The Wheels on the Bus...

It was a 1988 Blue Bird Bus from Georgia with typical DAWGS stickers posted in the corners. However, it was also decked out in “Jesus en mi corazon,” Cars the movie, and Tazmanian devil stickers. The big yellow-turned-neon bus cruised out Carretera Vieja a Leon past horse and buggies, pedestrians, and cars. Words like “amor,” “siempre,” and “corazon” frequented the radio as latin ballads poured loudly through the speakers. I have no idea how this bus got to Nicaragua from Georgia, but here it is...another example of typical Nicaraguan public transit. I spend my time sweating, crammed against bellies and bodies of those standing alongside me. The packed situation makes falling down an impossibility even though the bus is so full that the front door remains wide open. A colorful character swings just outside the doors of the moving bus; he whistles, collects money, makes change, calls out stops, all while dangling from the bus by a couple of fingers. I smile, wising I had a camera to capture the moment.

Such is life.

Reflections on Tourism

If there’s one thing that Central America has going for itself, it’s the beautiful natural resources that litter the area with spectacular beaches, enchanting forests, looming volcanoes, and lush wildlife. The economic potential for tourism in Central America is unbound, and after living in Nicaragua for 5 months as an NGO volunteer, I have recently had the privilege of experiencing Honduras, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua as a tourist. Some of my observations, and reflections, follow.

Honduras

Upon the arrival of Christmas vacations, I headed North, not all the way to the States but first to Honduras. My roommate and I decided to visit San Pedro Sula, a financial hotspot in the country in which over 1/3 of the GDP is centered. Bypassing the seemingly lackluster and strikingly similar-to-Managua capital of Tegucigalpa, we headed North to the remarkably organized city. For the first time in 5 months, I experienced culture shock. There was a plethora of American-style restaurants, a noticeable lack of stoplight street performers and window washers (I think our windshields actually went dirty for more than 2 hours which just doesn’t happen back in Managua), and even - gasp! - street names and signs. There was 1st Street, 2nd Street, 3rd Street and so on... Coming from Nicaragua, this was revolutionary. These little comforts that make tourism easy encourage visitors, although overall tourism in Honduras has been down since last year’s political turmoil.

LP & Me at Copan Ruinas

What to see: Copan Ruinas, the ancient Mayan Ruins located about 2 hours from San Pedro Sula, and the adorable town located nearby with the same name

What to eat: Baleadas, a traditional snack of flour tortilla, egg, cheese, beans, and cream that’s just as good on the streets as it is in the local fast food joints

What to do: Make friends with the locals. A new alero or alera (the Honduran equivalent of amigo) will help you see the beautiful country through their own eyes and give you insight into the socio-political mood of the average citizen

Costa Rica

Deciding that we couldn’t wait until the end of our stint in Nicaragua to explore neighboring lands, my good friend/coworker and I hopped a direct bus to Costa Rica last weekend. Our destination was the Monteverde cloud forest, one of Costa Rica’s most well-known tourist destinations, and let me tell you, this place was Touristy with a capital “T.” Everything was expensive, there were lots of shops and activities, and we had no problem filling our weekend itinerary with plenty of outdoorsy recreation. Arriving too late Friday to attend one of the famed night tours, we enjoyed a dinner at a local restaurant called the Tree House, which was, quite literally, in a tree house! With live music filling the atmosphere with latin beats, we dined in the company of ex-Patriot retirees and a couple other young backpackers. The next day, with a 6:30 AM start, we were off to exploring the local Cloud Forest. An afternoon of traditional Tico (Costa Rican) food and a canopy tour led us to the evening’s night tour where our guide encountered an ocelot (we missed seeing it by 2 seconds!), tarantula, bats, and various other night time creatures of the cloud forest.

Monteverde was beautiful and enchanting, with rolling green mountains as far as the eye can see. It was also an example of the kind of wealth tourism can bring to a country. The area was not lacking in tourists, and the tourists were not lacking in opportunities to spend chunks of cash in exchange for access to natural wonders (entrance to the various Cloud Forests ranged in $15-17, not including an additional $15+ fee for a guided tour). However, the high prices ensured that all trails and tours were well-maintained. Provided transportation from the towns to trailheads ensured that travelers would have access to the natural wonders. An abundance of restaurants and cheap, well-maintained hostels provided creature comforts such as good food, hot showers, and free internet. In terms of tourism, Costa Rica is years ahead of anything I’ve seen in Nicaragua.

Which way to San Jose? A bus stop leaves us in the middle of nowhere...

Fern Gully? Just about.

What to see: The Cloud Forests are a must! Think rainforest. Think enchanting. Think mystical. As you walk through the cloud forest, you literally are walking through a cloud. The sights and sounds of the flora and fauna, as well as the constant drip-drop of the dew, create an enthralling experience. Also, you don’t want to miss a night tour, where the sights, sounds, and activities of the animals are totally different.

What to eat: A man selling delicious kabobs on the side of the street across from the Catholic Church will delight you with his stories and his grilling abilities for about $1/kabob

What to do: It may break the bank, but a canopy tour is not to be missed. Extremo tours offers one with 14 cables, some over 1 Kilometer, including a Tarzan-style swing and a “Superman” cable. With both your upper and lower body hooked to the 1 km cable, it’s the closest thing to flying I’ve ever experienced!

NICARAGUA

As someone told me in Costa Rica, Nicaragua likely has more natural resources and attractions than neighboring Central American states. Nicaragua, with it’s award-winning cigars and fine coffee, has great potential for eco-tourism. Moreover, with at least 5 volcanoes that I can think of on the top of my head, the country offers the opportunity to hike and even volcano-board down (think snowboarding on volcanic ash) active volcanoes! That’s not including the beautiful lakes, lagoons, and beaches which offer the chance to enjoy swimming, kayaking, and surfing. Nicaragua is also cheap, especially with a recent rise in the American dollar value here. For example, a beer that costs $1.25 in Costa Rica might cost about $0.50 here. A $10 meal in touristy Costa Rica could be found for $5 Nica style. So what’s the drawback? The country lags behind as it lacks much of the infrastructure necessary to encourage tourism. President Daniel Ortega has stated his desire to enhance tourism, yet his political party graffiti remains ubiquitous across the nation’s capital. Trash litters the streets, and taking a bus almost anywhere can be an overwhelming process with people catcalling names of local destinations. Safety is also a concern for many people traveling, although I myself have had little problems with crime during my stay. After visiting the two neighboring countries, I can attest to the fact that Nicaragua has a way to go before making travelers feel “comfortable.” However, the potential for Nicaragua to increase tourism and employ its citizens with highly desirable jobs in this industry is worth noting. I myself have had several pleasant experiences and have also been making a list of things I hope to explore in the future. I’ve realized that one of the best ways I can help make a change in Nicaragua is to, in fact, be a tourist. By encouraging the local economy and tourism industry, I am one small part in a larger effort to provide jobs to people and protection to the environment.

Masaya's active volcano, where fumes provide for only a 20 minute visit

Nicaragua's beaches are stunningly beautiful and hotspots for surfers

What to see:

(I’ve seen)

Laguna de Apoyo. Gorgeous laguna in an ancient (extinct) volcano crater. Deepest body of water in Central America

San Juan del Sur. Touristy town fit for backpackers, ex-Patriots, and surfers alike

Estelí. Typical Central American cowboy town with nearby eco-lodges and nature reserves

(I’ve yet to see)

Corn Islands. Diving, spear-fishing, and little beach huts, oh my!

Leon. Colonial town with nearby volcano-boarding option

Omnetepe. Island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua with two volcanoes and plenty of hiking

What to eat: Gallo Pinto, the rice & beans mix staple

What to do: Come visit! You’ll be helping out Nicaragua by investing in the economy and supporting tourism efforts. I’ll even serve as your guide for a small commission of the occasional cappuccino and some imported funfetti cake mix.

Promoción

The Nicaraguan academic calendar differs from that of the States in that it follows a schedule in accordance with the changing of the year. In other words, children begin school in early February, have a small vacation in July, and terminate the year in December. Promoción, the special celebration in which students graduate from preschool, elementary school, and high school, occurs in early-t0-mid December every year. This year we were fortunate to attend the promoción at Niño Jesus de Praga, one of the local private schools that many of the children in our programs attend. It included a long procession, lively traditional dance performances, the Nicaraguan national anthem, and a recitation of every graduate's name. We are very proud of all the graduates!

Way to go!

I am continually impressed by the importance of education and the value of knowledge. A literate society develops the economic, social, and political power of the average citizen. In the words of Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, "Literacy unlocks the door to learning throughout life, is essential to development and health, and opens the way for democratic participation and active citizenship." In a country where the total adult literacy rate is 76.7% (according to 2009 United Nations Development Programme Report), I am encouraged to see families and students passionate about their education.

A Xiloa Good Time

As part of the MPI Nicaragua Child Sponsorship (CS) team, one of my roles is planning the quarterly field trips for participating children and caretakers in our program. The CS program is unique in that we provide opportunities for the children of La Chureca to leave behind the perennial smoke and trash of their neighborhood for an afternoon of recreation and relaxation with their families in a safe, clean place. Earlier this year in late July, we joined the former PDs in hosting a trip to El Salero, the Community Center land on which we run our programs in Kid’s English, Library, Baseball, and Soccer. The day was an undeniable success, allowing the children plenty of time and space to enjoy the great outdoors. I decided to repeat another popular field trip idea last Friday when we brought our children and their mothers to Laguna Xiloa. Last year’s group did the same with summer volunteers, and in light of the MPI Nicaragua 5-year anniversary celebration in which PDs of ages past reunited this weekend in Managua, I thought they might join us in the fun of hosting a trip to enjoy the waters of Xiloa.

Laguna Xiloa (pronounced "Hee-Low-Wah"), site of our field trip last Friday

We arrived at the side entrance of Chureca to meet the mothers and children at 12:45 on Friday, where we awaited the arrival of a big yellow school bus that would take us all to Xiloa, about a 30 minute drive away. Ian and I road up front, took attendance, and chatted with families on the way. When we got to the laguna, we were delighted to see the beautiful open space with little covered areas for benches and picnic-ing. Some of the children and mothers took to the water fairly quickly, while others preferred the grass and the shade. Some of the children had little bathing suits, others swam in their clothing, others half naked. Whatever their manner of taking to the water, the smiles and laughter were abundant. We waded right in with the kids...from the shallow end with the toddlers looking at the minnows rush by to the deeper areas with the more adventurous kids. Mothers swam and lounged in the cool water, where they stayed talking away the afternoon. We were already in the midst of playing with children and visiting with mothers when the PDs of the past arrived to join our festivities. Some of these PDs were acquainted with certain families from years past, and others were members of the board and staff who were able to visit and see one small aspect of what we do on Child Sponsorship. We were all able to learn from the afternoon at Xiloa, and we all had a grand time! I learned that children play tag in Spanish by saying “la landa” and that sometimes it just takes a handhold to get a timid child to enter the water. I found out that everyone needs time to just be - be with family, be refreshed, be safe and relaxed, be a kid, be a mother. On last Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, I gave thanks for the ability to join these mothers and children in an afternoon away from La Chureca. Reflecting on the day, I am thankful for the relationships I’ve been able to establish through Child Sponsorship, how I’ve seen these children begin to grow, and how the mothers have entrusted us with their health concerns and needs.

Snapshot of the craziness

To put this day into perspective, these children and their families do not have access to complete immersion in clean water. They bathe with buckets and hoses or in sinks (for the children who are small enough). Moreover, I oftentimes walk around Chureca and find recently washed children already dirty from playing outside without their shoes on or from the dust and smoke that fills the air. And although they live next to a huge lake (Lake Managua/Lake Xolotlán), the runoff from La Chureca has polluted it to the point that swimming and fishing these waters is highly dangerous. Many have fallen sick from mercury laden fish, and the pollution is visible as trash and sewage line the banks. The Laguna Xiloa, on the other hand, is a local getaway where the waters thrill and awe visitors. I say ‘awe’ because my limited experience has taught me that some Nicaraguan people I have met who have never had access to a pool or natural body of water (and thus have never learned how to swim) have a healthy fear of water.

Milton views the laguna

It was that healthy respect for water that helped us have a safe day at the laguna. And with a provided snack of fiber cookies, bananas, and juice, the day ended with many smiles and lots of wet clothing!

Jose Manual enjoys the water and a few extra bananas

From Nicaragua to America, Happy Thanksgiving!

Jan Margaret

The Gift of Nutrition

As you look for that "right thing" to get your loved ones this holiday season, please consider giving...

In front of Casa Base de Salud with three of our sponsored children

The Gift of Nutrition

Give the gift of nutrition this holiday season. Through Manna Project's Child Sponsorship Program, $20/month provides oatmeal, milk, vitamins, and basic medical care to an undernourished child living in Central America's largest populated dump.

Life inside Managua's city dump, known as "La Chureca," reserves a particularly foul brand of injustice for the children who have no choice in what they call "home." Proximity to trash, animals, toxic runoff, and burning chemicals result in high rates of parasite infection, skin and respiratory disease, anemia, and lead poisoning. As if risk of sickness were not enough, many children in La Chureca suffer from chronic undernourishment.

What We Do

MPI's Child Sponsorship Program targets undernourished children in their most critical stages of development. By providing vitamins, milk, and oatmeal for each child, as well as basic medical care, we are able to partly relieve the harsh sentence of their surroundings.

MPI partners with and funds Casa Base de Salud health center in Chureca to provide primary health care free of charge to those living among the trash. Clinic staff host required health talks for the mothers of sponsored children. If you are unable to sponsor a child, financial support of any size will help contribute to the lifeline of Casa Base clinic.

Sponsoring a Child

The unyielding conditions of La Chureca constantly bring new cases of undernourishment to our attention. $20 a month provides nourishment to a child that would otherwise go without it. As our volunteers and Program Directors raise their own funds, every dollar given to Child Sponsorship goes directly to feeding your sponsored child.

To sponsor a child or for more information please email us at childsponsor@mannaproject.org or follow the link below to visit us online. Your gift recipient's name will be added with your sponsored child's picture to Manna Project's website.

Thank you for taking the time to consider sponsoring a child.

Our sincerest regards,

The Child Sponsorship Team

Manna Project International

PO Box 121052

Nashville, TN 37212

615.653.4688

Find our more about Manna Project, La Chureca, Child Sponsorship.

Thank you considering our sponsored families this holiday season.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

I realize this post is dated the day before Thanksgiving; that is completely intentional. The thing is, for the Nicaraguan people, there is no Thanksgiving. As someone obsessed with sweet potato casserole, extended family, and all things fall, this of course saddens me deeply. However, my anticipation of the holiday season (which somehow leads me to dance like crazy to the likes of Mariah Carey, Peanuts, and Nat King Cole all in the same playlist) can no longer be counted as cheating. There’s no standard. No Thanksgiving means Christmas comes early in Managua, Nicaragua.

And, with the 80+ degree weather and constant sunshine, it's not beginning to look a lot like Christmas, at least not by my middle-Tennessean standards. I have a very difficult time remembering that it is, in fact, November. But although it may not fully “look” like my conception of Christmas, as far as Nicaragua is concerned, it IS Christmas. The stores are packed with Christmas toys and decorations, school is winding down, and everyone keeps talking about “La Purísima,” a catholic holiday celebrating the Virgin Mary on December 7th/8th. In fact, Nicaragua is the one place Where Every Day is Christmas. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution, and to celebrate, gigantic lighted Christmas tree figures have been posted in the middle of Managua's roundabouts since my arrival in July.

Today my kid’s english class got in the Christmas spirit as we held a our last real class of the year, a one-day lesson on Christmas vocabulary. I labored for hours on which words to choose: Is “manger” too difficult? Is “snowman” culturally relevant? In the end, I decided that you can’t go too wrong with Christmas vocabulary, and so I came to class with a list of words, flash cards, and Bingo Sheets - a whole few weeks worth of material in one afternoon. The children definitely rose to the challenge of learning some new words, and I hope they will continue to practice over the holiday season. And what would a Christmas-themed classroom full of latin chavalos learning English be without the song “Feliz Navidad?” I suppose I’ll never know...

In Child Sponsorship, we are also in the Christmas spirit as we’ve been “bustling” about trying to get everything situated for the coming year. Today was our last Milk Day of 2009 in which we met with mothers and children to take monthly measurements, track growth and health, and give out the next month’s allocation of milk, oatmeal, and vitamins. We also were able to give each family a gallon bag Christmas gift of rice and beans. Next week, a woman is visiting who will be hosting a Christmas luncheon for the mothers (caretakers) and children in our program. They will be receiving a catered meal and small gifts, as well as being able to take advantage of a clothing sale said woman is also to host next Friday. And that’s not all! This Friday, we are inviting all of the kids and mothers to join us in a field trip to a nearby laguna! This will be a chance to take them away from the smoke and the trash into a fresh, clean place where their bodies can experience complete immersion in cool, refreshing water. More updates to come on this soon. Finally, our team is preparing for a pilot program with a Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Food product for January. This has been a great undertaking, and still presents much challenge and opportunity in caring out.

Last but not least, I have a confession to make: Although there is not Thanksgiving in Nicaragua, there will be Thanksgiving in our gringolandia. That’s to say, we at the Manna House will most definitely still be celebrating Turkey Day. This year marks the 5 year reunion for MPI Nicaragua, and PDs of old have reunited in our house to help us celebrate all that we are thankful for in style! It is both refreshing and overwhelming to have so many new faces in the past. I have enjoyed learning from their experiences with Manna Project and what they have done in the years since. I have enjoyed having our chef extraordinaire Elena on call each and every day, each and every meal. I have enjoyed how the presence of so many excites me to the point that I don’t know what to do with myself and go into productivity mode, engaging in random activities such constant cookie baking and blog posting in addition to my real tasks within the house. Mostly I have enjoyed the rush that comes with the beginning of the holiday season. Perhaps what I’m trying to say is that, in Nicaragua, it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

Merrily yours,

Jan Margaret

Life a la 13.5

For four entire days last week I went nowhere without being encompassed by a tangled mass of arms and legs and hugs and kisses and shouts of children ranging from 3 to 14 years old. Welcome to my home-stay at 13.5! The purpose of the Manna Project home-stay is the following:

- To provide a cultural experience for the PDs, increasing their knowledge and understanding of life in the community.

- To further understand the assets and needs of the community in order to better serve them.

- To further connect the community of Cedro Galan and Manna Project, building deeper and more personal relationships.

- To give families in Cedro Galan an opportunity to support Manna Project.

Cedro Galan is the community we serve with our programs in El Farito, the small open air school house. However, for my home-stay, I chose to stay with a family on kilometer 13.5 of carretera vieja a Leon, the area we know as "13.5." This barrio (neighborhood) includes a group of homes which contain various members of a large extended family. Many of the 13.5-ers participate in our various programs. I stayed with Tatiana, Gerald, and Maycol, three precious children from my English class. They play every day with their extended family members in 13.5, so my homestay brought back memories of growing up around my very large and noisy and wonderful extended family. Every morning the children walked to the local Catholic school while I stayed home with their mothers. Mornings could be filled with everything from chores to idling outside to a very exciting trip to the local market for grocery shopping. In the afternoons, madness ensued upon the chavalos return. These children play with an unmatched enthusiasm. From tree-climbing and mandarina-picking to pickup games of baseball and soccer, these kids don't stop. I was especially touched when they wanted to play memory with spanish and english words, something we often do in Kid’s English to practice vocabulary. Tatiana cut out squares of paper and wrote the spanish vocabulary while I wrote the english...pretty soon, all the cousins were learning how to say gecko, shark, dog, and duck (we're studying animals in class). I can't claim that keeping the pace with such a lively bunch of youngsters didn't absolutely wear me out, but I will say that being around so much joy and energy perked up my mood and helped me focus on the good in life. For a week, it was like I could go back to being a kid again, surrounded by family and laughter and silly arguments and lots of gallo pinto, the Nicaraguan staple cuisine. In addition to taking me back, this week was a chance to get an inner look into the daily life of members of the local community. From sunrise to bedtime, I experienced life through the eyes of 13.5, a life which entailed cousins, playtime, clothes washing on the pila, singing our respective national anthems, and very cold bucket showers when the water ran low.

I didn't take my camera on my trip, but I'll add a few pictures here that I have of the kids I stayed with in 13.5:

Meet Marcos and Freddy...on the way to Kid's English, they got a little rambunctious in the Patrol.

"Dos para bingo! Dos para bingo! Venga pa' aca!" This is a common little ditty these kids sing when they get really excited about being close to winning at bingo. This has become a favorite game, allowing the kids to learn while having fun.

Marcos, it seems, is just as big of a Vanderbilt fan as I am. What a coincidence.

On a big outing with our class to celebrate good attendance and practice vocabulary! Pictured left to right are Maycol, Jan Maggi (that's me!), Tatiana, Marcos, Leah, Gerald, and Stefano. I lived with siblings Maycol, Tatiana, and Gerald for the week in 13.5 with their mom and older brother. Note Stefano's glove...I think he thought we were at the movies to see the new Michael Jackson movie, not "Lluvia de hamburguesas" (that's "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" in English), which we viewed instead. Note how "bien vestido" (well dressed) they were for their outing...they were very excited, although that may not show in the photo.

With love,

Jan Maggi