Archive for the ‘’ Category
June 12, 2009
Me and my niece at my sister's wedding
I am Maria Fullenkamp a mechanical engineering student at Wright State Univ. I am 15 hours away till I am officially on the plane and starting my journey to Sabana Grande, Nicaragua. Life has been pretty crazy lately, all in the past month I have completed final exams for classes, had my sister’s wedding, and became an aunt again for the fourth time. I am excited for the experience but at the same time scared. I know things will be fine, but I will just need to stay busy in order to keep my mind off of everyone at home. It will be interesting to come back and see how big my nephews and nieces will be in two months…and to see who is walking by then…. J
I think that is it for now and it is time for my last night’s sleep in the U.S.
Take care,
Maria
June 10, 2009
So it’s been awhile since I’ve blogged. I’ll have to see if I can remember everything!
Last weekend we stayed in Sabana Grande. I ended up going to mass three times. Mother’s Day was still being celebrated and I like going to their little fiestas. It was just mass and then coffee and snacks afterwards, but I know a lot of the people who go to mass there so it was fun. But I went once on Saturday and twice on Sunday, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Otherwise I just hung around, read a lot (as usual) and even watched a movie or two on my laptop. On Saturday for a few hours in the afternoon Nathan and I went for a long walk into Santo Domingo, which is the village just on the other side of the highway from us (the side of the highway that the Solar Center is actually located on). I was awed by going someplace new that I had never been before and seeing what it was like. It was definitely beautiful, and quite different from Sabana Grande – more lush and secluded. Very far into our walk, however, we still encountered Nathan’s sister-in-law at a church there… she must go a long, long ways for mass every week!
The week was a pretty productive week. On Monday I built my first tropical-style hut with the palm roof. This is a casita by the road in front of the Solar Center and is meant to be a stand for the women to make refreshments and sell to passers by. This will serve as an excellent marketing tool for the solar restaurant in the works, as well as even generate some funds towards it and/or pocket money for the women. On Tuesday I spent most of the day making a sign for the casita, as well as renovating (repainting and rewriting) the other signs for the Solar Center.
Wednesday was Gringo Wednesday, where I go into town and have lunch with some other American workers in Ocotal. I met Allison randomly in the internet café several weeks ago, and so of course we said hi, and then we made plans to have lunch on a Wednesday. After that, we said we would have lunch next Wednesday, and then after that, lunch the next Wednesday. Now Wednesdays are Gringo Wednesdays, and Nathan, David and Allison’s new roommate, Jessica, sometimes join us. We have since become close friends and we end up doing other things together as well. They have come to the Solar Center to visit and will likely come again very soon, and we are all making plans (including Tim and Jim in Managua, and Erin and Maria when they come) to go to Granada together. We are excited, it will be a blast!
So anyway, Wednesday is my Ocotal day of the week now, where I do my shopping and internet. It works out well because there is always something that I need from Ocotal for work, and emails to check and send for work also.
While I have been testing the autoclave every day (Wednesday it was administered by Nathan who did not go into Ocotal), Thursday and Friday were solely autoclave days in which I set up a new test, cleaned the box cookers, uploaded data, began the new testing, and so on. Several times now we have achieved very high temperatures, and on one cloudless day we easily achieved the temperature we needed for the amount of time that we needed. It just went to show that this is doable, so long as the weather cooperates. Here in the rainy season we will have some more trouble, but I am confident that this would work well in their summer (our winter). Among the new testing I am doing includes pressure testing, so I am essentially testing the entire system now. The results and progress have been exciting, although the weather forecast for the next few months is bleak.
Once again Nathan and I stayed around in Sabana Grande this past weekend. Saturday we had some time to kill, so we ended up going to Ocotal for the day, mostly because we had heard that there was a carnival going on. While there was a carnival, it turned out that it wasn’t operating until that evening, so we ended up just milling around and getting lunch. When we got back I relaxed and played some volleyball and cards with my family and neighbors. I have a new card-buddy that joins me when Skarleth is not around: Wendy, the 13-year old girl next door. Her mother is part of Las Mujeras Solares, and she is another cute, very smart girl in the area. She understands all the games that I teach her that most others here do not.
Sunday I went to mass again. I talked with my friend, Catherine (a native), after mass and she said that she is playing with her soccer team on Friday and that I should check it out. I had no idea that Sabana Grande had a women’s team too! I definitely plan to see that this weekend. She also told me there is a fiesta (another high school dance?) in Totogalpa this weekend, which I also plan to go with her to. In the afternoon, after lunch, I walked with Maricela (a 20-year-old-or-so who used to work at the Solar Center) to see the caves in the mountains. Once again, I had no idea there were caves here! She was telling me that people used to, and still do, come here to the springs to do laundry and bathe. In fact, as we were leaving to head back to the village, we passed by Nathan’s sister who had a bucket with a towel and soap in it, and she was on her way to the spring to bathe. Crazy!
Finally, this week has rolled around and I am continuing the autoclave testing. I have also found a new project that I will work on. This is a big one and may take me through my time here, alongside the testing. I will be working on using EVA instead of silicon to make the solar panels here, which could save Centro Solar a lot of money if I can make it work. This is a project started by Richard Komp (who basically invented solar energy) a little while ago, that one volunteer tried to pick up but couldn’t quite get it, and that I am going to pick up and give a shot.
Two new volunteers have arrived this Monday: Cody, who has been here 4 times previously, and Maria who is from Greece. They both will be working on the SEED grant that the Las Mujeras Solares were awarded last year, basically working with the women to get things moving and splitting the money, and so on. Nathan and I are excited for Erin and Maria, the other ETHOS students from University of Dayton, to come this weekend. It will be fun having them around. Then the weekend after, Tim and Jim are going to come visit from Managua, so we will finally all be together!
This morning I carried water on my head from the well to the house for the first time. I had to try to balance it, and I spilled about a 1/3 of it on the way, but I did it! Sometimes I don´t understand how the women do it, but then again they´ve been trained since they were little. I have lots of pics of me doing this (as well as everythign else I´ve talked about, I swear!), but I cannot upload them on this computer because it takes an unnaturally long time that I don´t know if it would ever finish.
Whew! That’s a lot in one blog. Well, it is Wednesday, and it is now about lunch time, so you know what that means… Gringo Wednesday. Hasta la proxima vez,
-Daniel!
June 9, 2009
It’s Sunday June 7th and for starters I have a couple short updates to share with everyone. This week I discovered an outhouse at my house that I fit in!! Up until this point I have been using an outhouse that I literally could not shut when inside. Before I thought the newly discovered bathroom was a hut for fire wood. But to my surprise it is a spacious outhouse made for American size people (Nicaraguan’s are much shorter). In other news this morning I mooned my Nicaraguan mom. I was taking a bucket shower and there was a strong gust of wind. To my dismay, the towel covering the entrance way fell exposing my butt to my mom who was stand right outside in the kitchen. Oh fun times.
On to work, the catalogue is completed and translated. Now i have been put in charge of improving my host organizations website,. To say the least this is a really amazing opportunity. One thing that has caught my attention in college has been internet marketing. Website design is a crucial part of internet marketing for businesses. I am looking forward to being able to learn more about website design and other internet marketing strategies like Search Engine Optimization. I think that improving Grupo Fenix’s website will help to generate more sells, more international volunteers, more donors, and ultimately help them reach their future goals. I have been looking at other non-profit websites and reading some articles on internet marketing. Already I have tons of ideas. This Monday, I am receiving a web design program called Dream Weaver and I will be able to start working. I will make sure to keep everyone updated on my progress. It is crazy to think that I get to modify a website that Grupo Fenix will use for years to come. This is a great opportunity.
After being in Nicaragua for a month, I have been able to better understand the culture. One aspect of culture here that is very different than life in the US is the Nicaraguan Machismo Culture. I wanted to give people in the US a little glimpse of this interesting cultural norm in Nicaragua. The Machismo Culture refers to a culture dominated by the males. In my opinion, from when Nicaraguans are young they are taught their cultural roles. Girls learn how to care for children, wash and clean. Boys work with their dad in the fields and on construction projects. Girls are put in charge of preparing food and boys are always served first when eating meals. Girls are kept close to the home and have more strict rules. Boys are allowed to hang with friends all day and have much more freedom. The boys are the ones that get to use the family’s bicycle when they want. Girls can use the bike only when heading to the pulparia (convenient store) to get food for a meal. My Nicaraguan sister once told me that she was not allowed to raise her voice because her father told her that it was not lady like. And sadly, boys are taught to not express emotions. I can see my 16 year old Nicaraguan brother gradually become less and less expressive especial when around his friends. So as you can see, boys are trained to feel superior and women to be submissive. As these children get older, these same Machismo principles stick. I have rarely heard a women raise her voice. Most have a timid presence and are in a continual state of serving the family. Some men, the Machismos, treat women as objects. Pictures of almost naked women can be found in newspaper, television ads, billboards, advertisements, and the covers of CDs. Cat calling is extremely common. While walking around with a group of girls from Dayton, men called out to them and hissed at them (side note: instead of whistling in Nicaragua men hiss at women). This Machismo philosophy causes larger problems in Nicaragua, too. There are lots of drunks in Nicaragua. Some think this is because there is a shortage of work but I think most is caused by men not having emotional outlets. Many women are forced to raise children on their own because it is common for men to desert families. Women are less safe in big cities because of high rates of female assault. The differences between gender roles in the US and here are vast. I believe that the Machismo Culture is hindering the people of Nicaragua. It is limiting women’s opportunities and forcing men to bottle up their emotions. But there is hope; I have found many exceptions to this norm. I have met loving fathers and couples who have equal roles in their marriages. I have talked with girls that have plans for the future and men who share their thoughts and feelings.
Cultural differences like this make me think how different my life would be if I was raised in another country. I am extremely thankful for all the opportunities and privileges that I have had in the US.
More to come,
Nat-tan
June 2, 2009
It is May the 31st and I am current located in my “stronghold” or you may call it a mosquito net. My “stronghold” is the only place where I have the upper hand on the insects of Nicaragua. Here I am surrounded by a nearly impenetrable barrier and am equipped with all my best weapons. I have bug spray at my side and a shoe within my reach. Bring it insects I’m ready.
Well I guess I should talk about El Dia De Las Madres now since that is the title of this blog. In Nicaragua, that is the name for Mother’s Day. Here El Dia De Los Madres is celebrated on May 30th rather than on the 10th like in the United States. So I don’t want to make moms in the US feel bad but here in Nicaragua mother’s day is kind of a huge deal. Since I have arrived in Nicaragua on May 8th I have been hearing El Dia De Las Madres songs on the radio. Literally these songs are made for El Dia De Las Madres. The amount of music for El Dia De Las Madres is comparable to the fact that in the US we have a whole genre of music dedicated to Christmas. So this whole month I have really had time to think about what makes El Dia De Las Madres so big here in Nicaragua. I have come to understand that in Nicaragua the mother is almost always the glue of a family. Here they are the ones that care and teach morals to the children. They are the ones that prepare all meals and provide hospitality for guest. They are the ones that have immense influence in making important family decisions. But most simple they are the ones that are present. The father is the one that is away from home and works the entire day. In many cases families don’t even have fathers because they have left the family and the responsibilities that come with it. In the village I live in it is rare to find a family that has a present father. In Nicaragua, the mother is the one in the home and in most situations the one figuring out how to support the family. For these reasons I believe El Dia De Las Madres is amplified here in Nicaragua.
So what exactly happens for El Dia De Las Madres in Nicaragua? This year El Dia De Los Madres fell on Saturday. Celebration for the day started three days earlier on Wednesday. Wednesday my host organization, EL Centro Solar, held a surprise party for all the volunteer mothers. The festivities started at 3pm. The main room of the center was decorated with flowers and streamers. At first music was played and guest talked among themselves. Next, it was time for the games. I don’t know if it is the language barrier but games here in Nicaragua are ten times funnier than anything I’ve played in the US. My favorite game was one where two mothers were blindfolded and they had to put four shoes on one side of the room under the legs of a chair on the other side of the room. As you can imagine the game was a riot and throughout the course there were several collisions. Games were followed by a song and dance for the mothers. After that everyone said a pray of thanks for the mothers. Dinner was then served which was prepared by the children. Lastly, they ended the night with the La Mama Mas Simpatica contest which I was a judge for. So here is how the competition worked. Throughout the fiesta I was suppose watch all the mothers. My job was to select the nicest, most outgoing, funniest, and happiest mother. At the end of the night I selected a winner and the first runner up from all the mothers. So after “intense” deliberation (I actually just picked two mothers that I knew the names of…don’t tell anyone) I selected the winners…and the first runner up was Alejandra because of her smile, friendliness and kindness (which I announced to the room in Spanish)…and for the moment you all have been waiting for the winner of La Mama Mas Simpatica was Adelina for her participation and friendliness! Adelina was crowned as queen by last year’s Mama Mas Simpatica. The whole thing was kind of a big deal for them. I feel bad I just pick mothers basically at random…oops.
Okay so this was just the Wednesday before El Dia De Las Madres, I still need to talk about the day itself. On Friday, the day before El Dia De Los Madres two of my Nicaraguan sister and I went into Ocatol, a nearby town. There we went to Pali (a much smaller branch of Wal-Mart for Central American countries) and bought lunch for our mom. We got rice, vegetables, soda and most importantly steak, their mom’s favorite. After, the grocery store we went to a Pastelria to purchase a cake. The kids in my family were very excited. They said generally they didn’t have money to get anything for their mother on El Dia De Las Madres. I was more than happy to buy some food for my mother especially after everything that she has done for me. On the 30th, El Dia De Las Madres, the children and I helped out their mom throughout the day. I helped cook and my Nicaraguan siblings did typical choirs. Then we cooked the food from Ocatol for lunch and served cake to everyone. Late in the day we visited their grandma and wished her a happy Dia De Las Madres. All things considered El Dia De Las Madres was a huge success. My Nicaraguan mom seemed extremely happy throughout the day. She even mentioned to me that this was the first time that a volunteer in her house has bought her a cake. She was very thankful. My Nicaraguan mother is amazing if you met her you would buy her a cake too.
More to come,
Nat-tan
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