New Year’s Eve – San Juan style

Posted on January 15, 2009 by Sarah

Like Semana Santa, San Juan del Sur gets turned inside out during New Year’s. Hordes of both foreign tourists and Managua transplants swarm San Juan from December 27 right on thru the New Year. The beach road gets closed to traffic creating a pedestrian walkway along the shore and causing grid lock on the four remaining streets in town. Firecrackers are exploded by the minute and our own backyard became the perfect spot to view our neighbor’s fireworks display. Temporary tents, stages, and bars are erected to the north end of the beach and our sleep little fishing village turns, quite rapidly, into Spring Break.

ringing in the New Year with friends

Amidst all the craziness, there are also some wonderful traditions taking place. Justin and I spent New Year’s at a block party in town, thrown by some friends. We ate bbq, drank rum, a local band peformed, people danced in the street. However, my favorite activity of the entire evening was the Año Viejo…

our very own año viejo

The Año Viejo is a fiery tradition that symbolically burns up the failures, regrets and anger of the old year in order to usher in the hopes and resolutions of the new one. On the last day of the year, people construct effigies that might represent an irritating person, a disliked political figure, or even disappointment about past mistakes or unachieved goals. A handwritten note is pinned to the dummy explaining why it must be burned and what changes and improvements are desired for the coming year. Then, to a chorus of cheers and clapping, the effigy is thrown into the street and burned to ashes. Some people stuff the año viejos with triquitraques (firecrackers) and watch the “man” explode.

Justin diving for cover after lighting an año viejo

a burning año viejo

Happy Holidays

Posted on January 10, 2009 by Sarah

Well, I’ve been a little delayed in posting a holiday greeting, but I wanted to send my love to family and friends regardless of the day. We had a very peaceful Christmas, spending a few days down in Playa Coco, one of our favorite beaches in the area. On Christmas day, we were joined by various friends for Christmas tacos, courtesy of our friends Christian and Claire. That night, we witnessed a beautiful sunset and fell asleep to the sound of the Pacific crashing waves onshore.

The holidays made us feel grateful for so many people, including those friends we’ve made here who have becomes our surrogate family, as well as for our family and friends back home. We feel blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderfully caring people.

Volunteering with Free Medical Clinic in El Baston

Posted on January 3, 2009 by Sarah

The weekend before Christmas, our friend, Cheri, visited Nicaragua with a team of medical students from Wayne State University to offer 3, 1-day free medical clinics to the less-advantaged folks of the area. Justin and I helped on the final day, in a town called El Baston, by doing intake for the patients, translating between doctors and patients, and making lunch for the med students.

Justin gathering medical information from patients

In total, the clinic saw over 100 people on Sunday in addition to the 250 patients seen in Ostional on Friday and Saturday. It was truly an incredible experience to watch so many people line up and wait, for hours, to be seen by physicians.

People waited for hours to be seen

Most interesting were the number of people who came with no medical problems, but who created an ailment just to receive the attention from the students. Patients presented with everything from high blood pressure to ulcers to albinism. The most devastating case was a 6-year old boy with undeveloped legs. He also appeared to hallucinate, crying and reaching out for people who were not there. It was unsettling, to say the least, to witness this boy in so much discomfort and not be able to convey his feelings to us.

As people waited to be seen, I encouraged a number of the kids to play a game of soccer with me – truly one of the highlights of the day! I also really enjoyed simply interacting with everyone while they waited – asking them questions, comforting crying children, and making people laugh. Everyone seemed to find my broken Spanish incredibly entertaining, but supported my effort to practice my Spanish.

Passing the time playing soccer

The day proved to be quite rewarding for both the volunteers and med students, as well as the patients who received medical care. I am hopeful that more opportunities like this one will become available for the amazing people in and around San Juan del Sur.

La Purísima y La Gritería

Posted on December 10, 2008 by Sarah

December is a month of great celebration across Nicaragua. This past weekend, Justin and I traveled to León, the second largest city in Nicaragua, because of its reputation for the best fiestas.

A Giganton, measuring almost 9 feet tall, dances in the streets of León

Monday, December 8th, marked La Purísima, a celebration of the ‘purest conception of Virgin Mary.’ At 6 pm on December 7th, everyone from town gathers in the central park, on the steps of the church. The priest or bishop of the local church signals the beginning of Purísima by asking the crowd “Quién causa tanta alegría? (Who causes so much happiness)?” The town responds by saying “La Concepción de María’ (Mary’s Conception).” After this, people across the town launch hundreds of fireworks and fire crackers. Firecrackers explode again at midnight and then at 6 am and noon on the following day. Shortly after the proclamation, La Gritería begins.

A selection of fireworks

La Gritería, draws much comparison to Halloween, but with greater emphasis on religion. Similar to trick or treating, people take to the streets, stopping at one home after another seeking candy treats and other small gifts. People place elaborate altars in their front entryway, displaying the Virgin Mary, the Nicarguan flag, flowers, and more. As people approach the door, they again say “Quién causa tanta alegría?” and the people in the homes respond with “La Concepción de María.”

A traditional altar honoring the Virgin Mary

Casa de la Mujer – A Women’s Enrichment Center

Posted on December 9, 2008 by Sarah

Back in August, an energetic Expat, with fiery red hair, came into our office to talk to one of our sales agents about paying taxes on her property. In the course of the conversation, I overheard her mention a defunct women’s center, in town, that she was trying to get up and running again. I quickly introduced myself to Bonnie and asked that she keep me up to date on the center and let me know how I could become involved. Having previously worked in a women’s shelter for pregnant and parenting teens, back in Boston, I was drawn to this cause. Fast forward 4 months and I am deep in the thick of it, along with Bonnie, two other Expats (Lee and Rachel), and 3 local Nicaraguan women: Doña Mayra (the director of the center), Thelma, and Argelia.

Mayra, Argelia, and children of some of the women

Since our first meeting on November 5, 2008, we have exchanged countless emails, held a fundraiser, opened a bank account for the organization, created an informational blog about the center, and established our mission, goals, and planned services. This past Saturday, we also had an information table at a local community event, in the park and sold over $100 in raffle tickets. Most exciting is the prospect of a one-day free medical clinic that we might be able to host toward the end of the month.

Already, this experience has proven to be incredibly fulfilling. I look forward to meetings when we share the hopes we have for the center and discuss the areas in need of improvement. I truly enjoy working with local women, working on my Spanish with them, and learning the cultural nuances of a Nicaraguan-Ex-pat steering committee. The people on this board both inspire me and challenge me to re-think many of my own preconceived ideas.

In the coming months, we hope to paint the exterior of the women’s center, continue English classes with a formal schedule, begin a cooperative daycare so that the women can work, and lead courses in hospitality services. If you find yourself reading this and wanting to get involved, either thru hands-on work or a donation, please feel free to contact me via this blog. For more information, check out our Casa de la Mujer blog.

El Dia de Accion de Gracias (Thanksgiving) in San Juan del Sur

Posted on November 28, 2008 by Sarah

Playa Coco

Justin preparing for Thanksgiving dinner

Gratitude Journal, day 1

Posted on November 26, 2008 by Sarah

Homesickness is inevitable when living abroad, at least for me. Being far from family and friends back home is difficult, especially around the holidays. I was fortunate that with the exception of an occasional tear, I managed to all but avoid this sadness until our return from our last trip home…in September.

Since then, I’ve found it easy to ruminate on the things that make me miss home – New England’s fall colors, my adorable niece and nephew, Thanksgiving dinner with my family, snow.

Yet, I also know that one day, I will look back on this experience in Nicaragua and find myself missing nacatamales for Sunday breakfast, the view of the Pacific from my front door, and the good friends I’ve made here. So, I have decided to begin a gratitude journal, in order to focus my energies on the amazing things in life:

Things for which I am grateful…

~My Family, including Justin, Mom, Dad, Cathy, Paul, Gracie, Paul, Diana, Matt, Mary, Collen, Tina, Caitlin, and my entire extended family

Our wedding day

~My Husband for being so understanding, supportive, and loving

~My Friends, both in the States, and here in Nicaragua (who have become my second family)

~Cooper

~My Health

~Being able to sit outside my house, atop a hill, under the shade of the trees and feel the warmth of the sun on my back – in November!

~Fatima for cooking us tasty lunches everyday

There’s plenty more to list – for another day.

Gratitude

Posted on November 26, 2008 by Sarah

Sadly, Nicaragua has not received the greatest press these days thanks to the lack of transparency and the assertion of fraud during the recent municipal elections. Our sleepy little fishing village of San Juan del Sur has kept us pretty removed from the rioting and protesting across Managua and Leon that has made headlines as far away as the United States. However, we have seen the concern and discouragement across the faces of the local and Expat communities alike.

Amidst the chaos and turmoil, Justin and I went to a church service in memory of a friend’s mother who recently passed away. I do not pretend to be a religious person by nature or practice, but there is something comforting in the reliability of religious customs across cultures that surpass language barriers. Though I spent very little time in a Catholic church growing up, even I was able to recognize many of the rituals from the sign of peace to the “Word of God” response and many more.

San Jun del Sur Church

Towards the end of the service, a young girl, dressed to the nines, with a small crystal tiara perched atop her wavy dark hair, approached the altar with, two adults who I later figured to be her parents. In a very public, yet incredibly private moment, the young girl cupped first her mother’s then her father’s face in her hands and began blessing them, between tears of apparent joy. Once complete, both parents returned the gesture by first blessing their daughter and then embracing her. The priest, who I might add, had a near-perfect radio announcers register, oversaw this brief ceremony by uttering words of encouragement to the entire family. Upon completion of the service, I noticed a handful of other young girls, dressed for a party and realized that this was the religious ceremony for the girl’s Quinceañera – the celebration of a young woman’s 15th birthday.

Witnessing this brief, but significant moment in a stranger’s life reminded me of my own family and how thankful I am to love and be so loved by them. As our world struggles with the economy, politics, wars, health, and much more, I encourage all to pause for a moment to remember those things for which we are thankful.

Fulfilling my duty as a U.S. citizen

Posted on October 23, 2008 by Sarah

My absentee ballot arrived in the mail today. For many obvious reasons, this election holds great significance. Most important to me, at this very moment, is my ability to exercise this right as far away as Nicaragua. I encourage all citizens to do the same! Information on absentee voting is available at: http://www.fvap.gov/

Visiting the Doctor in Nicaragua

Posted on October 20, 2008 by Sarah

Regardless of where we live, we all eventually need to see the doctor. In my case, it was simply time for a regular check-up having put mine off for close to two years. Friends provided me with numerous referrals to physicians in Managua, but I still felt an unexpected level of anxiety about this appointment. Though I’ve lived here, in Nicaragua, for close to 9 months, I simply did not know what to expect. Perhaps I was worried that I didn’t know enough Spanish to understand medical terms or that my doctor wouldn’t understand my questions and concerns in English. More likely, I still hold on to some assumptions and stereotypes about medical care in a third world country, though I hate to admit it. Regardless of the reason, I approached this appointment with some trepidation.

I cannot begin to express how pleased I was with both my physician’s care, as well as the facilities at Vivian Pellas Hospital in Managua. To begin, the nurse, Cristina, was helpful and warm. When my appointment had to be moved due to a surgery, she found a way to fit us in on the same day, as we were already en route from San Juan. My doctor, Dr. Mendieta, was informative, thorough, and had a sense of humor. His office had more advanced technology than anything I’ve experienced back in the States. He also made himself very accessible – he called the same day with test results and provided me with not only his office number, but his cell and home numbers, as well. The pharmacy and lab, within the hospital, were easy to locate and incredibly efficient (I waited no more than 5 minutes).

Without question, I was pleased, relieved, and incredibly happy with the services; however, I think it is still important to remember that not everyone has access to this level of medical care. While the hospital is physically available to all, many people do not have the means to travel to Managua. Though not expensive by US standards, costs are often prohibitive for locals. As an alternative, plenty of people rely on local health centers, which need support, as they are often understaffed and maxed out on resources. Hopefully, I will have more on this as we find ways to help…