I have decided to head for home early.  I loved my experience overall and I tried my best.   My Resignation Letter:   November 16, 2010   Dear Superiors,               After extended deliberation, I have decided to resign from my position as an agriculture volunteer in Peace Corps Nicaragua. I will be returning to the United States to prepare myself for the next major step in my career. I am applying for a doctoral program in Public Policy which should begin in August of 2011.             I do not regret the experience I have had in Nicaragua and I will carry what I have learned with me throughout life. Overall, I feel that I had a beneficial experience and I did what I could for the benefit of my host community. However, my current low workload and plateau in personal growth have led me to believe that staying in Nicaragua is no longer the most responsible choice. In brief, I made the decision to resign because the disadvantages have started to outweigh the utility of my presence in the community. Most days my only tasks involve socializing, while I aspire to be involved in technical assistance and education. I have observed that my services are not in high demand within my village. My community demonstrates a dependency on receiving gifts and I feel that local organizations may be more effective communicators in the local culture. Furthermore, I feel that I cannot continue working completely alone, without a reliable counterpart organization.             My work reports should be reflective of the tremendous effort I have put forth throughout my first year of service. I stand firmly behind the development ideals of the U.S. Peace Corps, yet I feel that I have exhausted my remaining motivation. I will leave with great respect for the Peace Corps and lots of friendship in my community in Jinotega.                                                                                    Sincerely,                                                 Michele Aquino AG 50, Jiguina, Jinotega

The picking has already started up here in Jinotega.  This morning I passed a coffee drying plant on the road to Managua (un beneficio seco).  There was a large crowd frantically pushing against the plant's front gate.  Hands were waving with emotion for a chance to work.  The scene made me think of photos and movies that depict the depression era in the United States.  The bosses would pick the workers needed for that day...perhaps at random.  Well, this economic reality is here today in Nicaragua.  The coffee harvest provides lots of work, but it seems, without looking up the numbers, that unemployment is still a huge problem.

As suerte would have it, my digital camera's memory chip seems to have a virus...oh the joy of always using poorly maintained public computers!  So this brief post will not include the adorable photos of rural Nicaraguan kids reading.  Yes, although most of these youngsters like the pictures more than the words, I have a growing number of students that are being exposed to books!

After over a year of living in my community, I am surprised to say that a small (38 books and counting...) community library based out of a small cloth bag is my most fulfilling and successful (by my count) project.  Largely because of a little cartoon monkey named Curious Jorge, the little ones walk out to the farm where I am living to borrow books.  I thought that the books would quickly disappear and I would have to go house to house awkwardly taking back the family's new-found treasure.  To my delight, debunking my pessimism, I have been lending the books for over two months without losing ANY.

The details:

1. Each child is supposed to get a library card with their name and the title of socio, or member.  This has proven unnecessary and more of a hassle because most of the kids are so young, but it was attempted at least.

2. One 11 year old girl helps me control the notebook, in which we record all the members and which books get checked out on any given day.

3. Each book has a number written inside the front cover, which we use to record who has what.

4. The kids are given a due date one week from the day they borrow and they are only allowed to borrow one book at a time.

5. The kids are supposed to pay 1 peso (5 cents in U$) to borrow the book...but collecting this has been a challenge.

6. The kids are encouraged to care for each book so that they can continue borrowing and sharing the books with others...

The idea of charging to borrow the book was:

-to eliminate irresponsible members

-to encourage saving and choosing wisely how to spend money

-to build ownership of the books; the students would themselves be financing the purchase of each new book

I have found that parents are telling the kids they cannot participate for the cost of borrowing, so I am very forgiving about this fee.  I am the one financing these books at this point anyhow...

Behavior change is slow, so one must understand that.  Parents may not see the value of their children reading, but the smiles I see expresses the value right away.  The children cannot practice reading if they do not have access to books!  And for an economic comparison, the fee of 1 peso (1 Nica cordoba), is the same cost of a popsicle sold at the local junk food shop...and the kid's seem to suck on at least one popsicle per day.

I have also found that the group that has formed is a healthy, positive outlet from the not-so-dynamic daily life of these children.  They can come read, we have made popcorn, we have colored, played frisbee, and tomorrow they will get a chance to try some Pop Rocks that I brought from the States.  Attracted to visit for the books, the kids are eager to participate in other games and learning activities as well.  One book is world atlas that the kids (and adults) get to read to learn where Nicaragua is in the world.  Que bueno!

I have written a short, bilingual children's book about the coffee process, which contrasts the experience of being around coffee in Central American and the States.  I am currently thinking about having the local kids try to illustrate it.  If it would be a possibility to publish this book, I would like to distribute it for free to schools around Nicaragua.

Va pues,

Miguelito

Jinotega, Nicaragua

*Special thanks to my parents and my Tía Diana for her generous contribution to the library.

Visting the U.S. was great.  My home country is a foodie paradise.  But, after spending an extended period of time outside the country, there are some changes that I notice...   1. Everyone is on a smart phone 2. Facebook is advertising on everything...it even had a logo on my box of cheerios 3. There is a Survivor reality show based in Nicaragua...hah

I heard a This American Life episode about Frenemies and I thought of my experience in Nicaragua.  They pointed out the fact that many reality TV shows include, sometime along the way, the line: 'I'm not here to make friends...'  This pop culture observation really made me laugh.  I thought: Peace Corps is certainly more like reality than Survivor and I would hate to say 'I'm not here to make friends!' in my village.  The sad part is, I am sometimes tempted to say just that.

One of my top goals IS to make friends, to integrate into the community and foster cultural exchange.  I certainly have made many friends.  Like friends and family, sometimes the people in my community bother me, sometimes they are wonderful.  Often though, in this job I feel I am almost obligated to force development or force ideas of change.  This is the wrong way to do development, but it often seems like the right thing to do.  It seems like the people do not know how to help themselves...but, I am of course judging, based on my reality, that they need and want help and change.  I might be tempted to say I AM HERE TO WORK, NOT TO MAKE FRIENDS!--because I want to measure success by my North American standards.  I want some tangible progress; if not, should I not be home supporting my family Stateside?

The temptation to be paternalistic and lead development efforts in my own way is a reality with moral dilemmas.  It seems this temptation to act is the demise of many development schemes, both past and present.  But, I understand why it happens...To actually build capacity, sustainable projects, increase quality of life, and not be a colonialist, one really must search patiently for appropriate interventions.

I have returned from vacationing in the States to the beautiful weather of almost-summer in Jinotega.  Windy, sunny, cool, and much less rain than we saw in September.

My return with seven new Curious George (Jorge el Curioso) books was well received by the niños.  They all want me to give them a book...I am still trying to sell the idea that if they participate in the small library, they can read a different book each week instead of only owning one.  I suppose it is natural for us to want, especially those of us in the world who have less, but I also see this want as part of the culture in the community that prevents progress.  I observe that most people do not like the idea of working together toward a goal.  One local micro-finance project in my town seems marginally successful at the moment; from my perspective the success is largely due to the fact that the participants are working alone.  I view group projects as less popular.  Really, there are pros and cons to both situations and if a project forces people to work together against their preference, that project probably should not be here in the first place; the prospect of sustainability is low.

Coffee is starting to ripen, the processing plants along the road outside of Sebaco are already in action and my host family has a couple of workers pícking berries today as well.  Farmers in my town are selling the last of their ayote (large zuchini like squash), we are tapiscando maíz (picking the dried cobs from the stalks), and at the end of November we will plant beans.  Corn and beans are the staple foods here; most of this harvest is kept for consumption throughout the year.  As I picked corn cobs yesterday with two other men, working in silence under the quickly passing clouds, my arms itched and turned red from the small fibers on the corn plants.  I thought:  most people in my country cannot imagine having to grow the food that is necessary to get through the year...

Aside from community banking, I feel I am largely unemployed.  This worries me and makes me wonder if I would be better off earning money back in the U.S.  At the same time, the hope for progress in some future community projects keeps my curiosity alive.  Also, as I evaluate my situation, I find some happiness in knowing that have I acted as a facilitator for two recent successes, even though my role was minimal: the local school was able to plant strawberries (thanks to my Peace Corps neighbors Simon and Kara) and it appears my town will get a new volunteer soon to teach English.  English assistance seems to be in higher demand than agriculture related help.

This morning I left the house with my host mother, Doña Chepa, rambling on about how she felt shameful that she would let me leave the house without eating breakfast.  Truth be told, I could not think about eating the beans and tortillas at 5:45 this morning.  When I went to the call center to phone home nobody answered.  I sat in the booth and overheard another gringo talking to his wife.  He was just here to visit and I smiled as I compared our experience.  He was describing how wonderful it was here--the natural beauty, the tropical fruits, the dark nights that reveal all the stars.  I too saw the stars last night, and smiled when the cow said good morning at my doorstep.  But, after more than a year here I can also say that Nicaragua has worn me down and I sound less positive than the tourist when I talk to my family...

My cat, Chilote (the word for baby corn), is my newest companion in the Peace Corps experience.  She sometimes hangs out and naps above me, hanging in my mosquito net as if it were a hammock.   I missed her in October, I hope she is okay.    

A farm hand with a bachelor's degree:   Between family visits, limited time to type, drafting a grant proposal, and the general malaise of my Nicaraguan lifestyle, I have not updated my blog.  Yet, given an honest assessment, I do not feel that I have much progress to report.   Relevant happenings in the life and times of this mountain gringo:   [July-August] My wife to be and my cousin came to visit--we had lots of cultural 'intercambio'.  I sprained my ankle and had some night fevers (my doctor confirmed that it was nothing serious).  I also had to move to a new house, which includes a new host family experience.  I'm part of the family now and I am grateful for the new interaction.   [September] I turned in a USAID grant proposal draft for a community grain mill project.  I started a small, hopefully sustainable library out of a used grain sack; we have 30+ books now and so far there is good participation.  I am trying my best to teach English in a small group night class.  The community has a lot of interest in English...until they realize that it takes work and patience...   We've been successful in the application and promotion of an organic/natural pest control method for the coffee.  We observed results for this safe alternative to chemicals and the local producers had a meeting to learn about the technology, a natural fungus that kills coffee boring beetles ("la broca").   I've been reading and cuddling my cat, "Chilote" on the rainy days...Lago Apanas is filling up and too much rain has hurt some of the grain harvest (corn!).  I'm still experimenting with cheese and fermentation in my spare time...   Lastly in September, I would say that I learned a bit more about being a man.  Manhood is not measured by amount of chest hair in Nicaragua, but rather by your skill at balancing multiple cabezas of bananas on your back while hauling them out of the muddy tropical forest.   -=-=-=-=-   All I can say is that I am trying my best.  Cultural differences tend to wear me down.  I miss things about the lifestyle and the relationships I had in the States.  I often feel under-utilized here...just like the locals are under-employed.   In October I was able to visit the U.S. for three weeks.  I enjoyed the time to evaluate my situation, buy some North American gifts, and starting planning for graduate studies after the Peace Corps.   I will never let go of my experiences living here.  I love my host family almost like real family--annoyances included and I am still in awe of the cloudy mountains that I see from my doorstep.  Oh, I may did not mention that my doorstep is now a wood ramp that enters a coffee mill (beneficio humedo).  My new home is a cozy, elevated tool shed that I have converted into an apartment.

The nightly rains of Jiguina's winter are starting and apparently it is beetle season...they have made my home a landing zone at night.  In brief, I am getting ready to garden with at least one young woman (we hope to plant broccoli!) and I am beginning the tedious process of a USAID grant proposal for a community mill project.  Many families in the community are constructing new homes or additions to their homes, presumably with monies from the coffee harvest.  Everyone is waiting for the first planting season of the year; soon the hillsides will be showing rows of corn or red beans.  Today, Don Chepe was walking up a hill to make sure people had permission to chop down the trees they were chopping.  Todo va bastante normal.

My colleague Simon is rather successfully preparing to plant a plot of 5,000 strawberry plants with a group in his community.  This project is inspirational!  It has potential to really affect the incomes of the participants and I observed that it is teaching the group how to work together and organize a work plan, work schedule, etc.  Best wishes to them.

I am learning the ins and outs of community develop each day.  I try to stay positive, I try to educate, I try to fight off the feeling that I am being taken advantage of.

I suppose there is not much hope for this being an optimistic blog entry...but this is the reality in which I live.

Plain and simple, today I am frustrated. I just got off a bus on which I watched a bunch of people of all ages purchase a quack marketed "vitamin" product that I am convinced (by reading the ingredients on the label) does not actually contain vitamins of any kind. It contains like one type of non-essential amino acid if memory serves me correct. Anywho, people are paying 20 cords for this product on the bus, when some of them will surely not earn 20 cords that day. There is surely more health benefit from eating a tomato, yet the pill salespersons on the busses seem to have far more people following their nutrition advice than I do.

Continuing with nutrition, I frequently observe parents buying their kids small bags of processed junk food, such as cheeto-esque chips. One bag typically costs 2 cords; they are small bags though and usually 2 bags are purchased at once. It is a frequent source of empty Calories. Please people, buy EGGS instead of this processed junk. The huevos could actually help the health of the kid and, at 2.5 cords per egg, are extremely affordable!

Lastly, after being asked for a 100 cord (U$5) "loan" this week, I was a bit aflijido. A young mother who lives in very poor conditions and participates in a community bank told me she needed money to make money. She was trying to sell underpriced food items to school kids to earn a buck. The problem is, she wasn`t even earning a buck each day and she wanted me to finance her next investment in ingredients. Turns out the last loan she took from our community bank was taken, with no thought of how it would be repayed, in order to pay the first payment of a television purchased on credit. This is a complete misuse of community banking! With money from the coffee harvest this season, which should be conserved to be used throughout the rest of the year with little to no employment, this small family purchased a television (which probably only receives one or two channels by the way). Oh, she also states that a large chunk of coffee picking money went to alcohol...in the belly of her husband. The coffee money seems like a distant memory already, and there are still beans being picked...

So, essentially, daddy wanted booz and tele-novelas, so his kids have to suffer the rest of the year eating very poco. The family will likely continue to ask for money from me, because they have a 400 cord T.V. payment due every month, and she already took a LOAN to pay the first installment, for this T.V. that was also bought on credit. So, the debt just grows and grows. Since the T.V. was financed, it will probably end up costing around double the original price, by the way.

Living in the moment is part of the culture here, but it certainly makes me a bit sad sometimes when I desperately want to help the home economics in my community, but when families have money, it gets spent like this. I certainly do not intend to judge other people's purchases, but when a family is trying to feed kids, maybe somebody does need to criticize the use of a loan to by a T.V. on credit...or better yet, the necessity of said T.V.

The coffee trees are typically planted after 3 months of growth in small plastic tree nursery bags. After about two or three years, the tree will start producing enough fruit to harvest. Producers in Jiguina, Nicaragua typically plant the coffee in rows throughout their hillside family plots that often surround the family’s home. The coffee grows in a humid, shaded environment and in our case, at a higher elevation than most of Nicaragua. The trees have narrow trunks and long, thin, flexible branches. The branches have shiny deep green leaves and bright green fruit that mature to bright orange, yellow, red, and when very ripe, a dark cherry red—such a berry needs to be picked! There are many varieties of plants, some with larger fruit than others. I walk through all this coffee, growing under the shade of the banana leafs…

The harvest in this climate, at this altitude, begins in December and sometimes lasts into March. Larger coffee plantations in the area open their doors to migrant workers from other areas of the country. The community comes alive, bustling with the hustle of the harvest. People have more money in their pockets, sometimes there is more crime, and on Sundays, there are more men drinking in the streets (los bolos).

The coffee is hand picked by the townspeople, each with a straw basket tied around their waste. They take pride in the speed at which they can pick—and with good reason because they are paid accordingly. A good day of work may pay approximately $10.00 and often includes at least lunch.

Workers seek to pick only the ripest berries and only the berries, because pulling off too many stems damages the tree. This is where the coffee begins its journey to your cup…

Then the process continues as follows:

Wet milling to depulp, ferment, wash, and sort for quality Drying, usually in the sun; more sorting for quality Small farmers then bag the pale beige coffee beans to sell in the market Coffee then enters a dry mill in which it is dried (often in the sun) more before husk

removal; the dehusked bean is referred to as oro or gold The beans can then be toasted The aromatic toasted beans can then be ground Ground coffee is brewed with hot water A cup can be poured and enjoyed!

A helpful webpage...

http://www.coffeeterms.com/

Many interesting, beneficial, and sustainable projects will hopefully develop in my community throughout 2010.  Right now everyone is concerned with picking coffee, the primary cash crop of my area in Nicaragua.  I wish all the families the best in their endevours, although I read in the local newspaper today that café exports have dropped some 13% compared to this time last year.

Summer has arrived here and it seems to be getting a bit hotter, although my mountainous climate is quite moderate.  It is definitely drier though...I'm wondering if the current beans planted all over the hillsides are getting enough agua.

Some days are super frustrating, but then there are simple things like buying bananas straight from the bunch in which they grow...that will always be with me as a neat experience.

In the coming days I hope to finalize a "tour" of the coffee process from tree to taza (cup) and I will post this tour on my blog.

IPM is an important step to take in agriculture extension work. It does not necessarily (in my view) mean eliminating all use of chemical pesticides and fertilizing products, but it certainly encourages reduced and pragmatic use of such products. For example, preventative maintenance of land and strict control of when and how much pesticides to apply (perhaps ensuring that a pest is indeed present before application). IPM should also promote the use of bio-control or natural products such as fungi and certain insects/parasites that control harmful pests. This is not a new topic, it is discussed in the well known food security book FOOD FIRST, and it is key to achieving sustainable agriculture (agriculture that is cost effective and not destructive to the environment).

Today I was given an article that comes from USAID and Fintrac, both of which aim to create sustainable agricultural progress in the developing world. This brief article speaks of using salicylic acid to boost plant resistance to disease. Essentially I understand it as promoting a healthy immune system in a plant just like consumers looking for antioxidant rich foods are trying to do in their body.

Neat concept, ¿no?

Read for yourself! Download the article "El Uso del Ácido Salicílico ..."

As mentioned in my previous update, the local niños and I made some "piggy" banks out of used plastic bottles. Here are a few shots of the fun!

After a great All Volunteer Conference in Managua with the topic of Food Security, I was able to celebrate Thanksgiving with new friends at a U.S. Embassy house.  A friend who works for USAID graciously invited a group of Peace Corps volunteers to his place for a wonderful dinner.  Vegetarian delights but also a turkey, which I was commissioned to carve.   Quick updates:  Two small sucesses!  1.  In Jiguina we have initiated a great new English class...very hands on.  So hands on that we made hand turkeys to explain what the Thanksgiving holiday is about (we learned the verbs: to trace, to draw, to write). 2.  In an effort to teach SAVING MONEY, some local kids and I made piggy banks with used plastic bottles.  The kids had a blast painting and decorating the bottles, which they will hopefully fill with coins.  When the bottle is full, they can save it for the long run or cut open the bottle and use the money.  This group of children will hopefully form a Life Skills group that I am working on for 2010.

As we enter December I am charged to explore soya processing and marango leaf production, both of which may be able to help with nutrition and food security in my community...   Other than that...It is CAFÉ HARVEST TIME!

 

A man's machete is certainly a key possession here in rural Nicaragua.  It is one detail of machismo that I had to adopt; although I don't use my machete daily, I felt it was a very necessary purchase to express my manhood.  The Nicaragua man (or woman for that matter) can do amazing things with the machete...cutting saw grass, cutting bricks, chopping fire wood, planting seeds, chiseling out a pretty exact cut from a piece of wood, et cetera, et cetera.   I suppose the frequency of machete use makes it a frequent instrument of injury as well.  Since moving to my community in Jinotega, Nicaragua I have seen three pretty bad machete inflicted wounds.  First, a special needs child limped to my house one evening looking for a band-aid for a stitch worthy gash on his knee.  Recently a girl came by my house with a patch over here eye...I later discovered that the patch is over the spot where her eye used to be.  While someone was chopping firewood, this poor girl took the blade to the eye.  I feel for her and I wish her the best, but accidents like this do happen--all over the world--and when little kids are playing around machetes, they happen more frequently.  I just hope that this girl doesn't stop going to school because of her unfortunate accident; however, I fear that school might be put off for a long while because of embarrassment.  Then we will have another uneducated woman in the town, only this one with one eye.  We can hope for the best!   Lastly, this morning I day dreamed about medical school after having to patch up a finger that had been sliced by a machete.  Pardon the mental image, but this man sliced off a good chunk, taking half a finger nail with it.  He is lucky, gracias a Dios, that he did not lose the appendage.  We cleaned it with alcohol before covering with gauze and antibiotic cream.  I of course had to explain that I am NOT a doctor and that I recommend he sees a doctor.  But, since I have a first aid kit, I feel that anything I can do to prevent infection is worth doing.  (I don't have much confidence that a visit to the doc will be made...).   So, please tenga cuidado con sus machetes!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machete

I am currently finishing up the Coelho book A Orillas del Río Piedra Me Senté y Lloré. (but, I seem to be spending more time composting than reading...earthworm blog post coming soon).   I feel inclined to reflect on something I just read, especially after my ride to town this morning with a Dutch friend of mine who also works in development.  We discussed how we are both quite pessimistic as development workers, but we both still put a lot into the job.  Social changes are key, yet slow to come by; but small progress, reaching one young student or educating one young mother is a success.  It is always important to keep on working, despite the slow progress and the seemingly endless challenges that face developing communities (social change, economic change, increased education, health improvement, population growth...and the list goes on and on).   "Nacemos, sufrimos, morimos, y las montñas siguen ahí"   Coelho writes in his story that mountains must always sit still, looking at the same view.  A river however is moving, and over time {a long time} it transforms the land that it runs through...   I am happy to be acting as a river at this point in my life instead of a mountain...a mountain which would probably be squeezed into an office cubicle :-p          

While visiting my first Peace Corps host family in Carazo this weekend, I asked my Nicaraguan mother how she was and if anything new was happening in her life.  She laughed and said, "Jodido pero contento."   Not your typical response for "How ya doing?"  But, this expression cracks me up and I would love to put it on a t-shirt.  It does say something more as well: I frequently meet people here in Nicaragua who do not have many resources, yet they seem so generous and happy; perhaps content.  Of course, there are all types of people in this world, everywhere you go...   Ciao.

Thanks to my IFT newsletter I stay somewhat connected to food industry news.

"According to a discussion paper published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), producing 70% more food for an additional 2.3 billion people by 2050 while at the same time combating poverty and hunger, using scarce natural resources more efficiently, and adapting to climate change are the main challenges world agriculture will face in the coming decades."

If I were in the States and I had a small, unique (quaint perhaps) eatery, today's special might be...

Fried Green Corn (Maiz verde o dulce) Tamal served with fresh Avocado guac and some fresh cheese.

Nica inspired food for the friends and family reading the blog.  I obviously miss my foodie life style in the States.

But, I will have so many new tastes to share when I return to the U.S. in a couple of years.

My nutrition education goals in brief.   Living in Nicaragua presents an extra challenge to someone who studied nutrition and food science.  Nutrition education, just like in countries all over the world, is needed here to help public health...especially with increasing access to highly processed, less traditional foods.  It seems that the often poor dietary habits are deeply rooted in the socioeconomic situation (as we certainly also observe in the United States).  UNICEF reports that "one of every three children has some degree of chronic malnutrition and nine percent suffer from severe malnutrition."  In addition, daily rural life includes very few precautions taken with regards to food and water safety.  Food access / food security appear far more of a concern than sanitation and variety.  On the bright side, unlike the U.S., in rural Nicaragua there is an abundance of tropical fruits and a high tendency to cook at home; two strong dietary advantages in my opinion.

As I begin my service here I have set a goal to encourage some simple adjustments to the diet.  I´m optimistic!  In the first two weeks I have had positive feedback from some soy meat I have prepared.  My host family has also observed how I cook my dinner with much less oil (for frying an egg for example).  And just last night two young girls were excited to learn a quick salsa recipe--tomato, onion, green mango, chicoria/cilantro, salt--a healthful addition to their diet with ingredients that are often available in the area (chicoria typically grows right around the house).  I try to pass the message that fruits and veggies have vitamins!  It is more economical to buy fruits and veggies from the family than to buy some questionable vitamin tablet.  And frying with less oil also saves a bit of dinero.

I have observed that a lack of health and nutrition education allows food superstitions to continue, hindering the ability of families to make healthy dietary choices.  I respect the traditions here and the beliefs that often seem strange to me, but opening up to some new health beliefs may be a positive change for some individuals.  I have observed (and tried to gently dissuade) sippy cup feeding of cola followed by a bon-bon lollipop given to a child not yet old enough to walk OR ask for said lollypop (seemingly used as a pacifier...).  Not only do such empty calories not provide recommended nutrition, such practices may prime the child´s preference for abundant processed sweets.  More processed food, less traditional products, and inevitably more dental problems often result.

After four months observing and eating in Nicaragua, I have decided to encourage four changes in the kitchen.  I would argue that these goals are simple and also relevant for healthy eating in any culture.

1. Diversify by adding fresh (not always over cooked) color to the plate (this means fruits and vegetables)

2. Reduce sugar intake, especially in liquid Calories.  Perhaps replace the cola with H2O; make a fruit juice fresco with out--or with less--added sugar!  (Another quick anecdote:  there is a popular cola here named Kola Shaler, which some people believe to be different from soda (gaseosa).  It is believed to be somewhat medicinal and a source of vitamins; however, reality and ingredient label tell me it is a cola with a slightly different flavoring recipe.)

3. Reduce consumption of fried foods and fry in less fat.  Not only would this save money (aceite, oil, is expensive), it may add color to the golden brown plate.  *The same child who loves cola and lollipops is typically fed mostly fried solid foods.  One day at the table, as I ate a healthy avocado, I suggested trying to feed a bit to the child.  The response was bewilderment--apparently the belief is that the avocado does a young person harm (at least in this family).  To them, fried rice and fried cheese are easier to digest than a bit of avocado.*

4. Lastly, a reduction in cross contamination during food prep and water collection could benefit everyone! 

I am just getting started encouraging these four ideas and I am planning some cooking demonstrations in my community.  The community and I are also beginning some small scale patio garden plots that may increase food security and diversify diets (Peace Corps objectives!), even if only by a small amount.

Opportunities in Jigüina are abundant!

I would like to note that I do not intend to be judgmental about the diet here.  I indulge in sweets and fried foods as well.  But, I like to think I do so in moderation and I live a somewhat active lifestyle.  With out some critical observation, it is hard to accomplish dietary improvement.  I respect the hard working people here that often struggle to put food on the table and I also respect the continued use of traditional recipes (with maíz for example).

Peace and Progress.

Peace Corps Volunteers know how to have fun...and enjoy all the LITTLE things. It is a benefit of the job; something mundane in my old lifestyle now brings unusual joy to my day.

This morning I enjoyed English conversation about projects, life, and pastries in a small bakery cafe shop in Jinotega City. This was after a night of some junk food, board games, and a silly attempt at karaoke. All agreed that the night felt a bit too much like freshman year of college...oddly nostalgic. Now I am thrilled that I have found a very high speed and fachenta (classy...in a pseudo snobby way) cyber spot. And they have free cafe.

It is a small world and an even smaller country. I just ran into a woman from my community, dressed in Saturday best for some city shopping. She of course invited me for chilote around lunch time (baby corn...I´m a bit too into the chilote at the moment as it is very good). It is the first corn cob to grow on the stalk, then, perhaps seeking more sun (reaching for the Nica sky), the corn stalk continues on and produces a larger corn cob, la madre. The plant hormones seem to head on up to the madre and the chilote stays tender and underdeveloped.

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As my projects move forth, this month will also involve settling into my new home. I will be renting a room in an unoccupied farm cottage in my village with unusually nice conditions. I am spoiled. I look forward to having my own little lab again, kitchen I mean. I hope to cook a lot since my community seems very open to learning new recipes.

some have been curious about what my typical day looks like. this is not an easy thing to describe, as Peace Corps Nicaragua often does not include typical days...

i shall try...in brief.

Around 4 AM I wake up with the roosters, which often sleep on the other side of the wood plank wall of my bedroom (quite close to my head). I sleep again.

Around 6:30 AM I wake up to the sound of Doña Leonarda patting out the day´s corn tortillas by hand...into perfect circles. Pah, pah, pah. PAUSE. -she shuffles over to the wood burning stove to flip one tortilla, put another on the metal disc/skillet, and then she returns to the counter to pat out some more masa (corn dough).

After Leonarda realizes I am awake (you can hear EVERYTHING through the wood walls), she screams, ¨Miguel! ¿Ya va a comer?,¨calling me to breakfast.

I ask how the family slept and they typically reply, ¨Thank God, pretty well.¨ These conversations do actually happen almost every day.

Typically I will eat. Rice, beans, tortilla, or I will make oatmeal. Then I will do some project planning in my room and decide whether or not to bathe before the day´s agenda.

Currently I am meeting with lots of community members and discussing possible projects, challenges they face, etc. We have two community banks with meetings twice a month. We are preparing to start a third community bank! I am beginning to do some nutritious food demonstrations (this week, three Salsa Mexicana recipes using local ingredients...mas or menos). I have started a Marango tree nursery to assist with a youth chicken feed business plan and I have worked with three local youths to start family veggie gardens!

Future projects (in discussion) include a community mill (molino) and a community/church garden (beautification!!). Also, some larger scale farming ideas like organic lettuce, an onion patch, soil conservation barriers for hill side farming, and new product ideas. I love new food products (my ideas include tomato jam and pickled baby corn...already made the pickles, and they tasted GREAT).

After treking around town talking with everyone and hearing my name, ¨Miguelito!!¨yelled from all sides, I return home often to wash up before dinner (despite Nica habit of only bathing in the morning).

Some days I practice milking cows, some days I feed my worm compost with some fresh cow pooh, and some days I take a tour of someone´s patio, in which I will usually find some neat plants such as wild orchids.

At night, I eat a hearty dinner...often some rice, beans, tortilla, cabbage or fried eggs. Sometimes I will prepare some soy protein or we will have some corn on the cob. Sometimes squash (chaya) soup.

I typically end the night reading and writing about the day in my room, listening to 80s music, sipping on warm pinolillo, and trying to ignore the itching from my flea bites.

I use my head lamp to get around at night, brushing my teeth and such. Around 9 I get in bed and read by head lamp until I decide to fall asleep...

:0)

Dealing with some minor stomach issues has kept me from getting into a running routine.

I took my first couple of runs last week in Jiguina. In Philadelphia I was accustomed to running trails usually just one time per week. In my Peace Corps site, every run is a trail run--it is beautiful! I see this as an opportunity to get in great shape (we have HILLS) and I´m interested to see how quickly my shoes are defeated by the tough terrain. Who knows, perhaps some Nicas will start running with me...

I had the honor of giving a short speech at my Peace Corps swearing in ceremony. It was a nice way to begin my two years of service. This is the message that I wrote for the ocasion:

Buenos días y gracias a todos por venir a la celebración.

Quisiera dar una charla muy sencilla esta mañana que expresa los sentimientos de nuestro grupo de voluntarios nuevos. Este grupo está muy emocionado hoy, el primer día como voluntarios con Cuerpo de Paz. Esta mañana, salimos tres meses de capacitaciones con un montón de memorias de la cultura NICA. Gallo pinto, pilas, y todas las palabras poéticas de nicañol. Venir a Nicaragua es como estudiar en colegio otra vez—una cultura nueva, una lengua nueva, y los autobuses Blue Bird de los Estados Unidos.

Nuestro trabajo será una aventura importante en nuestras vidas, pero no siempre será fácil. El proceso de desarrollo es un proceso lento que depende mucho en cambios sociales. ¡Estamos aquí para compartir en este trabajo! Y entramos servicio con dos ventajas increíbles:

Primer, por dos años podemos participar en proyectos sostenibles.

Segundo, nuestra organización quiere construir capacidad en vez de solamente donar soluciones.

Además, tenemos la oportunidad para un gran intercambio de conocimientos. Con este tipo de intercambio, todo el mundo puede aprender. Y cuando el mundo está aprendiendo juntos, hay mucha esperanza para progresar. ¡Felicidades y Vaya en paz!

More posts are coming...I have promised myself. I intend to track my experiences on this blog for my own records in addition to an effective means of sharing with the important people in my life!

Currently I have been dealing with a minor health issue...I read this succinct definition of the condition in the book Where there is no doctor [but of course, I do have doctors].

giardia....A tiny, microscopic parasite that can infect the intestines causing frothy yellow diarrhea.

Rico.

Be sure to keep an eye out for new links on the right side panel of the blog...scroll down...

I will post relevant links throughout my service in Nicaragua. There is also a link to my PHOTOS! I just added a great resource for development projects and info as well.

Miss you all!

Yesterday we attempted to fight white fly in our school yard garden using a natural pesticide.  White flies were beginning to cause an issue on the underside of our watermelon leaves, so one of my fellow trainees made a fermented Neem leaf tea as a pest deterrant.  It may be the neem, or perhaps dirty water, but after waiting a week to apply this foliar spray, the solution stunk to high heaven.  We were afraid we might be doing more damage than good by applying it to our plants (flys started to swarm on this putrid smelling mixture as soon as it left the bottle). We hope to make another, fresh, batch to compare odors...We literally couldn´t handle the smell and it quickly penetrated the bandana I tied over my nose.  It was just another comical lesson in S.D.  Along the way we used a plastic soda bottle for yet another use-  By poking a very small hole in the cap of a used soda bottle, we were able to create a make shift spray bottle.  We filled the bottle with the neem tea and squeezed it on to the plants.  This fun tool could also double as a third world squirt gun in my opinion.

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I received my site assignment today.  Starting in August I will be serving in a small community outside of the city of Jinotega, Nicaragua.  I am excited to get started in this mountainous village.

I am in country, training my heart out.

My experiences thus far in Nicaragua have stirred up a myriad of emotions.  The cultural adaptation experience is demanding, interesting, motivating, and sometimes overwhelming.  Similar to a semester of full time university studies, my fellow trainees and I are engulfed in a montón of readings, presentations, and practical technical sessions.  Unlike university life, many of us return home at night to a bowl of delicious rice and beans (gallo pinto) and a bucket bath.  The sudden influx of new customs, social observations, and constant processing of a foreign language can quickly wear a person out.

Extracting myself from my lifestyle and planting myself in a development program in Central America means observing endless new social factors and realizing how much I have previously taken for granted.  Things such as clean water, waste management, and emissions testing for vehicles...there are too many new observations to even begin a list on this blog.

The Peace Corps development approach is inspiring.  International development is a lengthy process with many factors that can impede projects.  The Peace Corps approach is to work with people who want assistance, find out what needs they have, find out what resources they have, and work TOGETHER to develop projects.  In the end, the people involved should be trained and able to continue their projects without the presence of the Peace Corps volunteer.  The inidividuals and communities hopefully feel a sense of ownership that can sustain long term, positive change.  This is called capacity building!   I am very excited with my job here becuase I feel that I will have an active role in sustainable development.  I feel very content because my nutrition and food science knowledge compliments my assignment goals.  Some of my top priorities for my volunteer service include nutrition education, diet and garden diversification, environmental health projects, bio digestors (reducing firewood consumption by fermenting animal waste to produce natural cooking gas!)...But, ultimately my projects will be based on my community´s needs and the wishes of the local people!  In Nicaragua, one must not enter a project with too many expectations...flexibility and patience are key.   I am enjoying learning how to do some farming.  I am getting to see endless tropical plants that produce common (and not so common) fruits consumed in the States.  My training team and I are working on a school garden, a product commercialization project with local youth, and we are all focusing on reusability!  Creative use of resources--such as plastic soda bottles--is always fun to think about.  Other training concepts include community banks to encourage saving and access to credit, as well as community health education.  Project opportunities in agriculture are abundant!

After much anticipation, planning, and many goodbyes, I am now leaving for the Peace Corps in Nicaragua. Ready or not.

Today, May 11th, is my birthday and tomorrow I will embark on this new journey. Only time will tell how this assignment affects my world view, my Spanish tongue, and my future--both personal and professional. I hope for safety, good health, learning, and a whole mess of new culture! I hope that I will have the strength, wisdom, and humility necessary to affect positive change in my new community. I will miss my friends and family; Tiffany most of all. Thank you to everyone who has supported my dream of serving abroad. Best wishes and lots of love to all! Now I will have a completely new environment in which to make my Seinfeld-esque social observations. Ciao!