Culture Lesson I

A couple nights ago I went on a walk with three teenage guys: Yader, Maudiel and Donald from NPH. We walked to the town center which is a very small square block of trees, bushes, dirt, concrete benches and two little tiendas with chairs outside selling BBQ chicken and soda.

Donald, Yader and I sat down on a little wall when Maudiel paused to chat with a friend he ran into. I offered 20 Cordobas (a little over a dollar) in the pursuit of soda for everyone. We knew what we all wanted except Maudiel who was still talking with his friend.

After a little bit there was a pause in the conversation where both of them were looking different directions and not saying anything. I called out to Maudiel who was about 10 feet away from me. He looked, but by this time, Yader, who had already told me we had to wait for them to be finished, and I were arguing about whether or not they were still in a conversation.

Yader and me in the kitchen later on.

Yader informed me that they were still talking ‘in their heads’. After a few seconds of us arguing, Maudiel and his friend resumed their chatting. Now Yader has interesting perspectives on lots of stuff and will say things that are blatently not true with a straight face daring you to catch him in his bluff. But this one appeared to be fairly true.

Contracts

For work I’ve been reviewing contracts, but they’re in Spanish and take me a long time to make sense of. The thing is, I know if they were written in English, it still would take a long time! No matter how much I complain about Spanish being difficult to learn, the language of Legalese is harder!

Infestation

I was sweeping my room out last night and instead of using a dustpan, I just swept the dirt out the door, across the open hallway and into the grass on the other side of the brick arches.

I turned around, took three steps to get back to my room and shut the door behind me. It wasn’t until a little while later that I noticed this:

And no, I haven’t taken up taxidermy here. After a few moments, this one wandered out from underneath the bed too. I just hope they’re not spreading!

Note to all of those who are concerned that I don't succumb to their cuteness. Yes, they are cute, but occasionally, they pee, and they don't really care where. So I generally keep them out of my room.

Getting Sick

So it’s summer, in Nicaragua, generally highs of 90 degrees, lows of 80, humid. And I was bundled up in my fleece, still cold. That’s when I was sure something was wrong.

Up until 9 o’clock my fever got worse until I decided I needed to take something to bring my temperature down so I could sleep. And then there was the diarrhea. I hate talking about it, but this would be far from an actual account of life in Central America if I didn’t mention it.

I was lucky, the next morning, I felt much better. But it did make me more sensitive to the statistic that approximately 4,000 children had died on Monday (and every day) because of diarrhea.

Getting sick here is part of what reminds me that I will always kind of be an outsider. Between the healthcare I had growing up that has made me healthy to resist disease today, and my knowledge that if anything really bad happened, I have health insurance and access to doctors through NPH, I will never live like a true Nicaraguan.

I also have an arsenal of medicinal technology available to me. I have had vaccines for the hepatitises, typhoid, yellow fever and rabies as well as the regulars for the US. I have malaria pills (while some will debate whether they’re worse for you than actually getting malaria), ibuprofen, a general antibiotic for short term use and other over the counter medications that can be prohibitively expensive for those without enough for food.

I have a dry home, a clean bed and the ability to stay there if I need to rest.

And most importantly, I have information. I self diagnosed myself on the internet with gastroenteritis (not always the best way, but it worked fine in this situation).

One of the boys that grew up in NPH recommended I take a shower to help bring my fever down because when he gets a fever, he takes a shower. But he takes a shower because, well, that’s just what you do. I understood the concept behind the idea, but I also knew that ibuprofen would bring it down for more hours helping me to sleep longer.

Whether it’s a family being taught how to minimize standing water to decrease their chances of malaria or a village learning how to stop the spread of AIDS, education is the key to improving health. And in a nation that spends $33 billion per year on weight loss products alone, obviously we hold health as an important value, maybe we should do something about it in a way that will help all of us.

Master Plan for NPH Nicaragua

This is the master plan for the new home in Nicaragua. Its purpose is to designate areas for different activities. There will be changes undoubtedly, but it is important for us to plan so that there will be a space that makes sense for each activity.



For example, the school is near the entrance because NPH not only provides an education for its own children, but also for children from the community that are too poor to pay for a regular school.

Eventually there will be housing, classrooms and facilities for around 575 kids and more caregivers, staff, visitors and volunteers. There will also be a church, a clinic, administrative offices, sports courts, fields for beans and bananas and shelters for chickens and pigs.

It will be a little town once complete in approximately six years. It will also be a step out of abusive homes for some, a step off the streets for others and a step into the first loving home many of them have ever known.

The Revolution

One last thing before we return to our regularly scheduled Nicaragua…

Bolivia has been in turmoil for a really, really long time. Being the poorest country in the western hemisphere after Haiti will do that to you. Only in the last couple of years has it become politically evident as the nation elected the first indigenous president in the Americas.

Originally, I started to write about the economic development of Santa Cruz in relation to the rest of the country, but it turned into a history lecture.

What I really want to impart is the feeling of change in the air. I went to the post office with a couple of the volunteers of NPH Bolivia and there was a large demonstration outside in the central town square. We asked the short lady behind the tall counter what was going on between the sounds of explosions. She said, joking and serious at the same time “it’s the revolution”.

The cathedral is to one side of the Town Center, I decided not to announce my tourist presence by taking photos during the demonstration

She could have just as well captured the moment by saying what so many Bolivians are feeling with their new government. ‘Something is happening, and it’s not that same that has always happened with all those other promises we’ve always been given’. There is also a distinctly Latin American feel to it. ‘Something is happening, but it’s not entirely within our control’.

Whatever happens to Bolivia will be theirs to bear. But it will be a reflection not only them and their culture, but of the world and the pressures of strong external governments and corporations. It is a reflection of all of us.

Padrinos Around the World

Maribel searches for the perfect sandals

One way that NPH raises money to support its kids is through a program called Padrinos. Translated to English, padrino means godparent. Each child has a few godparents, some more than others depending on how recently they arrived to the house.

Each month, the godparent sends $25 to help pay for all the needs of the child, food, clothing, etc. Some of the money is also given to the child on their birthday as a special present. Letters are sent back and forth and (if needed) translated by the offices in the country. It establishes a relationship that the kids treasure, especially if the godparent is able to visit them even once. It’s also one of the most important sources of income NPH uses in raising the kids.

While I was in Bolivia, we went to the market with six of the kids so they could buy what they wanted with the money they had received on their birthdays. First we stopped for breakfast and had saltenas, a traditional sour/sweet empanada (like a small calzone) with chicken. It was good, but one of the strangest breakfasts I’ve had (but pizza, that’s completely normal for breakfast!).

Tia Judith and Tia Scarlet at breakfast

Once we got to the market, we took turns looking for each person. One girl was excited to buy sandals, another wanted a CD. One boy bought a pair of jeans and another got a couple DVDs. They were so thrilled!

Controlled chaos with a giddy shopper in the middle

It was incredible to me that they waited so patiently during each others searches. Granted, there was a lot of stuff for them to look at while they waited, but I remember throwing a fit while waiting for my mom to help just my sister (and I think she remembers too, I promise, it was a long time ago!).

On our way back to the house, everyone wore (or ate) what they had bought. Tia Scarlett reminded them as we drove that everyone needed to write thank you notes to their godparents.

Tia Scarlet helps them sort things out during this very rare experience

The whole morning hardly seems interesting enough to write about, but utter normalcy is special and infrequent for these kids. I know it sounds like an infomercial, but it really is amazing what $25 a month can do.

The new belt wraps around twice! He'll grow into it.