May 15, 2009
I made it. I am in Nicaragua. On Friday morning at about 11:30am, I arrived at the airport in Managua. From the airport Dan (another student volunteer form the University of Dayton) and I took a taxi to Grupo Fenix. This is the organization that we will be working for over the summer. To be honest the entire ride from the airport to Grupo Fenix my stomach was in knots. Now I am in the minority. I could barely understand the taxi driver and felt like I had very little control over what was happening. I have taken communication in the United States for granted. In Nicaragua conveying even the simplest things can be a struggle. The other reason that my stomach was in knots was the fact that I could not believe the condition of Managua. The city is packed full of people. Houses are small and don’t look to be very sturdy. As we drove down the streets of Managua we nearly hit numerous people who were vending food and water in the middle of busy roads. In addition, the air was thick with smoke and pollution. In one word I would describe my initial experience as overwhelming.
After spending a little time at Grupo Fenix, we continued our trip to Sabana Grande. We took a bus and arrived in Sabana Grande, a small rural village, 4 hours later. Once in the village it was time to venture to my host family’s house. My family lives up on a beautiful mountain. Their small house is surrounded by a variety of fruit trees and plants. I love the house. Now let me talk about my host family members. For starters they don’t know any English. Yes that is right none. But no worries they are the sweets people on the earth. They are very understanding of my broken Spanish and my attempted sign language. There are 5 children, I think 6 adults, 2 dogs and several chickens at the house. My mom’s name is Heilda. She is a great cook and very concerned about my wellbeing. Yesterday after I ate cream with dinner I was not allowed to take a shower (bucket shower) because she didn’t want me to get a stomachache???? I have no idea why but she is looking out for my health. Later I will go more in depth about the other members of the family. They all are amazing though. I know I will learn a lot from all of them.
So I just got a briefing from the volunteer coordinator, David, about what I will be doing this summer. The first thing that I will be working on is writing a grant (in English thank god) for renewable energy use and innovation. I am writing the grant about the Mujeras Solares’s idea to create a green restaurant. The green restaurant will use solar cookers to cook food and utilize wind and solar energy. After the grant I will be working on making a brochure for the Mujeras Solares’ products (including various solar cookers and various solar panels). Then I will be working on costing one of the products and trying to come up with more efficient ways to produce it. So that is what I know I will be doing so far. I think it should keep me busy for quite a while.
I have one final thing. I played futbol yesterday (soccer for you North Americans). I can’t say that my skills even compare to the Nicaraguans. Even the kids are very good. So the exciting end to this story is that I fell and scrapped up my knee. You see the fields here are not like soccer fields in America. The ground was pure rocks and dirt. So I got scrapped pretty good but no worries my host family took care of me.
It has been only a few days and I already have experienced so much. I can’t even imagine how much I will learn and just how I will grow this summer. I hope everything in well en los Estados Unidos!
Nathan David
Pronunciation in Nicaragua (Nat-tan)
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Nathan, I enjoyed reading your blog. I am glad that your host family is so welcoming. You will have to help us figure out something we can do for them to thank them for all their love and support. Your project sounds very interesting. You will definately make a difference with your work!
Timmy got home today from Drake and he loves your click bed. He slept on in his first night at home.
We miss you and continue praying for a safe and productive experience in Nicaragua. Love, Dad
I’m so glad you’re doing well! I cannot wait to come down. Make sure to take lots and lots of pictures, and let me know what I need to bring down in case you forgot something.