Christine in Managua

The Joys and Pains of Getting Anything Done in Nicaragua

2009-11-13T14:32:00.002-06:00

Well, friends, I apologize. It has been over three months since I have shared stories with you all via this blog. I'm going to turn over a new leaf, though (it will be a palm leaf, in case you were wondering), for this next and last year of my time in Nicaragua. Yes, you guessed it, I am rapidly approaching the one-year anniversary of my arrival in Nica. How the time does fly, especially after about six months, when you don't come home with headaches at the end of the day anymore due to thinking-in-Spanish overload.

This month begins a new era. First off, I will be moving on November 28. Not far, just around where I work in a 'burb of Managua called Ciudad Sandino. So I guess I have to change the name of this blog to 'Christine in Ciudad Sandino.' I've got to say, it doesn't quite have the same ring. Oh well. So anyway yeah we're moving (me and Patrick and two of the newbies) and starting a new community. (Hooray for the pioneering spirit of Patrick and me: starting in new worksites one year, founding a new community the next.) It's gonna bring some heavy responsibility, but I'm ok with that. I'm just looking forward to having some backyard space.

And the new kids get here December 2. Jenna and Michael leave December 16. And until all that, here I am at the colegio. This week was the last week of normal classes, which means I'm OFFICIALLY DONE teaching for the year!!! All I have to do now is write my final exam and give it to the kids the 24th-25th. You have no idea how excited I am to be done with teaching formal class for a few months. As much as I loved it this year, it was HARD. Sometimes I think back to like March when I'd be in front of 40 kids trying to conduct a class in Spanish, meanwhile basically every one of the kids is looking to do one of seven things: 1. Eat without getting caught. 2. Catch me in an error and make fun of me for it in front of everyone. 3. Leave the classroom. 4. Play soccer in the middle of the room. 5. Try to get me to say that I'll give them an A without them doing any work, or give them an 'hora libre' through clever Spanish word trickery to the non-native speaker. 6. Throw papers/seeds/branches/pencils/random small objects at me, the other kids, and people walking by without getting caught. 7. Steal stuff out of my bag, or change the grades in my gradebook. 8. Come up with every way possible of telling me that I didn't assign homework, that I forgot to tell them the due date, or that they've already turned in the assignment I want to collect. Please note that none of the things on that list was 'learn English' or 'behave.' Needless to say, I'm looking forward to getting a fresh start next year.

In terms of my other work responsibilities, I have finally boosted my confidence and independence levels high enough to feel capable of organizing my own activity, start to finish, fundraising/logistics/scheduling, the whole deal, alone. I've helped with that kind of stuff before but never has the activity been my idea nor have I been the coordinator, telling everybody else what to do. I'll tell you what I've got planned. So around June, in viewing all the work I've done with the campus ministry, although we'd done a lot of great stuff it occurred to me that we lacked a lot in terms of formation with the youngsters. We'd done retreats, vigils, day activities and the like but I thought to myself, 'you know, there could really be a need here for a retreat like the one I went on when I was in high school, preparing for my confirmation.' So I proposed the idea of doing something like that to Fabiola, my co-coordinator of the pastoral, and she was super pumped about it. The only detail was, that she said it would be my activity to direct and see through. I doubted her faith in me then, but here I am in November planning to head out on retreat with the muchachos next weekend. Crazy. And it's been a LOT of work. I've been working on it every day pretty much for the past three weeks or so, organizing a planning team, deciding themes, coming up with a schedule, booking locations, planning fundraising activities (this week we did a sports competition and a movie theater night at the colegio to raise funds) and seeing them to their end. It's exhausting. But I'm excited to see how it all turns out at the end. I'll be sure to update after the retreat and tell you all how it went.

So anyway, that's a basic summary of where my mind is at right now. The year is finishing up, and we're getting ready for some big changes. But life moves fast at Colegio Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Oh, and we just got back from our Re-Orientation/Dis-Orientation retreat last week! I posted pictures from that and from other events of the past several months on facebook, I suggest you check it out if you want some visuals to go along with the stories. Until the next update!

El tiempo corre...demasiado.

2009-08-03T12:50:00.002-06:00

So, I have realized that it has been two months exactly since I have last posted in this blog, and that today I am celebrating eight months since my arrival in Nicaragua. The new volunteers that will be arriving in December finish their orientation today, which means it has been a year complete since our orientation. All I can say is...where does the time go?

Well, I guess to make it easier I can really only talk about the past month and a half or so, which has been jam-packed here in Nicaragua. I thought I was busy before, but June and July were SO full of activities, it was almost a blur. But a great blur, haha.

So, starting off with June...in the middle of the month the whole secundaria at the school (basically high school level), kids and teachers alike, took a trip to a Fe y Alegria school up north in León. There was a dance show and chance to meet the other students and teachers (briefly) and then climb a volcano nearby. As a teacher, it was my responsibility to watch the students on the hike and make sure they were all behaving, but despite all this attention by the teachers the students went wild the second they approached the volcano and proceeded to RUN up the thing. If you're thinking, how do you run up a volcano?, I'll tell you, I'm still asking myself the same question. This thing was STEEP, and covered in volcanic rocks/gravel, which does not exactly lend itself to running. But hey, these are Nicaraguan children we're talking about here, and if they can climb up a 30-foot telephone pole covered in pig fat, they can run up the side of a volcano (more on the pole-pig fat later). Anyway, the experience was really fun (even though I arrived home covered in black dust), and now I can say I climbed (half-way) up a geographical structure that shoots hot magma!

The next week Nicaragua celebrated el día del maestro, which means Teacher's Day, so as you can probably imagine the students took advantage of this opportunity to throw a large surprise party (although it was anticipated) for the teachers at the school. They danced, they sang, we had games and prizes, and some of the teachers humored the kids and danced and sang themselves (this may or may not have included yours truly, or a great deal of screaming from students as if they were at a rock concert). The next day classes were cancelled and Fe y Alegria invited all the teachers in all the FyA schools across the country to a trip to the beach, all expenses paid! It was awesome to head out there with all my co-workers--we danced, swam, sang karaoke, had great food, I got sunburned, and it was an all-around celebration in Nicaraguan fashion. I opted out of the giant fried whole fish (eyes and everything), though, so I guess I'm still at least part gringa.

I guess that brings us to July...well the first week brought the celebration of the 23rd anniversary of my birth, which was great fun. My students (I don't know how they found out it was my birthday) took the opportunity in each of my classes to sing me Las Mañanitas, which is the customary birthday song. My coworkers also seized that chance, but added a little more special touch by tagging on a few more verses to the song (making it about three minutes long...really kind of an awkwardly long time when you're the center of attention and don't know what to do but laugh), and attempting to sing 'Happy Birthday' in English...I stress the 'attempting' part. But it was much appreciated from this lady, and we had some soda and candy and stuff, it was grand. My community and I had a wonderful weekend on the beach to celebrate the 4th and 5th, and I appreciated the efforts of everyone so much. That weekend, I really felt loved (not like I don't normally feel loved, but it was especially highlighted then)...and I found myself thinking on several occasions of how much I've grown being here, how much my relationships have bloomed. It really is a gift.

Continuing on, on the 7th the community and I left for retreat at a Jesuit retreat house at the Laguna de Apoyo, a volcanic crater that is now a ginormous clean volcanic lake, with thermal hot springs and everything. The place is gorgeous, and we all very much appreciated the chance to relax a bit and take a break from the fast pace and crowdedness of life in Managua. Those occasions really make me appreciate the beautiful nature of Nicaragua...the plants, trees, animals, landscape...especially when those sounds are the only things you hear all day, instead of buses and screaming kids, and the air is not full of diesel fumes and dust from the streets. How refreshing. The only bad thing about all that nature was a sneaky scorpion on the last day of retreat that hid itself in my pants and decided to sting me when I put them on. Yeah, that hurt. A lot. But only for about twenty minutes, then my leg went numb for about 8 hours. I'd say the vast majority of my co-workers screamed when I told them I was stung (people here are overly dramatic, though). They say now that I'm really Nicaraguan, and that I'll be immune the next time a scorpion stings me. I'd rather not test out that theory.

In other news around Managua, on the 19th the Sandinistas celebrated the 30th anniversary of the revolution, and we gringos decided to abandon our nationalism slash better judgment for a while and go to the plaza in the center of the city to join in on the massive rally held there. There was a good amount of USA-bashing, speeches from leftist-Latin American leaders, excessive drinking, and general craziness, none of which was done by us, mind you. But it was interesting to witness nonetheless. I'm failing miserably at describing it, so to get the real feel it would be worth your time to google it and get some pictures or something. I think Patrick might have a link on his blog, too.

And, to finish off July, we celebrated many things at once...Patrick's birthday, the week of Saint Ignatius (we are a Jesuit school/program), and the fiesta of Santo Domingo. This involved a party, a pilgrimage, and a slippery telephone pole...you guess which goes with which. But to elaborate a little bit on the pole with the pig fat, basically it is tradition during the fiestas patronales for seemingly a million people to come to the rotunda Santo Domingo, which happens to be two blocks from our house, and celebrate and drink and paint themselves in motor oil and hang out on the street for two days straight, and then again at the end of the week. The Palo Lucio, which is literally a telephone pole covered in about three inches of pure pig fat, has a flag at the top which if you are able to grab it, you win a set amount of money as a prize. I don't know if I would ever consider any amount of money as enough of a prize to participate in this activity, because it is DIRTY. But funny to watch, especially when a group of 15 people get three people high and proceed to slide all the way down the pole because it's so slippery. The real mystery is, though, how this tradition even got started or what it means, because nobody so far has been able to tell me. I will continue in search, however.

Anyway, so that's about all the major things that have been going on here in Nicaragua in the past couple months. I'm going to try to get some pictures up on Facebook soon. Until then, know that I am well, and that I hope that barbecues and warm summer weather are abundant where you are.

¡Hasta pronto!

Feliz seis meses.

2009-06-03T13:28:00.002-06:00

Wow, I think I just realized that it has been two full months since I last updated this blog. The speed in which time has passed continues to surprise me. I suppose this is a good thing--that life moves rapidly because I am constantly doing things, talking, learning, and just being. I like that. In the meantime, my apologies for keeping so many people so out of touch with what life is like here. I'm not gonna lie, it's really hard to put everything into words on this blog, but for now I'll give you a general overview.

So, work continues to be wonderful. It is quite different now, I am a lot busier and have more responsibility, but I am taking this as a sign that I'm moving in a positive direction. Classes are crazy, but my kids now at least appreciate my sense of humor, and the work I do with the campus ministry continues to give me much joy and good challenges. There is a group of muchachos (basically university students that graduated from the colegio) that come and help out a few days a week, and I love hanging out with them...they seem to have taken well to me and a lot of the time we spend together feels a lot like being with friends at home. We have been doing a good number of activities, from day retreats to an all-night vigil for Pentecost to various celebrations in honor of Mary (the month of May is dedicated to her). I'm really feeling comfortable at work and willing to take on more challenging things, and in the meantime enjoying the time with my coworkers and all they have to teach and tell me. I don't even want to imagine what my experience here in Nicaragua would be like if it weren't for work.

Although I am very happy and content with where I am right now, I will say that life has not always been going along without occasional bumps along the way. A small struggle that I have recently encountered is the idea (or more like inevitable fact) that I have a definite departure date in December 2010, and how that affects the relationships I form here--with neighbors, friends, coworkers, community mates, etc. Knowing that I will be leaving here at the end of two years never to return in the same capacity adds an element of sadness and confusion to the whole forming of relationships...in the sense that it is very difficult to feel yourself growing close to people knowing that you will leave them sooner rather than later, and possibly for good. People here have also told me that they have tried to be careful of that, of not wanting to be hurt by knowing I will be leaving at the end of two years. I guess it's all part of the challenge of trying to be open and loving no matter what--what a struggle that is and continues to be, for all of us.

I promise to share more stories soon. For now though I just wanted to assure you all that I am still alive and well. And, in case anybody was paying attention, I left my house for Nicaragua on this day six months ago. Happy anniversary!

Viernes de La Cuaresma

2009-03-28T15:34:00.003-06:00

So, in my attempt to be better at keeping this blog updated with stories and information that is at least minorly relevant, while still being busy with work and home life, I have three things to share at this moment. The first is a picture of my community while we were on retreat in La Garnacha, in the northern mountains of Nicaragua. We saw sunsets like these every day we were there--one of the most beautiful sights I have ever witnessed in my whole life.

The next two things I have to share are stories relating to Fridays during Lent, or viernes de la Cuaresma, here in Nicaragua. I'm sure you have heard that bad (or at least interesting) things are prone to happen on Lenten Fridays, but this has been taken to a whole new level for me here. The first such instance occurred one Friday about two weeks ago, when I was playing volleyball with some of my students outside during recess. Our school, being Catholic and all, has been putting on dramas of the stations of the cross on Friday mornings during Lent in the actos civicos that we have every week. So, apparently whoever was in charge of putting away Jesus' cross at the end of the viacrucis forgot to do so, for when I was running after the volleyball after missing it, I caught my foot on the cross of Jesus and fell and scraped open my knee. This is not that abnormal of an occurrence for me and my generally clumsy self, but it took a whole new turn as all this happened in front of a decent amount of people who immediately became extremely concerned mixed with being put into a fit of hysterics on the fact that the new gringa volunteer has just been injured on Jesus' cross on a viernes during la Cuaresma. We had fun with it, though, and of course word spread really quickly, so by the time I had found myself at one of the outdoor sinks having my knee cleaned with pure alcohol (REALLY painful) by the group of nuns who have assumed the role as my guardians, there was a crowd of students and teachers around me staring and laughing and telling the story over and over. Luckily such things don't embarrass me and I amused them to the best extent I could, or else I would have been MORTIFIED. My knee has healed nicely, though. The next story I would like to share also occurred on a Lenten Friday, yesterday to be exact. I had lunch at the nuns' house and was walking back to the colegio with Sor Fabiola (the nun I work closest with and have grown to appreciate dearly--not that strange, she's about my age), when she saw a man walking toward us that she said she didn't want to run into because he never stops talking to her when they see one another, so she suggested we cross the street. As we did so, she kind of made a little turn or push or something--whatever it was, it made me take a step off the sidewalk onto the street...BAD idea, seeing as the streets around the colegio are all unpaved and therefore have large crevices on the edges of them where water drains, or in actuality water just sits there with garbage and dirt and sewage in the hot sun for hours. So, my shoe and half my left foot is covered in nasty sewage mud, and Sor is freaking out because it's her fault and apologizing and laughing and asking how these things keep happening to me. And, I'm gagging a bit but also laughing, and we get to the colegio where I immediately take off my shoes to wash them. Oh, it is worth it to point out that a small crowd also forms at this point. So I'm rinsing off my shoes at one of the water taps, and Sor has two bottles of jabón (soap) and throws some soap on my sandals to help. After a few seconds we realize that it doesn't really smell like jabón, but like cloro (bleach), and that the soapy water we had been using to wash off my shoes has also been sprayed on my pants. We quickly then throw a bucket of water on my crotch/upper leg area to wash off the bleach in hopes that it doesn't ruin my pants, but to no avail. I walked around looking like I had a very bad accident for a few minutes, still laughing hysterically over the whole scene, when Sor realizes that dumping water on me has had no effect, as my pants have bleached spots all over them. So, I spent the rest of the afternoon with wet shoes, bleached pants, and many a person still laughing with me about it all. And, after all that, all anyone could say was that it all happened because it was a Friday during Lent. Oh Nicaragua.

I hope to share more stories soon. In the meantime, know that I'm doing well and that there is so much joy in my life these days that I can barely hold it in. Thinking of you all as always. Many abrazos fuertes.

Ha pasado mucho tiempo.

2009-03-13T19:49:00.003-06:00

I have realized that keeping up this blog is harder than I thought it would be. I have also realized that I have been quite lacking in processing all the things that I have experienced and thought and felt in the past six weeks or so, and while I don't have time to recount everything here and now, I will do my best to provide a brief update just so you all know I have not forgotten about you. We are going on retreat this weekend and I am greatly looking forward to that time to do some much needed sorting out of the pensamientos. More will follow after we return, I promise.

For now, my life is occupied to the brim, but I could not imagine it any other way. I have been working full time at the colegio doing a wide variety of things from teaching english classes to organizing masses to dancing bachata in front of 500 students, nuns and co-workers cheering for me like 12-year-olds at a rock concert, but while hard at times my life at work has been unbelievably fulfilling. I am amazed every day by how my co-workers have embraced me and how I am enjoying nearly every moment that I spend there, with many structured activities but with a lot of time for spontanaeity. For example, this past Wednesday without prior notice, all the profesores and nuns and me and some students loaded up on a bus in the middle of the afternoon headed to Masaya, a market town less than an hour outside Managua, to be with one of our co-workers at his mom's funeral. Talk about a cultural experience mixed with an incredible sense of feeling like I belong. I have had some amazing conversations with my compañeros and have been blown away by my own ability to express myself in Spanish (although I fail miserably every once in a while), in addition to being cared for in every possible way by a group of four enthusiastic, generous, kind, and hilarious nuns. At this point, I really could not ask for more from the time I spend at work, and have been affirmed in numerous ways in my decision to come here to Nicaragua simply in these daily experiences. What a gift they are.

In terms of the other aspects of life here, I am in a good place as well. My language skills have greatly improved in the past month or so although I still lack a good deal, but at least I've gotten over being afraid to try to say what's on my mind. Community has been a blessing in many ways, as we all become accustomed to one another's schedules and daily realities and personalities and ways of expressing ourselves--not always a walk in the park but a good challenge nonetheless. The time goes by very fast here, and I look forward to every day for the struggles and the joys they bring.

As I approach the end of this entry, I feel like I have a lot to say to all of you but have not been able to accurately express everything--do know that I think of you often and appreciate your letters and emails. I will try harder in the future to do some better processing on my end and in turn will be able to share more. Also, the nuns and I have started to do daily meditation which I feel will help me in this realm. We shall see.

Many, many hugs. ¡Hasta pronto!

¡Aprovecha!

2009-01-23T16:52:00.002-06:00

Originally I had not planned to write another blog entry until I became more settled into my work routine, but I was overcome with a sudden urge today to write, most likely due to the need to process some of my thoughts from the past few weeks. My previous entries have mostly been a rundown of events that occurred or things that I’ve done here, but I feel like I’m moving past that a bit after being here for almost two months.

Just to give a general overview of my experiences since I’ve been here in Nicaragua, I can sum up my emotions for the most part in a few words: fulfilled, hopeful and grateful. It may seem a bit premature to judge my experiences in this way, because the vast majority of the goings-on and observations of life here are still incredibly new and fresh, and it is natural to think that it is only appropriate to process these things after familiarity and growth have added their wisdom. Undoubtedly, my ideas will change—as will their effects—as time goes on and we become more accustomed to life here, but these beginning emotions, feelings, and perceptions are, in my mind, just as important and telling. Granted, none of us new JVs have become very close with our neighbors or those we work with yet, nor have we developed an intimacy with the details of Nicaraguan life that allows those who have been here longer to appreciate the loves, struggles and hopes of being a JV in Nicaragua; however, I do believe that this supposed lack of experience makes the emotions and appreciation of new JVs for the life and the people here even more profound. We have not fallen in love with Nicaragua yet, so we optimistically appreciate the beauties of the country for what it gives us each day and what it has to teach us. We have not been here long enough to have close Nicaraguan friends, but for this we are more humbled by the generosity of those we meet and more grateful for those that allow us to enter their lives. We have yet to experience the joy of comforting familiarity with our surroundings, or the deep feeling of “home” in our neighborhood and at work, but we have the truly thrilling opportunity to encounter the new and surprising every day, and the unique blessing it is to be in the active process of getting to know and forming deeper relationships with others, whether they be strangers on the street or the members of our JV community. On a different level than our more experienced companions, each day offers us new chances for discovery and immersion into the unknown. We are spending countless frenzied, frustrating, and humbling moments learning and adjusting—making mistakes speaking Spanish, frantically trying to remember names, memorizing bus routes and how to get to where we need to go, doing what we can to not to get overcharged at the market, negotiating work schedules and responsibilities, all the while doing our best not to look too much like lost gringos or to put too heavy of a burden on our gracious second year volunteers—this may all seem disheartening, but what a truly profound joy each moment is! How alive are our senses, how heightened are our perceptions and emotions, how appreciative are we of the subtle details of life! This time of constant and complete discovery only happens briefly in our two years here, and the best way to describe the outlook I have during this time is to find every chance to aprovechar—to seek to discover, seize the moments, and take advantage of every opportunity to make the wondrous intricacies of life here a part of me.

That said—I am fulfilled, hopeful, and grateful. I am fulfilled in that I feel in every way that I am meant to be here in Nicaragua with JVI—I do not speak from naiveté or a superficial appreciation of the new and exotic, but from the perspective that because life is far from easy may be the reason why I cannot imagine any place that I would rather be. It was not a simple decision or process for me to find myself here, and life has only become more complicated, but for this complexity, I am fulfilled. I encounter moments on a daily basis that allow me to affirm and appreciate my being here, whether it be small conversations with members of my community, a stirring moment at mass, the joyous (and fleeting) times of being able to express myself accurately in Spanish, or a sense of belonging and rightness when I walk into work in the morning. As a result of this reassurance, not only am I fulfilled—I am hopeful. For the blessing it is to be able to wake up every morning with the ability to learn something new, I am hopeful. For having those in my life who care about me, allowing me to challenge myself to be a better person, I am hopeful. For the infinite possibility that lies in the next 22 months, for the many more opportunities to breathe deeply, run and skip, pray, play, laugh, hug, cry, and have my heart broken and put back together anew, I am hopeful. For all this and more, I am also grateful. I am grateful for the challenges and opportunities that come with each passing day, for all the ways my soul and mind have been stretched by not simply welcoming the unfamiliar, but by embracing it and allowing it to take hold. I am grateful for Amber, Jenna, Megan, Michael, and Patrick—their unique gifts and personalities, their openness to allow all of us to become a part of each of their lives, their willingness to allow themselves to be changed and grow as one, and their humble contributions to building a community of love, faith, courage and strength. I am grateful for the hot sun, cool breeze, and uneven sidewalks that keep me feeling alive, for the brilliant discoveries by my community mates of all the ways to cook meals on a small weekly budget, and the sacredness of joining with them at the dinner table every night.

There are countless moments and occasions to be appreciated. Most of all, though, I am simply grateful for the opportunity to love. Indeed, what an absolute and divine treasure it is.

Our community underwater.

Gazing into the distance on retreat.

¡Buen provecho!

The ladies of JVI Nica on retreat.

Enjoying the view.

Laughter and smiles, can you get anything better than that?

The whole community on the last day of retreat.

Feliz Año Nuevo

2009-01-02T17:52:00.002-06:00

Not much time for a long post here, but I wanted to let you all know that I am currently in the process of uploading the pictures I've taken so far in Nica onto Facebook. By the time I'm done with this post they should be all up. Take a look if you're so inclined.

Also...¡feliz año nuevo! My community mates and I rang in the new year with some cold beers and participating in the crazy Nicaraguan traditions, like burning a huge scarecrow-like doll filled with firecrackers in the middle of the street (quemando el viejo, or burning the old and welcoming the new) and traveling two hours standing on a bus to the beach as most Nicas do on New Year's day. I had a good time welcoming in 2009, the only full year that I will spend here in Nicaragua. I didn't even miss the countdown TV specials. (Champagne would have been nice, though.)

Feliz Navidad

2008-12-23T11:22:00.006-06:00

Sorry for the lack of updates in a while, life has been incredibly busy and I haven’t found much time to write anything at all. But rest assured that I am alive and well. A brief rundown of the last couple of weeks:

The four newbies (Amber, Megan, Patrick, and I) spent four days in the campo staying with families in a town called Arenal, about an hour and a half outside of Managua. It was a chance for us to get out of the city, relax a bit, practice our Spanish, and learn about the daily lives of those who do not live in Managua. Not only did it rain on the way there during our three-wheeled mototaxi ride, but it rained during one of the nights we were there as well (incredibly rare seeing as it’s the dry season). My family (consisting of a mother, grandmother—the smallest person alive, two daughters about my age, two teenage sons as well as three dogs, innumerable chickens, a cow, and two cats) was very gracious. It was colder in the campo, which was refreshing, and the scenery was stunning. It was interesting to explore the area with my host mom as she told me all about the local and national politics and what the town struggles with daily. There is an extreme lack of water in the area and everything is done with water collected from the wells (when water exists) and stored. It was a good experience overall, even though I came back with about forty mosquito bites.

When we came back to Managua, we had a series of bienvenida/despedida fiestas to say goodbye to James, Margaret, Mary, and Josh, the departing volunteers, and to welcome the new ones. It was nice to meet some of the people that are so important to the JVs and to know that my life will one day include them and more. We also sampled some great local food and traditional dances, and we took part in some dancing ourselves. I definitely need to work on my Latin flair in that aspect.

This past week we moved in with families in the barrio and attended Spanish school. The week was exhausting but great, my host family (Marcia, aunt Maira, grandma Juana, 5-year-old Daniela, and 14-year-old Mario) was absolutely fantastic and I had a great time with them. It was a nice situation because the family knows the JVs well and is familiar with what we do, who we know, and where we live. They fed me extremely well and were excited to have me there. I laughed a lot, mostly because talkative little Danielita never left me alone, and EVERY other member of the family pretty much just disciplined her all day, and told her to stop molestando la Christine. I didn’t mind it though. She reminded me a lot of how my sister Janette was at age 5.

Spanish school was a good refresher, but I’m glad to be done with learning the subjunctive all day. Oh, and for reference, my lost bag arrived a little while ago, to my great relief.

We went to a Christmas concert on Tuesday, which was quite good (maybe a little long), and put me in the spirit a bit. It really doesn’t feel like Christmas much at all, mostly because it’s 90 degrees during the day, and at the current moment none of our computers are able to play movies so the Christmas movie idea is out. I feel a little sad not to be home for Christmas, because I love the season, but I’m excited as well to spend the holiday here with my new “family.” The departing JVs made their way home on Thursday so it is the six of us in the house now—me, Amber, Megan, Patrick, Jenna, and Michael—the JVs of 08-09. I think we might bake Christmas cookies soon to get in the mood…

Also, I have successfully cooked rice once (can’t say the same for the beans), and successfully hand-washed my laundry in the pila TWICE. And for reference, mom, the clothes actually get cleaner this way—as long as you rinse all of the soap out.

Sorry for the incredibly long length of this entry, but below are some photos from the past few weeks for your enjoyment. Feliz Navidad a tod@s, and Happy Golden Birthday Nicole!

On our first paseo as a new community, to the parque japonés for some basketball.

Danielita, exhibiting her usual flair.

At one of the despedida fiestas, a show of traditional Nicaraguan folk dance.

The landscape from my homestay in the campo. Those are volcanoes in the distance.

My family's house in the campo.

A view of Managua from our tour the first week with Fr. Joe.

JVI Nicaragua, new and old. Top row: James, Michael, Patrick, Megan, Jenna, and Josh. Bottom row: Margaret, Amber, me, and Mary.

Vamos al campo

2008-12-09T11:08:00.003-06:00

Since my last trip to the cyber, quite a lot has gone down. I was able to visit my worksite in Ciudad Sandino with Patrick, a fellow first-year JV, and Jenna, one of the second-years I´ll be living with. The school seems fantastic, a real oasis for the children in the barrio, which is very poor. It is run by nuns (we´re talking full-on habits), and apparently they want me to teach English classes to the primarias (little kids) and do some tutoring. And since the school is run by the Fe y Alegria network, Fr. Fernando Cardenal (who directs it in Nicaragua) wants to have dinner with me and Patrick (who also works in a Fe y Alegria school). Talk about big time.

Also, this past weekend was the celebration of the Purisima, or the Immaculate Conception of Mary, which is a huge deal in Nicaragua. All the JVs went to a celebration on Saturday in El Recreo, the barrio where some of the other JVs work. Then, for about three days straight, fireworks and other homemade flammable/explodable items are lit all over the city (my dad would fit right in here). Roads are closed, traffic abounds, and everybody is out celebrating. There are a bunch of traditional carols that Nicas grow up learning, and we attempted to try to remember a few as we participated in the biggest celebration of all - the griteria. Families all over the city construct huge elaborate (and quite beautiful) altars in front of their houses dedicated to Mary, and kids (and JVs) go through the streets singing Purisima carols at their doors for gifts. We held our own (sort of) and came back with some sweet stuff, like homemade candies and sugar cane, bananas, keychains with Jesus and Mary on them, and maracas. It´s amazing the pride that the Nicas take in this holiday and everything that surrounds it.

Oh, and a cat fell into our house through the roof the other day after fighting with another cat. It was a minor fiasco (but mostly just loud). And quite funny. Also, all the JVs set up our house for Christmas, and the four departing volunteers (Mary, Margaret, James, and Josh) commemorated their time here with a contribution to the mural on the wall of our house. It´s really great to have them around for guidance and support, and to think of what our lives might be like in two years. Apparently the time flies by pretty fast. Vamos a ver.

Today me and the new JVs leave for homestays in the campo. It should be some time for relaxation, practicing my Spanish, and finding out more about what life is like outside the city. We´ll be back on Friday. I´ll try to get some pictures up somewhere after we get back!

Until then, enjoy the snow (if it snows where you are). I´ve been sweating nonstop since my arrival here, with the exception of being in the shower. Hopefully the campo will be cooler...

Commence.

2008-12-04T15:19:00.003-06:00

So, it begins. After an eventful series of flights which involved me running between gates in Houston and discovering that one of my checked bags was lost en route upon arrival in Managua, what has transpired since has not only been exhausting, but much better than the beginning leg of the journey. We were greeted in the Managua airport by some VERY excited JVs, and made it to our new home late last night. The place is great, and I already moved into my new room (which may receive a paint job from me by the time my two years is up), and got a much-needed night of sleep.

This morning we were shown a number of the more well-known areas of Managua by our in-country coordinator, Fr. Joe Mulligan, SJ. Managua, from what I can tell, is in many ways similar other Central American metropoli but also different. For one, the city is HUGE. About a quarter of the country´s population lives in the Managua city limits. Also, this was a very interesting time to arrive here, as the political climate is very active. Elections took place a few weeks ago but the results are suspected to be fraudulent, so there are billboards, written messages, and people waving flags of the country and political parties all over the place. It will be interesting to see what transpires.

We ate Nicaraguan pizza today. It was actually quite delicious. Although I would never prefer to have it the way real Nicas eat it, with mayonnaise and ketchup all over it.

More updates to come!

T-minus three weeks!

2008-11-12T15:08:00.002-06:00

Hello friends! As you may have guessed from the aforementioned title, I am leaving for Nicaragua twenty-one days from today. I figured it was about time I set up this blog and started to get the word out, so that no one misses one step of the action once I finally land in Managua.

You'll probably notice that under the title of this blog I refer to this version as 0.5, which basically means that it does not yet deserve a whole number version because I haven't arrived in Nicaragua yet. Who knows, I might pull an AOL and end up with 11 versions by the time the two years is up (I even might throw in some extra-virus-protection or optimized variations).

Sorry for the inherent boringness of this first blog entry, I will be sure to include more thrilling updates as time goes on. Thanks for reading!