Laudato Si

A few weeks ago the family here came together to celebrate the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (Sept. 1), as proclaimed by Pope Francis with a day of massive reforestation. Here in Nicaragua deforestation is a serious problem as trees are burned for fuel for cooking or construction material and simply clear-cut as the country continues to develop. A nearby farm donated 1,500 tree seedlings to us to help counter this destruction and care for the land that God gave to us.

The task: Plant 1,500 tree seedlings on Saturday morning from 8-12.

The crew: The NPH family around for the weekend; including about 100 kids ages 4-24, 15 tios/tias, 2 directors, 3 volunteers,3 farm hands and the priest.

The Plan: None…

In typical Nica fashion we began a bit late on Saturday morning with no plan other than “plant”. Surprisingly enough, however, we managed to organize ourselves somewhat and set to work in a reasonable amount of time. The directors decided to plant in two main areas-a hill leading down to the soccer court and a clearing behind the woman’s houses- and people quickly split up between the two.

Everyone then picked up a job according to his/her ability. We had pick swinging hole makers, soil patting seedling planters, bucket lugging water carriers, and measuring stick wielding markers. The youngest kids were employed as water carriers with containers ranging from simple 2-liter water bottles to huge wash buckets.

At one point during the morning, Chad*, a boy from my house was on water duty with Tony*, a five-year-old. They had schlepped a massive amount of water to where we were planting with only had a few meters to go and decided to take a quick break. When they moved again a minute later poor Tony lost his footing and began to tumble down the hill. Tony had a wonderful grip on the bucket though and in tow came Chad and the bucket. When the two stopped tumbling they stood up covered in a mix of water, leaves and dirt and found not a single drop of water in the bucket. They immediately fell back down in a fit of laughter that everyone around could not help but joining.

By 12 o’clock, we had the system down pat: Marker marks spot and calls for hole. Digger digs hole and calls for seedling. Planter comes, plants and calls for water. Waterer comes, waters and the process starts again.  However, we were hot tired and loosing steam.

With a little mischief, one girl, Mary* reanimated the adults pretty well. As I took a break from digging my hole I looked over as a tia (caregiver) called for water and Mary brought over a bucket. The tia looked down to pat the soil as Mary poured the water. However, Mary decided that it was the tia who needed watering and with a devilish smile poured the entire bucket over the tia’s head. The refreshing bath was well received with only a laughing “Mary!” from the tia. Once again, we all broke into laughter as Mary’s genius-When else could she pour an entire bucket of water over her tia’s head without getting in trouble?

By 1:30 we were all covered in a mix of sweat and dirt and called it a day. A few of the boys also had hands covered in blisters, of which they were extremely proud and used to brag about the number of the holes they had made. The next day my arms and back were sore but I couldn’t have asked for a better way to care for God’s creation.  

I don't have any pictures from that day as we were too busy working to take pics but here is just an example of the beauty of God's creation here in Nicaragua  (A shot of Volcano Concepcion on the Island of Ometepe) 

August Updates

Thanks for having faith and not giving up on my blog. Life in the past two months has been a bit crazy as I picked up another class to teach (5^th and 6^th graders who are too old to be in the mainstream classes), subbed in for the volunteer coordinator and helped out a lot in the sponsorship office. Somehow or another there is also more work to be done here!

But I finally found some time to sit down and write so here are a bunch of updates on life here…

The boys…

This past weekend I did tie-dye with my boys and was ridiculously impressed with how good it came out for all of them. A few of them had done it before with visitors but for the majority of them it was the first time they even heard of tie-dye.  It is so foreign to the culture here I couldn’t get a translation other than “camisas hippy” (hippy shirts). Well, for first timers they were pretty successful and creative. Check out the pictures below!

 

A few weekends ago we had a night of games down on the soccer courts and Kay (another volunteer) and I decided to bring down a bucket a chalk we found in the house. We clearly underestimated its popularity as within minutes all the pieces were snatched up and the whole area turned into a work of art. I found myself working on a crime scene with one of my boys, outlining the “dead” bodies fallen. He then decided to take artistic liberty, adding a six-pack here, lopsided eyes there and Mickey Mouse ears there. We even got the assistant religious director to play along and all ended up doubled over in laughter. Thankfully it didn’t rain for a few days and we got to enjoy the work.

How gorgeous is this!?

 At school…

In class I did a food unit with all of the grades, culminating in a “Menu Project” for the project the students paired up and had to create their own English menu complete with food and drinks for breakfast, lunch and dinner and prices. I was so proud of the work of my 5^th graders that I mounted all the menus and made a poster to hang in their classroom. As for my second graders, an entire menu was a bit much so we went with “My Favorite Foods” which I also put up on a poster. Check them out below!

My house…

For some reason my house has become hit with quite a few tarantulas recently. And for even less known reasons, they only like to reveal themselves to me. So, over the past two weeks I have found them in my toilet stall, on the curtain above my bed and right outside my door. I am slowly screaming less, having shorter temper tantrums and even trying to kill them! My reaction is no longer as comical for the other volunteers but at least I’m getting over my fear bit by bit. Here’s a pretty one I found in my bathroom.

And last but not least the food update….

This past Friday when I had to stay during my weekend off I went into town and bought myself a chocolate milkshake. It was amazing. No question. Made life so much sweeter. If you’re having a bad day I suggest going to the nearest ice cream store and buying the biggest one they have. It’s total therapy.

I couldn't resist drinking half of it before taking the picture.

Until next time,

Eliza

Here are a few more fun pictures from the last month...

Playing keep away basketball with my 2nd grade boys. 

You're never too old to color! 

A few of the younger girls showing off their new sneakers. 

My Favorite Things

Hey there everyone!

Once again I am posting less often than I had originally planned, but this time it’s because I am struggling to think of what’s “new” and noteworthy here. I have been living in Nicaragua for almost a year now and have therefore become very accustomed to the ebb and flow of daily life. The initial culture shock has faded into an occasional surprise but nothing more. For example, I have gotten quite good at spotting and killing scorpions but was still shocked when a farm worker found a 6 foot long snake outside my house last week. Additionally, I no longer mind the weekly power outages but still complain if the water goes out for more than a few hours.

So this week, I decided to tell you all about some of my favorite things about my life here in Nicaragua, things that are not all that new but that I continue to love.

With my boys…

My hands down favorite thing to do with my boys is go for long walks on either a Sunday or Saturday afternoon in search of fresh fruits. Before we serve lunch the tio will announce a “caminata” after lunch so that all the boys do their chores quickly. With the trip as motivation, they fly through their chores, find some shoes and grab any empty backpack or bag they can find. Then, we begin the walk in high spirits as the boys discuss where the best fruits are right now and which way we should go. This weekend we debated going to a house with an avocado tree that was full or another house with 4 different types of mango trees that were also full and a bit closer. In the end we split into two groups, with each promising to trade mangoes for avocadoes afterwards.

Although these houses are not on NPH’s land and technically private property the owners are always super hospitable and welcoming to the kids.  As we walk along the dirt road, the kids are on the lookout for full trees and the second they spot one we approach the house. The tio then asks the owner of the land, who is normally seated on a rocking chair enjoying the afternoon breeze, if we can collect the fruit. The answer is almost always “Well yes, but I have more trees out back with riper fruit.”

At that point, the kids get serious and get to work knocking down fruit. The older boys are quite skilled and can knock down mangoes 40 feet up with only a few throws of a stick. I have yet to develop my skills so wait till they fill their sacks and then ask for help along with the younger boys. Sometimes the fruit is a bit stubborn so we have to call in a tio for reinforcement. Once the boys tire out we sit down on the porch and chat with the neighbor as he offers the boys water. Resting on a shaded porch listening to how the crops are doing this year as I munch on mangoes from my boys is truly priceless.  

On top of the fruit we eat there is always some other snack along the way. Sometimes the tio will buy us all an ice cream or a piece of bread at a pulperia (like a family run mini store). Or I will put together some type of snack, whether it be ham and cheese sandwiches to make while we rest or cold Jello for when we get back. When you’ve got ten-year-old boys snacks are key!

After a sufficient rest and a bit of refueling we being the walk back home, weighed down by the fruit we carry but excited about snacking on it for the next day. Many of the neighbors whom we visit on a regular basis have become “abuelos” (grandparents) of the kids and call out to us as we pass on our way home. Some of the boys super anxious to get home run ahead and we have races to see who gets home first. Or other times we are dead from the heat and take it nice and slow, trying not to get too covered in the dust flying around.

Without fail, this is my favorite part of the week. J

With my breaks…

I absolutely LOVE to go hiking when I am on break. My boys jokingly say all I do outside of NPH is climb volcanoes, which I can’t say is totally inaccurate. I have climbed five so far, and many of them more than once. But I have also visited several nature reserves and been amazed at the beautiful landscapes here. Most recently, I re-visited a reserve called “Selva Negra” which is in the Northern highlands. I also visited one of the many giant waterfalls and went for a swim below it.

Just relaxing under a giant tree.

We may have gotten a bit lost...

            Another highlight of my trips is visiting the churches that are always gorgeously adorned with paintings or woodcarvings and intricate Stations of the Cross. Recently, I visited the cathedral in Leon and climbed up to the top to walk around the roof. No-I was not breaking the law-it is an actual thing. The entire roof is pristine white with breathtaking views of the city below and volcanoes in the background. I simply could not wipe the smile off my face or hold in the exclamations as I walked around and took it all in. I have a few pictures below but they barely begin to capture the true beauty. You’ll just have to come visit to see it in person!

Last but not least: food!

I have been suffering from a terrible craving for NY City falafels for the past few months.

(If you don’t know what I’m talking about go to New York and find a Hallal truck-I have my favorites but any will do. Order a gyro. Ask for all the toppings. Enjoy the ingenious combination of rich flavor and mouth-watering textures. Then come back for seconds and order a plate of falafels again with all the toppings. Enjoy every single bite. Then search for crumbs you may have dropped and savor it once again.)

Now that you know what I’m talking about, how delicious it can be, you understand my terrible withdrawal. A few weeks ago it got so bad that I decided I just had to make my own gyro with falafels. Finding the ingredients wasn’t as hard as I was expecting so I ended up making it for everyone at a volunteer dinner. Now it wasn’t anywhere near as good as the street vendors but I can now say the withdrawal is subsiding and I’ll be all right for a few more months. Check out the picture below!

I'm Back!

Happy May!

            This spring has been a bit crazy with Holy Week, Easter, my dad visitng, anniversary celebration and wonderful college friends visiting. So today I will update on two months in one. Get ready!

April…

Easter in the home was quite wonderful. Since we are a catholic home in a Catholic country we took off Holy Week from classes and work. All week the volunteers led religiously themed workshops, the same group of kids each day. I was given the youngest kids so we made Easter related arts and crafts each day. This included toilet paper chicks and bunnies, salt dough Easter eggs and shapes and coloring in the Stations of the Cross.

            We also had all of the Easter week masses and much to my surprise the kids behaved (more or less) in all of them!

            I was also lucky to be visited by my amazing father who came full of energy, love and of course a few jars of peanut butter for me. While he was here we had a great time making kites with the kids for a kite flying contest, exploring an active volcano and making breakfast crepes for my house.

May…

This year NPH celebrated it’s 21^st Anniversary here in Nicaragua. The anniversary is perhaps the craziest part of the year as the ENTIRE home (kids, volunteers, directors, office staff, maintenance etc.) gets split up into 11 teams for a week long “color war”. Each team is responsible for preparing two candidates who will compete for “Queen of NPH”, making a fantasy dress from recycled materials for each one, painting a team flag, preparing a ten minute presentation that involves every single team member and participating in field games all day on Saturday. This years theme was birds so my group chose Guacamayo (aka macaw). Needless to say, we thought of little else for the two weeks beforehand, when teams were assigned.

      We had a blast in all of the field games on Saturday, which in the end I decided were a Nica version of a Tough Mudder. There were 11 different challenges we had to complete, all on 15-minute intervals and according to a strict schedule. A few of them consisted of going down a 100 yard slide dug into the side of a hill, covered with a tarp and made slippery with water and detergent, while holding a glass full of water. Or sprinting through a maze dug three feet into the ground, down a hill, jumping straight into a huge mud pit and throwing a ball into a hoop. Needless to say, everyone was covered in mud and smiles all day!

Last week I was also blessed by a visit of great friends from college, some of whom I had not seen in over a year. After the craziness of Easter, school exams and the anniversary I took a much-needed break and we went up north to a Natural Reserve to hike, relax and catch up. I had forgotten how great it is to spend time with good friends, whether it is playing cards, cooking dinner or simply hanging around. Refreshed, re-energized and full of their love, I am now back to work and so happy to see my boys!

Now that I have more or less updated you on life here, I want to share something I have been thinking about a lot recently. Very often when I talk to people from home I am told how amazing, good or special I am for serving with NPH. I do love compliments as much as the next person but I think it is important to mention that what I am doing is merely answering a call I heard. This is simply the way God wants me to spread His love, at least for this period of my life.

It is not special to be called by God to love. Rather, each and every one of us is called to love in our own way, whether that is in corporate America, at local hospitals or in our local communities. Everyday we are presented with opportunities to answer the call and it is up to each one of us to open our ears and answer them.

I was visited by some friends this past week and shown just what this looks like. It looks like a recent college grad leading her company’s initiative to increase service among employees. It looks like a graduate student working as a full time nanny finding time to spend quality time with her mother. It looks like a captain checking in on a teammate who has been going through a rough time.

Being called is not, therefore, permanent or unique. It’s simply God telling us what type of opportunities we have to spread his love. All we have to do is keep listening and following.

One of the boys showing off his Easter bunny

A mural displaying all of the kids' coloring skills

The final product from salt dough crafts (note the creative pieces like volcanos, flip flops and suns!)

On top of Volcan Masaya

Flying kites!

Helping out with kite making

Kay (another volunteer) and I in our costumes!

One of the many mud pits..

Another one.

Boys will be boys

Hi there everyone!

I hope you are all enjoying the spring weather that is hopefully arriving. Here in Nicaragua we are entering summer, which means the temperatures are rising daily, most days averaging 90 degrees.

School is now in full swing and we have all adjusted to the new schedules and changes that this year brought about. The biggest change is that 5^th and 6^th grade students are now in some type of class or workshop from 7 am to 5 pm. In Nicaragua school is normally only half day (either from 7-12 or 12-4) because there are not enough classrooms to hold all of the students. In our home we have historically followed the same schedule of class from 7:30-12:30, with the exception of high school students going to vocational workshops from 2-5, after lunch.

Well, this year the directors switched around the schedule a bit to provide structured homework help and introduce older elementary students to the workshops.  The older students in elementary school were switched to afternoon classes and morning workshops and have the following schedule…

7-9 am: Homework session run by the tios and divided by gender and grade

            9-10 am: Free time to play on the swings, go for a walk or relax

            10-12 am: Vocational workshops

            12-12:30: Lunch

            12:30-5 pm: Classes

            5-6: Free time

            6:30 Dinner

            7-8: Chores, wash uniforms and free time.

            8: Bed

To me, the schedule seemed very rigorous and demanding for my 12 year olds boys but they are adjusting and truly learning a lot more than in past years. The structured reinforcement outside of class time is also helping them to receive the individual attention that they might not get in class.

Unfortunately, the majority of the boys in my house are passing through a strong rebellious phase. The behaviors range from stealing, escaping at night, acting out in class and otherwise challenging authority figures. Luckily the tios, directors and coordinators have all been proactive in dealing with their behavior by talking to them and putting just punishments (aka working in the fields all day long). But for some reason the talks and lectures just don’t seem to make a difference. It goes in one ear, out the other and back to breaking rules and pushing the line.

Outside of the home, there are children begging for food, suffering abuse and being denied an education. Here we never worry about being fed three times a day, having a school with teachers who show up, having a bed to sleep in at night and never being hit. There are teachers for dance, music, art and a 24-hour clinic.  At times I become extremely frustrated at them for not taking advantage of all of these opportunities with which they are so blessed and even flirting with expulsion.  I become disheartened, hopeless and just want to scream “You have it SO good here! What don’t you get?”

But then I remember two things that help me to hold my tongue and love them even more.

1. They are just kids. At the end of the day a 12-year-old boy is a 12-year-old boy. He is going to challenge authority, push you to your limits, go crazy from hormones and rebel against everything. That’s what kids do. From age 2 to age 12 I would at times act like the “devil child” (as my father lovingly called me) and enter into fits of rage. But I grew out of it and am now a mature and intelligent adult (or at least I like to think so…). This helps me realize that this is just a phase for my boys. It just so happens that we have about 10 of them going through it at the same time, adding fuel to each other’s fires.

The second thing I realize is that I do not know any of my boys as well as I would like to think at times. I have no idea most of their histories: how they ended up here at NPH, what their family life was like before or what it is like to grow up in a group home. From the few stories I have been told, I can only imagine the weight of the crosses they carry and the trauma they have been subjected to. One child was dropped off at an intersection 5 kilometers away and told to walk here because his/her family no longer wanted him/here. Another was repeatedly raped by a stepfather and went to live with a sister where she was then raped by a neighbor. To say the least, they’ve been through a lot and learned to survive. Maybe they put up walls so they can no longer get hurt, maybe they wait for failure because people have failed them time and time again, maybe they steal because for so long they had nothing.

I will never completely understand where they come from and why they act out in the ways they do. That is a simple fact. However, I am not meant to understand or to judge. That is for God to do. I am meant to love.

So with these two realizations, I swallow my frustrations, take a deep breath and offer a hug and a smile. Because the rebellious boys have been working off their punishments, I have spent a lot more time with those who are not punished. In the end, I am connecting even more with them and can give them attention and positive reinforcement, a special silver lining. And when punishments are over and I see the boys for a few minutes I give hugs to those who will accept and pray even more for those who won’t.

 Here are some pictures of the recent activities we have been doing…

One of our favorite things to do in the boy's house is to go for long walks so a few weeks ago we went to a nearby sugar mill and were able to play around with the equipment.

To squeeze out the juice, you push the sugar cane through a press.

A view from outside the mill. 

Another favorite destination is the large mango tree on the edge of the property. 

A few weeks ago on a weekend off I went with three other volunteers to visit the Atlantic (Caribbean) coast. The scenery, culture, food and even language were completely different! They speak Creole english, travel all over by boat and cook everything with coconuts or coconut oil. It was a wonderful way to relax and see more of the diversity in this country.

Traveling by "panga" to the Pearl Keys. 

The Pearl Keys, where we spent an entire day relaxing. 

We also visited a local village and met an extremely friendly farmer who offered to show us his farm the next day. We had no idea what we were getting into but said "Ok!" and showed up the next day... 

First we rowed in a canoe hallowed out from a tree for 45 minutes. 

Then we walked through the jungle for half an hour. 

And finally we arrived at his farm! 

Where we ate lots of coconut and other fruits he offered to us. 

Some updates...

Hey there everyone!
           I have been trying to get this post up for a few days but the power (and therefore internet) has been in and out all week so my apologies. 

            Thanks once again for checking in on my blog.  Life here at NPH Nicaragua has been pretty hectic these past few weeks with a third grade class getting the best of me, some rowdy days in Casa San Jose and three goodbyes.

            As far as third graders go, I learned a very important lesson this week: never ever trust a group of 8 year olds to stay in their seats while you go off to find their homeroom teacher. Even though they say they won’t move, the second you turn your back you have one off to the fields, one running around the high school and one locked in the bathroom-of another classroom. Corralling them back into the room was quite a sight; at least I gave the other teachers a laugh.

            In other news, in the volunteer house we said goodbye to one of the volunteers who had finished her 13-month term and is headed home (with some backpacking through South America along the way). She had become a close friend of mine who could always be counted on for a healthy vent about the craziness here, a spontaneous session of aerobics to the tune of “Shake it Off” or a great night out. I’m sorry to say goodbye but happy I at least got to know her over the past 7 months.

            The two additional goodbyes were for the two tias in my house. After working for over 10 years, the two of them decided to leave for a number of personal reasons. Anyone who has heard me talk about my experience so far will know that I consider them the angels of Casa San Jose and my personal role models as a madrina.

            Here is a small glimpse of their job responsibilities…

Everyday they wake the boys up at 5 am and get them ready for school while overseeing the cleaning of the entire house, serving breakfast, sewing ripped pants, helping find homework and dealing with those who got up on the wrong side of the bed. While the boys are at school they are on break, during which they re-clean the house, do their own laundry and, if they are lucky, take a quick nap. Once school is out they help with homework, chores, tears and anything else that a typical mother does- multiplied by 14. I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen them sit down while on the job. To sum it up, they do the impossible everyday for 10 days in a row. 

So perhaps a more appropriate description would be half angels half energizer bunnies….

            The night before they left, I was given the two best pieces of advice I have yet to hear about working here:

“Gather up as much ‘animo’ and ‘paciencia’ as you can muster, and when you’re all out, ask God for a second helping of each.”

The word “animo” roughly translates to excitement, energy, passion and even courage. “Paciencia” translates, as you guessed, to patience. One of my tias even has a habit of throwing up her hands and exclaiming, “Dios dame paciencia con este chavalo” (God, give me patience with this boy). Now, that might seem a bit dramatic but it normally brings about giggles from the boys, solving her problem in an interesting manner.

            So the logical conclusion of our conversation? If I want to be the angelic energizer bunny like the tias I look up to, I need to ask for and find a lot of patience and “animo”. Although these two things may seem too simple to make me a better madrina, I disagree. Sometimes life is just that simple. I’ll let you know how it goes for me…

            On an unrelated note, I happened to climb a volcano two weeks ago on a weekend off.  Along with two other volunteers and a guide, I camped out about 100 meters below the crater. Here are some pictures from the hike and campsite…

Our oasis like campsite right below the crater. 

Me and two other volunteers on the edge of the crater. 

Here's a shot of the amazing view we had over the land below. 

Have I told you I started doing yoga?

 This post my food update is not quite Nicaraguan. Well actually, it’s 100% American and 0% Nica… I managed to make homemade peanut butter! It’s not only deliciously natural but also a lot cheaper than the $9.00 mini jars that I can buy here.

NOTE: Unfortunately, I am no longer allowed to post pictures of the kids because of privacy issue so I cannot show you how they are doing. However, we did have an NPH photographer come visit and I finally have some evidence that I do actually teach.

Neccesary clarification here: I was NOT yelling at the student but rather
super excited because he managed to pronounce purple correctly.