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!