One of the boys from La Chureca taking a bath!
Me Icia and Walter from the mayors office that made our whole field trip a complete success
the puppers!
Happy campers after a full day of work...what an accomplishment
finished product...minus the plants that we have growing now!
yep thats me working hard!
sifting the dirt and adding ashes to change the ph step number 2
some of the muchachos
putting up the fence! Step number 3
our garden step 1 
me and carolyn
floating around!
Agua Fria where we went swimming
out dancing!!
Me and Carolyn out dancing
Volunteer visit in Matiguas with Carolyn and her boyfriend
giving our presentation
cooked lunch with our spanish teacher Darling (she was the best ever)
Me, Icia, and Jamie
dirty feet after a wonderful finca party
champions!
water balloon volleyball...geory and I kicked butt
banana relay...it was really hard!
me getting ready to dominate at the banana relay
my house
My sister and I
My puppy princessaAgain, I have so much to catch up on. Last week Sunday we had a finca party which is basically a picnic. One of the host families invited all of us volunteers to their piece of land outside the city. After walking under the scorching sun for 45 minutes I started getting more and more annoyed with the idea of a picnic under the baking sun. It was totally worth it! The family had s grill to barbeque, we all brought a dish to pass, someone made veggie chili, and another group but the ingredients to make s’mores! The family had Nica games all planned out for us. We formed two teams. I was the captain of Team Awesome and Gus was the captain of Team Eggplant. First we did your usual sack race which we won. Next we had waterballoons and we had to pair up and put the water balloon in between the chest of the pair and race down and back around and pass the waterballoon on to the next pair without using hands. I think we lost that one by a hair, but it was hilarious to watch! One of the pairs dropped the balloon so they had to be “punished” They had to stand in front of us all and the winning team all had waterballoons to throw at them, and they weren’t allowed to move. After that we had a “volleyball” game with the waterballoons. Each team was in pairs with a sack and the waterballoon was on the sack and we had to pop it over to the other side and they had to catch it on their sack. Geory and I kicked butt at it, and won it for our team. The final game was the best. They told us to pick four people that had big mouths. We didn’t know what it was going to be, but nobody was eager to volunteer so I did it along with three others. Then we saw that they had bananas hanging from a clothesline. We had to peel it with our mouths without touching it…HILARIOUS. It was really hard actually, I didn’t do so well. The whole banana ended up falling off. Overall, Team Awesome prevailed and won bragging rights. After that we ate our lunch, and then I brought Catch Phrase so we had a pretty intense game of that amongst us.
So over the past couple weeks we have been planning a field trip with our youth groups to visit a bigger city Jinotepe and see their garbage dump and recycling projects. We went last Thursday to the Alcadia which is the mayor’s office. To get things accomplished here is quite a process so we knew we had to be patient. We stuck to the Nicaraguan standards and had two letters (thanks to the stationary Auntie Jeannie sent!) written out stating our purpose. It’s interesting how they do things here. It’s all fluff, you start with an opening sentence that goes something like “ Almighty mayor, I hope this letter finds you good in health and that you are successful in your daily activities” Then there is a paragraph stating what you want so we told them we would like to have a tour of their recycling project on Wednesday the 28th. Then there is a closing statement wishing him well and how we hope for a positive response to our petition. We write two letters exactly the same. They keep one and then sign and date the other to give back to us as proof that we came and what not. It is pretty much IMPOSSIBLE to actually meet the mayor so we were ready to wait a few hours with our books. It turned out that the secretary was SUPER nice. She spoke a little English and I think was just really excited to practice with us. She told us not to even bother with the mayor and connected us with a man named Walter Guzman. Turns out that he wasn’t going to come in that day but she persisted and got him on the phone and told him our plans. Then she says to me “Miss come” and handed me the phone….I freaked out! First of all it’s hard to understand some people especially on the phone and 10 times harder to understand when a busy street with horns honking right outside the window and 100 times harder when there is a call beeping in so I only hear every other second. Luckily I got the gist of what he was saying and he sounded really nice. He said Wednesday the 28th sounded great, but we needed to come back on Monday the 26th to talk out the details. Icia and I went back on Monday at our appointed time and of course he wasn’t their. I knew things were going too well…he did show up though, better late than never right! Well this man is fabulous, he is intelligent and very passionate about his work. He had the great idea to show the kids the dump in their town and their project that fell through and failed. Then take us to a neighboring community and show them a project that is working successfully. Next step, find transportation: Our technical trainer, Katie, who is awesome suggested that we can take the Peace Corps bus so that was relatively easy. Then we had to see which of our youth was going to come. About 5 from our group committed and 8 from the other. The thing in Nicaragua is that the people always say “yes, yes we can come, we will be there” but they say it to save face and really it’s hard to tell if they mean it or not. To make this super long story short it was a HUUUUGE success! We had 24 youth, the whole mini bus was full! Walter showed up on time, gave a GREAT powerpoint presentation, we saw two dumps that aren’t working and contaminating the rivers. Then to a dump that is a model dump for all of Nicaragua. They are separating organic and inorganic, making compost, and producing worms. They then use their compost to plant gardens. They sell the plastic bottles, the compost, the worms, and the plants, it was AMAZING. And even more amazing was the interest our youth took in it. The majority of them haven’t left Fatima, let alone seen a garbage dump. The looks on their faces, their questions, their interest, their maturity…spectactular! I am so proud that we made it happen, our trainer came along too and she couldn’t believe it either….just couldn’t have gone any better. Now are youth have their minds turning and know that it’s possible…maybe their will be sustainable changes in Fatima.
Our other great success, which may be another long story so I’ll try to make it short. There is an organization in the neighboring city, San Marcos. It is called Los Quinchos. It’s an organization to help children of the streets. A big problem in Nicaragua is kids of the street abusing glue. They sniff it and eat it to rid themselves of hunger temporarily. They all live in poverty with abusive or negligent parents. This organization has safe houses in three major problem areas in Managua. The boys can enter if they say they are going to kick the habit. Once they prove that they want to change their ways of life they enter the program. They have a farm in San Marcos and the office. The boys live on the farm and the girls live in a separate area. During the week they work on the farm and learn a trade such as making hammocks, farming, raising cows, etc. On the weekends they have art, pottery, dance, sports, and cooking classes. They also have a library with computers available to the community and the kids and attached is an Italian restaurant (they are funded by an Italian NGO) that is open Fridays and Saturdays and have live music. The boys work there as well. After the boys go through the phases of the safe house, and the farm, they then go to Granada where they have a house and they live there for a few years and work in the town and gradually assimilate back into society with their learned trade. Children enter at ages 5 or 6 and when they leave they are 17 and older. Another thing the organization does is goes to La Chureca (look it up online) It’s the biggest garbage dump and it’s in Managua. There is a community in the dump. They started a project there where the children can come and receive class, do arts and crafts, bathe, and have lunch. I have heard horror stories of this place. I have heard that there are people living there with their houses built into the garbage. Families prostitute their young daughters to the garbage truck drivers so they can get first dibs on the garbage. Well we had the opportunity to go with the Quinchos. We left early with a man named Bismark who goes everyday. We walked in and I felt like I was in a movie…you know like the ones of the future when everything is desolate and everywhere you look is overgrown and trashy looking. Of course it smelled potently horrible. We walked through, witnessed the people scavenging through the garbage looking for plastic or aluminum to sell, food, and clothes or shoes. The project is great that they have there. They have a big cement hole in the ground like a pool for the children to swim and bathe in, music, shelter, and caring people. Some of the ex-Qunichos go everyday to help…it made me want to cry seeing the young men that have survived and changed their lives around in turn helping the poor little boys living in garbage. We were able to walk around in the dump and it was just unbelieveable. I’m not sure how big it is, but it had to be at least 5 miles or more. Then it’s RIGHT next to Lake Managua, which is completed contaminated. There are cows that walk around and eat the garbage and plastic. Pretty sure the people will eventually drink their milk. There are mothers walking around with little babies in the fumes of it all. It was hard, but I’m glad I had the chance to do it. When we tell our Nica friends that we went there they are all in disbelief.
On to a happy topic. I had a great weekend. Friday night me and three other girls went out to a local cantina in the nearby town. We ran into three other trainees. The cantina ended up having live music and we all danced all night! Saturday night we went to the Quinchos dance class, and then at night we went to their Italian restaurant with our Nica friends and danced again. Sunday Gus had a big baseball game. There are two teams in Fatima, the veterans and the new team. It was also the first game of the playoffs. The whole town was their to watch, and even though he lost…he played great. Another trainee came over to watch and on the way she dropped her phone out of the moto taxi, when she went to go look for it all the taxi-bike guys told her that this guy Manuel took it. So Jamie and her Nica friend went to his house to talk to him and he was like yea I have it but I found it, I didn’t steal it. So long story short, the police ended up coming. Jamie and I hopped in the police truck and were on our way to find the guy. Do you think they care about the phone? Of course not. The first thing they say to us is “We are all single, are you?” I started laughing so hard, how surreal. The one went on to tell us he really works for a different city but is subbing in. That we should come and visit him, and why we haven’t yet. They continued to say that we should call them (kind of hard to call when they aren’t doing their job to get her phone BACK) We picked up the guy, the mom was screaming and yelling. We took him to the police station. He said he gave it to some lady he doesn’t know. And basically nothing was resolved and poor Jamie is still phoneless.
Paragraph about Nica boyfriends: The guys here crack me up. I am still getting love letters from a youth group member saying he is going to look for a million ways to conquer my heart. My brother ALWAYS talks about his love of Icia and thinks I have a crush on Gus’ little brother so he talks to him about me and comes back with gossip about what the brother says. We also met this fun group of guys in the bigger town and one drives a moto-taxi so it’s convenient because we always have a free ride! Luis, the guy that has a crush on me gave me his soccer jersey! I actually wore it last night during our soccer game and I yet again scored the first goal so it must have been a lucky jersey. But yea, they seriously think they are our boyfriends and we’ve all had numerous guys say they will come visit us wherever our placement is. (pretty sure it’s the nica social norm of saying things you know you won’t commit)
Finally, last paragraph. We got our site placements!!! We have all been pretty nervous about it. I was more excited than anything. I just didn’t want to go to Chinandega which is super duper hot and humid on flat ground. I didn’t mind any of the others. Turns out I got my FIRST CHOICE!! It was meant to be, because when they handed out the packets last week I flipped through the sites and I saw the one for Quebrada Honda and I was like I wanna go here. It’s the exact size I want. It has about 2,500 people. Yet I am only 10 minutes from the capital city of the department, Matagalpa. So I will be able to work with NGO’s from the cities. I will have other volunteers close by. The two organizations in the town are Soup Kitchen for kids and Handicap International!!! I preferred to be a first volunteer instead of a replacement even though it wasn’t top on my priority list, and I am. They also have team sports and I’m in a mountainous region so it’s cooler! Matagalpa is also known for their coffee and chocolate…I mean seriously it just couldn’t get any better!!! Oh but it does, there are eight volunteers in the department of Matagalpa. Gus and Icia from my training town that I really get along with are going there and then another girl that I’m with a lot is only 40 minutes from me…what a sigh of relief! I just can’t believe that our training is almost over…these past two months just flew by. The two years are going to be over so fast. My host family here keeps asking if I am coming back for Christmas. I also got in touch with Tamara and Dona Julia from the coast and they thought for sure I would be coming for Christamas! I told them I can’t travel until March. Lucky for me though Julia is coming to Managua in December and Tamara is coming for a week in January. Johndar and Selmira come often so I know I will see them soon. Just want to thank everyone for their text messages (Julie VanL, Megan, Ramsey, Aly aka youdontme, Steph, Victor, Katie, Stacy) And packages and letters ( Mom and Dad, Auntie Jeannie, Becky, Kristina, Auntie Jomarie, Megan, and Stacy) And emails and facebook messages, your support means so much to me and I am so thankful to have you all in my life…miss and love you all much!
