Wow, has it been nearly 2 months since I last wrote? I´ve been travelling a lot with rancho ebenezer brigades, peace corps trainings, and now helping out training the new group of volunteers.
My group celebrated 1 year in country the first of the month and its hard to believe. With the new group here and training underway, it feels like yesterday that I was in their shoes, but also so long ago. And all I can say, is thank god I´m not there anymore. Although time goes by faster now its still slow and at times I feel like I´ve done all I came here for and am ready to go home. But most of the time, it just feels like I still have sooo much left to accomplish and with the SLOW movement of work here, so little time to accomplish it all. Did I mention how slow it is to get anything accomplished here? Hard to get projects accomplished when people dont show up for meetings that have taken a week to prepare for. And can I say how much spanish I still have yet to learn?
Seems like life here has been filled with baking and cooking. In fact, cheers to Elizabeth´s mom, whom I met today in Casa Viejas where we celebrated her arrival with a goat and a day of baking all sorts of goodies. She seemed to fit right in and loved all of Nicaragua.
I´ve been getting accustomed to my house and trying to make it more homey. Since fumigating last week, the lack of cockroaches has really helped me feel more at home. Im pretty much always back at my host families house anyways, back to eating frijoles, arroz, and tortilla, which I love, and baking lots.
Have started some more family gardens and done some animal management training, with chicken vaccinations to come. Also doing some more nutrition training and demonstrations and upkeeping the school garden and english classes.
The rest of this month is taken up with medical visits, tech training of the new volunteers (supposedly I´m the animal expert and am scheduled to give all the animal mgt charlas), and a trip to Leon and the beach with the girls.
Thats all folks. Take care.
Oh did I mention that I´m now a ripe old age of 30!!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
20 de Julio, 2008
Times been roaring by but I feel like I get nothing accomplished. Life in Nicaragua is just like that I guess.
I was kicked out of my house a few weeks ago because I had a yoga book, so the neighbors say. But the dueno says it was because he is moving back. Either way, I had to rush and find a new house and organize all the logistics.
Although the house is not as nice, adobe walls, leaky roof, faulty light, no bano, pila thats broken, a falling down latrine, and a front door on the highway, I'm back by my host family and all the people I love, so that makes all the difference. The whole week moving in, all the kids and adults were over to help me clean, sweep, plant my garden, etc. And my host dad and all the chinguines came to help me move. And the kids were so enthusiastic with helping me that Im going to start a communal garden with the neighborhood kids in my backyard and let them manage it and take home all the veggies.
Although Ive moved in, I haven't spent one night there yet. I moved in last Wednesday, stayed with my host family and then left the next morning for a trip to the mountains of Matagalpa with some health workers from my area. We met up with the "Rancho" (one of the NGOs I work with) veterinarian and a brigade that came down from the states. We did a human and animal health clinic and I helped translate and do whatever else was needed. It was a really great experience, I learned a bunch about medicine, learned some spanish, got myself wormed and tested for malaria, and had a lot of fun hanging out with the Nicas from Managua and the Americans. And today, riding in the back of a pickup on the 4 hour ride through the green lush, waterfall filled mountains of Matagalpa, I really couldn't believe how lucky I was. Same yesterday tramping through the mountains to go work some cows.
I'm being very "vaga" and not doing much work in my community, but at least the trips are work related and I really feel like Im helping on these brigades. I feel like I can really relate to the people that are telling me their problems because I live their life most of the time. I never would have been able to do that if I hadn't lived in the campo for the last 7 months. And a recent comment by a Nicaraguan that I seem to be a Nica with a gringo face was complementary. And last week when my host mom casually said that "I'm family", I felt like all this time spent just getting to know people here is worth it. There are lots of down days and hard times to get through and many times when the cultural differences are just too much, but those good times remind me of what I'm doing here and why it's important. My spanish still has a long way to go, but it makes such a difference to be able to communicate and really know people, to develop relationships that can only come with time.
Work related, all us Peace Corps girls in my area and the affiliated organizations are starting our local farmers market in a few weeks. Unfortunately, I don't think its going to go that well because I dont really have any productores, just a few people with a few products. But we´ll see.
Im heading back to my site tomorrow, to only stay for a night or two and then off to a friends site and a day trip to a local womens coop where they make baskets out of pine needles. We're hoping to teach this skill to a few women in our communities as a way for them to start a business and make some money (since we live in pine forests).
Next week I´m heading to Managua for a 3 day hog cholera conferece by USDA and a visit to the ranch of the NGO I work with. And hopefully another brigade trip to do a horse clinic. And in between all that is my 30th birthday! Being here is helping me feel young!
Hasta luego!
I was kicked out of my house a few weeks ago because I had a yoga book, so the neighbors say. But the dueno says it was because he is moving back. Either way, I had to rush and find a new house and organize all the logistics.
Although the house is not as nice, adobe walls, leaky roof, faulty light, no bano, pila thats broken, a falling down latrine, and a front door on the highway, I'm back by my host family and all the people I love, so that makes all the difference. The whole week moving in, all the kids and adults were over to help me clean, sweep, plant my garden, etc. And my host dad and all the chinguines came to help me move. And the kids were so enthusiastic with helping me that Im going to start a communal garden with the neighborhood kids in my backyard and let them manage it and take home all the veggies.
Although Ive moved in, I haven't spent one night there yet. I moved in last Wednesday, stayed with my host family and then left the next morning for a trip to the mountains of Matagalpa with some health workers from my area. We met up with the "Rancho" (one of the NGOs I work with) veterinarian and a brigade that came down from the states. We did a human and animal health clinic and I helped translate and do whatever else was needed. It was a really great experience, I learned a bunch about medicine, learned some spanish, got myself wormed and tested for malaria, and had a lot of fun hanging out with the Nicas from Managua and the Americans. And today, riding in the back of a pickup on the 4 hour ride through the green lush, waterfall filled mountains of Matagalpa, I really couldn't believe how lucky I was. Same yesterday tramping through the mountains to go work some cows.
I'm being very "vaga" and not doing much work in my community, but at least the trips are work related and I really feel like Im helping on these brigades. I feel like I can really relate to the people that are telling me their problems because I live their life most of the time. I never would have been able to do that if I hadn't lived in the campo for the last 7 months. And a recent comment by a Nicaraguan that I seem to be a Nica with a gringo face was complementary. And last week when my host mom casually said that "I'm family", I felt like all this time spent just getting to know people here is worth it. There are lots of down days and hard times to get through and many times when the cultural differences are just too much, but those good times remind me of what I'm doing here and why it's important. My spanish still has a long way to go, but it makes such a difference to be able to communicate and really know people, to develop relationships that can only come with time.
Work related, all us Peace Corps girls in my area and the affiliated organizations are starting our local farmers market in a few weeks. Unfortunately, I don't think its going to go that well because I dont really have any productores, just a few people with a few products. But we´ll see.
Im heading back to my site tomorrow, to only stay for a night or two and then off to a friends site and a day trip to a local womens coop where they make baskets out of pine needles. We're hoping to teach this skill to a few women in our communities as a way for them to start a business and make some money (since we live in pine forests).
Next week I´m heading to Managua for a 3 day hog cholera conferece by USDA and a visit to the ranch of the NGO I work with. And hopefully another brigade trip to do a horse clinic. And in between all that is my 30th birthday! Being here is helping me feel young!
Hasta luego!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
10 de Junio, 2008
The rainy season has come and the afternoon rains and cool mornings have brought a welcome change to the hot dry months of April and May. And what a difference 2 weeks of rain has made. Nicaragua has changed from a dry desert to a land of beautiful, green, lush mountains.
With the rains, I have planted my own vegetable garden. Two-square meters and raised from the ground with banana trunks that I hauled up from the road, the garden is protected from the pesky chickens by four adobe walls that were to be the kitchen of my house before the dueño left. My papa de aire (potato of the air plant) is growing fast, my ginger has sprouted, and the new rose transplants are taking. In the evenings I lay in my hammock on the porch and look out at the cows and caña fields across from my house.
The best part about the rains is that we now have water, which became such a scarce resource that someone stole all the water out of my pila while I was sleeping one night. But with the rains comes dirty, brown, murky water that just doesn´t satisfy my thirst. And I´m always battling to keep my water tank (pila) clean from the falling debris of the trees overhead or mosquito larvae that swim around or the new guest that came last week-tadpoles. My washing stone has also started molding, so as I scrubbed my clothes last week on a fungus-covered stone and rinsed them in murky tadpole infested water, I questioned how clean those clothes were getting. My next project is making a water filter!
I´ve also accompliesd the art of making Nica coffee by sewing my own coffee bolsa with an old-fashioned Singer sewing machine.
On the work front, the balls are rolling for our organic market and we´ve now had 2 meetings with the mayor and more planned. A meeting this week with the Nica government ag agency will leave me with more vegetable seeds to gift to producers to start gardens for the market and to re-start the school garden that failed a few months ago without water.
Two weeks ago, a vet med brigade came from the states, bringing 4 vet students, 2 vets, and a vet and nurse couple that recently moved to Nicaragua to serve for Christian Vet Mission. I was more than excited to work and learn with and from the vets. It´s always refreshing to be with other Americans, but to be doing vet work too, was more than fantastic. I was supposed to be there to translate, but with translators brought, I really learned more than helped. A kind vet tought me to do general exams for horses, let me help with the goats, and showed me the various bacteria and parasites in the blood and stool exams taken from the animals.
I´ve also been spending quite a bit of time with the other volunteers in my area nad the newest volunteer here, as she´s just moved into her own place and we celebrated her birthday last weekend with a homemade thai peanut spaghetti, pineapple upside down cake, and rich red wine. So wonderful for Nicaragua!
My cat, Fiona, has left me again, but has been replaced by new unwelcome visitors-a mouse, a bat, and many, many beetles and lightning bugs at night! The mouse made his way into a closed bag and chewed through 2 layers of bubble wrap to get to my precious peanut butter M&Ms. His diet is now being replaced with rat venom.
Celebrated Mothers day here with my host mom and her family, making nacatamales (actually helping this time) and baking lots of cakes. I have become the town baker, between my baking group, baking with my peace corps friends, and my host moms constant desire to bake everytime I visit. Not that I´m complaining!
Off to visit a friend this next week for a little vacation and then back home to get some projects going.
With the rains, I have planted my own vegetable garden. Two-square meters and raised from the ground with banana trunks that I hauled up from the road, the garden is protected from the pesky chickens by four adobe walls that were to be the kitchen of my house before the dueño left. My papa de aire (potato of the air plant) is growing fast, my ginger has sprouted, and the new rose transplants are taking. In the evenings I lay in my hammock on the porch and look out at the cows and caña fields across from my house.
The best part about the rains is that we now have water, which became such a scarce resource that someone stole all the water out of my pila while I was sleeping one night. But with the rains comes dirty, brown, murky water that just doesn´t satisfy my thirst. And I´m always battling to keep my water tank (pila) clean from the falling debris of the trees overhead or mosquito larvae that swim around or the new guest that came last week-tadpoles. My washing stone has also started molding, so as I scrubbed my clothes last week on a fungus-covered stone and rinsed them in murky tadpole infested water, I questioned how clean those clothes were getting. My next project is making a water filter!
I´ve also accompliesd the art of making Nica coffee by sewing my own coffee bolsa with an old-fashioned Singer sewing machine.
On the work front, the balls are rolling for our organic market and we´ve now had 2 meetings with the mayor and more planned. A meeting this week with the Nica government ag agency will leave me with more vegetable seeds to gift to producers to start gardens for the market and to re-start the school garden that failed a few months ago without water.
Two weeks ago, a vet med brigade came from the states, bringing 4 vet students, 2 vets, and a vet and nurse couple that recently moved to Nicaragua to serve for Christian Vet Mission. I was more than excited to work and learn with and from the vets. It´s always refreshing to be with other Americans, but to be doing vet work too, was more than fantastic. I was supposed to be there to translate, but with translators brought, I really learned more than helped. A kind vet tought me to do general exams for horses, let me help with the goats, and showed me the various bacteria and parasites in the blood and stool exams taken from the animals.
I´ve also been spending quite a bit of time with the other volunteers in my area nad the newest volunteer here, as she´s just moved into her own place and we celebrated her birthday last weekend with a homemade thai peanut spaghetti, pineapple upside down cake, and rich red wine. So wonderful for Nicaragua!
My cat, Fiona, has left me again, but has been replaced by new unwelcome visitors-a mouse, a bat, and many, many beetles and lightning bugs at night! The mouse made his way into a closed bag and chewed through 2 layers of bubble wrap to get to my precious peanut butter M&Ms. His diet is now being replaced with rat venom.
Celebrated Mothers day here with my host mom and her family, making nacatamales (actually helping this time) and baking lots of cakes. I have become the town baker, between my baking group, baking with my peace corps friends, and my host moms constant desire to bake everytime I visit. Not that I´m complaining!
Off to visit a friend this next week for a little vacation and then back home to get some projects going.
Friday, May 16, 2008
16 de Mayo
Well, its been awhile since I last wrote. I guess thats a good thing, because it means I´m busy.
As you can see from the pictures, my mom and I had a good time on her trip here. Very busy and went by fast with a few problems, mostly related to the car I rented and also damaged. Arriving at my house at night, I tried to drive up my steep, narrow, dirt driveway with a small toyota sedan. Needless to say, that didnt work and I ended up breaking the bumper and hitting a post. This was all after a 6 hour journey from Managua, where I worried constantly about being pulled over by another corrupt cop, like the one in Managua who pulled me over on bogus charges and made me pay to leave. The return trip to managua included a kid puking in the car, hitting a dog, a drunk man throwing himself in front of my car, asking to be hit, as I was speeding along the highway at 60mph. Luckily it all ended (and started) with my mom and I sitting by the pool, relaxing, and enjoying ourselves.
As for life lately, its still an adventure. Nicaragua is now in its 12th day of a transportation strike, with no buses, taxis, or trucks running. After gun fighting, trucks being burned, and road blocks on the main highway outside of managua on tuesday, my friends, Wenonoa and Eric, decided to postpone their trip, in which they were supposed to arrive today. I´m bummed to not be able to see them but am relieved to not have to worry about anyones safety while travelling.
Work goes up and down...slow at times and busy at others. I successfully have started my womens baking group, teaching them how to make mango bread last week and plans set for a chocolate cake recipe the day before Nicaraguas mothers day (May 30th). A garbage clean up activity that I did in the school last week failed when all the kids ran to the dump to fill their bags first for the prize, instead of running around finding garbage to put IN the dump. Since then, I´ve been a little hesitant to return to the school for work. But I´ve crossed the gender bridge for working with cattle when I was handed a needle and syringe to help vaccinate cows of a man I know (my host moms father). This is motivating me to learn a little more and start working more with the ganaderos. I´ve also been asked to give a chicken concentrado charla and am trying to start a chicken vaccination program, however, there is a national shortage of one of the 2 necessary vaccines. My nutrition charla failed after I spent several hours sitting on someones porch eating, chatting, and waiting for women that never showed up.
On the homefront, I´m settled in to my house and have acquired and lost a kitten several times, today being a ¨lost¨day, with her not returning home this morning.
As you can see from the pictures, my mom and I had a good time on her trip here. Very busy and went by fast with a few problems, mostly related to the car I rented and also damaged. Arriving at my house at night, I tried to drive up my steep, narrow, dirt driveway with a small toyota sedan. Needless to say, that didnt work and I ended up breaking the bumper and hitting a post. This was all after a 6 hour journey from Managua, where I worried constantly about being pulled over by another corrupt cop, like the one in Managua who pulled me over on bogus charges and made me pay to leave. The return trip to managua included a kid puking in the car, hitting a dog, a drunk man throwing himself in front of my car, asking to be hit, as I was speeding along the highway at 60mph. Luckily it all ended (and started) with my mom and I sitting by the pool, relaxing, and enjoying ourselves.
As for life lately, its still an adventure. Nicaragua is now in its 12th day of a transportation strike, with no buses, taxis, or trucks running. After gun fighting, trucks being burned, and road blocks on the main highway outside of managua on tuesday, my friends, Wenonoa and Eric, decided to postpone their trip, in which they were supposed to arrive today. I´m bummed to not be able to see them but am relieved to not have to worry about anyones safety while travelling.
Work goes up and down...slow at times and busy at others. I successfully have started my womens baking group, teaching them how to make mango bread last week and plans set for a chocolate cake recipe the day before Nicaraguas mothers day (May 30th). A garbage clean up activity that I did in the school last week failed when all the kids ran to the dump to fill their bags first for the prize, instead of running around finding garbage to put IN the dump. Since then, I´ve been a little hesitant to return to the school for work. But I´ve crossed the gender bridge for working with cattle when I was handed a needle and syringe to help vaccinate cows of a man I know (my host moms father). This is motivating me to learn a little more and start working more with the ganaderos. I´ve also been asked to give a chicken concentrado charla and am trying to start a chicken vaccination program, however, there is a national shortage of one of the 2 necessary vaccines. My nutrition charla failed after I spent several hours sitting on someones porch eating, chatting, and waiting for women that never showed up.
On the homefront, I´m settled in to my house and have acquired and lost a kitten several times, today being a ¨lost¨day, with her not returning home this morning.
And lastly, the US ambassador graced my community yesterday to inagurate a new well in the community, complete with music, ballons, and a speech. However, no one addresed the fact that the well will only deliver water to the surrounding neighbors who all have a constant supply of water. To really reach the community that needs water (they are hauling water by buckets and bathing in rivers), we need to come up with a few thousand dollars to buy an electric pump to pump water from the well to the community.
Oh, I also took my first river bath, which was actually very lovely, standing in a pine forest in my underwear with another woman, throwing water over our heads, and enjoying the sunshine. But somehow, I dont think I´ll enjoy it in the winter!
As far as health goes, Ive come down with pinkeye, another ear infection, and the relentless stomach bugs that torment me. But none of it is that bad and I find lots of time here to enjoy the company of the people of my community and the fellow peace corps volunteers that live nearby.
Hope everyone is well.
As far as health goes, Ive come down with pinkeye, another ear infection, and the relentless stomach bugs that torment me. But none of it is that bad and I find lots of time here to enjoy the company of the people of my community and the fellow peace corps volunteers that live nearby.
Hope everyone is well.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
11 de Abril, 2008
Lounging by the beautiful pool in Managua again! My mom just arrived for her visit last night and we're stuffed on the gorgeous breakfast buffet and headed to the pool and then on to Granada for a few days of vacation.
Coming back to this hotel after a few months in my site was a weird change yesterday. Swimming pools, air conditioning, cable TV with American commercials and Will & Grace, surrounded by gringos speaking english, I felt like I have been transported right back to America.
Surprisingly I ran into a couple of Peace Corps friends also awaiting or sending off their families. Small world.
Work has been very productive since Semana Santa. I've conducted lots of meetings and PACA tools, determining community needs. Lots of hiking to see gardens, lots of presentations on nutrition, gardens, organic insecticides, and starting school gardens. Helping distribute world aid food to pregnant and lactating women. Planning for the national vaccination campaign. And of course studying and practicing spanish. And thanks to a care package from Stephanie, studying my newly acquired Merck Vet Manual, which I most likely won't get the chance to use much here, but am devouring for information just the same.
One of my latest meetings was with a government organization that's aim is to reduce hunger of the poor population by giving them animals (a cow, 2 pigs, and some chickens) and the tools they need to raise those animals. I am really excited to be working with this group, doing animal nutrition and mgt presentations and starting a chicken vaccination program.
I've also met a really excited producer who wants to build his farm up into a model farm to show the community soil coservation and better management techniques.
And I'm finally settled into my little house, complete with all plastic walls of the bano and latrine put up. Just in time for my mom's visit. My 3 friends welcomed me into my new house last weekend with a housewarming dinner and sleepover.
Thats all for now.
Coming back to this hotel after a few months in my site was a weird change yesterday. Swimming pools, air conditioning, cable TV with American commercials and Will & Grace, surrounded by gringos speaking english, I felt like I have been transported right back to America.
Surprisingly I ran into a couple of Peace Corps friends also awaiting or sending off their families. Small world.
Work has been very productive since Semana Santa. I've conducted lots of meetings and PACA tools, determining community needs. Lots of hiking to see gardens, lots of presentations on nutrition, gardens, organic insecticides, and starting school gardens. Helping distribute world aid food to pregnant and lactating women. Planning for the national vaccination campaign. And of course studying and practicing spanish. And thanks to a care package from Stephanie, studying my newly acquired Merck Vet Manual, which I most likely won't get the chance to use much here, but am devouring for information just the same.
One of my latest meetings was with a government organization that's aim is to reduce hunger of the poor population by giving them animals (a cow, 2 pigs, and some chickens) and the tools they need to raise those animals. I am really excited to be working with this group, doing animal nutrition and mgt presentations and starting a chicken vaccination program.
I've also met a really excited producer who wants to build his farm up into a model farm to show the community soil coservation and better management techniques.
And I'm finally settled into my little house, complete with all plastic walls of the bano and latrine put up. Just in time for my mom's visit. My 3 friends welcomed me into my new house last weekend with a housewarming dinner and sleepover.
Thats all for now.
Friday, March 28, 2008
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