Dos Cosas

The Bad and the Good - by Aileen

The Bad: INSANE Bureaucracy. After hundreds of dollars and hours (literally) of waiting in lines, going from the Nicaraguan consulate in downtown San Francisco to City Hall and back again three times, doctors’ appointments for medical clearances, going to the SFPD for police clearances, getting school records, getting documents notarized, verified, authenticated, translated, and notarized again, going from San Ramon to Managua (about 3 hours) and back again, twice, all in order to stay in Nicaragua for one year legally, I have officially given up. On Tuesday morning at the Immigration office (“Office” being a VERY generous description) in Managua I found out that the penalty for overstaying our visa doesn’t even come close to the cost (never mind the hassle) of getting the rest of the documents we need to get residency for one year. Erghhh.

The Good: Today I went up to Santa Isabel, the community where SOL, the organization I work for, is financing the construction of the school. SOL provides the tools, materials and a construction supervisor, and the community provides the labor. One cool thing about this project was that all the men in the community work on a nearby coffee plantation, so most of the work (digging the foundation, mixing mortar, laying bricks, applying stucco) was done by the women and the older kids in the community. Anyway, I was just there last week to deliver the paint. I can’t believe what a difference a fresh coat of paint can make. Here’s a picture of the old school (on a rainy day), and a picture of the new school. All we have left now is the doors and windows, the floors, and the latrines. Pretty exciting stuff.

Old School

New School

Baton and Guitar - by Emma
I am going to be in the Nicaraguan independence parade in September. I will be using batons. I am really excited to do this with all my friends from school. We practice at 11am almost every day. I get to leave school one hour early. Today was our first big practice and we actually marched one block around town. We marched right past our house. Hannah and Daddy and Flaca (our helper) all watched me and so did our neighbors across the street. I have lots to learn because this is new to me but it is really fun learning.

Guitar lessons have been very good. I have learned so much. I have learned do rae mi fa sol la and si. I am trying to learn notas agudas which are higher than the ones I just said. At the end of the agudas there is do sobre agudo. I am also learning how to play the flute. It is not just so I can get good at it; it helps me hear the notes better. My teacher Melvin is really, really good and my playing is getting better. I am learning to read music and do my chords perfect. Es muy twany para aprender guitara en espanol (it is really cool guitar learning guitar in Spanish).

Chickens and Cows - by Hannah
There are lots of chickens in Nicaragua.  I really want pets and my Daddy and Mommy said we can get chickens.  My Daddy and his friend built a chicken coop.  It is really nice and all the chickens in our neighborhood want to go in.  The problem is we have no chickens yet.  We are still trying to buy chickens.  It is hard.  One person tried to sell us a chicken for like two hundred bucks and it was almost dying; no, we did not buy that because daddy knew it was about to die.  I am very excited to get chickens.

There are also a ton of cows in Nicaragua.  Our friend Rene has like thirty-one cows.  I got to nurse one, I mean milk it.  The lady Maria was really good at milking cows.  She showed me how to do it and I could.  I also want to say to my friends and teachers that I miss you a LOT.  That's it!

Aylin y Jefri - by Jeff

Last Friday we went to the city of Esteli where Aileen and I lived right after we got married. The main purpose of this trip was to visit our namesakes, Aylin and Jefri who live in a rural community we worked at ten years ago. We got up very early Saturday morning and made the long bumpy drive to Salale Montanita, the home of our good friend Rene Valle. Though Rene is a poor farmer and evangelical Christian and I am a Jew from Philadelphia, we have very deep connection that defies explanation. I was honored to learn that Rene and his wife named their children Aylin and Jefri. I had never seen our namesakes and was buzzing with excitement and emotion. However, as we approached the last leg of our journey, we were shocked to see a raging river where a creek used to be and it was clear we could not cross the river in our truck. After standing around for thirty minutes deciding whether or not to try and cross the river on foot, someone came by on a horse and told us he would let Rene know we were here. After another hour or so, I turned around and saw Rene walking toward us with a horse. After tearful embraces it was like we just saw one another a few days ago. Rene led us across the river on his horse and we then made the long walk to his community.

Aylin, Emma, Hannah and Rene after crossing the river

We spent the afternoon with Rene, his wife Maria and their children Jerry, Aylin and Jefri. The adults told tales of the last ten years and the children played with the cows and chickens. The ease at which our families related was almost surreal. At some point, the kids walked out with a photo that Rene had photo-shopped and hung in his home; the sentiment behind the photo blew us away (not to mention meeting our namesakes).  I am really looking forward to visiting Rene and his family again soon.

Jeri, Jeff, Emma, Aileen, Hannah, Aylin, and Jefri in front of our mansion