Sunday, January 15, 2012

It's Another Beautiful Day

It is another beautiful day in San Juan Del Sur and we all took some time this morning to get our beauty sleep. After a delicious breakfast catered by Roxanna, many of us met Rachel at Villa Isabella for a tour of her unique home. The house was positioned on top of a mountain and, since we are all young and in great shape, we opted to catch a ride in one of the trucks and arrive in style. Shipping crates made up the frame of the home, leaving space for a beautiful patio and pool, and recycled tires were stacked, creating a rubber band like wall, high against the steep hillside they had dug to make a sturdy foundation for their dream home. While the design was interesting, the sustainability was incredibly impressive. The roof boasted a solar powered hot water heater, while every window air conditioner had solar panels pointed away from the hillside. A rain collection system was set up to funnel water from the roof down into underground water barrels where it could be stored in case the well ever stopped functioning or became strained as more people move into the area. The coating on the containers served as an exceptional insulation and kept the inside relatively cool, while breezes swept through the industrial looking windows. Unfortunately, the monkeys that frequent their trees where not around to greet us, but the view from the roof was stunning enough.


The groups split up to work with their respective entrepreneurs after each grabbing a variety of local dishes at restaurants or supermarkets nearby. My group in particular met with Michael Roche, who backs a micro finance company and takes a trip down to meet with the family running the operation and those who have borrowed money each year. During the house calls to his clients, we were able to get a better sense of the town. While the many brightly colored buildings stand out the most, the simple houses with dirt floors, tin roofs and genuine people also made an impression. No matter what their financial situation, everyone is proud of what they have and somewhat unlike in America, they take great pride in themselves, being always presentable even for a small outing.


We also were able to experience the extreme hills and the hazards even seemingly paved roads present. Michael drove a little, red sedan right up the side of a hill that looked as though it went straight up and would tip us over if we ever made it to the top. However, tipping over was not what proved an issue, the fact that a giant hole and the end of the pavement was waiting at the peak took us by surprise as we strained the engine and hoped rather loudly that we would make it. The view from the top was breathtaking, as you stood opposite the Jesus statue and looked out over the whole of San Juan Del Sur.


Then came dinner time when we went out for what promised to be a delicious meal; however, we became considerably grouchy, grumpy and impatient when the food took two hours and we were not offered refills on our drinks during that time. While threats of writing bad restaurant reviews and canceling our orders were tossed around the table as viable options, we ended up staying put because we're from Maryland and we finish what we start. Never say die....Even when you are starving and have an empty glass.

Another day in San Juan del Sur :D

Hola amigos! If you’ve been a loyal reader of this blog and have kept track of what we’ve been doing here in Nicaragua, you’d have realized that we have been balancing work and play, and today was no exception.

I woke up this morning and found myself feeling a bit sad. Ever since Pratik told me that he woke up a few days ago and realized our trip was already half over, I can’t help but feel that every new morning means one step closer to our departure. My fellow students and I have become quite comfortable here in San Juan del Sur. The sunny sky, the warm air, and the cool breeze that comes from the bay…it’s going to be hard readjusting to the cold, nipping weather back in Maryland (especially during the daily 15 minute walk from La Plata to Van Munching). I begin the day by stepping out onto the balcony of our condominium to appreciate the beautiful weather, and the beautiful view of the bay in the morning. After showering and cleaning up, I head down to breakfast. As I come down the stairs, I am greeted by three smiling face; Leslie, Roger and Josue are already seated at a table eating their breakfast. I order the typical Nicaraguan breakfast of rice, beans, eggs, and toast and scarf them down. The other students and I are convinced our stomachs have expanded after being stuffed during the first couple days on this trip. I estimate that I’m going to go back home 5 pounds heavier than when I left.

Pratik, Dillon, Chelsea, Stephanie, and Carmen spend the morning at the site of Cecilia’s new store where they help paint the banister, walls, and shelves. Every time I see them applying a new coat of fresh, white paint, I can’t help thinking of Tom Sawyer. After Leslie and I pay them a visit to see their progress, we walk back to the hotel to meet back up with Sandhya and prepare for our meeting at 12pm. Last night, we promised to train Lionel, his wife Margarita, and her sister Maria Teresa to use the laptop we plan to give them. While we wait, I break out the copy of The Hunger Games given to me by Jane. She was kind enough to lend me a copy after seeing me reading it in Susan’s book store. I’ve only been able to read for short periods of time, but I’m still hooked on it. Around 12:10, Margarita and Maria Teresa arrive, accompanied by Michael Roche, who gave them a ride. Together, we sit down and begin to teach them the basics of Microsoft Excel, the program they will use to keep track of their loans and to keep Michael updated on their progress. I find it quite incredible how fast they learn the working of the program. I’m used to struggling for hours trying to teach my parents how to use technology, but within a matter of minutes, Maria Teresa and Margarita are creating multiple sheets, each properly formatted and filled with the necessary formulas. My team has good foresight and also gives them a flash drive so they can back up their records. I can only imagine how distraught they’d be if for some reason they lost all their records and had no extra copies.

After finishing with our entrepreneurs, we all meet back up in Casa Marina. Richard has kindly offered to pick us up in his van and drive us all to Madera Beach. And yes, this is an actual beach, unlike the “beach” that is actually a bay in San Juan del Sur. We all pack into the van, stop by Villa Isabella to pick up some bag lunches, and then drive off to the beach. After being bounced around during the bumpy ride to the beach, we arrive and are ecstatic at the site of the sand and waves. We make camp on the beach and enjoy the lunches packed for us. After we’re all done eating, we test out the waters. Some of us quickly realize the water is too chilly for their liking and head back to tan in the sun and play kickball but Stephanie, Rinaldo, and I remain in the water to body board and play in the waves. Unfortunately, about half an hour later, we realize we’ve made a big mistake…we neglected the movement of the tides and have positioned our belongings too close to the water. Many of our belongings get soaked, but we reposition our belongings and try to make the best of the time we have left. Some of us venture off to climb some big rocks we can see off in the distance. Personally, I don’t understand the allure of large rocks, but I’m not judging. Hey, if you like looking/climbing big rocks, all power to you. Instead, I stay to play in the water and chill on the beach (which gave me more time to read my book!!!).

At 5, the group hops back in the van and we drive back to San Juan del Sur to get ready for dinner. We eat at an Italian restaurant owned by a nice lady who came to Nicaragua 14 years ago. After dinner, we have a brief conversation with her where she tells us how she came to be in Nicaragua. She had originally been on sabbatical and had planned to backpack all the way to Africa. But after coming to Nicaragua and meeting her future husband, she decided to settle down here. This is a very typical story you hear from those who live in Nicaragua who are foreigners. Sometime about this country, maybe the weather or the kind people, makes them want to stay here. I often wonder if I will ever have a chance to come back to Nicaragua and visit the people we’re currently interacting with. Thoughts like that make me cherish more and more the time I’m spending here.

Sat., Jan 14

Dinner at Calibri with Lily, Zaida, Michael Roche (sponsors Leonel's microfinance operation), Pat, Jane.  In back, Rachel and Lee Greenberg and Sue

Dillon, Chelsea, Stephanie, Pratik, Dipti, Leslie with the restaurant owner

Matt, Amiel, Josue from UAM, Nikita, Carmen, Sandhya

Friday, Jan 13


From Dillon

Hola from la playa in San Juan del Sur! As I type this, I am sitting on the beach and watching the waves crash and the sun set on the horizon. Today was, without question, my favorite day in Nicaragua. We all woke up early today to get a head start. This was difficult for many of us who decided to stay up late last night playing charades, in which the guys handily defeated the girls). After eating a nutritious chocolate chip pancake breakfast in our hotel, Carmen, Amiel, and Sandhya left to paint Cecilia and Edwin’s new store. The rest of us loaded into Jane’s book mobile to bring books to rural school children.  The ride there was like a roller coaster. The streets through the mountainside were bumpy, and we had to cross through a few streams. We had to stop multiple times for cows in the middle of the street and we even got to see monkeys hanging out of a tree. Matt, Pratik, Chelsea, and Stephanie went to one school while Leslie, Dipti, Nikita, Zaida and I went to another.

Upon our arrival, we saw a small building with a basketball court and what looked like the remains of an old swing set. Next thing we knew, there was a group of 20 school children, ages 3-7, coming out to greet us. We wasted no time getting down to business. Leslie used her Spanish skills to read the children Llama Llama Rojo Pajamas. Once she finished that, we went around the room and colored pictures of llamas while the children eagerly checked out books from two large containers. It was rewarding seeing the smiles on each child’s face as he or she picked out a book. In America, many children don’t appreciate a simple book with all of the technology that’s out there. (i.e. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv4Hpz-GI3g)   But in rural Nicaragua, these children acted like we had given them gold. I think this speaks to a greater lesson about the importance of cultural perspective.

Once the children had checked out their books, I noticed that a lot of the boys were going outside behind the building so I decided to follow them out. To my surprise, I found one of the older boys reaching into a hole in the wall and pulling out handfuls of live snails. All the boys proceeded to grab them and quickly slurped the defenseless snails out of their shells. They offered me one but I had to respectfully decline. To distract them from their snail habit, I offered them my camera. It was fun to see how excited they got over taking pictures. I then played tag with the group for the rest of my time there.  By the time we met up with the other group, I was both exhausted and exhilarated. This was definitely an experience that I’ll always remember.

For lunch we stopped at a local seafood joint. Good fish and shrimp dishes with lots of guacamole. After lunch, we finally got to go on our canopy tour. Essentially, it was a series of zip lines on top of a mountain. The ride up the mountain was a bit bumpy to say the least. Once we got to the top of the mountain we had an incredible view of San Juan del Sur. Next thing I knew, I was hooked on to the zip line and speeding down the mountain, hundreds of feet above the ground. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life and I am happy to report that everyone survived.

After zip lining, we went to Dinner at Hotel Villa Isabel. My group’s micro-entrepreneur, Roxana, cooked dinner for everyone. Without question, it was the best dinner we have had in Nicaragua. During the dinner, we all had a chance to speak with our entrepreneur. We met Roxana’s family and made plans to move clothing shelves and racks into her house. When the dinner was over she even gave us a tour of her house so we could take the proper measurements. Our UAM teammate, Roger, is driving back to Managua to pick up our parts tomorrow and we will put them all in her house on Monday. A group of us are looking forward to exploring San Juan del Sur’s nightlife tonight. That’s it for now. Buenos noche y adios!