2 Months Anniversary

I was gone for four days traveling around the North of Nicaragua, and came back to my house where I spent the evening showing my parents pictures of people in my life at home. They then shared photos of their families and stories about their past. I gave my mom a hug on her birthday, but tonight she kissed me on the cheek before she went to sleep. My dad kisses me softly on the head most days when I am sitting at the table eating breakfast, but tonight he also kissed me on the cheek. They adopted me 2 months ago into their home, with no knowledge of who I was or what I was like. Now, 2 months later, with 2 more to go, I feel welcomed and apart of a home away from home. 

-Gracie Bronson

A Brief Thought

After living in Nicaragua for just a short time my perspective of my field (Latin American/Environmental History) has changed dramatically. I am almost embarrassed to say that I have written about Latin America before I had the chance to live here and learn about the culture. For example, I reviewed a book that had a lot to say about Simon Bolivar and how he is viewed in Latin America today. The notion that one could lump Latin America in to one category and speak on their views as a whole is just silly. If you ask ten people in Nicaragua what they think about Bolivar you will get ten very different answers and that is just one country in the massive region we call Latin America. Throughout history there have been many people with very different experiences in Latin America. Does this mean we should dissolve all Latin American History departments? No, of course not but we should try to stop generalizing a very diverse region.

- James Nash

Amazing Nicaragua

       While on exchange at La UAM (Universidad Americana), I am living in Managua. People describe Managua as hot and unorganized, but what many fail to realize is that the city is the perfect home-base for the weekend traveler. There are so many amazing places to go that are close and affordable to get to from Managua. The country never fails to amaze me with its beauty and diversity when I travel outside of the city. Recently I took a trip to Selva Negra, a stunning cloud forest reserve and coffee plantation only two hours by bus (75 cordobas/ 3 USD) north of Managua. The reserve was great, I spent the whole weekend hiking, relaxing, and drinking some of the best coffee I’ve had. The best part of the whole trip was the weather! It was actually cool and breezy the whole time I was there. I woke up cold a couple mornings, something that is much needed while living in Managua. While drinking coffee I also had the great fortune of meeting Mr. Eddy, the resident author, historian, and protector of local culture. We had the most interesting conversation about the history of coffee, tobacco, and Nicaragua in general. I had to really convince myself to leave the reserve, it was absolutely amazing in every way.

- James Nash

Esteli: Cigars, Murals, and Nightlife

This past weekend I headed north to Esteli for a weekend of preliminary research. Esteli is a tobacco producing region in Nicaragua’s northern highlands. I was there to research tobacco but found so much more. After finishing some work I walked around the city to get my bearings. The city felt strangely familiar, I think it reminded me of a city back home. The central park and church were exactly what I came to expect from Nicaragua, stunning.

After touring the city I returned to my hotel which is owned by a group of partners in the cigar business. There is a humidor in the lobby so I was able to buy and test some fine cigars on site which was convenient.  

Finally I took Sunday document the amazing murals that dot the city. I couldn’t believe the amount and quality of the murals in Esteli.

After a self tour of the art I retired back to my hotel and watched the World Series game with the very friendly bartender. After the game I was given a tour of the local nightlife by the hotel bartender, it was a blast. Esteli is a great town filled with kind people, I can not wait to go back.

- James Nash