a degree that I could understand the general public there because I was living just like they were.  I had no hot water, we ate meat only on Sundays, worked all day, and talked with my family at night.  The moment I felt at home there I realized I had accomplished something.  After my time there, I traveled to another small northern town called Jinotega known for its woodworking.  Then, I went to stay with a friend in Managua.  The culture shock going from Matagalpa to Managua was worse than coming back to the US.  It was a full-blown city with the rich right beside the poor.  While some ate off of silver platters, the homeless in the city lived in more poverty than those in the mountains.  At the end of my trip, I went to the East coast to see Bluefields.  It was drastically different from the other areas in that the people were dark skinned and spoke a form of English.  That is my trip in a nutshell.

Upon return from Nicaragua, I wrote this note:

Well I am now back in Los Angeles after everything has settled, and I can now look back on my trip. What a time it was. I can hardly imagine that I did all the things I see in my pictures or read in my journal. It already seems so distant.

One thing for sure, is that I have changed.

My outlook on life has been changed so much, that everything I knew before seems different. All the people seem different, all the places, everything I come across is different, because I am now different. I have been adjusting to life back here in the US and it is strange and difficult some times, and other things seem to just fall back into place. I feel very much at home, and even better at times when speaking Spanish now. I identify with those who speak it as well, and try to talk to everyone I can as such because it seems to bring me back to the time of my life that I now miss already.

My outlooks on architecture and architecture school have both changed and I find myself thinking more and more about what comes after school. I have come to realize that being an architect allows you to travel everywhere, and I hope to do just that. I also am starting to realize what seems so simple now that school is supposed to train us up to go out into that big world and start building buildings. Nobody is there to hold our hand, we have to learn as much as we can because what we learn will determining how much we can do, how far we can go, and how many people's lives we will touch.

My trip was absolutely amazing, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to do something that will remain a strong formative time in all of my life. I have learned about the world and myself more that I thought possible in such a time. I will continue on in this world that I feel I know better having gone on this trip.


Thanks to everyone who helped me do this.