photo update

I added some more recent pics to the photo album and there are more to come shortly. Enjoy!

noticias buenas

I'm trying to wind down a stressful but successful day, and am hoping that writing will help me relax.

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.

Hey everyone,
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

El Comite de Padres con Hijos Discapacitados (comite of parents with disabled children) met for the third time on Wednesday. Despite the fact that we were missing all the members who live south of the meeting spot (the bus came super early- I missed it too but was able to find a ride), we had a good turn out- around 25 people. There were about 12 parents of kids with disabilities, most of whom brought their disabled child, a woman from the community who has worked in physical therapy, and a pair of teachers from Spain who are working with kids at a local school.

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.

Buenas,

Kind of busy day today, so longer post to follow soon. But if you're reading this, please become a follower of the blog so I know who is reading!
Also, if anyone has been to Granada before and can suggest some sights to see, I'm going this weekend!

Hasta pronto

photo album- in progress

Best of Nic

Another long Saturday is coming to a close and the insects are swarming the light of my computer screen. Hopefully none will be ingested tonight!

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.