Dos Cerros Trade School for Women

For the last few months I have been going to the church´s small trade school called ¨Dos Cerros¨ every Wednesday. I pay my twelve and a half cents (in US dollars) to take a public bus from my neighborhood to one of the Managua bus stations, and then from there take a mini-bus to get to the school for fifty cents. The bus drops me off on the main road, and the school is located maybe a quarter mile off of the highway between Managua and Masaya. They have two teachers that give multiple classes throughout the week. They offer hairstyling and cutting, manicure-pedicure classes, baking and cooking, and various types of sewing classes. The school is made up of all women, from teenagers to grandmothers. Some are learning their first profession and others want to expand on skills they already have. Once they have completed their courses, they will be able to find jobs in sewing factories, larger bakeries, hair salons, or they could work out of their homes. I admire each of these women that dedicate much of their time and energy towards teaching and learning new professions. Each one sacrifices a lot to be able to take courses. They need to pay their monthly fees, as well as their materials, and some of them walk from very far distances in order to get to the school. Their dedication is admirable, and I often wonder if I were in their shoes if I would be able to do the same.

Alicia, for example, is a 22 year old that decided that she wanted to learn how to bake. This was something that she was interested in, and would help to open up job opportunities in the future. The economy all over the world is going through difficulties so every additional skill that you have is valuable. Her class, which began about six months ago, started out with 6 or 8 students, but she is now the only one left. The large outdoor ceramic oven is heated by wood. Being in a semi-rural area, there is firewood available, but the quality is not the greatest and when burning, it tends to create more smoke than heat. So Alicia needs to get wood from another area. Across the highway, and several miles away, a very distant neighbor was selling some. So, awhile back, Marta the baking teacher, Alicia, and myself, set off to go buy firewood. Not knowing exactly where the place was located, we set off to ask people along the way. We never would have imagined just how far away this place was. We walked for about three hours just to get there, and arrived at a pile of wood, sunburned and exhausted. Once we got there, the man who was selling it said that he didn´t have a vehicle and that we would have to go hire somebody to pick it up and take it to the school. We returned to the school that afternoon, and then Alicia arranged transportation and went to pick it up later. The outdoor oven has a tin roof that covers the area, but being in a volcanic region, the heavy air causes the metal to rust within just a couple years. The holes in the roof cause rain water to enter the oven and it is difficult for the wood to catch fire. Sometimes it can take up to four or five hours just to get the oven started, not to mention the wood burning. Because of these issues, the other members of the class either stopped going, or switched to one of the sewing classes.

I have really learned a lot about dedication from these women at the school, and have a great appreciation for the sacrifices they make in order to complete their coursework. It makes me realize that in difficult times we need to struggle more. People throughout the world are experiencing sacrifices, having to cut back, and are going back to school for more training. In Nicaragua, those sacrifices are different than in other parts of the world, but are just as important for survival. Alicia´s a tough one for sticking it out, and when she gets her certificate for the course at graduation in November, she´ll really deserve it.