Sunday, September 30, 2012

WHEN YOU CANT FIND ONE THING YOU IMPROVISE

YESTERDAY I accompanied my Nica-Managua Dad and Nica-Man Brother to the market Oriental. I have been telling my Managua family that I would make a Mexican dish for them sometime and I thought that day had come. To my surprise I couldn't find Chile Serrano or hitomate Verde. It was also a bit difficult to find some lightly salted cheese. My experience was just like a roller coaster. We catch the bus close to home but the driver was anxious to catch up to the bus ahead that all the passengers were literally holding on for their dear lives. It was really a sight to see because I could not stop laughing at how fast the bus driver was going. My dad then told me that the government only subsidizes a portion of the bus' fuel expense but that the earnings comes from how many passengers a bus gets. Since many routes overlap the bus drivers compete with one another because they want to get the first patch of passengers waiting on the road. In the market it was a similar experience as in the bus except it was more like we were all bus drivers trying to get through the sales persons. There was pushing, touching, yelling, stopping, speed walking, dodging, getting left behind, getting thirsty, sweating, bargaining and so on. There are so many fruits being sold there! Some fruits are giants, like the papaya, avocado, and cilantro. The ride back was just like the one there. Except this time I believe my knee hit the side of a seat and started bleeding. I didn’t realize that I had a bleeding knee until I was at a friend’s house eating cake. Since I was missing some key ingredients for the enchiladas I had to improvise. Instead of the Chile Serrano we used jalapenos and this really tiny chile that I can’t recall the name of but it is super spicy. The combination of the two made a perfectly spiced salsa for the enchiladas. Since the microwave wasn't functioning we heated the tortillas by putting them over boiling water so that the steam would help soften them in a bag. At the end the meal was delicious. The mixture of the two chiles gave the enchiladas a spicy yet tolerable taste. Even though my Nica family doesn't really eat spicy they did enjoy the meal. The rest of the day I was tired and when I am tired I laugh a lot AND complain about the small stuff like walking.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

BOTAS DE HULE

WHENEVER I stay with a host family I am considered to be the daughter of the host parents. Here I am with one of my baby brothers. I truely enjoyed spending time with him. We would draw with coloring pencils, play marbles, draw with rocks, cut fruit from nearby trees, and even work on the field cutting chiltomas together. One thing I will always remember is his laughter and how he would pretend to go to work carring a farming tool to pick the soil in one hand and a machete in the other with his botitas de hule.  



ATTN MAMI y FAMILIA ROSAS: Como pueden ver ya estoy un poco más morena!!! Y es cierto que creo que me veo más como usted (mami) cuando me veo en el espejo! Los quiero mucho! En las fotos de arriba ando con un niño de tres años. El fue mi hermanito en el campo! Luego jugabamos y hasta trabajamos juntos cortando chiltomas en el campo.

Monday, September 24, 2012

POEMAS


Cortando

Perdí el tiempo
Perdí el camino
Perdí la luz
Y me perdí a mi mismo.

Encontré el viento
Encontré el rio
Encontré las estrellas
Y te encontré sin vicio.




Manzana

Tierra de Dios.
Te cuidan, te cosechan, y te siembran
Escusas la risa del niño
Y el llanto de cansancio.
Lástima que en papel no
Le pertenezcas al mundo
Sino a un técnico.

EDEN

I have been terrible in updating my blog. I would like to think that the reason I have been shying away from writing is to really soak in the experience I am having during my stay here, but I know that it is important to keep some sort of record. I am also glad to know that some of you are anxious to see what I write next. I now promise to write as often as I can... no more than three times a week though.

This past week I was able to live with a small family in the community of Eden in Matagalpa, Nica. Originally I was going to spend my week with a family of five or six but I ended up in a family of three.I had a 24 yr old Eden Dad, a 23 yr old Eden Mom and a 3 yr old Eden brother. I had to switch families because of social norms. The husband of the young women hadn't arrived from work and didnt arrive until the following afternoon. The student that I switch with was Diego. Diego being a man and my Eden Mom being 23 made it a bit of an issue so I switched. My first night I slept in a matress on the floor with a mosquito net over me. The house itself was made out of pavement/dirt bricks, branches, wood, and metal/tin panels. There was a limit amount of electricity basicly two light blulbs and an outlet. The family owned a battery powered sony radio, the same batteries would be used for their only flashlight which ended up dieing out during my stay. The radio was in the kitchen it was also used as the time teller when it was on. The kitchen had a small cooking area which had to be fired up with wood and a bended medal rod would allow a cooking pan to be placed over the fire. There was an area for cutting and prepping dishes by the wall which also had a corn grinner. The place to wash dishes/clothes/hands and so on was outside. There was a latrine a bit into the garden. The place to take a shower was right next to the place to wash dishes/clothes/hands and so on. The house itself had three rooms which include the kitchen, the living room and the bedroom. What was most amazing was that my Eden Dad and Mom built the house themselfs. The house was surrounded by a gorgeous garden. There was a lot of flowers, cafe plants, banana trees, tangeriene trees and other plants. There were about twenty hens and roosters and a dog that would spend the nights at the house and days at my Eden Mom's grandma's house.Ah, and in the kitchen my Eden Mom had a parakeet in a wooden small cage.




I did speak with my Eden Mom more then I did with my Eden Dad. I honestly think that he was starting to open up to me a bit more during the last two days. The first actual day that I spend at the house I woke up around five o'clock in the morning and pretty much relaxed. I had a small visitor who wanted to play and I was able to play with my Eden brother most of the time. My chore was to sweep the house since the floors are made out of dirt and sweep the rocky dirt street next to the house. Eventhough my Eden Mom is only incharge of keeping half of the street clean she likes to clean the whole portion of the street because it prevents snakes and other creatures to come down to her house. Eden is in a mountain area so there is alot of vegetation, cool temperatures, and the life of el campesino is here. Water is controled in Eden just like in Managua. At the house there was running water during the morming which came in through a hose.

Chiltoma plants
Cafe
On thursday I worked on the field with my Eden parents. Once again I woke up around five in the morming, had a cup of coffee and got ready with my brown boots. (The sole of my boots ended up detaching and I was lucky enough to get the sewn by the neighbor for 25 Cordobas!!) My Eden brother and I carried water bottles and headed out with my Eden Dad. My Eden Mom stayed home to prepare breakfast and later joined us. I over heard my Eden Dad mention that there was an order placed for friday but was actually placed for pickup that day and there had been some mix up which ment that they were coming for the Chiltomas at one in the afternoon. Knowing this I knew we were going to be out in the feild for some time. I ended up working in the field for about seven hours. My task was to cut Chiltomas with a pair of kids zissors. Once my basket was full I would dump the Chiltomas on a sack and keep piling them until I would be told that there were enough for the order. Thanks to my Managua parents I had a sombrero which helped me work in the sun. This work was tiresome. I would sit next to the Chiltomas to get a bit of rest. There were some rotten Chiltomas laying around but I did not find it discusting at all. My Eden brother would help me carry the Chiltomas to the basket when I was too tired to pull the basket with me. Since Chiltomas grow on low plants I had to bend down in order to cut the matured Chiltomas. We finished around one in the afternoon. My Eden Dad stayed on the field to pack the Chiltomas and send them off for pickup. My Eden mom, brother and I headed back to the house to freshen up and get ready to go to a Evangelical cult. We walked for at least an hour to get to Yucul the closest town. The service was very different to what I expected. I did have a good experience but this was my first time going to a cult. It was held in a building with empty walls. There was a microphone and an electric guitar being played. The service started with a song. There was a lot of singing and clapping and some shout out to the Lord. I did here a testimonial and it wasn't until the second hour that the Pastor come up to speak. There was mention of the end coming, about signs that God gives through nature (There was a fire rainbow cloud over Managua that week) and about the right way to live ones life.

On Friday I went to school! The walk was about fourty five minutes long and we had to pass two streams to get there. The class had thirty nine students on a regular day and consisted of grades 1-6. The professor was twenty seven years old and had been teaching for ten years. Students would split into groups and work on assignments. I was able to work with a group of six graders on fractions and I have to say I felt right at home. After about five minutes I asked about their progress and came to find out that some were struggling with finding a way to solve and form the equation. I enjoyed working with the group of students.All of the students seemed glad to be in class. Some would come in late but it seemed to me that the professor was very understanding of why. Many students if not all have to walk a long while to get to class. During recess we played a few games with the professor.  We left right after recess with a few students because they had an activity back at their towns. I later found out that they had a presentation on taking care of ones body.

Living with the community for a week was not enough to really get a feel of el campo and be able to really talk to los campesinos. I would of loved to stay longer at least for a few more days. It was sometimes hard to keep conversations flowing because I feel like I had to allow certain people to get used to me being there. Over all I loved the stay. We did have a good bye reunion on Saturday which was celebrated with  a band which was made up of people from the community, a small ceremony, evaluations of our stay and a small gift was given to each one of us.


I would like to think that this is a small overview of my stay in Eden.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Quick


On the way to catch a boat to Island Ometepe. Credit to Paris.
  This past weekend a group of us went on a small tree day weekend trip to the Island of Ometepe. It took around six hours to ge to our destination in Merida. The island itself is quite calm. I hope to come return possibly before I leave Nicaragua to hike one of the volcanos. The site in the island was amazing. Down below is a picture of me during a sunset. The weather down here is completely different from what I imagined it to be. The rain seems to play to a soothing tune. The wind blows as a reminder of the earths warmth and the clouds form to embrace the beauty of the landscape.

Sunset in Ometepe on Lake Nicaragua. Credit to Paris.
 I am completely exhausted. My body not only hurts from all of the excersise that was done over the weekend. I am sunburned. My homestay family has given me a hat to wear at el campo. Tomorrow I will be heading out to live with a different family at el campo for five days. I expect that it will be a bit like my dad's family's rancho but we will see. I am a bit worried about the mosquitos but hopefully I do not get sick.
It has been a while since I have last posted. Many things have happend to me that keep making this study abroad trip more and more incredible. In the past couple of days since I have last writen on this blog I have learned how to tread water, my hair has changed to green highlights because of the water in a public pool, I have hiked a bit of Volcano Maderas in the Island of Ometepe, I have seen shooting stars and I have kyacked in Lake Nicaragua.
Volcano Maderas' Waterfall. Can you spot it?

 A su casa la an maltratado,
 Su nombre han usado,
 Mentiras, desputes, corbardia
 Me callo sabiendo que deveria gritar
 Me callo sabiendo que tiene lagrimas
 Camino y me tropiezo

 Su casa verdadera es verde,
 Su bienvenida es la corriente,
 Su bendicion es la vista,
 Y su traision es la iglesia.




Shout Out to Roosevelt University @ Chicago!
What makes a good tourist?

I come and I do not pretend.
I cannot pretend, and I cannot forget
I know that I can come and go.
I know that you see me as a local or maybe as a neighbor.
I know that when I speak you wonder and stare.
I come with an open mind
      I atleast try.
I come to learn not to teach.
I come to live not to see. And I hope you understand. I do not what to be that tourist.
That tourist that comes and goes.
That tourist that pays a fee to see and take a few pics.
I am a student.
I do not come to solve your problems because I know I have a long way to go to learn about you first.
A good tourist comes to hike.
A good tourist comes with respect.
A good tourist goes to the zoo not your backyard.
A good tourist can communicate.
A good tourist is hard to find.


Ometepe
Huembes, San Jorge, Moyoglapa
Caminos de tiera y piedras
Habitaciones compartidas y comidas repartidas
Estrellas, nubes y olas.
El lago de aventuras, locuras y ense~ansas
San Ramon, Cascada, Volcan Maderas
Hermanos, apuestas, gitaras y botellas
Moyogalpa, San Jorge, Huembes

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

TEJIDO

Unfortunately I have been a bit sick. My throat has been itching and now I have a runny nose. Last night my body was tired and with the heat I threw up in the small trash can. I did feel better afterwards which is good. I lost my scarf walking to the SIT center and thought that I was going to have to bare the cold in an air conditioned room in the UCA. I was fortunately able to sit in a much warmer seat in the room. The change in climate is probably what has been getting me sick.

One thing that I am loving about Nicaragua is that there are so many juices! I have asked my Nica dad to give me the recipes so that I can take them home and share the delicious refrescos with my family. I spoke with my mom today and was touched to here her voice and hear her say that she misses me. I know this is hard on my parents but I am truly blessed to be here. I never imagined that my classes would be taught by revolutionaries much less ex-militia. The way that the program is set is truly fascinating because it is all woven together with the same base and developed with distinct focuses in the specific area.

This video was recommended to me by my Spanish Professor and I thought I'd share it. I have not been taking any pictures and thought that a video would not be so bad.

The baby in the house is sick and I have not seen him in two days. I only hear him cough and cry in the adjacent room. I hope to get well soon so that I can see him. One thing that I do Cherish is having long talks with my Nica dad. Today, I was able to sit down with him and my Nica brother to talk about the kind of human Che Guevara was. I was then left with my Nica brother and I have to say, he always has something to say that impresses me. He is very well educated and knowledgeable that makes me wonder what is happening to the education in the U.S.

Regardless, I am enjoying every minute in Nicaragua.

Monday, September 3, 2012

QUE CALOR!!!

HACE un calor en Managua, Nicaragua! I was finally able to discribe this heat. As I lay on my bed sweat just keeps happening. At times it is like I am in a sauna at ballys, not with the excessive heat but with a notch lower. I do not know if my body will adjust itself to the heat of Managua, Nicaragua but I sure do hope so. There is just no possible way that after these three months I will  not lose weight and be healthier. I am constantly drinking water to keep hidrated. We have been doing a lot of walking and I rarely eat any snacks. Today was one of the girl's brithdays so we had birthday american donuts. They are de-li-cious! I am doing pretty well in getting used to all the little creatures in my room. I have a little ant that has been wondering around my laptop as I write this post. I could possibly kill it or give it a name.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

MI CASA EN NICA No. 1

I was finally able to meet my home stay family today. They are very sweet and there is a new born baby in the house! as I carried him I noticed that he has the same small hole in his earlobe as I do. It was as if we were meant for one another. I now have a new baby brother, a Nica mom and dad as well as two sisters and a brother. I am lucky to have wifi in my room. I have keys to the front gate and to my room which is like a second entrance to the house. The only time that I will have running water will be from 12 midnight to 10 AM everyday. This means that I have to wake up early everyday that I wish to shower. There is a washing machine but it is to be used only when its an emergency and I need my clothes right away. Today at dinner I ate a chile.. I thought it was a red chile that wouldn't be too hot. I was wrong. My mouth was burning and I had to drink a lot of water and juice, as well as bite ice for the burning to go away. The dish consisted of chicken which I covered in jalapano sauce, steamed broccoli, steamed carrot, white rice with corn, and jugo de pitahaya. It was delicisous. I also had a few fried slices of green plantain. It was prepared by my Nica dad! Since my new Nica family loves  Mexican food I plan to make a dish some time during my stay to share. I need to ask my mom for the ingredients and recipes. 

MOVISTAR

TODAY was a very busy day. It started with interviews for our spanish class placement. I am most consern about academicly improving my spanish and expanding my vocabulary list. I don't know how my spanish class will be structured so I will find out possibly tomorrow or Monday. After everyone was done with their interviews many of us went together to the mall which is like a fifteen minute walk away from Casa San Juan and bought cell phones. We only have two options in Nicaragua, it was between Claro and Movistar. Of course we picked Movistar. Both practically offer the same service except one is slightly better in the coast and the other one slightly better in the north. The tie breaker was that tweeter functions with Movistar. This is my first cell phone from out of the country!! We had dinner at our directors house and had great patahaya and burritos. I was able to talk more to our friend driver and found out that he is catholic and sings in his capilla in a band. He mentioned that they are trying to record a CD and hope to get working on it within this month. Some of the songs that they sing are religious and include the sounds of some popular music such as La Bamba and change the lyrics to something about Jesus/ God. It is interesting becuase they are asked to play at parties and often times they are asked to play something from the coast and they are able to sing a familiar genre with a twist of Christianity. He has invited me to come see his neighborhood since I was asking alot about the dynamics of it. I plan to take his word and visit him and his family as well as meet his band or listen to some of their music. I haven't declared my ISP but there is no harm in keeping an open mind.
         --La Cuneta Son Machin --

Possibly the most exciting and thrilling part of today (as in Saturday) is that we were able to attend La Cuneta Son Machin's concert in La Ruta Maya!!! I am now in love with this band. The music played tonight was a mix of folkloric dance music and rock music. It is very vibrant and passionate. I could not stand still for very long because the music just got to you. The band also played some very energetic songs with comical lyrics, and even pulled out some jokes for a bit in the middle of songs. They are officially my favorite band. They are all about Nicaragua and take pride in being Nicaraguenses. Their songs range from love songs, to songs that speak of the revolution, to very comical ones that are just to laugh at and dance to. Their musical instruements are not just objects but they use their voices to make different sounds and rythms. I was very impressed! I do have some videos but I will need more time to be able to download them. I am not too certain that I will be able to do that.

It is late and I have to go to bed now. Tomorrow I will finally meet my new family!

Saturday, September 1, 2012

PITAHAYA

I lost internet for a bit so this post was to be up like two days ago. I am posting what I had written. Later tonight I will try to post something from last night and today.


IT'S pitahaya!!! (Task: How is that drink made!!! jajaja... Se corta en pedasos y se muele con agua y despues se colea. Encuando esta en la jara sele pone algo de limon y LISTO!!! )



Nos dicen que nuestra casa esta con dios pero que no vayamos a dios.


IT is god on top of the world. It is a landmark that we are able to use to tell that we are close to where we are staying. We have been warned that it is not a safe place to walk/be by. So our homes are by god but we must not go to god. Funny, no? We took a small tour around the city to see the neighborhoods from inside the van. It started raining for a while and I was able to see that on the side of the roads  are constructed in a way that rain runs down on the side of the roads. Its like an open gutter constucted to help with floods. It would be interesting to find out if it all leads to the lake which I am sure it does.

I had more written but it unfortunately did not save. :(