Goodbye Jinotega

This picture is my favorite of the trip. I´m not sure how, but it conjures up in me how I feel about this VISIONS experience. Those three young women looking out into the San Gregorio countryside, carrying their piocha, machete and shovel with immense possibilities in front of them.
The trip is now in its final days. The kids are gone, back to their lives in the states and Holland. But I am still having anxious dreams about forgetting them in random places. The other night in Granada I almost walked out on the street because I thought the noise on the street was our Blandon bus. I was sleeping at the time by the way, luckily a new Hostal friend was there to rein in on my craziness.
We came close to finishing up our project. A few more pipes need to be laid. We spent our last fews days at the worksite building a dam at the spring. It was an amazing feeling working side by side with 20 from our group, and 50 nicaraguans, passing rocks one by one and stacking them to build the dam This picture was of our walk up to the Spring, we followed the path of the trench we helped to dig.
This trip has been fulfilling on so many levels. It all came together for me on our last day in San Gregorio, our little farming community outside of Jinotega. The whole community came out to say goodbye to us. That was my favorite day. It reminded me so much of my little pre-schoolers in Head Start. It was such a beautiful experience seeing my High School kids interact with the children of San Gregorio. This little girl Natalia became good buddies with Cara, one of our rock star participants. Natalia would periodically unbutton her pants to pull them up past her little beer belly and then rebutton them. It was hilarious to see, especially when she did it right in front of the whole group during Jose Maria´s speech to the community. (the leader of the water project) We did a three legged race, water bag toss and potato sack relay. The highlight of the day was definitely the dizzy bat relay. We gathered all of the prominent men of the community, the leaders of the clean water project, and created relay teams with our VISIONS kids. The women and children died with laughter watching their normally stoic fathers, husbands, uncles dizzily run towards the children. In the background of this photo you can kind of see the dizzy Nicaraguans run toward the children.
Leaving, like any ending, is a pesada thing.
Throughout the trip I was never sure how connected our group was feeling to our new Nicaraguan friends. In my second blog I posted a picture of a boy named Jeyson. He was our across the street neighbor, 16, already expelled twice from High School. At that point in the trip, he had followed us up the hike to the cross. I remember wondering what Jeyson was thinking at that moment, looking down on his pueblo. Was he optimistic? Was he already disillusioned about what his prospects in life were?

Throughout the trip, the guys especially befriended him in street soccer games. Jon, our director decided to invite him with us to the worksite. The relationship slowly evolved to the point where he was part of our family. Watching our group say goodbye to Jeyson was a touching moment. The toughest guys in our group fought back tears, including Jeyson. At that moment I realized how much our group had connected with Jinotega, it felt so good. It reminded me back to my first VISION trip with St. Thomas. One of our group members brought a quote I had previously never heard, but have heard in many places and in many forms since. ´If you have come to help me leave, if you have come because you realize my liberation is wrapped in yours, stay´. What Jeyson brought to our community was equally as powerful as the positive influence we had on his life.
Our last days on the trip were beautiful. We were able to go zip lining through the Nicaraguan rainforest, and then spend the rest of the day relaxing at a crater lake outside Masaya.
Our final night was in Granada. We needed to leave by 3 AM, so most of the students decided to not sleep, which meant that I also needed to stay up. We dropped the kids off, and took a taxi back to the beautiful crater lake, the best decision we could have made. We stayed at Crater´s Edge, a hospedaje run by a Vancouver woman. We truly had no worries, lunch and dinner was served on baskets lined with banana leaves. The most comfortable chairs I have ever experienced were calling me. That is my idea of vacation, one hundred percent. It gave a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the experience was had just gone through.

For any VISIONS Nicaragua participants who read this, I want to thank you for your extraordinary level maturity and kindness. Throughout the trip we as leaders acknowledged amongst ourselves how lucky we were to have been given such a great group of young adults. I wish you luck in all your future endeavors.

I´m transitioning now to vacation, and as I mentioned before, I´m having a little difficulty letting go of the trip that just was. Today I will try my hand at surfing for the first time, so excited!! Jon Larsen, I found your dragon on the beach today...

More than anything I know this, I want more Nicaragua. Hopefully if the stars line up, this will be the first of many trips down to this hidden gem of the world, and I would love to share it with anyone who is interested.

Futbol and Coffee Beans, que mas quiere...

It's been a month now in Jinotega. I love the pace of life here. For whatever reason I am able to live more fully in the present than in the States. I would love to be able to find this balance when I come home in a couple weeks.
A week ago some of the guys in our group, Ian and myself went to a central park and played soccer on a basketball court. I remember this always frustrating me in Spain that they would waste a good court for soccer. I don't know if it was the recent World Cup action, or what, but that was one of my favorite days here. The court was wet and puddly, at one point, Ian hooked my plant foot as I was in mid-kick and slammed me down into the concrete court, into a puddle, it was awesome. I haven't played soccer in maybe 8 years, the last time being before I had my first ACL reconstruction in High School. I forgot how much fun it is. I think playing on a hard surface is more fun in a lot of ways, much more fast paced, more like basketball in terms of setting people up for shots. It was great to play with so many Nicaraguans. There were a lot of 8 year oldish aged kids, and I kept running into them and having to catch them in mid-fall.

This past weekend we took a trip up to a FINCA (compound)

called Kilamanjaro. It is a huge coffee plantation. We were able to ride horses (it reminds why as a second grader I wanted to live in South Dakota on a ranch), take in the

scenary including a coffee tour, play some cards, and just relax. It was so beautiful, and the coffee was delicious. It gives me Ganas de bring the MN

rovers here on a trip next summer and chill out on the FINCA. Coffee is a huge industry here in Nicaragua. During peak season 500 workers live and work in the fields. This particular FINCA is certified organic. They grow banana trees to provide shade for the coffee beans to grow. It was also on this trip that I learned how to use different functions on my camera, macro function is amazing. I am able to zoom in so close to the green coffee beans, to the point where you can see every detail of the bug that is chilling on it. The coffee beans are still green right now, when they are red, they are ready to be picked. Each shell needs to be shucked, and I forget how that works, I was having trouble focusing our day of the tour, how could I, would you be able to if you just found out your camera could take ridiculously up close pictures? I didn´t think so.
Our work on the water project is steadily progressing. the other day we hiked in about an 1 hr to the work site. We challenged the Nicaraguans already hard at work to see who could dig the tank the quickest. We split the tank area in half, team Nicaragua, versus team USA. I think the group worked harder than we have ever worked, piochaing (spanglish) and shoveling with a purpose, we still got crushed. It was like putting the Pirates against the Yankees, we was beat when we was kids.
Last week I took a brave bunch of adventurers up to the cross on a morning hike. We left at 4:15 AM for the hike. it took us a little while to find the path up, because the combination of my directional talent and darkness did not bode well for our goal of watching the sunrise in Jinotega. And I don't know if it was the combination of me not sleeping the night before (I can never sleep when I know I have to wake up early, something about my anxiety of sleeping through something important) or my absolute disregard for salt and sugar intake on this trip, but about half way up on the hike I thought I was going to do something I've never done before while exercising, I was about to puke all over that path. Somehow I held it together and made it to the top, to find my faithful morning hikers chilling and enjoying the view they had just earned. I got mad love for all my peeps that chose to rise before the sun to make the hike.
Our group of high schoolers are great. It is an intense experience to be away from home for so long, doing work that most are not accustomed to, and learning to find harmony in a new community of strangers. We have been fortunate to have a group of considerate and genuinely kind young adults. Through the challenging parts of the trip they have picked each other up. They all have a bright future in front of them, and I can only hope this experience will in some way shed light on where that bright future leads them.
I am also so thankful for the group of co-leaders on this trip. While the high schoolers have their support network, I also feel totally supported and safe working with Jon, Ian, Jackie and my fellow Minnesotan Alyson. I think there is no better feeling than finding the comfort to hold nothing of yourself back, and that is how I feel here in our Jinotega VISIONS community.
Another update: I continue to speak in Spanish in my sleep.
On Saturday I missed Joe Gannon and Celeste's Minnesota celebration of their wedding. You were in my thoughts all day. I can't wait to hear the stories and the pictures that accompany them when I get home. I am blessed with the coolest family they is.
I miss and love you all and hope all is well in your part of the world:)

Eso es como quiero viajar

Today was a good day. On our way to work today I was overcome with a feeling of appreciation and joy for the experience I have been blessed with here in Jinotega. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to many places, and I've found that I don't enjoy travelling very much. I love the fun times I have with the people I travel with, but in terms of seeing a new place, somehow it doesn't click with me. It has been on this trip that I can finally pin point the kind of travelling I would like to do in the future. While the Czech Republic was interesting and beautiful, in terms of understanding its culture, it felt like we were on the outside looking in on a little Czech snow globe. We were able to perceive some cultural things, taste some Czech food, but we were still outsiders.
Here in Jinotega I feel the opposite. We have only been here 3 weeks now, and already I feel I am among good friends. Between Victorino's family, the Blandones (our drivers) Darlin (our cook) and Joanna (work volunteer and dance teacher) I am surrounded by loving and friendly people that have welcomed us with open arms in their community. Darlin and Joanna in particular have taught me so many 'dichos' already. My favorite one, and the one I use most often, is: Te llego un burro. (I don't understand) Also, me le meta la pata (Don't let the cat out of the bag).
I have also come to realize, that beyond their welcoming warm personalities, the Nicaraguans I have met, are tricksters. They love to tell you lies and see you squirm, and then let you know they were joking. I feel very at home here.

On our way to work, we had to stop at the Puente de San Gabriel. It has been raining hard for the past few days, and now the little stream has over taken the bridge. We got out, let the kids take a look at the rushing river, and then started helping them get rocks to divert the water off the bridge. Between the 22 of us, and the 8 local community members, we were able to make the bridge passable. Our kids worked really hard, side by side with the men and boys of San Gregorio. In an hour and a half of work, we could actually see that we made a positive impact, and that felt really good.

This picture is of Jon, we helped him and his family put the rocks in place on the bridge.
We were still unable to work for the day, because although the stream had been diverted for now, if it rained anymore, it could flood again and we would be stuck on the wrong side.
After 'work' we went to a swimming hole in San Rafael. It felt amazing. The water was rushing because of all the rain. It felt so good to put my feet on a rock and let the river rush across my whole body. The only downside of the day was that I forgot to take off my watch, and its broken. After not using a watch for four years, I have become accustomed to always having access to the time. And after three weeks I hadn't lost it. Oh well.
This picture is of Fernando at the river we swam in. He´s so awesome!
Its finally sunny this afternoon, and it feels really good, in spite of the exhaustion I feel right now after swimming.
Oh yes, I was able to watch the entire World Cup final, what an amazing match. And Maggie, you were right, Holland was the worst, what a bunch of cheap shotters, they were so much like the Italians from four years ago, it felt so good to see Iniestra snap that ball out of the air and into the net.

Greetings from Nicaragua. We are nearing our midway point on our journey here. I can’t believe it has already been three weeks. We are starting to get into our groove on the work site. For our first day working with the farmers from San Gregorio, we decided to separate the group into groups of three and disperse them among the farmers. We figured that way they would feel more comfortable working side by side with the workers when the ditch diggin began.

My group went with Norman, a man who works his farm fields alone more or less. His five year old son Menor helped us out quite a bit. The work began with us gathering palm leaves and chopping them up with a machete. One of the guys on the group showed me his hand that the night before he had cut while playing street soccer. It was turning purple right around the cut. An hour later he showed me the cut again, and the purple mark had grown. I made the decision to journey across the farm fields to the spot where we had our first aid bag, and to consult about the wound. After a 45 minute hike, we found Alyson, another of our fearless leaders. She took one look at the hand, grabbed his glove and looked. He had written his name on the inside of the gloves, so the purple, mere ink residue.

An hour and a half later when we returned to our station, the girls in our group had already shoveled out a canal. We proceeded to plant the palm leaves in the ground. The leaves serve as a barrier on the field, to prevent land erosion during all of the rain they receive this time of year.
The men we are working with on this project are amazing. Their work ethic is unmatched. They begin at six every morning, and finish at three. They eat lunch after a full days work. One of our leaders, Raul, has his own farm and family. He makes $2 a day for a full 9 hour day. Each member of the farm community put in $15 for this water project. And somehow everyone has been incredibly warm and friendly, and above all patient with us as we learn how to use the pick-axes (piochas) and shovels (palas), and of course the rock bars (barras) that we use to smash up all the rocks.

Baseball is the sport of choice here, not soccer. There are quite a few pick up soccer games in the streets here, but even more games of stick ball. Many of the kids have gloves here and play catch. During lunch yesterday Gustavo our bus driver, busted out a baseball, so we played some catch. We didn’t have gloves, but somehow began throwing the ball ridiculous distances. One ball hit me square on my thigh, it didn’t feel great. Moments later, on our way back to work, I put my hand in my pocket and felt a bunch of goo. I totally forgot that moments before playing catch, I was about to eat a hard boiled egg. But, given the opportunity to throw the ball around, I put the egg in my pocket for later. Unfortunately the hit to the thigh was a direct connect with the hard boiled egg in my pockets, my pants now have a nice circular mark.

After work the other day, we took a trip to a ceramics village. The Nicaraguan government purchased a pottery wheel for the community of women, as a means for making a little money. The women spend an entire day gathering the clay for their pottery. They spend hours sifting through the clay to purify. Their work was beautiful.

Last night, Joanna, a woman who is volunteering with us and AVODEC and a life long Jinotegan, came over to the house to give dance lessons. I have not danced a lot in my life, but I really love it. The Blandons, our bus drivers, were also there to help us learn. I am beginning to feel a little more in rhythm with the salsa and bachata dancing.

This trip is moving so fast. I am exhausted by the end of the day, but I am enjoying everything. I have already met so many amazing Nicaraguans, and learned so many new words and phrases. And, apparently I had a very active talking in my sleep night, and I was talking in Spanish!! So I’ve finally reached that milestone of immersion. The high schoolers on our trip are a very kind and enthusiastic group. It has been a great experience getting to know each of them, and see them push themselves with their Spanish language skills. Given that they are mostly New Yorkers and Californians, I am trying to adapt to the ridiculous way they say bahhg, and what was the other, oh yeah, meelk. So far I’ve misplaced my new galoshs and rubber gloves, but I do still know where my camera and guitar are. Did I mention that, I bought a guitar, and I love it, and I’m gonna learn me some good Nicaraguan music with itJ
Viva Espana!!

Happy 4th of July!!

These are some of the boys from the farming community we willwork with.

The high schoolers arrived on Thursday morning, and its Monday, and I cannot believe how quickly this trip has already gone by. Maggie, funny you should mention turning out the lights. Jinotega has a man made lake and dam that gives 30 percent of the countries power. We learned right away that if it hasnt rained for awhile the power is off. Luckily, after the first couple days here with on and off power, the rain has come pretty regularily.



A local community leader came for dinner one night, and spoke with the group about Nicaragua. His name is Javier and hes a journalist. He says that he is trying to change journalism from Red Journalism to Green Journalism, so in other words, instead of covering all of the bad, he is covering the Naturaleza and Environment. He also spoke with us about the war. He was enlisted in the Sandinista army. His brother in laws were with the Contras, and apparently they would have dinner together and talk about the different ways they were trained, and the types of guns they were using. He said there was a time when his brother in law was injured on the battlefield, and he took him home to cure his injuries, and once he was better he went back with the contras to continue the fight. It was fascinating to hear his stories.

The Nicaraguan people are into giving speech-introductions, and we.ve noticed with the older generation a common thread of solidarity and peace, and a love for the land and pride in culture. It seems as though through all of the ten years they were fighting, they all just want to get along now.

Javier also took us on a difficult but short uphill hike to the cross, which you can see everywhere in Jinotega, including at night when it is lit up.

I didn,t have my camera with me the day we visited San Rafael. If you ever have the pleasure of making it to Nica you should make a point to visit. There is a church in the town, 40 years before the beginning of the war the church hired an Italian priest to come paint the walls. On of the paintings depicts Jesus being tempted by the devil. The picture of the devil looks like a mirror image of Daniel Ortega,including and exact representation of his bald spot. He has nine fingers showing in the picture. The people of Jinotega and San Rafael believed this to be a sign. The nine fingers represented the nine men leading the Sandinista revolution. Because the painting was created so many years before Ortega was around, it is amazing the resemblance.

The other really interesting thing about San Rafael, is that Father Orinoco has been Canonized a Saint for his good works during the war. He would bring Contras and Sandinistas together to say mass. He passed away 16 years ago, but supposedly his body has not decomposed at all. Our bus driver Gustavo says that he saw the body last year.

The first day the kids were here, we sent them on a scavenger hunt of the city. I was stationed at the Cathedral, and while hanging out, i heard music coming from the church. It was so beautiful, and intense and it made me think of how heavy and sad the times of the war must have been here. It also reminded me of a scene in Romero in the church. The music enveloped the intensity of there past.





Today was our first day digging the ditch, and my first day off in two weeks, it feels good.



Que te pasa bien, and go Twins!!