Peace Corps Journals

Construction Part 1

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Tucker Time: Community Health Promotion in Nicaragua

2012-02-08 23:49:00

The first row is the hardest- it has to be leveled to perfection or the latrine will fall down- or so they tell me.

El gemelo (the twin)

Ana carrying blocks!

I named her Natalie- they havent decided if they like it yet, but I know they will come around.

Natalia and Jess

Natalia and Ana

Entrance to 30

Wahoo, second row (of 4)!

A proud owner

the floor

Dona Cristina and helper

Construction part 2

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Tucker Time: Community Health Promotion in Nicaragua

2012-02-08 23:54:00

Edgardo- who came with me to Managua to defend the project.

Dona Juana

Leveling!

Ana and Martin hard at work

Steps! Almost done!

Sophia and I are really happy

Fargington! This picture took way too long to set up.

Too cute.

The doors that will be filled in and then used to empty the latrine when its full- yes, full.

Pretty sure this isnt hard hat work- but after a bottle of caballito it might be.

The rocks came!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Tucker Time: Community Health Promotion in Nicaragua

2012-02-08 23:41:00

The rocks came!

So did the bricks.

Don Jeronimo (in blue) directing traffic. This project is only possible because of this man.

Child labor laws?

the heaviest saco ever.

Everyone is helping

I can carry one brick...

Main road in 30

Taking a break

My engineers!

Brand new puppy

The Germans lending a helping hand

GETTING READY FOR SCHOOL

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Carol in Nicaragua

2012-02-08 17:51:00

I’ve struggled with a bit of a writer’s block, but now that school is ready to start in one week, I can fill everyone in on what I’ve learned about the system here. Teachers have had a 2 month “summer vacation”-- if they were lucky. My counterparts have been going to school during the vacation, usually half days, to try to secure their position as English teachers. Many of them studied something else in college and if they want to teach English they need, quite justifiably, to learn enough English to be effective. Three of the four use no English in their classes. English is taught in Spanish. Needless to say there’s a lot of rote teaching of grammatical rules and lists of vocabulary and very little practice speaking. The courses these teachers take are more of the same. I’ve tutored two teachers during the vacation and I can say that they are not learning much that would help them with the job. No wonder, they teach as they were taught.

Two weeks before the students show up, the teachers appear daily at the instituto. What do they do? They had a full day presentation on interfamilial violence sponsored by the national police and an NGO. After that day, though, each morning half of the teachers register students and half prepare the classrooms. No one knows what classes they will teach because no one knows how many students will enroll for the year. That’s why the registration. There is no support staff except for one secretary and one lady who sweeps the hallways and waters the plants outside and monitors access to the bathrooms—no guidance department, registrar or administrative assistant, And so half of the teachers sit at tables outside and register any student who shows up with proof he passed the previous grade. This goes on for two weeks and then the business of forming classes and assigning teachers can begin. That should happen by the 10^th and classes start on the 13^th. For me this means I have been unable to work with my teachers to prepare a schedule for myself or even to start preparing for the 13^th. I am told that the class assignments we receive on the 10^th aren’t final at any rate. There will all sorts of changes until mid-March.

The other half of the teachers are preparing classrooms. This means they literally wash them down, ceiling to floor. They take down last year’s bulletin boards and replace them with new touting the virtues of the socialist state as last year’s did. Nicaragua has a moral and political base to class and curriculum. The kids are taught politically and socially articulated values, like the value of community and solidarity. I’ll be interested in watching how this plays out this year as we teach.

The teachers assigned to classrooms have another job as well. It is apparently hard to flunk out because there are always other chances. The school offers tests to any student who failed a class. Moreover, the teachers post what will be on the test and are available during the first two weeks to help students prepare for it. I’ve sat in on a few of these sessions—all of them the same half hour review of the time and what people do in the morning-- and I’ll be interested to see if the test is a duplicate of the exact material reviewed.

No one complains. No one articulates disdain for the jobs assigned. I can sit and have a conversation with a math teacher who is patiently cutting out letters he’s traced for the bulletin board slogans. He’s happy to talk, but then again he’s happy to cut. One day last week someone brought in ingredients for soup and while all this registration and classroom work was going on some people broke away to build a fire, set out a pot of water to boil and start the cutting up of meat and vegetables. People looked happy to be doing that as well.

I make school sound like an island of camaraderie and it is. The teachers appear to love sitting and talking with one another. But I also hear complaints about the “chisme” (gossip) which is also a part of the school world. The complainers recite that what they say is repeated and that others are eager to bad things about the others. This belief is widely held. It makes me so careful about what I say. Any hint of discontent on my part with a person or a system will spread, I’m afraid, like wildfire. It’s hard, too, because once I’ve established “confianza” (confidence) with a teacher, as I am happy to say I have with 2 of my counterparts, and after they have confided in me about their difficulties, it’s hard not to be candid about my own. But it’s a bad idea, especially if anything connected to the school is the source of my problem, or anyone in the community for that matter. Even an apparently neutral remark, like my observation that the principal of the school works very hard, is an opening. Why doesn’t she hire help? She makes more than they do.

The net result of all the uncertainty, after is caused me some discomfort, has been to make me relax. I’ll be ready when I need to be, whenever that is. No use stressing about it. I’m off to the instituto now. Maybe someone will let me cut out some letters or make crepe paper ruffles for the bulletin board. If not, I’ll head on down to the cyber to post this blog. Am I already a little Nicaraguense? Hope so.

Ups and downs

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Lindsey's Life in Nicaragua

2012-02-08 16:22:00

So everything has been going pretty well. I'm settled into my new house and I have visitors pretty much constantly. I broke out a deck of cards, which were new, and we've been playing with them for about 3 weeks and they now look like a deck of cards that is 10 years old. I've taught them how to play spoons, B.S. and old maid. They're all quite popular, but Old maid is my favorite because the kids are constantly cheating. They've memorized the flaws of the Old maid card, so they carefully analyze your cards before drawing one. Also since I only have a small table that fits 4 people, the rule is that if you lose the game, you lose your spot at the table; that way everyone gets a chance to play.
People are concerned about me being able to cook for myself and want to ensure that I'm eating, so I'm often invited over for dinner or sometimes food is brought to me. I keep trying to tell them that I know how to cook, but no one believes me and I'm not doing a good job of trying to prove them wrong since I haven't filled my gas tank yet. I tell them I'm taking a break from gallo pinto and have been enjoying cereal and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the last couple of weeks; but that's just not acceptable for them. I guess I'm going to have to fill my gas tank and actually cook one of these days and I'm sure it will be with someone looking over my shoulder and criticizing everything that I'm doing because I'm not doing it Nica style.
I'm really enjoying living in my house, but I hate cleaning! I don't know how Nica women do it, honestly. Right now, I've got quite a bit of time on my hands and it's only me living in the house and I still find it bothersome and difficult to complete all my chores, so I don't understand how they do it while caring for children, husbands and actually cooking 3 meals a day.
School is starting up soon, which I'm excited about because I'm hoping it will keep me busy and hopefully I'll be able to stay out of the gossip mill, which I've unfortunately been thrown into recently. It's already hard enough sticking out and constantly drawing attention just because I'm different; but then to have people talking about me all the time makes it even more so. Sometimes I wish I could go back to the States where I'm able to blend in more and live in a city where people don't know what I do every hour of the day. As much as I'm enjoying my time here, there are definitely downs to every up.

Granada

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua An open mind and a heart to serve

2012-02-08 03:03:00

I got to visit Ruth this past weekend with Jasser and we got to see little Dyland :) It was so special!! He is the sweetest little boy and he's beginning to walk which is oh so exciting! I love him. It's so nice that Granada is not too far away, and even though it isn't too far away, I still don't get over there enough. The thing is about Granada is that I absolutely love going there for a ton of reasons, but I always end up spending way too much money on all the amazing food there, which is dangerous... This last time I stayed with Ruth at her house so we ate there and I wasn't doing the whole "touristy" thing. I desperately wanted to slip over to the main street and soak up some American-ness, but I was enjoying time with my little nephew too much :)

Be careful what you wish for!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Stop me before I volunteer again!

2012-02-07 22:54:00

What a week! I did say that I felt like I should be doing more didn’t I? Well I guess I should say I should have been more careful for what I wish for because boy am I busy this week! With less than one week before classes start, I am running around getting school schedules straightened out, working with 4 small businesses, have been working to form two new community based savings and loan banks, and still had time to take two of my best students to a Peace Corps Youth camp, that unfortunately I was not able to participate in, and watch the Super Bowl in Esteli with some friends.

Let’s start with last week, I went to a community outside of the city because an environment volunteer wanted some help starting a community bank at her school. This group had done a bank with a previous volunteer, so my role was to help them define their new rules, how much they were all going to agree on saving every month, and help them elect their leaders. It was nice to get to work cross-sectorally and help a fellow volunteer with a business-related project. On my way back from the community, I decided to run by one of my schools to say hello and see how things were coming. It was good to see all of the teachers and to see how happy they were that I was back. Warm fuzzy feelings all around, I say. Last week, I also put together a teacher training plan for the school year and will be meeting with MINED to discuss possibilities this week. I will keep my fingers crossed that I will be able to work with more teachers during the monthly planning and evaluation meetings.

Sunday, I headed to Esteli to watch the Super Bowl with some friends and RPCVs (returned Peace Corps Volunteers). We had a great time, there were chicken wings, French fries, I made ranch dip and veggies, chips, guacamole, the whole traditional Super Bowl spread. Although this was not my first Super Bowl outside of the US, I was still a little sad to see that ESPN Latin America did not air the awesome super bowl commercials. Oh well, I guess that’s what Youtube is for right? Yesterday, I headed to another small community in the department of Matagalpa to prepare and give another community bank talk with a different environmental volunteer. (Interestingly, she has the type of house I thought I would be living in here in Nicaragua – Mango tree, lime tree, latrine, etc.) Today was our talk, and it appears that out of the 20 people who were at the informational meeting, 15 of them would like to participate! I rule it as a success in my book! This afternoon, I worked with one of the small business owners that I am consulting with to improve/change/or start their business. We had a great meeting and I look forward to working more with him.

The rest of this week will be spent getting ready for the school year, and starting to plan with my counterpart teachers. Good thing I am taking my multi-vitamin! Let the school year begin! Enjoy the pictures and keep making good choices!

First Community Bank Meeting - A Success


Participants deciding their bank rules


On my tech exchange in front of a PC World Map


Students on their way to the Youth Leadership Camp


Me with my two superstar students on their way to the camp!

And their off!

Zahidu helping me dehydrate bananas and watermelon!


Super Bowl party in Esteli


Repelling off the water tower during the super bowl


With my friends Stephanie and Kenan at the SB party

The living room at my second tech exchange!


The Kitchen


Bathroom and Shower


My fellow volunteer and her temporary residence


The second bank meeting


Participants in the second community bank


Answering some tough but great questions!

25 weeks

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua The Obandos

2012-02-07 02:12:00

A few pictures as the baby bump progresses. I'm actually 28 weeks now but I am really slacking on the weekly photos - not to mention that the ones I take myself just aren't as nice as these professional ones. Image 1st did a great job - it was fun to play supermodel for a day:)

Dos Veces

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Alex In The Peace Corps

2012-02-06 23:56:00

Two times now the door to our latrine has been flung open by the wind and exposed me to my entire family. This family is seeing and hearing more than they could ever desire. This is what happens when you have no privacy. Definitely a Peace Corp Problem (further will just be referred to as a PCP)

There's a Scorpion in my pants.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Alex In The Peace Corps

2012-02-07 00:08:17

I don’t have a closet and I don’t have a dresser. All my clothes are either dirty in a bag waiting to be cleaned, or they are in the two suitcases I brought with me. As I was getting ready for bed last night I reached into my bag to grab out some pants and some socks to wear, as it gets very cold here at night (very cold here is like maybe 65 degrees). As I was reaching for my pants I saw something move so I shut my suitcase real fast and screamed. I thought it was a spider so I gathered the courage I needed to kill it and move on with my nightly routine. As I open my suitcase back up I realize that it is definitely not a spider. I ran out of my room and got the woman here who takes care of me. I tried to explain to her what was in my suitcase but really i couldn’t open come up with “insecto”. Definitely doesn’t do the job. She opens my suitcase and moved some things around and saw what I saw. She explained to me what it was and I just stood there thinking, “yeah I know, but how do we freaking kill this thing!?” She got her brother and he went through my luggage, seeing things I wish he would not have, and removed the scorpion from my luggage. He just laughed at me and shook is head because he is the same person that had to search my room for the mouse, and later search my room and find the dead mouse. I think he felt for me.

Did my family kill this scorpion you ask? No, they did not. They released him in our backyard. I have every suspicion he will be back in my stuff tonight.

My family told me two things about this experience. That both the scorpion and the mouse were rare events. If this is true than I have the worst luck because I have already had both happen to me in the first 4 weeks here.

The second thing they told me, which really makes me angry, is that if I clean my room it won’t be a problem. I will fully admit the mouse was my fault seeing as I had food in my room at the time. But this scorpion probably could care less if my room is clean or dirty. He was looking for a home, not food. This scorpion business is not my fault, and I resent the fact that they said it was.

Trickery

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua An open mind and a heart to serve

2012-02-06 23:34:00

Ruth & Jasser tricked me into eating something the other night that I definitely wouldn't have eaten had I known what it was. It didn't taste terrible, just different. They were looking at me with smirks on their faces after telling me "oh it's just mixed meat and rice that's been charred over the fire". Hmmm, well I ran over to Ruth's sister-in-law's house next door to ask her and she revealed the ingredients: sausage made from pig's blood that's boiled in the intestines. I felt like I was going to throw up after that and I lost a little trust in my "siblings" ;) I ate a little more after that, but couldn't do much more. It's funny how your mind can trick you too. Well, there's my weird Nica food story...glad that's over with :)

Photos, finalmente!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Life of Lauren

2012-02-03 20:43:00

A while ago I wrote to you all about a special workshop I put on. It was a one day course taught to 20 young women in a rural community hours away from any health services. No one travels to these people. The police don´t make it out there. The closest doctors forget about them during national vaccine campaigns. Even the closest school forgets to go out there and recruit students for the next year. Obviously these women were in need of attention.

A local agriculture volunteer found funding and invited me up for the day. We spent the morning talking about health education and the afternoon sharing stories about our rights a women. It was a wonderful experience.

Well, 2 months later, I finally have photos. WOOOOOOO

Learning about HIVaids (VIHsida).

Vulvas. Enough said.

Talking about how the immune system works. I like to add in a little dance.

A serious, and pretty fun, conversation about what we deserve.

Cloud Forest Pictures

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Martin Hadsell do Nascimento

2012-02-03 16:44:35

Cloud Forest: A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mossescovering the ground and vegetation, in which case they are also referred to as mossy forests.

Cloud Forest Pictures

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Martin Hadsell do Nascimento

2012-02-03 16:44:35

Birds

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua An open mind and a heart to serve

2012-02-02 21:58:00

I've had a general dislike of birds ever since sophomore year of college when a bird decided to come in through our stove vent and take up residence in our rented house. She then built a nest, and her babies hatched, scratched, and chirped inside our walls. This was annoying in itself, and then some fell down the stove vent over our stove and pooped on our stove. How to get a whole family of birds out of your overhead stove vent? Well, a couple fell out after we detached the fan (yes, they had fallen down the vent onto the fan blades right above our stove), and well the others, they had built their next about 10 feet in from the external vent, just far enough not to be able to reach it with a broom or something like that. To make a long story short, our landlord's son came and had to hose them out. Not quite the happy ending, but we couldn't have birds living in our vents and pooping on our stove...

Anyway, why am I talking about birds and bringing back such horrific memories from the past?? Well, I'm visiting Frank because he's sick and I decided to wash his clothes since there was a rather large pile of dirty clothes (as there usually is...). Yesterday, Frank came home and met me in the back where I was washing and I handed him jeans to hang up and as he reached for them, a bird pooped on him. It was pretty funny, but then he didn't help me hang up the wet clothes :( Well later today I returned to find that the bird (or another one) had pooped in the lavandero (washboard area). That's annoying. I cleaned it out and then washed one of Frank's towels. He was talking to me and I was just about done washing the towel and the bird pooped on my arm and part of the towel. Frank was about to laugh at me, but then hit his head on the tin roof, which was hilarious. But then I had to re-wash part of the towel and my arm. Dang birds!

Needless to say, I still dislike birds.

Chinches, murcielagos and beisbol, dios mio!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Martha's Travels

2012-02-02 16:32:00

The holidays came and went. Thank goodness. I had a really nice Christmas dinner with some other volunteers and it was a lot of fun… until about 3 a.m. I woke up with horrible stomach pains and vomiting all night. As it turns out, the Christmas Eve dinner that I had with friends in my site the night before, left me with a little bit more than feelings of tide and joy. I knew while I was eating it that something was not going to go as planned as do most special occasion meals down here because they make them in large quantities and it takes a lot of time to prepare leaving food sitting out for long periods of time. But, I wanted to participate and what doesn’t kill me just makes me stronger : ) However, dry heaving all morning left me a little weak for a couple of days and finally the rest of the bacterial infection symptoms kicked in. Luckily I was in Matagalpa and had many comforts around me that I wouldn’t have had at home so it could have been much worse. By the time I made it to Leon everything was good and I was ready to bring in a New Year the way it is supposed to be brought in when in beautiful Leon, Nicaragua! We went out and had a great time. It was exactly how I wanted to bring in 2012. I felt that it was the perfect gate way to having a good year. Open to changes and opportunities, being single and not feeling desperate or lonely, just feeling comfortable in my own skin and confident in whom I am. Then I made my way to the beach were I parked it for two days. The beach was really nice and I always find myself condensing, reorganizing, defragmenting, clearing up my mind, and centering my soul and body when watching the waves roll in. I love being beat up by the water and the beaches in Leon will definitely give you as many rounds of punch you in the stomach boxing as you can handle. If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I want to be a grey whale next time, God. I’m probably going to have to work a lot harder at good karma for that though.

So I came back home and the corn field next to my house had been cut down and several of the men and boys who had been in the mountains picking coffee came back home, so, my nightly stalker ceased his prowling, finally giving it a rest. I felt refreshed and ready to jump back in and get started working. Mostly I’ve been working in my yard, planting and getting it ready to have a bigger garden. I started to organize a women’s baking group and we are going to make oatmeal and raisin cookies next week which they are excited about. I continued having my kids’ art class and started making plans for a charla on medicinal plants. I also acquired two new puppies that my friend Paul and I had picked out shortly after they were born. I know I said I wouldn’t but I miss Rupert so much and dogs are so pitiful here I just couldn’t help myself. I just couldn’t. I love having their companionship too much and it means a world of difference when I’m here in my casita alone. Plus, they’re good dogs. Even though they are tiny, they are growing fast and they are good protection. For them to bark in the night is enough to keep someone away from my house and they are already able to do that. All that said, Lobo looks a lot like Rupert. He has a brindle coat and sweet easy going temperament, stubborn and smart, and not as quick to follow me into a busy road as the other one. Lobo is also not as easy to leash train as Oso (Paul’s dog). All my Nica neighbors think that Oso is the cute one because he is fluffier and has brown and white spots in all the right places but he’s one of those good looking creatures that God spent more time on the outside than what’s going on upstairs. However, I am definitely partial to the rejects and Lobo has short hair which makes for a cleaner pup, especially out here. The neighborhood kids named mine Lobo which means wolf and I named Oso which means bear.

I’m working on a charla with my ladies group to talk about menopause and menstruation, stress and I want to teach them how to give shoulder massages. I am going to introduce medicinal plants that they have around here and try to get them to plant them in their yards. I constantly give out teas and garlic or whenever I make new healthy recipes I take them some samples. I made peanut butter, soy meat, soy milk, pancakes with cacao and oatmeal, sweet potato crackers and rosa de Jamaica tea. I let them try it all out and hope that maybe they will like it enough to make it themselves. I planted some spinach and mixed greens and am waiting for them to be ready so I can share that as well. I am trying to promote beats as they are rich in iron and antioxidants, cinnamon, honey, basil, rosemary, lemon grass and a few other herbs and fruits that they have growing naturally down here. A lot of the women constantly have UTI’s or kidney infections, cholesterol problems, diabetes, gastritis and other digestive problems, etc. Primarily I work with trying to get them to drink more water but the teas serve as diuretics, most of them, so this helps as well. Some of the women are really excited about the things that I’m telling them and giving them and they show up to my house and tell me what’s going on with their body and I’m like Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman and I give them some herbs and what not and they come back telling me how well they slept or felt. They have most of the resources they need right here in their own patios too which is what is so exciting about it for me. I am going to teach them about the fertilization cycle, we’re going to talk about hygiene and what their men can do to help protect them from infections, and types of diet that increase and decrease negative side effects of menstruation. I might even throw some stretches in there if I think they can handle it but that may be pushing it right now. It’s very encouraging though because when the women come back they bless me and everything else for relieving some of their health problems. It was all here before me; I just did the research to tell them about it and actually processed it or bought it so they could use it.

“Dignity is labor. When you just give someone something you take away their dignity”. My Mom shared this quote with me on the phone the other evening and I thought it was very fitting of my service here. I don’t believe in bringing in a bunch of projects or looking for donations to distribute. I believe in getting them started on something and then watching them maintain it. Like the patio gardens or food processing. I’ve seen the left over projects of other volunteers. They weren’t a waste because some people still use it but our library for example is sitting locked up with a bunch of beautiful books that no one in the community touches. Yet, someone donated hundreds of very nice books and because they can’t get organized enough to check them out or the families are too scared that their kids are going to tear them up they never leave the room and no one ever goes in. It’s infuriating and sad all at the same time. Yet, I can’t push my weight around on this one because whatever they work out is what is going to stick and whatever I try to impose is just going to circle around to this situation again. Plus, it belongs to the community and if they want it they will do something about it. Luckily there are a few younger men who want to open it and are pursuing it with the delegada in the ministerio de educacion.

There are some days when certain sites down here just rip your heart out and for me it is people with disabilities and more recently it has been the cattle trucks crammed full with people carrying them to and from the tobacco factories where they work all day. In many ways it is a positive thing, they have transportation to work, they HAVE work, and that’s a lot to be said. However, seeing the eyes peeking from behind the slats of the wooded cage of the truck so full of people that they can’t turn around flying down the dirt road to drop them off at their designated location just brings me these holocaust images. Maybe it’s because it’s a cattle/cargo truck, maybe it’s because it’s so full they can’t move, or maybe it’s just because I can never imagine cramming myself in there, almost suffocating, to get to and from work every day in a factory with one day off a week.

I saw a blind man on the road the other day while I was on the bus. His daughter or whomever was walking away and he reached out to grab her arm and she kept walking leaving him there. He then fumbled his way to the outdoor shower and stumbled in. He was older and I’m sure the girl is a caregiver or someone that he depends on greatly but I’ve seen the way they treat people and animals that have irregularities. It also surprises me how much Nicaraguans give money to beggars. They do give them money but then they back away like they are a disease. I was at my friend’s house the other day and they had a tiny puppy that was very sick and dying. I had my dogs with me and she was talking about how cute they were. She then kicked her puppy and said he’s dying and he’s gross but they are really cute. She literally kicked this 1 lb puppy, if that, that was ribs hanging out ready to fall over dead any second. It was more than I could take and I walked away. It’s just the culture. Elderly don’t get treated with much respect either. When you can’t work and feed yourself you don’t have much use and you’re a burden to everyone else. “Survival of the fittest” and void of creativity, that’s what socialism boils down to from my experience and I don’t mind saying it. You also take every chance you can to feel better than the other person, that’s human nature, but when you have a group of people who’ve been told they’re poor and dependent their whole lives, they spend whatever they can to feel above the average. Sometimes you just can’t blame them for wanting to either.

So recently I’ve had the idea that I would like to set up a scholarship program here. I went to a private catholic university with two brothers the other day in pursuit of a scholarship. They had their cartas requesting the scholarship and we visited with the director of the university UCATSE. I looked at the cartas before going in and realized how grammatically incorrect and horribly written they were. I sat and talked with the director for a while asking about scholarships after the boys had left the office. I then asked if we could rewrite the letters and email them later that day after we corrected them. I also acted as a reference and shared a lot of information that they left out that I thought would be helpful. I gave them a little lesson on professionalism and body language. Their cartas were basically saying you are our only hope to continue education please find it in your heart to help us, blah, blah. That’s their way out here in the campo, you beg and put the guilt trip on someone but obviously that doesn’t get very far on a professional playing field. So we changed all that and they ended up getting the half scholarship that was really not available to them because they only go to school on Saturdays and it was meant for daily students. They made an exception for them and I think that has been my biggest achievement here so far. Their classes are about 30 dollars a month which is about the same as any other type of sponsorship program. I wanted to maybe start a sponsorship program and then turn it into a scholarship program or something like that. It’s in the works and I will let everyone know once I have something actually running.

So I went to a baseball game the other day in San Marcos. I rode my bike there and got there after the first game just ended (they always play two in a row). I was there for maybe a half an hour before a call was made that terribly upset the other team and their fans. Next thing I know everyone starts running away and ducking behind things. We were elevated above the playing field on rock cliffs so there was only one way to run. I look up and there are rocks being catapulted across from the other cliff side where the other team’s fans were standing. Then shots ring out and two cops walk in with the rifles. I ran around and hopped on my bike as a by stander was telling me not to be scared. I looked at him and told him this wasn’t baseball and it’s sad that I can’t enjoy a game without worrying about a baracho smashing my face in with a rock. It truly was like watching a baseball game played by pirates.

Next scary thing, I found a chaga in my room last night. They are known as “kissing bugs” and they bite your eye and inject their poop or something into your blood stream. Your eye swells up horribly and then you die 10 or 20 years later from a heart attack. Fun right? I had to put it in a bag and take it to the clinica where they can test it and I think they will take a blood test from me as well to make sure I haven’t been infected. There are some seriously nasty little creatures around here. I need a new kitten! Then there are the bats, which I’m not scared of but they fly over my head all night and sometimes like to spray nasty things on me. So now I sleep completely in my sleeping bag covering my head. It’s not as horrible as it sounds, they’re just little fruit and insect bats but it’s more of a nuisance than anything else. I guess I don’t have to worry about bugs so much though. I also found a snake in my kitchen not too long ago. We killed it but then I felt bad because he was just a rat snake and he would have eaten the mice in my kitchen which I would have preferred him over any day. Little jokers nibble on everything!!

So now I’m going to go bathe the pups and wash my clothes in the river. It’s cooooold and I’m ready for the super-hot weather to get here so bathing will be a little more pleasurable. No matter how long I’ve been or will be here, cold showers and bucket baths just don’t get any easier.
Hasta la vista, Baby!

Summer in January

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua My Bare Footprint

2012-02-02 05:05:00

January marks the beginning of dry season here in Nica, but it's also considered summer vacation for the students so I'm technically on break too. I've been doing my fare share of surfing in my time off this January, weird no? In my opinion, January has been the most pleasant month with cool temperatures, a nice breeze, and no rain. I encourage you all to come around this time next year, if you can even wait until then!

January also marks the end of baseball season here. Los Tigres is the name of Chinandega's professional baseball team and this year we made it to the finals. Honestly it's not saying much since there are only 8 different baseball teams total in Nicargua. We were up against Managua for the championship and I got to go to game 4 out of 7 in Chinandega! It was an awesome experience! I have never seen the stadium so packed with 5,000 of the most obnoxious fans. The noise was overwhelming as the entire city was engulfed in the game. In fact it was a total bonding experience with my community. I ran in to all three of my judges from my local business competition, some of my local surfing buddies and my Peace Corps Doctor in Chin amongst several other people I knew. We cleaned up in the last inning with Chinandega 8 and Managua 6. At the end of the game everyone rushed the field with Nicarguan flags as fireworks filled the sky. That was by far the most exciting game of the series, but I'm sad to say that we ended up loosing the championship title to Managua. There is always next year!

School does not start up again until mid February so I have been working on my relationship with the NGO Pro Mujer. After six months of building this relationship I'm finally working with them! No surprise I already have a strong relationship with my counterpart(aka boss) Anexis and met her entire family, that's just how business goes here. Gotta get in with the fam first! This week has been dedicated to getting to know the staff and their different roles. I will mostly be working with my counterpart Anexis who is the manager of the Chinandega branch of Pro Mujer as well as the credit consultants who make sure that the women's businesses are sound enough to receive micro loans. I will be helping assess these women and administering training before they even start the micro loan process with Pro Mujer. Today I observed community bank meetings while women elected each other for such positions as president and treasurer. So far everyone is extremely friendly and all the offices have air conditioning! This is huge! I'm coming up on the dead of summer or dry season here which is hot, dry and dusty. Apparently I will be begging for rain by April. I don't think I will mind escaping to the Pro Mujer offices come mid-afternoon in dead of summer.

Baby Thais, or my "niece", grows bigger every day and seems to bring my family even closer. I honestly thought that I would be annoyed with a baby int he house, but I don't even notice when she cries. If anything she just brings more joy to the household and more family comes over to visit.

These last couple of weeks with no classes has given me time to work with my kid's club at Coco Loco. I paired my kids with Norma, the jewelry lady that I have been working with to improve her small business, so they could learn the art of jewelry making. Even the boys got in to it! I also did yoga with the kids. Granted the class lasted about half an hour due to their attention span, but they all loved it. I stole a few moves from your yoga book mom, thanks! Not sure if you all are aware, but my mom published a book on Yoga for special needs children from a speech pathologist background last year. Check it out on her website.http://yogatherapy4children.com/products.html
It was very applicable since you can imagine that several of the children I work with from the poor rural areas of Chin have several different issues ranging form attention deficit to mental retardation. Obviously their parents can't afford the proper therapy or attention these kids need and I love being able to help them in any way that I can.

I've also been working with Norma, my jewelry lady, and we have made great strides on her jewelry business. She now has a new pay structure for employees which we created together as well as new pricing for her items. We took a look at her unitary cost and calculated how much she needs to charge to break even and then maintain her business. Last but not least I found a great little jewelry store in Chinandega which features items from all over Latin America where we put her jewelry on consignment. This store owner who lives in Panama absolutely loved her work and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it sells and creates another avenue of income for Norma. If anyone is interested in buying some jewelry for yourself or for a small shop back home, please let me know! I'm going to try and see if I can set Norma up with Nest, a network for exporting women's artisan work to the states. You can even check out the store on Facebook as well, it's called Chrekes.

un zoológico

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Letters from Nicaragua

2012-02-01 23:55:00

Many people have been asking me how much time I have left in Nicaragua and my answer is “Ooooh, bastante!” or “A ton!”. In reality, these next 10 months are going to go by way too fast. School is starting in a couple weeks, which means Monday through Friday will fly. My friends and I always find something to do in Teustepe and there are plenty of places I’d still like to explore in Nicaragua so weekends will also be full. The daunting question now is, “What’s next?” No answer yet.

My second world map is finally complete! Well just the names of the bodies of water are missing. I had started in it July with two Amigos de las Americas volunteers and continued working with the school secretary. My site mate came to help me one day and after all of collaborative efforts, it looks great. Although it’s a very frustrating project (gridding, drawing, labeling, mixing colors, outlining, etc) it is definitely well worth the work. As I was finishing up last week, four boys were sitting on a log observing the work. One thought it was a map of Nicaragua. A sixth grader said, “Wow! There’s a lot of water in the world!” The best was when a fourth grader started quizzing his friends… “Find Chile. Find Sudáfrica. Find las Islas Solomán…” We know how important it is to know world geography but I think this gigantic world map is also a small spark of hope for these kids. The majority of Nicaraguan children are only familiar with Nicaragua, Miami, Costa Rica, and Spain because there’s a good chance a relative is working in one of the latter 3. This map shows the kids there is so much more to discover. Different cultures. An incredible variety of animals. Other climates. New foods. More opportunities. And these opportunities can only come about if they continue studying. In fact, that very day I was working on the map I had a conversation with a 15-year-old fifth grader… such a nice boy. He told me that he was in danger of failing and was inclined to drop out of school to work with his dad in the fields. He decided to receive extra help from a teacher before school started so he could move on to sixth grade. Half laughing, he said, “Yea, I should be in my fourth year in high school by now.” I learned the other day that in Boaco, Nicaragua, roughly 50% of youth ages 15-19 and roughly 80% of youth ages 20-24 do not attend school.

My house has officially become a zoo. There are no more mice. The poison I put out took care of them and I was lucky enough for them to eat it then die in somewhere else. The cat still hangs around the kitchen. My neighbor killed the opossum that had been hanging out in my roof. I guess I had complained about it enough so he took it upon himself to find the beast and bring a machete to its neck. I heard a rustling as I was lying down in my bed in the afternoon and sure enough, a 1 ½- 2 foot iguana came skittering out from where my suitcases are to find a warm spot under the bed. The solution is to now take down the “drop ceiling” so I’ll be left with just a zinc roof thus nowhere for the animals to walk around in the space between the drop ceiling and the zinc. The risk of them falling into my actual house will is then nonexistent. Thank God.

Prayer

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua An open mind and a heart to serve

2012-02-01 23:13:00

Prayer means different things for different people. Prayers can be spoken or written, drawn or painter, sang or thought. It's an expression of gratitude and humility. It's beautiful and unique.

This morning I went to the private school where the Embassy scholarship class takes place. I walked in as the teacher was speaking to the students about how he wants them to grow this year and improve in their English skills. He wanted to begin this new semester with a prayer. He asked the students if any of them wanted to say a prayer. (Nicas are very open about religious). A students said my name, which caught me off guard. Since I had walked in while they were talking about it, I didn't quite catch what I had been volunteered to do, so the teacher told me. Even though I might have been volunteered because the students didn't want to (I think they wanted to hear me say something), I felt honored to pray for the students and their class for the year.

I'm excited for this group of students. They're special to me. I've enjoyed working with them and I'm looking forward to working with them this year. When I was in the States over vacation, I bought some postcards from Washington DC for them because I had taught them about Washington DC in a culture lesson. I gave them the postcards today and told them to look up the places online if they didn't recognize any of the buildings. They were very thankful for them.

I'm feeling a little more optimistic about this school year. Prayer does help :) (not that I didn't know that before...)

Diciembre en Fotos

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Traveling the World in a Few Hundred Words

2012-02-01 05:08:00

1st Nica visit- Alyson and Scott!
San Juan del Sur
Hanging with Jesus in San Juan del Sur
Scott in a hammock with a perching cat
World AIDS Day Pool Tournament
Mom and Mad in Nicaragua!

Talented Nica Kids
Dancing with clowns
Kids @ the soup kitchen Xmas Celebration
sisters and aunt-last night...I swear I didn't cry.
Masatepe Host family kids
Our own private Christmas Day island
Mom and Sisters @ the Casa y Clinica!
Buddha Bar Granada
Are we in Nicaragua or England?? You'll never know...

Before and After: Part 2

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua The Obandos

2012-02-01 00:27:00

Once upon a time there was a mango-colored house with overgrown bushes.

With a little bit of paint and a lot of plant control...

...a trip to Home Deopt...

...and some hard work...

...the house was magically transformed into a home with a lovely little flower garden where the Obando family lived happily ever after:)

a loss, a gain

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Nicaraguan Lauren

2012-02-01 00:01:19

Today someone stole my phone. It happened somewhere in between getting off the bus, into a taxi, and back out of the taxi. It was in my pocket, and then it was gone. I know it was stolen because when … Continue reading →

Six months in site! Are you kidding me?

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Stop me before I volunteer again!

2012-01-31 23:36:00

I cannot believe that the end of January officially marks my first 6 months in site. Time has flown by, and although I know I have accomplished quite a bit already, I can't help but think that I should do so much more. Good thing is that I still have 18 months to do that, so there is that, right?

Speaking of doing more, I will be doing 2 Community Bank training workshops in the next two weeks as a cross sectoral effort. This means that I will be working with two different environmental volunteers that live somewhat near me in Matagalpa to start community based savings and loan banks. I could go on for hours about the different methods that you can use to start these banks, but the most important aspect is that it empowers its members to save and loan their own money! No outside funds needed! It really is a great program and I had been looking for different ways to start one or two, and then these opportunities just fell into my lap! So horray! What a gift for my 6th month anniversary!

To celebrate, this past weekend, I went with some fellow volunteers, including one that is leaving in April :( , to a waterfall that is about 30 minutes from the city and we went hiking and swimming! It started to rain as we were leaving, and there were no buses so we had to walk about 3km before we could get a ride and we were soaking wet, but it was a great day! Its nice to get out of the city every once and awhile. Here are some pictures!

We missed our bus stop so we had to walk back a bit... oops!

Walking down to the falls!

Pretty right?


La Casada Blanca

Ryan in the cave behind the falls

Me behind the falls

Sarah and Casi after our swim

Ryan and Mclaine

Me after the invigorating swim, and loving my new Keen Sandals!

The view of the entry point from the road in case you ever want to go yourself!

At lunch after a great day, Mclaine, Me, Ryan, and Casi.

I look forward to another great 18 months in site, and many more great adventures. This week, its community banks, then back to school! Wish me luck and make good choices!

Feelin' fruity?

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua An open mind and a heart to serve

2012-01-31 20:21:00

Nica fruits are something else. There's such an interesting variety. Today my choice of fruit is more traditional than strange, but different nonetheless: apple bananas. These are small bananas that taste like bananas with a hint of apple. They're delicious and the perfect size for a snack. I also bought some mandarin oranges today which are in season now & they're huge!

1-31-12

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Justin's Nicaragua Peace Corps Adventure

2012-01-31 17:29:00

Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted anything on here in a great while. I have posted pictures on facebook however so here's the link if you want to check them out. http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100388286522604.2550840.11324499&type=1&l=e54d99294b

Esta Panzona!! (Ay Dios Mio!)

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua The Road Less Traveled

2012-01-31 15:25:00

So it seems that while giving countless charlas about avoiding early pregnancies, I forgot to take my own advice. Bahahaha I just realized what kind of reaction that probably just got out of my poor unsuspecting family! Noooo I'm not pregnant!! But I think the extremely young cat that's taken to living in my house is. I knew I should've taken time out of my busy schedule to look for, buy,

Back In Action

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Adventures in Nicaragua

2012-01-30 23:34:00

Well a lot has happened to me since I last wrote a blog entry. I went home for two weeks, which was amazing! It was a short two weeks, but I think I successfully packed as much as I could in that time. I ate a lot of great food and spent some quality time with my family and friends. It actually wasn't as weird as I thought it was going to be. It felt good being home.

I got back to Nicaragua and it was a little bit of a shock. When I got to my house in Nicaragua on January 4th, there was a huge man hole in front of my door the side of a kiddie pool! It was really deep and I thought I was going to fall in. That was a big surprise. Apparently they were installing a sub-pump underground and they thought they would be finished by the time I got back. I also got back and felt a little bit depressed. I wasn’t expecting to feel as sad as I did. I arrived home late at night and I was alone and without all my family and friends. It was the first time in awhile that I really realized how difficult being a Peace Corps volunteer really is and that this life style isn’t easy. But my sadness didn’t last long, I was back into the swing of things in less than a week.

The 16th-20th of January I did a summer camp with another volunteer. I got back on January 4th and I did nothing but prepare for the camp until it started. It was a lot of work! A lot more than I expected. I think that the work paid off and the kids had fun. The kids learned English and also art, poetry and American culture. We also taught them about HIV and Aids and self-esteem. At the end of the camp we had an “Amazing Race” where the kids went to different stations in groups and had to apply the knowledge that they learned all week. They had a lot of fun doing that. It was a good time.

Right after the camp we had an in-service training (our last one ever). We were able to bring one of our counterpart teachers and have them participate. I think it was good for a lot of us to get a little motivation for this next year and have some new ideas. The training was in this place called Selva Negra in the northern region of Nicaragua! It was really cold there! I was wearing a scarf and a fleece the whole time. It’s so weird how it can be so hot in one part of the country and really cold in another part. It was really pretty there. They make coffee there too, and they export it to the US and sell it in certain stores (I think Whole Foods was mentioned). It was a good training overall and we got to spend sometime with the new group that came this past September. School is starting in two weeks, so I am getting ready for that. I have 10 more months of service so I am trying to make the best of it.

Pictures
1. Our christmas tree in Bmore
2-3. Pics of me at the camp and some pics of the kids
4. Picture in Selva Negra
5. Picture of me with my counterpart teacher.

Las Fiestas Patronales

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Nica Time

2012-01-30 23:37:00

Throughout January and February, the municipios of Carazo hold celebrations called Las Fiestas Patronales to honor their designated patron saints. This past weekend, Las Fiestas Patronales arrived in my town, Santa Teresa to honor; you guessed it, Saint Teresa! Patron Saint of….something. I’m not Catholic but I’m learning! As if it wasn’t hard enough sleeping through the whole night here with the roosters, fighting dogs, wining cats and other random animals and insects on my roof, try adding club music into the late hours of the night, and a freaking marching band at 4am. Then add my vivid, insane, and somewhat disturbing Chloroquine dreams (or nightmares) into the mix and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a really restless night!

This post will make it appear as though I took full advantage of the cultural festival in my town but those who know me well are aware that I hate crowds, so naturally I hid in my house for most of the weekend and fled to Jinotepe, Carazo’s capital, on Saturday to take a jewelry making class, where I created this master piece:

On Sunday though, I decided to come out of my shell and take part in the festivities and I’m very glad I did. My site mate, Kiron and I went to see La Hipica (kind of like a parade of horses).

Then we drank lots of Toña and Flor de Caña, the staple alcoholic beverages of Nicaragua.

After loosening up a bit, we learned a few moves from Kiron’s family members. I was obviously in my element.

Then I returned to mi casa where my family threw a big party as well, complete with live music! The fiestas continued through the night but after an entire day of drinking and dancing, I was happy to retire in the evening with my host-mom and sister and watch Parodiando, a Mexican program where contestants imitate famous singers. I enjoyed a great rendition of two Luis Miguel songsJ.

Pop-tart Burn

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua An open mind and a heart to serve

2012-01-30 21:01:00

As I got distracted by my computer, as I usually do, I started smelling something delicious from the kitchen and then realized it was my Pop-tarts that I put in before I got online and knew I would forget about, that must be burning... I jumped up, ran to the kitchen and it was a little brown, but not too charred. I unplugged the toaster and then used a knife to get them out so I wouldn't burn myself. Then as I moved them on the plate, my finger stuck to the sizzling icing and burned my finger! Ugh! That icing is HOT! Even though I ran my finger under cool water and put some burn relief gel on it, it still looks like a semi-blister is forming. Seriously, Pop-tarts, seriously?!

My morning wasn't all bad though. I went to the instituto (after waiting for the bus for an hour that never showed up and standing amongst a drunkard fight) for the first day of school for teachers. It was nice to see all the teachers I knew from last year and do the usual greetings. We started the meeting an hour after it was supposed to, no surprise there. I walked home after (nice exercise) and got some mail from friends (one from Peru). That was nice :) Then I started planning trips with Frank--can you tell I'm excited for school to start?? haha

Today is pretty dreary and I've been hanging out inside just trying to keep busy. I think I might take a nap though--this weather makes me so tired & I did get up early for that meeting this morning. Hey, the rest of my town is sleeping at this time of the day...

Back just in time

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua An open mind and a heart to serve

2012-01-30 03:43:00

I'm back in Boaco again, but I really haven't been in Boaco much this month. My "summer vacation" went by pretty quickly as it was filled with camps and such. I have a feeling that the next 9 1/2 months that I have left here in Nicaragua will probably go by pretty quickly too, considering I will be busy with school, visiting the last few places I haven't seen, and planning for things back home.

February is just about here and that means a new school year for Nicaragua. Here we go again... I'm a little apprehensive about the new school year for a couple of reasons, but I'm trying to be optimistic. I just hope that I can figure out what would be best for me to do and try to accomplish something here. A whole new school year brings a whole lot of room for opportunities to improve :)

2012

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua anthem

2012-01-30 00:40:00

hello. just stepped out of the time black hole that is end of the school year, vacations (prepping for new year) and beginning of a new school year. is it really almost february?

some highlights:

-growing elementary school...more responsibility, more blessing.
-sewing project off and running...still learning a lot.
-driving! a stick shift! in managua!! (this is nothing short of a miracle)
-slow mending within broken relationships. slow going, but evident.
-deepening friendships.
-accepted into Grad school...offered a grant...but not enough to cover all costs. not going to study right now. at peace with this decision. a wise decision.
-HACIA only 38 days away...will we be ready???
-experiencing homesickness, four years in. odd and hard to define at times.
-seeing the beginning of an end and not sure how i feel about that.
-making some serious habit changes...a slow road but i know it will be worth it at all.

where have you all been these last three months?

The Day I Almost Killed My Puppy

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Nicaraguan Lauren

2012-01-29 22:47:28

We were late for the bus. Maní feels the need to stop and eat each and every ambiguous, inedible item that we pass on the street. Over the last month and a half that I’ve had her, I’ve caught her … Continue reading →

No hay Agua--There is no water and More

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Matt y Julie Nicaragua PC Adventures

2012-01-29 21:56:00

Welllll! It is January of 2012! I remember thinking at this time last year how super FAR AWAY this felt and now it's here! YES!

Ok, so I have been back to the USA, met my AMAZING new baby niece, Amelia, spent lots of time with family, enjoyed hot showers and good food and drink and am now back in Nicaragua and have been for about a month (guess I got pretty lazy in regards to my blog as of late...) The trip home was more amazing than I even thought it would be and while it was super hard to leave and indeed more tears were shed, it has been pretty good being back in Nicaragua.

Our host family has been spoiling us rotten, as usual, and school is still out for break. So what have we been up to if school isnt in session? Well matt taught another week long English camp--a tough one this time with high school kids in Managua--one of those start at 7 am dont finish til 10pm kind of camps....but they did some cool things like take the kids to an actual movie theater---a first for many of them in their lives...We taught a one week summer camp of Basic English to the kids in our town, and I have been running around like an insane person working on the classroom project that still may or may not happen....talking to construction workers and going to hardware stores, creating budgets and recycling contests... etc. Then we just had an IST or inservice training event in a cloudforest called Selva Negra. It was great to see the other volunteers and staff--and was jam packed as always with sessions but we had a little down time to stroll the forest and check out the place which is almost completely self sustainable....

We just got back to our town a couple days ago to discover that there has been no water for the past week and a half or so and it may be off for another month or two....no one seems to know...
So we hauled all our laundry down to the river today---luckily we got a ride with a truck because it is actually a pretty decent hike and then we washed all our clothes and took our "showers" in the river. It;s too bad this is so bad for the water/river because i actually really enjoyed it---we made some new friends and saw lots of our other ones at the river (everyone is down there!) However after a few more weeks of it, and especially when school starts, I may not like it as much (-:

We have also been enjoying catching up with our sitemate, Nishant, who Matt hasnt seen in almost 2 months due to vacation and different work related events! que loco!

I am still missing my friends and family so very much especially Amelia Bug, but we only have 10 months to go! And lots to do/accomplish!

What I've Learned So Far...

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua ¡Vamos!

2012-01-29 21:50:00

I've compiled of a list what typical life is like in Nicaragua. Enjoy :)

Horse drawn carts are a day to day occurance

Horses and goats hanging out in a field or in the streets is per norm, too! (don’t forget to say good morning to the farmer taking his cow for a walk!)

People point with their lips, so don’t go in for a kiss
Expect some of your food to be fried

Develop a taste for gallo pinto; it’ll probably be there

The biggest and most important meal of the day is lunch
There are 3 meals in a day; the one that’s “ok” to miss (if you HAVE to) is dinner
Lukewarm to Hot water is something we all wish for but probably don’t get (I haven't had a hot shower in almost 3 weeks)

Don’t forget your flip flops!

Running water can also be difficult to find

i.e. Flush when necessary, but DON’T flush your toilet paper. There’s a trash can for that.

The wind is STRONG. Only in January, it’s gone though, after a week or so
The rain is STRONG. It’s good to get a good dose now before the skies open up for 6 straight months.
Don't forget to say "hola", "adios", "buenas dias/tardes" to everyone you pass, or else you look stuck up; even if it’s in the middle of your conversation
Mosquitoes

Mosquito nets are the only place in your room where you are truly safe from these guys...and cockroaches
Mosquito bites (cuidate, there’s malaria and dengue out here!)

· Salamancas! These little guys will become your best friends
· Street Dogs

If you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone

No matter how long you’ve been in your community, expect to hear kissing sounds, whistles and “gringa” no matter where you walk
Cybers are a virtue

For only $.50/hour, how can you argue?

The sound of “s” is hidden in a lot of the words

Graciah, adioh, buenah tardeh

The pineapples, avocados, bananas, clementines, yamica, cheese and tortillas are the freshest and most delicious you’ve ever tasted
Familias are the most welcoming people in the world and will welcome you to their homes with open arms and hope that you come with a need for coffee and at least one thing to eat
Who needs an alarm clock when all of your neighbors have at least one rooster?

Rocks...where are you?!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Tucker Time: Community Health Promotion in Nicaragua

2012-01-29 01:25:00

I knew things were running too smoothly. Today was the day the “other foot finally fell”. It started with the collision of my site-mate Jessica’s VAST project (HIV/aids based) and the day we were going to give rocks (for the latrines) to 30. Santa Fe, the construction company that is building the highway from Managua to San Carlos told me last week that I could have the rocks for free if I can provide the transportation. My next move was to go to the mayor’s office and ask for transport- which led to negotiating whether I was going to put the diesel or they were. Finally they agreed that I could have the truck, and they would pay the gas, this Friday, today. But today is Jess’ VAST project so how am I supposed to be in two places at once?

I ended up getting my friend and a member of the Comite de Responsables, Don Jeronimo, to go in the quarry with the truck and the driver to pick up the rock. Now Don Jeronimo doesn’t have a cell phone- so getting him to go involved calling someone else in the neighborhood who had to look for him and then relay all the messages- such as: the truck is leaving at 1 (it left at 130), its going to El Tule (turns out it was going much further north to San Miguelito) etc. So I thought, if Jeronimo can get to the truck, and the truck can get to Santa Fe then we are golden.

Here’s when the story gets good. Santa Fe told me that we had to arrive after 2PM because then my contact, Marcos, would be there. The truck leaves at 130 with the driver and Jeronimo (without cell phone). At 1:50 Santa Fe (Marcos) calls me to tell me that all of the workers are leaving at 2 because they’ve already worked their 8 hour shift. I call the mayor’s office to see where the truck is- its gone, of course. I call back Santa Fe and beg Marcos to call someone at the quarry (Marcos is on his way to Managua…) and try as hard as he can to get someone to stay for the truck.

Marcos says I have 30 minutes to get there, its 2:08- oh, and I have a lecture Im about to start for Jess’ VAST project.

At 3 I get a call from the mayors office saying: the trucks been at the gate for “a while” and no ones there.

I call Marcos and he says, Natalia, this is your lucky day. I was driving by and saw the truck, but they are at the wrong place, so I sent them to the right one. (Out of everything that’s happened this day, that was actually my fault- woops.) The mayors office says: I hope its not far, we can only pay the disel to El Tule.

I presented my lecture and run to 30 de Mayo. No sign of any trucks. Jeronimos wife (pictured as “My BFF of 30 in previous post) thinks its funny her husband is on this silly gringa adventure. At 4PM the mayors office calls me and says: they are at the place (where the workers were only supposed to be waiting for 30 minutes and this is 2 hours later) but they don’t have written permission from Marcos- so they wont give the truck the rock.

What do I do? Obviously call Marcos and tell him to deal with the situation- giving him the number of the driver- which was just given to me by the mayors office and keep my fingers crossed.

I feel awful and mill around/see where people are going to put their latrines/eat plantains until 5:30 when it starts to get dark. I cant stay in 30 in the dark because there is no electricity and it is scary, plus the mosquitoes there are the likes that one would see in Jumanji. Im just too gringa for 30. PLUS I have to go back down town to help Jess with the rest of her project on the assumption that either the truck would come full, or empty, but that there wasn’t anything I could do anymore.

Jess is in the process of throwing this great condom fashion show when we are rudely interrupted by a group of basketball players. I am in the middle of telling them that they need to get lost because we rented out the cancha (community gym) when one of my contacts from the mayors office shows up- ready to ball. He asks me a couple of times why they cant enter and the casually says “the truck broke down out side of San Miguelito- we sent a mechanic at 6 but…we don’t know whats wrong”.

What? How could he just casually drop that into conversation? Poor Jeronimo is lost in San Miguelito and who knows if the rock is in the truck or not. As of this writing the rock, but more importantly, Jeronimo are not in San Carlos- its 9PM.

If the rock doesn’t get here by Sunday we wont be able to construct until next weekend.

I wish I had just paid for the rock and had it delivered. It really brings light to the saying that nothing in this world is truly free.

UPDATE: I don’t know how it happened but the rocks are, supposedly, in 30 de Mayo (4PM Saturday). We will see if they are there tomorrow at 6AM. Wait for updates.

Microbusita

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Alex In The Peace Corps

2012-01-29 02:04:15

The way to get around Carazo (the department I am in in Nicaragua) is by Microbus. Just think a 15 passenger van that they try to put as many people in as possible. Well today my girl Cherrie and I were on our way to see another training town in Santa Teresa. We thought we had filled to the max, but we were wrong. We added a TV onto a man’s lap. Then we added a woman and a child. The child had to stand and basically sit on this man’s lap that was seated next to me. The man looks at me and says in Spanish “this is TOO much” and we started laughing and smiling at each other just shaking our heads. The child was smashed against him, he against me, me against Cherrie, and Cherrie basically had an arm and a leg out the window. After I thought ok for sure this is how much we can fit, we pick up two other men. One squeezes in and the other man has to stand outside on the runner with the door of the bus open and he hanging out. Uh, glad we were the first two on the bus.

How to Wash Clothes Nica-Style

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Teresita's Travels

2012-01-28 21:44:00

Since I know all of you were dying to know.

Tools of the trade...always choose soap like this one, the ones with other colors will irritate your skin.

First, fill up the lavandero.

Check out how good shape my bucket is in.

Sprinkle laundry soap in the bucket and fill it up with water.

Put clothes in the bucket and let sit.

To properly scrub your clothes use the palms of your hands, don't make a fist, or you'll scrap up your knuckles.

Rinse and repeat.

Does it still stink?

Of course it does, that's because you sweat to an alarming degree...seriously, please ask me worriedly if I´m ok because I sweat so much.

Throw some suavitel (fabric softener) in there and let sit. It will make your clothes smell less disgusting.

Fill it up with water...

let it sit...

Hang up your clean clothes and hope it doesn't rain.

Before and After: Part 1

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua The Obandos

2012-01-28 16:13:00

After 8 months of renovations, our kitchen is finally finished! I am really excited to share these dramatic before and after photos because I think everything turned out even better than I had imagined. All of the work was done by my wonderful father and husband. I really love watching the two of them work together and am so thankful for their patience with me because I can be a little picky when it comes to home decorating.

This is what the kitchen/dining room/family room looked like when we bought the house 8 months ago.

I think it was the same week that we looked at the house that I woke up in the middle of the night with this “vision” of what it could become.

We really had to fight for this house and plow through a bunch of roadblocks to finally close the deal. Roger told me later that he didn’t understand why we didn’t just find another one...but now it looks like this and we LOVE it!

We pretty much kept the same layout of the kitchen but took everything out and started from scratch. We added a dishwasher and a farm sink which required some professional plumbing.

We also added these cabinets to the kitchen and flipped the bar area to the outside. I think it makes a lot more sense this way - not only do we have extra cabinet and counter space but the new bar is the perfect place to set out food during parties...and serve breakfast to little ones down the road:)

I’ll post some more before and after pictures of the outside of the house later this week. Thanks again to Dad and Roger for all their hard work!

Hopes and Dreams for 2012: made by me, Lindsey, Ashley and Nelson

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Traveling the World in a Few Hundred Words

2012-01-28 15:58:00

Oh the Places We Will Go in 2012:

Bluefields (for Palo de Mayo)
Rio San Juan (volunteer visits and kayak trip)
Ocotal
Jinotega
Coseguina
Wendy’s in Honduras
Isla de Ometepe
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Corn Island
Hot Springs- Chinandega
Boaco
Sol-en-something islands
Somoto Canyon

Oh the Things We Will Do in 2012:

Climb Volcano
Volcano boarding
hang hammock on a boat
make wine
Flor de Cana tour
cigar tour
Join a basketball team
learn to box
do work in site
salsa en Leon and Managua
Linds-salsa in competition
garden
compost
eat tejadas!! Or any type of banana!!- Lindsey
have a fish fry
lose 5 lbs
do more yoga
go net and spear fishing
knit baby booties
continue development for “3 Sisters Hostel: A Place to Stay”
find boyfriends (but don’t get married…or pregnant)
learn to do salsa turns
make campo oven and bake food in it
help Dona Gloria with jewelry
do nothing more often
visit volunteer sites
go to coffee farm
visit finca (Fundacion Cohen)
watch Dirty Dancing and Havana Nights
PACA store competition
surf
corn field hide n seek
country club
go to new mall
streaking
nude beach
spa package at spa in Granada
make cuajada
make bread and pitas
Nica cooking- perfect Gallo Pinto
more Leon crazy nights
make choreographed dance and perform it
do khareoke at Lindsey’s house
learn to do the hot hip dance move
grow back Ashley’s big toe nail (more of a personal goal, but we will be on hand for emotional support)
be the best friends we can be
be superior in Spanish
go camping
go “real” ziplining
make chocolate
milk a cow
listen to live music at Espigon on Sunday afternoon
drink wine at sunset at Costa Azul

Goals and Accomplishments

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Traveling the World in a Few Hundred Words

2012-01-28 15:59:00

Professional Goals for 2012

-work more with sex workers-perhaps open Casa Hogar-an office and clinic for the sex workers

-write School of Youth Health Promoters curriculum

-co-run the PCV community bank well, with Ash

-make the Youth Soup Kitchen a sustainable project

-more Movie Nights!

Cool Accomplishments of 2011

-I can speak Spanish!

-have played lots of soccer

-cooked an amazing Thanksgiving turkey with Lindsey

-successfully got my family in a hot yellow sports car from Granada to Leon to Corinto

-survived my 1^st (and probably not last) parasite and amoeba infection

-convinced the mosquitoes that I’m not worth biting

-made lots of amazing Nica friends

-have integrated the nose scrunch into my daily communications

-organized World AIDS Day pool tournament

Xmas in Nica

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Traveling the World in a Few Hundred Words

2012-01-28 16:01:00

I stood as close to the window as I could get, packed in tight surrounded by Nicaraguan families waiting for their relatives to walk off the plane. As I watched as each woman, child, man and family passed through security, I became slightly antsy and nervous that perhaps my people did not make the flight. Finally, after convincing myself that maybe they had all dyed their hair and had body transplants, I saw Carol, then Mom, then Mad and then Emma. They walked straight to the baggage claim and did not look my way. They had not seen me yet, but I watched them, willing them with my mind to stop looking for their suitcases and look through the glass window. At last, they found the last piece of luggage and turned to walk through the last security check before they could get to me. On their way out, they did look up and we saw each other. My emotions were out of control. My eyes teared up as we finally came face to face for the first time in 7 months. Man.

We headed outside where it had started to sprinkle a bit and waited for our cabbie, Moises, to pick us up and take us to Granada. Someone once said that "all great journeys start with a mistake"(that quote has been very roughly translated, by the way). Well ours did not start with a real mistake, but it did start out right from the start as an adventure. We piled 6 people, including Moises, and 5 suitcases plus carry-ons into the taxi, then get pulled over about 20 minutes into the trip. As my family does not speak nor understand too much Spanish, I think they were pretty nervous about the cop stopping us...fortunately it was just a routine checkpoint for taxis.

We continued on to Granada, sin problemas. Christmas Eve day, we spent with my training buddy, Nico, and his parents. We rented a motorboat and boated to our very own private island. Literally we had the whole island to ourselves, with exception to the restaurant owners and staff who actually live on the island. We were swimming in Lake Nicaragua off the shores of Granada (I wrote about the Isletas of Granada in a pervious post)…how fantastic. We just rented the island out for a couple hours, but if you wanted to buy an island all you would need would be $20,000 and perhaps a boat.

Christmas Day, my host family from training came to Granada and met us down by the water. It was so incredible to have all of these people so close to each other, even though they could not really speak. Through my translating, words exchanged here and there and body language, we were able to communicate well. My family and I then started looking for a rental car…we had not thought of it ahead of time that renting a car would be a lot easier than traveling by bus with all of their luggage. Lucky us that not one of the rental car companies in Granada had an automatic car available in Granada nor in Masaya. Our best bet was to make our way to Managua and try there…OR we could call up the random number I received from a hotel clerk who told me that his friend rented out cars. His name was Rafael and he was our last hope. We thought it to be a bit odd the way that we came upon Rafael, but decided to give it a try. After sitting in his living room, hearing about his family and talking car business, we were just about to give up hope, when a car pulled up. Our rental car pulled up. Our bright yellow Mitsubishi sports car complete with spoiler, loud rock n roll and remnants of marijuana smell, pulled up and we got in. With the windows down and the warm Nicaraguan wind blowing through our hair, we began our adventurous ride up to Chinandega. The ride started out fast as we got used to people staring at our hot and sexy car, but slowed down as soon as it started to get dark. We somehow got stuck behind every single slow vehicle that was on the road that night- a potato truck, a melon truck that we were almost positive was carrying a dead body and a truck so large and so overstuffed that it precariously sat on its wheels very close to tipping over. We decided to spend the night in Leon. With my fantastic sense of direction (ya right…I got lucky.), we ended up exactly where I wanted to at the Best Western in downtown Leon, settled into our room, ate supper and went directly to bed. The next morning, we finally made it to Chinandega and then to Corinto.

More to come soon…

Awkward Gringa Strikes Again!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Traveling the World in a Few Hundred Words

2012-01-28 16:14:00

This time on my bike! I was riding back to my house to grab a couple of things, following a triciclo (pedi cab), when I notice that the triciclero had dropped his shirt. I picked it up, wanting to help him out and rode my bike over to hand it back to him. You might think that the cabby would stop his bike cab in order to more easily receive his shirt. You thought wrong. He kept going. My job now was maintain my balance, continue to ride alongside the bike cab with one hand and pass him the shirt. I was doing well until I actually leaned over a bit to give him the shirt...my bike followed my lean and I ran right into the bike cab. The bike cab continued to ride away carrying his passengers to wherever they were going, while I continued to fall....in the middle of the street. And again, no one helped me. Don't get me wrong Nicaraguans are very very caring people, but for some reason when someone has a mishap in the middle of the street they do not care. They do stare, but they make no moves to help. The only person who made a reaction was this really drunk man who kept yelling to me, "Get up! Get up! You're in the middle of the street. Get up!" So helpful.

first CSA dinner

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Land of Lakes and Volcanoes

2012-01-28 02:13:00

Tonight I made my first dinner from my Horse & Buggy produce share. I made wheatberries* with chicken broth, sauteed onions and mushrooms. This was accompanied by roasted butternut squash with a maple syrup and orange juice glaze. I used some of the mixed Asian greens and greenhouse cucumbers to make a salad. Upon this salad I poured homemade balsamic vinaigrette sweetened with some of the leftover glaze. The maple syrup was a gift Nj brought me back from Vermont.

For dessert, I used some of the frozen blackberries to make a kiwi blackberry salad with homemade whipped cream. The whipped cream had just a tiny bit of hazelnut syrup which imbued it with a slight and delicious nuttiness.

* Items in bold are from the CSA.

Bussing Yourself (Vol. 1)

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Radiant Allusions

2012-01-27 20:07:00

If there’s one thing that epitomizes living in rural central Nicaragua, it has to be the defining experience of public transportation. Travelling to and from Santa Lucía is an important part of my life and that of most people who live here. Only the wealthiest fraction of the population owns their own vehicle (there are probably between 10 and 20 private vehicles, not counting motorcycles, in the entire municipality), so public transportation is what facilitates the majority of the commerce with other towns and the rest of the country.
There are 7 busses that operate in Santa Lucía and collectively they offer services to two places: Managua and Boaco, some via the Empalme of Boaco.* These busses are not part of a particular fleet and to my knowledge are not coordinated by any kind of central governance.
In Boaco there seems to be a transportation cooperative with which every bus that services a particular route is registered, and I assume that there is something similar in Managua, but in reality, each bus is individually owned and operated. This means that there is a wide range of experiences you can expect to have while taking public transportation in Nicaragua…

In Santa Lucia, all of the busses are owned by local families. The schedule is not published anywhere. It simply exists simultaneously in the minds of everyone who lives here. This makes it difficult when the schedule changes. Before going on a trip it’s customary to stop by Don Luis or Don Chico’s place (two of the guys who own busses) to make sure his bus really is leaving at 1:00 tomorrow when you need to start your viaje. Sometimes they’ll let you know that it’s leaving 30 minutes early because they have to pick up 20 sacks of corn and 10 bundles of firewood on the way. Alright, good to know, thanks.

~
The busses themselves were all once school busses in the good old U.S. of A. They’re sent down to Central America, I assume, when they can’t pass inspection in Los United. Many still have archaic lists of rules for English-speaking elementary school kids posted up front that say, “You must stay seated,” or “Fighting will not be tolerated.” Stenciled signs declaring that the “Number of passengers must not exceed 60” are also quite common—ironic in light of the fact that many busses are packed so tightly that people have to ride on the roof.
In Nicaragua these old school busses (yes, they are also old-school busses) take on a whole new life. They’re pulled out of retirement and kept running for an additional 5 to 10 years, navigating the unpaved and perilous roads that wind through the mountains, valiantly forging rivers and climbing steep grades.
Bus drivers in Santa Lucia take great pride in their machines and work to keep them in tiptop shape. They paint the vehicles with flames and stripes in brilliant colors and adorn the sides both inside and out with messages imploring God, Jesus, and Santa María, Madre de Dios to protect them and their passengers. Some owners replace traditional seats with more comfortable ones, some put curtains on the windows. My favorite bus in Santa Lucía has a flat screen TV up front that I’ve never seen turned on, but which certainly looks fancy. Almost all busses are outfitted with ceiling rails so that the numerous standing guests don’t fall over, and most have racks installed above the seats for storing bags and boxes as well as on the roof to accommodate larger cargo.

~
It is true that these second-hand vehicles are kept running by the almost supernatural mechanical skill of the bus owners, but that doesn’t mean that problems aren’t common. I’ve been witness to a whole host of transportation snafus.
Once on the way home from Boaco, the back right tire ran over a large nail on it’s way out of the city. The bus forged a river went up a few big hills and got about halfway to Santa Lucía before a loud whining, whistling sound started making people look around in confusion. Finally the bus stopped and the driver got out to take a look. Surprise surprise, the tire was now completely flat. Everyone got off the bus to watch as they fished out a jack and a spare tire from some hidden compartment in the back of the vehicle. Everyone started to speculate as to what would happen.
“No man, there’s no way they can jack it up enough to take off the tire…look at the incline we’re on…”
“We’ll be here for hours…”
“Twist it the other way man!”
I decided to walk the last 5 kilometers home. I heard the bus bleat it’s horn as it arrived in town later that evening. I’d been in my house for 30 minutes.

Another common problem is going up steep grades. If the driver isn’t familiar with the vehicle or with the road, or that particular vehicle on that particular road, it’s probable that he will stall out and be unable to make it up some of the bigger hills. When that happens, the driver either backs down the hill and tries again, or everyone on the bus gets out and walks up the hill so there’s less strain on the motor.
On the road from Santa Lucía to Boaco, the most daunting hill has a name. It’s called the Panama. I have no idea why it’s called that, but most people seem to have a story about it. It’s a difficult spot because 1) it’s long, 2) it’s steep, 3) it’s windy, and 4) it’s got a river at the bottom of it and another small hill on the far side. So if there’s cause to stop at any point on the Panama, like the presence of another vehicle for example (the road is so narrow in many spots that vehicles generally inch past each other), it’s basically impossible to back down and try again, because the bottom is the middle of a river. Everyone gets out and hopes the weight difference is enough for the bus to make it up.
Obviously not all roads are as bad as the one from Santa Lucía to Boaco, but there are many that are quite harrowing and challenging to navigate in big 30 year old school busses. Most roads are not paved in Nicaragua. Bridges, when they exist at all, are found in varying stages of decay. There are hills and rocks, mudslides and beautiful views. I have to say, public transportation is an adventure in Nicaragua. If it were to change (i.e. improve), I think an endearing aspect of rural life would be lost.
___________________
*The Empalme of Boaco (known commonly as “el empalme”) is a point in the highway system where busses fromManagua can either head north to Boaco and Río Blanco or south to Juigalpa,Rama, and Río San Juan. Check out a map here.

In the next volume of Bussing Yourself, we’ll look at what kind of etiquette is required when riding busses, explore the term Chicken Bus, and learn about some other common forms of public transportation in Nicaragua.

GUEST BLOG!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Qué Será, Será...

2012-01-27 04:02:00

Lindsey in Chinandega invited me to write a guest blog (a while ago) about staying in touch with your Peace Corps person, family or friend. My daughter, Kate, has been in Nicaragua just over a year, and in Corinto about 9 months.

Lindsey had noticed when she visited kate, that Kate always had new cards or pictures on her wall or refrigerator, from me, her sisters, my sisters, her father, the grandmothers, and various and sundry friends. Mail to nicaragua is not bad, most letters and cards arrive in 5-6 days up to 2 weeks, all for $.98. We'd include photos or sometimes checks.

Packages are a different story. They'd arrive in a timely enough manner, 10 days to 2 weeks, but a 4-5 lb package that I could mail to vermont for $4-$5 will cost $40-$50 to send to Nicaragua. We found a cheaper way to send things. If you know a PCV who's coming home to visit, you can mail a smallish item much more cheaply to that person's USA address, and they can carry it back to the volunteer. Kate came home early in her service and did bring two items back, one very small, and one not so small (maybe size 15 sneakers.) Seriously, she was happy to do it.

We also stay in touch using the Peace Corps cell phone, which is great, (very different than communication with a PCV in Niger that we knew of who had to take a 4-6 hour trip from her site to a phone). You can get international phone cards here, but success getting through varies greatly. Also, I don't usually get the total minutes that I'm promised, and often get cut off mid call. It's about half the cost if your PCV can call you from a call center.

Skype is another great and free way to communicate with anyone in Nicaragua. It's actually free if they have internet, and low cost if they need to buy time at the call/internet centers. Some areas have free wifi, I've heard, if your PCV has a computer. Whats great about skype is that you get to see your person and the sound is like they are in the room with you. So we don't really feel like we're so far apart from Kate.

One last note: If at all possible, visit your Peace Corps family member or friend. It was hugely important for me, and for Kate, to see and for her to show us where she lives and works, and for us to meet a lot of the people that she lives and works with. I had a pretty accurate picture in my head of her house and somewhat accurate picture of the towns in Nicaragua, but the reality overwhelmed me. Kate's sisters, one of my sisters, and I had a truly fabulous and unforgettable Christmas in Nicaragua.

Showers

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua Alex In The Peace Corps

2012-01-27 03:52:55

The water is on only every other day here. That means that the days the water isn’t on, it’s a bucket shower for me. And when it is on just think of a PVC pipe with cold hose water coming out of it. I have only taken a bucket shower once, otherwise I just don’t shower every day. Bucket showers are way too hard.

Also my shower is outside, so it is has been a task finding the perfect time of the day, on the right day, to shower. At 6 in the morning it’s titty cold outside here and it’s miserable. Short breaths and staying in the shower the whole time is the only way to fight it. Shower and going to the bathroom outside is very… refreshing?

A Nicaraguan Christmas

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua huseem

2012-01-27 00:45:25

My lovely sister, Lauren, and our cousin Janell came to visit their favorite person in Nicaragua (that’s me if you couldn’t figure that out) over Christmas break. They arrived at the airport with me waving obnoxiously through the glass that … Continue reading →

Detroit, here I come!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Nicaragua daveande

2012-01-26 17:35:00

While in Detroit the first week of January, I checked out Astro Coffee. At the time, I was meeting with folks in metro Detroit and trying to decide if I wanted to make Detroit my next move. Right inside the front door, Astro has a small shelf of coffees for sale, including the two below.

I don't think I believe in signs but this one was hard to ignore. Nicaragua and Kenya, two defining places I've lived in over the past few years, sitting next to each other in a Detroit shop, reminding me where I've been and where I haven't. Detroit's gotta be the next stop. Here I come.