Back to School Fun!

I’m back! After a month long hiatus from this blog and two months of summer vacation things are finally getting back to normal here in Nicaragua. Well, as normal as life can be when you spend 12 hours a day with 10-year-old boys…

In January when we came back from the island I had a mere 5 boys in my house because the rest of the boys had gone home for vacation. The tios were also on vacation so it was just myself and an older boy in college who take care of the house.  I really appreciated the small and subsequently calmer house as it gave me a chance to bond with the boys deeper than I had before. Together we went on long walks to a nearby town, read Curious George and even made a salad.

I had wanted to teach them to make healthy food for a while but bringing four knives and vegetable peelers into a house of 13 young boys is a recipe for disaster. So, with five of them in the house we were able to peel and cut tomatoes, lettuce, carrots and onions while keeping all ten fingers intact.  If that’s not a success then I don’t know what is!  We were all able to enjoy our salad in peace and the boys learned that vegetables are in fact tasty and fun to eat!

The next day when I came to the house we switched roles and they taught me how to make a mango salad. We collected, peeled and chopped about 20 green (unripe) mangoes from the tree outside the mess hall. Afterwards, we added salt, juice from the orange trees outside the maintenance house and (lots of) chili peppers from outside the volunteer house. We were allowed to enjoy the salad but the boys made one simple rule: no water. The person who was able eat the most mango without drinking water to quench the hot peppers earned the title of the “manliest”. So one by one we took a piece from the bowl. And then another. And one by one we began to sweat and breathe loudly. I am proud to say I beat out three of the boys but in the end could not stand the fire on my tongue.

I was always amazed at my Cuban grandmother’s ability to withstand ridiculously spicy foods. I finally know the secret; they train them young in Latin America. My upper-lip begins to sweat the same ways hers did, so maybe that means I can train myself to also withstand the spice…

 As for more recent updates, Monday was the first day of school for the 2015 school year. I felt the same jitters and excitement that I did when I was in elementary school. However, this time around I’m worrying about making friends with the other teachers and if my students will behave instead of what my outfit will be and if my friends will be in my class.

This year I will be working by myself as the only English teacher for the primary school and am looking forward to the challenge. Over the vacations I was able to spend a lot of time outside of the classroom with my students who are not in my house. I am hoping that those students with whom I bonded now have a bit more respect for me and will not behave (too) badly in class. Now that may be naïve of me, but might as well have hope, right?

All of us enjoying the vegetable salad

A Month in Recap...

A Month in Recap

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!

The past few weeks have been an absolute blur with all the Advent celebrations, Christmas preparations, a weeklong trip with the house and New Years.  I’m sure everyone is curious as to how we celebrate the holidays here in Nicaragua so this post will be all about the December celebrations in our home.

The first thing to note about Christmas in Nicaragua is that here Mary receives just as much, if not more, of the spotlight as Joseph. For 8 days in the beginning of advent we celebrated the immaculate conception of Jesus. We celebrated Mary’s choice to say “Yes” to the Lord and her unyielding faith in Him to take care of everything. During these celebrations, called “Purisimas”, we prayed the Rosary and sang songs of praise and thanks to Mary around a decorated shrine to her. The volunteers made a sign with the phrase “Quien causa tanta alegria? La concepcion de Maria!” which we would yell at the end of every nights celebration.

  Throughout all of Nicaragua, people were chanting and celebrating the same thing. Then came the best part: aguinaldo (treats). At the end of the night, we always got AWESOME goody bags filled with everything from sugar cane to churros (sweet hard pastry rolls) to cajetas (more sugary delights).

Aguinaldo from just 1 day! (we even got plates,  which are always needed)

After the week-long Purisima celebrations we began to have nightly “posadas. Posadas entail a reenactment of the search of Mary and Joseph through Bethlehem looking for a room. Every night another group of the home (office workers, field workers, girls houses etc.) would be responsible for dressing up a Mary an Joseph and going door to door asking for a room. At each house they would be denied a bed until they arrived at the manger we had built. The fun part about this was that the conversation was actually a song that was sung back and forth between the people inside the house and those outside. And of course we all got more aguinaldo afterwards. 

By the time the  24^th rolled around, we had already been celebrating the coming of Jesus for a full month. Although we did have a mass and a grand family dinner on Christmas eve, Christmas day itself was uneventful. 

The typical Christmas dinner: nacatamale, black coffee and white bread. 

In fact, all I did was give my kids their presents and then take a nap because I had managed a mere four hours of sleep the night before. In the states I have always spent Christmas day surrounded by family and loved ones and, yes, presents. Although I was definitely missing home at this point, I also realized that I had spent the last month celebrating Christmas the way it should be celebrated. I had exalted Mary’s “Yes”, spent time with (new) loved ones and learned even more about compassion and kindness from my boys. So yes, it was a different type of Christmas, but it was also a wonderful month of preparations.

The day after Christmas all of the children have the opportunity to go spend a month or so with their family for vacation. Most of the times they go with an elderly grandmother, cousin or older sibling who can support them for a month but not for the entire year. The next day we took all of the remaining kids (about 50) to NPH’s former home on the Island of Ometepe. The island is formed from two connecting volcanoes, one of which (Volcano Concepcion) is still occasionally active. Due to high shipping costs and threats of volcanic activity NPH moved to our current location in 2006. However, since the land is still used to grow the majority of our food and the buildings are all still standing we took advantage of it and took the kids for a weeklong vacation there. Although accommodations were a bit rustic, it was a fun filled adventure and the kids had an absolute blast.

We took full advantage of the lake surrounding the island and went to a new beach everyday for a minimum of four hours. Half of the kids are from the Atlantic coast where they grew up along rivers and the other half had grown up on the island with NPH so they were all in their element. They never got bored of the water, tiring out the volunteers with their endless capacity to play around. The rest of the time was free to spend as we found fit and we filled it with board games, movies, finding and eating coconuts, sweet limes and grapefruits from the trees nearby, and long walks to visit tios and tias who live on the island.

On my break I decided to finally visit my good friend Nancy (name changed for privacy) at her house. Although Nancy lives at NPH full time while attending university she also spent the vacation with her family. It was wonderful to meet her younger sister who she constantly talks about and hang out with her a bit. I was also able to see just what type of economic situation Nancy comes from. The simple house made of dirt floors and plywood walls made the NPH home look like a hotel. It really puts things in perspective. 

Hanging with *Nancy and her sister at their home. 

After visiting Nancy I proceeded to the small town of Altagracia to spend my break. And how does one spend a break when you are staying in a town at the bottom of a 5,000-foot active volcano? Climb it of course. So that’s just what I did all day (9 hours) Saturday. Unfortunately the volcano was covered in clouds so I was unable to see both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Nicaragua in one shot. However, I did make it all the way to the top and get a quick glance in the crater before rushing back down because you never know when the volcano might give a little hiccup of ash. My hamstrings are still screaming and tight as guitar strings but it was so worth it! 

At the edge of the fuming crater. 

Add A Little Grace

Hey there everyone! 

I am writing this mini post to let you know that I have created a page on the crowd funding website "You Caring" to raise money for little things in my house. I have had quiet a few people ask me how or if they can send things to give them and I have decided this is the easiest as well as safest way. Here's the description I have up on my blog:  

I am setting up this online fundraising account because many of you have expressed a desire to help the 200 + children here in my new home. I am so happy to hear that you want to be a part of their lives and know they will appreciate anything and everything you wish to give! Having been here for 4 months now, I have a pretty good idea of what things are needed in my classroom, my house of boys and the home in general.

I know a lot of people would love to send me enormous packages of donations for the house but unfortunately with the shipping costs that ends up being less cost effective than me purchasing things here. However, if there is something in particular that you would like to buy I can look to see if it is available here and purchase that in your name, here in Nicaragua.

The most immediate need I see is chairs in my house. We have 16 boys in the house to which I have been assigned plus 3 tias and myself, for a total of 20 people for every meal. Unfortunately, we do not have enough seats so must eat all of our meals outside on the floor of the patio. Normally, this is quite enjoyable as we take in the fresh air, cool breeze and chat with those passing by the house. However, during the rainy season it is difficult to enjoy as you are trying to escape the pelting rain. I would love to give my boys a set of chairs so that we can all sit around the table and enjoy the meal together as the family that I know we are.

As far as other needs in the house, I am also looking to buy the house a hot plate so that we can heat up food if someone misses dinner or cook in the afternoons as a fun activity.

These are just two of the current projects I would like to fund here at the home but I will sure to post others in order to make life here a little easier. As I receive donations I will also be sure to post updates on everything I purchase with the money and pictures of my boys enjoying them!

Link: https://www.youcaring.com/nonprofits/-grammar-gallo-pinto-and-grace-add-a-little-grace/276580 

School is over! Christmas is coming!

Happy Christmas Season everyone!

            Here in Nicaragua the school year is over and we are preparing for Christmas with daily piñata workshops, celebrations of Mary’s immaculate conception and all of the kids are overjoyed with all the free time. To be quite honest, I was also a bit relieved with the end of the school year.

            I have hinted at the frustrations I face daily in class before but was originally afraid to admit my frustrations for fears that I was simply being a whiner and should “suck it up”. But then I read a friends blog who is teaching in South Sudan and realized that it’s ok to share my troubles because I am learning to deal with them. (He actually has a wonderful entry about how dealing with life’s struggles and I suggest you check it out: http://wearecalledtoserve.blogspot.com/2014/11/love-without-reservation.html ).

            Today, I am following Kevin’s example and sharing my true struggles in school as well as how I am learning to cope with them. Everyday I teach four or five classes and after each one I may be ready to rip my hair out or beyond impressed with my students behavior. It is an emotional rollercoaster that falls and rises by the hour, leaving me utterly exhausted by the time lunch comes around.

            To get a better understanding of my classroom life, here are the major problems I face.

1. Lack of resources. The kids quite often don’t have pencils, notebooks or even a seat to sit on. The problem here isn’t that we don’t have the funds. The problem is that they are slowly learning how to respect or value their things so often steal, loose or break them.

2. My co-teacher. She is a wonderful person who I have gotten to know well but in the classroom is more of a hindrance rather than a help. The culture here doesn’t demand much from teachers so it is perfectly acceptable for her to sit in the back of the room on her cell phone while I try to teach.

3. My lack of experience I have always love kids and school but I have no formal training in teaching, which would help me greatly here. Thank goodness I have lesson plans from past volunteers, a locker overflowing with donated English supplies and friends and family who sent me even more.

Given this situation I often ask myself, “Why am I even here?” “What is the point of me teaching English in such a difficult educational system that I myself can’t understand?”

But to get the full picture imagine students running up to me in the hallway asking “Do we have English today?! Do we? Do we?”, bursting with excitement. Or other kids asking me (in English) “What sport do you play?” as I jog past in my running gear. Or how about a visitor who is impressed with the (very) small talk a 12-year-old girl can partake in. So yes, there are also moments that bring me to cloud 9.

Recently I have been listening to a great deal of Christmas music, specifically my all time favorite “The Little Drummer Boy” and have been learning to see my teaching in a new light. For those who are not as obsessed with this song as I am, here is my favorite part of the song

“’I am a poor boy too. I have no fit to give that fit to give our king. Shall I play for you?’ Mary nodded. The ox and lamb kept time. ‘I played my drum for him. I played my best for him. Then he smiled at me.’”

As I was singing along the other day while thinking about my classes I realized how each one of us is like the poor boy. I do not have all of the resources nor training fit to teach as we do in the states. But just as the boy has his drum, I have love, perseverance and wit.  Just as the boy offered all he had to baby Jesus, so to will I offer all I have to “my kids” here. All God asks of me is to play my best, with all my heart. I must trust that God will take care of the rest. With this calm yet uplifting message from God, I know I will be even more ready to tackle the next semester when it comes. (Although I’m sure I will be listening to this songs all year to remind me of it!)

On a lighter note, here are some pictures from my break last month in Matagalpa, which I used to relax and recharge!

A quiet walk in the forest, which turned into a 4-hour trek up a mountain and down (quite often on our buts!).

A cup of coffee and a bit of chocolate at “Castillo de Cacao” a chocolate factory.

            And as always, some photos from my boys…

We all need to take a nap in the hot afternoons here. 

Re-painting statues outside the house.

We got confused about if we were supposed to paint each other or the statues...

In Managua at an altar to the immaculate conception of Mary. 

Just pondering life while staring out over Lake Nicaragua and Volcano Conception.

One of the boys in my house is on the back cover of a new NPH Nicaragua newsletter. 

Halloween Fun!

**this post was supposed to be published last Tuesday but I haven't had enough internet to post it till now, just a heads up! 

 Happy Tuesday!

 The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of exams, Halloween and a wonderful visit from my mom so I have not been able to keep up with my blog as normal. I But things are finally slowing down (as much as they can in a home of 220 kids!) so here is the latest on life in Nicaragua.

As many of you already know my mother came to spend the last 8 days with me to learn about my new life. For the first half of her visit we stayed here at the NPH home and she did everything with me fro teaching classes and spending afternoons with my boys to eating all our meals with them. It was amazing to be able to connect my life in the states with my new life here.  I am growing and learning everyday in ways that I could not have imagined so being able to show it to her firsthand was really important to me.

I cannot begin to thank everyone who sent games and toys and books and crayons and love for my boys and students. To say it was much appreciated would be an understatement. THANK YOU!

A few posts ago I began talking about the four pillars upon which Father Wasson built this home and today’s final pillar is Respect. Respect is something that each once of our parents tries to instill in us from a young age. Respect for your elders, respect for your teachers, respect for your parents. In the end, it just boils down to respecting everyone, right? Well here every pequeño is encouraged to show, as well as receive, that respect from the moment they enter the gates. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you are doing here, where you come from or how smart you are. Each and every person on these grounds deserves the same level of respect. I find this to be an integral part of my boy’s growth and maturation. Many boys were not given the least respect in their previous homes and are used to neither receiving nor giving it. However, here they all learn that every one of them is God’s favorite child and loved unconditionally. This unconditional love and status as a favorite child is manifested daily in the respect we all show.

A few weeks ago was Halloween, which sadly has not yet spread to Nicaragua. However, being a sucker for a good time, I decided to throw our own little Halloween party in Casa San Jose. Luckily we did not have school on Friday because of nation wide teacher conferences so the festivities were able to begin early. With the promise of a party later on, everyone did their chores and homework early on so that we could start getting ready after lunch.

Now the most important thing about Halloween is often thought to be one’s costume. Unfortunately a full body costume was not a possibility here so I settled for pumpkin masks. Armed with a sheet of orange foam, crayons, scissors and mounds of creativity my boys set to work and came up with amazing results…

One of the tias from the house helping with the masks.  

            The rest of the afternoon we spent making little decorations for the house from scraps of paper. The tia and I had quite an assembly line of spiders, bats and pumpkins coming from our table.

            However, the real fun didn’t start until after dinner. For our first activity I explained a toilet paper mummy wrap contest and the boys quickly split into teams to wrap each other up. Within a few minutes it became apparent that they were in need of a bit of help so the older boys, tios and myself joined in as “coaches” to help them finish. Afterwards we had a bit of a photo shoot and danced to the Thriller. If you can’t tell by now, my boys LOVE doing the entire Thriller dance, start to finish. I am still amazed every time I see it.

The beginning of the mummy wrap...

The tia jumped in to help finish the job

The winning team with their "coach", an older boy. 

2nd place just as proud.

Warrior mummies!

Cooking ayote en miel

A Reflection

This week I am going to take a break from discussing the pillars of the NPH home to discern a bit further my true purpose here at NPH.  This past Sunday was World Mission Sunday, a day in which Catholics world wide are encouraged to commit to the Church's missionary activity through action and prayer. During Saturday evening mass, our priest discussed mission work as a way to bring the joy of Christ to the world. Hearing this simple yet quite specific purpose led me to think once again about my own work. Although I am not on a mission with a church, I do feel my year here to be spiritually directed and was impacted by this motto.

As many of you know, I have been discerning the reason for me coming to spend a year in service since before I even applied to this program. Once I decided to come live with NPH I thought I would serve as a role model and a mentor for these children. Yet once I arrived, I realized that the kids have plenty of role models and mentors already and my short year will in no way change the course of their lives. Shortly after this realization a veteran volunteer told me she viewed her job as one of accompaniment. Of simply being present for every child in her house. Viewing my job as a madrina in that way, I began to find purpose in my year here. I would simply spend time with my boys and accompany them on the struggles with which life confronted them; not fixing the problems but rather helping them through.

Recently, I have come to view one of my primary roles as a madrina as a full time playmate. As soon as homework and chores are completed the boys look to me for a game of basketball, Frisbee or mixtape to sing along to.  Hearing the church’s mission this weekend to spread the happiness that God means for all of us showed me the purpose in all this fun. All I am here to do is to make their days a little brighter.  Whatever I find myself doing in Casa San Jose, He wants me to do with the purpose of bringing a smile to everyone’s face. I cannot fix the broken families my boys come from, repair the education system that at times fails them, fight the government to let NPH care for more children nor sponsor all 230 children here. But I can smile at everyone I pass and tickle those having a bad day. I am learning to accept the things I cannot change while working for those I can.

Not 24 hours after this mass time reflection of mine, I was shown how simply spreading happiness can be…

On Sunday morning I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. After a rushed workout, I arrived just in time for breakfast at my house. Or so I thought. Everyone was outside cleaning the yard and only after standing there for 20 minutes with my plate in hand did they tell me they had eaten early and forgoten to save my food. I tromped back down to my house and scarfed down a yogurt because I had ten minutes before running a family program (as explained in previous posts).

With an internal sulk on my face I went to pick up Nick and Mary (names changed for privacy reasons). The two of them grabbed my hands and skipped all the way to the volunteer house from the second we left their own houses. Upon hearing that just them two were going to make cookies, their faces lit up. The two siblings then proceeded to fall into fits of laughter and full-toothed grins nonstop for the next two hours. I honestly do not know how their cheeks and abs didn’t hurt from so much happiness.

      While mixing the dough Nick tried to crack the egg and managed to send yolk flying everywhere EXCEPT in the bowl .The proper reaction from Mary? Fall on the floor laughing only to be joined shortly by Nick. When playing Uno Nick could not manage to understand how to follow the rules no matter how many times I explained them. The proper reaction from Mary? Fail to show the slightest annoyance and smile even more. After only a few minutes I could not help but join in on the high spirits filling our patio. My face lit up as well and the morning was filled with joy.

      Shortly after dropping the two of them off I realized, who am I to assume that I am the only one bringing joy to this home? This very morning two pequeños pulled me out of my crankiness and brightened my day. I realized that each one of us is called to partake in the mission of the church. Every single one of us is urged by God to spread the happiness of Christ. And it really is so simple. Sometimes all it takes is a few children and perhaps a flying egg.

Here are some pictures of the cookie baking…

On another note, I know many people at home have been wondering how they can help become part of the children’s lives here. There are a million and one ways you can help from donating money to the organization, sponsoring a child or even visiting us. (Check them all out here ….WEBSITE)

However, at this time I have an even easier way you can help! My mom is coming to visit me in the first week in November and will be bring an extra suitcase for donations. All of the boys in my house love board games (especially puzzles!), drawing and reading. So if you have any lightly used items around your house or a few dollars to spare she would love help in filling that suitcase. Examples include games, cards, coloring books, crayons, markers, books, comics…My boys are all about 10 years old but in grades 1-5 so a wide range of books and games are appropriate. I am currently working on translating some comics for them into Spanish so if you only have English items I can translate them as well-although Spanish is a bit less work. If you don’t have my mom’s number feel free to email me or leave a comment below for more details about helping!

Thanks in advance,

Eliza

P.S. Here are some pictures of this weekend with my boys. They decided to wash the dog that lives at our home and ended up dressing him up and having a blast. We also threw the disc around all day Sunday. 

 

Love, a Baby and a Volcano

Happy Friday!

I have recently been reading the book Father Wasson wrote in 1975 which explains the philosophy of the NPH family (Quien Vera por los Ninos –Who will care for the children?) in order to best understand the four founding pillars of this home.  I am happy to be sharing the third (and my favorite) pillar of the NPH family with everyone today: love. Let’s be honest, “All you need is love”, anyway, right?

 I’m sure many of you have noted the underlying love in all that I have described about my new home. It’s hard to miss the love that my family of 300 siblings and countless tias and tias are constantly showing towards each other. Whether it is a warm hug every morning before breakfast, a kind kiss on the cheek between classes or a smelly embrace after a long game of soccer, even I feel the love.

As told by Father Wasson this love comes from the security felt by every child who enters the home. They enter into a home where they will never again have to fear hunger, abuse or neglect. They will be protected from whatever led them here, slowly learning how to just be kids. In all of this security, they find love. Love not only grows, but also flourishes in a home as secure as ours.

For example, the price of beans is extremely high because of a current drought throughout the country. Although beans are a staple, if not THE, staple food here, all of our children will still be fed. Three times a day, and with snacks in between; they will receive enough food and nutrition to grow. They will never have to worry about getting their next meal. Isn’t it a bit easier to love with a full stomach?

As for other happenings in the home, I was lucky to co-host a baby shower this week! About a week ago the topic of baby showers came up in conversation with the tias of my house and they told me that they don’t normally happen here because they can be expensive. However, we soon realized that Tia Divina, the tia in the house next to ours (of the youngest boys) was about 8 months pregnant. The logical next step? Plan a baby shower for her. To avoid the issue of money, we decided to all bring a little something and make gifts optional. All we wanted to do was surprise her with love and good luck on the birth. The shower was planned for Thursday morning at 9 am.

          Well at Thursday morning at 7 am we realized that Tia Divina had already had her baby boy on Monday morning. Rather than scratch the party, the tias from my house managed to get the home’s van to bring the party to her. All in good spirits 12 tias, tios and myself piled in, bringing a cake, a piñata, sodas, and snacks. We were only able to stay at the house for about half an hour due to the terrible weather and fear of getting caught but it was wonderful all the same. Take a look at some of the pictures!

Four days of rain really flooded the city. 

The cross streets looked like mini-rivers but people -even motorcycles-used them anyway.

Here is the piñata that we brought and ended up leaving for the kids to play with later on.

Most all of the baby shower attendees with the baby. 

Tia Divina cutting the cake (we forgot candles, whoops!)

The star of the day (yet to be named) was impressively peaceful all morning. 

Today I also had another totally different and fun adventure….Since it’s my weekend off, I decided to finally climb the volcano that I can see from my front door. It has been calling and calling and finally taunting me since I arrived so I ignored the terrible past 4 days of rain and set off this morning. Stocked with a full camel back, some protein bars and a raincoat I set off with naïve hopes. After a short trip and some friendly help along the way I arrived at the base of the volcano. Being stubborn, cheap and a bit arrogant I refused to pay transport to the top and instead decided to hike it. Well, 2 hours of 90 degree inclines covered in slippery moss later, I finally reached the top of the volcano!

My plan was to set out on a 4 hour loop to see the craters and overlooks from this point. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible. The final transport down to the entrance was leaving about ten minutes after I reached the top due to so few visitors that day. My self-preservation overcame my arrogance as I imagined the broken wrist that I would no doubt suffer from slipping on the way down. So I gave in and rode the bus down. Without setting foot on the path for the craters. Oh well! I guess ill just have to go back soon! Thank goodness it’s so close.

Before I saw the treacherous inclines...

After I saw the inclines.

Here's a mini-volcano to show how high I hiked. It is about 1300 meters, pretty high!

This is just one view of the gorgeous trails I passed.

Food for the week…

Yesterday was a boy from my house’s birthday and I decided to make him the BEST cake ever. I bought real cocoa powder and followed the Hershey’s recipe to make a “Delicious Moist Chocolate Cake”. Unfortunately my cake refused to rise and  was a bit TOO moist. But I brought it and everyone enjoyed it anyway! I’ll have to figure out how to make it soon because I have another birthday coming in 2 weeks!

Casa San Jose celebrating a birthday

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think in the comments section below.