january 22
i've been living in la concha, nicaragua for the past week taking spanish classes and going on all sorts of adventures... la concha's a small city in an area known as la concepcion, about an hour northwest of managua. it's absolutely beautiful up there- tropical paradise with countless different kinds of plants, flowers, and fruits. the atmosphere is much more tranquil than managua- partially because of the heat, but also because of the way of life. things seem to pass much more slowly up here. the school steph (other fabretto volunteer) and i go to was recently built by an incredible woman from the UK named paulette. she sold all of her belongings back in england, and decided to come back to nicaragua. she'd been here 20 years ago volunteering in managua and adopted a nicaraguan baby named gaimiena, who's now 21 years old. paulette now runs a school/hotel with 8 rooms on a mountainside between san juan and la concha. her property has a multitude of rescued street animals (at least 10 dogs and 5 cats), 5 horses, countless chickens and a few incredibly self-riteous roosters, parrots, ducks, some sort of pheasant looking birds, as well as a small coffee plantation. she employs at least 15 locals, half of who are currently working on various carpentry projects and the other half of whom teach and do cooking/cleaning duties.
i get 4 hours of intense one-on-one instruction every morning. my brain hurts so much by lunchtime! the teachers are really patient though, and although learning the language is slow-going i absolutely love it. i can tell the amount of face-to-face conversation i'm getting makes a big difference.in the afternoons, the other students at the school and i (and sometimes paulette) and at least one teacher take trips to various areas around la concha. last week, we went to volcan masaya and got to peek down into an actual crater with boiling lava. it was really cool, and a bit scary- as the park ranger made our driver turn the truck around just in case we had to make a quick getaway. the next afternoon i just hung out and started reading a book about the revolution/contra affair and took a lovely 2 hour siesta in a hammock on the school's sprawling brick porch. warm breeze and a bit of sunshine makes for lovely naps.
thursday, steph and i walked to la concha from the hotel and used the internet for a while (it's quite the hike, you have to really want to get online!). the best part of that trip has to be the careening microbuses riproaring around corners and honking madly at us unfortunate pedestrians or whistling and yelling what are meant to be compliments. the internet cafe's really the hub of the youngsters' social life in the town. they play such classic tunes as 'gangsta's paradise' and lots of other old-school music. friday, we took a day trip to diriamba, one of the other close towns, and went to a fiesta celebrating san sebastian. the fiesta was an all-day affair complete with dancers of all ages, people in masks (mainly old men and horse masks?!), and a final parade down the main street with a marching band following huge levatated manequins of three saints. the parade went on for at least 2-3 miles at a snails pace in the beating down sunshine. very sweaty and lots of different sounds and colors and smells to take in... the street lined with food and drink vendors of all sorts and people drinking tona and victoria and carrying on. lots of libations, lots of music, a general hullabaloo.
saturday we spent a day at the beach, la boquita, which is a good 2 hour drive from la concha. we get chauffered everywhere in the back of a truck, sitting on benches and holding on to metal bars for our dear lives. it's quite amusing considering the amount of potholes here... leads to a few small prayers offered up for one's life about once every 10 minutes or even less! the truck cannot be rivaled (not even close) by the microbuses... which are dilapidated 8 person vans. last one i rode in i counted no less than 24 people inside it. not even exaggerating. sky, one of the other girls at the school, told me one time she counted 37 people. people sitting 3-deep, not complaining one word about it. that's just the way things are here. the beach was beautiful (pacific coast) and paulette's built up quite the relationship with one of the cantinas right on the playa. we spent the afternoon frolicking in the waves, drinking rum with ice and fresh limes, and laying around in hammocks. a perfect saturday if you ask me. sunday, i went for what i thought was going to be a 'morning walk' with sky, nathan, and miguel (one of the local guides) which actually ended up being an 8 mile jungle trek (!) we started at the top of a ridge where a beautiful wood-floored library with huge windows overlooking the valley floor was plopped down amidst what have to be about 20 families houses within a 5 mile radius. it was bizarre! the trek took us down to the floor of the jungle, through a coffee plantation, an unmarked path (i definately got some poisonous plant brushed up against my leg... i have a wicked nasty itchy rash on it), through an area which felt completely untouched by man. the trees seemed hundreds of years old, there were plants with 3 foot leaves, vines everywhere, butterflies, parrots, and lots of other bugs. we also happened upon a family of three monkeys- who we watched playing in the treetops for a bit (or rather they watched us with some curiosity). the hike back up to the library was BRUTAL, but we made it. then nathan said "so... the taxi's picking us back up here?" to which miguel offered a short, well-intended chuckle. oh noooooo..... he pointed to the next ridge and explained that it was a short walk, only 5 kilometers back to la concha so we'd be walking back around the other ridge. we passed a handful of houses made entirely from sticks, string, and tarp... children wearing completely tattered clothing with wide serious eyes... papas happy to show off their armadillo armor they'd collected. pineapple and coffee farmers living on the top of a mountain- a brutal existence. i can't imagine what it must be like during a storm up there. tarps don't hold well for high winds, that's for sure. and farming?! the sides of the ridge were incredibly steep. beautiful vistas, lots of dust (i think i have some in every spot on my body possible), and some honestly dangerous descents. but we made it in one piece! the funniest part of the journey was at the end, we went to a pulperia to buy a bit of water and the lady said 'it has some ice in it' to which i thought... GREAT! ICE! (meaning it would be cold). we hadn't had water for the whole hike. sky and i cheersed our waters and both went to take huge gulps only to have a few drips fall out timidly. the whole bottle of water was frozen. typical. a sad moment, punctuated with much laughter. seems like there's a lot of those down here.
i haven't even got to the best part of la concha- my nicaraguan family!!! i'm staying with gina, her kiddos david (17) and raquel (8), and across the yard eva maria (gina's sister), jadalin (17)., and elton (10). gina's brother eduardo also lives with us. there's people in and out of the place all the time. we have mandarin, orange, and plantain trees in the yard. many flowers and all sorts of other trees. my family's relatively well off, they have a 4 room house (one of the bedrooms is mine, one eduardo's, one that gina, raquel, and david share, and the kitchen/dining/living room). doors open at all times... they're re-doing half of their roof right now cause a mandarin tree fell on it, so we're a bit cramped. they're wonderful though. raquel and elton have played with me since day one- we read, play soccer, basketball, and just sit around and giggle. raquel and i also enjoy making animal sounds at eachother, because they sound so different in spanish and english. gina's been wonderful. she treats me like a princess, i've been eating so well. mainly rice, beans, plantains, cheese, and fruit. the pineapples are SO yummy. oh wow. we also get tomatoes and tortillas sometimes, which are a treat. she just discovered that i like coffee, so she's been making me some every morning :) this morning i learned how to juice by hand (mandarins), made gallo pinto (rice & beans), and fried plantains. she's going to teach me how to make beans and do my laundry... she's very concerned that i'll be living by myself and i need to know how to do these things. i haven't had enough time to articulate how i feel about this family, but i've had a few moments which thus far completely define the experience for me.one was last night, raquel's cousin alejandra came over and the two entertained me with poems and songs and dancing for about 2 hours, asking me all sorts of questions, giggling, and such. raquel keeps asking me when i'm going to come back to visit. actually she asked me that after the first day, how blessed am i to be so cared for and cared about?!
the other came a few nights ago after gina and i were talking about the sandenista revolution and how awful the US had been to nicaragua during that time. i wish i could understand more so i could ask more questions... but when i come back to visit i'll have time to talk to her about it more. anyways, we were talking about greedy politics and other things like that, and i asked her if she had nail clippers. she went on a hunt for them, and came back 5 minutes later with a nail file... couldn't find them. i thought she'd just hand it to me but instead, with great care, she sat and filed each of my nails one by one. i had tears in my eyes. it was one of the most tender moments i've ever had- and completely symbolic of my time here thus far. truly indescribable. well i must be going, we're in managua right now for the afternoon (had to download my pics so i could take more!) and we need to catch a microbus back soon so we aren't packed on the roof with 37 other lovely microbus patrons! much love, cal
miércoles, 24 de enero de 2007
lunes, 15 de enero de 2007
thoughts on rap and evangelical "social justice"
january 14- mid-afternoon
i just ate lunch with pastor john, who is basically the administrator for the provadenic program here in nicaragua. provadenic provides basic medical services to many of the extremely rural areas of nicaragua by training a local to perform the health services for the community on a regular basis. the program seems to be geared toward the right goals- empowering locals to take responsibility for their own health outcomes, and creating an environment whereby locals help eachother instead of random missionary trips helping at unpredictable intervals. pastor john's a really interesting guy- we had a discussion about whether or not rap music should be considered art, and he said "no, because i don't like the way the artists say women should be treated". hmmm. i don't think it's just rap that enables men to feel ok about treating women poorly. i'd agree that any form of music which degrades women isn't something i'd personally listen to or endorse, but i think it's still art. we have more to look and change at a society-wide level than rap music to blame for the maltreatment of women.
pastor john also brought up an interesting point- one which i'd never considered before. he was talking about how at his age (i'd assume mid to late fifties) many of his peers have forgotten their roots in social justice, have sort of sold out and become comfortable with their lives. in this comfort, they have forgotten how to care for the poor and disadvantaged... he told me that he thought "every person's a liberal until they recieve their first paycheck and mortgage payment." i don't know if i agree with that statement entirely, but it does bring up the point that having or not having money changes everything. he told me that in his experience of evangelical christians, and more specifically conservative evangelists. many of the people he's come into contact with think that their conquests against homosexual marriage and crusades for pro-life issues ARE in fact attempts at being involved with social justice. i had to let that sink in for a moment... i suppose i can see the reason behind the pro-life as a social justice issue. from a certain worldview, it would seem like the most important issue because we're dealing with those who quite literally cannot help themselves. however, the thought of using an anti-homosexual marriage stance as a social justice issue just blows my mind. it makes sense though, that from the truly conservative christian worldview, being anti-homosexual marriage in fact "saves" society from (what?) destruction? the downward spiral we're sure to enter the moment a gay couple is allowed the same rights as the rest of us? i thought we were fighting FOR human rights, for justice... not for the oppression and inequality homosexual couples currently endure throughout america and most of the world. it just doesn't make logical sense that fighting against another person's rights would be considered to be fighting for social justice. anyone out there who can enlighten me on this matter?
so, to those of us who've recently recieved our first big paycheck from the real world (myself, obviously not included) or had to pay our first mortgage payment... let's not forget our liberal roots. if we were ourselves as children again, would we be proud of our intentions and actions? hold tight to that "childish" optimistic voice inside of you, and try with all of your might to never let your optimism and idealism fade with the comforts of an "adult" life in america.
i just ate lunch with pastor john, who is basically the administrator for the provadenic program here in nicaragua. provadenic provides basic medical services to many of the extremely rural areas of nicaragua by training a local to perform the health services for the community on a regular basis. the program seems to be geared toward the right goals- empowering locals to take responsibility for their own health outcomes, and creating an environment whereby locals help eachother instead of random missionary trips helping at unpredictable intervals. pastor john's a really interesting guy- we had a discussion about whether or not rap music should be considered art, and he said "no, because i don't like the way the artists say women should be treated". hmmm. i don't think it's just rap that enables men to feel ok about treating women poorly. i'd agree that any form of music which degrades women isn't something i'd personally listen to or endorse, but i think it's still art. we have more to look and change at a society-wide level than rap music to blame for the maltreatment of women.
pastor john also brought up an interesting point- one which i'd never considered before. he was talking about how at his age (i'd assume mid to late fifties) many of his peers have forgotten their roots in social justice, have sort of sold out and become comfortable with their lives. in this comfort, they have forgotten how to care for the poor and disadvantaged... he told me that he thought "every person's a liberal until they recieve their first paycheck and mortgage payment." i don't know if i agree with that statement entirely, but it does bring up the point that having or not having money changes everything. he told me that in his experience of evangelical christians, and more specifically conservative evangelists. many of the people he's come into contact with think that their conquests against homosexual marriage and crusades for pro-life issues ARE in fact attempts at being involved with social justice. i had to let that sink in for a moment... i suppose i can see the reason behind the pro-life as a social justice issue. from a certain worldview, it would seem like the most important issue because we're dealing with those who quite literally cannot help themselves. however, the thought of using an anti-homosexual marriage stance as a social justice issue just blows my mind. it makes sense though, that from the truly conservative christian worldview, being anti-homosexual marriage in fact "saves" society from (what?) destruction? the downward spiral we're sure to enter the moment a gay couple is allowed the same rights as the rest of us? i thought we were fighting FOR human rights, for justice... not for the oppression and inequality homosexual couples currently endure throughout america and most of the world. it just doesn't make logical sense that fighting against another person's rights would be considered to be fighting for social justice. anyone out there who can enlighten me on this matter?
so, to those of us who've recently recieved our first big paycheck from the real world (myself, obviously not included) or had to pay our first mortgage payment... let's not forget our liberal roots. if we were ourselves as children again, would we be proud of our intentions and actions? hold tight to that "childish" optimistic voice inside of you, and try with all of your might to never let your optimism and idealism fade with the comforts of an "adult" life in america.
domingo, 14 de enero de 2007
che, barrios, colors, and pancakes
january 14
we only had class for a few hours yesterday- mainly we practiced choosing and creating our own activities from the textbook. we also found some really helpful webpages- for example, animal safari sounds and an animated song to accompany the lesson. this course has really highlighted the incredible impact the interent has for teachers sharing information. after class, i came back to the provadenic and read "the motorcycle diaries" for a bit (ernesto 'che' guevara's diaries from his trip around south america) and listened to some tunes. the book is quite wonderful (the movie, one of my favorites) and details ernesto and alberto's misadventures throughout an 8 month trek. it's funny because most of the book they remain completely miserable, cold, under-fed, and ill. their only form of transportation dies a third of the way into the trip and they are forced to hitchike with the locals from city to city. however, where most of us would be turning home in agony- they press on... guided by i don't know what- ernesto remarks at one point that their loved ones may have mistook their supposed bravery for simple stupidity. i've been told i'm brave, and am hoping desperately that i'm not stupid! the best part of the book for me is that because the two are extremely poor, they simply try to survive from meal to meal. this type of focus lends itself to making the best out of terrible situations and to small kindnesses making the biggest difference throughout the journey. i want to go to chile!!! ernesto wrote, "Looking at the scenery superficially only captures its boring uniformity and doesn't get into the spirit of the countryside; for that you need to spend several days in a place". these two explorers inspire me to not just look for the scenery in places, but to dig deeper, to find the terrible recesses and to learn them, to appreciate them, to understand the real people behind them. i refuse to be a tourist... i must care enough about the places i visit to embark on a journey with the people there, and to capture and honor their hopes and dreams.
i walked around the barrio for a while taking pictures but still don't feel comfortable wandering around by myself here. i'm sure it's perfectly safe during daylight but it's going to take time to convince me of the safety. till then, i'm skeptical at best and a bit jumpy (which really doesn't suit me). the barrio's a strange mix of nicer new buildings and shanties held together by tin and barbed wire- similar to the 'la luz' barrio that the JV's live in. it's simple to truly see the gap between the 'have's' and 'have not's' here- one does not have to look beyond the front door of a casa to understand the relative hardships of the family living inside. many of the wealthier homes have mosaic type sidewalks outside their wired-in porches, and fancy designs instead of simple bars on their windows and doors. this may not seem like much, but when contrasted with rusted twisted tin scraps... it means much.
i've been having an inner debate about the colors here, and whether or not they actually are brighter and more vibrant than those i'm used to in the estados. i do think that in general, buildings here are more often painted in bright primaries and colors similar to those found in a packet of tropical skittles. it almost seems like the colors of things in the estados are more muted, they all ascribe to a similar pattern of "nice, but not toooo much, don't start any debates or problems with these colors!" which leads basically to "blah". i also believe that the colors here seem more raw to me, new because the combinations they're seen in are different than any i've been exposed to, and new for their cracked and broken nature. there's something incredibly beautiful in brokeness- a heartwrenching quality which shouts "mend me" and at the same time whispers "sit, for a while, and ponder my existence. why am i broken? can you fix me, or should you simply honor my existence, my brokeness?" i need to think more about this. more thoughts on it at a later point.
after i returned to my room, i finished my book, ate dinner, did some yoga, and went to bed. all in all a fulfilling and relaxing day :)
this morning, i woke to dreams of home and was treated to the BEST breakfast i've had here by far. there was a group of missionaries from ohio who arrived last night, and i swear they feed me better here because of these wonderful men. hallelujah! i had a pancake (with syrup!), pinto gallo (rice & beans), an egg, watermelon, toast, and a bannana. it was a feast! it's incredible how a meal like that can actually make an entire day feel like it will be wonderful, full, and productive. more than that, i had fresh fruit which was really a treat. after a week, i already promise myself to never take the availability of fresh fruit we have in the estados for granted again... because it's WONDERFUL. simply wonderful. i really don't have plans for the day, but i think i'll walk around the barrio a bit this morning and take some more pictures, and maybe find a church to go to- i do enjoy seeing different types of worship. i'll write more later- cal
we only had class for a few hours yesterday- mainly we practiced choosing and creating our own activities from the textbook. we also found some really helpful webpages- for example, animal safari sounds and an animated song to accompany the lesson. this course has really highlighted the incredible impact the interent has for teachers sharing information. after class, i came back to the provadenic and read "the motorcycle diaries" for a bit (ernesto 'che' guevara's diaries from his trip around south america) and listened to some tunes. the book is quite wonderful (the movie, one of my favorites) and details ernesto and alberto's misadventures throughout an 8 month trek. it's funny because most of the book they remain completely miserable, cold, under-fed, and ill. their only form of transportation dies a third of the way into the trip and they are forced to hitchike with the locals from city to city. however, where most of us would be turning home in agony- they press on... guided by i don't know what- ernesto remarks at one point that their loved ones may have mistook their supposed bravery for simple stupidity. i've been told i'm brave, and am hoping desperately that i'm not stupid! the best part of the book for me is that because the two are extremely poor, they simply try to survive from meal to meal. this type of focus lends itself to making the best out of terrible situations and to small kindnesses making the biggest difference throughout the journey. i want to go to chile!!! ernesto wrote, "Looking at the scenery superficially only captures its boring uniformity and doesn't get into the spirit of the countryside; for that you need to spend several days in a place". these two explorers inspire me to not just look for the scenery in places, but to dig deeper, to find the terrible recesses and to learn them, to appreciate them, to understand the real people behind them. i refuse to be a tourist... i must care enough about the places i visit to embark on a journey with the people there, and to capture and honor their hopes and dreams.
i walked around the barrio for a while taking pictures but still don't feel comfortable wandering around by myself here. i'm sure it's perfectly safe during daylight but it's going to take time to convince me of the safety. till then, i'm skeptical at best and a bit jumpy (which really doesn't suit me). the barrio's a strange mix of nicer new buildings and shanties held together by tin and barbed wire- similar to the 'la luz' barrio that the JV's live in. it's simple to truly see the gap between the 'have's' and 'have not's' here- one does not have to look beyond the front door of a casa to understand the relative hardships of the family living inside. many of the wealthier homes have mosaic type sidewalks outside their wired-in porches, and fancy designs instead of simple bars on their windows and doors. this may not seem like much, but when contrasted with rusted twisted tin scraps... it means much.
i've been having an inner debate about the colors here, and whether or not they actually are brighter and more vibrant than those i'm used to in the estados. i do think that in general, buildings here are more often painted in bright primaries and colors similar to those found in a packet of tropical skittles. it almost seems like the colors of things in the estados are more muted, they all ascribe to a similar pattern of "nice, but not toooo much, don't start any debates or problems with these colors!" which leads basically to "blah". i also believe that the colors here seem more raw to me, new because the combinations they're seen in are different than any i've been exposed to, and new for their cracked and broken nature. there's something incredibly beautiful in brokeness- a heartwrenching quality which shouts "mend me" and at the same time whispers "sit, for a while, and ponder my existence. why am i broken? can you fix me, or should you simply honor my existence, my brokeness?" i need to think more about this. more thoughts on it at a later point.
after i returned to my room, i finished my book, ate dinner, did some yoga, and went to bed. all in all a fulfilling and relaxing day :)
this morning, i woke to dreams of home and was treated to the BEST breakfast i've had here by far. there was a group of missionaries from ohio who arrived last night, and i swear they feed me better here because of these wonderful men. hallelujah! i had a pancake (with syrup!), pinto gallo (rice & beans), an egg, watermelon, toast, and a bannana. it was a feast! it's incredible how a meal like that can actually make an entire day feel like it will be wonderful, full, and productive. more than that, i had fresh fruit which was really a treat. after a week, i already promise myself to never take the availability of fresh fruit we have in the estados for granted again... because it's WONDERFUL. simply wonderful. i really don't have plans for the day, but i think i'll walk around the barrio a bit this morning and take some more pictures, and maybe find a church to go to- i do enjoy seeing different types of worship. i'll write more later- cal
fried food fridays!
january 13
class was good yesterday, we worked on forming our own lesson plans from a text, worked in partners for a bit (which was actually much more difficult than on my own- i think i have a pretty well-set idea of the way i plan to teach so it's hard, but good, to figure out different ways to go about teaching). i figured out that the Fabretto center has wireless internet, so i spent a large chunk of the day playing on the internet and posting blogs (naughty callie). after class we took a crazy "scenic" route to drop people off- it took an hour to get to Silvio's hotel. i felt bad for josh and james who had to ride in the back of the truck! a bumpy ride! the girls pointed out where they're building the new american embassy- looks like some pretty swanky digs. apparently the US is building a "mini-city" for an embassy, complete with hotel, restaurants, grocery store, and hospital. priorities, anyone?!
i decided to hang out with the JV's again for the evening, it was frita friday (or something to that effect), meaning fried street food was the fare for dinner. josh and i set out to explore barrio "la luz" and finally found a place- 6 meals for 130 cordobas (the equivalent to $8 US dollars) including meat, ensalada, fried plantains, and chiles (no gallo pinto... which was very sad). i was introduced to the JV's neighbors who each made it a point to kiss me on the cheek (all 10 or so of them). i love that, meeting people here is such a process compared to what we go through in the states. it seems very important to people that every person present has met eachother and been formally introduced. it's really a very polite thing to do in general, but i know i've been guilty of not doing that in the past. something to learn! during dinner, we played a "name that tune" game with margaret's i-pod, which led to much laughter and an impromptu jam-dancing session to "i believe in a thing called love". how great to find other people who are as passionate about the air guitar as i am! after dinner, james and mary played their guitars and i broke out a tupperware drum for some jack johnson tunes. i realized i can't really keep a beat and sing at the same time... which is something i thought i could do because of bbt but, guess i'll have to work on that too! we drank a tona (one of the two basic types of national beers) and i decided to head back to my hotel. my taxi driver had to ask 3 different people for directions before we finally found it, which started to freak me out a bit because he kept asking me for directions beyond the ones i had written down and i had no idea what to tell him! i was just starting to dread him asking me to step out of the car in the middle of the very sketchy neighborhood we're staying in, but at the last minute we made a turn and found it! PHEW. dodged that bullet. i don't think i'll be heading out and about anytime after 8 or 9 PM in the near future. it wasn't an unsafe situation, i just think that until i know the language better it's probably not a very good idea. gotta go to class- then i get a day off school! love to all, cal
class was good yesterday, we worked on forming our own lesson plans from a text, worked in partners for a bit (which was actually much more difficult than on my own- i think i have a pretty well-set idea of the way i plan to teach so it's hard, but good, to figure out different ways to go about teaching). i figured out that the Fabretto center has wireless internet, so i spent a large chunk of the day playing on the internet and posting blogs (naughty callie). after class we took a crazy "scenic" route to drop people off- it took an hour to get to Silvio's hotel. i felt bad for josh and james who had to ride in the back of the truck! a bumpy ride! the girls pointed out where they're building the new american embassy- looks like some pretty swanky digs. apparently the US is building a "mini-city" for an embassy, complete with hotel, restaurants, grocery store, and hospital. priorities, anyone?!
i decided to hang out with the JV's again for the evening, it was frita friday (or something to that effect), meaning fried street food was the fare for dinner. josh and i set out to explore barrio "la luz" and finally found a place- 6 meals for 130 cordobas (the equivalent to $8 US dollars) including meat, ensalada, fried plantains, and chiles (no gallo pinto... which was very sad). i was introduced to the JV's neighbors who each made it a point to kiss me on the cheek (all 10 or so of them). i love that, meeting people here is such a process compared to what we go through in the states. it seems very important to people that every person present has met eachother and been formally introduced. it's really a very polite thing to do in general, but i know i've been guilty of not doing that in the past. something to learn! during dinner, we played a "name that tune" game with margaret's i-pod, which led to much laughter and an impromptu jam-dancing session to "i believe in a thing called love". how great to find other people who are as passionate about the air guitar as i am! after dinner, james and mary played their guitars and i broke out a tupperware drum for some jack johnson tunes. i realized i can't really keep a beat and sing at the same time... which is something i thought i could do because of bbt but, guess i'll have to work on that too! we drank a tona (one of the two basic types of national beers) and i decided to head back to my hotel. my taxi driver had to ask 3 different people for directions before we finally found it, which started to freak me out a bit because he kept asking me for directions beyond the ones i had written down and i had no idea what to tell him! i was just starting to dread him asking me to step out of the car in the middle of the very sketchy neighborhood we're staying in, but at the last minute we made a turn and found it! PHEW. dodged that bullet. i don't think i'll be heading out and about anytime after 8 or 9 PM in the near future. it wasn't an unsafe situation, i just think that until i know the language better it's probably not a very good idea. gotta go to class- then i get a day off school! love to all, cal
sábado, 13 de enero de 2007
chavez: "capitalism is savage" (a gringo amidst mass nicaraguanese)
January 12
Here I am, morning of my 3rd day in Nica- I really haven't had a moment to write! I arrived on the 10th around noon, and made it through customs without a second glance (I must not have struck them as a Miami drug dealer). Danielo (the bus driver from the choir tour) picked me up from the airport and we had a jolly little reunion, it was awesome to see a familiar face! We basically talked the whole way to the Fabretto center in Managua... well I have to admit Danielo did go off for about 10 minutes on a rant about how much he detests Ortega (I think I maybe understood 10% of what he was trying to tell me). Other than that, we had a great conversation and he even remarked on my Spanish (which is hilarious because I haven't practiced at all). Managua was absolutely going crazy that afternoon with the innaguration of recently elected Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega (yes, the same one from the 80's). The airport was packed, and apparently the plane next to the one I came on had the President of Mexico on board. All the sidewalks and buses were crammed with people, most of whom carried Sandenista or Nicaraguan flags and wore pink (yes, bright flamingo pink) FSLN hats. The traffic was incredible! We finally arrived at the Fabretto center just as the ESL training finished for the day. James, one of the JVI (Jesuit Volunteer International) volunteers I met last trip, was there to greet me (another familiar face!). I met Silvio (our teacher) and the two other women in the class, Carmen and Marjorie (from Esteli). James asked me if I wanted to go to the innaguration that evening with him and his roomates (I believe his direct question was "Well, do you like doing things spur of the moment?".... what kind of a silly question is that?). I decided to drop off my bags at the Provadenic (ironically, the same hotel I stayed at with the choir last December) and went with James to the JV's house to meet the other roomates.
We waited for a bus for about 15 minutes before having to basically stuff ourselves on a completely packed public pus. We went as near to the celebration as we could possibly get. I've never been on a more packed bus, it was crazy! Every time I moved I felt like I was on top of another person. After we got off the bus, we followed the flow of the crowd for about a mile before reaching a standstill about 300 yards from the satge. We had all heard that the festivities were supposed to start at 3 or 4 PM but in reality nothing happened until atleast 6 or 7 (welcome to Nicaraguan time!). This meant we were standing in the sun for a good three hours before the innaguration INSIDE the national assembly even started (which they were nice enough to broadcast live on a big-screen projector). While we waited, we stood around and chatted and I took all sorts of pictures. It was actually really cool just to be in that environment, you could feel the buzz of excitement and hope in the air. The Nicaraguan people have such new-found faith in this man who completely screwed them over a mere 20 years ago. he truly is their hope, and has the capability to trun Nicaragua around, to make her a progressive nation, to help the poor. While we waited, James took about 20 minutes to catch Josh (one of his roomies) and I up on what he'd learned in the past three days of ESL classes. Seems like we really didn't miss too much, a lot of it seems like common sense but I'm not sure that I would have come up with all of it on my own. Finally, just as we were about ready to throw in the towel, the big screen lit up with a live scene of the happenings at the National Assembly, which entailed much ritual and many photo ops with various world leaders and dancing by Nicaraguan youth. This lasted for a good hour, until finally the various dignitaries began to fill the stage. The stage iteself was very impressive. It's a huge white concrete structure with a variety of colorful desighns on alternating columns... almost looks like someone very talented decided to graffiti it.
Ortega arrived to what must have been the 20th rendition of "Give Peace a Chance" in Spanish- the reggae/hip-hop version of course. The sky filled with raised flags of every Latin American nation (mainly Sandenista) and everybody sang. It was a moment I won't soon forget, a truly beautiful scene in a free country, a people filled with dreams of peace and hope for better lives. I hope Ortega can at least provide that. Ortega's wife (clad in a blue plastic visor, flower-print everywhere, and curly mane blowing wildly in the evening breeze) gave the first speech, after which more dancing and festivities filled the stage. Next, Chavez and Eva Morales both spoke. Chavez had a truly commanding presence- I was incredibly impressed by his ability to control the audience, each person seemed to hang on his every word. He also emphasized 'death to imperialism in North America' and roared 'capitalism is savage!' which I thought was extremely appropriate for the circumstances. However, for one of 6 gringos in a crowd of 200,000 it made me giggle and also made me a bit queasy at the same time. Morales was a less engaging speaker, but seemed sincere and grateful to be there. We honestly only stayed for the first 10 minutes of Ortega's speech, it seemed like half of the people there decided to have a mass exodus. I'd have felt bad if I hadn't been so exhausted that I felt like falling over. On the way out, there was a huge fireworks display and much hullabaloo. We caught a taxi and came back to the hotel, and I fell asleep right away. I don't think I've ever slep that hard! I definately needed it though. The next morning we woke up at 7 AM (because apparently people here like to wake up much too early and then sit around waiting rather than sleeping in a bit more) and I took my first bucket shower of the trip. We ate breakfast, and I took a nap before we were picked up for class. I read the newspaper on the way to Fabretto, which had some excellent pictures of the innaguration. How incredible to be a part of history! I can only hope it will be a great moment in history, not one that the Nicaraguans will regret.
Class was good- many of the things we learned were elementary/basic, but will provide a good foundation for me as an inexperienced teacher. We played a lot of little games, worked in groups, and giggled a lot. We had class for about 8 hours though, so by the end of it I was ready to be done! We came back to the hotel and ate dinner with Pastor John (who runs the Provadenic) and chatted with him about thier medical missions, his studies in psychology, and other things. After dinner, I read a few journals about early childhood ESL strategies and went to bed. Today, more class, then I figure out what the heck I'm going to do this weekend with nothing scheduled. I have a feeling I'll find something or other to keep me preoccupied...
Here I am, morning of my 3rd day in Nica- I really haven't had a moment to write! I arrived on the 10th around noon, and made it through customs without a second glance (I must not have struck them as a Miami drug dealer). Danielo (the bus driver from the choir tour) picked me up from the airport and we had a jolly little reunion, it was awesome to see a familiar face! We basically talked the whole way to the Fabretto center in Managua... well I have to admit Danielo did go off for about 10 minutes on a rant about how much he detests Ortega (I think I maybe understood 10% of what he was trying to tell me). Other than that, we had a great conversation and he even remarked on my Spanish (which is hilarious because I haven't practiced at all). Managua was absolutely going crazy that afternoon with the innaguration of recently elected Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega (yes, the same one from the 80's). The airport was packed, and apparently the plane next to the one I came on had the President of Mexico on board. All the sidewalks and buses were crammed with people, most of whom carried Sandenista or Nicaraguan flags and wore pink (yes, bright flamingo pink) FSLN hats. The traffic was incredible! We finally arrived at the Fabretto center just as the ESL training finished for the day. James, one of the JVI (Jesuit Volunteer International) volunteers I met last trip, was there to greet me (another familiar face!). I met Silvio (our teacher) and the two other women in the class, Carmen and Marjorie (from Esteli). James asked me if I wanted to go to the innaguration that evening with him and his roomates (I believe his direct question was "Well, do you like doing things spur of the moment?".... what kind of a silly question is that?). I decided to drop off my bags at the Provadenic (ironically, the same hotel I stayed at with the choir last December) and went with James to the JV's house to meet the other roomates.
We waited for a bus for about 15 minutes before having to basically stuff ourselves on a completely packed public pus. We went as near to the celebration as we could possibly get. I've never been on a more packed bus, it was crazy! Every time I moved I felt like I was on top of another person. After we got off the bus, we followed the flow of the crowd for about a mile before reaching a standstill about 300 yards from the satge. We had all heard that the festivities were supposed to start at 3 or 4 PM but in reality nothing happened until atleast 6 or 7 (welcome to Nicaraguan time!). This meant we were standing in the sun for a good three hours before the innaguration INSIDE the national assembly even started (which they were nice enough to broadcast live on a big-screen projector). While we waited, we stood around and chatted and I took all sorts of pictures. It was actually really cool just to be in that environment, you could feel the buzz of excitement and hope in the air. The Nicaraguan people have such new-found faith in this man who completely screwed them over a mere 20 years ago. he truly is their hope, and has the capability to trun Nicaragua around, to make her a progressive nation, to help the poor. While we waited, James took about 20 minutes to catch Josh (one of his roomies) and I up on what he'd learned in the past three days of ESL classes. Seems like we really didn't miss too much, a lot of it seems like common sense but I'm not sure that I would have come up with all of it on my own. Finally, just as we were about ready to throw in the towel, the big screen lit up with a live scene of the happenings at the National Assembly, which entailed much ritual and many photo ops with various world leaders and dancing by Nicaraguan youth. This lasted for a good hour, until finally the various dignitaries began to fill the stage. The stage iteself was very impressive. It's a huge white concrete structure with a variety of colorful desighns on alternating columns... almost looks like someone very talented decided to graffiti it.
Ortega arrived to what must have been the 20th rendition of "Give Peace a Chance" in Spanish- the reggae/hip-hop version of course. The sky filled with raised flags of every Latin American nation (mainly Sandenista) and everybody sang. It was a moment I won't soon forget, a truly beautiful scene in a free country, a people filled with dreams of peace and hope for better lives. I hope Ortega can at least provide that. Ortega's wife (clad in a blue plastic visor, flower-print everywhere, and curly mane blowing wildly in the evening breeze) gave the first speech, after which more dancing and festivities filled the stage. Next, Chavez and Eva Morales both spoke. Chavez had a truly commanding presence- I was incredibly impressed by his ability to control the audience, each person seemed to hang on his every word. He also emphasized 'death to imperialism in North America' and roared 'capitalism is savage!' which I thought was extremely appropriate for the circumstances. However, for one of 6 gringos in a crowd of 200,000 it made me giggle and also made me a bit queasy at the same time. Morales was a less engaging speaker, but seemed sincere and grateful to be there. We honestly only stayed for the first 10 minutes of Ortega's speech, it seemed like half of the people there decided to have a mass exodus. I'd have felt bad if I hadn't been so exhausted that I felt like falling over. On the way out, there was a huge fireworks display and much hullabaloo. We caught a taxi and came back to the hotel, and I fell asleep right away. I don't think I've ever slep that hard! I definately needed it though. The next morning we woke up at 7 AM (because apparently people here like to wake up much too early and then sit around waiting rather than sleeping in a bit more) and I took my first bucket shower of the trip. We ate breakfast, and I took a nap before we were picked up for class. I read the newspaper on the way to Fabretto, which had some excellent pictures of the innaguration. How incredible to be a part of history! I can only hope it will be a great moment in history, not one that the Nicaraguans will regret.
Class was good- many of the things we learned were elementary/basic, but will provide a good foundation for me as an inexperienced teacher. We played a lot of little games, worked in groups, and giggled a lot. We had class for about 8 hours though, so by the end of it I was ready to be done! We came back to the hotel and ate dinner with Pastor John (who runs the Provadenic) and chatted with him about thier medical missions, his studies in psychology, and other things. After dinner, I read a few journals about early childhood ESL strategies and went to bed. Today, more class, then I figure out what the heck I'm going to do this weekend with nothing scheduled. I have a feeling I'll find something or other to keep me preoccupied...
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