Some Final Thoughts Before Taking Off

     This has, most definitely, been an amazing two weeks of service, learning, and fun. The majority of the experiences that I have had here in Nicaragua have been indescribable ones that I will never forget. Before I leave for the states I have a few last observations:

1. There are different types of poverty. Working with Habitat in Trenton, I can easily say that I see poverty every day. Whether it be the parents of the students I tutor at Learning Lab or the homeless people that I pass on the street from time to time walking from my car or the Bonner van, I cannot deny that poverty is extremely prevelant in Trenton and in all of the US. But being here in Nica has exposed me to various other "kinds" of poverty (for lack of a better word). I have worked with kids who have one pair of clothes, whose parents work at American owned factories that pay them about $2 a day (give or take a few cents), and encountered countless children who sniff glue to make them feel less hungry, and others who flock to the streets all night to make a few extra Cordobas so that their family can eat. The poverty her has been like anything I have seen in my life, and while I gave with I could at my service sites (working with these populations), I wish there was more I could do.

2. "Need" is an ever changing and culturally defined word. Pat asked each site team to sit down with the directors at our sites and have a conversation addressing the needs, necesidades, of the organization. Being that I have been at Los Quinchos: Casa Lago for the majority of the time that I have been here, Karina, Hannah, and I sat down with Freddy to have this conversation. He asked if the kids could be involved in the conversation (which I thought was great and was very impressed by). So we started off by explaining our purpose to them and asking them a simple question "What do you need here, that you don't currently have?" The playful and talkative group of teenagers that we had been enteracting with for over a week now responded in complete silence. Then one of them, Christian, spoke up saying something along the lines of, "We have everything we need." Looking at these kids who have been wearing the same clothes since the day I met them and walking around barefoot on the hard and dirty ground for the majority of the time I have been there, I was completely speachless. "We have everything we need, I have shoes, a bookbag, a place to sleep and clothes. That is everything I need." The others nodded their heads in agreement. It took us a good five minutes and rephrasing the question three times for them to start telling us that they only have one outfit each, their bookbags are falling apart, and academic and extracurricular programs at the location are falling apart due to a lack of significant funds. I found this experience worth noting because of the way in which it struck me. Had I asked the same question to even the poorest american child, I am not quite sure if I would have been greeted with even a remotely similar response.

3. While there is no simple or easy beauricratic way of fixing the problem that is Nicaragua, this does not mean that we as individual Americans are useless. One would have to be quite a powerful person, actually one would have to be a god, to fix all of the injustices in Nicaragua single handedly (or even with just one NGO or organization), but every little bit helps: awareness, spreading the word, getting funds and people to come and help out. When we return, in addition to sharing our experiences with everyone that we can, us "Nicaragua 2012" Bonners will be selling bracelets made by the Los Quinchos kids in order to raise much needed funds for the orginization. We hope not only to raise funds, but also to create a sustained relationship with them. We will be selling them for $5 each. See any of us for details.

I promise there{s a point to this...

Im in a cyber cafe writing this blog, bummed about the fact that Im doing service today. Yesterday we went to the beach and something bit me in the water. The people (NICA) have theories (sting rays, jelly fish, crab, fish, etc) but no one really knows what bit me. I didnt sleep well last night, in fact I havent been sleeping well for a few days now. I had a temperature this morning and Irene (NEP director) asked that I be taken to the doctor. Long story short, the bite is now infected and Mireya (another NEP person) has to give me an injection (in the rear) for the next three days. I hate injections. The point... it took about 20 minutes for Lorenzo and Mireya to find medical attention for me. The hospital was not very clean and the medicine cost about 300 cordobas (minus the cortizone which I already had). We had tried several private clinics before we went to the hospital. When I arrived at the hospital, they didnt ask me for my name or insurance information, they didnt take my vitals. The doctor asked me to plop my foot on his desk, he looked at it, touched it and then wrote the prescription. Theres no order to anything here. I get that part of it is cultural and that things arent necessarily bad because theyre not American... but Lorenzo jokingly asked a good question, what if i was dying? Are the peoples basic needs being met? Is it affordable? The maid in my house makes 1500 cordabas a month. Can she afford all the meds prescriped if her son or daugheter would had gotten bit by something? I dont think so. The doctor was also being a bit of a smart ass. He said I should have come yesterday but that clearly I didnt want to interupt my grand evening at the beach. I was annoyed but instead of getting offended I thought about what he might think of me because of my nationality, US, Americana...

I wish I knew Spanish...

After several minutes of translating via Google Translate, I've finally figured out how to join the blog from this quaint internet cafe in Granada. It was a little difficult at first since the computer, internet, and keyboard are all in Spanish. As you can see, I´ve finally figured it out. Anyway, this first week has been amazing. The experience is unlike any other of my life thus far. At first, I was a little apprehensive since Evan and I both have little Spanish skills, and we had no idea what our homestay parents were saying when we first walked in. Through the use of a lot of pointing, and also "Como se dice...", we´ve lasted a week so far and seem to be holding up just fine. The first few days of service, the whole group was at a NGO called Los Quinchos, and organization that helps street children in Nicaragua get back on their feet. We got to hangout and talk with some of the kids while we helped them paint and landscape some of their property. This week, I was at Sor Maria Romero on Monday, and Los Quinchos today. At Sor Maria Romero, we got to play with kids all afternoon, it was great. As soon as we walked in, they all jumped on us and started running around all over the place. It was wild but I was ready for their excitement and energy. We then went outside and played soccer and basketball with them. They loved every second of it and seemed to really enjoy our company. I loved it as well since I´m used to playing soccer and basketball with little kids since I have been a day camp counselor for the last 7 summers. So far, I am loving the country. It was quite a culture shock at first as this is my first time out of the country, but I am adjusted now and have very much enjoyed my time here thus far. We now have 6 days left and I hope to make the best of them and leave my mark on this hopeful country.

Una Semana Ha Pasado

     It is really hard for me to believe that I have been here for a week already. The time is really flying by. This past weekend we got a really nice break and got to visit some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life. On Saturday we went to Laguna de Apoyo, a sulfuric lake that was form thousands of years ago by a volcanic eruption and has since filled up with rain water. It was on of the most incredible places I have seen in my entire life. And every bit of sunburn that I got on my shoulders from the strong equator sun was worth being able to swim in such an amazing place. It was a great day and it was great to see one of the ecological wonders of this country.

     On Sunday we went zip lining. While I was anxious on the ride up to the place, as soon as I got there I realized how much fun it was going to be. I had a great time and it was a great end to an amazing weekend and break.
     On Monday our routine started: TCNJ and Spanish classes in the morning, service sites in the afternoon. On Monday I went to La Providencia, and while I think that it is an organization with a lot of need (as far as hired help, volunteers, and resources), it just was not the place for me. Either way, I am greatful that I had an experience there and was able to help in whatever ways possible. In class on Tuesday, I talked to Pat about going to another site for the rest of the time here, so I have been at Los Quinchos for the past few days.
     I really enjoy working at Los Quinchos, not only because the work we are doing there is "Habitat for Humanity" type work that I am used to doing because of my being on the Housing team, but also because it really allows me talk with the kids and to be able to ask them about their lives. I have had significant conversations with at least four different kids now, and getting to know them has allowed me to see their pasts and their get potential. Yesterday I talked with German, one of the directors of the Casa Lago site, and was amazed and impressed to find out that he was a "Quincho" and went through the whole program years ago! It was great to hear from him the progress that the organization has made since he was a kid, and more importantly, to see first hand a success story for the organization. 

First Week Observations

We have been in Nicaragua for a week now.  There are a few observations I have made.

1.       Kids are kids.  Whether they live in an affluent neighborhood in New Jersey or in the poorest area in Granada, all kids are the same.  My site is Sor Maria Romero. It is an afterschool program for kids 5 to 13 years old.  The little girls love to color and draw, the older girls love to dance and the boys can play soccer and basketball until the sun goes down.  Just like the kids in Trenton, the kids down here are full of energy, excited to play with us and love to tell us stories.  Also, one of the best parts about being with the kids is that my Spanish skills do not matter with them.  They don’t care if I have conjugated my verbs correctly because I know Aqui! Aqui! Aqui! means pass the ball and that is about all I need to know to play soccer with them. Plus they give the best hugs.

2.       There is a middle class in Nicaragua.  Prior to this trip, of course I knew a middle class existed however I did not know what to expect.  In class we talked about the upper class, who can send their children to the US or other countries to study at a University, and the lower socioeconomic class, who live with no running water and barefoot kids, but we never dove into the middle class.  Now, living in Granada with a middle class family has allowed me to gain a better understanding of Nicaragua as a whole.

3.       Stereotypes and racism are unfortunately everywhere.  Coming from the US where people from all ethnic backgrounds bring a lot of blatant diversity to our country.  When I first arrived, I noticed the majority of Nicaraguans have dark hair and darker skin tones; I can easily be picked out of a crowd with my light skin and blonde hair. However, after speaking with a very intelligent 13 year old girl, I learned people here pay a lot of attention to the skin tone as well as eye color.  In the US, we have 4 eye colors, brown, blue, green and hazel, but here she said they specify how light or dark the eye color is.  She then proceeded to tell us what our eye color was when originally the 4 of us had all described our eyes as brown.  Also, the lighter skin tone you have, the more beautiful you automatically are called. 

Overall, so far I have had an amazing time in Nicaragua.  I have really enjoyed learning about the culture, the history, the food, improving my Spanish and meeting new people.  I can’t wait to see what our next week in Nicaragua brings. 

One Week In

My first week in Granada has been a whirlwind. Going into the trip, Tommy and I knew that we would have some difficulty communicating with our homestay parents because of our limited Spanish skills. However, they have been very nice and were very accomodating to our limited spanish speaking. Our limited skills have led to some comical situations. The first day we rejected the offer for coffee in the morning, and then we were served coca cola for breakfast for the next week before we were able to tell them that we dont like coca cola for breakfast. We drank the coca cola and they received it every day for breakfast since they thought americans enjoy coca cola for breakfast The work we have been doing in the community has been truly amazing. Los quinchos, which is a an organizations that supports children that have had substance abuse issues, was the first service site we visited. There we worked on landscaping and refurbishing old classrooms. The kids at los quinchos were eager to help us and all of the kids are very hard workers. Then we visited the site I was assigned to work at which is Sor Maria Romero. This is an after school program for children located in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Granada. As soon as we stepped our of the van we were greeted by the kids as if we were celebrities. Since the kids were using a flat volleyball to play soccer, I brought them a new soccer ball. When I revealed the gift the kids were ecstatic, and they took a picture with me and the ball as if I was some kind of hero. We immidiately played soccer and the smiles on these kids faces that day is something that I will never forget. The third site is La provendencia, a nursing home for the elderly. Unfortunately, there are not many resources put into the nursing home, and they are every understaffed, so the women and men have extremely limited medical resources. During my work their on Tuesdday, I was able to sit and speak with numerous men and women. It was remarkable to me when they told me that conversing with me was the highlight of their day. We have only scratched the surface of our work here in Nicaragua, and as Ryan Pilarski would day I am ready to "fight the beautiful fight" for the rest of our trip.

Futbol con los Chavales

     Today, after a breakfast of huevos y gallo pinto, I headed over to meet the group and we all went to Los Quinchos again to continue working on our project there. The idea is to clear out debrie (rocks, weeds, etc) in order for us to be able to plant different fruits and vegetables (cebollas, platanos, etc) along the path alongside the mountain that leads to they boy's dorm area. The organization then hopes to use these vegetables to make the site sustainable (and eventually possibly generate a cashflow of some kind by selling them). The work was hard, especially in the heat, but I found interacting with the boys (even with the language barrier) to be very fun once again.
     I returned home for lunch, where Señora Nidia and I watched a Nicaraguan telenovela. The news came on next and the anchor announced that Donna Summer (pronounced "Don-ah Sue-meir") died and Señora acted as if she was someone in my family (just because she is American and so am I), I thought it was very cute.
     After lunch we went on a tour of the city and it was great to be able to get a refresher on the history of Nicaragua, and even better to learn about the city of Granada itself. We climbed to the top of a church bell tower and got to see the whole city, which I also thought was very cool. After that came the highlight of my trip thus far. We went to Sor Maria Romero where I was greeted by at least two hugs and a fiesta with music, dancing, and a bunch of silly games. Evan donated a soccer ball to the site and we immediately ran for the court to play. I loved playing futbol with the kids and seeing how happy they were to have a soccer ball to play with (they had previously been playing with a volley ball). I made a few little buddies. One kid was named "Sesha"-at least that's how it sounded, not sure if I spelt it right- and we had a blast being on the same team. Despite the heat and my being drenched in sweat within five minutes, I didn't want to leave...
     At dinner today I really got talking with Mirella, Señora Nidia's daughter who works at BanCentro  in Managua during the day. The conversation wasn't really about anything in specific, all the different apects about our lives, the weather in Nueva Jersey, and other random things, but it was a great way to become more comfortable speaking Spanish with the family before Bradford gets here tonight.
     One last thing woth noting...when we went out tonight, a street kid who was obviously VERY high from sniffing glue came up to our table and started going around and hugging everyone to try and get money (before being chased away and kicked by the restaurant staff). Later another street kid was fighting him to try and take the glue away. We called that kid (who wasn't high at all) over to ask him why he did that and he said that he knew it was bad for him and wanted to give it to one of the police officers. They aren't friends but they know of each other. This is something else that hit me very hard. It is like I don't even know how to feel about it. I was talking to Karina and Erica about it and there really is no ending it with a governmental policy in my opinion. The glue is used to make shoes (one of the only big contributers to the economy here in Nica) and would be nearly impossible to regulate. It seems that the only hope for the problem are NGOs like Los Quinchos, but how much can they do? Yes, it is great that they are able to change the lives of the hundreds of kids that go through the program, but what about the thousands of others? They aren't so lucky. Regardless, I am appreciative (if nothing else) that this gut wrenching experience allowed me to see "step one" of the Los Quinchos process, and it's horrible.