Maynor & Miguel

Maynor is an orphan. His parents left him long ago, with nothing and no one. A family took him in, gave him somewhere to sleep, something to eat, but what is most important, a place to feel safe, has forever been stripped of Maynor.

Most days, Maynor walks in, eyes downcast, delicately placing one foot directly in front of the other. He will take a seat in the corner. He will sit in silence. He is non-responsive to even the most persistent of questioning. Sometimes, when his care-givers are not so careful, his cheeks or eye will be swollen. He is naught but a punching bag and, if he is so lucky, another mouth to feed.

Miguel has a mother and a father too. He never walks in with day-old-bruises or swollen-shut-eyes. He is lucky that way. His stomach, however, is not immune to protesting sounds of hunger.

GVI provides food three times a day to the students who attend. Fruit twice a day and a meal of beans and rice in the afternoon. But, whether for a naïve sense of pride, or for some misguided attempt at safety, Miguel’s mother will not allow him to eat with us. His stomach growls with hunger. His eyes pass over the food that is offered to him that he must refuse. He, also, sits dejectedly in the corner.

My responsibilities as an intern with GVI prohibit me from taking any actions against the families of neither Maynor nor Miguel. Doing so would jeopardize the trust that has been steadily building in the community, thus diminishing the opportunity of the persistence of a GVI presence in la Thompson. For the greatest good, we must take no action. My responsibility as a member of humanity, however, demands that I kick down the doors that loosely hang for their frames on both Maynor’s and Miguel’s house and demand an explanation for the abuse, whether physical or physiological, that is imposed upon their children.

What do I do?

Patrick

Granada

Hey all,

Granada was founded in 1524 by the Spanish explorer Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, who named Granada after the ancient Spanish city Granada. Granada, along with Antigua, Guatemala, was often recognized as the capitol of Central America, due to its location along Lake Nicaragua and easy access to central trade routes.
Granada has historically been a place of conflict in Central America. It has faced invasions by both the French and the English and is where the American William Walker tried to assert his monarchy of all of Central America. At one point, the entire city was burned to the ground, but was later rebuilt.

Granada and Leon, throughout the 19th century, battled for the nation’s capitolship. Leon was favored by the Liberals and Granada by the Conservatives. Eventually, the capitol was established between the two cities in the significantly less beautiful Managua.

Today, as I see it, Granada is still as beautiful as it was a couple of hundred of years ago when the city was rebuilt. It is the type of city that I have become more accustomed to whilst in Central America. There is a sprawling central park, amazing market, and gigantic main street leading to the shoreline of Lake Nicaragua. The shoreline, however, is littered with discarded trash and the water is polluted to a muddy brown color.

The town square houses street vendors, monuments to people long since dead, and, in true colonial fashion, horse drawn carriages. I wish I would have ridden one. There is, however, always nest time

Walking around Friday night, I was struck by the absolute beauty of the place. Then, I walked through the empty market, past someone who had long since passed out, snoring, sprawled atop an empty market booth. I then remembered that I was, in fact, still in the poorest country in Central America.

I was struck by the sheer amount of homeless in Granada. They were sleeping in the streets, on the sidewalks, and in the entrances of store fronts.

Joselyn, the girl I was traveling with, and I decided to cut the trip short and return Saturday night. She had not brought any shoes so hiking was ruled out and I had somehow forgotten my debit card, so I was strapped for cash. It was our first weekend traveling. Give us a break, were allowed to make mistakes.

The bus ride home might have been the most horrific experience of my short life. The bus from Managua, where we caught our connection, and Estelí was packed from wall to wall. I did not understand how they could possibly still be allowing people onto the bus. I was already squeezed into a seat made for three normal sized people. Unfortunately, the man who was sitting in the window seat thought it was his god given right to take up a seat and a half. Then, a woman who looked much too young to have a five year old, put her five year old on my headrest. His ass cheeks straddled my headrest while his legs dangled into the aisle. So, here I was crunched into a semi-fetal position, sweating my but off in the 95 degree weather (to the second power with all the damn people on the bus), surrounded by people who have not had the benefit of a shower in a while. How could things get worse?

That is when the nether-region-itcher came into my life. This man apparently had some sort of un-satisfy-able itch in his pants. His hand was just drawn to his private parts. What’s worse is he felt the need to place his package directly in front of my face. Someone just kill me. There might have been tears.

After about three hours on the bus, taking extreme back routes to drop people off (I learned my lesson--expresses from now on), the bus had cleared out. The weather went from extreme to mild. I got a window seat. I could breathe again. We drove through the mountains on the way home and I saw some of what I have been missing, green. So much green. Clouds swirled in the sky, overcastting the sun. The sun set orange and pink. It turned into a day that reminds you that even the simpliest things can hold the most beauty—a little girl playing hide-and-seek with you over her chair, hanging your head out the window and allowing the clean air to blow through your hair, or giving 5 Córdoba’s to a man only charging one Cordoba for a bag of water, making his day.

In the end, I am reminded that I believe in something. Maybe something foolish or naïve, but something none the less—that any difference, no matter how small, is worth making.

Patrick

Sick...

Hey all,
I know it has been a while since my last post, but the week has been busy for me. Let’s see… We had classes on Monday, school was cancelled Tuesday, Wednesday I started getting sick, and today I am REALLY sick. I have been alternating between the bathroom and my bed all day. I just cannot seem to keep anything down. Not to mention that I have had a sickening amount of homework over the last few days.
Monday, like I said, we had classes. This was the first day when I could feel the sickness coming on… I just couldn’t speak any Spanish. Well, I could, but it left a lot to be desired, and I continually was getting frustrated with the kids. I feel horrible about it now, but my temper was short. Thankfully, the kids memories are just as short.
Tuesday we had to cancel classes due to a shortage of teachers. Our community coordinator and our permanent teacher had to take the day off to do a government mandated census. It is peculiarly done here. The government does not want to pay anyone additionally to do the census, so they cancel school and have the teachers do it. You can see how highly valued education is. Work, however, was not over for me. I still had homework and lesson planning to do for the week.
Wednesday and Thursday I have been sick and was forced to miss class today. I actually feel another bout of sickness coming on so I am going to cut this short, but stay tuned for news of this weekend. Hopefully, I will be traveling to Grenada. If I recover a little, that is.
Patrick

A Fence

Hey All,

Not too long ago GVI tried to build a garden behind the school. We provide the children with fruit twice a day and, naturally, the costs do add up. The garden would be a great addition because it would help divert some of the costs of the fruit to other projects GVI is trying to accomplish.
Unfortunately, when the first garden was built it was overrun by wild credos (pigs). So, we quickly determined that a fence would be the solution to our problems. However, our fence was quoted at $1200 US dollars. The cost was simply too great. We would simply have to continue on without a garden until the time when we could properly construct a fence.
At our meeting last week we Carla, Aaron and myself talked a lot about the people not taking advantage of the opportunities that GVI was providing—the stoves, the school, and so on. I think we half way guilted people into agreeing to meet this morning and construct such a fence. People had promised their time and their materials. Promises in Nicaragua, however, often never come to fruition.
So, Aaron and I dragged our asses out of bed this morning at 645. Neither of us was expecting very much—maybe one or two people to come and then rapidly disperse. And when we showed up, on time, we were not surprised to see not one person there.
Aaron and I sat in Carla’s house, next to the school and waited. Imagine our surprise when people began coming to the lot, first with shovels, then with concrete posts, and finally with the concrete itself.
The scene was beautiful—Nicaraguans and Gringos working side by side. You have to realize the significance of this… It was not too long ago that America was supporting the suppression of the Nicaraguan people through the support of an evil dictator, a support that ultimately led to a civil war where many, if not all, of the people that we were working with lost brothers, fathers, or uncles.
I spoke to a man who fought in the civil war. He detested Americans, calling us imperialists, claiming that we impose our culture on others. I have to say, I agree with him. It was a profound experience. I told the man that I am here, in no way, to influence these children in American culture. I am here to learn about his culture, and to do the best I can to give his people a better life. At the end of the day the same man offered to paint a mural commemorating the building of the fence, of us working side by side.
I hope his attitude transcends to the people in the community. I hope they can see that we are here to help, that we care, and that we are not leaving.
Patrick

Infested

Hey all,
Lots of new news about the project over the past few days…
Let me begin with the infestation that we discovered in my jail-cell-esq room. I noticed a few bugs around my bed the other night. So, two nights ago I lifted up the mattress and discovered 150+ little black bugs crawling around under my bed. Needless to say, I was rather disgusted. I then spent the next two nights sleeping on the tile floor in the living room…
I have been very nice, up until this point, about my feelings towards my former roommates. I have tried to be a good sport, not complain too much about anything, but I am more than fed up. They leave dirty dishes on the stove. The stove itself probably hasn’t been cleaned in the 7 months that they have been here. They leave standing water in and around the sink. One part of the house was dedicated entirely to empty plastic and glass bottles (my other, more neat, roommate and project manager cleaned this up today), under which is a caked on layer of old coke and beer. I can deal with all of this, but what I cannot deal with is walking into the bathroom to find beard hair trimmings around the sink. Honestly, take the extra few seconds to clean up after yourselves!
Thank god they left this morning. There were nice enough people, if you don’t have to live with them. Now it is just me and the project manager Aaron. I have moved into a non-bug-infested room and Aaron and myself are doing a complete cleaning over haul this weekend. I also sprayed the hell out of the bug haven with “bygone” spray. This stuff had a deadly aroma to it…
The project has been great the past few days. We celebrated birthday yesterday and had a piñata, candy, dancing, and chocolate covered bananas. We had a huge turnout. Unfortunately, I get the feeling it was only because we were having a party. Carla did tell the kids that if they don’t start showing up for school they won’t be able to participate in the next party.
Then today myself, some of the volunteers, and Mauricio (Carla’s strange, but oddly endearing son), had a water fight. Very fun. Then we played duck-duck goose and soccer with the kids. One girl full-on punched another in the face today as well. It’s always fun trying to deal with those situations.
I also went to my first Nicaraguan night club last night. Definitely an interesting experience. I had a few Nicaraguans girl try and dance with me, which is strange, because the girls usually avoid the gringo guys. It is the Central American dudes who usually pursue the gringo girls—especially if they are blond.
Speaking of blond, the people look very different here than what I am used to in Central America. Their skin is a lot lighter and, in some cases, they have colored eyes and hair. I can definitely see the Spanish blood here.
That’s it for now. Until next time,
Patrick

More Kids Have Come

The Spanish here is beautiful, musical even. I love the intonations here. It is almost as if people are singing when they speak. It makes it a bit difficult to understand, however.

Today, the state school was cancelled and, as a result, we saw a huge turnout in the morning class. There was somewhere around 25 people. For us, in the morning, that is making some progress. Also, we sent out our community leader, Carla, and permanent pre-school teacher, Yesena, around the community to do a census and to hand out a flyer about the school. The flyer listed our hours, the fact that we are an award winning pre-school, the fact that we have a fulltime, government educated teacher, on staff, and the fact that we serve fruit twice a day and rice and beans once a day.
We have also seen a few parents around the school, picking up or dropping of their children. It is great to see parents taking an active role in their children’s education.

I am excited, the day after tomorrow I will be moving out of the jail cell and into an actual room. That is exciting. I also went shopping for the first time last night so I have food in the house. I guess it is becoming a little more like home every day.

In other news, it is official—Jenna Slack (for those of you who do not know, the girl I have been dating for a while now) has been accepted as a Global Vision Volunteer and will be joining me in Nicaragua on the 3rd of July and will be staying until we both leave on the 23rd of August. It is definitely a relief. I have been missing her terribly. I, of course, probably miss whoever has enough initiative to read these blog posts as well, so do not feel left out if you are not mentioned.
I also have pictures I want to share with you all. I just keep forgetting to bring my USB cord to put them on the computer. Next time!
Adios, until next time,
Patrick

First Day of School

Hey all,

Today was my first day the school with the students. The kids are just as endearing as I remember them being in Guatemala. However, this experience is a change for me. In Guatemala, I had to teach two classes with around 40 students between them every morning and afternoon because we did not have enough volunteers. Here, in Estelí, we currently have seven volunteers and one full-time teacher for around 25 students all day. It is a bit discouraging that we only have 25 students from the entire community of la Thompson. I have been told that there has been a high of more than 60 students.

It appears that Aaron and I will have to move door to door a little quicker than expected. These parents, who, most of the time, have never even attended school, do not seem to understand how important an education is to their child. I have said it before and I will say it again—education is the best way to pull people, to pull a nation out of poverty.

I do look forward to talking to parent. Hopefully, I can demonstrate how important an education is to a child.

Patrick

First Day in la Thompson

I went to the school for the first time today for a meeting with the people in the community. The project director and I had to meet with members of the community to discuss the energy efficient stoves that GVI installs in some peoples house. These stoves burn less wood and filter the smoke form the house into the air outside. It would seem like it would be something that people would embrace. They do not have to do as much tree chopping and, if everyone uses the stoves, there will be more trees and, hence, a shorter walk to the trees. However, for some reason the people are not using their stoves. Aaron and I think it might have something to do with them not really knowing how to use the stoves. Unfortunately, there was no way we were going to get anyone to admit to that in front of their friends and family… Aaron and I think the best step forward will be going door to door and asking people what the problem seems to be.

Also, there has been a problem with attendance. The children just are not showing up. They either do not want to come or their parents force them not to come to help around the house and in the fields (the latter is usually the case—these kids love coming to school).

I was introduced to the school today as well. It is somewhat less than I expected… In Guatemala, there was not much, only a few rooms under a tin roof with rickety bamboo tethered together to partition the classes. In la Thompson, the community we are working in, there are some walls, but the building they contain is only about 30 feet by 15 feet. There are two classes divided by a half wall. The third, fourth, and fifth graders are all pushed together and the pre-schoolers, first graders, and second graders are divided among the other room inside and the class outside made by the overhanging tin roof (the roof extends an extra 15 feet or so off the building to make a ceiling that will shelter the children from the sun/rain).
The houses in the community are made with tin roofs, and if you’re lucky, with wooden walls. The floors are sometimes made with concrete, but the others are just dirt floors. Stoves are a luxury, as is running water and working toilets.

However, I am not discouraged. I still believe in what we are trying to do and I think that GVI can really be the difference in these people’s lives. The project here has only existed a year, but has already made profound progress. We are already opening another school in Nicaragua in June plus adding programs to help alleviate deforestation and hunger.

I am excited for my first day of class tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Patrick

First Days in Estelí

Hey all,
Today is my first full day in Estelí, Nicaragua. It is not quite what I expected, but what ever is? For one thing, it is hotter than Guatemala, and the people are visibly poorer. I had expected poverty, but not to the extent which I have seen it here. Managua, the nation’s capital, is just one haphazard shanty after another. Then, the journey to Estelí (which lasts about two hours via very cramped and uncomfortable bus—this is normal for Central America though) is not the green that I have become so accustomed to in Central America, but brown. The farmers here have systematically destroyed the forest in order to have more land for their crops.

The bedroom that I am staying in kind of looks like a jail cell. It is about 7 feet by 6 feet and a thin mattress that sits directly on the floor takes up most of the space. There is no place for me to put my cloths—no dresser and no cabinets. I have seen more than one or two bugs, but they are small. The water in the shower seemingly is always cold. Fortunately, I do not mind cramped spaces, cold showers, and bugs. I am here for one reason—to teach (well and to travel, learn about the culture, and practice my Spanish). Plus, the cold showers feel good in this heat!

The people here are really friendly too. I went out to a Cuban restaurant with four Nicaraguans. They were very chatty. Also, the internet café that I am writing to you all in has a very nice staff. They are always asking me what I am doing here and where I am from. This has been a great opportunity to practice my Spanish.

Estelí, itself, is very homey. It is strange though. There is no real center of town. Everything is kind of just haphazardly put together, with no order what-so-ever. This makes it very easy to get lost, but regardless, I think I am falling for it. I like Antigua better, still, I think, but Estelí is growing on me. I cannot wait to meet the kids!

I haven’t seen the school yet. My first day is not until Monday, but I am excited. I will write more soon.

Patrick