Friday, January 30, 2009

Top 20 Things I Miss About the States

I’ve been here a few weeks now, and I’m happy to say that I’m definitely feeling pretty well adjusted to daily life in Managua. However, I have been mentally keeping a list of the handful of things that I miss a lot about home and will be especially excited to return to come April. They are sort of in order, but I really miss all of it quite a bit (especially #1).

20. Year-round precipitation - the dry season/wet season extremes here are pretty intense.

19. Universal acceptance of credit cards – I have used my card twice since I got here…not exactly racking up the points!

18. A Chase ATM on every corner – getting to the bank is a bi-monthly occurrence and requires a cab ride.

17. Garbage cans – seeing garbage laying all over the streets and grass gets a little depressing after awhile.

16. Addresses – I think I’ve already discussed this one in depth.

15. Quiet between the hours of 6 and 8 am – though the dogs and wood chopper are an interesting alternative to an alarm.

14. Cell phone reception – At home, I rarely receive incoming calls unless I put my phone outside.

13. My bed – Oh pillow-top mattress and down comforter, I miss you.

12. Hot, daily showers – Pretty self-explanatory, and perhaps too much information on the frequency side of things.

11. Running water – Storing up water for a whole day during the three hours it runs at night is a chore.

10. Clean water – Never realized how much I took this one for granted before getting here. We do okay at home with our purifier, but not having clean water is an unfortunate reality for a lot of people here.

9. Semi-reliable public transportation – I will never criticize the CTA again.

8. Sidewalks and Street lights – Now I know why packing guides suggested you bring a flashlight here.

7. Being able to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without worrying that the flush bucket might not be full – Again, self-explanatory.

6. My dishwasher – Since I am pretty useless in the kitchen, I’ve designated myself as the live-in dishwasher, a task that usually takes at least 30 minutes every night.

5. Air conditioning – I know all of you in the Midwest don’t want to hear about it, but it is HOT here and getting worse…and it’s making me grumpy!

4. Not itching perpetually from mosquito bites all over my body – Yeah, there are a lot of mosquitoes here.

3. Language fluency – Not being able to express myself to co-workers and neighbors who only speak Spanish has been extremely frustrating at times, though I like to think I’m learning.

2. Not worrying about mice in your bed, scorpions in your shoes and lizards in your bathroom

1. All of you!

Have a great weekend – and please watch the Marquette game and Super Bowl for me and send updates!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Feliz Cumpleaños

Last night, we celebrated my roommate Joe’s 24th birthday, and it was a really nice, fairly traditional Nicaraguan party with lots of the friends in the neighborhood. We had a big dinner, cake, and then we all just hung out, had some drinks and talked/joked around for the rest of the evening.

Some of the highlights of the night included:

 The fact that Joe requested gallo pinto – or rice and beans – as his special birthday dinner when we basically have that every night. I have to admit though, combining the two together and cooking them ‘gallo pinto style’ versus separate really is quite good.

 The community involvement in the celebration – one of the neighbors brought over some tostones (fried plantains) for an appetizer, another let us use her grill to make the carne asada, and others brought the cake and some music to share.

 A ten minute long argument over how to make guacamole between Kelly, who makes it like we would in the States with tomato, cilantro, etc., Henry, our Nicaraguan neighbor who insisted that was all wrong because here they use eggs in their guacamole, and Pedro, a Spaniard, who had a third opinion that I now forget. The whole thing was pretty heated (and hilarious) though.

 Listening to both a rendition of Happy Birthday sung by Spanish speakers but in English (so heavy on the accents) and another version by New Kids on the Block circa 1991

Overall, it was just another really fun night, and I’m glad I was here to celebrate.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Nicaraguan Sales Channels

One of the aspects of life in Nicaragua that has surprised me the most since I’ve been here are the many sales channels used that are not present in the US. Sure, there are malls and big supermarkets here just like home. I’ve even seen a few RadioShacks, which I find shocking because I am generally amazed that store is still open anywhere, much less in Nicaragua. Beyond these more common avenues for business to consumer sales, though, there are many other approaches that I find to be extremely unique.

First, one method that I encountered the day I arrived in Managua is that on some of the busier roads, you will see all kinds of people standing in the middle of the street or in the median peddling various goods. There are people with bowls on their heads that have partially peeled fruits for sale. There are people that string car accessories across tree branches in case a driver realizes, suddenly, that his or her car doesn’t have any floor mats and must buy them right there on the road. Finally, there are even people that come right up to the cars to wash your windows if you don’t tell them otherwise. It makes for an awkward transition when the light changes and they are still wiping down the windows.

In addition to the street vendors, there are also pulperías on every corner in more rural towns. Pulperías, from what I can tell, are basically just any tiny mom and pop stores that sell a variety of convenience items out a little window in the front. They have cards for phone minutes, sodas, eggs, sugar, and even ice cream. The last of these has, obviously, become a major problem for me - one store just down the road sells these Fudgecicle-like chocolate ice cream bars on promotion for 3 cords, or about $0.15. I have a bad nightly habit of wandering over there! It’s funny because I remember the first day I told my Dad that I was able to buy phone cards right across the street. I thought of the images it probably conjured up in his mind – of this big Best Buy right across the bustling street where I live. Quite the contrary, I assure you.

While I find the first two examples of unique sales channels to be pretty interesting, the most entertaining of all for me is number three. Any given weekend, I can expect a number of random vendors to drive by on the main road next to our house offering a host of different things for sale. Most often, I hear ‘advertisements’ for fruits and vegetables over the megaphone that most of these trucks have. The men talk so fast that you can’t hear what they’re selling or what the price is – it’s like an auctioneer rattling off the going rate for oranges (naranjanaranjanaranja). My roommate also told me that he’s seen people go by with furniture or, best of all, with huge boulder-like rocks. His quote was something along the lines of “It’s not like I’m sitting here thinking, ‘Yeah, I totally need a giant rock, I’m so glad you came by!’”

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

First Day in the Field

After many days in front of my computer here in the office, I finally had my first real chance to get out in the field and start interacting with some of the people that will be involved in the execution of this nutrition program. This morning, I took one of my favorite little moto taxis (literally a cart built around a motorcycle that rides like a go-kart and goes up and down the road by our house) to visit the school in San Isidro. I would have the chance to speak with the director, three of the cooks, and a few other administrators and get some questions answered about the current program.

I had a little surprise when I arrived at the school because, after confirming several times that my co-worker was going to join me (including one confirmation this morning before I left), Enrique was nowhere to be found. After waiting fifteen minutes, I decided to just dive into the discussions and hoped he would arrive. He never did show up (another meeting came up, though I was not informed), so I ended up conducting the whole hour long meeting – almost entirely in Spanish – by myself. Fortunately, everyone was very willing to help and I think it went pretty well. I got a lot of good information on how much food they use every week, where they buy it, how the store it and how they prepare it. I’m also excited to go back and visit again next week when the kids are in class, because I think observing the cooks in action will give me an even better understanding of the program as it’s currently run.

I’m back here at the office now eating lunch which, if you’re curious, is the same thing I order every day from a restaurant down the road. Rice, beans, some sort of lime-flavored beef that I don’t actually like that much but always order because it’s the only name I can remember, a delicious cheesy fried potato thing, and a Coke Light (Mmm!). I only mix it up on the days they have lasagna, which are rare. It’s probably for the better too, because last time someone picked up lasagna for me, it also included a huge pile of rice and the potato – hello carbs.

For anyone still reading after that interesting account of what I’m eating right now, I have posted some more pictures from the weekend staycation. Enjoy! http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=nicole.roden&target=ALBUM&id=5296031668783233345&authkey=8_S8foc6v2s&feat=email

Monday, January 26, 2009

My Weekend Staycation

It was yet another fun and fairly packed Nica weekend. On Friday after work, Kelly and Joe invited me to meet up with some other volunteers living in Managua. The group – 6 people all volunteering with an organization called Jesuit Volunteer International – wanted to celebrate one of the girl’s birthday with dinner and dancing. It was really cool to meet a new group of people and see another part of town.

Dinner itself was an adventure, with two foods I had not yet tried in Nicaragua – pizza, and fritanga, or street food (specifically a fried enchilada, fried plantains, and beans and rice). The latter has the reputation for being delicious and also full of parasites, so when I’d originally heard the menu, I was relieved that pizza would be an option. When we got there, though, orders had been crossed a bit and either Kelly or I had street food to eat. Since Kelly’s been sick a few times already and had a long bus ride ahead of her the next day, I figured I’d take my chances and try the fritanga myself. It was quite good, though I was nervous the whole time eating it after one of the JVI’s told me, semi-sarcastically, that “it probably wouldn’t make me sick.” I’m happy to report that I think I escaped parasite-free. The place we went out to after was also fun. It was very open and breezy, and as always, the Nicaraguan rum lived up to expectations. I’m still pleasantly surprised every time I see that we can buy a bottle of rum for the table with a soda for mixing for about $5.

After a good night Friday, Joe and Kelly left early Saturday morning to go up to Cusmapa. Since I’d already been there last week and needed to work Monday, I stayed back. I decided earlier this week that I probably wouldn’t feel comfortable at our house alone for the whole rest of the weekend, so I decided to head for a hotel. The whole thing made me feel a bit guilty at first – the Intercontinental does not exactly qualify as living the simple life of a volunteer – but I got over it pretty quickly once I arrived, took a hot shower and found my way to the pool. Don’t judge! In all fairness, though, it surprised me how much of a culture shock it was to be back in such a modern environment after only a few weeks away – a sneak preview of the even bigger shock I’m going to have come April, I’m sure.

As for some of the interesting parts from my ‘Staycation’, I went to the Cathedral in Managua for church Sunday. It was quite the experience – the building itself is a huge concrete structure with dozens of domes on top of it sitting in the middle of a field. It looked more like something that would belong in the Middle East than Nicaragua. The path leading to the church was about a quarter mile, and all along the way there were vendors selling just about everything – water, rosaries, food, etc. Once I got inside, the scene was even more unexpected. I think it was probably the biggest turn out I’ve ever seen at a church. My initial ballpark estimate of 8,000 has been revised downward somewhat (I was never good at estimation), but the real count of 1,500 – 2,000 was still pretty amazing. On top of the crowd, the music being played over an elaborate and modern speaker system consisted of a lot of keyboards and drum backbeats (the kind that they have stored on keyboards) and the whole crowd was clapping. There was a film crew there for the whole thing too – apparently the mass is broadcast every week. All in all, it was quite the production. And I still failed to understand 80% of it.

The other highlight was a tour I took with a driver from the hotel. It was really good to finally get out and see Managua, and I’m glad I did it in the safety (and air conditioning) of the hotel car. I took a lot of pictures, which I’ll post later this week with captions to fill in the details. However, there is one story from the trip that I found really funny and will share here.

At one point, we were standing in one of the public areas near Lake Managua and the guide was telling me the history of the place. After he’d finished, I noticed some animals just walking around in the middle. While I’ve grown accustomed to this sight in the more rural parts of town, it seemed pretty out of place right in the center of the city. I couldn’t really make out what the animals were, but they looked like goats, and I asked the guide to confirm. We then proceeded to have a 5 minute Spanglish conversation trying to get to the answer. The guide first said they were ‘veil’, which he spelled out several times. At first I thought it was a Spanish word I didn’t know, but when I realized it was English, I immediately thought he must have meant ‘veal’ – not technically an animal, but hey, who am I to judge someone else’s language skills. Since I still have never figured out what veal actually is and mistakenly think it’s sheep most of the time, I asked him if that’s what he meant. He said no, but then said the word for sheep in Spanish (oveja), so I repeated the word ‘sheep’ again. This seemed to spark recognition for him, and he repeated the word back to me – sort of. However, the way he said it sounded more like profanity (sh*t) then anything. I figured I misheard. Then he proceeded to list off examples like “black sh*t” and “white sh*t” and I had to stop and correct him before he started using this word in front of other Americans. Finally, after all this back and forth, we determined that the animals were, in fact, goats after all. Having grown up with a few pet pygmy goats back in the day, it turns out I know a goat when I spot one. I guess the guide had forgotten the word in English altogether – hence the mass confusion. I thought the whole thing was funny – both the language part and the fact that, sure enough, there were a bunch of goats right there in a plaza where Pope John Paul II had spoken only a decade or so earlier. Pretty typical Nicaragua.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Mouse Trap

It’s no secret that my house here in Managua is slightly full of insects and critters. I’ve mentioned many of them already – the lizard, the giant bugs, and the horse next door (which does not, technically, qualify as being in the house). However, there is one house guest (or, as it were, group of house guests) that I haven’t talked about much – the mice.

I was aware from the first day that we might be dealing with some little ratones here and there. Shortly before I’d arrived, our cupboard where we keep all the dishes and dry groceries had to be cleaned out because some mice had gotten into it. We’re now extra careful to keep the doors shut.

I don’t think I realized the full extent of the problem, though, until after living in the house for a couple weeks. Not a night goes by that we don’t have a mouse sighting. They’re very quick – you’ll basically just see something darting across the floor out of the corner of your eye. One night, a mouse came jumping into the house through the window (the window isn’t extremely high, but it was still pretty amazing). Finally, much to my dismay, I was informed yesterday that Joe and Kelly saw another little rodent heading into…my bedroom.

These are no ordinary mice – they chew through anything (including, it appears, concrete) and they’ve licked countless mousetraps clean without being caught. As a result, the mouse hunt is being stepped up to new levels. However, Joe seems to be set on finding both a creative solution, and one that doesn’t necessarily kill the mice (?!), so we’ve had an entertaining few days watching him construct a mouse boobie trap. Sadly, the latest news this morning was that they had once again stolen the cheese and avoided the trap.

Joe and Kelly have tried a lot of things in the past, but the cat ran away, the traps don’t work, and we’re afraid to use poison because we don’t want to be finding dead mice all over the house. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Trip to Northern Nicaragua – Part 2 of 2

After our long drive and night of relaxing on Sunday, Monday was a very full day. We started out the morning with trips to some of the rural communities surrounding Cusmapa. It was definitely an interesting experience on many levels. First, the commute itself was quite an adventure because the roads, if you can call them roads, were even more rustic than the ones we’d taken the day prior (paired with the fact that we were on a mountain, it was a bit scary!). The Land Cruiser really lived up to its name on those rocky paths.

The poverty in Cusmapa was about as striking as the views, and the part about it that was perhaps hardest to process was the fact that it was so remote. We had a hard time getting there with one of the best trucks on the road, so you can imagine that there are not many trucks passing through some of these parts. Unbelievably, I still saw signs for Coca Cola in most of these towns, but no doubt the process to get soda to these villages is not an easy one.

While this anecdote is not actually from the trip, I think it definitely gives an idea of what these people’s lives are like compared to ours. Kevin told us about a volunteer who was living in a remote village here in Nicaragua much like the ones we were visiting in Cusmapa. He was down by the river washing clothes with the women and began to tell them about the magical machines that we use in the States for washing clothes. The women were on board with the idea and thought it was great, but they had one big question – how do you get the washing machines down to the river?

One of the highlights of the whole trip was when we were able to hear some members of a Fabretto choir perform. They were extremely energetic and did many great numbers including both Latin music and a rendition of U2’s ‘One Love’ that the amazing music teacher re-wrote in Spanish.

After Cusmapa it was time to start heading back to Managua by way of several other towns where Fabretto has schools. We were making good progress toward Somoto when I could hear a very loud ‘swooshing’ sounds from the tire. After all the off-roading and rock climbing that the Land Cruiser had done, it had a flat tire…and so did the spare. Given the area that we were in, the whole ordeal was resolved relatively quickly, but it did put a little kink in the plans.

The rest of the school visits were much the same given that the classes here are out of session until February for the equivalent of summer break. It was cool to see the campuses, though, and to just get a full appreciation for the reach Fabretto has. Monday night we went to a dusty cowboy-like town called Ocotal and stayed in a hotel for the night. That was yet another treat, even if it was a lot simpler than a Westin, and there was more hot water to be had!

Though it was a whirlwind trip, I had a great time up north. I hope to be able to return once classes are in session to get an even better idea of what Fabretto is doing for children throughout Nicaragua.

One last thing before I sign off. I got a Picassa account up and running, which I think will be an easier way to share photos than through the blog. The link is here for my first album, and I’ll put up other links as more are added. Just copy and paste it into the browser. Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=nicole.roden&target=ALBUM&id=5293837881286970609&authkey=rKoEwQVN6fg&feat=email

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Trip to Northern Nicaragua – Part 1 of 2

I’ve just returned from a really great 3-day trip to the northern part of the country, and I have lots of stories and pictures to share. For the sake of suspense and attempted brevity, I’ll spread the trip over two entries.

The adventure began Sunday afternoon. At the Crown Plaza Hotel, I met up with the other people who would be traveling with us to the mountains – Rachel, Claudio, Marcello and Kevin. All in all, it made for a pretty interesting group. Rachel and Claudio worked for an organization called Cross International, based in Florida. Cross provides support for hundreds of Christian non-profit organizations and projects through funding and food donations. Many of the staple food items Fabretto uses in its meal program for the kids come from Cross.

Rachel graduated the same year as me and worked in the high pressure newspaper business for a couple years before joining Cross. Now she is a writer and photographer for the organization. It was nice to have another girl along, and good to hear from someone who’s recently left an 80+ hour a week job to pursue, among other things, a social life!

Claudio was also a very interesting person – he was born in Brazil, speaks seven languages, has two Masters degrees and, best of all, he did an exchange program in high school that took him to beautiful Fon Du Lac Wisconsin! We had a good time talking about my favorite state. [As an aside, this was not the only Wisconsin connection either – I saw red Green Bay Packer hats all over the north. Apparently the Christmas edition of the hats didn’t sell well, so they donated about 2,000 to Nicaragua and I saw them everywhere. Go Pack!]

Marcello was born in Argentina, has a background as a veterinarian, and was working with Fabretto on improving the water supply (quantity and quality) in some of the rural pueblos that it serves.

Finally, Kevin is a Chicago native and a product of a Jesuit education at Georgetown. He came to Nicaragua when he was 21 years old and worked with Padre Fabretto for a year before he died. Kevin then took over as Director and has lived here since – 20 years and counting.

We all piled in our trusty Land Cruiser and headed off for the north. It didn’t take long to feel like we’d left the hustle, bustle and heat of Managua behind. The scenery changed quickly and soon the mountains began to appear. They continued throughout our 4 hour drive, becoming more and more a part of the drive itself right through the point where the pavement ended and we were driving on some rough mountain roads. I have to admit it was a little nerve wracking at first, because it was really high, but the views were incredible and we had a good driver. Also, it was also all worth it to see the sunset when we arrived in Cusmapa.

Our first night in Cusmapa was low key but very nice. The house where we stayed is a beautiful volunteer house that Fabretto maintains for groups. It slept about 20 people, had a huge living room, kitchen and dining area and, best of all – running water and hot showers! Pair that with good food (pasta, prosciutto, olives, and wine) and the fact that temperatures were the coolest since I'd arrived in Nicaragua (I was wearing a jeans and a sweatshirt!)and I was a very happy camper.

Since this entry is getting long, I’ll end with some pictures. More to come from days 2 and 3 tomorrow!









Friday, January 16, 2009

Learning to Cook

Happy Friday everyone! Since I will be away from the computer for a few days here between the weekend and the trip up North, I thought it would be good to write a little something now. Also, apologies in advance. I was only able to get one of the two promised pictures last night (the horse is harder to capture than you would think). Since I was not about to have my last post of the week be just a picture of the bathroom, I figured I'd choose a different topic.

While I'm here in Nicaragua, I'm hoping to pick up two (life?) skills that I feel I've been lacking for awhile now. The first is the Spanish - I'll give an update on how that is going after a little more practice. The other thing I'd like to learn is how to cook.

Many of you know that I am desperately incompetent in the kitchen - at least without a little direction. Add to that the fact that the few things I do know how to cook - left overs, Lean Cuisine, pizza, anything on the grill, and take out - all require either an oven, a grill, my mom, or a nearby restaurant - and I am completely lost when it comes to feeding myself here in Nicaragua.

Fortunately, those wonderful roommates of mine do know what they are doing in the kitchen, so I am not going hungry by any stretch. Also, because dinner is such a process here in Nicaragua - lots of chopping and prep work, and many dishes to be done by hand after - I am getting involved in it a lot more as a way to pitch in around the house. I'm hoping I will pick up a few tips here that I will be able to bring home with me.

In terms of what kinds of food I'll be learning to cook, it falls into a few main categories. Rice and beans are a staple at literally every meal. Gallo pinto, as the mixture is called, is often served with lunch and dinner, and can also be made for breakfast. We also cook a lot of vegetables at home because Joe has a garden and the produce at the market is great. Throw in a little meat here are there, and you have the basic composition of every dinner here in Managua. It's nothing too exotic, but I generally enjoy it and have found a few favorites. For example, my roommate makes a tuna salad with plantains that is delicious (I don't even like tuna), and they also make tostones, which are fried plantains that taste a lot like chips.

Since all of this writing is making me hungry, I'll sign off here. Be back mid-next week with stories from my trip!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Survived Week 1!

Well, I’ve officially crossed the one week threshold her in Nicaragua! It’s a milestone that, while not terribly long, is still an important one in my opinion. In fact, it’s amazing how much you can learn about and adjust to a new place in just a week. There are still surprises daily – for example, yesterday my desk spontaneously became infested with some sort of flying beetle and I had to evacuate – but in general, I’m falling into a routine pretty quickly. It also seems like such a long time since I was last battling the subzero temperatures of the Midwest. Friends in MKE, CHI, MSP, etc. – stay warm, and don’t worry about me. It’s at least 80 degrees here!

Given that I am now in the daily grind, I don’t have too much to report. However, I am really excited about this weekend because I will be making my first trip out of Managua. I am getting a tour of some of our schools in the north, which means I’ll get to see the mountains. I’ve heard it’s absolutely beautiful up there, so I will be taking lots of pictures.

We’ll be going to Cusmapa, our northernmost school on the Honduran border. I think that will be eye opening because it is the region with the most extreme poverty of all those Fabretto serves. One highlight there, besides the scenery, is that some of the women in this region make beautiful baskets out of pine needles as part of a Fabretto program (http://www.fabretto.org/baskets.htm). There are some here in our office and I love them, so I’m hoping to get some souvenirs.

From Cusmapa we’ll travel south to Estelí, a cowboy town known for, among other things, fabulous cigars. There is also another Fabretto farm near Estelí which we’ll be seeing. Should be a whirlwind tour, but a good one. I’ll write much more when I get back next Wednesday!

While I’m basically tapped for posts for the week (barring anything crazy tomorrow), I’ve had many requests for a picture of the horse and the bathroom (seriously, people?), so I’ll see what I can do. Stay tuned...

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Where the Streets Have No Name

As I’ve told some of you already, one of the things I’ve found most interesting and challenging about living in Managua is the fact that there are no street names or addresses in many parts of the city. To get around, people either a) actually know where they’re going (and we all know that isn’t me, even in the States) or b) use landmarks, measures of blocks, etc. to get and give directions. This system really threw me for a loop the first few days I was here.

For example, one of the first pieces of information I like to have when I move to a new place is the address of my home. Seems like a simple enough request. However, when I asked my roommates and co-workers to help me out with this information, I not only got different answers from everyone, but was also surprised by all of their responses. There are no numbers or street names, so my address is some variation on ‘al lado de la escuela Cristo Obrero’ – or, next to Cristo Obrero school. Try typing ‘next to Cristo Obrero school, Managua, Nicaragua’ into Mapquest and see how much good that does you. Needless to say I won’t be receiving much mail at home. Fortunately, the office has a slightly more concrete address associated, so if anyone wants to mail cookies, you still can.

I think the reason I have a hard time with the lack of addresses is because I feel like it really limits my mobility and independence. That, plus the fact that the public transportation system is about as transparent as the address system, means I have to rely on my patient roommates for all my traveling needs.

It’s funny because I was actually discussing this topic last night with my roommate Joe, and that conversation was the inspiration for this post and the title. He told me that the U2 song ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ was actually written about Managua, which I thought was really cool. I promptly Googled the song this morning and, much to my dismay, realized that, while no one seems to know for sure (except Bono himself), the song is probably not actually about this city. Instead, it’s either Ethiopia, Belfast, New Mexico or heaven depending on whose opinion you read – take your pick. Still, it would be an apt description of Managua, and it’s just another item on the list of adjustments I’ll be making while here.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Home & Work

Since I'm sure some of you are now tiring of the long posts I've been writing and because, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, I thought I'd post a little virtual tour of mi casa y oficina here in Nicaragua. Sorry, I was not able to get a picture of the horse next to my bedroom or of the lizard. Still, it should give all of you an idea of my daily life here. Also, note that the people I live with did a really great job of fixing this place up and adding paint, tapestries, pictures, etc. I can only imagine what it looked like before. Anyway, enjoy!

Labels going down (because I'm having problems with blogger): Front of house, Living Room, Kitchen, Kitchen Table, Office, My Desk, Morning Commute (in the back!)

















Monday, January 12, 2009

Mi primer fin de semana -or- My First Weekend

After a weekend away from the internet (which, amazingly, I survived), I’m back to writing today. I figured I’d give some highlights from my first weekend here in Managua.

The people I live with, a couple named Joe and Kelly, have been really great so far, helping me get acquainted and including me in their plans. This weekend, some of their friends from the States (which is how I now refer to home) were also here which was fun.

On Friday night I had my first experience with going out to the bar scene in Managua. Just like at home, we started out by pre-gaming at the house. Rum is the drink of choice here which, as many of you know, is PERFECT for me! It’s also extremely cheap – I got a bottle of some of the nicest dark stuff for $5. I think I’ll need an extra bag just to bring home rum when I leave!

After drinking at the house, we caught a cab to the bar. It was 5 of us from our house, plus two neighbors, a father and son (talk about an eclectic group), and the cab driver in a single, tiny cab the size of a Yugo. Ridiculous. It was almost kind of a disaster because there are speed bumps everywhere here, and with all that weight in the tiny car, we almost got stuck on top of one!

The bar itself was really nice – though, as I’ve told some people, it reminded me a bit of a wedding because it was a big open area with a bunch of tables surrounding a dance floor. A lot of older people were hanging out at the tables spectating while we danced, and they also brought in a live band later in the night.

We met up with some friends of Joe and Kelly’s and they both were really good dancers – between the two of them, they tired out all four of us girls! The music at the bar was another highlight. It was a mix of Reggaetone (a favorite here) and really bad old 80s/early 90s music. I heard La Bouche, a few Jock Jams classics, and Grease Lightning. It was hilarious.

After our fun night on Friday, Saturday was a typical day of errands. We went to the bank and to the Mercado. The market was really cool because there was so much fresh produce. My roommate Joe was a pro at bargaining with the vendors, so that was fun to see. Saturday night we just took it easy because the girls left on a trip to the Atlantic coast. I don’t know if I’ll make it there myself, but it sounds really interesting. Because it’s so close to the Carribean, I guess it has a totally different feel than the rest of the country. Unfortunately, it’s a 10 hour trip to get there, mostly by bus.

Sunday was a good day too. I went to my first Spanish mass. There is a church literally right across the street, but it only has one mass – at 7 am. Since the birds/dogs/motorcycles/horse usually wake me up by 6:30 though, not a huge deal. I couldn’t understand much, but the setting was great because it was a beautiful, breezy morning and the church is pretty much wide open.

In the afternoon Sunday, we decided to get out of the neighborhood because it was really noisy. The local team won a soccer game and everyone was celebrating. They had a trophy that was bigger than me, and they pulled out these huge speakers (also bigger than me) that they set up right outside our house. We had to escape the Reggaetone, so Joe took me to the Fabretto School where he works.

I assumed it was ‘right up the road’, but it turned into a hot, dusty, blister-filled 1.5 hour walk – one way! It was cool to see the more rural area though. The school was beautiful. I also got to see the Fabretto farm where they grow pineapples, plantains, coffee, avocados, organic chickens, and much more. It was beautiful and really peaceful, and I saw a gorgeous rainbow while we were there. Unfortunately, I have no pictures to show for it because I’m bad with using my camera, but upon the request of many people, I will start to change that ASAP.

Last night we cooked a traditional Nicaraguan meal – beans, rice, and fried plantains that looked like chips topped with fresh tomatoes. I also got to use my Spanish for about a half hour straight with my neighbor. He told me I have the accent of a Costa Rican, something I found funny and random but took as a compliment because at least he didn’t say I sound like a gringa!

It was back to work today, and the workday is actually ending now so I have to catch my ride. To close though, I’m glad to hear a lot of you are reading the blog. Keep the emails and gchat messages coming too! Just know that I don’t have access to Facebook at work (can you believe they block that here too?!) so while I can read your messages, I can’t respond.

Take care, and I’ll check back in later this week…with pictures!

Friday, January 9, 2009

My work at Fabretto

While I don't intend on posting multiple blogs a day like it may appear now, I figured I'd take some time while I'm waiting for my ride to leave to give a bit of an overview of what I'll be doing here, now that I have a better idea myself.

I'm officially helping with a complete analysis of their meal program. For the first piece, I'm working on understanding the nutritional requirements for school-aged children (as published by organizations like the WHO and PAHO). Then, I'm matching that against the three food staples that Fabretto currently provides children, all of which are donated. They have rice with soy, a vegetable soup mix and refried beans (from, if you can believe it, Taco Bell - I love those beans!)

Once I see how these three staples stack up against the requirements, I need to start finding the holes and trying to figure out how to fill them. It will be a bit of a challenge because they need non-perishable and inexpensive foods in large quantities, and the main deficiencies I'm already noticing are calcium and protein. May have to get creative there. Suggestions welcome!

After I look at the menu, the next piece will involve a cost analysis of the logistics for this food - both to see if they can do better on pricing and timing of deliveries, and also to get a better idea of the true cost it takes to move a container of rice for the purpose of budgeting. Should be interesting - while I did one logistics project at work, I'm no expert on lean processes and just in time. Should be a learning experience.

Mixed in with the actual number crunching, I will be spending about 1/3 of my time on site looking at how the meal program is run (and playing with kids!) I get to do a trip up to the mountains in a couple weeks too, to see the schools there.

All in all, I'm extremely excited about the work I'll be doing here because I think it's really interesting and important. It should make up for the fact that I'm waking up with random critters in my house!

Estoy en Nica!

Just wanted to write a quick post that, after a long day of traveling, I made it here without much trouble yesterday afternoon. As would be expected, it's been quite the adjustment process since. I've been using my Spanish a fair bit already - some of which is coming back, and some of which will take time.

The accommodations are modest to say the least - it's a bit like camping but with a roof, some locks, some lights and a toilet (but you have to flush it with a bucket of water most of the time because water only runs for a few hours at night). There was a lizard in the bathroom when I woke up, I've already been warned to knock out my shoes in case there are any scorpions in them, and there is a horse that lives next to my room which I can hear every now and then. Suffice to say, things are a little different than life was back in Chicago and staying in Starwoods.

Time also moves more slowly here without things like TVs, Blackberries and 80 hour work weeks. That, too, will take some time for me to get used to. I'm starting up my job today and finding out more about the project I'll be working on, so I'm excited to have that to work on and pass the time.

In short, it's been an extremely interesting first day here in Nicaragua. While I'm still nervous about things, miss home often and occasionally wonder what I'm doing here, I think it's going to be good once I get settled. Stay tuned...

P.S. Please send emails - I have good internet access at work so I will be pretty responsive if you write!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Nicaragua Bound

Friends and Family,

As many of you already know, this Thursday I will begin my three month leave of absence from work in Managua, Nicaragua. I'll be volunteering with Fabretto Children's Foundation, http://fabretto.org, doing a nutritional and cost-based assessment of the daily meal program provided to the children.

While I'm not sure exactly how much internet access I will have, I am going to try to keep up this blog while I'm in Nicaragua so I can post pictures and let you all know what I'm up to.

I'll miss everyone while I'm gone, but I'm sure it will be an adventure and an amazing experience. See you back stateside in April, and enjoy the winter!

Nicky
 

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