Puentes en mal estado

Hello friends! 
Sorry I am a bit over-due on my follow-up blog entry!  It was my original goal to write at least once every two weeks, but as I am sure you all can imagine living in a foreign country presents many opportunities for exploring so I have been m.i.a from the world of blogging.  Again, not exactly sure how to organize everything I’ve done into blog-format so I’m gonna just list the most interesting things I’ve seen/done:)

Trip to Granada  - February 26, 2011 (Salida a Granada - el 26 de febrero 2011)

Granada is located about an hour southeast of Managua.  Founded in 1524 by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, Granada is one of the first European cities in the Central America and definitely a gem.  It definitely poses a lot of European influences in its arquitecture and for this reason is unique to Nicaragua.  It is a HUGE tourist hot spot so our little group of five exchange students hardly seemed foreign but rather fit right in to the mix of people present. 

While in Granada, I quickly learned about the way in which the people of Nicaragua, more specifically those who live in poverty, perceive foreigners.  I vividly recall eating dinner on the main “strip” in Granada (La Calle Calzada) where there are tons of open-air venues to eat and enjoy live entertainment.  The wait-staff at these restaurants are more than attentive, as they know how that the expectations of foreign customers are different from those of their fellow natives.

As we sat there, we realized how wrong it was to think we “fit right in” because for the two hours that we enjoyed eachothers’ company and the ambiance of this stunning city we were bombarded with solicitors.  Apparently, foreigners have invisible money signs stamped on their forehead, which is sad, but true.  They came with offers to sell everything from hammocks, to cigarrettes, mariacchhi bands wanting to serenade for us for a small fee, and there was even man who was selling personalized hand carved maracas (which we all bought at just $5 a pair - what a deal!)  There were even break dancing and fire juggling “acts” – everyone looking to make some quick cash to put food on the table.

 The worst of it all was the children who would come around that you could clearly tell had not bathed in quite some time and were undoubtedly living in extreme poverty.  These children were the ones you want to help the most; the ones you literally want to throw your money to.  As it turns out, many of those children have abusive parents who do not allow them to go to school but rather force them to walk the streets at night in search of whatever money they can gather up just to support their drug/alchol habbits.  Oddly enough, there was an article clearly displayed in the menu of the restaurant explaining how it is very common for the typical tourist to think they are helping these children by giving them money, when really they are supporting the bad habits of their parents.  The article suggested donating money to charitable organizations in order to be assured that the money would be helping the right people in the right way. 

Granada is a beautiful place and the people are great, but it is my hope that I can paint a more vivid picture of how harsh the reality of poverty really is here in Nicaragua.  I live in a different world than the one we all know, to say the least.

Maraca making

Break dancin' all over the world

Fuego fuego - ten cuidadooo con el fuego;)

CLASS STARTS! Or so I thought... (INICIO DE CLASES! O así que pensé…)

Let me just start by saying my first week of classes was completely miserable!  Although the study abroad program is now in its fifth semester of having study abroad students my university still has no system of integration, if you will, for exchange students.  I have realized that organization and timeliness have very little meaning here in Central America and have learned that it is something I must accept if I ever wish to fully adjust to the culture.

We were informed that we were to start classes February 28, but had not even been given an opportunity to look at any course catalogs, which, as it turns out only exist in the five-pound book form.  There is definitely no such thin as on-line registration here people!  Yes, that’s right. Every time we would ask when we would know our classes we were told “tranquila” which literally means, “tranquil” but is more loosely translated as “chill out”.  All I could think was, “how the HECK am I supposed to chill out when I’m living in a foreign country where they DON’T speak my native language, when I’m SUPPOSED to be enrolled, and WANT to meet more people, but still don’t have a schedule the day classes are supposed to actually start???”  If anyone knows how to stay calm in that situation let me know because I was feeling more than just a bit panicked and more than a little lost in many senses. 

At the start of our semester, literally the first day, were advised to pick of list of “ten-ish” classes that looked appealing and attend them all in the first week so that at the end of the week we could decide the exact ones we wanted and begin “for-real” the second week.  OH MY GOD, I thought. Haha.  I seriously thought the lack of organization would kill me.  On top of that, I had to deal with the immense change in size from a school with only a 2,000 some odd students to a school with 30,000 plus.  In addition, we did not have a list of times for classes nor room numbers; we only had course descriptions and had to hunt down the previous information in order to attend.  Everything is a challenge. 

A cunning as I am;), I eventually figured  it out and narrowed down my schedule to four classes, which include:

• La sociología del desrrallo (Sociology of Development)
• La revolución y reforma neoliberal en Nicaragua (The Revolution and Neoliberal Reform in Nicaragua)
• El seminario del mundo actual (Seminar of the Actual World) – a history class essentially
• Relacciones internacionales (International Relations)

So far, classes are going well, but they can be exhausting at times because I have to focus so hard since they are ALL in Spanish and we are not talking about conjugating verbs.  We are actually talking real-world issues.  I will have to keep you all updated on how they are going, although so far I have not had a ton of time for homework as we have many planned excursions as well the various locations we volunteer at.

My Boyfriend is 7 years old – (Mi novio tiene siete años)

A little less than two weeks ago, we were all assigned volunteer jobs throughout Managua.  Luckily, I got my first choice!  I have position working at a private catholic primary school on the other side of the city. There are about 400 students and the school is pre-k through sixth grade.  So far, I have only worked twice and have done more observing than anything, but eventually will be working individually with students who need extra help and be making my own lesson plansJ!  It is such an exciting opportunity and the best part about it is that the kids are SO welcoming.  They do not care if you do not know how to say something.  In fact, I feel it makes them feel fulfilled to be able to help someone older remember a word or two here and there.

It became apparent to me immediately that these students do not really have the same chance at a quality education as we do in the United States.  When I say private school you probably think of rich little girls running around in uniforms.  While these students do wear uniforms, they are by no means “rich.”  Rich is relative, and that is definitely something I have come to realize more in my time here in Nicaraga.  Anyway, the first classroom I worked in was first grade and had over 50 students.  As much as the teacher may want to teach, teaching fifty kids how to add and subtract it is nearly impossible, especially when they are all at different learning levels.  In the four hours I was with the class, they did not learn much and there was a lot of disorganization.  I suppose some of this “disorganization” in the classroom and nearly every other aspect of the culture here stems from differences pertaining to societal customs. 

These “flaws” that are so apparent to me are not at all apparent to the teachers or students because this is the only thing they have ever known; and here lies one of the greatest challenges of working, living, and even more so volunteering in a third-world country.  Sometimes all you want to do is find the “magic solution”to the terrible situations that confront us, as Americans we are taught that for every problem there is a solution and that our ideas are always best which I have come to realize is false.  In order to truly make an impact here or in any third-world country one must stop trying to “fix” everyone and everything, and stop assuming things need “fixing” just because they operate differently from things in our country.  One must really understand how to suffer with the citizens of that particular nation and fight at their side, it is easier said than done but in the end the lasting impressions you leave that are intangible aka “amistades” (or friendships) will be more permanent than the tangible things you leave behind; for instance, a new school, library etc.  To read more about volunteering abroad from a different perspective I suggest you all read the same article my program director shared with me - http://jhc-cdca.blogspot .com/2010/11/to-hell-with-good-intentions.html

The best story I have so far has to do with my new boyfriend, Luis.  He is a student who is in the second grade class that I helped assist and in a matter of hours I am certain he fell madly in love with me.  The teacher and I assigned the students to do “un dibujo libre” (a “free” drawing) in class.  The result, for Luis, was an interpretation of what he thought Africa looked like.  I complimented him on his creative idea and he later included the names of other countries; the United States, Germany, France etc.  He was so thrilled that I liked his drawing that he gave it to me as a gift and at the end of the day scribbled his address on a piece of paper for me.  Keep in mind his address was not really an “address” but rather the name of his country of residence, Nicaragua, spelled incorrectly with the name of his neighborhood.  SO cute!  He proceeded to give me “his” phone number with the title “Casa de Luis” (Luis’ house); even more precious.  After giving me a drawing, his address, and phone number, he was sure to ask for mine and even asked what service I had so he knew if we could talk free.  Luis is seven.  I think I am going to love this job.

Luis' map of the world. 

Please note the excess of, rainbows, wales, and misspelled countries...

priceless.

La Bastilla – Jinotega, Nicaragua

March 10-13 – el 10 al 13 de marzo

Two weeks ago we had a trip to Jinotega, which is a very mountainous/rural department of Nicaragua located about three hours north east of the city of Managua (refer to map if I have you confused, haha.)  It was during this “trip” that I really realized just how astounding the simplicity of this country really is.  Myself and the other girls in the program really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, all we knew was that we would have to wake up at 4 a.m. (that is not a joke) to work on a farm. Yeehawww! Haha funny I say that because farms here are nothing like those you find in Wisconsin or Illinois for that matter; the main difference being they do NOT mass-produce and operate from areas where planes do not exist - only mountains.

Jinotega is heavily forested; and these trees could easily compete with some buildings in Chicago

The trip started off with me feeling extremely ill as we boarded our "micro-bus."  We arrived and I still felt miserable, the bumpy ride we had to take for over 30 minutes up-hill to the eco-lodge from the main road did not help either.  We were informed upon our arrival that we would be dropping our backpacks off at our rooms and hiking around the "finca" (farm/property/estate) for a couple hours after going to the school to meet the directora (principal).  I vaguely remember passing a brand-new looking school on the way up to the hotel, but was so caught up in how ill I felt that I could not put two and two together.  I literally thought I could not move from the hotel once we arrived due to the immense stomach pains I was experiencing, but was eager to learn what we would be doing on the farm and what this school had to do with anything. I fought of my desire to curl up into a ball and pray that God would save me and hiked to the school with the rest of the group; at least it was not as hot in the mountains as it was in Managua, I thought.  Later that night I was violently ill and felt better the next day - in case any of you were worried I was still sick - we came to the conclusion that it was something that I must have eaten.


Anyway, we arrived at the school and were informed that it was a Agricultural technical school that offers students from farming families that live in extreme poverty the opportunity to learn critical technical skills.  The school runs eight "empresitas" (small businesses).  These small businesses sell eggs, milk, organic coffee, pigs, bread and the bread.  Of all the business the one that is the pride and joy of the school is the eco-lodge which is where we stayed and offers a variety of services, but most importantly offers solar energy in all the facilities.  Every other week the students have formal classes and the weeks in-between they do "practical" work on the farm, tending to the chickens, cows, pigs, crops, the "lodge" etc.  It is the goal of this technical school, which is one of only a few others in Latin America, that the students leave with more competitive edge due to their experience and education.


We got to work in almost all the areas, my favorite was with the pigs, seriously SO cute and truly gave a new definition to the term "you're a pig"...I am not sure I will ever be able to call someone a pig now that I know how truly dirty and obsessed by food they really are.  On a more serious note, it was such a good way to meet the people and truly understand one of the most significant aspects of Nicaraguan culture, agriculture.  It was clear to see that these students really knew the land and loved every aspect about the pride that comes from growing and cultivating your own crops.  They were shy and hesitant in the presence of foreign students who study in "la universidad" but I think they came to realize just how fascinated WE were by how much THEY knew.  By the end of the weekend, none of us wanted to leave.  I found myself feeling closer to these students who worked along side us for a mere three days than I had felt to my classmates in the city.  I suppose "country-folk" are friendlier no matter where you are in the world.  I will never forget that weekend, and will always aspire to live as simply as the people that I met in Jinotega.

Las gallinas

Los chanchitos:)

I strongly recommend reading more about the eco-lodge and technical school as they are doing great things for the future of Nicaragua!  Here are the links:)

http://www.bastillaecolodge.com/?lang=en

http://bastillacoffee.com/rse.php?topic=2&lang=en

Random:

WHY DIDN’T I BRING MORE CLOTHES?! – that is all I am going to say.

HOT, HOTT, HOTTT! – It is always 97 degrees and sunny and apparently will only get hotter.  GREAT - I actually might die. haha As much as I love the sunshine and excessive warmth,  I think I will die when I walk into an air-conditioned mall/movie-theater upon returning home.  Seriously.

Ando sueño – I find myself ALWAYS feeling tired, must be a combination of how taxing it is on my poor brain to be bilingual, the amount I travel via public transport in a day, and the heat all combined.  It’s exhausting. 

Weird foods – Iguana testicles.  Apparently it is a typical “comida del campo”, literally “farm-food”.  I could not muster up enough courage to try it.

Armed guards – They are EVERYWHERE.  I do not really pay much attention to it, but it is still odd at times to see guards walking around the mall with what look like assault rifles.  I mean, think about our “mall-cops”, I am pretty sure they are not even authorized to carry handcuffs on them.

200/20 – Money is confusing.  The 200 Córdoba note and 20 Córdoba note are almost identical and I have made the error of giving a 20 (which is like 75 cents) instead of a 200, I got over the embarassment quickly.

Chelita/Chuleta – Did not know that Chelita is a term of endearment that essentially means "white girl".  When I would walk down the street and hear men call out to me, I thought they were calling me Chuleta which is a "chop" or a "cutlet" of meat hahaha.  Gotta love learning another language.

Soy Nica – On Friday, March 25, 2011, an older man whom I met along my travels told me that I am Nicaraguan more than American, in regards to my accent, sense of humor and personality.  This made my entire day.  I can now say my trip has officially begun.

Planes Para Mañana – We are going to the beach, for the first time!  Finally! Haha It is called playa hermosa, literally, beautiful beach.  A friend of mine has friends who own a house on the beach so it should be a fun day :) hopefully I do not burn ridiculously.  Wish me luck.

{{Playa Hermosa}}

Hasta pronto mis amores! 

Besos desde Nica 

xx

2 cuadras arriba - 2 cuadras al sur

Managua, Managua, Managua!  I have been here for almost two weeks now and I can hardly believe it!  Although time seems to pass extremely slow at times, I honestly cannot believe all the things that I have already experienced in the short period that I’ve been here.  There aren’t enough words to even begin to describe a study abroad experience such as this one; but just for you guys I am going to try:)  I honestly sat around thinking of how I should write this blog for the longest time, when I finally realized it would never get written if I didn’t just sit down and write it, so here goes.  Whilst contemplating the best way to write a blog I determined I would just break things down into general cateogires to begin with! Haha hope you all enjoy!

I know it's hard not to be jealous.  But try not to be - it's a sin;)

Family (La familia) -

My familia Nicaragüense consists of five people excluding myself.  Mimi (Doña Iclea) is the "mom figure" of the house and even though she is upwards of 70 years old she’s definitely no grandma.  Her three grandaughters also live with her: Angela -29, Tania - 21, and Evelin - 17.  Angela has a son, Ricardo – 2, who is the man of the house.  He is honestly one of the cutest two-year-old boys I have ever seen in my life but is incessantly crying and actually kind of a brat.  Pretty sure he hates me because whenever I speak to him he says one of two things that are actually audible, “no” and “alto” (which means stop).  We live in a really nice neighborhood called, “Los Robles” and my house is pretty huge.  In case you all were wondering I have my own room and (thank God) don’t have to wash my clothes by hand…there is a brand new washing machine in the house.  P.S. We have a maid…definitely interesting to say the least.  She lives with us and I’m pretty sure she’s more like an indentured slave.  Kinda sad.

L-R: Me, Tania, Evelin, Angela, (family friend in yellow), Mimi (in blue) - just missing Ricardo!

Universities/Classrooms (Universidades y Aulas):

There are two major universities in Managua, UCA and UNAN.  I am currently attending a two-week Spanish intensive course at the UCA, which is fairly close to my house and will be starting my “real” classes at the UNAN, which is about fifteen minutes, and two bus rides away.  Generally speaking class rooms/buildings  are not airconditioned, which is a bit difficult to endure when it’s february and it’s 93 degrees out and you’re trying to learn.  As far as I have been informed the weather right now is “fresco” aka cool and will only be much hotter by the time La Semana Santa (Holy week) rolls around in April.  WOO! Something to look forward to!

Bathrooms are interesting at the university.  First of, there is no such thing as a constant supply of toilet paper.  Secondly, there is a giant plastic garbage bin in each bathroom full of water.  These bins are usually centrally located and contain a smaller bucket in side.  When you’re done “doing your business” you have to exit the stall and fill up the bucket to dump it in the toilet, instead of flushing.  The rush of water causes the toilet to flush, pretty genious if you ask me.  I was also surprised to hear the chirping of birds in the classroom, turns out it was just a little gecko, which later presented itself to us as it scurried across the board.  Now I don’t want you to get the wrong picture of my new University, because they are definitely pretty modern and superrr pretty..all out-door hall-ways if you can imagine!

Food/Restaurants (Comida y Restaurantes):

I know what you’re thinking!  Eggs, beans, rice, and plenty of tortillas!  Haha sort of the case, but not really.  There are definitely a lot of staples, for instance, Gallo Pinto, which can only be described as a mix of rice and beans.  CHEESE (shout out to all you cheese heads) is HUGE here..but there is definitely a variety of other foods as well.  For those of you who think you have ever eaten fruit.  You are so wrong.  I have discovered that the only place food exists is in tropical zones such as Nicaragua.  I kid you not, there are literally hundreds of different fruits here that I have never even seen/heard of in my life.  The fruit alone is an adventure in itself.  Every day is a different fresco (juice): Jamaica, Chia, Guava, you name it they’ve got it!  Something I found funny are the available fast food options.  Here are a list of some of the American chains I’ve seen (so far): TGIF’s, BW’s, Pizza-Hut, etc.  Kinda funny actually.  My first night with my familia anfitriona (host family) we celebrated by going out to Pizza Hut, which here, is really expensive and pretty up-scale.

Gallo Pinto

Public Transportation (Transporte Público):

It costs approximately twelve cents to ride the bus.  For that very reason you will rarely find a single bus that is not jam packed like a can of sardines.  There is no real obvious bus system.  They come when they come and you basically just need to ask around and figure it out.  No one bus looks like the another.  Most are brightly colored and almost always have some sort of cheesy jesus decal on the front (no offense to Jesus).  Definitely no separation of church and anything here – an interesting sight to see.  

Also, there is no such thing as, what we call, "rules of the road" here.  If you DO use your turn signal and you DON’T honk enough there is something wrong with you.  I’m pretty sure automatic cars don’t exist here and it is not uncommon to own a moto (motorcycle) instead of a car.  Most people do not have their own means of transportation though – too expensive.  Gas is sold by the liter but converts to about $4-ish a gallon.  I also learned that taxis cannot be trusted.  Have only taken one so far though so we’ll see how that goes.

Street Food/Vendors (Comida Rápida/Vendedores):

Food is sold everywhere and anywhere.  I would advise most not to eat from street carts no matter how hungry you are.  Might look tempting but the meat probably came from the market down the street where slabs of cows have been hanging unrefrigerated for God knows how long.  FDA, who?  Exactly.  I’m definitely not looking to take part in Moctezuma’s revenge during my stay here.  Also, please note that every opportunity to make money here is fully observed aka every red-light means someone is trying to sell you something or offer a service to you.  From “fresh” fruit and water to a windsheild cleaning or juggling act.  There is no city that compares to how impoverished Managua is.  Second poorest in the hemisphere only after Haiti.  You are either SUPER rich or SUPER poor.  Lucky for me I am living the first lifestyle.  Keep in mind Super rich here, for the most part, can be classified as middle-class-ish in the U.S.  I also found it odd that there is a truck that comes around daily selling fresh bread in the back of the truck-bed.  Haven’t been brave enough to try it yet.  Other things that get sold at EXTREMELY low prices door-to-door include: clothing and pirated movies...haha.

Random:

Radio stations/spanglish:

Note that there are some radio stations that play random 80’s music and popular hits such as “Dreamweaver” – really, really weird.  Also, words such as: closet, shorts, and ride and not translated here and remain the same as they are in English, God knows why.  Although, when spoken by someone with a Spanish accent they still sound Spanish. Ahah

Electricity/water:

6 = number of times I have shocked myself without even doing anything improperly.

Hot water = does not exist; not that you would need it or anything.

Sleeping:

Hot weather = no sleep, also doesn’t help that I frequently find ants in my bed at night?  Somebody please give me a solution for this, and please don't say “try not to eat in bed” - because I don’t haha.

Cat calls:

In regards to trying to go anywhere in public (for females) hopefully you do not mind being made a complete spectacle..whistling, cat-calling, etc. etc. etc. are the norm. BLAH.

Things I should’ve brought: q-tips/nailclippers/high-heels

Things I miss: my friends/the bf, pb&j, not sweating

Things I’ve seen: Vulcan Masaya, Caves, Granada Poetry Festival

p.s. I am SO open to suggestions for this blog since it's pretty random at the moment!  Feel free to ask any questions you want answered! Questions such as: "are you having fun?" or "how is it?" will be disqualified! 

From Blizzard to Tropical Oasis - & We're not talking about Blizzards found at DQ

As I sit here in beautiful Chicago, IL I close my eyes and wish it was possible for the two feet of snow that has fallen here in the past two days to completely disappear.  After a few moments of daydreaming, I stop wishing and realize that in less than a week this wish will come true.  How is this possible, you ask?!  What a silly, silly question!  You should know (if you are reading this) that I will be in Managua, Nicaragua beginning a five month long adventure!  Not only is it sunny in Nicaragua but it is also around 90 degrees everyday with an average low of 70 degrees.  Now I know you are all feeling a little resentment towards me at the thought of me sitting on a white sandy beach with a cold drink in hand, but try not to hate me too much as I'm sure I'll be faced with other obstacles.  For instance, language barriers!  Although I am fluent in Spanish, it can be assumed that I do not know everything about the Spanish language, hard to believe, I know;)  So I'll be challenged in that aspect - as well as a million others - but I think we all know that I'm always up for a little challenge haha

Anyway this blog probably seems really bland as of right now, since I am writing it from the U.S. and nothing cool has happened to me yet (i.e. cliff diving, zip-lining, volcano climbing, attending a new university in another country with 25,000 more students than the one I currently attend etc.) but I promise it'll get better.  This blog is definitely aiming for 100% satisfaction guaranteed; gotta please the fans, after all.

As you can all probably imagine it will be nearly impossible to keep in touch with each individual person at home, so it is my intention to keep this wonderful blog updated as frequently as possible while I am gone.  I do this in hopes of reassuring all of you worry-warts that I have not been taken hostage by some random drug-lords as I am sure you are all worried about (stop that!) haha God I'm funny.  Okay but on a serious note, please keep track of my whereabouts from here on out and leave me comments as I'm sure I will be missing you all dearlyyyy!

From Blizzards
(Carthage College)

To Tropical Oasis

(Nicaragua)

Wish me luck!
Hasta muyyy pronto
(See you soon!)