Thursday, December 20, 2007
ATTACK OF THE SCORPION!
I survived my first scorpion attack! Two nights ago, Alex and I were sound asleep when I woke up to a horrible burning pain in my arm. I started yelling so Alex got up and turned on the light. I was crying that my arm was burning and that something bit me. We looked all over the room and found nothing. Finally, we looked right near where our pillows were, and sure enough there was a baby scorpion who had just settled down for a nap. My entire arm was burning and my lips and tongue were all tingly and numb. Luckily it was only a baby because apparently when the big ones sting you, then you can´t even walk for awhile. The scorpions here have poison but they aren´t deadly. Okay, so that was my survivor story. Miss you all!
Finding a House
Finding a house to rent in Nicaragua is unlike any other experience that I have ever had. At first, Alex and I used our host Mom to talk to people for us and see if they knew anyone who was renting a house. There are no signs here, or agencies, or even listings in the paper so you you need to rely on word of mouth. At first the general response was that there were absolutely NO houses to rent. Finally one turned up but it turned out to be a fixer-upper to put it mildly. We were feeling slightly discouraged but finally we decided to take matters into our own hands and just wander the streets and ask people. It was generally a good way to get to know people because it gave us an excuse to talk to them and get to know our town. However it was usually an exhausting experience that usually left our heads spinning as we walked all over town viewing one house or another. Here is a typical conversation that we had while trying to find a house.
Kaitlyn/Alex: Hello! We are Peace Corps Volunteers and we are going to live here for two years. We are looking for a house to rent. Do you know of any?
Nicaraguan#1: No, there are no houses to rent.
Nicaraguan #2: Yeah, there isn´t anything at all around here.
K/A: Oh really? That is too bad.
Nicaraguan #2: Well actually, isn´t there that house over there?
Nicaraguan #1: Oh yeah! Actually, my best friend´s, brother´s mother-in-law´s, cousin has an aunt whose friend´s Mom lives in Miami and they might want to rent their house! Do you live near Miami?
K/A: Really? That´s great! Where is the house? And no, we actually are not from Miami.
Nicaraguan #2: Okay, well you go 3 blocks down that way, go past the old church that used to be there but isn´t there anymore, then go right for 2 and a half blocks right near Rosa´s house and where they sell tortillas but there isn´t a sign, then on the left side there is a house about halfway down the street, you should go ask for Juan. He can take you to the house.
K/A: Uhh, okay wow thanks. What color is the house?
Nicaraguan #1: I don´t remember. But its real easy to find. Just go to that street and ask for Juan.
K/A: Thanks!
Okay, so that was basically how it went. There are no street signs here or addresses. Finally though, Alex and I managed to find a house that is too big for us but it is comfortable and has a BIG patio with fruit trees. We even have a spare room so we expect many visitors! We have nothing to fill our house right now except our clothes, a fridge, a fan, and a stove. Next on our list is that we need to buy a bed and if our host family does not take us to get one we will have to transport the bed on a bus which should be another adventure. We will move into the new house in January and then we will post pictures. We love and miss you all and are sad that we can´t be home for the holidays :( Thanks to everyone that sent packages! It is really much appreciated. We miss you all! Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!
Kaitlyn/Alex: Hello! We are Peace Corps Volunteers and we are going to live here for two years. We are looking for a house to rent. Do you know of any?
Nicaraguan#1: No, there are no houses to rent.
Nicaraguan #2: Yeah, there isn´t anything at all around here.
K/A: Oh really? That is too bad.
Nicaraguan #2: Well actually, isn´t there that house over there?
Nicaraguan #1: Oh yeah! Actually, my best friend´s, brother´s mother-in-law´s, cousin has an aunt whose friend´s Mom lives in Miami and they might want to rent their house! Do you live near Miami?
K/A: Really? That´s great! Where is the house? And no, we actually are not from Miami.
Nicaraguan #2: Okay, well you go 3 blocks down that way, go past the old church that used to be there but isn´t there anymore, then go right for 2 and a half blocks right near Rosa´s house and where they sell tortillas but there isn´t a sign, then on the left side there is a house about halfway down the street, you should go ask for Juan. He can take you to the house.
K/A: Uhh, okay wow thanks. What color is the house?
Nicaraguan #1: I don´t remember. But its real easy to find. Just go to that street and ask for Juan.
K/A: Thanks!
Okay, so that was basically how it went. There are no street signs here or addresses. Finally though, Alex and I managed to find a house that is too big for us but it is comfortable and has a BIG patio with fruit trees. We even have a spare room so we expect many visitors! We have nothing to fill our house right now except our clothes, a fridge, a fan, and a stove. Next on our list is that we need to buy a bed and if our host family does not take us to get one we will have to transport the bed on a bus which should be another adventure. We will move into the new house in January and then we will post pictures. We love and miss you all and are sad that we can´t be home for the holidays :( Thanks to everyone that sent packages! It is really much appreciated. We miss you all! Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Day of the Virgin
We got our first taste of a true Nicaraguan celebration last Friday night, the eve of the Day of the Virgin (Mary´s bday). This is one of the country´s biggest holidays, and there sure was a whole lot of excitement building up to this event all month. Fireworks are incredibly popular here. They had been going off every day, all day all through November announcing the distance approach of the celebration. Every Catholic family (most) also puts a small shrine to the Virgin in a corner of their house. However, we couldn`t have predicted what the night would actually be like since all the big stuff was all going on behind the scenes.
Our host mom kept reminding us that we needed to be prepared with our backpacks to walk around town at 6:00 PM, and that we would be receiving lots of items for our new house. We also must learn at least two songs praising the Virgin Mary, which she provided us with. We were confused. Did we need to bring gifts also? Was it ok that we weren´t practicing Catholics? Here is a summary of the nights events:
The entire town, including the people in the smaller villages surrounding Nagarote, fill the streets around 6:00. They then walk in groups to particular houses around town. These houses have set up a massive shrine to the Virgin Mary somewhere inside or outside their home, complete with a large statue, candles, music, Christmas lights, etc. The group of people stands in front of the shrine and sings songs praising the Virgin Mary. Once the host family has deemed the singing worthy, gifts are handed out to all of the singers. Children, mothers, grandfathers, and ourselves then push to get to the front for the best items. The group then moves on to the next house to repeat. This goes on for almost exactly four hours until 10:00 Pm when everyone returns home.
This was a very interesting experience. First of all we, especially myself since Kaitlyn did formally attend Catholic churches, felt awkward singing songs praising a shrine of the Virgin. Also, we only practiced two songs, while throughout the night our family sang an assortment of about 6 or 7 songs. Not sure what to do, we ended up spending the majority of the night mouthing Spanish lyrics that we didn't know. The diversity of the gifts was also incredible. We never knew what to expect. Here´s a list of some items: candy, rice, cookies, corn on the cob, homemade deserts, juice, a bag of salt, fruit, pasta, superman plastic bowl, a plastic pitcher, laundry detergent, Tupperware, a bar of soap, sugar, a washcloth.
The eve of the Day of the Virgin was very surreal and definitely a great time. Everyone was in a really good mood. It's really a great way of having a community wide activity and also for some of the more wealthy families to redistributing some wealth back into the community. It was a prime opportunity for us to be able to see the entire population of our area, and also for them to see us participating in the event. Next year we'll be sure to have the songs memorized.
Our host mom kept reminding us that we needed to be prepared with our backpacks to walk around town at 6:00 PM, and that we would be receiving lots of items for our new house. We also must learn at least two songs praising the Virgin Mary, which she provided us with. We were confused. Did we need to bring gifts also? Was it ok that we weren´t practicing Catholics? Here is a summary of the nights events:
The entire town, including the people in the smaller villages surrounding Nagarote, fill the streets around 6:00. They then walk in groups to particular houses around town. These houses have set up a massive shrine to the Virgin Mary somewhere inside or outside their home, complete with a large statue, candles, music, Christmas lights, etc. The group of people stands in front of the shrine and sings songs praising the Virgin Mary. Once the host family has deemed the singing worthy, gifts are handed out to all of the singers. Children, mothers, grandfathers, and ourselves then push to get to the front for the best items. The group then moves on to the next house to repeat. This goes on for almost exactly four hours until 10:00 Pm when everyone returns home.
This was a very interesting experience. First of all we, especially myself since Kaitlyn did formally attend Catholic churches, felt awkward singing songs praising a shrine of the Virgin. Also, we only practiced two songs, while throughout the night our family sang an assortment of about 6 or 7 songs. Not sure what to do, we ended up spending the majority of the night mouthing Spanish lyrics that we didn't know. The diversity of the gifts was also incredible. We never knew what to expect. Here´s a list of some items: candy, rice, cookies, corn on the cob, homemade deserts, juice, a bag of salt, fruit, pasta, superman plastic bowl, a plastic pitcher, laundry detergent, Tupperware, a bar of soap, sugar, a washcloth.
The eve of the Day of the Virgin was very surreal and definitely a great time. Everyone was in a really good mood. It's really a great way of having a community wide activity and also for some of the more wealthy families to redistributing some wealth back into the community. It was a prime opportunity for us to be able to see the entire population of our area, and also for them to see us participating in the event. Next year we'll be sure to have the songs memorized.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
New Address
Here is our new official address!
Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick PCV
and/or
Alex Fuller-Young PCV
Apartado Postal 366
León, Nicaragua
America Central
Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick PCV
and/or
Alex Fuller-Young PCV
Apartado Postal 366
León, Nicaragua
America Central
Here are some more pictures!
This was our awesome cake for our swearing-in ceremony.It was a really nice event and the US ambassador swore us in.
I (Kaitlyn) even gave an interview in SPANISH for a TV station!
This is NICA 45 Environment right before we swore in. In the middle are Bobbi and Suzy who did a traditional Nica dance!
A picture of me and Alex at swearing-in! Notice his cool traditional Nica shirt!
This is Alex and Me with my host parents at the ceremony.
Me with Alex´s two other wives, Olena and Analea. He has his hands full with us!
We hope that you enjoy the pictures and we promise that since we are back from gallivanting around that we will be in touch more often. These next few months will be hard because we really do not have that much to do. We are really supposed to be getting to know our community and doing our community analysis tools (you really don´t want us to explain). Alex is looking forward to the slow-paced life but I am going to go crazy so please write to me A LOT! Thanks to everyone that is reading the blog, and we appreciate your feedback! Miss and love you all tons!
Swearing-In and The All Volunteer Conference
We are finally at our site and ready to settle in, for real this time. We spent the last two weeks in the capital doing various things. The week before last we spent in a hotel, dialy receiving lectures on everything from HIV/AIDS to how our living allowance is broken down.
At the end of the week we had our "Swearing-In" Ceremony, which is an official event where we become volunteers, instead of lowly trainees. We sing the Nicaraguan national anthem, which we also spent time learning the week before. We say goodbye to our training host families. We receive cute little Peace Corps pins. We eat cake.
Last week we spent at another hotel for the "All Volunteer Conference". Here all the PC volunteers in Nicaragua convene to exchange ideas during the day and then have lots of fun during the night. We had an Olympics competition between the sectors (Env. Ed., Agriculture, Health, etc.) that consisted of the usual events (trivia, dodgball, etc.). Unfortunately we got last place.
We also got to grab some Thanksgiving dinner. Peace Corps does a great thing of hooking us up with either a PC or embassy staff member for some good old turkey, stuffing, and football. Kaitlyn and I had dinner at a foreign service person's house. Fascinating life, next year she'll spend learning Russian so she can serve in Moscow for the following three years.
The last few weeks have been great fun spent with the other volunteers. All are very fun and interesting people. Especially our group of course. However, it's going to be a rough transition back to living among Nicaraguans, no air conditioning, and speaking Spanish. It's astonishing how quickly a foreign language can deteriorate.
Hope all is well back home and everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We missed you all.
At the end of the week we had our "Swearing-In" Ceremony, which is an official event where we become volunteers, instead of lowly trainees. We sing the Nicaraguan national anthem, which we also spent time learning the week before. We say goodbye to our training host families. We receive cute little Peace Corps pins. We eat cake.
Last week we spent at another hotel for the "All Volunteer Conference". Here all the PC volunteers in Nicaragua convene to exchange ideas during the day and then have lots of fun during the night. We had an Olympics competition between the sectors (Env. Ed., Agriculture, Health, etc.) that consisted of the usual events (trivia, dodgball, etc.). Unfortunately we got last place.
We also got to grab some Thanksgiving dinner. Peace Corps does a great thing of hooking us up with either a PC or embassy staff member for some good old turkey, stuffing, and football. Kaitlyn and I had dinner at a foreign service person's house. Fascinating life, next year she'll spend learning Russian so she can serve in Moscow for the following three years.
The last few weeks have been great fun spent with the other volunteers. All are very fun and interesting people. Especially our group of course. However, it's going to be a rough transition back to living among Nicaraguans, no air conditioning, and speaking Spanish. It's astonishing how quickly a foreign language can deteriorate.
Hope all is well back home and everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We missed you all.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Pictures!
Here is a picture of Alex and me with my host family.
This is a picture of kids from my youth group.
For one of our projects we made planters for the school out of bambú!
This is the view from the mirador of our new pueblo.
Yes, that is a volcano in the background.
This is a group of us at the Laguna de Apoyo, the water filled volcano.
Here is picture of me and my
awesome hamock that Alex got me for
my birthday! We will be spending a lot of time in these.
Here is Alex and his hammock. Yes, I am now "Alejandro".
Alex and the guys of Nica 45 Environment.
Notice that there are only 4 of them in our group. (R-L: Cris, Alex, Shunpei, and Jason)
Me and the girls of Nica 45 Environment.
We are pretty much the best group ever :)
Alex and his host family. His little niece has the cutest laugh in the world. Note: Nicaraguans smile all the time, but they usually tend not to in pictures. No, this is not because they believe pictures steal your soul. Rather, they just don't get a lot of opportunities to get pictures taken, so those they do have are a big deal.We hope that you have enjoyed the pictures! The next ones will be from the swearing in ceremony!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Our Site Visit
Well, we have just returned from our one week site visit. Our town is rather large, beautiful, and clean! Needless to say that we were kind of in shock when we arrived because the town is really so progressive and has so many great programs that we we wondering what we were doing there. The first day we went to meet our host family. We have a Mom, a Dad, a sister who lives there and two brothers who do not live there. One of the brothers actually married a Peace Corps volunteer a few years ago. You would be surprised how often that happens in Peace Corps Nicaragua. The family was really nice and accommodating and they taught us how to make gallo pinto, the national food of Nicaragua (basically fried rice and beans). We have to live with the host family for 6 weeks and then we will FINALLY be allowed to move into our own house so we expect visitors!
On Monday, we went to visit our multigrado schools, which are all located in the campo. While our town is clean, beautiful, and wealthy in comparison to the rest of Nicaragua, the campo surrounding the town was extremely poor. I was in shock at how poor the little towns were and the living conditions of the people. I know we have been prepared for this but it really hit me hard that first day in the schools. The second and third days we went to visit our other schools. My farthest school is a little over an hour away on foot and there is no other way to get there but walk. Alex borrowed a bike to get to his far schools but it still took about an hour or so. Usually the roads are so poor and full of holes that it impossible to navigate even on a bike. Besides visiting our schools, we also visited the mayor, the police, the ministry of education, the library, and a local NGO. We are going to have a lot to do these next few years.
We are in our last week of training in the pueblos. Next week go to Managua for a week and then we officially swear in as PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS. We stay in Managua for a week to attend a conference and then on Nov. 23 we officially go to our sites. That is all the news I have for now and I promise to update pictures when I have 5 spare hours because it really takes that long. Miss you all!
On Monday, we went to visit our multigrado schools, which are all located in the campo. While our town is clean, beautiful, and wealthy in comparison to the rest of Nicaragua, the campo surrounding the town was extremely poor. I was in shock at how poor the little towns were and the living conditions of the people. I know we have been prepared for this but it really hit me hard that first day in the schools. The second and third days we went to visit our other schools. My farthest school is a little over an hour away on foot and there is no other way to get there but walk. Alex borrowed a bike to get to his far schools but it still took about an hour or so. Usually the roads are so poor and full of holes that it impossible to navigate even on a bike. Besides visiting our schools, we also visited the mayor, the police, the ministry of education, the library, and a local NGO. We are going to have a lot to do these next few years.
We are in our last week of training in the pueblos. Next week go to Managua for a week and then we officially swear in as PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS. We stay in Managua for a week to attend a conference and then on Nov. 23 we officially go to our sites. That is all the news I have for now and I promise to update pictures when I have 5 spare hours because it really takes that long. Miss you all!
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Site Visit
Just wanted to share a quick story from last week´s visit to our site:
During one of my school visits, I was completely exhausted by my the few hours there. I spent the school day, between 8 and 12, being literally pulled in all directions. The students insisted that they show and explain every tree, plant, and object in the schoolyard. They insisted that I play soccer and baseball, and afterwards that they be allowed to clean my shoes because they were muddied. During class they insisted that they needed my assistance with their classwork, as I spent the morning literally being pulled from one desk to the other. After school they insisted that I visit their homes, where I was welcomed with more warmth then I've ever experienced entering a house. There they filled my hands with bags of the few snacks they sell out of their home, as well as a soda, since you gringos are not used to this heat...true.
These are the moments of enjoyable culture shock. The contrast between these people´s utter poverty and their unrivaled generosity is truly amazing. It is hard for someone coming from the states to comprehend these things, since in the back of our minds we can't help but wonder how someone so poor can be so kind, welcoming, and generous.
During one of my school visits, I was completely exhausted by my the few hours there. I spent the school day, between 8 and 12, being literally pulled in all directions. The students insisted that they show and explain every tree, plant, and object in the schoolyard. They insisted that I play soccer and baseball, and afterwards that they be allowed to clean my shoes because they were muddied. During class they insisted that they needed my assistance with their classwork, as I spent the morning literally being pulled from one desk to the other. After school they insisted that I visit their homes, where I was welcomed with more warmth then I've ever experienced entering a house. There they filled my hands with bags of the few snacks they sell out of their home, as well as a soda, since you gringos are not used to this heat...true.
These are the moments of enjoyable culture shock. The contrast between these people´s utter poverty and their unrivaled generosity is truly amazing. It is hard for someone coming from the states to comprehend these things, since in the back of our minds we can't help but wonder how someone so poor can be so kind, welcoming, and generous.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
SITE ASSIGNMENT!!!
Today we learned where we´ll be living and working for the two years of our service. We´ll be going to the town of Nagarote in the Department of Leon. This town of about 35,000 is a short 45 minute trip from the capital of Managua, and is on the shores of Lake Managua and next to volcano Momotombo. It´s also close to the beach, which brings to mind Peace Corps Jamaica´s unofficial slogan, "You don´t have to suffer to serve". It is one of the most progressive town´s in the country, and has won Nicaragua´s Cleanest City award five years running.
We´ll be working in six schools that are all "multi-grade", meaning that multiple grades are in the same classroom together. This is challenging, but we actually wanted these types of schools because they tend to be smaller, more intimate, and the teachers and students are typically very receptive. There are also a wide array of projects that we´re interested in working with, as well as many community groups and NGOs that we´ll be able to collaborate with.
Friday we´ll be going to Managua to meet our "Counterparts". This is the person who requested volunteers for the site, has connections within the community, and will facilitate us with our integration and with our work throughout the two years. Then, Saturday we´ll be heading off to our site for a one week visit. We´ll be able to meet the people we´ll be living with for the first six weeks, the people we´ll be working with, and just get a feel for the place.
Overall a big day. We´re excited.
We´ll be working in six schools that are all "multi-grade", meaning that multiple grades are in the same classroom together. This is challenging, but we actually wanted these types of schools because they tend to be smaller, more intimate, and the teachers and students are typically very receptive. There are also a wide array of projects that we´re interested in working with, as well as many community groups and NGOs that we´ll be able to collaborate with.
Friday we´ll be going to Managua to meet our "Counterparts". This is the person who requested volunteers for the site, has connections within the community, and will facilitate us with our integration and with our work throughout the two years. Then, Saturday we´ll be heading off to our site for a one week visit. We´ll be able to meet the people we´ll be living with for the first six weeks, the people we´ll be working with, and just get a feel for the place.
Overall a big day. We´re excited.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Busy, Busy!
This week is going to be a pretty tough week for us. We have youth group projects, a youth group charla (presentation) and another class in the schools. My group also has our survey presentation. This Saturday night we went to a dance club in Catarina with some other aspirantes to blow off some steam before our ¨hump¨week. Two of our friends had their wallets stolen. An important thing to keep in mind here is that is perfectly acceptable to keep money in as many places as you can, all over your body (ladies, this includes your bra so you can boost your bust). Next week we will find out our site so we will be sure to update everyone on our new permanant location. Next time... more pics!
The Beloved Care Package!!!
In response to some requests from family and friends, we have created a care package "wish list". For all of those that wish to send us a cardboard box full of love, here are a few things we're craving:
- Dark Chocolate!!!!! (Kaitlyn wishes to add exclamation marks to this one)
- Reeses
- Hard Candy
- U.S. Magazines (Time, The Economist, etc.)
- Pop Secret Homestyle Microwavable Popcorn or Plain Kernals
- Cooking Spices
- Good CDs
- Good Books
- Office Supplies (good thick permanent markers)
- Hand Sanitizer
Our new address in Leon is listed below. We've also heard that the best way to get things through is actually standard U.S. Postal Service, as other methods have a higher chance of getting tampered with at customs. Also, apparently they have some deal where you can send up to 20 pounds for a fixed rate. Now who loves us most?
Alex Fuller-Young / Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick
Apartado Postal 366
León, Nicaragua
America Central
Things That Make One Realize They're Not in the U.S. Anymore
As I promised awhile back, here are a few things that someone that is wideeyed and fresh to a new country has found a bit strange:
- Electricity is rarely a dependable commodity, and in-fact the vast majority of towns and cities do not receive power during working hours.
- The easiest way to trim the grass in the town's schoolyard is to perpetually move the place where the horse is tied to the fence.
- Some believe that in order to ensure their family's safety, the entire family should sit on the same bed during a thunderstorm.
- The concept of "passenger capacity" does not exist, or apply, when it comes to public transportation.
- Men would never think of riding side by side in the very common "ciclotaxis" here (a bench on the front of a bike), but have no problem fitting up to five people on one, traditional bicycle.
- The concept of "disturbing the peace" does not exist in the majority of Nicaragua, and it is in-fact highly offensive to ask a person to limit the amount of noise they are creating.
- Some believe that drinking a cold beverage in the afternoon, or taking a shower after exercise, is a very common cause of fevers and other illnesses.
- The strangest, most fascinating thing people have seen in a long while is you.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Volunteer Visits and pictures!
Here are a few more pictures. We hope that you enjoy!
Alex and me in my training town.
A typical meal in Nicaragua. See the
rice and beans.... I eat them EVERY day
for lunch..... and dinner.... and for a snack....
This is me and my host sister Amanda Sofia.
She is two and she LOVES to listen to my music.
Here is a picture of Alex and me during the
Independence Day parade. The building is a
Catholic church- the biggest and nicest building in the city.
Here is the parade. Boys carry drums
and girls get to twirl things.
We successfuly hade our first volunteer visits. Alex went to Chinandega and I went to Leon. Both places are VERY hot. However, the scenery was beautiful and the experience was really beneficial for us to see what other volunteers do. My first day we went to the beach which was really fun. However, it seems as though I got a bacterical infection (the first of many I am sure) and I had to pull the taxi over on the way to the beach and squat in a cow field..... I am sure that it will not be the first time. We both had really informative visits because we go to live with another volunteer and visit the schools with them. We are now VERY anxious and excited to get to our site. Alex and I hope for ALOT of visitors because there are SO many cool places that we can take people to visit. This Saturday we are going to Volcano Masaya. We will be sure to post some cool pictures. Hope you enjoy the ones above!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Some Pictures!
This is me and my training town buddies!Kaitlyn, Denise, Misti, and Jenny.
We are standing outside Misit´s house on the
Calle Principal.
This is Laguna de Apoyo again. This is the view from the
top of our hike. The hike up was not so fun....
This is Alex and me in Catarina. Behind usLaguna de Apoyo which is actually a volcano crater.
We went swimming there a few weeks ago and had
to make the KILLER hike up. It was SO beautiful though!
Me, Olena, Suzy, Emalee, and Analea at Catarina.
Kaitlyn and Alex at our vivero technical session.
One Month In Country
It has officially been one month in Nicaragua! Time has gone by quickly with how busy we´ve been, as well as the fun we´ve been having. Sorry we havent been posting a lot, but we´ve been way preoccupied. To make up, we´ll make this post nice and long.
Tomorrow we head out to our ¨volunteer visits¨, which means we´ll be staying with a current volunteer, asking many questions and tagging along to observe they´re daily activities. I´ll be visiting the area of Chinandega in the extreme northwest of the country and Kaitlyn will be going to the area of Leon, which is just south of Chinandega (Both very hot...but on the coast!). We´ve both been able to meet our hosts since they gave ¨charlas¨ (chats) to our training group. It should be a good time and a nice break from the training regiment.
The last few weeks have been high stress. The combination of langauge class, technical training, and work with the schools and kids is quite a lot to take on. Last weekend was our long awaited ¨vivero¨ project with our youth groups that we formed(a group of about 25 sixth graders), which is a fun, educational tree nursery project.
This week was intense as we had to give our own ¨charlas¨ (a word we´ll be refering to a lot in the months to come). My group´s first was done as a group to our youth group. However, due to some confusion on the teachers´part, we ended up with far more kids than expected (about 50!) crammed in a tiny classroom. In the end, we did manage to fight through the panic and chaos and give an effective presentation on self esteem. The next was a charla done as a duo in a classroom, which went beautifully. The kids were great and I made some stellar animal drawings for our food chain explanation.
We also had a scheduled soccer game with the kids, which was a major confianza (trust) builder with the kids. We can´t walk by the school now without getting swarmed by kids and shout outs. It was also encouraging that the girls were just as excited about playing as the boys were (girls are traditionaly discouraged from play sports here). It was also interesting that THEY demanded that the game be girls vs. boys.
The kids here are incredible to work with. They are extremely motivated, energetic, enthusiastic, and gracious. It amazes me how excited they get to do things like draw a map of their community, talk about environemtal projects, build a vivero, or just play some soccer.
Apart from all the work, we have had a little time to relax. A group of us took a hiking trip into a nearby extinct volcano a few weeks ago (Laguna de Apollo). The crater is now a very, very deep lake, which is very interesting because it has floating rocks (pumus) in it. We also got to see some howler monkeys on the hike down. After the hike we had lunch in a tourist town at the top of the volcano´s ridge, which has the most incredible view I´ve ever seen. From there you are above the lagoon, and beyond is an active volcano (Masaya) in the near distance on the right. To the left is the colonial city of Granada on the other side of the lagoon, and beyond that Lake Nicaragua, which you can see clear across to the to the mountains on the other side. From that one point you can see a huge piece of Nicaragua. We also got to grab some pizza and burgers there to indulge our cravings for American food.
On another note, my practices with the soccer team have now earned me a uniform! I´m just waiting for a weekend when my schedule doesn´t conflict and I can actually have time to play a game.
Adios for now and we promise we´ll try to post more frequently so that the posts wont be quite as exhausting as this one...
Tomorrow we head out to our ¨volunteer visits¨, which means we´ll be staying with a current volunteer, asking many questions and tagging along to observe they´re daily activities. I´ll be visiting the area of Chinandega in the extreme northwest of the country and Kaitlyn will be going to the area of Leon, which is just south of Chinandega (Both very hot...but on the coast!). We´ve both been able to meet our hosts since they gave ¨charlas¨ (chats) to our training group. It should be a good time and a nice break from the training regiment.
The last few weeks have been high stress. The combination of langauge class, technical training, and work with the schools and kids is quite a lot to take on. Last weekend was our long awaited ¨vivero¨ project with our youth groups that we formed(a group of about 25 sixth graders), which is a fun, educational tree nursery project.
This week was intense as we had to give our own ¨charlas¨ (a word we´ll be refering to a lot in the months to come). My group´s first was done as a group to our youth group. However, due to some confusion on the teachers´part, we ended up with far more kids than expected (about 50!) crammed in a tiny classroom. In the end, we did manage to fight through the panic and chaos and give an effective presentation on self esteem. The next was a charla done as a duo in a classroom, which went beautifully. The kids were great and I made some stellar animal drawings for our food chain explanation.
We also had a scheduled soccer game with the kids, which was a major confianza (trust) builder with the kids. We can´t walk by the school now without getting swarmed by kids and shout outs. It was also encouraging that the girls were just as excited about playing as the boys were (girls are traditionaly discouraged from play sports here). It was also interesting that THEY demanded that the game be girls vs. boys.
The kids here are incredible to work with. They are extremely motivated, energetic, enthusiastic, and gracious. It amazes me how excited they get to do things like draw a map of their community, talk about environemtal projects, build a vivero, or just play some soccer.
Apart from all the work, we have had a little time to relax. A group of us took a hiking trip into a nearby extinct volcano a few weeks ago (Laguna de Apollo). The crater is now a very, very deep lake, which is very interesting because it has floating rocks (pumus) in it. We also got to see some howler monkeys on the hike down. After the hike we had lunch in a tourist town at the top of the volcano´s ridge, which has the most incredible view I´ve ever seen. From there you are above the lagoon, and beyond is an active volcano (Masaya) in the near distance on the right. To the left is the colonial city of Granada on the other side of the lagoon, and beyond that Lake Nicaragua, which you can see clear across to the to the mountains on the other side. From that one point you can see a huge piece of Nicaragua. We also got to grab some pizza and burgers there to indulge our cravings for American food.
On another note, my practices with the soccer team have now earned me a uniform! I´m just waiting for a weekend when my schedule doesn´t conflict and I can actually have time to play a game.
Adios for now and we promise we´ll try to post more frequently so that the posts wont be quite as exhausting as this one...
Background Infor
Some people have mentioned that we haven´t filled everyone in on how this whole process works, so for those of you that are still in the dark, here´s a basic outline of our schedule.
We had a 3 day staging in DC and a 5 day stagin in the capital city of Managua
We then arrived in ¨training towns¨, all located close to one another in the area near the city of Masaya (an hour from Managua)
Here we spend three months living with a host family and receiving langauge, teaching, cultural, medical, leadership, safety, etc. training 6 days a week. Very regimented and tiring. Kaitlyn and I live a 10 minute bus ride from one another, seperated to help us in our language learning and cultural adjustment.
In about a month Kaitlyn and I will be assignend a site and do a week long site visit to get to know the place, people, our ¨counterparts¨ that we´ll be working with, and find a place to live.
After three months of training we are ¨sworn in¨ as volunteers at the end of a week long session in Managua. After that the two of us head for our site where we´ll be serving permanently for the next 2 years.
So that´s the plan, the details later.
We had a 3 day staging in DC and a 5 day stagin in the capital city of Managua
We then arrived in ¨training towns¨, all located close to one another in the area near the city of Masaya (an hour from Managua)
Here we spend three months living with a host family and receiving langauge, teaching, cultural, medical, leadership, safety, etc. training 6 days a week. Very regimented and tiring. Kaitlyn and I live a 10 minute bus ride from one another, seperated to help us in our language learning and cultural adjustment.
In about a month Kaitlyn and I will be assignend a site and do a week long site visit to get to know the place, people, our ¨counterparts¨ that we´ll be working with, and find a place to live.
After three months of training we are ¨sworn in¨ as volunteers at the end of a week long session in Managua. After that the two of us head for our site where we´ll be serving permanently for the next 2 years.
So that´s the plan, the details later.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Monday
It is only monday and already my brain is about to explode. Today we spent alot of time talking to the mayor and the teachers at the school we will be working at. We also had interviews with one of the Peace Corps directors to see where we will be placed for our permanent site. Everyone in our town is busy getting ready for the big parade on Friday to celebrate Independence Day in Nicaragua. I promise that by the weekend we will post some pictures. Love and miss you all!
- Kaitlyn
- Kaitlyn
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Week One
We have made it through our first week of training! Our days are jam packed with lots to do. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday (AM only), and Thursdays we have language classes all day. They are really interesting, not at all like a typical Spanish class. We meet our teachers at a fellow PCT (Peace Corp Trainee) house and we have class, usually on a porch. Most of the Spanish is practical and applicable to trying to live in Nicaragua. We have learned how to ask for directions, how to navigate the transportation system, and how to buy things, (always count your change!) We have also been bombarded with vocabulary! After classes we have homework and we need to go home and talk with our families.
Wednesday afternoons, Fridays, and some Saturdays we meet up with the other Environmental Education volunteers (about 18 of us) for technical sessions in classroom management, health issues, environmental issues, etc. It is really great to see the other trainees, (especially each other). Our group is really awesome. Everyone is really nice and we all seem to get along really well. It is a pretty young group, we range from about 21 to 30 years old. There is one other married couple in our group and an older married couple in the Agriculture group which is currently north of Managua, so we don´t get to see them until we swear in as volunteers on November 16th.
Friday our group traveled to a local college to listen to a really interesting speaker about the natural resources in Nicaragua. It really is a beautiful country but it has a lot of problems with trash, deforestation, and poverty. The talk really made our job here seem daunting. It is going to be a long, ongoing process. Saturday, we visited this really interesting self sustaining farm in the campo. There we learned how to plant our viveros (tree nurseries), which we are expected to do with our youth groups next week.
Part of our training is working with youth. This week we start doing observations in local schools and gathering youth for a youth group. Obviously, these are considerably daunting tasks when you speak little Spanish. However, these activities are important steps to get us ready for our final sites. This week will be busy as we have interviews with our Associate Peace Corps Director, school observations, youth group meetings, and class. We are exhausted, but are still enjoying it!
My family (Kaitlyn) is very nice and very patient. I have a mom, a dad, a 10 year old brother, and a 2 year old sister who is SO cute. They are really kind people, but I wish I could talk to them more. I have exhausted my limited supply of Spanish, so there are many moments of awkward silence and weird looks. I suppose the language will come soon, but for me it is never fast enough! I have my own room and running water (for the most part). There is a major energy crisis here, so they shut off the power during the day from about 7am to 4pm. It isn´t so bad because we are usually in class during that time. Overall, it has been a positive experience, although it still hasn´t hit me that Nicaragua is my home for the next two years. Right now, my goal is to make it through training and learn Spanish!
My family (Alex) is also really great. They have hosted 8 other volunteers before, which is a lot for these host families. I live with my host mom, who is a grandmother that takes very good care of me, her 26 year old daughter, 24 year old daughter in law, and her 4 year old grandchild. They feed me very well, plenty of rice and beans of course, but also a lot of chicken, plantains, and of course amazing, fresh juice from fruit I´ve never heard of.
It was great to finally get to our training sites after all of the time spend in hotels. We´re finally experiencing another culture! Training was great to meet all the volunteers in our group, and it´s also sweet when we all get together for our larger classes. As I expected, PC volunteers tend to be very dynamic people. We´re all from different backgrounds, but we all have a good deal in common and so get along swimmingly. I truly seems like the people who serve are some of the most interesting people from our country.
As Kaitlyn said, the work is exhausting when your spending your days trying to decipher and speak another language. By our last language class on Thursday my brain was totally saturated with Spanish vocabulary. At the same time the projects and assignments pile up as your having to spend all your energy trying to learn Spanish. On Tuesday we´re supposed to have a youth group meeting about planting trees, in Spanish of course...
The goal of integrating into the community was made a little easier for me this week however, since a teenage neighbor of mine invited me to play soccer. It was a lot of fun and I got to meet basically all of the young guys in the town. Now they want me to practice everyday, get a player´s ID, and play in their games...yet another activity I´m going to have to somehow find time for. Definitely awesome though! The guys in my town are really chill.
In the future, I´m going to create a list of all the funny things about Nicaragua that makes one realize that they´re not in the States anymore. However, I´ll give one small anecdote for ya´ll. While in language class on Thursday on one of our group member´s porches, our professora´s lesson was interrupted by the squeals of a piglet. She noted that, ¨Oh no, chanchito es muerto.¨ The three girls in my group were a bit distressed as the pig´s squeals slowly subsided over the next five minutes.
On that note, until next time!
Wednesday afternoons, Fridays, and some Saturdays we meet up with the other Environmental Education volunteers (about 18 of us) for technical sessions in classroom management, health issues, environmental issues, etc. It is really great to see the other trainees, (especially each other). Our group is really awesome. Everyone is really nice and we all seem to get along really well. It is a pretty young group, we range from about 21 to 30 years old. There is one other married couple in our group and an older married couple in the Agriculture group which is currently north of Managua, so we don´t get to see them until we swear in as volunteers on November 16th.
Friday our group traveled to a local college to listen to a really interesting speaker about the natural resources in Nicaragua. It really is a beautiful country but it has a lot of problems with trash, deforestation, and poverty. The talk really made our job here seem daunting. It is going to be a long, ongoing process. Saturday, we visited this really interesting self sustaining farm in the campo. There we learned how to plant our viveros (tree nurseries), which we are expected to do with our youth groups next week.
Part of our training is working with youth. This week we start doing observations in local schools and gathering youth for a youth group. Obviously, these are considerably daunting tasks when you speak little Spanish. However, these activities are important steps to get us ready for our final sites. This week will be busy as we have interviews with our Associate Peace Corps Director, school observations, youth group meetings, and class. We are exhausted, but are still enjoying it!
My family (Kaitlyn) is very nice and very patient. I have a mom, a dad, a 10 year old brother, and a 2 year old sister who is SO cute. They are really kind people, but I wish I could talk to them more. I have exhausted my limited supply of Spanish, so there are many moments of awkward silence and weird looks. I suppose the language will come soon, but for me it is never fast enough! I have my own room and running water (for the most part). There is a major energy crisis here, so they shut off the power during the day from about 7am to 4pm. It isn´t so bad because we are usually in class during that time. Overall, it has been a positive experience, although it still hasn´t hit me that Nicaragua is my home for the next two years. Right now, my goal is to make it through training and learn Spanish!
My family (Alex) is also really great. They have hosted 8 other volunteers before, which is a lot for these host families. I live with my host mom, who is a grandmother that takes very good care of me, her 26 year old daughter, 24 year old daughter in law, and her 4 year old grandchild. They feed me very well, plenty of rice and beans of course, but also a lot of chicken, plantains, and of course amazing, fresh juice from fruit I´ve never heard of.
It was great to finally get to our training sites after all of the time spend in hotels. We´re finally experiencing another culture! Training was great to meet all the volunteers in our group, and it´s also sweet when we all get together for our larger classes. As I expected, PC volunteers tend to be very dynamic people. We´re all from different backgrounds, but we all have a good deal in common and so get along swimmingly. I truly seems like the people who serve are some of the most interesting people from our country.
As Kaitlyn said, the work is exhausting when your spending your days trying to decipher and speak another language. By our last language class on Thursday my brain was totally saturated with Spanish vocabulary. At the same time the projects and assignments pile up as your having to spend all your energy trying to learn Spanish. On Tuesday we´re supposed to have a youth group meeting about planting trees, in Spanish of course...
The goal of integrating into the community was made a little easier for me this week however, since a teenage neighbor of mine invited me to play soccer. It was a lot of fun and I got to meet basically all of the young guys in the town. Now they want me to practice everyday, get a player´s ID, and play in their games...yet another activity I´m going to have to somehow find time for. Definitely awesome though! The guys in my town are really chill.
In the future, I´m going to create a list of all the funny things about Nicaragua that makes one realize that they´re not in the States anymore. However, I´ll give one small anecdote for ya´ll. While in language class on Thursday on one of our group member´s porches, our professora´s lesson was interrupted by the squeals of a piglet. She noted that, ¨Oh no, chanchito es muerto.¨ The three girls in my group were a bit distressed as the pig´s squeals slowly subsided over the next five minutes.
On that note, until next time!
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Training!!!
Kaitlyn and I have finally made it through the week of boring orientations, both in Washington DC and in Nicaragua´s capital city of Managua. We are now in our training towns, living with seperate host families in the department of Masaya, which is about an hour south of Managua. Kaitlyn is in a bigger town while I´m in a tiny pueblo. Both of our families are extremely friendly and even more patient with our language abilities. We´re both finding that we are picking up Spanish quickly, although it will be a long three months of hard work until we gain the proficiency we´ll need to work in our sites. The days are crammed with language training, all in Spanish of course. Time is running out on our computers so we´ll post more info soon! Although this is all really exciting, we still miss everybody!
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