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

School's Back

School started again on February 15, 2011. This is the beginning of the school year in Nicaragua so the girls are both in a new class. Here is everyone’s take on the start of school.

Freddy and Yolanda ready for the first day

Aileen
Like everything else, school here has its pros and cons. It has been really wonderful to see how easily Emma and Hannah eased back into the routine of school and to see them having fun with their friends. A lot of their friends left town for the 2 ½ month vacation, spending time in the countryside with relatives, and we did quite a bit of travelling ourselves, so it’s been kind of a happy reunion for all the children. Both Emma and Hannah have really good teachers this year, also. Just from attending the activities on the first day of school, it was obvious that they are both veteran teachers who take their job as educators seriously. They seem to have excellent classroom management skills, which is essential with over 40 children in one classroom.

On the other hand, the national curriculum that the teachers are forced to use is quite disappointing. It’s really focused on repetition and rote memorization; they don’t really seem to encourage critical thinking, creativity, or analytical thinking at all. Being a parent of school age children reinforces for me that perhaps more important than access to education is the quality of the education. That’s why it’s really important to me that the organization I work for, Seeds of Learning, not only finances school construction, but also works to improve the quality of the education being offered, once the school is constructed.

Another challenge for us, now that school is back in session, is trying to get used to the somewhat informal way school is organized. There isn’t sufficient funding for such luxuries as substitute teachers, so whenever a teacher is sick, or has a meeting or a doctor’s appointment, school is cancelled. That’s one thing about a country with 50% unemployment- there’s always someone at home to watch the kids, so schools can just send them home at the drop of a hat. Also, we’ve really been enjoying the beaches here in Nicaragua, and wanted to plan some beach trips in the upcoming months. Therefore, we were happily surprised to actually see the school calendar on the Ministry of Education’s website, and started planning and making reservations (a decidedly non-Nicaraguan way of doing things). Of course, we soon found out that the calendar wasn’t accurate at all. Anyway, the kids are having a great time with their friends, and school is just one part of the adventure this year.

Opening day assembly

Emma
My first week of school was really fun. I love school but I do not like waking up early. Our school starts at 7:30. I am in third grade. My teacher is really nice and her name is Yadira. My teacher also has better control of my class than my last teacher. I think that I am going to learn lots of stuff in these six months. My subjects are social studies, natural science, language and literature, civics, mathematics and culture (art, dance and music). We already had a test in social studies and we are going to have one in natural science. Today was really short because there was a meeting and Daddy had to go. The kids in my class this year are different than the kids last year because there are two or more classes in each grade. On the first day I made a new friend named Cindy and I met her standing in line waiting to get into my classroom. Most of my friends from last year are in my class. My friends from last year that are not in my class are a boy named Carlos, a girl named Francis and a girl named Mariel. There is one girl in my class who is named Alejandra and she comes to my house after school every day. We play and eat lunch together. I am going to going to start an art class after school and I will also go to the centro cultural (after school program) twice a week. I am going to have guitar and Spanish lessons on Saturday. Sometimes I also have “daddy school.”

Emma waiting for the classroom to open

Hannah
My first week of school is really good. I like it a lot. My teacher is Profe Edys. We call her Profe because it is the short name for Profesora. My teacher is nice. She is the wife of Emma’s guitar teacher. I am in first grade. I study vocales (vowels). I study numeros (numbers). I sit next to Noemi and Estephani who always hits me. My best friend is Noemi, Monse, Eduard and that is it. My school is great. The name of school is Fray Bartoleme de las Casas. The flowers at the school are pretty. The ferns here go to sleep when you touch them. At recess we play around for about ten minutes. Sometimes we play crazy and sometimes we play calm. The water at school is unpurified and I cannot drink it. I cannot eat the food the parents bring for our class every day because it is unpurified. My Daddy buys me popcorn instead. My Spanish is doing great. My Daddy and Mommy and Sister say it is great. School is really fun but you have lots of homework in first grade. I do my homework at the centro cultural and sometimes I do it at home.

Hannah's class

Jeff
Like most parents, we were relieved when school started after nearly three months of vacation. We had many adventures during our break but since there are no summer camps in San Ramon we were together 24-7. Emma and Hannah are both thriving at school and participate more than ever. Their Spanish has improved dramatically during the past two months. Much of their language development is probably part of a natural progression. However they had a week of Spanish school in early January and again in early February which was certainly helpful. It also seems that taking a break from Spanish for a few weeks while we were in the USA actually improved their language skills.

The beginning of the school year sets off a flurry of activity for staff and parents as we all work together to get the school and educational programs up and running. We have been very happy to help where we can. Emma’s class in San Francisco held a school supplies drive and donated over 100lbs of materials. When we left Nicaragua for the USA we had two small duffle bags and when we returned we had four giant suitcases each weighing exactly 50lbs! We divided the supplies between the administration, Emma’s class and Hannah’s class. Like the USA, schools here are underfunded and teachers end up scrambling for the materials the need. Thanks to the generosity and hard work of Emma’s classmates in the USA they do not have to worry as much this year.

People must have heard about our donation as I was subsequently elected President of Hannah’s class. Actually, I was forced into it by a very vocal grandmother who started pointing at me during a parent meeting and shouting that I should be President. I was the only man in the meeting and she claimed that as such it was my responsibility to be President. I tried to deflect her with feminist and then nationalist arguments but she just ignored me. I then offered to be Treasurer and said I would take good care of their money. My nemesis said something to the effect that she would rather I take care of their bodies than their money. I turned bright red as the 30 Mom’s giggled at her joke. She then shouted, “all in favor of the gringo raise your hand” and the deed was done. Grandma had totally punked me. I am not sure how this will work as I can only understand half of what is said in these meetings. Fortunately the teacher is a friend of ours and promised to help me out.

Speaking of meetings, this is the time of year for many parent meetings and they are indeed challenging for me. First of all, I am still not good at figuring out Nicaraguan time. If I show up on-time the meeting starts one hour late. If I show up an hour late the meeting is delayed by two hours. However there are times when everyone seems to show up on time and I end up walking in conspicuously late. When the meetings do start they tend to be pretty tedious. For example, the school provides food for lunch but parents need to prepare it. Each child’s parents must prepare a meal for the entire class every 40 days or so. Rather than sending around a calendar there is usually a 1 hour discussion on who will prepare the food on what day. Parents are also supposed to help clean the classroom and donate toilet paper and a few other items the children need. At every meeting there is another one hour discussion about who will do or donate what and how it is not fair we should have to work for free. I guess meetings in the USA are not much different but I tend to pick things apart since I am observing everything through my own cultural bias. On the upside, the meetings are usually pretty funny. Nicaraguans are very good humored and are clearly not hampered by the political correctness of schools in San Francisco. I cannot understand many of the jokes but people are always laughing.

I am probably whining about the meetings because I now have 3 classes to deal with. Hannah is in class 1A (first grade, section A) and Emma is in 3B. Apparently I am also responsible for attending meetings for class 1C. We are helping two of the children who live across the street with school. Osnan (8) and Cindy (6) are both attending first grade in the afternoon (Emma and Hannah are in the morning session). Their Mom is working in another part of the country and their Grandmother is caring for them and could not be bothered with worrying about school as they barely get by as it is. We made sure the kids have all the school supplies they need and I registered them for class. According to their teacher since I registered them I am responsible for them. This means attending meetings and preparing the class meal. I now have to attend 3 class meetings a month, the semi-monthly class presidents’ meeting and must prepare 4 class meals every 40 days or so. Despite all the meetings I am very happy to have the time to help out at the school and participate in the girls’ education. I never had the time in the USA and this has been a real blessing.

Hannah, Osnan and Emma

Well, that is all for this post. We are heading off to some beaches up north we have never visited so Jeff can try and convince everyone to try surfing. We will continue our discussion of the Nicaraguan education system when we return.

Surf's up dude

Surf's Up?

Back in my punk rocker wannabe days there were many non-punk things I swore I would never do such as having a pony tail, listening to the Dead and surfing. Despite the whole surf punk thing, the sport seemed like a hippy activity to a boy from Philadelphia and thus I rejected it out of hand. Well, thirty years later I managed to relax my punk rock dogma and get onto a surf board. Much to my surprise I am now addicted to surfing -- the most difficult, graceful sport I have ever tried. 

It all started when an old friend came to Nicaragua with the expressed goal of becoming a proficient surfer. I was happy to spend some time with him and figured I would just hang out on the beach while he surfed. We had planned this trip months ago around the girls' school calendar and were planning to leave after their school started. However, the Nicaraguan government suddenly delayed the first day of school by two weeks. Although I was not surprised, I was still appalled by the reduction in the school year and the sloppy way it was handled by the Ministry of Education. We will bitch about the education system in our next blog.

Fortunately Aileen managed to make arrangements for someone to watch the girls during her workweek so I could still travel with my buddy. I took a bus to Managua on Super Bowl Sunday. On the ride down I met a twenty-something from Holland and we had an interesting talk about the book “The 4-Hour Workweek.” My new friend’s interest in having a career, making a positive difference in the world and maintaining a non-conventional lifestyle was refreshing. Hunter S. Thompson once called folks my age “The Generation of Swine” due to the rampant materialism of the eighties. This kid and others I met during my trip gave me hope that things are improving!

I made it to Managua in time to engage in some less intellectual entertainment – the Super Bowl. The hotel restaurant was packed with American football fans. I was not in the mood for a crowd so I went to a small bar nearby. I was the only patron and watched the game with two Nicaraguans employees who were excellent and very humorous company. They reminded me of how funny and warm most Nicaraguans are.

I was feeling very upbeat when I walked to the airport to meet my friend. His flight conveniently arrived after the game and as soon as he cleared customs we hit the bar and had a few beers before bed. We got up late the next morning and finally made our way to the bus station. It took some time to find a cab driver who was willing to charge a fair price. Normally, I just allow myself to get ripped off but my friend is an experienced traveler and likes to save money despite the fact he does not really need to. It actually felt good exerting my bargaining skills for a change. As part of our cheap travel mantra we took two “chicken buses” to get to San Juan del Sur, the center of surf tourism in Nicaragua. We spent an hour or so looking at youth hostels but all of the decent ones were full; instead we found a really nice, inexpensive hotel a few blocks from the beach. It was too late to go surfing so we had an early dinner and hit the bars. We ended up in an Irish pub with some folks from England and Ireland who currently live in Costa Rica. We drank Guinness and listened to the Pogues all night. I guess we got carried away with the expensive imported beer because our bar tab was more than we would spend on two nights lodging – so much for saving money.

The next day my friend signed up for a surf lesson and I decided to be a good sport and give it a try. By 10:30am were at Playa Hermosa getting some instructions from our 19 year old instructor Norwin. After a ten minute class on the beach we hit the waves and tried to stand up on our boards with Norwin’s help. After an hour of lame attempts I took a break. My friend was not doing much better but a young woman in our class of three quickly mastered the basics. During my respite I tried to convince myself that surfing was not for me. Much like skiing there are many things to remember about positioning your body when surfing; unlike skiing there is a giant wall of water threatening to pummel you from behind. It just seemed like too much for me to conquer but having paid for the lesson I decided to give it another go. While I was never able to stand up on the board, by the end of the day I knew I could eventually get it. At that point my determination was more rooted in stubbornness than actually liking the sport.

That evening we discussed what to do next over an excellent fish dinner. I wanted to stay in San Juan del Sur and go back to Playa Hermosa as it seemed perfect for beginners. However, my friend wanted to head to the beach where the woman in our class was staying so I reluctantly agreed to move to nearby Playa Maderas. We left the next morning but by the time we got there and found a place to stay it was too late to surf.

The place we were staying, Matilda’s, is awesome. It is situated right on a secluded part of the beach and the Nicaraguan family who runs it is great. We met some very cool travelers who were staying at or near Matilda’s and had a good time chatting. In the late afternoon we walked to the main surfing beach which was quite a scene. There were 50 people in the water fighting for waves and another 50 fighting for seats at the bar. Nicaragua sure has changed! While drinking some beers and enjoying the dance music we spotted our friend from the surfing class and had an enjoyable dinner with her and her travelling companion at a beachfront restaurant.

The next morning we meandered to the surfing beach. One of our new friends was already there and anxious to surf. However, my pal decided he needed to go back to San Juan del Sur on shopping run. I decided to rent a board and try some more surfing. It was way too crowded and after getting knocked of my board twice by other beginners I decided to call it a day. My pal came back at 2pm and decided to borrow my board while I had a few beers with the surfing crowd. About thirty minutes later he joined me at the bar and looked like he had seen a ghost. Actually, he had seen his life flash before his eyes. He had gotten pummeled by a set of waves and had to be rescued by four Nicaraguans, one of whom was Norwin, our instructor from a few days ago. Thanks to Norwin and his friends everything turned out okay.


Forgot my camera so here is a stock photo of surfing in Nicaragua

The next day we went back to the surfing beach near Matilda’s. We were supposed to travel north to a beach where Aileen and the girls would be meeting us. My pal decided he was going to stay put claiming he did not want to lose surfing time by travelling. Though I felt bad leaving, we already made reservations at another hotel and I really like this other beach much more than Maderas. The beach is practically empty and the hotels and restaurants are in a great little fishing village rather than a crowded tourist town. Besides, I think my buddy had a more “social” agenda related to our new friends!

Once we worked out our plans we surfed at Maderas for a few hours and I finally got to my feet for a few seconds at a time. Things were progressing. Around 1:00pm I said my goodbyes, caught a cab to the other beach and was surfing again by 2:30pm. The hotel we were staying at has excellent surf boards for rent and thanks to a giant beginner’s board and some persistence I could stand up fairly consistently (albeit for a few seconds). I was starting to learn more rapidly and eventually got the thrill of riding down the face of a wave (only to be pummeled by it). It is a pretty awesome feeling and was now really hooked on surfing (or at least the potential of really surfing sometime soon).

Aileen, Emma and Hannah met me at the hotel that evening. I heard them pull up when I was in the shower and was so excited that I ran out to meet them in a towel. Fortunately for the other guests our puppy Cuate was not able to pull the towel off despite his best efforts. The separation was really hard for our little tribe of Kositskys as we are not used to being apart. It was a happy reunion with the hotel staff as well as this is where the girls studied Spanish back in January. We had a great weekend hanging out at the beach, chatting with the friendly locals and just being together. I of course enjoyed the opportunity to do some more surfing on a beautiful beach with only a few other surfers in sight.

This was a really wonderful week for me. Discovering a new passion is always exciting and the bruises and muscle pulls felt like…victory. Moreover, this trip served as a reminder as to how enjoyable Nicaragua can be and how lucky we are to be having this experience. It is easy for me to forget my blessings while staying in our small and sometimes boring town. However, with a little effort there are so many great opportunities and interesting people to meet in Nicaragua. All of the travel and adventures during the past few months have been very uplifting. We have seen some cool stuff and more importantly have met many wonderful people. I have had some great encounters ranging from long discussions to very casual conversations with both travelers and Nicaraguans; all of them have been enriching. However, I think we are all ready for school to begin and I hope to remember that even though San Ramon is a tiny town, there is plenty to do just outside our front door. If that fails, the surf is just a few hours away.




Back in the USA

On January 12th we said goodbye to our friends, neighbors and pets as our journey to the United States was about to begin. We tossed our 4 carry-on bags (including Emma’s guitar) and 2 big duffle bags into the back of the truck and were off. Actually, we did not just casually toss our bags into the truck; we spent about 15 minutes tying them down with intricate knots so they would not be stolen during the trip. We picked up Aileen’s co-worker Richard who drove us to a hotel across from the airport and took our truck back to the main office. Our friend Martha met us at the hotel with her teenage son Danny (who is a little boy the last time we saw him) and her younger son Douglas. We talked about old times while Emma, Hannah and Douglas ran around the hotel having a great time. When we finally got to bed I realized the thermostat did not work; while the ladies slept, I got up every thirty minutes to turn the A/C on or off. A very Nicaraguan send-off! We dragged ourselves to the airport at 6am for our flight to Miami and despite the lack of sleep we were all in good spirits at the beginning of our long-anticipated trip to the USA. We have been in Nicaragua for over six months and despite all the fun and adventures each of us miss certain things about home – especially our friends and family.

Douglas, Emma and Hannah goofing off at the Best Western

The short flight was uneventful and we breezed through immigration and customs. Hannah kept asking when she would officially be in the USA and that question was answered when we stepped through some metal doors and saw my folks, aka ” Grammy and Pop Pop” waiting for us. It was great to see my parents who seem to be getting younger every year. We went back to their house, had some lunch and went to see my grandfather, who is called “Little Pop Pop” by his ten great granddaughters. He had recently fallen and was in a rehabilitation center. Little Pop Pop was clearly in pain from his fall but lit up like a Hanukah bush as soon as he saw Emma and Hannah walk in. For a man who has seen 98 summers, the guy was looking pretty good. During the next few days we celebrated my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary along with my entire family and a few hundred of their closest friends. The big event was a wonderful party and as someone told my Mom after the soirée, the love in the room was incredible to behold. Seeing all of the cousins playing together was priceless. It was an absolutely wonderful time.

Mom trying on her wedding dress

The next leg of our journey was a forty minute car ride to Ft. Lauderdale where Aileen’s parents were kind enough to meet us. They were incredibly generous to save us the trip to New Jersey in the winter. The Huang’s put us all up in a great hotel on the beach. The girls were thrilled to see Grandma and Grandpa and we all had a great time exploring the intercostals waterway, visiting the Everglades, shopping and of course eating. The best meal was at a Brazilian steakhouse where even Emma and Hannah gobbled up the carne. My parents joined us for the festivities and though they have not seen my in-laws for years they seemed like old friends. I am lucky to have such great in-laws and our kids are even luckier to have two loving, stable families in the Huang and Kositsky clans.

Kositsky - Huang Reunion

As hard as it was to say goodbye to family, we were thrilled to be heading to San Francisco after nine days in Florida. Nobody slept well the night before our flight as we were so excited to be heading home for a week. We finally learned to circumvent the evil concierge desk at the hotel whose staff managed to make everything we did more expensive. We met a cool taxi driver named Ted who was from Haiti. He picked us up at 5:45am sharp as promised, much to the chagrin of the bellmen who expected a big tip from us and a kick back from the driver. I think we paid nearly double what we should have for meals, tours and transportation until we finally stopped the concierge scam.

We landed in San Francisco on a Saturday morning and were met by our friend Brett who has been watching our car and brought it for us to use during our visit. Brett and his partner Brad are like family to us and it was a wonderful, emotional reunion. They put us up for the night and after a quick visit to our cousins’ home in Berkeley we had a wonderful dinner with Brett, Brad and their wonder dogs Kevin and Clint. The next day was spent with our friends Jim and Valerie and their two children Jasmine and Milo. Aileen and the children then went to visit some friends in Bernal Heights and I spent the evening with my friend Joseph. We all met up at the home of Aileen’s brother and his family who live in the Presidio and were awesome hosts. We spent the next few days visiting with many family members and friends, running errands, etc. The highlight for Emma and Hannah was a day at their school.

Emma, Brad, Clint, Brett, Kevin & Hannah

We picked up the girls from the car pool chaos (something we do not miss) and made a quick trip to San Jose to visit my sister Lauren and her family. It was a very peaceful respite from all the running around. The rest was much needed as the next day we travelled to Sonora to visit my brother Andy and his daughter Nadia. It was wonderful to see them all settled into their new home after a fire destroyed their house a few months ago. My little brother was an awesome host and an even better ski guide for a much anticipated day at Dodge Ridge. Nobody would have guessed our two little ski pros live in Nicaragua given how well they did. We would have loved to ski more but it was time for a final visit to San Francisco.

Getting ready for a black diamond

Friday morning we made a last visit to our house. It was strange seeing other folks living there but it is being well cared for. Our tenants were kind enough to let us spread our stuff out in order to pack and organize for the trip home. Once we were finished we went to a group play date with many of the girls’ friends. It was wonderful to see them so happy to be hanging out with their buddies and a bit sad to think about leaving the next day. We split up again -- Aileen went to visit with our friend Rinat and her family and I ran off to a local bar to meet some former colleagues. I must say it was a glorious night for me. I had a wonderful time seeing so many friends and stacking up the drinks just like old times. The night ended with an argument about the French Revolution at 2am and miles to walk before I slept.

Through the haze (and pain) of a wicked hangover we were back in Managua before I knew what hit me. This time we had two more bags, mostly full of school supplies generously donated by the girls’ school. The four of us must have looked pretty comical trying to drag 200lbs of luggage across the highway at 11pm to get to our hotel. The next day Richard picked us up and we were soon back in San Ramon.  We were away from our house in Nicaragua for nearly three weeks and it surely feels good to be back here again. Emma and Hannah quickly reconnected with their friends and Aileen jumped right back into her job. My duties as farm hand, chef and chief bottle washer resumed upon arrival. It was wonderful to see our puppy Cuate as well as our flock of chickens who actually seemed happy to see us. The best thing I brought back from the USA was a Frisbee. Today I taught neighbors ultimate which will surely become a local favorite. In addition to all the playing, Emma, Hannah and I are in Spanish school for a week to help get our rusty Spanish back on track. Aileen is already in the swing of things at work and the girls will soon be starting first and third grade. I will be getting a break from my routine before it even gets started. Sunday I am leaving for a trip with an old friend; we will be visiting a few beaches and hopefully learning to surf. I will blog all about it when we return.

It is great to be back in Nicaragua and we are really looking forward to all of our upcoming adventures. However, we really miss our friends and family more than I can say.  Our trip to the USA was an amazing experience.  Being away for so long has made us realize how wonderful and blessed our lives are. Thanks to everyone who made our trip home so special.

Vacation(s)

School got out in late November and our travels began in earnest.  Please pardon the long post as we have lots to catch up on.

Jeff, Emma and Hannah went to Costa Rica during the first two weeks in December.  Aileen drove the crew to Managua from where we caught the Tica Bus to Liberia, Costa Rica.  Tica Bus was an awesome way to make the 6 hour trip.  The company runs luxury buses with air conditioning and movies.  Unfortunately the movies contained sex or violence (but never both); thet were totally inappropriate for children and most adults.  Emma was glued to a book most of the trip but I had to spent a great deal of energy distracting Hannah from the screen.

Once we got off the bus it was clear we were not in Nicaragua anymore.  Costa Rica is a pretty developed country - with all the corresponding pluses and minuses.  Liberia is full of strip malls and American fast food joints so we immediately ran into one for lunch.  I guess strip malls count as a minus but it was nice to have something different for a change.  We then jumped into a cab and went to a beach called Playa Hermosa.  We spent a few great days at this beach and had the opportunity to go snorkeling and eat fresh oysters that we gathered ourselves.

Hannah rocking at the food court

Emma searching for more oysters

We then went to the mountain community of Monteverde.  This area was settled by Quakers in the 1950s and is now a very interesting, progressive place.  There are farms, a cheese factory, a Friends school and many nature reserves to visit.  We also went to a frog museum, bat exhibit and butterfly sanctuary.  The girls were most impressed by the Children's Eternal Rainforest, a reserve purchased by a fourth grade class from Sweden and now supported by young people from around the world.  Next we visited Arenal, one of the most active volcanoes in the world.  We stayed at a hotel that was very close to the volcano and expected to see and hear lots of activity.  Unfortunately, it was very cloudy and Arenal had been quiet for a few months.  We still enjoyed our stay and had a great time hiking, horseback riding and visiting a hot spring resort.   While in Monteverde and Arenal we identified 26 types of trees/plants, 6 insects, 7 mammals and 27 birds including a Quetzal.  We also saw dozens of bats, frogs and butterflies in various exhibits.

 

Quetzal

Relaxing at the hot spring and bar

We then headed back to Liberia and learned that there was much more than strip malls in this nice little town.  The next morning we left for Nicaragua.  Since Liberia is not a main stop, we had to wait on the highway to flag down the Tica Bus.  We were given lots of conflicting information as to when it would arrive and ended up waiting for two hours. At least we got on the bus, and much to our surprise they were expecting us!  Unfortunately Aileen's truck broke down on the way to meet us in Managua and though she finally got there, it was a fiasco. We ended up staying the night in Managua and had to bus it back to Matagalpa.  Despite these transportation hassles, it was a great trip to Costa Rica.  It was also fattening and expensive.  The only thing I did not like is that most everyone who works in tourism speaks English.  Some of the folks we encountered were happy to let the girls practice Spanish but most wanted to show off their language skills.  On a related note, Costa Ricans can be a bit arrogant, especially when it comes to Nicaragua; I often found myself defending the honor of our adopted country.

Emma enjoying the diverse cuisine

Hannah showing that she lost her second tooth in Costa Rica

Soon after we returned from Costa Rica, we were visited by our good friends Jason Alberston and his son Elias.  We spent the first five days of their trip kicking around San Ramon.  We visited Matagalpa, toured some local farms and went to a chocolate factory.  The highlight was Emma and Hannah's birthday fiesta attended by their friends.  Jason was a huge help and it was great to have Elias there.  We then spent the next six days travelling around Nicaragua.  We went to the beaches near Leon where we took a boat trip in a mangrove forest full of crocodiles.  Next we toured the City of Leon and found a restaurant that served shwarma!  The next three days were spent in Granada.  We took side trips to: Masaya volcano where we toured some caves; Mombacho volcano where we did a zip line; and Laguna de Apoyo where the kids got to take flying leaps off a dock into crystal clear water.

Birthday dancing

Old friends in a new place

Mangrove tour

Masaya National Park

Team zip line

It was wonderful spending the holidays with old friends. They left on 12/31 and on the way back to San Ramon we got some cool fireworks to celebrate the New Year with some of our new friends.

A few days later Jeff, Emma and Hannah went to Playa Gigante in southwestern Nicaragua for a week.  The girls attended Spanish school in the mornings and Jeff studied a hammock.  In the afternoon we enjoyed the amazing beaches and also took a fishing trip.  Aileen joined us for the last few days and brought along our puppy Cuate who had the best vacation of his life.

The fish Hannah caught

Nobody here but us, Cuate and a few surfers

Tomorrow we are heading for the USA for a few weeks and will post about that when we return.  It was a great 2010 and we are really looking forward to what comes next!



Aileen's Turn

Emma, Hannah and Jeff just got back from Costa Rica.  It was a great trip and we will blog about it soon.   In the meantime, here is a photo from a hanging bridge in the Monteverde cloud forest.

Though we had a wonderful time, we really missed Aileen.  Speaking of which, here is her post about life and death in Nicaragua.....

Today I went out to Tapasle, the rural community where we’re building a preschool. I was going to use my truck to help them bring sand, rocks, and water from the river to the school site. I was happy because I got an early start. The last two times I was planning to spend the day in Tapasle, hauling materials in the truck, I got waylaid, the first time by a flat tire, and the second time by a roadblock: two large trucks that were trying to pass each other both got stuck in the deep mud along the edges of the road, blocking traffic in both directions.

Anyway, when I arrived at the community, Hector, the president of the project committee was waiting for me. He said that they had a favor to ask. A man from the community had passed away the day before, and they needed help to bring his body and casket to the cemetery, which was in Sabana Grande, a community about half an hour away, up a long, steep hill. I told them of course I would help them, and Hector took off on his horse to let them know that I would take them.

We unloaded the cement that I had brought with me, and then we got as close to the house as we could, in a vehicle. While we waited, I heard the story of Don Timoteo’s widow, Doña Vicenta.

Vicenta was from the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, which is really isolated, geographically, politically, and culturally, from the rest of Nicaragua. When Vicenta was in her late teens, she met a young man, and moved with him to Tapasle. Soon afterwards, he left to fight in the Contra War and was killed. She was a young, childless widow, in a community where she had no family of her own. She stayed there, and about ten years later met Timoteo. They didn’t have any of their own land, and in the twenty or so years that they were together, they never had children. Timoteo worked as a day laborer on other people’s land, and during the coffee harvest, they both worked, picking coffee. Yesterday, they were working together, picking coffee, when Timoteo had a heart attack. Again, Doña Vicenta is a childless widow, but now she’s in her late 50’s, in a community where she has no family of her own.

As I helped Doña Vicenta into the passenger seat of my truck, I told her how sorry I was for her terrible loss, and she just stared at me, numbly, and remained that way for the entire way to the cemetery, staring straight ahead, unblinking.

Interlude

We are taking a break from the "each person does an in-depth post" series to give a little update on what has been going on lately.  Since our last post, Jeff, Emma and Hannah went back to visit our friends the Valles. When we got there Jeffrey Jr. and his brother were away but we got to spend time with Aileen Jr. and her parents. There was no traumatic river crossing this time but we did get to watch our lunch (chicken) being killed and prepared.  It was so very touching to watch Hannah running around with the semi-developed chicken eggs and other innards that they let her play with.  That evening we stayed at a hotel in the town of El Sauce owned by our old friends the Blancos.  Xiomara and Francisco are amazing people and we were very happy to hear that all three of their daughters were doing well in their chosen professions.  This family is a very bright light in a country where the future often seems so dark.  It was energizing to be around them and we plan to go back very soon.

To the Valle's house we go....

In other exciting news, our zoo continues to grow. The Valle family decided to give Hannah a chick since she loved playing with them so much.  Aileen Jr. and Hannah forced Jeff into submission and we took the little sucker home.  It had to spend the night in the Blanco's hotel with us. Muji (hen in Chinese) is the newest resident of our chicken coop and she seems to be adjusting well.  In addition to Muji we now have a bat living in our patio named Bat Girl.  Bat Girl is probably there to enjoy a nice meal of chicken blood and hopefully not feasting on our dog too.  Actually we chased her away the other day but I would not be surprised to see Bat Girl again.  Speaking of the dog, Cuate is getting HUGE and is lots of fun for all of us when he is not destroying various items he gets his mouth on.

Bat Girl

Thanksgiving was another highlight of the month.  Aileen cooked a wonderful meal of chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and cranberry sauce.  We were not able to watch football as there was no power all day and we had to cook and eat by candlelight.  The next day we visited a pre-Columbian museum in a nearby town called Chaguitillo. The museum guide (Jimmy) took us to a creek to see petro glyphs that were about 1500 years old.   Not only was the trip really interesting, Jimmy was a really nice guy who just got a scholarship to study nonprofit management in the USA.  Jimmy is another bright light and we plan to hang out with him before he leaves.

Thanksgiving Nica style

The really big event this month was the end of the Nicaraguan school year.  Hannah had her preschool graduation which was a huge affair.  It started with a mass in our beautiful little church.  The mass was lovely but Jeff found himself muttering in Hebrew and keeping an eye out for lightning bolts (only partly joking).  After mass there was a graduation ceremony and fiesta back at the school.  Jeff had to walk Hannah down the aisle which was good practice for the pending marriage to Oscar - her friend who swears he is coming back to the USA with us. 



Hannah getting her diploma

Emma did not have a ceremony per se, but we did have to go pick up her report card today which was sort of ceremonial.  Teacher Carmen told us that Emma was one of the best students she has ever had (and she has been teaching for 30 years).  Emma did incredibly well and has a growing reputation as the town scholar.  She is at the library every other day picking out books to read (English and Spanish).  Both of the girls will miss being at school.  They have made many friends and have been spending more and more time playing with their classmates.  Though they are making lots of new buddies, Emma and Hannah have REALLY bonded.  It is wonderful to see them together (except of course when they are fighting - which gets surprisingly physical sometimes).

Diploma and report card

School starts does not start again until February and we are about to begin our vacation travels  Jeff, Emma and Hannah leave for Costa Rica in a few days and will return mid-December.  Aileen cannot go as she is taking off many weeks of work in 2011 for our trips to the USA and Peru.  Besides all that, she has started a new school project in another community and is getting really busy again.  The travelers will try to blog on the road but if not, we will post when we get return.  Oh yeah, that is if we are even able to leave.  We just found out we need an exit visa for Jeff to take the kids out of Nicaragua without Aileen and it may be impossible to get one at this late date.  We cannot wait to make another trip to immigration!