Archive for the ‘Nica2008’ Category
July 10, 2008
The past few weeks have been a wonderful mix of life in Sabana Grande, traveling Nicaragua to visit more of the country, and an abundance of meetings and communication in Managua. Coming to Managua feels a little like being thrown into a communication whirl wind. Living in Sabana Grande with the communication void can at times be counter productive, but in the same breath it is an opportunity to truly experience the life in rural Nicaragua and understand the lifestyle of the people that we are working with. It wouldn’t be appropriate for our work to be done in the same office environment as the United States, because if we were creating a business to exist in the United States then we would be failing to recognize the importance of appropriate technology with sustainable development.
The research for Salud del Sol has been going incredibly well. Lori was able to schedule a meeting with the Rotary Club of Ocotal, one of the branches of Rotary International. The overarching organization of Rotary International is the worlds first service organization with over 1.2 million members across the world. The meeting was a great opportunity for us to talk with motivated community members who have a vested interest in improving the lives of rural Nicaraguans. They were so excited that we were interested in their organization and were incredibly enthusiastic about providing support for the autoclave as well as the solar box cookers of Las Mujeres Solares.
We spent most of the meeting talking and laughing with the Rotary members, we sang the national anthem of Nicaragua in unison and were then invited to sing the United States national anthem solo! Afterwards one of the members asked for copy written in English so he would be able to learn the words. It was a wonderful gesture of cultural appreciation. Lori and I will be returning to the following meetings to give presentations on the autoclave and solar cookers that the Rotary Club of Ocotal will be able to use to seek additional support from their network of organizations.
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July 10, 2008
As always, I sit here at the spanish keyboard, my fingertips tingling with anticipation, deciding what to type first. I have hundreds of things I want to share, and it´s a matter of what I decide to say first and in the hour that I have.
How about, first and foremost, the work. We have been testing consistently for the past two-and-a-half weeks now, working with various different set-ups. First, we put a pressure cooker (painted black) inside the autoclave, and placed the thermocouples all over, such as in the pot, on the pot, on the walls of the autoclave, or below the glass of the autoclave. Then we tested with nothing in the autoclave, just to see how hot it can get in the varying, uncooperative weather. Now, we are testing our dry heat set-up, using a lens and a glass bottle. Next, we will test the pressure cooker filled with water, in order to actually generate pressure. The idea in all these tests is to see how hot we can get, for how long. If we can meet the standards needed, we will experiment with moving ahead with a particular design. Unfortunately, I have only about 2 more weeks to do this, and there is a lot I hope to get done.
I have played another game with La Ceiba, and we won. It was close, 4-3, but one of their goals was actually scored by one of our own. Therefore, I actually see it as being 5-2, meaning it was an enormous victory. So that is two games I have played and assisted in winning (in all honesty, I feel that I played well, and even scored a goal). One game I missed, and they lost. Coincidence? I can´t say, but I am determined to aid my team in our next game this Friday afternoon.
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July 10, 2008
It has been way too long since I’ve written last, and too much has since happened that I’d like to write about! We have been steadily picking up speed with Salud del Sol networking. Last Tuesday, Anna and I went to the local Ocotal Rotary Club meeting, and it was a huge success! Firstly, I knew it was going to be good when we arrived and realized how similar this meeting would be to Grandpa’s Lions’ Club meetings… so cordial, welcoming, and fun! We had to sing our national anthem by ourselves after we sung Nicaragua’s — which, I think, could definitely happen to me at a Lions’ Club meeting 
The members there were so excited about our project and so willing to help us find support and network. We are going to prepare two presentations, one about a solar cooker and one about the solar autoclave, to bring back to them. They can then use these to market the solar cookers and find support for the autoclave project. And, they were really excited when we mentioned our interest in becoming Rotary members ourselves!
On the homefront, Anna, Dan, and I have been working to complete everything we want to get done here. We have two weekly meetings to ensure that we are all on the same page with our individual and group progress. We’ve even adopted Pete Kolis as part of our research team for the summer… he has been helping us out a lot with Dan’s testing! We just finished the first draft of a Salud del Sol brochure to give out to organizations who want more information. We have been continuing with giving weekly computer classes, but this week we will have two because the class is too big! We also have begun doing interviews of the people here so that we can personalize the website.
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July 9, 2008
July 9, 2008, Managua, Nicaragua
Salud del Sol News
Lori Hanna, Salud del Sol’s Executive Director; Anna Young, Salud del Sol’s Director of Development; and Susan Kinne, Director of Grupo Fenix, met with MINSA, Nicaragua’s Ministry of Health on July 9, 2008 at El Complejo Nacional de Salud (The National Health Complex), named Concepción Palacia, in Managua. Dr. Jorge Orochena S., the Director of Services Organization, from the Health Services Department, and the team met for an hour. Dr. Orochena gave his blessings and endorsed the continuance of the Salud del Sol autoclave project.
In addition to this important step of gaining permission from the National Government, the meeting involved useful knowledge sharing. The team gathered other valuable statistical data on the clinics throughout Nicaragua. After the team’s technical explanation of the autoclave and it’s workings, Dr. Orochena praised the idea for its utility in health clinics without electricity—the great majority of the clinics in the country. He is only aware of about 10 of 935 clinics that do not have good access to direct sunlight. He readily acknowledged the environmental benefits of such a device and discussed ideas for the device itself, including the importance of an alarm or other method to verify sterilization.
July 1, 2008
Every monday, Las Mujeres Solares have a meeting (reunión) at 3:00pm at the Solar Center (El Centro Solar). Thus far, I have been to two meetings this year, and I am so impressed. Las Mujeres Solares have grown and improved so much as an organization. The meetings are well-run and attended, much moreso than I witnessed in 2006, indicating the growing support for, and interest in, the projects of Las Mujeres Solares. In these meetings, all parties discuss what they have done this week and what they have planned for the next week, including the volunteers. Announcements are made, and there are usually some orders of business to take care of, such as figuring out which woman is hosting which incoming visitor. It´s probably partly my nature that explains my utter excitement after these meetings, but it makes me happy to see things progressing so well!
Sabana Grande is having a soccer (fútbol) tournament right now, so we´ve been attending a lot of those games in the evenings. Both Matt Wills and Daniel Hensel from our group play on the teams. The field is relatively flat, the goals are made of wood and bamboo posts, and the audience sits on a hill above the field. I enjoy taking it all in, including the amazing scenery beyond the field. Some days, you can see rain and dark clouds looming over the mountains in the distance, or some days, the beautiful colors of the end of the day.
July 1, 2008
Please be sure to keep checking out the Salud del Sol blog here at www.saluddelsol.org, because there are many photos and articles that will probably be of interest to you. One of which, in fact, should be a series of articles written by me, detailing what it is I am working with and researching here in Nicaragua, and what my plans may be for the future. Exciting news is that I have gotten a lot of input and offers of help from people far and wide already, and that is what inspired me to write such an article, so that people will have a better idea of what I am doing beforehand, and will maybe generate ideas as to how they can help.
So you remember that Roberto has moved out. Well, the day I returned from Granada two weekends ago, I came home to two Canadians who have taken his spot, Matthew and Felipe. They are both great guys and I am glad to be living with them. We have a lot of fun every night with Skarleth, laughing and playing games. Matthew and Felipe are here with about 11 other Canadian girls, all from a different organization. Matthew (or, in French, Machew) and I enjoy singing songs together, dancing, playing soccer together, and generally causing a ruckus.
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June 28, 2008
It´s 5:00am and I am waking up symphony of rooster, dogs, little children screaming, and loud Spanish radio shows coming from every direction in the neighborhood. The first week here these were startling sounds in the morning, but now I´m becoming more accustomed to the everyday noises of living in the country. Usually my morning routine involves a run through the community and a quick bucket shower before breakfast. However, yesterday morning was a little different due the amount of time we spent trying to retrieve the family cat from the roof. After a half hour of unsuccessful coercion, we brought in Matt Wills who came to save the day and retrieve the cat. Only in Nicaragua does your morning start late because the family cat is stuck on the roof.
The morning would not have been complete without the bowl of fresh fruit and the Nicaraguan coffee with Maria and the kids in the morning before class. I continue exchanging English words with Marvin (7) and Masiel (9) we’ve made it through numbers and animals and are moving to phrases “Good Morning” and “Good Night.” It’s adorable to hear the kids speaking English and then giggling after every phrase. More recently Cherling (3) has been joining. Her favorite word is “coffee.” No wonder we get along so well!
The walk to the Solar Center is one of the best parts of the day. We walk along the dirt road among a sea of children wearing white blouses and navy blue pants or skirt. Every night before bed, Marvin and Masiel iron their clothes and polish their shoes. It is really important for the children to be well put together for school. The walk among the kids is filled with stares and giggles. The kids are adorable and I can’t get enough. Along with happy Spanish speaking children, we also pass by countless chickens, cows, pigs, and other farm animals around every corner. The other day we dodged a stampede of four horses by jumping to the right side of the road. Never a dull moment. The greeting used in Nicaragua when passing is “Adios” and is used at every opportunity. I can’t think of a better walk to work in the morning.
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June 28, 2008
Oh, Nicaragua– with its own climate and language, also comes its own pace. And try as foreigners might, it simply is unsurmountable. In the past few days, I’ve been reminded over and over that there is one pace: slow. And I can’t do anything to speed it up. Everything one does is confronted with a problem, and this problem’s solution will present another problem. Four hours need to be allotted for everything that we think should take one. But, I’m adjusting again, accepting the facts and setting my goals accordingly.
The weekend was a good opportunity to get reacquainted with the lifestyle– how to shower, get ready, speak, sleep– pretty important things for survival, let alone success. The week was full of learning and progress. Calibration for testing has begun, we are exploring in-country support contacts, and we even began computer classes. Fridays at 3:00pm we teach computer classes for a small fee to whoever wants to learn. Yesterday, we had six teachers and seven computers, and it was a huge success!
- Lori
June 21, 2008
I’m moving up the world of water carrying from the well, I made the trip back yesterday with a dry t-shirt. Either I’m finally getting a better grip on life here, or carrying less water in the bucket is working in my favor. Learning the language has been on the upswing as well. My pronunciation is still a little off with most words, but our Spanish teacher gave us a “tongue twister” to practice the rr’s, which are my weakness,
rr con rr cigarro
rr con rr barril
que rapido corren los
carros por el ferro carril
After 4 weeks of working and studying in Sabana Grande, I had the opportunity to take a trip w
ith the other volunteers to Granada, a colonial city 45 minutes south east of Managua. The trip was fantastic. We spent 3 days and 3 nights in this Colonial city, staying at “Hotel Oasis” a backpacker’s hostel in the city. The heart of the city was filled with brightly colored buildings, a lively Central Park, and streets full of vendors. To the east, the city was lined with Volcanoes and south is the Lago Cocibolca, the largest lake in Nicaragua. The city was the perfect combination of beautiful landscape and tourist attractions.
We spent the days exploring the city, renting bikes, which was great fun for the first few hours, and then they all broke, and swinging through trees on the Mombaco Canopy Tour, which included the sound effects of howler monkeys! We began the morning with a 45 minute off road ride in a Land Cruise through the dense Coffee farms to the heart of the forest in Granada. One of my goals while being here is to visit a coffee farm, and so far this is as close as I’ve gotten! Although the entire city was picteresque, the most beautiful scenerey was watching the sunset from the top Iglesia Merced.
June 21, 2008
I safely arrived in Nicaragua without a glitch. My Spanish is picking up quicker than I thought it would, so I´m excited about that… or maybe everyone here just knows I´m slow so speaks slowly
Wednesday night, I stayed with some nuns… they were so sweet, from Mexico, and they have a pretty nice place to stay. Vince and Don Luis picked me up from the airport, and Vince and I went on Thursday to a meeting about the Autoclave. It never actually happened… miscommunication I guess. But Susan told me that the students at the Engineering University (called the UNI) working on the autoclave have made some progress on the pressure model. They will send me more information soon, since they missed the meeting.
I didn´t quite have on my ¨adventure hat¨ soon enough. Thursday for lunch, we ate duck feet. I was still working on having an open mind again, so that was a bit too soon… haha. I ate it, but it was difficult!
