Plenty of pics...the lighter side of life

This post is really just an excuse to upload some pictures from the past couple of weeks, I will make little attempt to give any particularly deep reflections!

Rest stop...

Team Fundación San Lucas chill out in our room for the night

At the end of November there was a cycle tour to Chacocente, a coastal reserve created to protect the highly endangered turtles who come to lay their eggs there. Many turtles return to Nicaragua's coasts every year to make their nests, but both turtle meat and turtle eggs are still considered by some to be delicacies worth breaking the law for, so reserves like this are important to keep numbers up.

Sadly we only managed to see one turtle as she returned to the sea after laying her eggs...grainy image due to it being around midnight.

Every month we have a Latin Link Nicaragua Team meeting to chat to and pray for each other, share a Bible study and maybe do something touristy. December's meeting was held at Managua zoo. Note Kat's sad zoo face as an indication of some of the cage conditions...

Yesterday was a national holiday for the Purisima; the conception of Christ. Nicaraguans queue to pay tributes of food to shrines of Mary erected in the streets. Although as Evangelical Protestants we did not celebrate with the Catholic majority it was a good chance to take a trip to the beach...

La Boquita beach
Horse riding! Note the gradient of tanning on my leg...

One more thing...you might like to see a couple of pictures of our "venta" or shop. My mama calls it our supermarket, but that kind of depends on the fluctuating stock levels.

Buying eggs

Helping in the shop

Becoming more Nica

I have been reflecting lately that this year is less of a year out of the usual uni-work transition and more of a year in Nicaragua. I am already very much attached to life and people here and sometimes life in the UK seems too distant and distinct to think about properly.

Some of the ways I have been learning to be more Nica perhaps seem a little trivial. Nica muchachas (young women) always carry body spray and a flannel to combat the effects of sweat, they almost always wear their hair up because of the heat, they take great care of their choice of shoes, especially for church. I have also learnt to apply eyeliner and have experimented with straightening my hair...though perhaps most British women already possess these skills!

However, some of the reflections I have made on life here go a little deeper. The pace of life is so much slower; I walk more slowly (especially through the crowded market streets), I must take into account time needed for travelling in an over-full mini bus, I cannot expect something I am working on to be completed as fast as it might be in the UK, I must expect that tomorrow, or next week, is sufficient, I have to wait. In fact, It spend a fair amount of my time waiting; waiting for a meeting or a church service to start, waiting for my sisters to get ready, waiting for my computer to open a large file, waiting for instructions on what to do next, waiting as a shopkeeper comes out from the back room to serve me and then has to return there to find me some change.

At times going slowly and having to wait irritates me, I am used to the fast pace of Cambridge, the two minutes to rush from one thing to the next. But I am learning that I do not have to wait impatiently. I rarely wait alone, and so waiting gives me time to talk to other people, to ask them questions and to enjoy their company. When I do wait alone I can use the time to update my diary, to text friends or to pray. In exploring the reasons for the waiting I am forced to take into account the priorities of others. In all this my own priorites change; what is more important in the use of my time - met targets or deepened relationships? worrying that I will be late or enjoying the moment?

There are of course limits...even Nicaraguans get annoyed when a meeting that was supposed to begin at 9am has not begun by eleven.

One other major challenge has been the value I place on my independence. In the UK, most young people aim to, at least in part, become independent from their parents by the age of 18. We move out of the house to go to uni, we make decisions without feeling the need to consult Mum & Dad, we strive to assert our freedom. In Nicaragua family is incredibly important. Young people mostly don't move out until they get married, and fathers, especially for girls, still have the ultimate say. Parents and children both contribute to the household but there is a definite, though loving, hierarchy. (N.B. In my church you are considered to be a young person until you are at least 30 or get married.)

Living back in this sort of context has made me feel really quite young again! But again, I am challenging my own values. How much do we lose out by deciding it is better to make our own way in the world as soon as possible? As a closing thought, I was recently given the advice that if I am looking for a husband I should take careful account of what relations are like with his family, if he has moved out of home this is not a good sign. Possibly this does not translate exactly to the UK!

A couple of Talent Show pics

Generacion Radical: ¡Avivame!

Lis & I sing "Revelation Song"

Nica notes

Sleeping in bright orange sheets that have turned my pjs orange.

Waking up at 5am when my Nica-papa shouts at Xavier (the young lad who helps on the farm) to get up. Then going back to sleep for another hour until actual getting up time at 6am.

Gallo pinto (rice and red beans re-fried together) and a fried egg for breakfast. Yum. Accompanied by better instant coffee than you can buy anywhere in Britain (no sugar, despite my Nica-mama's horror).

Cold, and hence short, showers in the morning.

After about 3pm washing/flushing the loo with buckets of water from the big barrels that we fill earlier in the day. Throwing the loo roll into a bin and not into the pan...otherwise flooding ensues, this point has been proven by some North American visitors.

Using Spanish words and phrases even when speaking in English and occaisionally being so confused that I can speak fluently in neither language.

Rice and tortilla with every meal, even if the main dish is pasta.

Constantly having worship music/Christian TV on in the house. Mainly in Spanish, but sometimes in English. I can now sing along to all the most popular tracks.}

Main forms of transport: taxis, microbuses, horses.

Squashing into crowded minibuses so that you are practically sitting on the lap of the person next to you, or if not, in their armpit!

On days that we spend in the community space in La Conquista, eating more bananas and oranges than might generally be recommended while trying to keep an eye on all the kids.

Concentrating so hard on a film in Spanish on the TV that my family have to shout to get my attention...

Always being content to be in short sleeves even when Nicas are wearing scarves inside.

Torrential rain on a tin roof; a very calming experience as it drowns out everything apart from the thoughts in your head. Space to think, soothed to sleep.

Being called "chela" meaning "white girl", both affectionatley by friends and collegues and as a kind of cat-call in the street.

Seeking advice from my wise Nica-sisters.

Bedtime at 8pm!

To Catarina...and not far beyond

Just a wee update to let you know how things are going in Jinotepe. My family have been complaining of the cold, especially in the evenings...when I explain that the temperature is now at something approaching Scotland's summer I get looks of horror.

The beans are growing! To the delight and relief of many Nicaraguans it looks like the next bean harvest will be a good one and bean prices should start to fall in December. I did however have the unfortunate opportunity to visit some bean crops sown in the land-bank project that had been almost entirely demolished in one night by straying cows. At the moment thirteen families farm the land here but no one yet lives on their plot; I hope to organise some sort of workshop to give construction advice for simple, well-built homes.

Don Alfredo, the father of my boss at the Luke Society passed away after a long illness. There was much sadness in Jinotepe, and Nicaragua as a whole at this news but also rejoicing for the wonderful example his life was of Christian living. As well as pastoring various churches he had been influencial in much social outreach. The incredible floral tributes at his funeral showed just how many people he had touched and the parade through town following the coffin stopped traffic due to the numbers of people that wanted to pay tribute.

On Saturday Kat (fellow Latin Link volunteer), my Nica sister Clara and I decided to visit the nearby town of Catarina, it has a beautiful, if touristy, viewpoint over Lake Apoyo and over to Granada on the other side. My idea was to walk down to the water, maybe have a paddle and then climb back up. Granted, it is fairly steep but I thought it entirely possible as there is a path cut through woods and we were shown the entrance to the trail. I have become fairly accustomed to walking on rough tracks in warm weather but for my companions the going was tougher and we considered it an acheivement to have made it halfway (30 mins walk) before turning back. Perhaps more of an achievement was that all three of us got back to the top again; Clara's frequent protests that she could not go on worried me slightly! Later she revealed she had been carrying with her, in her handbag, an almighty stone for protection against robbers on route...

Sunday we held a "bazaar" at church to raise funds. I spent several hours sorting, pricing and selling second hand clothes to eager women from the surrounding neighbourhood but was rewarded with the best barbequed meat I have yet tasted. All was good.

the start of summer

1st November was officially the start of the summer here in Nicaragua, it's raining less and the sun is stronger than it was, though until January we are in the "cool" months of the year. Excitingly as well as oranges, lemons, mandarins and other tropical fruit, my family have the most enormous avocados growing in their garden...at least double the size of anything you will see in Britain so I am tucking in. I have also discovered this plant...
...which you may recognise from your bathroom!

My work now has something of a routine as every Tuesday and Thursday I help run a kind of youth project with another volunteer, Robin. We have the use of a "community centre" really just a room with some tables and chairs in a nearby town and children and young people can drop in to play table games, ping-pong or games outside such as football or volleyball. It's a very informal setup and at times a little frustrating as the two of us struggle to maintain control and structure when 30 kids turn up at once. But we are starting to build relationships with some of the regulars and gain their trust and a bit more discipline!

It's not the work I expected to be doing with San Lucas but I'm starting to realise I have more important functions to fulfil that solely working in a technical capacity. I have also had the opportunity to visit the local hospital to pray for patients there as well as a care home for the elderly just a bit out of town. This was quite challenging in some ways. There is a real stigma attached to sending your relatives to a home; whereas here it is often seen as the best solution, in Nicaragua it sends messages of worthlessness or lack of care. When church group go to hold a mini service or serve lunch they want to say "we value you, we care - God values you, he cares," and it was a privilege to accompany a group of women from my church in this work and speak with some of the patients. The only slightly panicky moment was when one of the old men got me round the back of the neck and tried to insist that I kiss his lunch-smeared lips. Luckily, I managed to escape...

Power

There will be presidential elections next November and campaigning has already started. Buildings, as well as bearing big painted adverts for washing powder, juice and bread align themselves politically for one of the three presidential candidates. It will be an important election; who will gain power in this small, often struggling but always dynamic country.

For the voters, the power to choose is often not that simple as political alignments sometimes come with tangiable economic or material benefits and political ideology is tainted by memories of unrest and corruption from all sides.

In the rural communities where we work, powerlessness rises to a new level. Small scale farmers are powerless to do anything as torrential rain destroys their harvest. Those with no land of their own are at the mercy of large land owners to rent them plots on rolling six month contracts. Many wait on government officials or others like San Lucas for help to build latrines, secure safe water supplies, repair apalling roads or provide adequate roofing materials. Poverty, lack of education, lack of access to healthcare and other servies coupled with a difficult natural environment mean that the potential for people to help themselves and move forward is stinted.

I have also been exploring the reality of domestic violence here in Nicaragua. According to one study 48% of women have been the victim of some sort of verbal or psychological abuse and 27% have suffered physical abuse. 69 women have died so far in 2010 at the hands of the partner or ex-partner. San Lucas is trying to open up discussion and provide education on this subject for community leaders. It's a really difficult problem to tackle as attitudes and patterns of behaviour are engrained at a national level. I have come to understand that abuse or maltreatment is always about power and control; power of the strong over the weak in a cycle that constantly reinforces this contrast. The issue really hit home when I discovered that one of my Nica friends is living in an abusive relationship. It has been good to be able to talk with her about this but when self-confidence is so beaten down acting decisively against the violence is difficult. In some ways I also feel powerless to help.

Over the past month or so I have come to understand a little more of the feeling of powerlessness; when plunged into a new culture, with a language that you haven't fully mastered and a whole set of unwritten rules that you don't yet understand, you can feel completely at the mercy of others. It is hard to not to be able to contribute as much as you wish to, to express yourself accurately or to acheive measurable goals.

In all this I am reminded of a passage that stuck out for me before setting off for Nicaragua:

2 Chronicles 14:11 'Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, "LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you." '

We know that God uses us in our weakness, when we have no option but to call on him as our strength. It is also good to be reminded that we, as humans, are ultimately not in control. So I will continue to pray for Nicaragua and powerlessness that I see here, and that even though it might be hard to evaluate, that I might be used amongst it.

a day in the life : work with San Lucas

9am Into the pickup to drive about 30 mins out of the city to a community called Santa Jertrudis. After "International Hand-washing Day" last Friday we are visiting one of the rural primary schools in the area to teach this along with teeth-brushing and basic hygiene.

10am The school building is pretty rundown, there is one latrine which is relatively clean but some of the children don't like to use it as there is little guarantee of privacy. It is clear that not many kids realise the importance of clean hands and almost no-one brushes their teeth regularly. Doctora Reyna grins and scrubs showing everyone how it's done.

12pm After we finish at the school all the children are given lunch but as more have turned up today than normal there's none left for us. We drive back to La Conquista, the main town in the area and buy tortillas and quejada (similar to cottage cheese) and sit outside the health promotor's house to eat.

1.30pm Aha, now things start to get interesting; four of us are going to visit the newest community that San Lucas supports. El "Banco de Tierra" or "landbank" has been set up to allow families to purchase their own plot of just over 2 hectares to farm and to live on. Problem is, at the moment the roads are so bad the only option is to go "en moto"...


3.30pm After riding through muddy ruts, across rivers and up boulder-strewn slopes we dismounted to make the final river crossing on foot (boots off, water to the knee) as the valley would be too steep for the bike. Most of the people involved in the Banco de Tierra live on this side of the river with a small group we walked another 40 mintues to the nearly 70s hectare that the bank comprises. It was really great to see the land starting to produce crops; rice, yucca, mangoes, wheat and plenty more. Many of those involved are Christians and there is a great witness in how God guided the founding of the land bank and the buying of the land.

5pm A chance to pray together at the top of a hill at one end of the bank. It was great to see such positive things happening in the lives of the families here. There is still plenty of work but there are also willing workers and real vision to move forward. One of the areas I might get involved in is the design of a gravity driven water system with water pumped from a nearby well to a tank at the top of this hill...I am feeling slightly nervous as everyone talks excitedly abou this prospect.

6pm The sun has gone down and we really should leave but Don Gilberto's offer of cafe con leche (hot milk and instant coffee) with onion biscuits cannot be refused.

6.30pm By the light of mobile phones we retrace our steps to the bikes; up and down muddy slopes in the dark, shouting for help when we lose out way and then back across the river, this time with shoes as we can't see to avoid the sharp stones. It's a relief when we can start the (sometimes tempermental) motos and use the headlights.

7pm One bike is stuck in the mud... it takes the 3 men considerable effort to heave it out (I hold the helmets and pray). The rest of the journey is uncomfortable, slightly scary but thoroughly exhilerating as we bump along back to the city.

8pm Home to a concerned Nica-family. There is no signal where we were so I have been out of touch all day. I am bruised, aching, slightly scratched by the vicious barbed wire that is in use everywhere and very tired...but happy!

photos from Masaya market

The price of beans & un nuevo sobrino

Good news and bad news from Nicaragua. The good is that my Nica-sister-in-law gave birth last Friday to a beautiful baby boy, my Nica-nephew (sobrino) Josías (Josiah). I felt very privaleged to be taken along to the hospital only hours after his birth to meet him and I'm plaesed to say that both mother and baby are doing well. The maternity unit at Jinotepe hospital is an exciting place at the moment - very full - and families are allowed to stay at the bedside. Quite a different experience to the order of British hospital wards!

The not-so-great news for Nicaragua is that due to massive loss of crops in the recent rains the price of frijoles (red beans) has reached record levels. At the moment they are selling for 20 Cordobas ($1) a pound whereas normally they cost maybe 5 or 6 C. Frijoles form a staple part of the diet of almost every family for breakfast, lunch and dinner and they are a subsitence crop for many families, including those in the communities that Fundación San Lucas works with (more on this to come). The season to plant is almost over as from December onwards there is very little rain so farmers are anxious to plant more right now. There are two problems with this; firstly a lack of quality seeds at a reasonable price, and secondly the distict possibility of more heavy rains in October which would ruin a new crop and waste all the expense and effort of planting it. However, if nothing is planted now there will be no seeds for the next year.

There is no easy solution to this situation and it is especially difficult when in an advisory role, such as those San Lucas sometimes are. I am learning that this is the sort of problem that Nicaraguans have faced time and again over the years and there is somewhat a feeling of resignation over bean prices. Everyone here is waiting to see what will happen in the coming year.

Lake Nicaragua

flooding in Nicaragua

Just a quick note about the weather here... As previously mentioned it´s raining lots; more than usually and for the past few days without ceasing. Where I am living this means that the roads are being damaged as mini rivers of water run down them and the occaisonal tree has fallen around town but for many parts of the country it is much worse. Some parts of the atlantic coast have been washed away and in other places whole communities evacuated. As ever it is those already living in the most extreme poverty that are worst affected. You can see more info at http://www.laprensa.com.ni/ granted it is in Spanish but the pictures alone give some impression and I think there is a bit of video.

Nicaragua : colourful buildings, friendly people and plenty of rain

It is winter in Nicaragua and in my first few days here I have become aware that this means, with absolute certainty, getting wet. It rains not only at night but periodically during the day and with such force that the rain in Scotland is comparably only ever a light shower! Postcards of Scotland have created quite an interesting discussion point, and everyone has agreed that it is a very beautiful country but questioned why we choose to paint our buildings such pale colours. There must be a good trade in paint here as buildings are all brightly coloured inside and out with shops distinguished by the adverts painted on thier frontage. Its a very cheerful sight!

It´s my fifth day here and I´m settling into Nicaraguan family life with my new Nica parents and siblings; Fatima, Clara and Lisbeth all live in the house and are around my age so it has already been great to get to know them and how life here works if you are a twenty-something girl. Emanuel and his heavily pregnant wife live next door and each house has ample land with pigs, chickens and fruit trees...I think there is also a family farm a bit further away on which my Papa and Emanuel work. I feel very blessed to be part of this family and they have already gone out of their way to make me feel welcome; even to the point of making me coffee without sugar which is almost painful for Nicaraguans to do!

I have been introduced to the family church (their building is painted bright orange) who received me very warmly. It is very active and each night something different happens. Yesterday I went along with Fatima to a Bible study group for some young people in a little town down the road and was encouraged to see the interest and attention they gave the topic. I will enjoy gettin to know these teenagers a bit more.

Nica spanish has put me rather to the test, my language is in general at a fairly good level but tuning into the Nica accent and local words is hard work. I often am left feeling a bit helpless in conversation, yesterday one of the teenagers even resorted to her few words of English to try to get the point accross. In time I will improve, for the moment I will accept that smiling, looking confused and laughing at myself are all very necessary.

Until soon -for now I´m off to buy an umbrella!

POSTCARDS (especially for Fergus)

I have been nagged to update you on the trinkets situation.

Nobody has sent me any :(

I will refine my request; if you happen to walk past a stand of postcards in the next fortnight please think about buying a couple and sending them to me (although not in the traditional way of writing on back, as that would kind of defeat the point...).

My address is available on request and if you send me yours I promise to post you a card from Nicaragua in return.

Thank you!

wwoofing : "goat special"

A cheap way to spend some time in a Spanish speaking environment, benefiting a small family business, some exposure to a hot climate and a bit of exercise?...yes please!

Willing Workers On Organic Farms, or wwoofers as they are otherwise known, often make a big difference to small farms or market gardens that are trying to promote a more sustainable* way to produce food and make a living in a rural setting. Formally, food and accommodation is provided in exchange for labour, but there are also added benefits in terms of cultural, language and general lifestyle exchange.

So for some of July and August I packed myself off to a small fruit and veg farm 50 km from Malaga in the South of Spain. Life was simple; a caravan with no electricity, water from a natural mountain stream, cooking veggie food on a camping stove and the comfort of a private toilet in the form of a tepee-covered (not-so-) long-drop.

Work wise, I pulled a lot of weeds. But once you've spent hours weeding a bed and then preparing the soil and can then sow into it seeds you harvested only days before, there is a certain sense of satisfaction.

There were also a few smellier tasks on my list. One day once I'd put in my 7 to 9am slot (it was too hot to work the middle of the day) I was walking back up the hill to my caravan when I was stopped in my track by a pile of white sacks labelled "goat special". Now, apart from that sounding like a rather interesting menu item, I was slightly surprised as there were no goats on the farm to feed this mixture to - perhaps they were to follow soon?

Alas, as I found out later that day, no. These interesting looking bags no longer contained goat food, but goat poo; perfect for fertilizing fruit trees and pepper plants. Thankfully goat poo has only a mildly fragrant pong but it is quite dusty so my skin and lungs also saw some if its benefits. I have come back from Spain with nice soft skin on my arms, maybe this is mainly due to sun and suncream, but I like to think that the goat manure had something to do with it.

* I hesitate to use the word sustainable given its often woolly definition. In this case it indicates the desire to grow food with as small an impact as possible on the local eco-system and environment. There is, of course, a global case to be made that food production this way can never meet the needs of whole populations making it unsustainable as it is not actually able to "sustain".

British trinkets

It has been suggested that I take some little British trinkets with me to Nicaragua to hand out as wee gifts.

These inevitably must be small and light due to limited room in my luggage, but I wondered if anyone might like to contribute a few pens/keyrings/postcards from around Britain to make a varied selection of things?

The lighter the better - so a plastic pen with "Scotland" written on the side or a couple of postcards from your local tourist attraction would be great!

Get in touch if you need an address to send these to & thanks in advance :)
k.

A little bit of info...

Next year I am going to part of Latin Link's Stride programme, partnering with Latin American Christians to serve a local community in Nicaragua. Latin Link really are that - a link between churches in the UK and Europe to Latin American churches and organisations. From September/October time I will be heading off for Nicaragua to work with a Christian medical NGO called The Luke Society. Here is a quote from their website explaining what they do:

The Luke Society supports indigenous Christian health professionals dedicated to medical missions. The Luke Society works with those who have a vision to reach their own people. They know the language and culture of their people and have ideas for solving their own problems. The Luke Society helps provide the resources to bring their God-given visions to fruition.

The project in Nicaragua is based in Jinotepe (not too far from Managua, the capital) with the focus being on community health and sanitation. Different types of infrastructure are designed and implemented; filters, wells, latrines, water storage tanks etc. At the same time there is a process of education for families to promote healthy personal habits in order that families and the community can change their living conditions.

My main involvement would be to help the engineer already working with the organisation with the design and construction of a new health centre and a centre to demonstrate some of the sanitation technologies that are already in use, as well as trying improve them. There are also many possibilities to get involved with health training workshops, recreational activities for with young people, teaching English, teaching knitting...

For the moment I'm just trying to pull Spanish from the back of my memory, raise some support and prepare myself by reading up and just mentally getting to grips with the certain challenge that lies ahead. This summer I'm going to spend some time volunteering on a small family farm in Spain; language practice, getting my hands dirty, cultural exchange...I'll let you know how it goes!