My Three Little Angels

Throughout my life I have been volunteering and participating in different social projects where I got to see how many people in this country are suffering. All throughout my life I had gone through moments of sadness that turned into a sheer and unbreakable desire to help others and change the world. Yet, it was not until tonight that I ever felt completely devastated and utterly impotent because for the past few days I got to meet the sweetest and most beautiful three girls in this planet. 

During this week I had been working as a translator for a social project run by a group of Canadians called “Rio del Cambio.” They work with a local community called Citalapa located in the outskirts of Managua by providing as much social help to the community as possible such as housing and education, and are looking foward into implementing medical assistance, a sustainable water system, among others. The idea of this project is to address the main problems that the community is facing so it can not only grow, but do it in a sustainable manner. I spent the first two days going around the houses of the community asking questions about their economic situation. Even though it was an eye-opening experience to put such small numbers to the extreme economic distress these people suffer on a daily basis, I was not as shocked as I should have been for it was something that I had expected all along. 

I was not expected to come back the third day for I had volunteered for a two day experience. However, deciding to continue my volunteering for an extra day was the best decision I could have ever made. Even though I spent the morning going around houses as usual doing surveys, I had some free time after lunch. Since I had not been able to share much time with the people of the community, I decided I would like to talk to the little girls who I had barely even talked to during the past days. I am not exaggerating when I say that after 10 minutes of talking, these beautiful girls with the biggest smiles in the universe would follow me around everywhere I went. After a while, it was incredible to see how walking around holding hands with three little girls turned into a line of a white girl and six little children walking around together. It was overwhelming seeing how sitting down and talking to three little girls turned into a circle of up to ten kids all urgently talking and trying to call my attention. It was exhilarating to see how jumping around with three little girls turned into a game of a white girl and seven little kids who were screaming, laughing, and radiating happiness. Sharing time with those three little girls was many things. By the time I left that day they were all begging me to stay with them, they were all hugging and kissing me and talking about how I was their friend and how excited they were to see me in the beach the next day.

Getting to the beach the next day was one of the most wonderful experiences I have ever lived. As soon as I stepped out of that bus I was showered with hugs, kisses, and words full of love coming from those little angels with brown eyes, brown skin, and black hair. They told me how they had woken up that day excited by the idea that they were going to get to see me. We spent the day swimming, playing around, taking pictures, laughing, talking, and just being the happiest four little girls in this planet. They never left my side. Wherever I went they came along never letting go of my hands because they were scared the other kids would take me away from them. 

Truth be told, I wish I could have taken all of them with me back home where I find myself crying. Despite what you might think, I am not sad that I left them because I intend to visit them whenever I get the chance to do so just because I simply desire to do so. The tears streaming down my face are forming due to a feeling of impotence and despair. For the first time in my life I feel completely powerless because it kills me to think that these three beautiful girls full of happiness, love, and innocence, who have now become my friends, will grow up one day to a world which I feel has no place for their wonderful hearts. It kills me to think that Soliet, Roxana, and Cristel will grow up only to endure the same fate their moms have faced through their lives: a world of poverty, misery, disease, and pain. Most of all, it annihilates me to know that I cannot grab these precious girls and take them home with me, to lay them in my bed to sleep with me and stay warm, to cook them delicious food for them to eat, to take care of them and protect them from all the bad things that can hurt them. I guess I just realized that as a college student, there is only so much I can do to help them and that is visiting them whenever I can and counseling them as they grow up. 

It is for this reason that I am urging you to stand up and change the faith of those around you, to lend a hand to those in need, to change the world for one second if possible for the person closest to you because there will come a time in your life where you will feel the same way as a I do. There will come a moment when you will wish that someone out there could do more for the three little girls who in a few days walked in and settled into your heart because they simply can while you are sitting here helplessly wishing you could do more. 

I know I am only a 20 year old girl who has yet a lot to live, but if there is one thing I can tell you is that these three girls, as many other people in the world, deserve more than what they have. If you decide to lend a hand to those in need, believe me when I say that after a while you will realize that they are actually the ones who are helping you because there is simply no way to put a price to the smiles in their face, to the kisses and hugs they give you, and to the endless and unconditional love they express in so many ways such as saying “I love you and I will never forget this day.” 

If you'd like to find out more abour or contribute with Rio del Cambio

Go to: www.riodelcambio.org

Email: darvon@rogers.com 
Call: +1-705-722-5361

- Adriana de los Angeles Diaz Rizo

The Origin of Purisimas

Altar built for the Virgin

  

As in many other countries Nicaragua has its own unique and one-of-a-kind festivities. Throughout the years, for over centuries, Purisimas are the shining star celebrations of the months of November and December in the country. This celebration is somewhat similar to Halloween, an odd comparison you might think. While on one country kids go around houses asking for candies, in Nicaragua people gather around altars made for the Virgin in churches, companies, and neighbor houses to sing religious songs dedicated to the Virgin and in return receiving boxes and plates of delicious food, traditional candies, and toys for the kids. The truth is that many of us have the basic knowledge of what Purisimas are and know that the main date of the Purisimas, also known as “the Griterias,” is the 6^th of December. Yet, not many of us stop to wonder where the origin of such celebration comes from. 

As in many other places where there are many folk stories regarding the origin of the festivities, the Purisimas of Nicaragua are no exception. As I made my research about the origins of this celebration, I decided that the best story to share would be the one which has been passed over through generations in my family of how the Virgin Immaculate Conception arrived to Nicaragua; a story which I will probably end up telling my kids. 

According to the tradition, the national patron saint of Nicaragua, known as La Virgen del Trono or “The Virgin of the Throne,”was taken from Spain to Nicaragua in the beginnings of the XVI century during the time of colonization by Mr. Alonso Zepeda de Ahumada. He was the brother of Saint Therese and was known for making trips between Spain and America. It was in his last voyage that Saint Therese gave his brother the image of the Virgin for him to take in his journey. This is the beginning of the story. 

After months of travelling, Mr. Alonso Zepeda finally disembarked at the Port of El Realejo and arrived to a settlement of natives. It was a routine of his to carry the Virgin in a niche on his back and on a certain journey he sat under the shade of a tree to rest. When he re-started his trip with the niche on his back, he felt that the niche weighed less. It was then that he stopped to verify if the Virgin was inside and was surprised to not find her inside the niche where he had left her. He then decided to return to the tree to see if by any chance the image had fallen. When he got there, the image of the Virgin was there to his surprise solemnly and silently resting against the tree. He then picked her up and placed the Virgin back in the niche and went on his path. As he started walking he suddenly realized that again the niche felt light. He stopped to verify it and the Virgin was not there. Returning to the tree, he found her. This happened many times. The Virgin always returned below the shade of that tree where he rested. It was then that he understood that the Virgin wanted to stay there. 

As a sign of respect and in honor of the Virgin’s desire to stay where she lay, he decided to build a church in that place so she could have a home where to rest in forever. Not a long time after, Mr. Alonso, who was a very elderly man, (which is why the natives called him El Viejo or the old man), fell ill and passed away,  leaving the Virgin in that same place. After his death, the natives, as a sign of respect, started calling the Virgin as Nuestra Señora del Viejo or our lady of the old man, and so, the settlement took the name of El Viejo.

Countless are the miracles of this Virgin, which is visited in her festivities every December sixth by all her promesantes or promisers in a celebration called Lavada de la Plata or The Cleaning of the Silverware. The famous Purisimas and Griterias are derived from the worship of this Virgin.  

- Ramiro Lopez

The Transportation Sitch – Daily Transport

Before arriving in Managua, I had several expectations and misconceptions about local travel based on information I had read on the internet and what other people had told me. In my experience, traveling in taxis and public buses is a safe option provided that I use common sense and make sure to keep my personal items close.

Quick tips for public transportation in Nicaragua:-Keep money and credit cards hidden in a money belt or tucked in your bra.
-On the bus, carry any bags on the front of your body (i.e. carry your backpack around your chest instead of on your back).
-Try to avoid traveling with valuables (obviously this isn’t always an option; I traveled with my iPad and iMac laptop when I had to).
-In a taxi: You can always write the license plate number down and give it to someone else if you are worried. You can also ask for a taxi driver’s identification. Some offer their information without request, though this is not extremely common.
-Try not to take a cab at night alone. I did it, but only when I had to.
-Taxis generally charge more at night, sometimes double the normal cost.
-Always agree on a price with a taxi driver before you enter the vehicle.
-Find out how much a taxi ride is supposed to cost; if you know the price and ask for it, taxi drivers will usually agree to the actual cost or close to it.

UAM offered a couple choices of how to get to and from school each day; initially, all choices seemed to be either dangerous, costly or “not a good idea for a gringo” like me.

Example of a Nicaraguan taxi; Photo courtesy of Encuentra24.com (http://bit.ly/U8RnhU)

Our university provided a taxi driver that we could use, and with him we could set up a pick up and drop of schedule if we wanted to. Although an extremely safe option, this taxi driver would charge a flat rate of C 50 ($2.10) per person, per ride. Compared to a fare in the U.S. this is not expensive, but it is more than the normal fare in Nicaragua. From my house to UAM (about a 10 minute ride), a normal taxi costs either C 30 ($1.25) for one person, or C 50 for two people. However, taxis are notoriously risky. Though I haven’t had any problems taking cabs (and neither have any of the other international students), I met several Nicaraguans that experienced a robbery in a taxi. For that reason, especially at the beginning, our program advisers strongly encouraged us to not take taxis alone or a night.

The third option to go to and from school was to take the local bus or “ruta.” The bus stop is a 3 minute walk from my house and after a 10 minute ride I have about a 5 minute walk to class. The cost? C 2.50 ($0.10). Taking the bus is more economic for a daily commute especially since it is pretty quick to arrive. It still can be dangerous, as there are people who have been robbed on buses, though many people say it is generally safer than taxis during the day (in my experience, both are equally safe). The downside to taking the bus is that during rush hour, especially in the afternoon/early evening the buses are absolutely packed and really uncomfortable. Also, sometimes it is annoying to walk to class from the bus stop because it is so hot that by the time I arrive I am drenched in sweat!

A friend and I on the local bus or “la ruta.”

I have become more accustomed to taking taxis and that is my main vehicle for travel. I spend about $8 on travel each week getting to school, though it could be a lot less if I took the bus more regularly. I suggest that if you wish to take public transportation, just be smart about it: following the tips that I suggested at the beginning of this post should help you be safe, though just as in any other major city, there is no way to stop theft or petty crimes. I cannot prevent being attacked, but I can be safe by taking precautions and protecting my valuables as best possible. I have had positive experiences taking public transportation, but I am almost always alert of my surroundings and personal belongings.

- Kine Camara

Octubre or Welcome to Rainy Season

I was somehow under the impression that I was coming to Nicaragua during the dry season. I think I can blame Wikipedia for the miscommunication. However, soon after arriving here I was told that raining season was just beginning and that October is always the wettest month. Coming from the dry desert of Arizona, I was a little shaken at the news. I wondered what to expect as visions of violent, tropical storms flooded my mind. However, as one third of October has already passed, I am not sure there is much to fear.

In fact, rainy season has not made life here much different for me, and I love it. The rain sometimes comes all at once, pounding against the roof-top, instantly drenching any laundry hanging out to dry, and then it all disappears minutes later. Sometimes dark clouds hang over head all day, just threatening to burst open, but for some reason never do. And then occassionally there are the days, like yesterday, where the rain falls just heavy enough to keep you from leaving the protection of home and it lingers on and on for hours.

However it comes, the rain is great for one main purpose: it cools this place down!! The temperature drops and for a couple hours I do not have to walk around sticky with sweat. So, October and rainy season, THANK YOU and Bienvenidos a Nicaragua! 

- Emilee Bigs

Sightseeing "El Malecon"

El malecón or the pier is basically downtown Managua. It is a nice, clean place with several historic buildings and sites.

The main attraction to el malecón I would say is definitely the old cathedral. It was in use until 1972 when an earthquake hit Managua and sent many buildings tumbling to dust. The cathedral still stands but has many cracks, is missing a roof, and is expected to crumble at any second.

From far away, you cannot really tell that anything is wrong, but here are some up-close shots at the damage. 

 The structure right under the clocks is really cool on both of the towers because the four walls have completely seperated from each other, yet they are still up right.

 Look at the top of the two domes. The closer one has a cross, but the other one appears to have fallen. It has fallen backwards, but it is still just barely hanging on to the top of the dome with a little concrete. It looks so fragile, that everyone is just waiting for a little tremor to send it crashing down.

Just across the street from the cathedral is a little fair. President, Daniel Ortega, ordered it for all the citizens in Nicaragua. It is completely free and will be here until Christmas.

There were thousands of people here and the lines were super long, but it had a really happy spirit and was fun to walk through. I had no intentions of riding any of the attractions as I believed there may be looser safety codes here (if any at all). However, some of the rides looked really fun and so Manfred and I sat and watched. It was great entertainment and we did not have to wait in line!

 Finally we went to the Malecón which looks out at Lake Managua. This lake was once a sewage dump and almost became a dead lake, but now the country is working on cleaning it up and reviving its beauty.

 At last, dusk came upon us and all of downtown lit up! It was so beautiful. The tree shown below in the largest tree in the city and is right in the middle of the fair. Other smaller trees are in all the round-abouts throughout Managua through thanks to the first lady. 

 - Emilee Bigs

Weekend Recap

With just 18 days left in Nicaragua, I have to do a lot of travel cramming! The next few weeks are already booked with ideas of where to go and what to do. I just hope there is time for it all.

This weekend, I decided to go to Diriomo to visit the Laguna de Apoyo. I was just in the city for a short while before heading off to the jungle hike to the laguna. But of course I had to see the old church first!

 Afterwards, I hopped into a Caponera and took off. These caponeras or mototaxis are everywhere! They are cheaper than a normal taxi, but probably not as safe seeing as they lack doors. They tend to stay off main roads, but in little towns and neighborhoods they are great.

 

 At the top of the hike we got a beautiful view of the laguna. It was gorgeous!

Caponera

View of the Laguna

 Here we are ready to begin the long descent down. It probably took about forty minutes to walk and it was always very steep downhill the entire time. I was glad when we arrived at the bottom because my muscles could finally relax. I did not know walking downhill could be so terrible.

The path was amazing. There were numerous butterflies of everydifferent color constantly flying around. Sadly, none of them stood still long enough for a picture, but they were great. There was also several birds chirping and occassionally Manfred could tell me which sound was from which bird. How awesome is that?!

Then we got to the best part of the hike. MONKEYS!! We saw six really cute monkys lounging around in the trees overhead. It was wild seeing monkeys in their natural habitat. 

We finally arrived at the laguna, got to rest, swim, and eat, and of course have a blast!

So maybe you remember me complaining about the walk down to the laguna. Well, you can only imagine the walk back out. Within the first ten minutes, I had stopped three time to catch my breath and drink water. Now I am not the most in-shape person, but  I am not that out of shape either, so believe me it was difficult. LUCKILY, luckily, luckily and I mean luckily, there was a truck with a couple of people that had left just before us. About fifteen minutes into the hike out, I could hear the truck struggling to get up a steep incline. As we came into view, sure enough the truck was still there, its tires smoking trying to move on and then rolling back exhausted. I decided we should stop and try to help these people, and after trying to put rocks and such in the way to create traction, the driver said "what we really need is more weight". In the end, Manfred and I got in the bed of the truck and were just enough weight that the truck took off up the incline and the rest of the path. Who knows how long we could have been hiking? I was really grateful for that blessing and everyone got home safely. 

 

- Emilee Bigs