Treasures Found in Hidden Places

Let the rain fall down...

2010-05-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

Rainy season has come in full force. I am listening to the rain batter our roof, hoping that the roof will hold the water out. There are a few leaks here and there, but luckily none over my bed (yet!). Mornings are beautiful, the sun shines, the sky is blue, and the volcanoes make their presence known in all their majesty. Around 2pm the sky starts to darken, and darken, and darken, then by 4pm the rain starts slowly… with a drop, then two drops, then a minute later it is as if the floodgates of heaven have broken open and the rain comes on down. Lately, it has stuck around for an hour or two then faded off, leaving everything cold and wet as night falls upon us. However, in the last week after the rains have left us for an hour or so around twilight, they have come back to lullaby us to sleep.

Raiders

2010-05-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

Last night I apparently missed a lot of action at NPH. Feeling tired out still and needing a break, I took up one of my friend’s offers to come stay at their house in Antigua for the night. While I was enjoying a fun evening of games, talking, and dancing, NPH was being raided by locals trying to take our pigs! NPH has a pretty large pig farm with lots of pigs that we breed and butcher for internal use. Last night, approximately five local men somehow got onto the property and were trying to get to our pigs when someone saw them. Raising the alarm, NPH flung into action: the older boys from the boys house ran out of their houses yelling with the machetes they use for cutting the grass as well as big rocks which they flung at the intruders. The guard shot up a few bullets in the air to scare the intruders off, and the rest of the adults when running after the men with whatever they could find. After some action and excitement the intruders left without any of our precious pigs, the boys felt like warriors defending their own, and no one was hurt. Tonight the boys continue to patrol the grounds and every once in a while a reminder shot is fired into the air, but all is well. As I sit here in my house listening to the rain pouring on our roof I begin to think about the men trying to break in. What desperate times must they be going through to try to steal pigs from orphaned and abandoned children?

Challenges old and new

2010-05-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

This past week was a challenging week. I had to inform my coworkers and friends that I will be leaving NPH and Guatemala in late June (I accepted a job as a High School English teacher at an international school in Managua where I will be starting at the end of July). As I have made some great friendships here it was difficult to inform them that I would be leaving them so soon. After emotional conversations – and a doubled workload as I must now prepare an extra month of classes for my two middle school classes when I leave as well as prepare a smooth transition for my job in the office as project coordinator – I was ready to go out to Antigua with my good friend Samantha on Thursday night. Samantha and I hopped from venue to venue enjoying a complimentary glass of wine at a pretty little restaurant called Las Palmas, a brownie at one of our favorite restaurants Pena del Sol (where they play live Andean music), and lots of rum and cokes in a variety of other bars. Samantha’s friend Will called us to come to hang out with him and his friends so we headed over and immediately requested that the bar play “colgando en tus manos” by Carlos Baute which we proceeded to sing. Then one of my Guatemalan friends called and we scuttled over to go out dancing with him at my favorite dance club where they play a mix of Salsa, Bachata, Reggaeton, Merengue, and Kumbia. Salsa here in Guatemala still trips me up a bit, as they do it a little differently than I have ever done it. Nonetheless, the dancing was incredibly fun and when the club closed at 1 (Guatemalan nights out end very early) we called our trusty cab driver Alfredo to take us back home to NPH. Alfredo is a wonderfully nice gentleman who is about 50-years-old who is taking English lessons from Samantha. Therefore, on the way home he was practicing and asking lots of questions. About one and a half of the five miles on the route home is a dark, uphill segment. Alfredo’s car is pretty old and the lights are very dim – I was half worried that we might have to get out and push the car up the hill or turn around and spend the night in Antigua, but by God’s grace we made it up the hill and back to NPH. Laughing about our adventures, Samantha and I walked to our house, knowing we would have to get up in a couple hours to work in the school. Thank goodness we don’t have classes on Fridays!

Cleaning House

2010-05-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday morning of my childhood began with pancakes and a chore list.

This morning, though lacking in pancakes, was filled with chores. Living in a house with seven girls and lots of visitors makes for a pretty dirty living space. Therefore, when all the girls left this morning for grocery shopping, the lake, activities with the kids, etc., I took advantage of the situation and worked on making the house very clean.

Now, cleaning supplies are limited and the way things are done here at NPH took some getting used to. Nevertheless, armed with a 2 brooms, a few towels, vinegar, bleach, scrubbing pads, a bucket, and a squeegee I went to work. Our stove has apparently not been cleaned since it was bought, but after 3 scrubbing pads, two bottles of vinegar, and an hour or so of my time it looks good as new.

To clean the tiled floor, you must throw a mixture of bleach and water on the floor, then use the squeegee to wipe the water out, then finish off with a mop made of a broom covered by a towel. It is a long process, and lots of fun – especially when whisking out the water with the squeegee (the floor becomes like a skating rink!). When the floor is finished it shines and sparkles … if for only a hour or so.

And, after reading an article in Real Simple about using vinegar to clean teapots, I went to work on our shabby little teapot. After only 10 minutes of scrubbing, our beloved teapot is looking almost new! And, as the back of the stove was so gross with years of grease and dirt, I went on to attack it as well. Four hours after I started the house was finally clean.

2010-04-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

Warmth has finally come to San Andrés Itzapa, and the afternoons have a pleasant glow as the sun shines over the volcanoes and valleys and our home in the middle of it all. The kids take advantage of the sunny days by biking, playing soccer, and just wandering around enjoying the afternoons. I am finally able to take off my jackets and don some of the warmer summer clothing. The evenings still have a comfortable chill that makes it perfect to snuggle under the covers with a good book. I have recently found a few classics that I somehow missed reading in high school, and so currently I am reading The Lord of the Flies.

This past Wednesday evening I returned from a short trip to Nicaragua. I left last week Friday, April 16, to visit friends (and take advantage of my rental car!). It was so wonderful to be back, to see everyone and all the changes that have taken place. Chureca was more smoky than I remembered, and houses have been moved and roads built as the Spanish plan moves forward. In Cedro and Chiquilistagua the changes are more slight – children are bigger, my students have new boyfriends or girlfriends, and other friends have found new jobs or begun to build additions to their homes. However some things don’t seem to change – the warmth of Lorena’s porch and the hospitality and friendship I have found there, Yescenia’s jokes and laugh as her children run around showing me new pets, and other friends’ insistence that I sing songs to them – and these are the things that I carry with me in my heart.

The Flores Family - My Home Away From Home

Returning to Guatemala has been a change, not only in the heat and altitude, but also in my own feelings. While I appreciate the beauty of the country and the deep warmth of the people I have met, I feel more of a stranger here than ever. I have obviously always been a tourist, a foreigner passing through; but I have never felt it so strongly. This is indeed a blessing, as it would be extremely difficult to move on when the time comes if I felt as strongly toward this country as I feel for others. Nevertheless, there are still months to enjoy the majesty of this magical country and take pleasure in the friendships I have made, and I look forward to the adventures that are to come.

Correction to previous entry!

2010-04-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

I must admit that I was not fully informed before I wrote my last entry about the bus strikes. It was, in fact, much more complicated and frightening than my previous report of better wages, road conditions, etc. Unfortunately, the situation in the city buses in Guatemala is much more violent and corrupt.

Each month the city bus drivers of Guatemala city have to pay 1000 quetzales ($125.31) to the local gangs for "protection". If they refuse to pay, they are subject to assaults, and in many cases, death. The bus drivers were getting fed up with having to pay so much, especially because a bus ride costs 1 quetzal per passenger, and decided to go on strike. In solidarity with them, the rest of the bus drivers accross the country decided to go on strike, so as to bring immediate attention to the plight of the city bus drivers. The government is listening - for now - and there is now a larger police force tackling the problem. On almost every red City bus you can see a police officer or security gaurd riding right behind the bus driver. This has made the buses a bit safer for now, but it is unclear of how long assistance will be provided.

Yesterday I had to go to the Immigration office in the capital to renew my visa, which I must do after being here for 90 days (after the next 90 days I will have to leave the country for Belice, Mexico, or Costa Rica - as Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua have an international agreement on migration and travel). After a quick visit and passport pickup, the other volunteers wanted to hop on the red buses to go to a mall called Tikal Futuro. I, however, have heard too many tales of theft and assault on the buses, even with the increased security. City buses in Managua? No problem. City buses in the midst of a gang, transport, and police war? No, thank you.

Huelgas and Piojos

2010-03-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

Living in Guatemala, there are some things that will inevitably happen. One, there will be strikes. One thing that other countries use much more often than the States are these strikes. They grab the attention of everyone, as most people can´t get to work because of the crowds in the streets, and the issues are brought to the attention of the public. So today the buses are striking about higher wages, less working hours, safer roads, etc. Thus, there was no school today, as many of the teachers could not arrive at work in the buses or get through the streets in their cars. So, there was no English class for my students today.

Secondly, there is something inevitable about working at NPH. The kids often have piojos - that is to say lice. Therefore, if one spends time with kids - hugging them, playing with them, sitting with them to do homework - there is a very likly chance that you TOO will get lice. It took me 2.5 months. First it began with a slight itch, this was Tuesday. Then, Wednesday, a little more."Dry scalp?" I think... no, not just a dry scalp. Yes, for the first time in my life I had lice. Luckily I caught it right away and went to war on them. I had to wash all my clothes and blankets and even my pillow. While they were in the washer and dryer I washed my own hair with special shampoo twice and left the shampoo in for a few hours with a plastic bag over my head. By Friday, I was happy to announce myself as Lice-Free. I used to think it was only for people who were very dirty and never bathed. But now, as a daily bather and hair-washer, I know that it can happen to anyone who comes into contact with it. And you know what? It was worth it to have it if that is the price for spending quality time with the kids.

Land of Eternal Spring

2010-03-03T11:06:00.000-08:00

One always hears of the magical beauty of Guatemala – it is a storybook country full of ancient customs and culture, a land where one can go from the delicious tropical summer air of pristine beaches to the crisp beauty of the highlands where Guatemalans celebrate and continue in the traditions of their wise ancestors the Mayans. The bounty of colors in a single garment worn by a Mayan woman rivals that of a beautiful peacock in full fanning of feathers. To say it is beautiful is an understatement. One must see them to fully appreciate the beauty, though watching them being made in the tedious process has me marveling at the patience and creativity of each artist, for that is what each weaver is.

As a volunteer in Guatemala, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to travel and see the marvels of this country. Parramos is located between two important cities: Antigua with its beauty and elaborate tourist facilities, and Chimaltenango, an industrial city along the Pan-American Highway with bus connections to most any place one would want to go. This past weekend I took advantage of my proximity to Chimal to take the “Chicken Bus” to Quetzaltenango, a city in the Western Highlands. On Friday afternoon some friends and I headed out from the orphanage to hop on the 20 minute bus ride from Parramos to Chimal. Hopping out of the bus on the busy corner of the Pan American Highway we were immediately confronted by the honking of horns, standstill traffic, police officers blowing whistles, and bus drivers shouting out their destinations. Once we found our bus (not hard, as all the drivers wanted to get the business of six more passengers), we entered the completely full old school bus. Climbing up the stairs of these buses shows one why they are called “chicken buses” – they transport everybody with all the things they bring along with them – including chickens tucked under arms. In the United States these buses have a capacity of 66 persons – however in just my row at one time we had nine passengers.

Arriving in Xela (as Quetzaltenango is known), I called my friend Maddie whom I worked with last year (see last years entries to see pictures of her and read stories of adventures together) and whom is currently in Guatemala seeing if there is need for another Manna Project site here in Guatemala. I am so glad that she is here, as we frequently call one another during the day. But I digress. Maddie quickly came to find me in the park and we commenced our weekend. Saturday my friends from NPH and I went to Fuentes Georginas, hot springs located about a half hour from Xela in the mountains. It was breathtakingly beautiful – tropical foliage dripping in emerald green and pools of steaming hot water filled with weekend visitors seeking refuge from the chilly mountain air. After lounging in our bathing suits in the water for two hours we returned to Xela where I spent another marvelous night with Maddie and two other friends from Manna Project – Lori and Chris.

Sunday led to another adventure on the camionetas – Chicken Buses – as I had to return to Parramos for another wonderful week of work. I’m not sure what it is about the bus drivers here, but all of them are secret F1 race car drivers stuck in gigantic school buses. They take the mountain passes at breakneck speeds and the word “breaks” only applies once or twice in a 3-hour period. Watching them I feel that I may have missed my calling in life.

Family Projects

2010-02-15T12:38:00.000-08:00

One of the many responsibilities of being a volunteer for NPH is that we must go on two "family projects" each month. Family projects are really fun, they are a chance for blood brothers and sisters to get together and spend quality time with one another and a volunteer. The volunteers organize everything - first we ask them what they want to do - go to the nearby town of Parramos for food, ice cream, to hang out in the park, to play soccer... etc, or to stay at the home and make a cake, cookies, pizza, hamburgers, play cards, watch a movie etc. The options are up to the family and it is encouraged to have as much interaction between siblings as possible.

This past month I was assigned to a family of five siblings. The oldest brother was not able to make it to the project, but the oldest sisters and the two younger brothers were able to come. We met up to make hamburgers and french fries together. The oldest sisters taught the youngest brother how to help with cutting tomatoes and washing the lettace, things they would do daily in their house before joining the NPH family. It was intersting to be a part of it, and that they let me into their conversations and jokes made me feel honored. After a few matches of fusball, some puzzles, and building a castle with the youngest brother we ate, cleaned up the room together, and said goodnight as each family member went to their sections to finish up homework and go to bed.

My second project was a Friend Project. Friend projects are for pequeños (kids at NPH) who do not have family members in the home. They are able to choose two friends and do the same things that one would do for a Family Project. In this way they are also given some individual attention and the chance to get out and have some fun. I went with three 15-year-old boys to Parramos where we ate pizza, drank soda, and played a few rounds of Phase Ten. We talked a lot about school, life at NPH, friends, life in the States, English, Spanish, and Chapín (characteristics typical of Guatemala). It was fascenating for me, and I had a great time with the boys. There was a lot of laughing and jokes, and though I have always been the youngest, it felt like I was hanging out with my little brothers.

These trips are wonderful reminders of just how special each child here is. And as Father Wasson, the founder of NPH used to say: "You may be just one person in this great big world; but you can be the entire world to a child." The world is much bigger than me, much bigger than NPH, but sometimes it feels as if nothing matters more than the conversations made and the time spent with one person or small group of persons here.

Accompanying a Section

2010-02-10T11:10:00.000-08:00

The children here at NPH Guatemala are divided up into houses by age and gender. In the babies house there are four sections, the first is the Angelitos (little angels) which currently has two babies in it. The second section is the Luceros (little lights) which has four little boys and one little girl between the ages of 18 months and 3-years. Then the sections divide into little girls between 4- and 7-years-old and little boys from 4-7 years. The girls are the Fresas (the strawberries) and the boys are the Cariñositos (the little love bears). When children turn 8-years-old they move to either the boys' or the girls' house. In the boys' house there are six sections divided by age, and in the girls' there are four sections. Each volunteer is given a section of children to "accompany" or get to know well and mentor. My section is in the girls' house with the second oldest girls. The section's name is Belen (Bethleham), and the girls range from 12- to 17-years-old, though most are 15- and 16-years-old.

I have really enjoyed getting to know them little by little each day. The girls are wonderful, smart, loving, and creative. Whenever I go to visit them in their house at night there is always music playing, someone singing, a few girls doing homework, others doing their laundry and cleaning up the space, and certainly a few girls who want to just talk and hang out. Yesterday evening I spent helping with a little geography homework, English homework, talking about health and especially how to avoid acne, and putting the song "You Raise Me Up" to Spanish phonetics - after which I was coerced to sing the song five or six times to a growing number of listeners. Thank goodness two girls joined in with me, as I have never been one to sing for an audience. I always feel so full of joy when I leave them, they bring up my spirits each time I visit, no matter what the day has brought. What a wonderful blessing.

First days of class!

2010-01-29T09:44:00.000-08:00

This week was the first week of my English class. I teach one one-hour class to nine students at 7am. They are smart kids and lots of fun, and I hope to be able to teach them a lot. I´ve been working on coming up with a curriculum for them, and will be working with the other English teachers in order to do this. We are looking for a good ESL book, if you have any ideas please let me know! I´m also trying to get a system going, and it has been so helpful to have an actual teacher here, one who was trained and has experience in teaching. I would feel so lost without her guidance.

In my projects job I am beginning to work with a company called "My Good Shop" (www.mygoodshop.org). They have a sort of a gift catalogue which speeds up donations and gets rid of a lot of middle men. I really enjoy the job, and am learning quite a bit. It is fun to write emails and projects and do research on old projects and talk to a variety of people around the home. Today I have a meeting with an engineer from Guatemala City in regards to the building of a new school building - a sciences building that will allow the students to have a higher caliber of education. Currently they do not have a building or even a room with facilities for Chemistry, Biology, or Physics classes. I hope that this project will be able to be realized.

This past week my friend Maddie came to Guatemala, she will be here for two months. Maddie and I worked together in Nicaragua for Manna Project, and we had a lot to catch up on. We were able to explore Guatemala City with some new friends of mine. It was enlightening to see with people who live there, because I all hear is how dangerous it is. However, we went to some beautiful places. I was astounded at the arquitecture of some of the buildings, and Maddie and I kept exclaiming about how different everything was from Nicaragua. Overall we enjoyed our time in "Guate."

Each week we are supposed to spend two nights with our respective section. Last night I had the opportunity to go, and it was amazing. I brought some pictures of my family and friends and showed it to a captivated audience (all the girls expressed admiration of my brothers, and asked me when they are visiting :-) They then brought out their pictures and began to let me into their lives. We talked about families, soccer, school, food, and other things. The girls in my section range from 14-17 years old, and love to talk. I love being with them because we can have real conversations about things that they like, that bother them, that they wonder about... It is the ideal age for me, and I enjoy it thouroughly.

This weekend I look forward to celebrating my roommate Daniella´s Birthday with typical Austrian foods and a big bonfire. Then I will be heading to Panajachel to see Lago Atitlan and get some needed rest before another crazy and exciting week of work!

First impressions

2010-01-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

I have now finished my first week of “on the job training,” and it seems to be going fairly well. I am growing used to Guatemala (or at least the small town of Parramos) and the way of life in Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos. Next week I will be moving into my permanent quarters and I think that that will be helpful, a stabilizing location in an ever changing place.

My job as project coordinator is going well, I really like my coworker Ismar. He is very funny and always joking around. He makes work lighthearted and the hours pass by quickly. We are both becoming accustomed to the work, both having begun last week. We have made some progress with a few projects, and have added more to the website www.nph.org. My desk was moved in on Wednesday, and the computer was put up on Friday the 15th, however it is not working quite yet due to a power outage during the setup process. Next week I have meetings and the work should begin in earnest. I am looking forward to being busy.

My other job, teaching English, may or may not start next week. School is supposed to start at 7am on Monday morning, but I still do not know where I will be working or exactly which class I will be teaching. This is a bit tricky, but the headmistress doesn’t seem too worried and neither do the other teachers, so I guess I will take it all in stride. They tell me that Guatemalan schools don’t really start the week they are supposed to, it is more of a week of diversion and becoming accustomed. I’m not exactly sure what that means but I will be at work at 6:45am ready to do the Civil Service Act – that is sing the Guatemalan national anthem. I will be teaching one class each day Monday-Thursday from 7am-8am. I will then prepare my class for the next day, go for a run/exercise, clean up and check into work in the office at 10am and then be out at 5:30pm. With dinner at 6 and then hanging out with my appointed section at night, it will be a long day I’m sure.

I’m learning a lot of new words in Spanish each day – Guatemala has a different vocabulary than I have heard, and thus I feel I am constantly asking what a word means or how to say a word when people look at me like I’m crazy for saying something. For example, it was really cold last week (we were also hit with the cold front that hit much of North America and Europe) and I wanted to ask for another blanket. So I went to my coordinator and asked for a manta and she said, “a what?”, “una manta. I would like to have another one for the cold.” She didn’t understand, so I began to describe it. Then she exclaimed, “O! Un poncho!” ¿poncho? Yes, here in Guatemala a blanket is a poncho. I had similar experiences with popcorn, earrings, a pitcher, paper clips, and ink cartridges.

New Job in Guatemala

2010-01-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

I have just moved to Guatemala and am now in the first days of orientation of my new job, and more precisely, of my new home. I have moved to work for a foundation called Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) as the Project Coordinator and an English Teacher. I’m not exactly sure what my job as Project Coordinator will entail but I’m sure to find out later this week. Right now me and my fellow “generation of volunteers” are just getting to know our surroundings and learn about the organization. There are eleven new volunteers, nine women and two men. The men and two of the women are from Germany, two women are from Austria, four women from the United States (including myself), and one woman is from Spain.

So far our daily routine begins at 8am with breakfast, though I have been getting up at 6am to go for a run. The sun is just making an entrance at that time, sending shoots of pink and orange and red across the sky and in the crevices around the volcanoes. We have two volcanoes near to our home: Volcan Agua and Volcan Acatenango. They are breathtakingly beautiful, and I hope to climb them in the near future.

After breakfast (which consists of bread, an oatmeal/milk/rice/corn drink, and egg, coffee or tea, and red beans) we have some sort of orientation presentation. We learn about the structure of the organization, where things are on a tour, what our jobs will be, the characteristics we may need to have to do our jobs, what our feelings and fears are now (so we can see them a year from now), and play games to get to know one another. At 1:30pm we have lunch, and then normally do a walk around. Today we are going to Chimaltenango. Yesterday we walked around the orphanage and learned where everything was. We eat dinner at 6pm and then are free to walk to the internet café because right now ours doesn’t work at the orphanage. It is nice to get out into Parramos, the small village that is about a five-minute walk from where we live.

Parramos is a tranquil, easygoing village in the highlands of Guatemala. It has a central square where there are basketball courts, a large fountain, a pavilion, and a church. Along the four streets that surround it are produce stands during the day. There are also music venders, snack venders, a bank, and other shops around. In the evening there are lots of people walking and talking and sitting in the square. It reminds me of Mallorca and the other European cities and villages I have visited. It is a comforting feeling.

The first two nights here I have been going to a restaurant called La Familia – The Family – a place that volunteers seem to frequent. There is typical Guatemalan food – rice, beans, meat, guacamole, and some veggies along with the staple of the corn tortilla (which acts as a plate cleaner upper). And my favorite thing about the place: the jukebox. It has music by Daddy Yankee, Wisin y Yandel, Makano, Aventura and other favorites of mine. Amazing.

New Year in Nica

2009-12-30T17:22:00.000-08:00

30 December 2009

The end of the year finds me exactly where I started this year: in Cedro Galan, Nicaragua. A whole other year has passed and seems to continue racing onward with such speed that all I can do is jump into the current and ride the waves of change.

Though I left Nicaragua four months ago, as I walk around my old neighborhood El Planetarium I feel as if I had never left. Visiting friends from the community feels so natural and normal that it is as if I have just had a weekend away. Of course, there have been small changes – a new house on the corner next to El Farito, a baby who has learned how to walk and talk, graduations from high school and elementary school and the passing of other grades, kids who have grown a couple of inches, but overall friendships have come back with ease and conversations are interesting and full of both fun and serious topics.

It has been amazing to see and play with my dogs again. I was afraid they wouldn’t remember me and in turn spring at me in full attack mode, but they remembered me and are so affectionate that I can hardly leave them. I went for a run with Cola this morning and saw the same guards at their posts in front of the houses in my neighborhood. We greeted one another and they even remembered my name! The two yippy dogs are still at the top of the hill, and still don’t realize that Cola could swallow them whole. Walking in the neighborhood felt so good and right that I struggled at first to put my finger on exactly what it was… and then it came to me: home. This place is home. Everything about it calls to me, and I love it.

Home for the Holidays

2009-10-29T07:11:00.000-07:00

Dearest friends, family, and followers,

The last couple months in Nicaragua were incredible, albeit busy. We were able to train our new group of Program Directors, and I was able to stay behind an extra month to help them with their transition. I am very proud of them and know that they are doing a great job, what a wonderful group!

New and Old Manna Program Directors in El Farito, our after-school class hub

The last month of my time in Nicaragua was filled with joys and sorrows. Joys sprang up as I was always, always visiting families in our communities, getting to know them better and better. I was involved in so many parties and celebrations that the world seemed to spin like the hundreds of piñatas I helped to break open, scattering its candies to eager hands. In this midst of all the mirth, I found the sorrow of having to say goodbye to my friends and to families that had become like my own family.

My "second family", sisters Olga and Dayana and their mother Lorena

I returned to my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, for a few months to see my family, visit my home church, and watch seasons pass as I have not done for years. Though it is a much different world than Managua, I find it has its own hidden treasures: the red leaves in my front yard, the way my dog smells of autumn when he trots into the house, waking up to the comfort of the room I occupied since I was 3-years-old, and the list goes on. I'm excited for the Christmas season to start with all its lights and decorations.

My next step will be to go down to Guatemala, where I will be volunteering for yet another year, this time as a Project Coordinator and English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher for an orphanage called Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (Our Little Brothers). I am very hopeful of what this new year shall bring, and can't wait to get back down to Central America!

Spring Updates

2009-06-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

Dearest friends, family, and all other readers: my deepest apologies for the lack of writing over the past months. They have seemed to fly by for me, and before I knew it, it has become June and I haven't written a post since February! There is so much to write about, and yet, so much remains delightfully the same.

There have been a few new births in the Chiquilistagua and Cedro Galan neighborhoods (the primary ones that I work in throughout the week), one from the family of our gardener, security guard, and friend; another from a family I would consider one of my second families here in Nicaragua (I claim two families as my own in the deepest love and devotion); and finally one to a girl from our soccer team who has honored me with the role of being the madrina of the child - that is, the godmother/sponsor. It feels as if the additions of these new children are additions of my own family. I love them all dearly, though they are all hardly a week old!

The girls' soccer team has really taken off - with anywhere from 15-25 girls showing up on Fridays to play soccer in a non-pressured setting and make friendships with girls from different neighborhoods and friend groups. Watching the girls go from fighting to forming deep friendships has been extraordinary, and I thank God for the patience and endurance He has granted both myself and my teammate Christina throughout the months. The friendships we have formed with these girls has changed my life in profound ways, and has challenged me more than ever to scratch through the surface of friendships to the great and frightening depths that make relationships stronger. It has been hard, but worth it in all accounts.

My literacy group is so much fun - with two new members (our first boy, Alex!) we have really had to challenge ourselves as a unit, the older girls helping and learning along with the two newer members. Sometimes things work out smooth as silk, other times we have a bumpy, bumpy ride. Overall, they have learned a lot. We are currently doing a unit on machismo (chauvinism), asking questions of the media and reading a book about a girl growing up in Morocco under a restricting lifestyle. The conversations have been thought provoking, especially with the addition of Alex. Their insights never cease to amaze me.

Kids' English classes have finally calmed down a bit - we now have a steady 6-8 members (before it was anywhere from 2-25 kids... and completely out of control). The students are very smart and eager to learn. Quiet Rebeca has turned out to be the star of the class, and has thus grown in confidence. We are currently working on pronunciation, which the advanced students have told us is the most difficult part. And I believe it, after really looking at the English rules and lack thereof in regards to pronunciation.

I have recently joined a gym here in Nicaragua, and I love it. Every morning Maddie and I get up at 5:30 to go to spinning class. Our instructor Roger is awesome, and forgiving when we just can't quite get the positions correctly. It is great to go to class and talk to a different set of people, people who enjoy working out and are rather jolly for a 6am spinning class sweating our brains out on the second floor of the gym - this part open air for the breeze to pass through. After the first day, two gentlemen asked Maddie and I to join a competition of spinning this coming Saturday 27 June. How does one have a competition on stationary bikes? I have no idea, but it should prove to be interesting and quite exciting.

I have had quite a bit of time to read lately. The book I am currently reading is called Velvet Elvis: Reshaping the Christian Faith by Rob Bell. It is utterly fascinating, and has my 100% of my attention while I read it, as well as in the minutes following each segment. I often don't want to put it down, but force myself to just to think about it, think of the implications it causes, and pray about it. Absolutely fascinating. The one passage struck me immediately, as I thought about a real place that I know of and work in at least three times every week: La Chureca.
The passage:
The word "hell" is found fourteen times in the Bible, twelve of those occurrences being found in the teachings of Jesus. The word hell in English is the word gehenna in Greek. Gehenna is a reference to the Valley of Hinnom, a ravine on the south side of the city of Jerusalem. This valley was the site over the years of many violent and horrible deaths, and it came to be viewed as cursed. By Jesus' day, it had become the town dump. Garbage, trash, wild animals fighting over scraps of food, a fire burning - a place of waste and destruction. Some referred to it as the place with the gnashing of teeth where the fire never dies. So when Jesus uses gehenna, it is loaded with meaning and visual power - everybody knew what he was talking about. Velvet Elvis: page 57
A place of constant fire? Fires spontaneously combust due to a mix of chemicals and heat, as well as the fires lit by those who work in the dump in order to facilitate finding of the more valuable items. A place of violent and horrible deaths? I have heard tales that leave me near tears at the way human life can be so tossed around. Garbage, trash, and wild animals? Just look to the picture above, which doesn't include the dogs, pigs, cows, and other animals that scavenge on the municipal dump.

On a more positive note, other books I have been reading include the Twilight series (it was irrisistable), Belong to Me, The Sun Also Rises, The Prodigal God, a book called La Cancion de Amina, The Kite Runner, and The Land of a Thousand Splendid Suns. These are just a few amoung many.

As my Spanish gets much better, my English seems to decline. My apologies for phrases that might just seem a little off - they might be a Spanglish version of English. However, this increase in Spanish has allowed a new level of communication and friendship between the communities I work in and myself. We can talk about complex issues, funny stories, and sometimes even jokes (though Nicaraguan humour still goes over my head rather often).

Many other fun and exciting things are happening in Nicaragua, but as the gym calls me in less than 8 hours, I must be off to bed. Thank you again to all of you, for supporting me in various ways. It means the world and more to me!

A Day In The Life....

2009-01-23T09:15:00.001-08:00

Well, I realize that I have never really written about what I do day by day. I have given snippets, but nothing to describe my day to day affairs. As I am currently on a mini-break in Michigan, visiting friends and family for 11 days, I think now would be as good a time as any to describe in detail my daily life:

Mondays:
Monday mornings should be relaxing: I am at the Manna house until about 1pm, generally throwing together my lesson plans for the day. At 1:30 I teach a literacy class in El Farito in Cedro Galan to 4 very bright girls ages 10, 11, 12, and 14. Generally we start with logic puzzle, then do some journal writing, then reading (currently a version of don Quijote designed for 10-14-year-olds). Lastly, we play Scrabble if we have time (and I am sorely abused if there is no time! The girls LOVE the game, and are very good at it!). The class lasts from 1:30-3pm, from which I walk about a kilometer to pick up my young students for English class. Altogether, we walk 2.5 kilometers to the Chiquilistagua library where we have our class. That class has anywhere from 5-13 students, ages 5-12. The picture of the three boys in the blog entry below shows three of them - Lester, Maycol, and Gerald. The class goes from 4:30-5:30pm. If it is light outside, the children are able to play on the playground afterward, if not, I drive them home in the Nissan Patrol. From there, my evening is full of picking up and dropping off students from our various evening English classes - Intermediate English in Chiquilistagua at 6pm, and Beginner English in El Farito at 6:30pm. Monday nights are a time for "family dinner" - one Manna member cooks for everyone, and we all eat together around 7pm. Immediately afterward, we have our Monday night meetings, where we talk about all our programs, keeping one anther up to date on progress and difficulties in the program so we can rejoice together or give advice and ideas on how to improve them. After this meeting we generally break into other meetings and work on lesson plans for the next day and for the week.

At the end of every month we have parties for the literacy and math kids, sometimes at our house, sometimes at the cinema, sometimes in educational locations like museums or historical locations. And sometimes we rent a blowup water slide like in this picture with Dayana and Damaris, two of my students.

Tuesday:
On Tuesdays we have to be up and out of the house by 9am. Tuesdays are a day to visit La Chureca, the city dump. We are there from 9:30am until about 11am, as we are not allowed to stay much more than that due to health concerns. The government declares that workers are only allowed to stay in Chureca for 4 hours or less because of the hazardous environment. This makes my heart ache, as I know many of the families I know and love have no choice but to stay in that environment. In any case, the Child Sponsorship team splits up into two groups of two, and covers the two "neighborhoods" of Chureca. This way at least one set of us is able to see each family once a week. Smaller groups also allow for more intimate talking and getting to know the real needs of the community and the families, rather than only a quick overview of the child's health. At 11pm we leave, retrieve our mail from the post office, and head back home for a quick lunch. Then I go on to comedor, a program designed to feed the children of Cedro Galan on Tuesdays and Thursdays in El Farito. The children start by singing a prayer of thanks, then lining up to get their food. We assist the very young ones with getting their food, and talk with all the children while they eat. Afterward, I wash dishes while some children can earn "Farito dollars" by drying the dishes. With these "dollars" they can buy different things from the "Farito store" - pencils, notebooks, marbles, soccer balls, headbands, action figures, etc. This helps the children learn the importance of working. The Farito dollars are a hit, though I think there might be a black market for them... In any case, after Comedor we are about to start a "homework help" session where we can get to know some of the kids in the community who do not attend our classes, and be better equiped to assess the needs of the community. At 3pm there is a drama class, which though I did not attend it last year, I will be helping to lead this year.(our classes all start next week). At 4pm I generally start my run to Chiquilistagua for the Women's Health class. Class begins in the ranchón at 4:30, starting with yoga and moving to an upbeat exercise class doing kickboxing, marching, and general working out moves to the sounds of upbeat pop music - both in English and in Spanish. One must be over the age of 14 to join the class - and we get a variety of women. It shocked me the first time I saw a woman in a full sweatsuit - trying to lose weight by sweating more. Fascenating. Class ends at about 5:45pm, and we rush home to shower, eat dinner, and head out to Advanced English class at Farito. This is a group of about 20 people who come from all over to have a class taught predominately in English. We work on reading, writing, and communication. The class is always lots of fun, and we learn just as much Spanish as they learn English, it seems, because lots of the words they don't understand in English, we (or maybe just me) don't understand in Spanish. So we both learn together. The class is done by 8:30pm on a regular day, but we generally hang around afterwards, just talking and having fun together. From there it is on to our house, where we do prep work or play until we go to bed.

Wednesday
Wednesdays are much like Mondays, except that in the morning the Child Sponsorship team heads to Chureca for the weekly Health talk held by MINSA, the Ministerio de Salud or Ministry of Health. We are in charge of taking attendance (women must attend at least 3 of the 4 charlas each month in order to recieve the milk for that month) and listening to the suggestions given by MINSA so that we can encourage them in the households on our weekly visits. My favorite part of this time is playing with the children who are too young to be in school. They are always dressed in their best and freshly bathed, and always looking for fun. My arms are rather sore when I leave, after much throwing and whirling and twirling and jumping. When we get home between 10:30 and 11am we excercise or prepare for our classes and/or shower. Showering is pretty important after spending time in the dump :-) Then I have literacy at 1:30, Children's English at 4, driving and helping from 5-7, then back home for prep work or other administrative tasks or meetings.

Thursday
Exactly the same as Tuesday, except the drama class is creative arts, and I am not involved in it.

Friday
Mornings we are able to sleep in or do whatever, because Fridays are our prep days. I plan my lessons for the next week and grade the papers of the past week. At 3pm I have women's soccer practice, which is tons of fun. My roommate Christina and I train about 15-30 women and girls to play soccer in a non-competative practice. We have fun playing games and doing interesting drills and scrimages. It has been one of the more rewarding programs, and keeps me in practice so I don't entirely lose my skills!

So that was my general work week. Weekends are used for rest, travel, and playing (sometimes catch up work). All in all, my weeks are wonderfully varied and lots of fun. Thank you again to all who help support me in my work!

Bringing in the New Year, Nica-style

2009-01-07T07:31:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, I decided to stay in Central America for the holidays. All of my coworkers left for the United States around the 15th, while my Vanderbilt friend Tony and I hopped on a bus for Tegucigalpa, Honduras. After 7ish hours in a bus where we were 'fortunate' enough to watch Lethal Weapon I and II (who picked these movies, anyway?!), we deboarded and found a taxi for our hotel - Hotel Granada. Hotel Granada claimed to have hot water, but, well, we are in Central America so sometimes things aren't as advertised. No worries, as I don't have hot water in the Manna house either, this was no big shock. So from the hotel we decided to wander around town a little bit. We were situated near the central park (parque central), so opted to walk down there, hoping for an ATM or two. Unfortunately, the first two did not have any money in them, but we found one and thus began the system of withdrawls that has drained my bank account. The reason I went to Honduras was to visit a girl whom I have been sponsoring through World Vision for 4 years. It was wonderful to meet her and her mother and little sister, and though she was a little shy, she warmed right up to me and was soon chattering and running around just as a little girl should. I was very happy that my Spanish skills have been much improved, for I was able to understand and talk with the family and the World Vision staff with no difficulty. It was interesting to see how another non-profit works, and I was able to ask many questions in our 3 hour car ride to and from Tegucigalpa to the meeting place in southern Honduras. They are moving toward a stronger emphasis in community development, which will help the families to develop and in turn, the children. I was able to share ideas with the country director and he with me on the best tactics to do this, and the ones that haven't worked for us. It was very interesting.
The next day we headed out to the ruins of Copan, the only Mayan site in Honduras, and the best preserved of all the sites. It was beautiful to see, especially after having taken an anthropology class on Mayan civilization. It was a wonderful day, walking around in the beautiful tropical air through a vibrant jungle.
A couple days later we returned to Managua. I was pretty excited, and couldn't relax the whole way from Tegucigalpa to Managua... in anticipation of seeing my friends, my house, and especially my dogs (I love them so much!) It was here in Managua that I spent Christmas, at the home of the family who allowed me to stay with them for a week in November. Here in Nicaragua they celebrate the holiday on Christmas Eve, or "Nochebuena." And in the house I went to, they celebrated with Bachata music (a fun type of music to dance to - two steps to one side, then lift the inner leg, and then back.. and with a partner. I promise it looks much prettier than described), lots of shouting, an 11:30pm dinner, and shooting off any kind of firework or mortar gun in sight. So dangerous, so fun. I taught some of the kids how to dance bachata and just talked with my friends and the different families. We finally left at about 1am.
The rest of the days I spent visiting in the community, seeing my friends in Managua, and doing a bit of traveling. Unfortunately, I had my first accident - in the beautiful colonial town
of Granada. I was lost, on a busy street near the market, trying to avoid people and potholes and cars, and in my attempt at avoiding the first two, the tail end of the micro (16 passenger van) clipped the back bumper of a truck. For a second I must have been in denial, thinking it was the huge pothole I had hit, but alas with the truck driver honking the horn behind me and the police man rapping on my window, wishful thinking only lasted about 10 seconds. Long story short, I had to pay $30 to get the man's bumper fixed. Beyond that incident, travels were basically smooth sailing. I was able to go back to the marvelous Laguna de Apoyo - the volcanic crater lagoon in which I love to swim.
For New Years I went to my favorite dance club, and danced the night away with a few of my Nicaraguan friends as well as the other Manna member who stayed in Chiquilistagua (one of our communities) to care for one of the missionary families' homes. We brought in the New Year with lots of fireworks and hugs and wishes for a great new year.
And so far, it has been an amazing new year. I've been able to stay overnight at another community family's home - a woman named Lorena and her daughters Jennifer, Olga, Jensil, Alba, and Dayana. Dayana is in my literacy class, and Olga and Jensil come to our English programs. I really love their family, and hope to get to know them better as the year progresses. Now almost all our group is back, along with the addition of two new members: Kyle Bartelson and Josh Eddings. And in a week and a half I will be heading to Michigan to visit my mama and my brothers for 11 days. I am very excited about the trip, though I had to advise my mom to bring my boots and huge winter coat to the airport, as I don't have winter clothes in Nicaragua.
That is all for now, I hope that everyone has had a good holiday season and a great beginning of the new year.

A month of adventures

2008-11-09T11:18:00.000-08:00

This past month has been so full of fun and busyness, I don't even know how to recount it all! Let's see, I'll start with the things I've previously mentioned...

The flooding in Chureca has mostly gone down. All the mothers in our program are back in their houses, or have constructed new ones. This is still one of my favorite jobs, I love playing with the kids and talking to their mothers. I only wish I would have payed a little better attention in my anatomy and physiology courses, or taken an infectious disease class so that I could tell the mothers what they could do about the problems their children are having with a bit more authority. All I can do now is urge them to go to the clinic, which they don't always like to do.
14 boxes of muffin mix: my wonderful neighbors from Michigan have heard my cries for muffins... I received a large box full of muffin mixes! 7 different kinds! They have been amazing... this morning I made a box of blueberry muffins (my family always had some delicious treat on Sunday mornings, I was feeling nostalgic). I made two sets for a birthday party in the community this past week - as blueberries are not grown here (and I haven't yet seen them in this country), I made one batch of blueberry muffins, and one batch of apple strussel. Apparently they were incredible, I received many complements on them (which I pass on to my neighbors for their thoughtfulness!) I have also cleared the way threw the double chocolate and the chocolate chip. Soon it will be the banana....
Volcano Masaya: A group of five of the Manna members decided that living in Nicaragua, we should probably go visit a Volcano (this is the land of lakes and volcanoes!), so one Saturday morning we headed out on a 45 minute drive to the nearest active/dormant volcano (it last erupted around 1770, but at night you can still see the lava churning around) for a little hike. We all stopped at the visitor center where we parked our microbus, then began the 4km climb up the volcano. On the way up we had wonderful, silly, and funny conversations. Once up there, we threw rocks into the crater and marveled at the depth of it - I couldn't focus my eyes correctly and was left without a clue as to how massive the volcano mouth is. Once you reach the part we were on, there is a little 177 step hike up to a place where a large cross is placed. This is where their used to be ritual human sacrifices in the time of the indigenous people, and where the Catholic conquistadors continued in this horrible tradition by throwing "heathens" into the mouth of the volcano, part of the reason why it is called "the mouth of Hell." It was only 2 minutes after we reached the cross - on the tippy-tip of the volcano - that we learned the other part of why it is known by that name. Suddenly, a large sulfur cloud billowed up from the depths of the mountain and spit itself on us. We couldn't see or breathe. And then we heard thunder and saw lightning bolts, and it started to pour... we ran down the stairs, I was in front and screaming to a car in the parking lot (yes, you can also drive to the top of the volcano) "Esperanos! Esperanos!" (wait for us! wait for us!) but to no avail. They zoomed away, and we were stuck on top of the volcano, in a sulfur and lightning storm. Luckily, there was a rangers' station and we were able to run to it for shelter and gas masks. They called up a park van, and, drenched to the bone, we climbed into the bus and made our way back down to the micro safe and sound. Thus was the great adventure of Volcan Masaya.
An energetic classroom of 5-10 year olds: These children are wonderful, so loving, so joyful, so full of energy, so hard to teach! They want to play all the time, and the only way they seem to learn is with personal attention. This has been a hard class to teach, but also a joy to be in. I have never received so many hugs and kisses in one hour than when I am with these kids. This week - starting in 2 hours - I am going to be living in the compound of about 8 of the kids. When I say compound, I mean you can see one little house from the street with a large, pretty garden and a little shaded dirt road going into the what seems to be a jungle. But it is here that the development really begins, with many branches of the same family living in the same small area and helping each other to live and raise children and families. I am so excited to live with them and learn about their lives from a deeper perspective so that I will be better equipped to serve them and be served by them. All the Manna members are staying in the communities we work in for one week - this week it is Josh, Emily, Nikki and I. We are all about 1km from each other, and will be walking a lot this week in order to arrive at our programs and see one another. We are not permitted to come back to the house unless there is an emergency, but I think I will want to stay with the families the whole week anyway. My roommate Christina stayed with them last week and had a wonderful time, I think I shall as well.
Motorcycle lessons: So, I've wanted to learn how to drive a motorcycle for a while, I think something in Motorcycle Diaries inspired me... the sense of adventure, of freedom, the air blowing through your hair on the open road... amazing. So, one of my Nicaraguan friends who works for a partner non-profit based in the Netherlands (gotta love the Dutch!) told me he could give me lessons. So, one evening we went out to a deserted park and I was driving the moto "like a pro" within the hour. I personally think he exaggerated to make me feel better and more confident, but I didn't do too badly in first and second gears :-)

In other news, I just joined a Nicaraguan women's soccer team. Christina and I are the newest additions, and were invited to a tournament this coming Saturday. It is so great to meet new friends - especially girls around my age. Christina and I are both pretty excited about what may be in store for us with them.
We have a volunteer team from Vanderbilt coming for Thanksgiving, I am very excited about them! It all seems to be going by so fast, it is already November! Luckily, I am staying in Central America for Christmas, doing some light traveling and just hanging out with new friends.
I hope all is well in your respective areas of the country and world. All my warmest love and greetings!

Flooding in Chureca...

2008-10-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't had time to write in the past month on this personal blog, however I just wrote a blog for our Child Sponsorship program - which happens to be one of my favorite jobs. Feel free to read about the flooding in Chureca, as well as the Spanish initiative to move the population of Churequeros (those who live in Chureca) to other, more healthy environments:
http://childsponsorshipprogram.blogspot.com/

No worries, a real entry about the rest of my life here will come soon. Highlights: 14 boxes of muffin mix, encountering a thunderstorm while on the top of a volcano, learning to teach a classroom full of energetic 6-10 year-olds (mostly cousins), and motorcycle lessons!

Setting into motion

2008-09-15T05:17:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! Another month of activities has come and gone; everyday I feel more at home. I am filled with a exquisite peace, reminding me that I am here for a reason and that that reason is being fulfilled somehow, in some way, though I cannot explain in what manner, or even what it is that is being fulfilled. Often times I can't believe that I have been down in Nicaragua for over two months - sometimes it feels like I have just arrived, but more often it feels as if I have lived here for months. One of the true blessings of my job is that I absolutely love it. I can't imagine a better job or a better placement with better coworkers. It must be impossible. I hope everyone feels the way I do about my job - it is a pleasure to wake up in the morning and know that I have lots of work to do - but I guess anyone whose job includes visiting homes and receiving hugs and welcoming smiles would love their work. Teaching has also become a small love of my life. My students amaze me everyday - they are so smart and willing to learn that teaching them is a pleasure. In the literacy class we are about to begin a young readers' version of Don Quijote, a book I studied last year. I hope the girls are half as excited about it as I am, it's going to be great! And I can't forget the new soccer team that my roommate and I have organized. Though frustrating and stressful at times (organized practice might be a foreign concept to about 90% of our players), I can't ever forget the love of the game nor the joy with which the girls play.
Sometimes I fall into the trap of thinking that I have become a 'pro at Gringo-Nicaraguan life' - and then incidents will happen - such as the one yesterday when I was doing laundry and a ginormous tarantula popped out of a t-shirt. I sort of went crazy, running around like a madwoman, texting all my housemates about my mishap and how the wretched thing should die (of which they were tickled because I am normally an animal lover who will go to great lengths to save a grasshopper or moth from being murdered in this house). Nevertheless, I am learning slowly how to live life here - to take things as they come and not to be too bent up on details and timetables (as they generally have to be changed, anyway).
A few days ago I took my first trip on the over packed buses. That could be a post in itself - there was no space for movement as people were honestly on top of each other- I was sort of sitting on a woman's large hip (she was standing up) - and yet I was told to keep moving back. Right buddy... you try it. I was stuck. Beyond the crowds and smells, I actually enjoyed the bus. It is much cheaper than driving, and I get a better feel of the city (or so I think).
In spite of all this, I still find myself missing some of the creature comforts of my life in the United States. For example, this morning I woke up at 4:30 am with an intense craving for muffins. Not any muffins, but muffins from Anne's Cakes, a bakery I helped deliver for this past summer. If you are in Nashville, I highly recommend buying some of the muffins that have been made there - available at JJ's market, Produce Place, Sam and Zoë, Frothy Monkey, and Java - they are absolutely wonderful (yes, I am still craving them months later)! After a half hour of trying to get over my craving, I had to get up to raid the kitchen cupboards to see what I could bake - but to no avail as garbanzo beans and tomato paste would not make the delicious treat I craved. No matter, I'm awake now and blogging away - I was even able to see the sunrise at 5:30! It is unforgettable: breathtakingly beautiful as it comes up over the Managuan valley filled with lush palm trees and lagoons, with tropical birds calling to one another and flashing their bright feathers in the morning air. Amazing. Today is a national holiday for the schools, and we should be on our way to some parades in the near future. It will be fun to see our students and friends in a different setting than the building where we conduct our classes. I am looking forward to it. Until next time, all my best!

A little over a month in....

2008-08-18T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, so sorry that it has been a while since my last update. I have not been able to get onto blogspot.com in Nicaragua for a while, perhaps it is our connection here in the house. Who knows. I can't complain at any rate, as I have access to the internet everyday just by opening my computer. The house I live in is incredible, and we (the Manna group) are so blessed to have it.

I just started my third week of programs, and am still trying to find my niche, but am feeling more comfortable in everything, especially my Spanish. I am currently teaching a Spanish literacy class to four girls between the ages of ten and fourteen at a place called El Farito (the lighthouse) for an hour and half every Monday and Wednesday. They are all very smart and eager to learn, and after visiting one of the public schools this morning, I see the merit in having a four person class with two teachers as opposed to a 30-35 person class with one teacher. We are about to start working on grammar and spelling, as the girls are already able to write creatively (something not taught in the schools, and the objective of their past Manna teacher, Marcela). Therefore, Nikki (the co-teacher) and I think that we should brush up their skills on punctuation, accents, etc.

I also teach a children's beginners English class every Monday and Wednesday at Chiquilistagua for kids between five and ten years old. There is a core group of six kids who come, and I love each one of them. Three of the kids - Fabiola (10), her brother William (5), and Natali (7) - always run up to me when I arrive at the land and hug me then hold my hand the entire way to the classroom. Today Natali brought me some flowers, it was such a lovely gift! Another little girl brought me the equivalent of an Apple for teachers in the United States, three little green fruits that look like long green grapes but are much harder and taste... well... I guess you have to acquire the taste! In any case, the first two weeks we learned vocabulary from the human body and today we began learning vocabulary of the house - furniture etc. And of course we end every day playing either Bingo or Pato, Pato, Ganzo (duck, duck, goose).

I am involved in helping my group members with some other classes - such as Advanced English on Tuesday and Thursday nights, serving food and watching little kids at a feeding program on Tuesdays, and every once in a while helping with the woman's health and exercise class (or rather participating in and offering support to my fellow teammates and instructors Nikki and Mose). My roommate Christina and I will soon be starting a woman's soccer practice twice a week to see the interest in the area, and perhaps have a team in the future. We'll see.

Another thing I am involved in and can't wait to become more heavily invested is the work we do with our Child Sponsorship program in La Chureca. I know that I had written of the terrors of Chureca in my last post/email, but God is showing me that there are also many 'treasures found in hidden places' there - the hug I receive from Jefrey each time we visit his home (the little boy in the picture), the little girls in their little dresses playing hide-and-seek with me during the weekly health talks with their mothers, the smiles, grace, and strength of the mothers as they strive to get the best for their children. I am just beginning to remember a few of the mother's and children's names, which has become much easier now that we (the Child Sponsorship team - Mose, Maddie, Christina, and me) have been visiting the homes. I have been feeling much more comfortable in the area as well, though the smoke still sticks in my throat for hours after leaving and some things we see are so heartbreaking that I feel I will never be the same. Compassion sometimes overwhelms me, though I am still not sure what I should think or feel about everything I see. As the optimistic person that I am - always hoping for the best - I want to see change in the lives of everyone I see. I know this is not realistic (somewhere in the back of my mind I must know this, though I am currently struggling with my right pinky finger, trying to force it to NOT hit the delete key). Perhaps we will see change, perhaps we will save someone's life, perhaps we will make a difference. It is my greatest wish.

In terms of our living situation, it is nice to live slightly outside the city of Managua. We are close enough that we can drive there on the weekends to pass time with our Nicaraguan friends (it is my mission to master the salsa), yet far enough away that our lungs thank us for the fresh air. The tranquil country atmosphere eases the stress of daily events and a crowded house. In our house, I have been appointed "The Veterinarian": that is, I care for our rottweilers (I adore them!) by feeding them, training them, grooming them, taking them to the vet when they are sick, and by disciplining them. In terms of the group living, we've all been getting along pretty well - no big fights yet (I hope we never have one!) - and we all have different interests and passions that I think go well together.

The new thing I learned this past week was to drive a stick-shift car. I love it. I don't think I'll want to go back to an automatic anytime soon...

In any case, I hope to be writing with more frequency in the future, but it depends on the internet connection. With luck, I should have another post up within a week! Hope to hear from y'all soon - just send an email my way :-)

First Impressions

2008-08-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

Hello from Managua, Nicaragua!!! I have been here for a little over a week now, but it seems like so much longer with all the activities we have packed into everyday. I haven't felt like I've had time for much correspondence with all of you, therefore I thought one mass email was in order just to give a bit of an update on what I've been up to here, at least until my blog is set up. And feel free to send me individual emails, I am much better at those than these mass emails. Even better at personal letters :-) I'll include the address at the end of this email, no worries.

So here is a rundown of what has been going on (for those of you sitting in an office or with nothing better to do) : Last Friday morning at 4am, I loaded all my bags into the car and headed to the airport with my mother - not knowing what to think, feel, or expect. A new adventure, a new country, new friends and people to serve and teach and learn from and be served by. From Grand Rapids to Houston my thoughts and emotions were jumbled and I didn't know what to think or expect. I met two girls in my group in Houston - Maddie and MaryRose - and some of my fears were eased as I realized what wonderful people I would be spending my year with. We continued into Managua, where we were greeted by the program directors whom we are replacing, and then driven to our amazing house where we met more program directors and set up until the others came to join us. The next day (Saturday) we headed to a beautiful lagoon created out of the crater of a volcano - still active and therefore the lake was warm and rather sulfuric - and absolutely gorgeous. Then on Sunday we were fortunate to attend a wedding for 12 different couples at a local church. Apparently weddings are very expensive here as well - and therefore the couples all waited to get married at the same time in order to cut down on costs. By the fifth or so couple the priest was just cruising through the vows and children began running up and down the aisles. It was a sight to see and really fun to witness. After we went to go play a little ultimate frisbee with some locals and missionaries in a park - they do it every Sunday! Monday we began to work with the programs - literacy, math, and english, as well as a group meeting and tours around the neighborhood - including the 35 minute walk to El Farito (the building where we teach most of our classes) from our house - through neighborhoods of shanties and small huts, people everywhere and dogs barking and running up to us until we waved sticks at them and scared them away from us. Walking through the community was so fun - everyone was very friendly and looked at us with interest (well, yes, a line of 6 gringas (white-American women) is a sight to see in this community). The kids and adults in the programs are amazing and very fun to teach - I can't believe that it will be my job for the rest of the year! So, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were a blur for me - full of lots of emotions, both good and bad. We went to La Chureca, the largest city dump in Latin America were 1300+ people actually live. It is from there that our child sponsorship program is done, and it was one of the most emotional experiences I have ever had - and I am at a loss of words on how to describe it. Suffice it to say that driving into Chureca was like driving into an apocalyptic movie - smoke everywhere; terrible smells erupting from the piles of trash and the dredges of some sort of liquid; dirty, malnourished and lost children as young as four pulling plastic and metals from heaps as fat middlemen sit at the entrance. And worse. Those days were so hard, as we worked in the medical clinic and made home visits to the families we help with our sponsorship program. I could not have gotten through it without the help of prayers and Jesus' love for me and for all who live there. In high school my Spanish teacher made us memorize Psalm 23 in Spanish, and the part "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil" repeated over and over in my mind (Aunque paso por el más oscuro de los valles, no tendré miedo, porque Tu Señor, estás conmigo). It was a strength to me. In addition, I have two wonderful friends here - Emily Lineberger (who many of you know well!) and another girl named Christina Colopy, who prayed with me before we went into the dump - asking God to give us strength and love for all whom we saw. After the dump we went to a feeding program and taught a women's exercise and health class as well as more literacy, math, and English classes. In addition, we had many fiestas -parties- of welcomes for the new PDs (program directors (me and the rest of the new group)) and goodbyes for the old PDs. Friday we had a party for the kids in the literacy program and went to a health talk for our women's health class. And then I slept. A lot. This weekend has been a good revival time, and later today I will be going to live in a native Nicaraguan's house for the next two weeks, in which I will be involved in language school (to relearn all the Spanish I have forgotten). Therefore, I will not be as able to email as I am at the Manna House (where we have wireless!). And when I get back, my blog should be set up and I will be posting pictures for y'all to look at - I know they are far more interesting than long emails anyway :-) I miss you all and continue to keep you in my prayers, please do the same for me!

Love from Nica, Tressa Hoekstra

My address in Nica:
Tressa Hoekstra
c/o Manna Project International
Apartado Postal P-150
Las Piedracitas
Managua, Nicaragua

it takes about 2 weeks... and sometimes longer, but it should get here :-)