Eurocopa Rexona UAM

 
On Wednesday the 5th of this month, UAM  proudly ignagurated the “Eurocopa Rexona 2012”. With 14 teams this year the competition is tougher than ever. Making history, I am proud to let you know that there is the first all-women’s team that will take their shot at the trophy. We pride ourselves knowing that there are two teams representing the CUSE faculty. Italy, with captain as Ramiro Lopez, has as part of his team CUSE students Roman Santamaria and Issa Hurtado. The second team is Croatia, the captain is Alvaro del Rio, and whose players include Gustavo Salinas, Oscar Tellez, Carlos Alguera and Rudy Gonzalez. Knowing how well CUSE is being represented, expectations are higher than ever. We support both teams dearly and wish them the best. We’re all cheering for you guys!
- Cristiana Herrera

Cerro Negro!


After the tension of the earthquakes and volcanoes' activities, we finally have a concrete date for the Cerro Negro trip! You better recover quickly from Pitbull's concert because almost right away, on September the 30th (Sunday), is the trip in the morning.

If you have never been to Cerro Negro, I think it might be useful to know a little bit more about it or at least see some pictures of where you are going to! 
So, here I leave you some pictures, some interesting information I found, and a link to a page with more info, videos, and reviews of the Cerro Negro Adventure ;) 

 Description 
The Cerro Negro is a young and unique volcano with steep black slopes which lack vegetation. On and around the volcano, lies a big layer of volcanic ash and rocks. An eruption in 1999, left a wide border of black volcanic material and two smaller craters right next to the Cerro Negro which were recently formed.
No other volcano climing experience can compare to Cerro Negro. The volcano is only about 500 meters high (675 meters above sea level), but the ascent is steep and tough. There is no paved trail; just a merely natural path along a rim that leads to the top. The ascent takes about one hour to the top, and although it requires some effort, the superb views are certainly rewarding. The absence of trees provides fantastic scenery, and upon reaching the top visitors have a 360 degree view of the area.
The crater – often emitting smoke and gas – can be observed from above, and the crater rim leads to the other side where the imposing volcanic chain can be seen with several volcanoes (including the Telica and San Cristóbal) lined up one after another. You will enjoy the view before starting the descent. This is a whole other adventure by itself.
One of the volcano’s slopes is too steep to climb – but consequently great for a fast descent! Instead of large rocks this side only has volcanic sand, providing a great surface for running downhill. This thrilling experience takes less than ten minutes before reaching the bottom, but for the less athletic hikers it is also possible to walk more slowly while again enjoying the superb views. Alternatively, experienced snow- or sandboarders can use a wooden board to go downhill, much like snowboarding down a mountain but now on a volcanic slope! One way or another, Cerro Negro provides a unique and intense experience that can be enjoyed by anybody in a fair shape. 

Practical Information 
The most important difficulties are the heat and intense sun. Be sure to bring enough water and sunscreen, but most importantly plan this trip as early on the day as possible. Travel around sunrise to climb the volcano when it is still warming up. It is furthermore useful to bring good clothing: a pair of pants and solid hiking shoes or boots to provide protection against the sharp volcanic rocks. 

Read more from the source: http://vianica.com/attraction/7/cerro-negro-volcano 

There are still some spots available! 
(Find more info here: http://www.facebook.com/uamglobal)
-Itzel Arróliga G.

First 3 Weeks of Class - The Adjustment Period



I am attending the Universidad Americana Managua while here in Nicaragua, and I am finally getting settled into all of my classes. The courses that I am taking are: Publicidad 1 (Publicity), Historia de Nicaragua y Centro América (History of Nicaragua and Central America), Comunicación y Lenguaje 2 (Spanish equivalent to college English course) and Introduction to Spanish Literature.

All of my courses are taught in Spanish, and 3 of them will be counted towards my Spanish major at Western Washington University. So far, the main struggle in all of my classes has been understanding most of what my teachers are saying. I would say that in general, I understand about 60% of what they say during the class, which is frustrating, however I have developed skills in my academic career to succeed despite that. Here are the main actions to take if you want to succeed taking classes in other languages:

1. Ask questions: At the end of each class, talk to your professor to clarify the main points covered during the period as well as the assignments that are due for the following class.
2. Work with other students: Do not be shy! Get to know other students in your class, and ask them for help. Create study groups with them, and ask them for suggestions on how to succeed in the course.
3. Attend class: It may seem elementary, but professors are not likely to fail you if you attend classes, ask questions and make an honest effort to succeed in the course.
4. Make special arrangements: Professors will be happy to see you succeed and will more often then not evaluate you in a way that is fair corresponding to your language ability. For instance, in my History of Nicaragua and Central America course, instead of an in class assessment, I am receiving a take home test.

Using the methods above, I have had a smooth transition into university life in Nicaragua, although there are still some differences that catch me off guard. For instance, we have air conditioning in all of the classrooms and not only the noise coming from the machine, but also the freezing air, are physical noise that distract me at times, unfortunately more often than not. Another distracting element is that students carry on side conversations more often in the classroom; it just seems to be a cultural norm here, but it is mind boggling to me since that is not what happens at my university in the US.

Despite the differences, I am enjoying my new college campus, which is very clean, safe and full of helpful students and staff. It really has been a great place to study so far, and I am grateful for all of the resources that I have as a student at UAM!
- Kine Camara

Granada - Part 1


Something I have enjoyed about Nicaragua is its proximity to other beautiful and interesting cities to visit, in addition to the fact that Nicaraguan’s themselves tend to travel around the country quite a bit. I had been itching for another mini road trip, so 3 other friends and myself headed off to the historic town of Granada for a relaxing afternoon. It just so happened that on the day we went, they were celebrating la Virgen de la Asunción with a horse parade; the streets were packed full with people, cars, horses and vendors. We opted to avoid the crowds and went to Lake Nicaragua instead.

We hung out in a beachside lounge for a short while before agreeing to go on an hour and a half boat tour of the lake and “isletas” or small islands. The tour was absolutely gorgeous, with green hills and volcanoes in the backdrop of the calm lake water and tiny islands dispersed throughout. One of the isletas had a few monkeys bouncing around which was a lot of fun for my friend who loves animals. We stopped at another isleta for drinks and I ordered fresh coconut juice, believe-it-or-not right out of a coconut (cost 50 C or about $2.20, a little over priced for Nicaragua due to the location of the restaurant). At this bar/restaurant there were several exotic birds hanging out, and one of them seemed like it could speak, but all it would do was give crazy looks and then start laughing at us. It was pretty amusing.




I highly recommend taking the boat tour especially if you get a boat to only your party. It only set me back 50 Córdoba (about $2.20).

I am eager to return to Granada for a tour of the historical buildings, cathedrals and architecture that are so famous amongst tourism images. Before arriving in Managua, I was more familiar with the yellow Cathedral of Granada, iconic to the area, than any other image representing Nicaragua. That is of course besides the volcanoes. There will definitely be a part 2 to this story. Stay tuned!

-Kine Camara

Sweat Is My New Accesory

I bet you are wondering what the weather is like, apart from hot, especially those of you reading from the Northwest. It is generally warm and humid of course, anywhere from 75-95 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course it’s almost always warmest beginning around about 8/9 a.m. all the way until about 6 p.m. when the sun starts to go down.I can honestly say I don’t think I will ever arrive at school without being sufficiently soaked in sweat. It gets so warm here, that people water the street. Look:
   
We are entering the rainy season which so far has not been so bad. I am from the Northwest, so I am used to gray skies and moistness for 7-8 months out of the year. Here, you actually get a beautiful, hot sunny day before a 10-40 minute downpour of rain. I have observed that lightning and thunder frequently accompany the rain, and even when it is not raining I have noticed a lot of lightning.


-Kine Camara