Beware the Ides of March

We cannot believe March is almost over. This has been a full month with many ups and downs. Our team will fill you in...

Jeff
Well, the downs have been mine actually so I am pretty glad April is just two days away. I think the super moon had something to do with all of my misery.  I will just get the complaining/sympathy-mongering out of the way now so feel free to skip this paragraph. It all started with a flea infestation which only seemed to impact me and the dog. I got 41 flea bites in one night and although I initiated a very successful chemical warfare effort the damage was done. I was going to post pictures but Aileen told me nobody wants to see that so you can use your imagination. Besides, I cannot really post those photos because a few days later, in the midst of itching psychosis, I somehow killed my laptop. Fortunately Aileen has a work computer and all of my files were backed-up on the inter-cloud -- still, it has been a frustrating pain in the tush. To add insult to injury, just when the two weeks of non-stop itching started to subside one of the flea bites on my elbow got infected and turned into cellulitis - a serious staph infection which made me very sick and not to be confused with cellulite. Luckily I am finally starting to feel better which is a good thing since my folks are coming tomorrow. Well, can you see why I am glad that March is coming to an end?

The truth is life has been extraordinarily smooth during our 9 months in Nicaragua so we do not have much to complain about (but that never stopped me). Despite all of my trials and tribulations March has been pretty fun. The new, more serious approach at the school we blogged about has fallen by the way side so the girls only end up having class 3-4 days a week. This allows lots of time for fun and games. Emma and Hannah have been playing with the many new friends they have made. Sometimes Dad wants to play too and we go to Matagalpa to shop, eat and goof around. The last time we were there a photographer asked Emma, Hannah and I to be in a promotional flyer for Don Chaco's, a local eatery that specializes in fruit and vegetable drinks. We received no payment other than the glory of becoming local celebrities. When not hamming it up for the cameras we have been going horseback riding at a nearby coffee farm. Fortunately the girls have stopped asking me to buy a horse as long as they get to go riding every so often.

Hannah's class with a fresh coat of paint

Emma and I have also been busy with our presidential duties at school. I organized a daddy brigade to paint Hannah's classroom. It was a ton of hard work that took about three days to finish. The lady who forced me to be class president just smiled knowingly when I showed up to school Monday morning still covered in paint. "I knew you should be president," she laughed at me and then proceeded to take credit for getting the room painted; the funny thing is that there is much truth in her claim. Emma was not about to be shown up by her old man so she organized her own project. Frustrated with all of the garbage on our streets, Emma organized a cleanup day that she describes below. All in all, both of these efforts were a huge success and much appreciated.

The best thing about March was the many trips to the great outdoors. The rains have stopped and the temperature is relatively cool. Our puppy Cuate, my friend Evaristo and I have been taking 2-3 hour walks down various trails near town. We have visited some beautiful villages, a waterfall and other wonderful sites. Each trip seems to offer a special prize. Once we saw a sloth taking a bath and then slowly climbing up a tree after seeing us - it was the first time I ever saw a sloth so close. I discovered a beautiful swimming hole in a lush forest that was full of hundreds (maybe thousands) of butterflies. Just the other day we found a huge troop of howler monkeys. All of this is just outside of town and there are still many areas I have not yet visited.

San Ramon from a nearby hill - we conned the security guard into letting us walk though this quasi-public park

Our big trip this month was an exploration of Somoto Canyon. Somoto is a small town near the Honduran border and not much of a tourist destination until recently. In 2003 some Czech scientists "discovered" the canyon which is where the Rio Coco is born. We hiked about an hour to the floor of the canyon and had to hike over rocks to get to where the river was deep enough to swim in. Emma and Hannah had tubes to float in while the guide and I swam through the canyon. It was a stunningly beautiful trip and about half way through I saw some folks rock climbing! This is the first time I have seen anyone climbing in Nicaragua and we talked for some time about the potential for this area. I estimate there are 100 climbing routes in the canyon and we are planning a meeting to talk about developing the area. Anyhow, once we left the deepest part of the canyon a boat met us and we rowed back where our truck was parked. After dropping off our guide we drove back to town and enjoyed the charms of Somoto of which there are many. Folks were very friendly and were really interested in chatting with us. We stayed in the very cute Hotel Panorama which is lovingly cared for by its Nicaraguan owners. They let the kids visit with their pet monkeys which was of course a huge hit. I definitely would put this on a list of must visit places in Nicaragua.

We always meet interesting locals and tourists on our sojourns and the trip to Somoto was no exception. The climbers we met are North Americans and live part-time in Matagalpa. One opened a youth hostel and the other started an organization called Peaks Over Poverty which leverages her interest in climbing to fund sustainable agriculture projects. I keep meeting young folks who are doing good in the world by creatively leveraging their interests rather than following the same old nonprofit path that I have been walking on for so many years. I hope to work with Peaks Over Poverty to help develop a climbing area in Somoto Canyon that will benefit the local community. Very exciting stuff but I am still happy March is coming to a close. 

Aileen
"I wrote the last post, leave me alone."

Emma

Recently I had a VERY exiting last 2 weeks. I am the Class President, and I organized a group of kids to help me "clean up the town." I gave everybody a bag and told them to go collect as much garbage as they could and put it in the bag and bring it back for prizes. We gave out pencils and erasers. I have a new friend named Cindy. Together we made a bunch of posters about not throwing garbage in the street. Everybody does that here. We also had a woman's job day and I dressed up like an explorer.  Last weekend me, Hannah and Daddy went to Somoto canyon, it is called Somoto canyon because it is close to Somoto City. Somoto Canyon was formed by Rio Coco and the water is very cold. I am still studying guitar and I am getting into the harder stages. Even though it is hard it is still fun. I also am learning to make tortillas and do other things around the house with our helper Flaca.

Emma the explorer

Making tortillas

Hannah
I wish you all are doing well. School is super fun. I did not play with my friends today because I was sitting alone today and my head hurt. My school is named Frey Bartolome de las Casas. When we first go to school we have to do formacion before we can go to our class. I was a little bored at recess but I still played in my classroom. My friend Montse is sick and I wish she was not. I am super excited because tomorrow is school and then my grandparents are coming. I wish you could come too. I like the United States more than Nicaragua but I like Nicaragua too. My Spanish is getting better and better but it is still hard.  I build forts and also help my Dad cook dinner when I cut onions, I have to wear sunglasses.

Cutting onions Hannah-style

One of Hannah's forts being constructed

We will be back next week with a report on Grammy and Pop Pop’s big adventure in Nicaragua.

Seeds of Learning

After many requests, we finally got Aileen to take a few minutes away from work and blog about her experience building schools in rural Nicaragua.

I can’t believe that I only have a few more months of work at Seeds of Learning here in Nicaragua. The time has really flown by for me. I still remember so vividly the group of volunteers that arrived a week after I got here (in mid-June!). The group of 18 was sponsored by Project Grace, a program based in Mill Valley that supports people who have lost loved ones. In this case, all the program participants came to Nicaragua to contribute to a community of need in honor of their loved one who had died. Most of the people in the group had lost children, and each day of the trip was dedicated to one of these people. Every day, the group worked (hard!) on the construction of a new school in the community of Santa Isabel, learned about life in rural Nicaragua, and did some sightseeing, and each evening, the person, or persons, who had lost that day’s honoree told their story- what they were like, their likes and dislikes, anecdotes about them, and finally, the disease, accident, or tragedy that had befallen them. It was such an honor for me to care for this brave group of people. I will never forget their stories. One of the many wonderful things about working with this group was explaining the group to the people of Santa Isabel, and to see how honored the Nicaraguans were to receive this very special group of volunteers. For campesinos in rural Nicaragua, the very idea that people in the United States, who had experienced a terrible tragedy would pay (!) to come to Nicaragua to help them build a school for their children was pretty mind blowing, to say the least.

Well, it’s hard to believe, but that was almost nine months ago (!). Since then, I’ve:

• Finished and inaugurated the school in Santa Isabel,

• Worked with the Ministry of Education and other organizations to identify other rural communities in the municipality of San Ramon with school construction needs,

• Worked with the people of Tapasle to build a new preschool and school kitchen,

• Started a two-room school project in Verapaz, which should be completed by late April,

• Identified, started community organizing work, and written proposals for two other communities which will be starting their school building projects this summer,

• Done research on alternative, firewood-saving stove designs for our school kitchens,

• Prepared itineraries and logistics for four groups of volunteers who will be coming to the San Ramon area this summer,

• Written proposals for two potential projects for the beginning of 2012.

Although a lot of the work involved in making these things happen can be somewhat tedious, like driving long distances on really bumpy dirt roads, or even doing the project bookkeeping, the people I get to interact with on a daily basis make it all worthwhile. Nicaraguans in general tend to be pretty outgoing and friendly, with a really great sense of humor, which makes working here fun. The community leaders in the rural areas are especially inspiring to me. Every community has its leaders, who give of their own time, energy, and resources, waiting SO patiently for government bureaucrats, sitting through looooong meetings, and dealing with INSANE bureaucracy for the good of their communities. This part of their “work” may start at 8 a.m., although often they’ve been up since 4, working in their own fields, or milking their own cows. If they’re women, sometimes they’ve been up since 3, getting the fire going, heating up the coffee, and grinding the corn to make the tortillas. Somehow, they all manage to maintain their optimism and that Nicaraguan sense of humor. And of course, the kids here are so optimistic and happy that you can’t help but smile.

To find out more about Seeds of Learninng and how you can support their work, visit http://www.seedsoflearning.org/

Classroom Antics, Close Elections, Cracked Ribs and Castration Clinics

We are back into the school routine and things are going well. School seems a bit more serious and organized than last year. At first we thought this was because it was the beginning of the school year but later found out that it was actually part of an effort to improve the education system nationwide. We are happy that the ministry of education is being more proactive; as Aileen stated in our last post, many schools need to improve the quality of their curriculum. I also hope they will put some effort into changing certain practices. Teachers expect the students to be on-time and prepared but it is hard to motivate the children when the adults often fail to model timeliness or preparation. Some of my more cynical Nicaraguan acquaintances believe that this is by design. They claim children are being taught to be humble toward authority by being forced to wait until the adults decide they are ready. I am sure that American students are also being acculturated in a similar manner but it is perhaps more difficult for us to see from the inside.

In any event, school is now in full swing as are all of the after school activities. Hannah goes to an afterschool program run by a Spanish nonprofit organization. Emma has drawing classes and guitar lessons that keep her very busy. The girls also have a much more homework this year and spend about an hour a day working on that.. All of this activity keeps everyone pretty busy but there is still plenty of time to play and just hang out. The girls have some new friends this year and are able to build deeper connections due to their much improved Spanish. Emma’s new friend Alejandra has become our third child and I end up feeding her lunch almost every day. Hannah’s closest friends from preschool went to a different first grade class.  She still hangs out with her old posse during recess and is gradually making new friends. In addition, two girls who are about Emma and Hannah’s age moved nearby. Montse (6) and Fatima (10) live with their grandmother as their Mom works in another city. Their backyard is one over from ours and the girls are constantly talking through our fence and planning their next playdate.

As the girls become more comfortable socially they become more integrated into the community. Emma is now President of her class after a hotly contested election.  We are really proud of her ability and willingness to participate in the civic life of her school. She is now busy planning a town clean-up day during the first day of spring.  Hannah has become something of a local celebrity. Everywhere we go people are calling to her and waving. She often responds by doing cartwheel or splits for her admirers. I sometimes spy on them at school and it just warms my heart to watch them doing so wonderfully.

In other news, we took a trip to a beach/fishing village called Jiquillio in the far northwest part of Nicaragua. It was a beautiful part of the country and we stayed in a hostel called Rancho Esperanza that is a model for responsible tourism. Unfortunately, I could not focus on my obsession with surfing because a few weeks back I cracked a rib while playing with our 65lb "puppy".   However, I had to get on a surfboard once during the trip and by doing so I set my recovery back a few weeks; I did get a few good rides so it was worth it! 

We found lots to do in Jiquililo and went horseback riding, swimming, hiking and hammock testing. The girls also ook up boogie boarding and seem to have overcome their fear of big waves. One day we drove to a beautiful estuary where a river emptied into the ocean. It was an amazing spot where the contest between the river and ocean played itself out in front of a deserted beach with a towering volcano in the background. The two bodies of water created some amazing currents and sand bars that kept us occupies all day.  In addition to the natural beauty, Jiquillio is a nice little town that has not (yet) been overrun by tourists. The people we met (travelers and locals) were all really wonderful. We gave an Australian couple a ride all the way back to Matagalpa where they planned to study Spanish.  Aileen and I had a very peaceful drive as Emma and Hannah “entertained” our new friends in the back seat of the truck with a four hour marathon of songs, jokes, stories and games.

It is time for the castration part of the post. No, Aileen has not finally come to her senses – we decided to be responsible pet owners and get our puppy Cuate “fixed.” Most Nicaraguans we told were appalled at our cruelty. They had no problems having female dogs neutered but felt it was not fair to do this to a male dog, especially since he has yet to have puppies. I will just let that speak for itself. Anyhow, our vet (who is not licensed to perform surgery) recommended that we go to a free clinic in Matagalpa being organized by a Nicaraguan nonprofit organization called Fundacion Amarte We are really appreciative of their efforts to improve the lives of animals in Nicaragua. However, we probably should have gone to the local pet hospital to have this done. We thought we had an appointment at 9am and found out that this was not the case. We ended up waiting until 2pm before they got to poor Cuate, who had not eaten or drank anything since the night before. However, everything went really well and Cuate is already his old self (minus some body part). The staff, volunteers and the vets from Fundacion Amarte should be commended for their efforts and the incredible kindness they showed the animals. 


Operating/Lunch Room Under the Bleachers

Recovery Room