American Culture v. Nicaraguan Culture

American Culture vs. Nicaraguan Culture

A lot of people recognize that Nicaragua and the United States are two different countries, but they don’t really know how different they truly are. The health care system, the education, lifestyle and human rights in Nicaragua are very different from the United States. Nicaragua is located in Central America and is known for having active volcanoes and sharks swimming in fresh water, but Nicaragua is also known for being the third poorest country in the world and a country who has suffered many wars, catastrophic earthquakes and devastating hurricanes. Most Nicaraguan people don’t live an extravagant life, some of them don’t have access to healthcare, and poverty is often Nicaraguan’s biggest enemy and an impediment towards a much brighter future. The United States is a country known for its independence, freedom and perhaps power. United States is a country where equal opportunities are respected, people can study what they like, good services are given, and everyone enjoys life with a purpose of becoming successful while achieving many personal goals. The American dream may not necessarily be fame, wealth or a lavish home but a good education, access to healthcare and the freedom to practice any religion you want or none at all. In the United States there are no limitations, people can dream big, people can find their true identities without being criticized or beaten down and people don’t have to pay their debts with jail time but instead they are giving the opportunity to file bankruptcy and start all over again. The health care in Nicaragua is under-funded with many limitations, vulnerable to epidemic outbreaks, poor quality of care, staff shortages in remote clinics, difficult access to medications, under-equipped hospitals, there is lack of quality service and advance medical equipment. The hospitals are not well maintained and hygiene practices are not strictly followed so people can acquire infections or other sicknesses while at the hospital. Doctors and nurses receive wages that barely cover their most basic necessities of life and sick people are often sent home without being able to receive treatment, see or speak to a doctor. I remember that at the age of eight I had the worst case of lice, it was so bad and so severe that I was taken to the hospital located in Managua, the capitol of Nicaragua, after waiting for hours and hours at the hospital waiting area my grandmother and I never got the chance to see a doctor and end up going home. On our way home we stopped by a pharmacy and consulted the pharmacist for some treatment against lice, unfortunately the pharmacy did not have anything that my grandmother could afford since she only had 5 Cordobas which in U.S. dollars is equal to 19 cents. At that point I understood the meaning of being hopeless and limited. The only remedy and the only option my grandmother had was to use a cockroach killer spray that nearly killed me. I am lucky to be alive but luckier to know that something like that will never happen in the United States and will never happen to my young children.
Here in the United States if someone is sick, they are welcome in the hospital at any time and the treatments are available. Nicaraguans worry about the availability of treatments and medications because most of the time they are not available or are very expensive. The reality is that since health care is limited and under-budget, the healthcare personnel are underpaid and sometimes they do not provide high quality, compassionate care. Advanced diagnostic methods and machines are missing in almost every hospital in Nicaragua and therefore many diseases and conditions are not properly treated and diagnosed. On the other hand, the United States offers good quality hospitals with high-quality services including proper hygiene practices and advanced medical equipment to everyone which allows proper identification of diseases; this, however, is not free. In fact, it is very expensive and those without insurance will have a very expensive hospital bill but will receive treatment regardless. Nevertheless, there are lots of options that allow people to get treated. For example, Medi-Cal and Medicare are great programs that help individuals get proper health care. In addition, most health care personnel are well paid and therefore commit to provide a high quality care to all their patients regardless of their financial background. Like the health care system, in Nicaragua you must pay for public education, schools are not well equipped, the majority of students often bring their own chair to sit and many will struggle with homework for lack of school materials. Teachers in Nicaragua can actually hit the students if they don’t do well in class and due to financial struggles many young kids will never get to experience going to school or learn how to read. This means that there is a lower possibility that they can study and earn a degree or dream of having a successful career. Even if a child is able to obtain an education in Nicaragua they may not have the good fortune to get a job since jobs in Nicaragua are hard to find. On the contrary in the United States, the education is free in public schools and financial aid is available if you want to attend college. If a student has the money or the help to pay for college, they can study whatever they want. Americans have the freedom to apply to any job they want and wherever they want. I had a friend that came to the United States over 18 years ago or so, she is also from Nicaragua and can actually tell you what poverty really is. She wanted to be a dental hygienist even though her teeth were not the best looking teeth due to poor dental care in Nicaragua but that did not stopped her. When she arrived in this country she was determined to succeed and go to school. Couple of years ago Gema Toruno, my dear friend, the Nicaraguan girl that barely knew how to spell graduated top of her class as a dental hygienist and her teeth look better than ever. She will always love Nicaragua as much as I do but will forever be grateful to be in the United Sates where her educational goals and dream came true. I, never thought I would be as lucky as Gema but my determination to learn English and my dream of being a successful paralegal I accomplished because I live in a country where dreams do come true if you work really hard. Nicaraguans are not lucky in the aspects of humans’ rights because it does not exist for them. Nicaraguans lack freedom of expression, they have to be careful of what they say. For example, they cannot express how they feel about their president, Daniel Ortega, if they do they could be beaten or lose their jobs. People in Nicaragua do not have a right or a saying in the decisions the president makes or the right to know where funds to build new schools or hospitals go. Instead the government steals from the poor. Even if you vote for a decent candidate to the presidency of Nicaragua the elections are corrupt. I remember one of the former presidents in Nicaragua, Arnoldo Aleman, was stealing so much money from Nicaragua it became so obvious that he was investigated and in deed he was. The last elections in Nicaragua were a huge scandal since Daniel Ortega was paying people for their votes. In contrast, the United States has freedom for everyone to express themselves and achieve their dream in any way as long as they are not breaking any law. Every citizen can vote for the president they like and express what they think about anyone. Also, there are no secrets about what happens in the country regarding crimes or changes or funds. News about the country or any other countries is open to everyone who likes to be informed Nicaragua and the United States are countries that are so different. The health care system, the education and the human rights are the three main characteristics that a human lives by. Most services in Nicaragua are not free and they are low quality. Nicaraguans do not have the guarantee that they will be treated in hospitals like they should be, study what they want, or just have any rights. The United States does provide accessible access to health care and the services are good and people have equal rights and opportunities. The best part of all about living in the United States is that you can dream, you can be whatever you want to be, you can speak freely without fear, your opinion counts and you can thrive without limitations. I know that coming to this country was the best decision of my life. I have always dream of obtaining a degree and attend law school and I know I will succeed, just the simple fact that I can call this country my own makes me feel determine and ready to conquer over any challenges ahead. I will forever love Nicaragua but I am forever thankful to have a beautiful life and a bright future in the United States of America.