Literacy in Nicaragua

Rivas Public Library

Officially, the literacy rate is 77% among people of all ages, 84% for males between 15 and 24 and 89% for females between 15 and 24 here in Nicaragua (some other pages have lower estimates by about 10%).

I've spoken with many children who work in the market, and 100% of them go to public schools.

After the Sandinista revolution in the late 70's there were expansive literacy programs to teach communities of illiterate adults until the costs couldn't be borne with the war against the Contras who had the support of the US.

With all that, you would think that Nicaragua was on track to become a well educated country who would be able to change their own destiny. But on the ground, things seem a little different.

Maybe someone can read, but can they really understand what they're reading? Enough to make an informed decision? That's a big leap from literacy, but it is what would be needed to control one's own destiny.

There are very few books in the library, and other than bookstores online in Spain (which is a super expensive way to go), I've had a tough time finding good books in Spanish. Not that they don't exist, it's just they seem to always be out of print.

How do we expect a nation to control it's own destiny if it doesn't choose to read? Some people read newspapers. But all in all, there's some ability to analyze, critique and understand bias that is simply much more difficult to attain when no one reads.

I grew up in a family that reads a ton (even though my father passionately hated reading as a child and teenager). But the adults here don't really read.

So apart from family, how do people learn to love reading?

Nicaragua in the Olympics? Who knows.

Roberto running the 400m for the University Polytecnic, Rivas

The Olympics are here.

Nicaragua was aiming to win at least one medal, but with just five athletes, two of whom don't have any events listed on the official Olympics website, it's a bit of a long shot.

Couple that with no Olympic coverage on regular TV, or on the direct TV I have (although it is on cable which isn't available where I live), it's hard to get very excited.

That's one of the toughest things about Nicaragua. The lack of communication infrastructure greatly limits their capacity for everything from getting excited about the Olympics and accurate information for elections to advertising for businesses and customers who want to look for the best deal. Looking for information is a resource and time intensive activity.

Hopefully I'll see a little of the Olympics at a friends house. Nicaraguans had been hoping to win their first medal this year (although they've competed in years past, they have yet to win any medal), but with Nicaraguan athletes difficult to even find, it's not looking good.

In the meantime they find other reasons to root for athletes from other countries such as they come from the country where a relative is working, or they just like the team's style.

The Olympics, which have so much potential, fall flat in the face of the incredible amount of energy necessary devoted to day to day life. Not quite the same as in other small, but developed countries.

If they made and Olympic sport of that, Nicaraguans would have a good shot at that first medal!

I'm Still Here!

Nothing much, just wanted to let you all know I'm still here!

We haven't had much going on at the construction site because we had some time without donations. While NPH is a wonderfully well supported organization in general, we are relying completely on donations for this construction project and so have some bumps along the way in timing.

In the last month, however, we have had some additional funds come in and we are currently in negotiations to build another house! We are making some changes, though, so it's not a straightforward, 'See this house? Build us one just like it' kind of thing.

New leaves budding. This tree lost all it's leaves in two days last week and now has almost completely regrown all new ones. Fall and winter sure go by quickly in this climate!

In the meantime, I haven't gone on any trips, cooked anything grand (a few delicious things, but they were all ugly), or had any strange experiences (chalk that up to getting used to life here, not life as you would probably expect it). I'm just enjoying the house that Germans built (the house I'm renting) and weekends of free time.

"Wildlife'' abounds around the house, as in spiders, butterflies, etc. I've had two hummingbirds fly into the house in the last week. While they're cute, it's a bit of a chore to get them back outside.

This weekend Roberto decided to cut down some coconuts for the water inside and I just wandered around the garden and worked on photography.

Chopping down coconuts with a machete. He got two from this tree and then eight from another tree where the coconuts were growing at eye level.

You especially have to be careful doing anything in the garden when it contains trees such as this one!

Chopping open the coconut with the machete (yes I did it and it wasn't too difficult, definitely easier than wood chopping with a heavy ax!)

Sweet water from inside. Honestly, I don't like it, but it is REALLY healthy for you! (Yeah, not enough to actually make me drink it!)

In the evening, after a rainshower and as the light was fading fast, Volcano Concepcion erupted a little and send a plume of ash towards Potosi, just north of us in San Jorge.

Rainshowers on Ometepe Island

You know, just your standard weekend!

Eruption of Volcano Concepcion August 3rd, 2008

Boys are Amazing

So we had a visitor at the new home site the other day.

Believe me, he didn't want to be there.


A group of boys from the home in Managua were sleeping in one of the new houses at night during their school vacation (just a week long in July, 'summer' vacation is December and January) to give us feedback on how it feels to live there. And true to their reputation as, well, boys, they managed to come across and collect things I had never seen on the property before.


They also, in their infinite boy wisdom, decided that the best environment for the snake was Managua and so they tied it's mouth shut with string (although it wasn't poisonous, it kills prey by compression, it still did bite), put it in a bucket and hopped the bus for home.

Unfortunately, they didn't manage to remember to take the snake off the bus.

I actually only know what happened because the nightly news reported that the snake (left by persons unknown to the news) caused quite a disruption when discovered by some very surprised passengers and was taken by MARENA, the environmental agency of the government, to the local zoo.

I think he's a happier camper now than he was last week. But it just goes to show, experiences with NPH will never leave you the same!

Oh, and I think the boys let the bunny go free at the property, at least that's what I'm going to choose to believe.

Electric Avenue II

Looking from the beginnings of our elevated water tank, you can still see the temporary electrical line to the right stretching to the homes in the distance

As you may remember from the original "Electric Avenue'' post, our electrical network left a lot to be desired, but functioned (most of the time). BUT... it was still time to get another system going.

Crane installing one of the several 9 meter concrete light poles trucked in from El Salvador (apparently the place to go for quality light poles)

So we've gone and gotten ourselves a primary network which will actually support the whole home of 500 kids and even more staff someday!

Permanent medium tension electrical on the left, temporary electrical pinned to the palm tree on the right.

The final pieces are being put together with a visit from Union Fenosa in the works before it will be energized. But we're excited to be on the cusp of having electricity in the home like normal people!

Isn't it beautiful? Ok, honestly, yes, underground system would have been better. But if we'd gone with that, we couldn't afford to build houses, so.... it's worth it.

And the gardens have been started as well. These are flowers in front of the concrete wall of a house.

The World is Beautiful

Just a dose of happiness for your day. I love it when things make me feel not so far away from everyone. For more info click here.

Joining the Modern World

So I have gotten direct TV.

Since moving to the house that Germans built (the owners built the house 15 years ago and are from somewhere in Germany (I've been advised by those who know that their dish ware is East German)), I've been living what I would call a much more normal life. When I'm done with work, I actually leave.

Part of the normalcy now includes a television that gives me more than this:


In case you can't tell, that is a playoff game between the Celtics and the Lakers.

This is an example taken last night from the movie 'Water' by Deepa Mehta about the practice of girls in India going to homes for widows (and basically being cut off from society) if their 'spouse' (the boy they have already been promised to) dies. I've been wanting to see it since 'Earth' by the same woman was so emotionally provoking.


Yeah, it's nice to see what's going on!

This is my first time buying cable/direct TV type service, normally what's free is good enough for me, but there's a couple different factors this time.

First, free isn't really anything. You can't really see much, but also the programs, well, it's either bloody bodies on the news (they show EVERYTHING) or soap opera telenovelas.

Second, as wonderful as my experience is here, sometimes it's nice not to notice I'm in a foreign country (I get so relaxed, I actually wondered (for a split second only!) why the commentators for the European Soccer Cup championships were speaking spanish).

Now I'm going to go live my normal life and fix spinach crepes with cheese for dinner after a run on the beach. Ok, maybe it's not that normal!