Why is there poverty?

This week I faced an interesting question as I was attempting to explain the education system in the U.S. I began by describing the school day, stating that we pay for school lunch and those who can´t pay receive help so that all kids get lunch. I was stopped in my tracks when the teacher with whom I was talking said to me ¨There is poverty in the U.S.? WHY?¨ As Peace Corps volunteers we are prepared to answer many questions about our country and this one seems no different. But I was caught so off guard because I was not expecting such a question.

So how do you tell someone in a developing country the reasons that a country so rich as the U.S. has poverty, inequality, and problems of our own?  I attempted to explain a few of the variables that can affect people´s socioeconomic status, but mostly tried to explain that poverty is everywhere. I don´t even know if I myself understand the reasons that a country with so many resources has such profound inequalities. But part of our job here is to represent the U.S. to Nicaraguans and when we return to represent Nicaraguans to the U.S.

We as PC volunteers are often faced with uncomfortable questions of how much things cost, how much money we make, are our parents supporting us financially to be here, etc... We try to explain that because we make dollars things cost more in our country. Mostly, we try to avoid such questions as best as possible. I don´t want anyone to look at me as only a dollar sign any more than I want to look at someone else and only see how much money they appear to have. But I can´t deny that I have been raised in privilege either.

More than anything, I dedicate my time to telling the truth about the U.S. Many here have a picturesque view of what it must be like to live there, to move there and leave behind such poverty. But I had to interrupt at a teacher´s training when the facilitator described classrooms in the U.S. as having 8 to 10 students. I have never seen such a class in any primary or secondary school. I again had to correct him when he stated that every child has a computer in the classroom. These are the images Nicaraguans see about the U.S., but that is the only thing they see. I am completely honest about how technologically advanced we are and how the classroom is changing through the world of technology. But I cannot lie and agree that every student has a computer at their fingertips, nor that it is completely necessary for each student to have his or her own computer in order to receive a quality education. It has also been an interesting reality for me to know that they strive to model our education system, when I believe that there are so many reforms that need to be made. Perspective is everything.

My goal is to live here in honesty, sharing my experiences and my insight about a country that I appreciate more when I do not live there. I think often times it is easier to get caught up in the negative, in what we would like to change about the laws, the culture, or society in general in our own country. I do see the benefits of life in the U.S. as well as the positive aspects of our country easier now that I do not live there. On the other hand, it is much harder for me to remember the harsh negative realities. But it is no dreamland full of riches and free of worries, that I will have to share with people here along with many other very real stories.