Friday, August 7, 2009
photo update
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
noticias buenas
Last week, when I was out of commission due to mystery illness, I had to miss my weekly meeting with the group of disabled kids and their parents. I was very concerned that my absence would send a misleading signal to the group, and that this would be the beginning of the end. However, to my delight, the group held a productive meeting under the direction of the nurse at my clinic, and set a date to meet again. I was very encouraged to hear this news- that the group wanted to meet again even without me probing for the next date, place, and time. But simultaneously, I felt dismayed, because I myself am not capable of giving these families what they really need. While we've solicited help from the outside, we're currently in the waiting stage of that process, so it's easy to feel frustrated. I wasn't sure exactly what today's meeting was going to bring and it had me pretty bummed.
Furthermore, there's the problem of el refrigerio (snack). I've mentioned previously that el refrigerio is an essential element of a successful meeting. The reason eludes me, but I am chronically inadequate in the preparation and/or serving of el refrigerio. For one thing, we hold each meeting in a new place, in an attempt to keep travel distance relatively equal for everyone when all is said and done (buses=money). Due to our nomadic tendencies, I never know if the building of the week will be equipped with a kitchen, any type of cooking utensils or instruments, water for washing or drinking, etc. Plus, things get crazy with all the parents and their kids, so there's not a good time for me to disappear and cook or serve. I've had lots of help from other inters and one of my coordinators, but regardless of their generous attempts, I'm still perpetually a failure. I end up scrambling last minute for one thing or another (who am I kidding, for multiple things that I've forgotten or won't serve due to the conditions).
Today I barely escaped major disaster. I had decided to make rice, beans, and a cabbage salad with beets and tomatoes. This morning I had the rice and the ingredients for the salad, plus all the materials I needed for the actual meeting ready to go. The beans were waiting for me at my coordinator's house, where I was headed by bicycle to prepare the rest of the food before catching the 10:45 bus to the meeting. I got to my coordinator's house by 9:45 and started in on the cabbage. The woman who had offered to help me cook the rice, Nica style (oil, chiltoma, carrots, fry the rice first) didn't realize that I had to catch the 10:45 bus. We were cutting it seriously close when the bus announced itself, toiling audibly down the road. Thankfully, someone flagged down the bus while I gathered the beans and salad. Bereft of rice and feeling defeated, I boarded the bus.
At first, it didn't seem like the meeting would be that well attended, and the lack of rice might not be the end of the world. Trade off of sorts, I suppose. But the people started coming and it was clear that the rice would be missed. All of a sudden, my coordinator reenters the preschool where we're congregating, carrying the rice! Her host sister found someone to give her a ride on a motorcycle to the meeting spot (a pretty good distance). Phew, disaster averted. Almost- because I failed to bring drinks. Now this was a premeditated risk- I simply could not carry drinks and cups along with all the other materials, so I opted to win over my group with scrumptious salad and hope that their enjoyment of the food would prevent anyone from noticing the lack of drinks. No dice. My salad wasn't very well received, and I had to shell out major dough when a woman passed by selling juice in bags. Oh well, you can't win them all (or apparently any...)
What's actually important, and what I should be writing about, is that the business part of the meeting was a success. We got everyone on the same page and laid out some next steps. Most exciting, we elected a committee- coordinator, vice-coordinator, and secretary- who I'll be helping get organized so they can take over the management of all the affairs of the group. Each woman on the committee seems committed and capable, so I'm thrilled. I'm meeting with the coordinator on Monday to help her prepare for the theme of the next meeting- disability prevention. I sort of started with this topic, but my Spanish was wanting and the group was just getting off the ground, so I think it will serve us well to revisit it.
As far as any major triumphs go, we're waiting for the national coordinator of Los Pipitos to return to the country so that we can hold a meeting with her and others to discuss an alliance. That should happen next week, if all goes according to plan. If indeed this comes to fruition, I'll be incredibly happy. It will mean that a specialist will be sent once a month to visit these families- evaluate the kids, work on therapy, nutrition, stimulation, etc. In the meantime, we're waiting and trying to recruit more members from other communities.
Tomorrow a bunch of kids are getting together to clean the hot springs in Las Salinas, so I'll be doing that in the afternoon. The hot springs (aguas termales) are awesome! I love that place. I wish I lived closer to it so I could take a dip every night. Being in the water is unbelievably soothing, and getting out and exposing yourself to the night air is spectacularly refreshing.
Time to go home- I'm hungry, tired, and in dire need of a shower!
Hasta pronto.
Friday, July 31, 2009
I had to put the blog on hold for a bit because I got sick and had to travel around to get medical care. But I'm back in Tola now, and as far as I can tell, everything is going to be fine.
Granada was cool, but I got sick the first day we arrived, so my experience was tainted, to say the least. I think until I visit Granada again, in good health, I won't be able to appreciate it fully. We went to one of the volcanoes in the area- Mombacho- and hiked the trail around the craters at the top. I was in a lot of pain, but walking around in the cloud forest was still pretty exhilarating. I also saw tons of beautiful foliage, including birds of paradise, which was awesome. Unfortunately it was super overcast, so we couldn't see anything from the top of the volcano. THat was a huge bummer, and for that reason and a few others, I'm determined to get to another volcano before I leave, hike it, see the view, and enjoy myself! I hope I can make it happen. My host family and I had planned a trip for this weekend to Catarina, which is near Masaya, but I have to pull out because I'm still recovering.
I think life will be back to "normal" on Monday, and I'll have had time to process everything that has happened and write a nicer post.
Dale pues!
Joc
Friday, July 24, 2009
I had hoped that during this meeting, I could start to transfer some of the leadership of the group to the parents themselves. I started off the meeting basically saying this, and throughout tried to get the parents more involved in the direction of the meeting. One of the mothers in particular has really opened up and assumed a leadership role. She's the same one who went with me to Rivas, to visit Los Pipitos. She brought all her informational packets and her therapy ball to the meeting. She also volunteered to present the goals and objectives of the group to the new participants. She told me that she serves as secretary on a board at Pipitos, so I'm hoping she'll want to run for a position in our group. When I suggested elections, people didn't seem too enthused, but apparently this is the reaction that Alice, one of the other interns who worked with groups of pregnant women, was confronted with when she tried to form committees. We decided to revisit the elections next week, and maybe by then people will be more excited about the idea.
I'm pretty concerned that the group may disintegrate when I leave, so I'm trying my best to figure out ways to prevent that from happening. The most threatening element, from my perspective, is the fact that very little physical therapy has actually been demonstrated. The reason for this is the diversity of disabilities within our small group. Basically each kid requires individual attention and evaluation in order to determine what types of therapy exercises should be implemented. We suggested that each parent try to recruit a pair for their child- another kid with a similar disability with whom he/she can partner for therapy. Hopefully that will help a little bit, although I'm not convinced, because we don't have a licensed therapist regularly coming to meetings.
What might be more feasible and ultimately a more strategic first step is shifting the focus to sensitization of parents and community members. If I could introduce the parents to the idea that their child can develop with their help, I think that would be something really good. There's a series of posters in the preschool that we're having the next meeting at that shows examples of methods of stimulation for kids with disabilities- ways of engaging and teaching your child in and around the house. We'll probably spend some time discussing that at the next meeting. And the nurse here said she would give a "charla" (informal talk) on sensitization. (Is sensitization even a word? My hold on English-especially spelling- is withering). Regardless, I also want to get some interactive children's music to play at our meetings. And everyone signed the letter of solicitation that I wrote to los Pipitos, so that will be sent off next week (on the bus- there's no way to mail letters from here). That partnership is probably our best hope for the group- but I don't want to get my hopes up too high in case things don't work out.
It's incredibly sad to see what these kids, and their moms or dads, are up against. There is nothing here for them. Except for the 2 who go to Pipitos for therapy, the rest have no opportunities to develop, improve their quality of life, learn to walk, to talk, etc. It's a devastating situation. Each meeting is a fresh blow, and I leave consumed by the sadness of it all. I now feel like these people are counting on me to do something to improve things, and if I can't, I don't know how I'll handle that.
We did do a little art project last time- finger painting. But the paints I brought (the only ones I had access to for free) smelled suspiciously toxic. We tried our best to wash the kid's hands after they finished painting, but I felt pretty irresponsible having supplied them with hazardous paint. Next time I'll buy my own.
There's a bunch more stuff I want to write about, but it will have to wait because I've got to go home for lunch and then to a meeting in Las Salinas. Ay! I forgot to mention a huge development! I am now the distinguished owner of a bicycle! Never mind the fact that it lacks breaks- I can get places now! I came into this fortunate position through Alice, who I mentioned earlier. She bequeathed her bike to me, as she is leaving tomorrow. I'm thrilled to have the bicycle, but bummed to be losing Alice.
Granada tomorrow, more soon.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
I started the day with a run to the beach, and then got to make myself breakfast for once! Kati goes to English school in Rivas on Saturdays, and since she has to leave very early, she wasn’t here to present me with my breakfast as usual. It’s odd being served all my meals—I laughed the other day when Kati was packing my lunch and told her that before I arrived in Nicaragua, it had been more than a few years since anyone had done that for me.
On the topic of food—my family may think I’m loca because “I eat like a poor person” –i.e. I don’t eat meat and I eagerly eat rice and beans. But they’ve accepted the no-meat concept, so I no longer have to reject their generous offers. The major hurdle to a vegetarian diet here is that the Nica meaning of the word “carne” (meat) isn’t perfectly synonymous with its American translation. For instance, you can say “no meat” and someone will respond by offering you chicken.
Unfortunately vegetables are rather expensive, so we’re not swimming in them. A decent sized carrot generally costs 10 cordobas (50 cents) which is a lot here. Thankfully tomatoes and onions are cheap, so we’re never lacking in that department. And my family has noticed my love affair with avocados, so they try to keep me well-stocked. As far as fruit goes, mangos and bananas are the cheapest, so I tend to eat a few of each a day. Despite my knowledge of their affordability and my substantial quotidian consumption of mangos, I’m still euphoric each time I start in on one. I don’t know if I could ever get used to something so good being readily available. Enough about mangos though…
FSD held a workshop today, up the road in Las Salinas (where 3 of the 5 interns live) on composting. Kati was asked to make the “refrigerio” (snack- remember, it’s not a meeting without a snack) but she had to make 200 empanadas yesterday for a “culto” and go to English school today, so for the second time today, I took to the kitchen. All I had to do was make ham and cheese sandwiches on croissants that were already baked and pack juice boxes. Juice boxes! I sat down on the bus with all this food in my backpack and pretty soon an old woman boarded and started to take the only empty seat—next to me. As she sat down, I realized she was carrying a chicken by its legs in her right hand—the hand closest to me! I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of sharing my seat with live fowl, especially since I was transporting food, but I didn’t have much say in the matter. In fact, the chicken was a much more vocal protestor than I was. Didn’t do much good though, I assume. Bus rides here are predictably un-predictable.
FSD invited a man from the ministry of all issues environmental to give a talk on composting. Nicaragua, like most developing countries, is struggling with the problem of trash. The trash is everywhere—contaminating the water, the soil, and the air (air because the only way to make the trash disappear is to burn it). It attracts more disease-spreading flies than cash-laden tourists, to say the least. Composting is a really good option here because the ingredients are readily available and organic soil is more profitable than non-organic. I haven’t seen a single compost heap in our neighborhood, but evidently they’ve been implemented successfully elsewhere. I’m hoping to suggest the idea of composting to my family.
After a delicious glass of cantaloupe juice, we headed to the next town over, La Virgen Morena, to check out my host-brother-in-law, Ariel’s, soccer game. It was scheduled to start at 3, U.S. time, so invariably no one showed until almost 4. The game was fun to watch, especially because combined with the expected dribbling, passing, and shooting, there was grazing, pecking, and snorting. A flock of chickens and a pig staged a sit-in on one corner of the field. They maintained their ranks admirably, despite a few serious collisions. It also seems to be the fashion to ride one’s bike through the middle of the field in the midst of play. This occurred a number of times, but none of the players seemed to notice. I’ve played with Ariel and his friends before, and I know that he’s one of the better players. For some reason though, he didn’t play the first half, so I didn’t actually get to see him in action.
Walking to the game and then again on the way home, we ran into a few funerals. Three babies and a man died near the end of this week. One of the babies died in the womb, but thankfully the mom survived. The two others were a few days old but died of fever resulting from infections. The man, who I found out is an uncle of my host-siblings (apparently all of La Virgen is related to my host-grandma), died of a heart attack. The father of one of the poor babies is a good friend of Kati’s, and came over himself to give her the news. It was heartbreaking. All I hear about is how terrible the hospitals are here- how one has to wait and wait, often until it’s too late. Only the mother of the baby who died inutero and one of the two who succumbed to fever ever went to the hospital. The other baby and the man died here, in the community. I don’t know which option is safer- they may be equally abysmal.
While walking back toward Las Salinas after the soccer game, I ran into a neighbor on his motorcycle and hitched a ride home. Although I’ve now ridden a motorcycle 5 or 6 times, I’m still totally thrilled every time. In the US, I’m staunchly opposed to motorcycles (as some of you know). Here, though, I’m a total hypocrite. I love them! I hope I can quit the habit when I get home.
My lungs and I were welcomed home by a serious trash-fire, from the banks of which I plucked Adrian, my 14 month old host-nephew, who had escaped his numerous caregivers and was enjoying a moment of freedom in the yard unsupervised. The fire-stokers were none other than Luis and Wilder, the star members of the stare-at-Yoselin club, whose combined age barely puts them at half of mine. Kids learn their wilderness skills early here, despite the absence of boyscouts.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
I'm just wrapping up the day now at the clinic. I spent the last few hours rehashing the meeting I had yesterday in Rivas with the nurse, Martita. The meeting was with the director of Pipitos, the government run program for kids with disabilities. There are 4 Pipitos centers in the department of Rivas, and the closest one to us in in the city of Rivas. I went there yesterday in the morning to resupply (there's a pretty good market and lots of pharmacies in Rivas) and had my meeting in the afternoon. The purpose of the visit was basically to attempt to establish a relationship wtih Pipitos and use them as a resource for our therapy class. The meeting was pretty informative, and we now know how to go about forming an aliance with Pipitos that will allow us access to materials and skilled people. I'm pretty excited about the prospects, but at the same time trying to stay focused on the present status of the group. I'm concerned that if the members don't see any immediate benefits to attending our meetings, our numbers will start to dwindle.
At the last meeting, 2 of the mothers demonstrated therapy techniques, but they weren't applicable to everyone (which is going to be an ongoing challenge because our kids span the spectrum of disabilities). I'm certainly pleased that the goal of mutual support was realized on some level, but remain slightly concerned for the overall strength of the group. Hopefully the next meeting will offer a greater reward to our participants, because I was able to solicit a therapist to attend. Yesterday, one of the mothers in our group accompanied me to Pipitos, and she mentioned a masseuse who works at the resort nearby. She told me that this woman had worked with disabled kids before, and through an FSD connection I was able to talk with her today. It's kind of amazing how quickly communication can happen here, despite the lack of technology. I'm not entirely sure of how applicable her background is, but I'm crossing my fingers. I'm also trying to secure the attendence of another therapist who lives in the area, but she doesn't have a phone so reaching her is tricky. No dice today, but I'll try again tomorrow.
Otherwise, still trying to understand the teen pregnancy issue more fully. I was able to ask the doctor a few questions this afternoon and may do some interviews at the nearest secondary school. From what I've gathered (which isn't really that much) there may be a general belief in the community that birth-control injections can lead to infertility if received before the woman has already giving birth once. Not the case, but certainly an important myth to understand/attempt to dispel. The injection is basically the only available "high-tech" female-controlled method of birth control at the government clinic because shipments of the pill are very unreliable (currently they don't have it, and haven't for a while). Obviously a problem. We have a supply of the pill here at our clinic, but it's minuscule and the pill itself is unaffordable for most. The doctor thinks though, that the biggest hindrance to usage of contraceptives is cultural. Girls don't want their parents to know, etc. There's also a religious component, but I'm not sure how deep or pervasive it is. So even if we were able to increase our supply/provide it gratis, I don't know if it would be taken advantage of. I'm looking forward to talking with some more girls and pursuing these issues.
Ok, heading off now for home before the sun goes down.
A la orden (my new favorite way to say bye)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
I think the meeting went well. It's hard for me to judge successes and failures here- I'm still getting a feel for the standards and modes of conduct. I did learn today, however, that for a meeting to be considered legitimate, there absolutely has to be snack (refrigerio). I almost screwed that one up, but got saved by Martha at the last minute. I cringed when I picked up the order from one of the local pulperias (little stores, usually run out of houses, that sell soda, snacks, fruit, etc) because today's refrigerios- coke and packaged cakes- don't exactly jive with the objectives of my project- healthy mothers and kids. Next time, though, we're meeting in a building with a kitchen, so we're going to prepare the refrigerios ourselves! I'm already reveling in thoughts of healthy fruit salads or smoothies (I only ate 3 bananas and 1 mango today, so I've been relatively deprived).
Aside from seriously increasing the caloric intake of each participate, the meeting consisted of administering a diet survey, presenting info on the importance of folic acid and iron for women of child-bearing age, a demonstration of therapy techniques given by 2 of the mothers in the group, and a fill-in the blank review of the nutrition info presented. We set a date for the next meeting and I successfully solicited one of the moms to join me tomorrow for a visit to Pipitos, the government run physical therapy program in Rivas, the nearest city. I'm hoping that Pipitos will be a gold-mine, because I currently know nothing about physical therapy and feel a bit inadequate. I really want to get a physical therapist from Rivas to come out to some of our meetings. I also have to find out what equipment is essential and how much it costs. I have a 200 dollar mini-fund for this project, and unless I can produce an excellent grant proposal this week, that's all I'll have.
One idea I've been playing with is incorporating some art therapy into the class. I think it would be fun (for the kids, but also for me!) and it might be a revenue-generator. I need to develop a method for obtaining funds for the purchase and upkeep of equipment for the class. I think the tourist presence would provide sufficient demand for locally made postcards, etc if I could get the hotels to sell what we produce. We shall see- this idea is still in infancy because I'm still judging the capacity of the kids to interact with paint and other art materials. But coincidentally, a couple from Spain who are living close to Barrio Nuevo (the location of the meeting) and working with kids in a local school, heard about the meeting and joined us. After the meeting I spoke with the woman, and told her my art idea. She's studying art therapy! So hopefully she'll be a great resource. And Karen, your ideas were excellent. I especially like the straw/paint one and am going to pursue it.
Once I got back to the clinic, I met with the doctor. To my surprise and satisfaction, he is very pleased with my project so far. I was anticipating failure because of the tone of his voice this morning when he asked for the meeting. I feel like I used to during tennis matches against skilled opponents- I started out feeling doomed, but came out with the win. (The only thing missing was Emma!) So in conclusion, I feel pretty good right now. Especially because I get to go to Rivas tomorrow-which feels like a big city once you've been sufficiently ruralized.
Part of me, however, wishes I was home tonight for the All-Star Game. Pujols is popular here (people know his name) but from what I've gathered, the community favorite is the Red Sox. I've got serious work cut out for me on that front...
Monday, July 13, 2009
Saturday
Regardless, I was supposed to go horseback riding this morning, but it rained last night and into the morning, and now there’s too much mud. The power of the rain here is immense. Not only does it rain with tremendous gusto, but it dictates the lifestyle to an incredible extent. I haven’t seen it myself, but during the really rainy months (October, November) the rain is such that the road becomes a river and everyone is simply stuck. Neighbors across the road forge the road-turned-river to seek refuge on our higher ground. Those who can’t swim rely on the few who can to carry them to safety. I can only imagine how spectacularly dirty the river/road must be- the road (unpaved) is always peppered with cow dung, trash, some barefoot kid’s left sandal, and pretty much anything else you would object to sharing a swimming pool with. And there’s no transportation between communities, whatsoever, when the rain comes. The first time my host family was describing this to me, I kept pestering them, saying, “but what if someone has an emergency?”, “what if someone is really sick?” and they just shook their heads and smiled what seemed to me a smile laced with an odd pride. “No,” they said.
If one thing is clear, it is that patience is essential here.
Last night we lost power (a frequent occurrence) and it hasn’t come back yet. When we lose power in the States, certain things come to a halt. We feel slightly helpless and at a loss as to how to go forward. Here, life goes on pretty much unchanged. The TV goes off (much to my relief- it’s really loud and I share a wall with it), it gets incredibly dark, but that’s about it. When we lost the electricity last night, I had been helping my oldest host-sister study for her English test (she’s taking it right now). The lights went out, my headlamp went on, and she kept up, despite the cacophonous background noise of 5 boys under the age of 8 playing less than 2 feet from us. Needless to say, the bugs swarmed the flashlight and therefore my face and hers. While I was ready to pack it in, she endured without seeming to notice the further deterioration of her already abysmal study conditions. (I don’t think I’ll ever be able to complain about MSE again).
Ayayay, the little boys have returned to their new favorite roost- my window. They spent a few minutes solely peeking, but rapidly advanced to climbing half-way through the window and then jumping back out, meanwhile giggling without pause. Being stared at gets old fast, not to mention uncomfortable. But in my current position, closing the window is not an option. Not only would it be rude, but it would leave me bereft of light and air. I’ve been rendered defenseless. I thought that if I ignored them, the curious quintet might cease and desist. However, they have taken to calling my name and pounding on the window sill instead. They are a determined bunch. (Also fairly bored, as they don’t have any structured activities whatsoever- every day is exactly the same for them). They were adorable for the first week or so. Now it’s time to channel some of that Nica patience…
I want to backtrack a little bit and write about some of the cool stuff I’ve gotten to see and do but haven’t had time to share. Last weekend I met up with the other interns who live a 45 minute walk up the road in Las Salinas, and from there we went by motorcycle to another community, El Higuaral, that’s even further away, for a lesson on preparing Nicaraguan delicacies. One of the other interns works at the government health center (centro
The first item on the day’s menu was naxatamales- a celebrated Nicaraguan dish made of corn meal (maza, the base of nearly every Nica recipe), potatoes, tomatoes, onions, mint, oregano, various other herbs, chicken or pork, and all wrapped and boiled in palm or grape leaves. Our first task was to venture into a near by palm grove and hack off leaves with a machete. (Very exciting for us gringos). We hauled back the enormous leaves, trying to avoid their dripping juices that stain on contact. The next step involved searing the leaves over the fire, which was located in the yard, right outside the kitchen. Then the leaves were torn into appropriate sizes and we could being constructing the naxatamales. First, you trickle a little water on your palm leaf and then plop a handful of corn meal on top. Then you arrange the other ingredients on top. When you’ve got it the way you want it, you wrap it into a little bundle and tied it with string. Once they’re all ready, they go into a huge pot of boiling water for about an hour.
Next we made tortillas, which I really enjoyed. They tasted so much better than any I’ve had before. We also made manuelitos- little ball shaped desserts made from the same maza as the tortillas, but with cuahada (the local cheese that accompanies every meal) and copious amounts of sugar mixed in. I missed the cooking of the manuelitos, but I presume they were thrown in a pot of oil. To take things a step further, before you stuff yourself, you dip them in honey. ¡Que rico!
After lunch we walked a short distance down the road to the river, where the finishing touches are being put on a new bridge. Until recently, there was no bridge, so people, cars, supplies, etc, couldn’t pass during rainy season or after heavy rains in general. A few years ago a bridge was put up, but it wasn’t high enough and the river washed over it easily. Now it’s much higher, but it’s only a foot bridge. It’s not wide or strong enough for cars. So those who live past the river are still fairly isolated.
While we were checking out the view from atop the bridge, a couple of men on horseback herded their cattle underneath us, nearly taking down an electrical wire. It was sort of a sad sight. The men hit the cattle pretty hard, and the cattle seemed frantic and frightened.
Jumping ahead- later that night we drove to a beautiful beach called Astillero to watch the sun set and eat our naxatamales. The ride there was memorable because I was convinced that I was going to fall out of the truck. The truck had a small cab and a flat bed. The bed was outfitted with 2 wooden planks and 2 metal poles to sit on. My seat was on one of the poles, and I nearly got decapitated by numerous tree branches and thrown from the truck as we traversed the cavernous road. (The roads aren’t paved so it’s a rough ride, to say the least). The truck ran out of fuel half way there, but thankfully we had extra on board and siphoned it in using half of a 2 liter coke bottle and my pocket knife (still comes in handy, dad). Oh, and before we even got going, the truck had a flat tire and a new one had to be found and then put on. The entire day was quite an adventure. Anyways, the sunset at Astillero was unbelievably beautiful. I’ve never seen anything that compares. And thankfully my camera captured it well, so I can show you all.
Tuesday night we camped on one of the beaches- Popoyo- which is a coveted surfing destination. The occasion was the full moon and it was spectacular. We woke up in time to catch the sunrise, but our view was obscured by the hills, so we couldn’t actually see it. We caught a ride back to Las Salinas from a worker who was making an early morning journey, and then I hopped on the bus that shuttles between Tola and the rural areas (where we are) to get home and to work.
Now back to today- I spent the afternoon baking with my host sister, Kathy. We kneaded dough and made empanadas, and also iced a cake that she had already baked. Then we made an apple pie! (Benj or Dad, please mention this to Grandma, and tell her that I told Kathy how we make ours). I also spent a good amount of time reading today, which was really nice. When I first started living here, I was tearing through my limited supply of books at a very unsustainable pace. But after a week or so, my reading time tapered off, to the point that I hadn’t been reading much at all. It was great to get back to my book this morning.
Today has been an unusually lively day around here. There have been people in and out all day and also a group of guys preparing the field for the baseball game tomorrow. They whipped out machetes and cut the grass, making a neat infield. They also built dugouts out of tree branches and palm leaves. The game is at 9 tomorrow morning, and then in the afternoon there’s soccer. I’m excited. After they finished building the dugouts, the guys started passing around the Flor de Caña (rum) and then the fighting started. Some really drunk jerk was fighting with my host mom! They were shoving each other, and he ripped off her watch. He was such an ass, but everyone was enjoying the show. I was pretty scared, but no one else seemed super concerned.
Oh! And for any of you have sent me a letter- I have confirmation that the mail does function. Another intern received a package to the address I posted. It took about 2 weeks, but it made it to Tola successfully. Hopefully I’ll get some mail soon!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
lab day at the clinic
Just a minute ago I went out into the waiting room to give a little informal talk about family planning. I have a booklet that serves as a guide for me and has pictures for my audience. (Coincidentally, it was published by Hopkins). I talked to about 5 women, but only 2 or so really seemed interested. I definitely need to fine-tune my approach, because talking at a group in far from perfect Spanish is certainly not the most effective way to get through to people. I'm going to practice some more and then give it another shot in a little while.
I tried to help the doctor drain a baby's abscess this morning by holding the baby still, but I had to leave the room because I started to feel like I was going to faint again. (That happened last week when I was helping with dental surgeries). I don't know if it's the heat or something else that's causing me to be so delicate when it comes to blood here, because I haven't had the same problem in the states. I feel pretty wimpy though, and I hope I can desensitize a little bit so I can be more helpful.
Ah, the crying has begun again. Shrieking is more accurate, actually. A kid is getting his finger pricked. Ouch.
Tonight there's going to be a "culto" at my house, which is basically a church service with lots of singing. We're expecting around 50 people. I haven't been to a culto yet, so it should be interesting.
I should get back to practicing my pronunciation so I can nail the family planning talk...hasta luego
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
work
Yesterday I spoke with the nurse about a possible project involving creating a physical therapy class at the clinic for kids with disabilities in the area. It would provide a forum for their mothers to teach each other therapy techniques and allow the kids who can't afford to go into the city for treatment a chance to work toward walking, living with more independence, etc. Hopefully we're going to round up some potential members early next week and hash some things out.
Also yesterday, a fairly large bug crawled into my computer and didn't emerge. Not sure if that's going to be a problem, but it was pretty funny.
This weekend there's a surf tournament on the beach that's close to my house, and apparently it's going to be a big party. I'm looking forward to seeing some serious surfing.
Monday, June 29, 2009
fin de semana (weekend)
i am at the cyber in limon right now, which is only about a ten minute walk from my house. this afternoon i am going to go to la clinica roberto clemente (where i will be working the next 2 months) for the first time. i am really looking forward to meeting the people at the clinic and starting my work there, although i know it will not be easy because my spanish skills are not quite up to snuff yet. (i am not using conjunctions because i cannot find the apostrophe key!)
anyway, i got a chance to hang out more with my host family this past weekend, which was really fun. on saturday, my host brother taught me a nicaraguan card game, desmoche (not sure how to spell it) and we played throughout the afternoon. I had time to do a lot of reading and writing, too, which is kind of a novelty. I should probably slow down because at this rate, I will be out of books to read in the near future. Saturday night was low key, we watched some TV and went to sleep early. Everyone was up early on Sunday though, for the Spain v South Africa soccer game. I watched that, starting at 6 30 with my host brother in law, and tried to pick up some sports phrases, without much success. After the game, I went to the beach, which is unbelievably beautiful. There are all these rocks that have been carved by the water into intricate shapes. After the beach I played soccer with the 4 year old and his cousin, dodging cakes of cow dung in the field next to the house. It was really fun, even though I was more than twice the size of my opponents. I am running out of time on the internet, so I will continue later! Adios.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
El Limon
My host family is wonderful and I immediately got the chance to meet the extended family, because yesterday was Father's Day in Nic., and so we went to the grandparents' house for dinner. We only had to walk about 3 minutes along a dirt path away from the road to arrive at the grandparents' house. They have tons of animals, lots of them babies because its early summer, and I saw the tiniest chicks and cats I've ever seen. I also saw monkeys, tons of monkeys, scampering in the trees overhead, emitting these deep grunts that made me laugh. When the monkeys are extra noisy, it means it will rain. And it sure did- the most serious downpour I've ever experienced. And in a house with a tin roof, the sounds is deafening.
I'm in Tola right now, at the FSD office, and although I have a lot more to say, I should go. But here is the address to write me by snail mail:
Oficina de FSD, Jocelyn Wagman
del calvarrio una cuadra al oeste
Tola, Nicaragua.
More soon!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
my address in Nic, I think...
contiguo al cuadro de beisbol de Limon no. 1
Tola- Rivas, Nicaragua
Hopefully this gets the job done, and if not I'll revise it once I arrive.
