Sandinista soldier, Nicaragua

photo courtesy of: Wendell Phillips

Somoto, Nicaragua -March 23, 2003

On February 27th I left New Brunswick with a group of 10 Canadian high school students. After taking a 10 hour bus and 3 different airplanes we arrived, happy & tired, in Managua, the capital of Nicargua. I felt quite comfortable as Managua is one of the safest capitals in Central America(although not that safe compared with Canadian standards).

We enjoyed a quick tour of the city and an information session at the Canadian embassy. There we learned that Nicaragua is the poorest country in the Americas, due, in part, to government corruption, the Contra/Sandinista war and environmental degradation.

From Managua we went on a daytrip to Granada, the oldest colonial city in the Americas. We toured the museums, strolled by beautiful Lake Nicaragua(the only freshwater body in the world to have sharks!)and atefabulous food. As in many other parts of Central America, the buildings here are often painted bright glorious colors and the staple foods are gallo pinto(beans & rice) and tortillas.

The next day we journeyed to the town of Esteli, located 3.5 hours (by bus) North of Managua.We spent the afternoon there touring CECALI, a local medicinal plant organization. The tour was fabulous and we delighted in eating a lemon the size of a person's head!

That evening we arrived in Somoto (pop. 6,000) where I will be living for the next 4 months. It is a very peaceful & friendly town, surrounded by mountains on all sides and located only half an hour from the border of Honduras. That evening the students met with the Nicaraguan Youth Group who hosted a wonderful cultural night complete with traditional dancing, guitar playing and dancing with us!!

For the rest of the week we attended various workshop to learn about all the projects that have been organized through Movemiento Communal Nicaraguense (MCN) where I am now working (and also, Falls Brook Centre where I worked in Canada). The next day we attended a workshop on the project that I will be working on. It is called the Kitchen Gardens Project and here is some background on it:

The majority of the rural population here only grows beans & corn, and so the aim of the project is to assist in diversifying the agricultural products that are grown. Thus, the project emphasizes planting fruits & vegetables(to integrate more vitamins & minerals into people's diets) and medicinal plants(as medication here is very expensive). An additional benefit of the project is that it helps to improve the self esteem of participants, who are primarily single mothers. The thing I like best about it is that it only works with people who are willing and interested in participating. Also, all the products are grown organically and there is no premise of 'Western superiority'.

In the afternoon we (the Nicaraguan & Canadian youth) played soccer in a huge gravel field, interrupted at times by pigs, cows and cars meandering through the game. The next day we attended a workshop on Fuel Efficient stoves which help to reduce the amount of smoke that people breathe in (by installing chimneys) and cut back on the use of wood to fuel the stoves(due toimproved efficiency). In the afternoon we helped to construct 4 stoves in one of the communities, during which we had a few messy mud fights.

On Tuesday, March 4th we attended a workshop on how Solar Panels, Solar Dryers and Solar Ovens are made. These are installed in rural communities to cook food and power lights (50% of the population doesn't have electricity). The following day we spent the night in another community where we helped to construct water cisterns and latrines, and planted trees for their tree nursery. In the following afternoon we attended a piñata breaking party for kids & I got to show off my dancing skills in front of all the community!

On Friday, the last day I spent with the Canadian school group before they returned to Canada, we went on a hike to see ancient pterogliphs(drawings carved in rock) and visited a Rosquilla- making business (famous 'mountain' cookies made of corn). Finally, we attended a seminar on landmines, which are very prevalent here due to the Contra/Sandinista war. One of the neatest things about the project is that landmine survivors from opposite sides of the war are now working together to provide information about the landmines. Also, the Solar panel workshops & construction are run by landmine survivors. It made me cry.

That evening we had a huge goodbye fiesta.

Anyways, I'm gonna end it here although I could write pages more. I am having an amazing time & am really enjoying my stay. I think I have learned more here in the last few weeks than I have learned in years & have also met some truly wonderful people.

Saludos,
Alix

Somoto- Calle Central (main street)

photo courtesy of: http://ci.merced.ca.us/somoto/ChurchAndClocktower.JPG

Somoto, Nicaragua -March 26, 2003

I have been having a wonderful time since I last wrote. Two weekends ago I went to see the 'Mocuanes', currently the most famous band in Nicaragua. Their music consists of salsa, merengue & palo de mayo (Atlantic coast reggae) and they enacted Backstreet Boy-type dance routines except with more hip action. The place was packed and I danced for hours.

The next night I went to a birthday party for a Quebecois girl who lives here & works for CUSO. That was also a great time as her Nicaraguan friends did traditional dances, as well as guitar, bongo-type drum & singing performances (and more dancing of course).One of the things that I like best about living here is that there are barely any tourists. Most of the other foreigners either work for the US Peace Corps or NGOs. Thus, the majority of the locals have respect for us & don't try to rip us off as much as in 'touristy' countries. Also, the foreigners for the most part are very interesting, creative & caring individuals.

I am also in love with Somoto, the town where I live. There is nothing better than to be able to walk down the steet and say hi(or rather 'Adios') to everyone I pass and to join kids in playing soccer, basketball & frisbee (yes I brought my frisbee & am trying to assimilate the locals!) in the middle of the street at all times of the day. What I dislike the most is the Machismo- dealing with hisses, catcalls & annoying Latin lovers constantly trying to get my attention because I am an 'exotic' white foreigner. Sometimes I find it amusing but I am also learning a lot about how to stand up for myself.

Work is very challenging & fullfilling. I have so much respect for the Nicaraguan NGO organization and campesino women with whom I work. A lot of the women have had to deal with so much hardship- their husbands leaving them for other women, family violence, poverty, lack of medical services, droughts etc. but they manage to have a wonderfully positive outlook on life and are always sharing with me even though they have so little material wealth- whether it is giving me fruits & veggies from their gardens or making me bracelets. Their attitude is inspiring & I can't help but be happy & appreciate my life that much more when I see how they deal with their own situations. Life is really what you make of it.

I am currently staying with an awesome Nicaraguan family. They are very funny & laid back(sometimes we sit around the table trying to make armpit farts) and own a restaurant so I get to choose what kind of food I eat everyday. A sample of the food I ate this weekend is: cheese soup with rice & corn 'meat'balls, beef shishkabob, mashed plaitains filled with sugar, cheese & cinnamon(!ricisimma!), chocobananas and tamarind juice. I am totally spoiled & loving it.

Anyways, I am having a wonderful time here despite dealing with my anger regarding the the Irag war(people here are very informed by the way & there have been massive protests here & all over Latin America). The way I see it though is that we need to keep doing what makes us peaceful & happy; make our own contributions to the world without letting them get us down.

Miss you all & love hearing from you.

Love Alix

Little Corn Island

courtesy of: http://www.images-du-monde.com/images/Nicaragua%20DR%20Little%20Corn%20Island.JPG

Somoto, Nicaragua -April 24, 2003

Have done a lot since I last wrote, which is why I hadn't written since... About a month ago I spent an overnight in Cacauli, one of the rural communities in which I work. The family's house where I was staying was right beside a famous hilltop where the Virgin Mary supposedly appeared a few years ago. It is really famous & thousands of people from all over Latin America come once a month to worship at the shrine. Shared a room with 2 roosting chickens & saw a frog the size of a basketball in the latrine at night.

The following weekend I swam in a mirky swimming pool outside my town and was goosed 4 times in the 15 mins that I withstood before leaving. Also attended a loud drunken disco party by the central park, complete with staticy speakers the size of grown men.

Two weeks ago I attended a Central American Agricultural Conference in Esteli(Nicaragua) with experiments from all over Latin America. The presentations were superb and covered a range of information from bio-fuel, CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement which is currently being considered-yuck!), organic agriculture, solar driers & ecotourism. The meals & cultural presentations including dirty jokes!) were great, the most interesting part was when some Nica girls pulled out a guitar and started singing witty Sandinista songs(one was directed at 'Tio(Uncle) Sam').

The next night I went to a fabulous outdoor concert in Managua featuring Nueva Compania, Los Mokuanes & Eddie Herrera(he is from the Dominican Republic & is Elvis-like in his popularity with the girls as well as his insane pelvic thrusting). It was really ritzy & attended by all of the rich Nicaraguans.

From there I took a plane to the Corn Islands in the Carribean(part of Nicaragua). The people there are of either African or mixed African/ Spanish descent & many spoke West Indian English. Little Corn is the nicest tropical island I have ever visited. It is covered in beautiful jungle & palm trees and when we got hungry we would just pick starfruit, almondfruit, & mangos or crack open a coconut with a machete.Went snorkeling everyday from the secluded white sand beach outside our cabana and saw a shark, a school of neon tetras and numerous parrot fish among others. The most disturbing occurrence there was when a 2 yr old boy emerged from his house playing with a loaded gun. Scary.

I then journeyed to Isla Ometepe, in the middle of enormous Lake Nicaragua. There I stayed at an organic fair trade coffee plantation & met some awesome backpackers. Climbed a volcano & saw Howler monkeys, hummingbirds & enormous blue butterflies. Also stepped in a huge pile of monkey dung. The following day we had a blast hitchhiking around the island in the back of huge diesel trucks with broken wood plank floors.

Visited the Biological Research Station and hiked to some extremely beautiful waterfalls. Saw a huge cream-colored boa on the walk home. Ometepe Island is fabulous, especially since it lacks any big development. My favorite part was seeing cows and horses frolicking in the waves on the beaches & watching the red sun set behind one of the two volcanoes that are on the island.

Now I'm back to work & about to go for a guitar lesson.

Hasta luego,
Alix

Mimosa (sensitive plant)

courtesy of: http://www.greenseek.de/gartenbedarf/assets/big/12342-Echte-Mimose.jpg

Somoto, Nicaragua -May 28, 2003

I have finally gotten around to writing after an over-extended period of time. Am doing well here in Nicaragua; rainy season has officially begun and everything is wet, lush, and green (including my laundered clothing which never gets the chance to dry). This past month I journeyed to Leon, arguably Nicaragua’s only ‘true’ city, with a lively central park, colourful Colonial churches and poignant revolutionary murals extending across its core.

While I was there, I visited the touching ‘Galeria de Hereos y Martires’, a tribute to numerous children who died during the Sandinista struggle against the Somoza government, and run by the mothers of the deceased. I also enjoyed the Ruben Dario museum (Nicaragua’s beloved politician, poet and initiator of the modernist movement).

Here in town, I co-hosted a department (equivalent to a province/ state) -wide heavy metal radio program,and spoke about the Montreal massacre (whereby 14 women were shot at the University). Have taken up boxing with a group of feisty Nica boys and enjoy taking out my frustrations with machismo at its source. Also visited the nearby Rio Limon where I saw an enormous Masacate, one of Nicaragua’s most poisonous snakes, as well as giant Mimosa (or ‘sensitive plant’) bushes whose leaves curled like dominoes when Istroked them, and held furry violet flowers omitting a lovely perfume. To add a little more spice to small-town life, there was a lunatic waving around a loaded gun half a block from my house the other morning.

This past weekend I went on an overnight horseback riding trip in Miraflor, a cloudforest nature reserve. The excursion was run by a cooperative of rural Nicaraguans and we stayed a farmhouse high up in the mountains. Enjoyed touring an old Mayan village as well as viewing wild orchids and an enormous hollow parasitic tree. Did not, however, enjoy falling off my galloping horse onto my face (am now the proud owner of my first black eye).

Work is going well. I feel much more adapted to the culture although there will always be certain things I could never get used to. Case example: Yesterday I journeyed to the city of Esteli to research rural water filtration systems. While I was there I got hit on countless times by businessmen and engineers, all of the electricity in the entire city went out for the day, and my bus broke down on the way home so I had to wait for an hour outside in a thunderstorm in the middle of the mountains. In fact, at the moment, the electricity in Somoto just went out and I am unable to leave the office due to another rainstorm. Ah, Nicaragua.

Hope this letter finds you all happy and well.

Until next time,
Alejandra Margarita

cock fight

courtesy of: http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/prani/7836.jpg

Somoto, Nicaragua -June 19, 2003

Since I last wrote, have been mighty busy attempting to stay alive here in lovely Nicaragua. As far as ‘Nica family’ news goes, a few weeks ago I joined my host brother at his grandmother’s farm where we had a wonderful time hiking, climbing mango trees and rounding up a wild stallion. As well, my hostsister recently had a baby girl so things have been quite exciting at my house.

Two weekends ago I visited the lovely artisan town of Masaya, known for its fine pottery and handicrafts. Decided that if I had to live in this country, I would choose to live there as it is full of parks, athletesand artists, and overlooks a beautiful lake. From Masaya I traveled to Granada where I wallowed in its lively marketplace and toured its old cemetery. Didn’t enjoy myself as much as I should have though as I spent the majority of the weekend sick as a dog.

Back in Somoto I attended the infamous cock fight. The event consisted of two fighting roosters each fitted with a single blade on one of their claws and placed in the centre of a dirt ring. Thereafter the birds persisted in clawing and pecking each other repeatedly until their feathers were red and the room was saturated with the overwhelming smell of blood. I left as soon as I could make my way through the disgustingly drunken crowd. Later on that night I attended a Macolla concert (one of Nicaragua’s most famous salsa/ meringue bands).

In this last week I had enough excitement to last me a few years- encountered another crazy man with a gun as well as a pervert outside my house at night, and was on the local TV station dancing like mad at a disco. Also discovered I have managed to catch three parasites during my lovely stay here- one of which is quite dangerous; my doctor told me if I was in the US I would probably be quarantined for it. Fun times -I think I will kiss the ground wet if I ever make it home.

Anyways, today is my last day at work and this evening I plan to sing a song I wrote about Somoto(my town) on the radio. From here, I will be on vacation for 2 weeks in Costa Rica, then will return to work for a month in New Brunswick(Canada) until August 1st. After that, I am planning to look for work in Montreal.

Hope you are all doing well & I look forward to seeing many of you when I return home.

Saludos,
Alix