Leprochans in the Kitchen

I came downstairs to take a break from my studies and what did I see? Leprochans in the kitchen! They were having a little trouble with sticky dough, so Tia Karla and I got to help. Fun(: Hope you all had a Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Rotary Presentation in Granada

I gave my official presentation to Rotary of Granada on Tuesday, March 16. The meeting was at the house of Louisa Amanda and Arturo, with Evenor, Evita, Giovanni, Ruth, Carlos, Sergio, and Juan Carlos in attendance. I think I accidentally made one of my feminine words masculine, but hey-since when do words have gender? LOL. I hear that Giovanni told Karla that my presentation was "super bien", and Carlos leaned over to Sergio and told him that I speak well when I used the word, "fuegos artificiales"; which means, literally-artificial fires, but it is the word for fireworks here. Yep, Sergio just taught me that word the morning of my presentation, and I practiced it all day to try to remember. I'm glad that he was impressed when I used my new word while displaying a beautiful picture of the Tryon Palace with fireworks at Christmas time. I shared with the Rotarians some things that New Bern is noted for: being the first capital of NC, birthplace of Pepsi Cola, the New Bern Bear mascot, the history of the founder from Switzerland, and the beautiful Union Point Park, and our two rivers: the Neuse and the Trent. I also showed them a beautiful family photo and pictures of my work in NC with speakers of Spanish, which began in 2003 at Pitt County Memorial Hospital.

La Laguna de Apoyo and San Juan de Oriente

Thank goodness for a small diversion from the heat and studying! San Juan de Oriente is a small town with many arts and crafts, and the Lagoon Apoyo is a famous picturesque lagoon. You can read more about the lagoon at:

http://www.vianica.com/go/specials/25-apoyo-lagoon-nicaragua.html

Ometepe

The name "Ometepe" is Indian and means "two mounts". The two mounts refer to the volcanoes, Concepción and Maderas. You can see the "two mounts" in one of the photos, with Concepción being the larger, and active of the two island volcanoes. Concepción was spouting off more than usual when I went to visit the island yesterday. I noticed when coming across by ferry that it was very cloudy and misty around the active volcano. When we arrived I noted that there was a lot more smoke and ash coming out than the first time the I saw Concepción. However, life was as usual on Ometepe; slow, friendly, leisurely...evacuation routes are marked, and noone pays much attention to the sputtering ash!

Ancient Burial Urns

I went to Ometepe for class since my teacher didn't have any other students-yay! I love interactive learning. What a worthwhile venture. At one museum that we visited there were many funeral urns used by the Indians in Ometepe (Mangues, Chorotegas, Nicaraguas, Chibchas, Tiwanaco and others; from the Nahua tribe that migrated from Mexico, across Central America) The museum that we visited is named, Museo el Ciebo. El ciebo is a very large tree with branches that reach up to heaven and roots that reach to the depths of the earth, so the belief is that this tree had mystical significance. It is a beautiful tree. The tour guide at Mueseo el Ciebo said that the urns were shaped like a shoe. While I was looking at the "shoe" I noticed that the artwork on the outside looked like sperm (pic on top left, top left urn). The guide went on to explain that it looked like a big shoe, but that it was shaped like a uterus because the Indians believed that when they died they would return to the womb, where life began. (guess that explains the sperm) You can see one of the urns with a necklace around it, and a gold pin in the middle (symbolizing the witchdoctor). The two photos of the actual burial site that was discovered on the museum property, obviously contained the urn of someone of higher class, as it contained jade-which they believe fame from Guatemala, and the necklace, which only people of higher class were permitted to wear. Most of the artwork that I saw was dated around 300-500 b.c. I found the urns where the bones were stored, much more interesting than a box(:

La Boda - The Wedding

There is a wedding at Hospedaje Ari today! I am ready and waiting for the girls to get back from the salon. Everything looks beautiful and smells delicious. Bosco made some kind of filet mignon with a cherry sauce to go on top and steamed veggies, and salad. Karla's sister, Karen, is bringing bocadillas-snacks, and the guests should start to arrive between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. The lawyer will be marrying them here at there home, and later this year they will be married in the Catholic Church. In the picture I am holding up the gift that my husband brought with him to Nicaragua; a watercolor made by his friend and artist, Peter Huntoon. If you love watercolors and New England, check out Peter's website at: http://www.peterhuntoon.com/

Granada

This was a fun day at school. We decided to have "la clase en la calle", class in the street. After eating at Kathy's Waffle House we went across the road to San Francisco. This building used to be a convent but is currently a museum. It is one of the oldest buildings in Granada and was constructed in the early 1500's. There are some beautiful historical paintings on the wall, lovely gardens and artifacts, along with a gift shop. After touring San Francisco my instructor and I toured the city by carriage. It was a great way to put into practice all of the grammar and verbs that I have been studying!

La Lactancia Materna/Breastfeeding

I love this picture of a Nica, breastfeeding her baby, with her rifle over her shoulder. Talk about multi-tasking! The announcement on the right was painted on the side of a health department in Somotillo, which is near the border to Honduras. It says: "This health department promotes, fosters, and supports exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of age, and (breastfeeding) with complimentary foods until 2 years old". This is consistent with the World Health Organization's stance on breastfeeding, and with the American Academy of Pediatrics' policy statement. Except the AAP doesn't cite 2 years of age as and ending point, they say the duration should continue as long as "mutually desired". Shocking, I know. What a difference there would be in our health world if we didn't have so many obstacles to breastfeeding in the U.S. The picture in the middle is encircled by these words, clockwise: Natural spacing of pregnancies, Growth & Development, Oral Rehydration, Immunization, and Nourishment. What a great public service announcement! A little something from the U.S. Lactation Consultant Association's eNews:

PREVENTING OBESITY BEGINS AT BIRTH THROUGH BREASTFEEDING: As obesity rates climb in this country, more people in important places are publically acknowledging the role that breastfeeding may play in preventing obesity. To read more, see the following:

The new Surgeon General’s report on obesity
Michelle Obama speaks out
A recent press release from the United States Breastfeeding Committee

Medical Clinic in Pantanal

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting, Julie, a Rotarian from Raleigh, NC, from the Granville Club in District 7710. It was nice to be able to spend some time with Julie and with Evita, Amanda Louise, and Karen, other Rotarians from Granada, to see what projects they are working on. Since I have been here I have met Rotarians from Boston, MA who came to help with projects in Granada, and from NC. I presented my work with Rotary to part of the group from Boston, and on the day I was planning to go to the clinic with them the doctor changed her plans, so it didn't work out. However, they were able to reschedule and donate medical equipment and clothing, and participate in a local feeding program. In addition, one of the club members bought a refrigerator for a local nursing home that was in need. There is only one Rotary Club here in Granada, but it does the work of 20 clubs! Rotary of Granada is very active in the community and helps with many worthy projects. These are pictures the medical clinic in Pantanal, a small village outside of Granada, that was constructed with the help of Rotary of Granville and Rotary here in Granada. Pictured inside by the collage is Julie (left) and Evita. They have worked together on several construction projects and really have this thing down to a science. This clinic was much needed and is greatly appreciated. The doctor comes once a week for pediatric appointments in the morning and sees pregnant moms in the afternoon. I hope to be able to come back to help in this clinic!

¡Yum-El Vigoron!

Okay, so all of the travel guides say not to eat the street food. My host Rotarian's mom invited me to try "comida tipica", typical food of Granada, in El Centro (downtown hub of Central American cities). When I displayed some hesitancy, I explained that I eat all kinds of food but that I was concerned about getting sick because I am not accustomed to their foods. She assured me that this outdoor restaurant in El Centro catered to tourists and was safe and clean. (I eat typical foods in the home where I stay but they always clean everything well and clean veggies in bleach to kill unfamiliar microbes) So I tried el vigoron, which is cooked, mashed yuca plant with some sort of slaw and vinegar on top, served on a banana leaf with chicarrones (fried pork rinds). If you are not a meat eater, don't worry, the chicharrones are on the side and can be picked out, or you can ask for it to be left out completely. Although that isn't really like a Nica, because they like their pork like most North Carolinians! I noticed that Evita (middle) ordered mine and Julie's (left-Rotarian from NC) "seca" or dry. She told me that they are usually made with a lot of oil, but since I was not accustomed to that she asked for that to be left out-thank you(: (pictured on the right of the 3rd pic is Evita's daughter, Karen). I am happy to report that I didn't get sick(: I love yuca-almost better than mashed potatoes! Oh, and I almost forgot, the drink is jugo de tamarindo-IDK, we don't have it in the States, but it is delicious. However, if you don't like pulp, don't get it. It is kind of like drinking a scuppernong juice with the seeds, only the seeds are soft, for all y'all from the South! P.S. Do we have yuca in NC?

More about Organic Coffee...

Here you get a view of the outdoor-concrete where the coffee beans are dried, the machine that separates the bean from the husk, and the workers who are hand separating the good beans from the bad beans, to prepare bags for export. They separate one large bag (100 lbs.) per day for export. Here are the coffee beans before roasting, where they will gain their darker color. Tourists can purchase coffee candy and coffee beans at the coffee plantation Las Flores, at Mombacho. They also sell delicious food and beautiful candles at Las Flores Café in Managua.

http://cafelasflores.com/

Organic Coffee Plantation at Mombacho-Las Flores

I went to a café in Managua, named Las Flores, and it had the best tasting coffe in the world. (Sorry Starbuck and Dunkin' Donuts) I saw on the Las Flores web page, which I will include at the end, an option for coffee vendors. Hmm...I might need to talk with Ed Ruiz, the owner of Trent River Coffee Company in New Bern! The taste is smooth and rich, but not too strong. I was able to purchase my ticket to visit the organic coffee plantation at this coffee shop, for a very good price of $15, which included the transportation, a detailed guide of the plantation, and a tour of Mombacho. Tourists in Granada are paying $13, but this doesn't include the coffee plantation tour; and this was a highlight of the trip, if you are interested in plants, pesticide-free farming, and the process of making coffee. A little tip, though. If you plan to do the full tour, don't have another event on the calendar for that day. When you are ontop of Mombacho, the buses (kind of a military type truck) only return at certain times. So, if you are done, you may have a 2 hr. wait, and trust me, the descent is very steep! My legs were sore for four days! (and I thought I was in pretty decent shape-lol) I have to admit though, I wasn't planning on hiking (I wore flip-flops) because the locals refer to this as the "little" volcano, so I was saving my hiking shoes for Ometepe; which by the way, just ended up being a tropical resting spot because I was so sore Case in point, don't listen to the locals-it's all perspective-all volcanoes are big to me, as we don't have any in NC! I'm such a "flat-lander" as the Vermonters say. Although I think even a true Vermonter may have a hard time with some of these "little" volcanoes. (Right, Buzz?). Back to the coffee tour: Ok, so the top picture is the lovely organic compost. Unless you have seen the results of pesticides on the neurological system and overall health of farmworkers, I guess you really couldn't refer to compost as lovely. Having worked with farmworkers through the NC Farmworker Health Program (NCFHP), and having seen the pesticide exposures and consequences, I found this organic process thrilling. They use ethanol spray on the compost and have bottles that look like beetle traps, with ethanol inside, to attract the bugs. The plantation has sixteen full time workers, one of which was our tour guide. He is standing next to a Costa Rican coffee plant that is similar in taste to the Arabica coffee plants that they grow, but it is a hardier plant. One plant that is well taken care of lasts 40-50 years! The 2 main problems are "brocas", an insect smaller than a termite, that can dry out the plant, and "rolla", a yellow dust that can be carried from the workers hands and infect other plants. Interestingly, when it rains too much (which hardly ever happens in Nicaragua), that also drys the plant out-it actually looks burned! The group of small plants pictured have been infected with brocas so they will go through and hand pick the infected leaves, and new shoots will grow so that the plant can be productive again. Each plant can produce 3,000-5,000 grains of coffee if well-tended. On the last picture you can see part of the water resevoir, which can hold 1,800 gallons of water-it is now half-full. During the harvest 40 more temporary workers are employed. I am so happy to know that there aren't pesticides floating down the volcano to the inhabitants of Masaya and Granada! The site for Las Flores:
http://cafelasflores.com/ Site for the NCFHP: http://www.ncfhp.org/about.asp

A view from the bell tower of Iglesia de la Merced in Granada, Nicaragua.

Visiting the island of Ometepe was a unique experience. We barely brushed the tip of the island, but after hiking Mombacho we just wanted a tropical rest, and Charco Verde was perfect. Charco Verde is a non-commercial beach, and has a natural reserve with beautiful birds and monkeys. If you get close enough to the monkeys to take pictures, be careful not to get directly underneath them! Our driver, Harrington, was born and raised on the island and loves his heritage. He said that he isn't concerned about the active volcano, Concepción (pictured), and says that he sleeps easy at night(: Harrington said that the inactive volcano, Maderas, could destroy the island within seconds. He says that many of the young people are worried and have moved to Granada, but he loves his island home. Charco Verde has beautiful beach front cabañas in a lovely setting with an outdoor tropical, bar/restaurant next door. For a non-commercial, relaxing

rest with an easy to hike nature trail, I highly recommend Charco Verde! The middle picture was taken from the shore of Charco Verde, looking over Lake Nicaragua. The wind mills are located on the shore and provide energy for the city of San Juan del Sur, which borders Costa Rica. The view of Concepción was taken from the lagoon side of Charco Verde, and the monkey, of course, was chilling in the natural reserve.