Hi People!
This Friday evening finds me again in the city of Esteli, where I arrived to check email and do some other things I can't do in the village of Lagartillo. Let's see, it goes without saying that a lot has happened since last week. I returned to Lagatillo in the school bus and arrived sometime on Saturday. I was worn out since I over-did it my first week and needed a little more down time in Esteli. I was also confused about the promotion (graduation) that happened on Sunday. Turned out it wasn't Jahaira's (my host-mother, as they say) graduation, but the preschool graduation. She is the pre-school teacher, so it's a big deal, and one of her sisters has a son in preschool, so they came to stay with us, along with Jahaira's mother and brother. The house was a little crowded and full of activity, all kinds of cooking going on, especially on Sunday. The promotion was a bit long, but OK, it's good to have events like that because they motivate the students. Education, as I've mentioned before, is a big deal in Lagartillo and it seems, in Nicaragua in general. Part of this stems from the Sandinistas, who instituted a major literacy campaign after the revolution that brought education to much of the country that hadn't recieved it before. After the promotion, we went to a few other houses to eat (meat and vegetables with rice and a tortilla).
On Sunday night, a band called Las Calderones came to Lagartillo complete with a sound system to play music for the community. People sold cold beer too, and a lot of chabalos (young men) showed up from other communities to check in out. I was pretty excited for the event but it turned out to be a bit of a let down. The music was alright, but the atmosphere reminiscint of a middle school dance (I don't want to describe it, it was kind of an awkward situation for a lot of reasons). I also felt kind of ill so went home early and turned on my iPod for the first time I've been in Nicaragua. By Monday, I felt fine, and pretty much back to normal. On Tuesday, we visited a lovely waterfall about 45 minutes walk from Lagartillo. We meaning myself, my Spanish teacher, and the three other foreign students and their Spanish teacher, along with Monchito (my Nicaraguan 'brother', one might say) and the sons of one of the Spanish teachers. The kids arrived at the waterfall much faster and were already playing around in the water by the time we arrived. I took a nice swim in the seemingly clean water, which was refreshing but not too cold. The waterfall is really the gem of this beautiful mountainous countryside, a patchwork of fields and forests under a tropical blue sky.
As the week went on, I felt more settled in Lagartillo and familiar with many of the people. But at the same time, some of the effects of tiredness became more apparent. As most of you know, this ain't no vacation. I'm not exactly sitting on a chase drinking some coctail with a little paper umbrella. I have class four hours a day plus studying time, and I like to help out with some of the chores around the house: washing dishes, grinding corn for tortillas and collecting wood. I am not trying to complain, in fact, I prefer this kind of traveling to any other. I just have a tendency to push myself too hard and sometimes it comes back at me. So this time in Esteli I'm just relaxing in the quiet house, not trying to run a million errands and rush back to Lagartillo.
Anyhow, Christmas was an interesting holiday in Lagartillo. Juan Ramon really wanted to eat meat on Christmas eve, which was fine by me. What I didn't realize, is that by eating meat, he meant meat for three meals. First was breakfast: beans tortilla and pork then a very fatty beef soup for lunch, followed by roast pork for dinner (not exactly the leanest cuts of meat). For someone who is not exactly a meat enthusiast, this was alittle much, and I didn't feel too good on Thursday. However, I did enjoy a very nice Christmas Eve at one of the houses in Lagartillo, whose owners, Luis and Ermelinda, organize singing for the kids and then give them some really nice homeade gifts. It was great hearing Spanish Christmas songs, and the atmosphere very pleasant and warm. The gifts were quite nice, and it was really wonderful that Luis, Ermelinda and their kids took the time and care to make them for some of the kids. Other than that celebration, Christmas wasn't really a big deal in Lagartillo, and I found myself missing the Adam family Christmas Eve a little bit. Christmas was a really laid back day in Lagartillo. I didn't feel so great, so I just ate some bread, tortillas and spaghetti, but by the afternoon, I was fine. No one was working outside the home, though for the women, who do most of the housework in Lagartillo, it wasn't really much of a break. There was no bus service, so it meant fewer people visiting the pulperia. I don't know if I mentioned much about this, but Juan Ramon and Jahaira have a pulperia (small store) in their home. They live next to the bus stop, which is good for business. I've been helping out with the tienda a bit and learning the prices. The pulperia means extra money for the family, but also extra work. Juan Ramon is often gone, which means Jahaira has to attend to the customers, who usually come while she's in the middle of washing laundry, cleaning or cooking. Juan Ramon is a real character--he's also an actor and his group has toured Switzerland--who has a zeal for business. One night last week we walked 20 minutes to the empalme (intersection), where cell phones get reception. I admired the beautiful views of the sunset while he bought meat over the cell phone. Juan Ramon is very dramatic, while Jahaira is mostly calm and collected. They are wonderful people to stay with, I appreciate Juan Ramon's jokes and honesty, while Jahaira, Monchito and I often chat in the kitchen before bedtime, which is usually between 8 or 9 PM. Last night I started reading Matilda in Spanish with Monchito and Eneyda and Marito, who live nearby. Eneyda is 10 so she and I traded reading the story. Hopefully we can finish it in the next week before I leave Lagartillo.
Oh yeah, about the title of the post. When I arrived at Jahaira and Juan Ramon's, I was suprised to see that the clothes lines in the back yard were barbed wire. But then I realized the multiple uses of this fencing material on Tuesday when it came time to hang my wash. Lagartillo is really windy, and without clothes pins (which no one seems to have), the clothes would take off. The barbs help to secure the clothes, and to my suprise, don't actually cut the clothes much at all. It's another ingenious trick that the people of Lagartillo use to do many things with little resources.
This morning began very early. I woke up at 5 AM to meet up with Jomar, Juan Ramon's younger brother. In the early morning light, we walked to Juan Ramon's bean field to harvest beans. Juan Ramon came down with appendicitis a few months ago and had to have his appendix removed in November. He is still recovering from the operation and can't do much physical work, so his brother Jomar is helping him harvest his beans. Bean harvesting is hard work: we have to bend over and pull of the plants, when we have enough, we make a bundle. There's a lot more to it, but that's what I did for a couple hours before returning for breakfast: tortillas, cuajada and frijoles, followed by Spanish classes. I feel like my Spanish has come a long way and I am really happy with the language school. When I started studying Spanish around 4 years ago, I had this arrogant preconception that somehow it was an 'easy' language, that I would 'pick up' living in a city like Oakland with a large Spanish speaking community. However, it's been a challenge--one that I've enjoyed--and I've realized that there are some big holes in my peacemeal aquisition of the language. Being here has certainly helped to patch some of those gaps and I am starting to feel a bit more fluent--I've even made some jokes around the house that people have actually got and found funny (and I don't think they're just pretending). Certainly after this trip I'll speak better Spanish, but I really need more time to really GET the language. It's not exactly easy for me to just somehow 'pick up' the subjunctive perfect verb tense and it's uses.
Anyhow, I am planning to return to Lagartillo tomorrow evening or Sunday morning for my third and final week in the community. I wish I was staying for longer, but there are also some things I miss about the states and hopefully I will be returning to Lagartillo and Nicaragua again in the near future. But for now, I still have more than two weeks down here, and a little time to see some other places, depending on how things shape up. And in Lagartillo, there's a lot to do: more work in the campo, visiting some of the scenic spots in the countryside, and hanging out with the many wonderful people who live (and visit) the community.
Best wishes for 2009!
Reed
This Friday evening finds me again in the city of Esteli, where I arrived to check email and do some other things I can't do in the village of Lagartillo. Let's see, it goes without saying that a lot has happened since last week. I returned to Lagatillo in the school bus and arrived sometime on Saturday. I was worn out since I over-did it my first week and needed a little more down time in Esteli. I was also confused about the promotion (graduation) that happened on Sunday. Turned out it wasn't Jahaira's (my host-mother, as they say) graduation, but the preschool graduation. She is the pre-school teacher, so it's a big deal, and one of her sisters has a son in preschool, so they came to stay with us, along with Jahaira's mother and brother. The house was a little crowded and full of activity, all kinds of cooking going on, especially on Sunday. The promotion was a bit long, but OK, it's good to have events like that because they motivate the students. Education, as I've mentioned before, is a big deal in Lagartillo and it seems, in Nicaragua in general. Part of this stems from the Sandinistas, who instituted a major literacy campaign after the revolution that brought education to much of the country that hadn't recieved it before. After the promotion, we went to a few other houses to eat (meat and vegetables with rice and a tortilla).
On Sunday night, a band called Las Calderones came to Lagartillo complete with a sound system to play music for the community. People sold cold beer too, and a lot of chabalos (young men) showed up from other communities to check in out. I was pretty excited for the event but it turned out to be a bit of a let down. The music was alright, but the atmosphere reminiscint of a middle school dance (I don't want to describe it, it was kind of an awkward situation for a lot of reasons). I also felt kind of ill so went home early and turned on my iPod for the first time I've been in Nicaragua. By Monday, I felt fine, and pretty much back to normal. On Tuesday, we visited a lovely waterfall about 45 minutes walk from Lagartillo. We meaning myself, my Spanish teacher, and the three other foreign students and their Spanish teacher, along with Monchito (my Nicaraguan 'brother', one might say) and the sons of one of the Spanish teachers. The kids arrived at the waterfall much faster and were already playing around in the water by the time we arrived. I took a nice swim in the seemingly clean water, which was refreshing but not too cold. The waterfall is really the gem of this beautiful mountainous countryside, a patchwork of fields and forests under a tropical blue sky.
As the week went on, I felt more settled in Lagartillo and familiar with many of the people. But at the same time, some of the effects of tiredness became more apparent. As most of you know, this ain't no vacation. I'm not exactly sitting on a chase drinking some coctail with a little paper umbrella. I have class four hours a day plus studying time, and I like to help out with some of the chores around the house: washing dishes, grinding corn for tortillas and collecting wood. I am not trying to complain, in fact, I prefer this kind of traveling to any other. I just have a tendency to push myself too hard and sometimes it comes back at me. So this time in Esteli I'm just relaxing in the quiet house, not trying to run a million errands and rush back to Lagartillo.
Anyhow, Christmas was an interesting holiday in Lagartillo. Juan Ramon really wanted to eat meat on Christmas eve, which was fine by me. What I didn't realize, is that by eating meat, he meant meat for three meals. First was breakfast: beans tortilla and pork then a very fatty beef soup for lunch, followed by roast pork for dinner (not exactly the leanest cuts of meat). For someone who is not exactly a meat enthusiast, this was alittle much, and I didn't feel too good on Thursday. However, I did enjoy a very nice Christmas Eve at one of the houses in Lagartillo, whose owners, Luis and Ermelinda, organize singing for the kids and then give them some really nice homeade gifts. It was great hearing Spanish Christmas songs, and the atmosphere very pleasant and warm. The gifts were quite nice, and it was really wonderful that Luis, Ermelinda and their kids took the time and care to make them for some of the kids. Other than that celebration, Christmas wasn't really a big deal in Lagartillo, and I found myself missing the Adam family Christmas Eve a little bit. Christmas was a really laid back day in Lagartillo. I didn't feel so great, so I just ate some bread, tortillas and spaghetti, but by the afternoon, I was fine. No one was working outside the home, though for the women, who do most of the housework in Lagartillo, it wasn't really much of a break. There was no bus service, so it meant fewer people visiting the pulperia. I don't know if I mentioned much about this, but Juan Ramon and Jahaira have a pulperia (small store) in their home. They live next to the bus stop, which is good for business. I've been helping out with the tienda a bit and learning the prices. The pulperia means extra money for the family, but also extra work. Juan Ramon is often gone, which means Jahaira has to attend to the customers, who usually come while she's in the middle of washing laundry, cleaning or cooking. Juan Ramon is a real character--he's also an actor and his group has toured Switzerland--who has a zeal for business. One night last week we walked 20 minutes to the empalme (intersection), where cell phones get reception. I admired the beautiful views of the sunset while he bought meat over the cell phone. Juan Ramon is very dramatic, while Jahaira is mostly calm and collected. They are wonderful people to stay with, I appreciate Juan Ramon's jokes and honesty, while Jahaira, Monchito and I often chat in the kitchen before bedtime, which is usually between 8 or 9 PM. Last night I started reading Matilda in Spanish with Monchito and Eneyda and Marito, who live nearby. Eneyda is 10 so she and I traded reading the story. Hopefully we can finish it in the next week before I leave Lagartillo.
Oh yeah, about the title of the post. When I arrived at Jahaira and Juan Ramon's, I was suprised to see that the clothes lines in the back yard were barbed wire. But then I realized the multiple uses of this fencing material on Tuesday when it came time to hang my wash. Lagartillo is really windy, and without clothes pins (which no one seems to have), the clothes would take off. The barbs help to secure the clothes, and to my suprise, don't actually cut the clothes much at all. It's another ingenious trick that the people of Lagartillo use to do many things with little resources.
This morning began very early. I woke up at 5 AM to meet up with Jomar, Juan Ramon's younger brother. In the early morning light, we walked to Juan Ramon's bean field to harvest beans. Juan Ramon came down with appendicitis a few months ago and had to have his appendix removed in November. He is still recovering from the operation and can't do much physical work, so his brother Jomar is helping him harvest his beans. Bean harvesting is hard work: we have to bend over and pull of the plants, when we have enough, we make a bundle. There's a lot more to it, but that's what I did for a couple hours before returning for breakfast: tortillas, cuajada and frijoles, followed by Spanish classes. I feel like my Spanish has come a long way and I am really happy with the language school. When I started studying Spanish around 4 years ago, I had this arrogant preconception that somehow it was an 'easy' language, that I would 'pick up' living in a city like Oakland with a large Spanish speaking community. However, it's been a challenge--one that I've enjoyed--and I've realized that there are some big holes in my peacemeal aquisition of the language. Being here has certainly helped to patch some of those gaps and I am starting to feel a bit more fluent--I've even made some jokes around the house that people have actually got and found funny (and I don't think they're just pretending). Certainly after this trip I'll speak better Spanish, but I really need more time to really GET the language. It's not exactly easy for me to just somehow 'pick up' the subjunctive perfect verb tense and it's uses.
Anyhow, I am planning to return to Lagartillo tomorrow evening or Sunday morning for my third and final week in the community. I wish I was staying for longer, but there are also some things I miss about the states and hopefully I will be returning to Lagartillo and Nicaragua again in the near future. But for now, I still have more than two weeks down here, and a little time to see some other places, depending on how things shape up. And in Lagartillo, there's a lot to do: more work in the campo, visiting some of the scenic spots in the countryside, and hanging out with the many wonderful people who live (and visit) the community.
Best wishes for 2009!
Reed
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