I realized that I have not written about my homestay yet. All six students are living with families in el Barrio Máximo Jérez. This neighborhood has hosted people such as Salman Rushdie and Richard Gere. It was chosen as a typical working class neighborhood. However, there is a range of economic wealth within the community.
Before arriving in our homestays, we were told that we may not have walls that go to the ceiling, hot water and sometimes no water during parts of the day, or washing machines. Thus, when I first arrived at my homestay, I felt so lucky. I have a room with pretty blue lace curtains, freshly painted green walls, a door that locks, and walls that go to the ceiling. There is also a comfortable living room. Our first night we were "paraded" through the neighborhood with our moms and I was able to see some of the other homestays. There are some truly beautiful houses. One houses seems even nicer than my house back in Colorado (although smaller).
My homestay family consists of Doña Brenda and her daughter Carla. Carla has one 5 year old daughter called Valentina, whose father has left. (Nicaragua seems to have a problem of single mothers). Last week, Carla was married to Jairo via a lawyer and will have a wedding in a church in December or Janurary. However, they must be confirmed first.
The family dynamic is interesting. There seems to be two houses and one roof. I feel a lot of empathy for Brenda as I learn more about her situation. She is so full of love for her daughters but now lives alone more or less. Jairo and Carla do not typically invite Brenda to accompany them. And, Brenda's other daughter lives in Texas and she talks to her frequently. In a sense, she has also lost Carla now too.
I mainly talk with Brenda and sometimes with Valentina. We often dance in the kitchen. One night, there was a fight across the street. The woman across the street is remarried to a man who is younger than her son. The husband and son were fighting. Brenda snooped quite a bit but later we blasted the music in the kitchen and danced. She likes music similar to what you would hear in a club. Valentina lately has been practicing her folkloric dance. It is adorable.
Since Jairo just moved in, the family is still in transition. It will be interesting to see how things may change during this semester.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
4 days/ 5 nights in El Campo
Part of the program was living in a rural homestay about an hour outside of Maltagalpa in coffee growing country in Nicaragua. I cannot even begin to describe this experience in the form of a blog. I have several photos that I will try to upload later but they do not capture the kindness of the people, the beauty of landscape, and the hardship and heartbreak that I experienced and witnessed.
I lived with Don Juan, Doña Lorenza, and their daughter Estella. The daughter was the coordinator for the experience in the community of La Ceiba. However, she does not work with SIT and this community had never hosted SIT students in the past. Lorenza had given birth to 13 children but only 6 of them survived. Most of her children live in the community of La Ceiba. There was no children living in my house but the grandchildren and nieces/nephews were constantly visiting.
We learned about the coffee process: picking from the plant, removing the shells, drying in the sun, and removing a second shell. Then these coffee 'beans' are sold in near by San Ramon before they are roasted and processed to become the form that we see today. Some farmers own their own land, but other farmers work on fincas that are owned by patrones. They are paid 60 cordobas or about $3 for a day's work.
The community is called La Ceiba and has 300 people. There is no running water or electricty. Fortunately, CARE International is involved with the community and the latrines and outdoor showers were only 7 months old. However, it seems that most of the community do not use these facilities built by CARE. This experience has made me think a lot about the implications and manners of 'development.'
At this moment, I am thinking a lot about Paolo Friere´s ideas of 'consciousness raising.' Education does not have to just teach people the names of continents and capitals. However, education can transform lives and the world by teaching people to think critically. Estella and Don Juan feel that my presence and the presence of other foreigners and organizations in their community was the result of Daniel Ortega. In the coming election, the majority, if not all of La Ceiba, will vote for Daniel Ortega. And, who am I to say that they shouldn´t or that they are making an uninformed vote? However, I do believe that education would only help in a more informed vote.
We have learned about the Literacy Crusade of 1980 in class and a museum exhibit. I spoke with Estella about her experience with the 'brigade from Managua.' Before the Crusade, the teachers in Maltagalpa (a four hour walk away) told her she was essentially to dumb to learn. But the young volunteers in 1980 taught her to read. It took 2 days to learn to write her name. They stayed for a year and now she can read and write. She is a coordinator for the community (also, because she is unmarried and without children). This is the power of education and social programs.
Finally, I was sick for my first time during this semester. I was throwing up at 3:30 in the morning. Doña Lorenza was worried on the porch and saddened by my condition. I truly felt a strong connection with my family in La Ceiba. I learned to make tortillas, play a card game, and experienced a part of the world rarely seen. It will take awhile if not the rest of my life to fully process all that I have learned in La Ceiba.
I lived with Don Juan, Doña Lorenza, and their daughter Estella. The daughter was the coordinator for the experience in the community of La Ceiba. However, she does not work with SIT and this community had never hosted SIT students in the past. Lorenza had given birth to 13 children but only 6 of them survived. Most of her children live in the community of La Ceiba. There was no children living in my house but the grandchildren and nieces/nephews were constantly visiting.
We learned about the coffee process: picking from the plant, removing the shells, drying in the sun, and removing a second shell. Then these coffee 'beans' are sold in near by San Ramon before they are roasted and processed to become the form that we see today. Some farmers own their own land, but other farmers work on fincas that are owned by patrones. They are paid 60 cordobas or about $3 for a day's work.
The community is called La Ceiba and has 300 people. There is no running water or electricty. Fortunately, CARE International is involved with the community and the latrines and outdoor showers were only 7 months old. However, it seems that most of the community do not use these facilities built by CARE. This experience has made me think a lot about the implications and manners of 'development.'
At this moment, I am thinking a lot about Paolo Friere´s ideas of 'consciousness raising.' Education does not have to just teach people the names of continents and capitals. However, education can transform lives and the world by teaching people to think critically. Estella and Don Juan feel that my presence and the presence of other foreigners and organizations in their community was the result of Daniel Ortega. In the coming election, the majority, if not all of La Ceiba, will vote for Daniel Ortega. And, who am I to say that they shouldn´t or that they are making an uninformed vote? However, I do believe that education would only help in a more informed vote.
We have learned about the Literacy Crusade of 1980 in class and a museum exhibit. I spoke with Estella about her experience with the 'brigade from Managua.' Before the Crusade, the teachers in Maltagalpa (a four hour walk away) told her she was essentially to dumb to learn. But the young volunteers in 1980 taught her to read. It took 2 days to learn to write her name. They stayed for a year and now she can read and write. She is a coordinator for the community (also, because she is unmarried and without children). This is the power of education and social programs.
Finally, I was sick for my first time during this semester. I was throwing up at 3:30 in the morning. Doña Lorenza was worried on the porch and saddened by my condition. I truly felt a strong connection with my family in La Ceiba. I learned to make tortillas, play a card game, and experienced a part of the world rarely seen. It will take awhile if not the rest of my life to fully process all that I have learned in La Ceiba.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Un Techo para Mi País
Friday Sept 10th - Tuesday Sept 14th
http://www.untechoparamipais.org/
Un Techo para Mi País is an organization that first started in Chile. Now it is in several countries across Latin America. The son of our program director volunteers with Techo. Also, we met another student, Cynthia, who helps organizes Techo. Cynthia went to school in the US last year through a program called UGrad, which is a program connected to SIT under the umbrella of World Learning.
On Friday the 10th, we left for Maltagalpa. We met in a park and like we had been warned, it was fairly disorganized. Our group of volunteers had 20 people too many. No one wanted to switch, and we wanted to stay in Cynthia´s group. I met 2 Nicaraguans, Georgina and Oliver, who spoke very good English. They were helpful. Some of the other SIT students wanted to go home at the point. But, I was excited and wanted to stay. All 6 of us SIT students ended up going.
The bus was crowded so I hitched a ride with Georgina and Oliver. Oliver called someone to drop off the car for him. I asked if his brother dropped it off. Oliver responded that it was just a worker. The car was a fairly new Honda CRV. Georgina and Oliver also attended the expensive American School in Managua, which explains their good English.
In general, I feel that the students that volunteer with Techo are from wealthier families because they do not have to be working or staying at home to help their families. It is difficult now to transition between hanging out with my homestay family in Barrio Maximo Jerez and hanging out with my Techo friends.
Back to Techo...
We arrived at 10pm on Friday, ate, and did an ice breaker activity. I loved the energy of the group. We slept on hard floors of the school classrooms. Many students brought air mattresses, cots, etc. I only had my sleeping bag, but after a long day of work, it didn´t really matter. We worked from 8 am - 6pm. The work was hard because we had to break through rock to dig holes to put the pillars to support the floor. We had 15 pillars.
Sunday: The next day we worked from 6am -7pm. 4 of the SIT students went home because they were not feeling well, but Molly and I stayed. We had to carry the pre-made floors up the hill to our work sites. It was heavy and difficult. I also got sunburnt on my chest pretty bad. Finally, the buses stopped running at 7pm and we missed the last bus. So, the supply truck came and picked us up. It was actually rather fun being crammed into a bus with a lot of students, being driven down bumpy roads in the middle of the night and periodically yelling 'Viva Techo!!!'
Monday: Molly had to go to the hospital and had a stomach infection. (So, I was the only SIT student to work every day). We had to carry up more floor boards and walls. It was another long day. 6am - 9pm
Each night we showered at the school in our swimsuits using hoses. We ate rice, beans, and pasta for lunch that Techo gave the families to cook for us. The family that received the house that I built was a single mom with 5 children ages 14 and younger.
Tuesday: It was supposed to be our last day but the rest of the materials did not arrive because of rain flooding the highways. Most of the afternoon, I hung out with my work group and the kids of the family. We took a lot of pictures too. About 15 students left and everyone kept asking me if I was going to stay the extra day. Claro! Voy a quedar!
Wednesday: We finished the house. I was sitting on the edges of the walls hammering the frame for the roof in the rain. I almost started to cry when we did a little closing ceremony in the house. The mother and her neighbor also blessed the house. The oldest daughter gave me a ring and Laura, our group leader, her earrings as a token of her gratitude. It was incredibly sweet.
What an experience! Maltagalpa is green and lush. At times, I would just sit and rest looking at the wonderous landscape around me. Finally, I loved my work group and only one student spoke English. At times, I didn´t understand the jokes, but it didn´t matter. We laughed a lot.
http://www.untechoparamipais.org/
Un Techo para Mi País is an organization that first started in Chile. Now it is in several countries across Latin America. The son of our program director volunteers with Techo. Also, we met another student, Cynthia, who helps organizes Techo. Cynthia went to school in the US last year through a program called UGrad, which is a program connected to SIT under the umbrella of World Learning.
On Friday the 10th, we left for Maltagalpa. We met in a park and like we had been warned, it was fairly disorganized. Our group of volunteers had 20 people too many. No one wanted to switch, and we wanted to stay in Cynthia´s group. I met 2 Nicaraguans, Georgina and Oliver, who spoke very good English. They were helpful. Some of the other SIT students wanted to go home at the point. But, I was excited and wanted to stay. All 6 of us SIT students ended up going.
The bus was crowded so I hitched a ride with Georgina and Oliver. Oliver called someone to drop off the car for him. I asked if his brother dropped it off. Oliver responded that it was just a worker. The car was a fairly new Honda CRV. Georgina and Oliver also attended the expensive American School in Managua, which explains their good English.
In general, I feel that the students that volunteer with Techo are from wealthier families because they do not have to be working or staying at home to help their families. It is difficult now to transition between hanging out with my homestay family in Barrio Maximo Jerez and hanging out with my Techo friends.
Back to Techo...
We arrived at 10pm on Friday, ate, and did an ice breaker activity. I loved the energy of the group. We slept on hard floors of the school classrooms. Many students brought air mattresses, cots, etc. I only had my sleeping bag, but after a long day of work, it didn´t really matter. We worked from 8 am - 6pm. The work was hard because we had to break through rock to dig holes to put the pillars to support the floor. We had 15 pillars.
Sunday: The next day we worked from 6am -7pm. 4 of the SIT students went home because they were not feeling well, but Molly and I stayed. We had to carry the pre-made floors up the hill to our work sites. It was heavy and difficult. I also got sunburnt on my chest pretty bad. Finally, the buses stopped running at 7pm and we missed the last bus. So, the supply truck came and picked us up. It was actually rather fun being crammed into a bus with a lot of students, being driven down bumpy roads in the middle of the night and periodically yelling 'Viva Techo!!!'
Monday: Molly had to go to the hospital and had a stomach infection. (So, I was the only SIT student to work every day). We had to carry up more floor boards and walls. It was another long day. 6am - 9pm
Each night we showered at the school in our swimsuits using hoses. We ate rice, beans, and pasta for lunch that Techo gave the families to cook for us. The family that received the house that I built was a single mom with 5 children ages 14 and younger.
Tuesday: It was supposed to be our last day but the rest of the materials did not arrive because of rain flooding the highways. Most of the afternoon, I hung out with my work group and the kids of the family. We took a lot of pictures too. About 15 students left and everyone kept asking me if I was going to stay the extra day. Claro! Voy a quedar!
Wednesday: We finished the house. I was sitting on the edges of the walls hammering the frame for the roof in the rain. I almost started to cry when we did a little closing ceremony in the house. The mother and her neighbor also blessed the house. The oldest daughter gave me a ring and Laura, our group leader, her earrings as a token of her gratitude. It was incredibly sweet.
What an experience! Maltagalpa is green and lush. At times, I would just sit and rest looking at the wonderous landscape around me. Finally, I loved my work group and only one student spoke English. At times, I didn´t understand the jokes, but it didn´t matter. We laughed a lot.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Dora María Téllez
We are so fortunate to be taking the history portion of the thematic seminar with Dora María Téllez. She was a Revolutionary and had a high command post. She also founded the MRS party, which broke off from the FSLN (The Sandinista Party).
Look at this for more info...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dora_Maria_Tellez
Look at this for more info...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dora_Maria_Tellez
Today, she spoke about the social projects after the Revolution and the economic, social, and political rights that the new government promoted. She also read from the Constitution. The passion that she had well she read sent shivers up my spine. You can tell that she loves her country. She spoke about the Constitution as a contract between the State and the citzens. However, the Constitution does not guarentee rights like the US Constituion. Instead, there needs to be laws enacted to guarentee these rights.
Dora María Téllez also spoke about generational changes. She founded the MRS party and she talked about how each election the numbers of votes for the MRS is increasing. She has hope for the new generation and the future of her political party. Finally, she spoke about how this generation can access the world with the internet and phones. They can talk to other people and Nicaraguans that live in other countries. It was a hopeful and poignant talk.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Los Ruidos de Mi Casa
Los Ruidos de Mi Casa or The Sounds of My House
Most houses in Nicaragua have metal roofs. When it rains, it is very noisy. My homestay mother, Doña Brenda, keeps reminding me of the sounds that I will hear. There are limes that fall with a plunk! There is also a cat that walks across the roof and disturbs the dog. My first night in my homestay I heard noises in the park. I later found out that it was fireworks because it was the anniversary of the police.
Most houses in Nicaragua have metal roofs. When it rains, it is very noisy. My homestay mother, Doña Brenda, keeps reminding me of the sounds that I will hear. There are limes that fall with a plunk! There is also a cat that walks across the roof and disturbs the dog. My first night in my homestay I heard noises in the park. I later found out that it was fireworks because it was the anniversary of the police.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Orientation
I decided to just have a Nicaragua blog instead of a general adventure blog to use in the future...
During Orientation, we are based in a hotel in Managua. We have air conditioning and wireless. It feels like SIT is slowly letting us adjust to culture shock. We have been talking about health, safety, and the academics. On Sunday, we go to our homestays. I am getting used to cold showers and lots of rain. Even though I am not using the awesome rain jacket that I bought at REI, you dry off very quickly. People seem to use umbrellas more than jackets here. Also, these umbrellas are LOVELY with butterflies and flowers.
I should probably stop trying to fit in with dress and such because I will always look like a gringa. Nicaraguans or Nicas are shorter and a lot of them have curly hair. Aynn was telling us that 'planchar el pello' or to iron the hair is becoming popular. Her young daughter (11?) is already becoming obsessed with ironing her hair.
Eating: There is a lot of RICE AND BEANS! We also are having a delicious chile/salsa/onion topping that is heavy in vinegar and spice. You can put it on chicken or something else. For breakfast, it is more rice and beans as well as eggs and coffee. Nicaraguans also like to fry food. Personally, I love fried food, but I may not tell my homestay this because then they may fix it for me all the time :)
The politics: Already, I can tell what a political country it is. Aynn (our program director) told us that you can tell someone's political views by what radio station you listen to. For example, taxi drivers may be playing their favorite station. However, sometimes they may play another station to see if you like it and thus, assess their passengers' political views. Graffiti is common with 'viva FSLN' (FSLN = the Sandinista political party) and 'viva Daniel' (Daniel Ortega is the current Sandinista president) as popular sights. Of course, you will also see 'viva la revolucion.'
You can also see the politics in the statues or public monuments...I may tell these stories in another blog.
The drop off: Evey SIT program seems to do a drop off where students are given questions to find out the answers to as we begin to use field research methods. We went to Leon on Friday to do this. Amber and I had to find out about the UNAN and la Gigantona. Leon is a great colonial city that is centered on the UNAN or Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua. Thus, the university is autonomous or separated from the church and the government in its decisions. It does receive almost all of its funding from the government.
Now, we are back in Managua for 2 more days of Spanish language testing and matching us with our homestays.
During Orientation, we are based in a hotel in Managua. We have air conditioning and wireless. It feels like SIT is slowly letting us adjust to culture shock. We have been talking about health, safety, and the academics. On Sunday, we go to our homestays. I am getting used to cold showers and lots of rain. Even though I am not using the awesome rain jacket that I bought at REI, you dry off very quickly. People seem to use umbrellas more than jackets here. Also, these umbrellas are LOVELY with butterflies and flowers.
I should probably stop trying to fit in with dress and such because I will always look like a gringa. Nicaraguans or Nicas are shorter and a lot of them have curly hair. Aynn was telling us that 'planchar el pello' or to iron the hair is becoming popular. Her young daughter (11?) is already becoming obsessed with ironing her hair.
Eating: There is a lot of RICE AND BEANS! We also are having a delicious chile/salsa/onion topping that is heavy in vinegar and spice. You can put it on chicken or something else. For breakfast, it is more rice and beans as well as eggs and coffee. Nicaraguans also like to fry food. Personally, I love fried food, but I may not tell my homestay this because then they may fix it for me all the time :)
The politics: Already, I can tell what a political country it is. Aynn (our program director) told us that you can tell someone's political views by what radio station you listen to. For example, taxi drivers may be playing their favorite station. However, sometimes they may play another station to see if you like it and thus, assess their passengers' political views. Graffiti is common with 'viva FSLN' (FSLN = the Sandinista political party) and 'viva Daniel' (Daniel Ortega is the current Sandinista president) as popular sights. Of course, you will also see 'viva la revolucion.'
You can also see the politics in the statues or public monuments...I may tell these stories in another blog.
The drop off: Evey SIT program seems to do a drop off where students are given questions to find out the answers to as we begin to use field research methods. We went to Leon on Friday to do this. Amber and I had to find out about the UNAN and la Gigantona. Leon is a great colonial city that is centered on the UNAN or Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua. Thus, the university is autonomous or separated from the church and the government in its decisions. It does receive almost all of its funding from the government.
Now, we are back in Managua for 2 more days of Spanish language testing and matching us with our homestays.
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