Making progress.

Today I was really upset, but instead of calming myself with chocolate or other comfort foods my initial reaction was to throw on my running shoes and hit the road. Also included were perhaps some tears and guttural cries to God asking why.

Moving forward.

thinking out loud: Thought of the day

thinking out loud: Thought of the day: There is a big difference between unemployment and productive unemployment. In my productive unemployment, I have attended conferences, gone...

For all of those who think I am doing nothing with my life

This is what I've been doing with my life since I got home from Nica land:

Training for a half marathon.

Eating MD crabs.

Making Nicaraguan food (beans mostly)... stored some up in the freezer for months to come.

Painting my nails bright colors.

Learning how to operate a manual vehicle with Monica.

Gettin jobs!

I've also been having some weird dreams, like when I called 911 because there were gunmen in my house trying to kill my family. I told the woman on the other end that I wanted to 'report something that was happening' (eloquent word choice, yes) and she told me, 'Sorry, we just watch the 8 o'clock media coverage for that.'

Warm Cultures

My sister recently visited me in Nicaragua, an experience which led to many interesting and good discussions about cultural differences. A lot of things which seemed strange or different to her have seemed normal to me for quite some time, so it was like seeing Nicaragua with new eyes. During her visit she mentioned the differences between cold and warm cultures. Many times warm cultures are also located in warm areas, giving the label a double meaning. 

Sara mentioned that warm cultures are more open, more hospitable, and less ‘cold’ than say cultures in the United States, Europe, or other countries. I got to thinking about what she said and tried to look for an example of how things might be different in the States from here. It didn’t take long to find one.

My sister and I were heading back from a day trip of souvenir shopping and had a two hour bus ride ahead of us. About 15 minutes after the bus headed out, we picked up some more passengers. The bus was pretty packed, with standing room only at that point, and a young lady got on with a small child, maybe three years old. The mother was standing holding her daughter and her friend offered to help her by holding the child for a while. However, the friend was also standing so I offered to rest the child on my lap for the ride. The mother gladly accepted the offer and passed the child over. It wasn’t too long before the little girl fell asleep, and how precious she was!!! I ended up holding her for the rest of the ride, more than an hour. My sister was amazed at how openly the mother accepted my offer and how little concern she seemed to have that something might happen to her.  For me it wasn’t the first time to witness it but it was the first time to participate. It’s a nice hopeful feeling, because there is a certain amount of trust when you put your child into stranger’s arms. 

This example is one of the many I have found which display the warmness of Nicaraguan culture. I look forward to sharing more about Nicaraguans and their lifestyle with all of my friends and family at home. However I know that going home means I will have to adjust to the ‘cold’ culture in the United States. I will need to learn to appreciate my home culture again, a process which will be difficult but hopefully spiritually rewarding.

Politica Nica

History and politics don't really interest me, but this is fascinating:

The recent history (1900 to present) of the Republic of Nicaragua is very fascinating and very detailed, but I’d like to give a very brief summary and idea of what politics are like here currently in the country. 

1937-1979 (with some gaps): Somoza regime-- 3 different leaders from the same family (Somoza) are president during this time, basically dictators (not good, although some people argue that the country was in fairly decent economic condition during some of the time)
 

1972: big, bad earthquake- flattens Managua. International aid floods in, but Somoza takes a lot of it for himself and has the audacity to sell the water and food to people. Ridiculously corrupt-- anti-Somoza sentiment increases internally and externally
 

1978: Chamorro, editor of La Prensa, which was pretty critical of the Somoza leader, assassinated. This pretty much sparks the....
 

1979: Revolution, and overthrow of the Somoza government by the Sandinista party
 

1980 and a couple years afterwards: Civil war between Sandinistas and the Contras (people who didn't want the Sandinistas in power), which were quite a minority but had decent strength because the US secretly funded them (thanks to Reagan). They were funded because the Sandinistas were strongly influenced by Marxist teachings and were a socialist party. And, remember, this is the late 80s. [In 1983 US congress prohibited funding of the Contras, so the Reagan administration continued to back the Contras by covertly selling arms to Iran and channeling the proceeds to the Contras (known as the Iran-Contra affair). The war was REALLY bad.

              Taken from here
 

1984, 1990: free and fair elections. Sandinistas won the first, but lost the second to Violeta Chamorro (widow of the editor of La Prensa). Today, everyone loves this woman and she seemed to have done a good job. She inherited an economy in ruins, though, mostly because of the war.

So the history goes on (duh) but right now Daniel Ortega (a Sandinista who was pretty important during the revolution) is president. From what I understand he is attempting to change the constitution (because it is unconstitutional). There is a clause which says that a person cannot run in an election if they just served a term. There is another clause which says that all people are created equal, thus causing a contradiction: If everyone is equal then why should the current president not be able to run two times in a row? Even though I’m pretty sure the constitution hasn’t been changed, you wouldn’t be able to tell with all of the billboards displaying his big smiling face all over the city (and, well, the country). 

The original colors of the FSLN (Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional- Sandinista National Liberation Front) are black and red. The colors and propaganda for the party appear all over; light posts are painted black and red, the letters FSLN are graffiti-ed everywhere, the famous silhouette of Sandino (who the party is named after) is on building sides and formed into statues, etc. [Ironically the party is named after Sandino, a farmer who stood up against the US military occupation in Nicaragua in the late 20s early 30s. He was assassinated by Somoza in 1934, years before the revolution started. The revolutionaries in the late 70s early 80s used his positive image for their party when they overthrew the corrupt Somoza government.] Ortega is trying to mix things up a bit by changing the party colors to pink, yellow, and blue. His slogan for 2011 is ‘2011: Unity for the Common Good… Let’s keep changing Nicaragua! Christian, socialist, solidarity!’ (sounds better in Spanish). 

I think if I had been alive during the revolution (most people reading this probably were!) I would have been a Sandinista. They promoted great change and have done many wonderful things in the country. However from my current perspective their goals have changed over the years and they do many things with which I disagree. For example, the Sandinistas frequently have marches to rally support for the party. They close main streets and play loud music while hundreds of people walk around waving black and red flags, wearing new t-shirts with the president’s slogan. The last big event included one or two days where the marchers were pasting bumper stickers in the shape of a soccer jersey onto cars at traffic lights, some black and red and others pink and blue. They say ‘DANIEL’ for the name and sport the number 2 (number of the political party). 

           Taken from here

The marches are not really that big of a deal (except for the traffic jams which result). However, many of the people parading around in Sandinista get-up are forced to be there. All government workers receive the t-shirt of that particular march and must participate. If they don’t they can be fired for being anti-Sandinista. Not to mention all of the money being wasted by Ortega to print out a different shirt every time, to provide flags for the workers, to provide transportation with use of government vehicles… The only reason I know this is because I have a ‘liberal’ friend who works for the government but has to pretend she’s a Sandinista in order to keep her job.

Ooooo, there’s so much I want to write but… perhaps I’ll continue another time. Meanwhile, please pray for Nicaraguans as they are heading into their upcoming elections in November. It could mean the start of a dictatorship or another uprising… This is a beautiful country and it would be great to have peaceful and fair elections (difficult in any country).

The information above is taken from Wikipedia, my friend Nadia Schafer, and my observations. It is history with opinion thrown in. Feel free to research more.

Let's eat! -> repucheta

Start with a fried-crispy tortilla de maiz.

Spread some beans that have been cooked and liquefied in the blender with onion, garlic, and jalapeño to your liking. 

Then comes the ensalada (in the picture above it's just tomato and onion tossed with vinegar, but it normally has shredded cabbage as well). 

Drizzle some sour cream and sprinkle some cheese and you've got one of my favorite foods!!! 

Mmmmmm...

Observations

Before January 1st 2011 everyone in Nicaragua who found out I was leaving in July (of 2011) said 'Ohhhhhhhhhh that's sooooooooo far awaaaaay you have so much tiiiiiiiiiime.' Then, right after New Years, everyone started saying 'Oh my gosh July is right around the corner time is going to fly and you'll be gone I mean you basically are gone already if you think about it.'

I still only know about three bad words in Spanish.

When passing someone on the street you say adios instead of hola. I still giggle to myself when the occasional daring Nicaraguan says flirtatiously in English, 'goodBYE.'

When someone is being an idiot or stupid (mainly by not using common sense) they call that person a caballo (horse).

There are a lot of tall Nicaraguans.

As a piece of advice, whenever you hitchhike, make sure not to lift anything from the vehicle, especially by accident.

Age is relative. If we are in March and you turn 18 in November, you might as well just start saying you're 18 (I guess if you count the time in the womb, and the fact that September is 'just around the corner'). 

Piropos (cat calls) can be both the best and worst part of your day.

People here will accept almost any food your offer them. (Mandarina to the random guy sitting next to you on the bus, cookies to the woman with her toddler, bread to the bus driver, food you didn't finish from your lunch.)

Most people never eat anything in front of you without offering you some (if you're not already eating something). This means I usually eat my chocolate in private.
 

Hearing with your hands

I hate teaching. Is that strong? I don't like it. I've never really wanted to be a teacher. To me the idea of trying to explain concepts and ideas to large groups of children or adolescents just is not appealing. One-on-one I can do great things (I think), but more than that... hmmm... no.

Fortunately, MCC is all about character building and stretching and sucked me in with a 'social worker' job title which really should have been 'substitute teacher with other random duties.' 

I've come to find that my fall-back 'teaching tool' (which might make a lot of teachers cringe) is hangman. The game.

It's been educational for me (and hopefully the kids). I have realized a few things since using this strategy.

1. Deaf people hear with their hands.

• For example, when a student is running the game, they face the board and finger-spell the letters down by their legs or close to their stomachs where no one can see them do it. When I play I spell it out in my head, saying the letters to myself and counting on my fingers. That has no meaning for them, but finger spelling helps them to 'hear' it, so to speak. 
• I've also found this to be true when they read. Most older deaf students sign the words as they are reading to be able to comprehend a text. If they come across a word they don't automatically recognize as having a sign, they finger-spell and then make an 'Oh, OK, I get it!' expression and continue on. 

2. Sign language has its own grammar and syntax.

• One girl wanted to put a phrase on the board and she pulled me aside and signed 'mi mamá en amor' which literally means 'my mom in love.' I wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but I knew the other students would. I asked someone later and she told me it meant 'I love my mom.'
• I was playing the phrase 'Yo amo Nicaragua' (I love Nicaragua). The students had gotten to '_ _  am_ Nicaragua' and they said 'El amo Nicaragua' (he I love Nicaragua) and then 'Mi amo Nicaragua' (my I love Nicaragua) and much later finally said 'Yo amo Nicaragua.' The way to communicate 'He loves, I love, she loves, we love, they love' is all based on the same sign, but they only learn one way of writing it, which is in first person present tense. A little complicated to explain in English, but fascinating.

3. Hangman can keep students of any age engaged for a very very long period of time. Trust me. 

Church in Nica (Maybe Part 1)

¿¿Quién vive?? ¡¡Cristo!!

Y a su nombre… ¡¡Gloria!!

Y a sus hijos… ¡¡Gloria!!

Who lives?? Jesus Christ!!

To his name… Glory!!

To his children… Glory!!

The above phrases are commonly shouted throughout services and sermons in Evangelical (Protestant) churches throughout Nicaragua. The worship leader in my church often uses these phrases to transition between songs, or as he is waiting for someone to approach the front of the church to give a testimony. He joyfully shouts the first part of the phrase and the congregation responds.

My church here is called Hermanos en Cristo (literally Brethren in Christ) and is about three blocks from my house. The service starts at 10:30 (I think?) but I usually arrive around 10:45. The service starts with a few songs led by our enthusiastic worship leader.

                              El hermano that leads us in worship

Then el hermano (that’s what you call your fellow brothers in Christ, or hermana for a sister in Christ. This custom comes in handy when you forget someone’s name!) opens up the altar for any brothers or sisters who want to sing or give a testimony. At this time of the service, anyone can go forward and share.

What I love about being here is that no one is afraid to sing, even if they have a terrible voice, and they can forget the words and stop and start over again and it doesn’t matter (this applies to all of Nicaragua in general). In my church, there is a little old man who accompanies with an electric guitar, which is really sweet, except that he plays the same chords to the same rhythm for every song, including the ones he doesn’t know. It’s kind of like listening to techno and classical, full blast, at the same time. It’s been an adjustment for me, since most churches in the states put a lot of emphasis on having good, coordinated music. I have grown to appreciate the fact that no one is made to feel inferior or superior according to their musical talents, which I think is a good thing to have in church, since it’s not about us, it’s about worship, thanking God, and giving him what we have.

I enjoy listening to testimonies (when I understand them) because the personal stories are always bent in a positive way as people talk about what God is doing in their lives.

After the especiales, we take an offering. A strict little old lady directs this part of the service, asking everyone to stand and raise their hand, with or without offering, to bless both the offering and the hearts of the people present. While she leads a song, everyone comes forward to offer their gift to God. Then… it’s my turn!

The pastor begins her sermon (yes, a female pastor!) and I take the children into a connecting room to lead Sunday school. It’s a noisy twenty to forty minutes!! The pastor raises her voice in the sanctuary and I raise mine trying to control the children. We usually sing a few songs, read a (Bible) story, and color a picture. I have the great job of telling every kid that their drawing is BEAUTIFUL even if it’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen. I love boosting other people’s self-esteem. After coloring it’s snack time! 

After finishing our snack, we rejoin the adults in the sanctuary to recite our closing verses:

Jehová guardará mi salida y mi entrada desde ahora y para siempre, ¡AMEN!

Jehová guardará mi salida y mi entrada desde ahora y para siempre, ¡AMEN!

¡Todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece!

(Psalm 121:8, Philippians 4:13)

Before leaving the room, everyone shakes everyone else’s hand and says ‘Dios le bendiga.’(Our church is fairly small, making this easy.) It’s a very cultural thing to greet everyone before leaving, which makes for a great way to connect with everyone in the church. I think if we did that at my home church in Maryland, we would probably all know each other a lot better by the end of one month. Maybe we can try it.