Stop me before I volunteer again!: January 2012

Bienvenidos to my Blog!

Hello Family, Friends, and Curious Readers,

Thanks for stopping in to see what I am up to. This is my first blog, and I hope not to bore you too much with the details of my life. But rather hope to offer you some insights into development work, the highs, the lows, and well the boring.

But before I move away for 27 months, let me give you a little information about myself before I lose a steady internet connection.

So after graduating from Boston College in 2005, I decided I wanted to learn Spanish and "save the world" so I moved to Cusco, Peru. I began by volunteering for The Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco by researching and writing a small business plan for the organization. I continued to work with the organization until February of 2008, when I returned to the US to prepare for my move to Madrid, Spain for 15 months to study an International MBA at IE Business School. And now, after a year of searching for the perfect development job, and taking odd jobs in the meantime, I have joined the Peace Corps and am volunteering again. So wish me luck, and PLEASE someone stop me from volunteering again!

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Six months in site! Are you kidding me?

I cannot believe that the end of January officially marks my first 6 months in site. Time has flown by, and although I know I have accomplished quite a bit already, I can't help but think that I should do so much more. Good thing is that I still have 18 months to do that, so there is that, right?

Speaking of doing more, I will be doing 2 Community Bank training workshops in the next two weeks as a cross sectoral effort. This means that I will be working with two different environmental volunteers that live somewhat near me in Matagalpa to start community based savings and loan banks. I could go on for hours about the different methods that you can use to start these banks, but the most important aspect is that it empowers its members to save and loan their own money! No outside funds needed! It really is a great program and I had been looking for different ways to start one or two, and then these opportunities just fell into my lap! So horray! What a gift for my 6th month anniversary!

To celebrate, this past weekend, I went with some fellow volunteers, including one that is leaving in April :( , to a waterfall that is about 30 minutes from the city and we went hiking and swimming! It started to rain as we were leaving, and there were no buses so we had to walk about 3km before we could get a ride and we were soaking wet, but it was a great day! Its nice to get out of the city every once and awhile. Here are some pictures!

We missed our bus stop so we had to walk back a bit... oops!

Walking down to the falls!

Pretty right?


La Casada Blanca

Ryan in the cave behind the falls

Me behind the falls

Sarah and Casi after our swim

Ryan and Mclaine

Me after the invigorating swim, and loving my new Keen Sandals!

The view of the entry point from the road in case you ever want to go yourself!

At lunch after a great day, Mclaine, Me, Ryan, and Casi.

I look forward to another great 18 months in site, and many more great adventures. This week, its community banks, then back to school! Wish me luck and make good choices!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Back to Life, Back to Reality... sort of

After my family left Nicaragua, I hopped on a chicken bus back to Matagalpa. And within a second of stepping on the bus, I knew that vacation was over. I was luckily able to find a place to store my 45 pound backpack, and only had to stand for about 35 minutes (a small triumph really). The next day I spent running from counterpart organization to counterpart organization trying to get workshops set up and work plans defined, before I crashed and just spent Wednesday watching movies at home. I even was able to take two naps that day. Thursday and Friday was full of meetings in Managua and a reunion with all of the small business volunteers that are currently serving in the country. It was great to get to see everyone and reconnect after completing our first six months of service. Here are a few more pictures from vacation and the meetings this week!

Me in front of Lago Nicaragua with the Island of Ometepe


Volcano La Concepcion on the Island of Ometepe


The amazing view from the house we rented in San Juan del Sur


The most stressful lunch ever, but my brother still gave it a thumbs up!

We got sushi delivered to the hotel after our meeting! Ok so maybe vacation has continued he he.

Zacaragua at the BEST hotel ever!

Catching up at the In-Service-Training (IST)

Best awkwardly posed picture ever! (Some of my fellow PCVs!)

Today I head back to Matagalpa and back to the routine life! Love you all and keep making good choices!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Vacation with the Family Part 3

After Granada, we headed down to Playa El Coco a bit south of San Juan del Sur, and it was pure heaven and very much a luxury for me. Rest, Relaxation, and Family... doesn't get much better than that!
So the last installation of our family vacation, will be best explained in pictures! So enjoy and if you feel so inclined, be jealous hahaha.

Talk about a secluded beach...

Lunch at the beach

Sunset view from the house.

Family lounging in the pool!

My awesome brother!

The pool at the house!

Well back to real life now, expect my next post to be less picturesque but perhaps just as entertaining! Keep making good choices!

Monday, January 16, 2012

Vacation with the Family Part 2

From Matagalpa we headed south to Granada (and with lots of luck we were only stopped twice by the police and both were routine traffic stops!) We only spent one night in Granada, as we wanted to get to the beach the next day, but we had a great time while we were there. We took a horse drawn carriage tour of Granada and then had dinner on one of the major pedestrian streets right off the central park. (too many people and vendors for my taste though). I admit, I had been to Granada once before and we walked everywhere. I think the carriage ride was the much better way to go. Here are some pictures from that part of the adventure:

A view from the front seat of the carriage!


Lake Nicaragua

Jonathan and I sporting our BC gear with pride!

All of us on the carriage, although you can´t see us too well!

Bud relaxing at the hotel Nica style!

Granada´s beautiful colonial architecture

Well I had planned on continuing the post with the rest of our journey to San Juan de Sur, but you will just have to wait as it is taking too long to upload the pictures and I am out of time at the cyber cafe.

Keep making good choices and stay alert for the next post with beach pictures!!!! Love you all!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Vacation with the Family Part 1

My Mom, Dad, Brother and Uncle have come to Nicaragua to visit me for 12 days. Our adventure started when they arrived at the airport in Managua.

Welcome to Nicaragua!

They made it!

Me with Uncle Tom, Dad, and Mom

We then took a van I had rented (with a driver) back to Matagalpa and had dinner at my homestay sister's restaurant (Buffet Oasis I recommend it to anyone who is travelling through Matagalpa).

Jonathan with his customary chocolate milk, but here in Nicaragua most things come in a bag, even chocolate milk!

Dinner at Oasis (impromptu picture hence me swallowing)

The following day, I took the family to all of my favorite spots in Matagalpa, the coffee shop I normally write this blog from, my house, the gym, and dinner at the Italian restaurant!

Mom and I in front of the coffee shop!

My two families at the Italian Restaurant... best pizza in Nicaragua!

Me and my two moms!

The next day, my dad rented a car and he drove us up to Selva Negra which is a coffee farm that was started by Germans in the 1800s. They had originally been travelling to California to look for gold, but when they met other Germans returning from California telling them it was much rougher than anyone had thought and it was not a place for a family, Germans began to settle in the Matagalpa/Jinotega regions. Named Selva Negra after the "Black Forest" in Germany, it is quite cooler than the rest of Matagalpa and is ideal for growing shade grown, organic, arabica beans. They sell their coffee to Whole Foods and other small vendors in the US. We were able to have lunch there, spend some time hiking around the property, and took a tour to see how the coffee is processed and how the farm (finca) runs. It is getting to be the end of the coffee cutting season as well so we were able to see the beans growing on the plants as well as the workers heading home. It was a great day overall!

Mom and I at the well in Selva Negra

The chapel at Selva Negra

One of Selva Negras ponds

Uncle Tom in the rocking chair

Coffee Beans ripening on the plant

More to come from the rest of our trip to Granada and San Juan del Sur!!!

Happy New Year!

If the last two weeks are any indication of how busy I will be in 2012, I'm glad I am currently on vacation to rest up for them. On December 31st, I headed to Esteli (another city in northern Nicaragua) to visit with two of my favorite Small Business Volunteers, Yessica and Carlos. They are one of the two married couples from my training group that are doing the Peace Corps together, and to be honest they are the two people who helped me survive training.

I arrived in Esteli after 2 hours of bus rides through fields and mountains to arrive at the nicest bus terminal in Nicaragua. I mean it. It was all enclosed, there were shops (selling the same things of course but lets not go too crazy) there were seats where you could sit while you waited for your bus, or in my case for Yessica and Carlos to pick me up, and a TV that had local business's advertisements. I almost felt like I was at the airport.

Yessica, Carlos, and Nena (their homestay family's dog) came to pick me up and we went back to their house. We made some lunch, I met the family, then we headed out to tour Esteli. Lots of places they wanted to show me were closed, since it was the 31st, but we were able to go shopping, I bought a new top for that night, and hit up the grocery store so I could buy some staples I can't get in Matagalpa without paying an arm and a leg for them (like pancake syrup!) We also visited MaxiPali which is like a Walmart but on a smaller scale (it is owned by Walmart too!)

Nicaraguans normally ring in the new year by constructing an effigy of an old man (which they call a viejo) and 5 minutes to midnight they light him on fire. It's to burn the old year, say good bye and move forward into the new year. I fully support that and while we did not actually make one ourselves we saw many of them being burned on the street. (pictures to follow)

Having burned the old year and welcomed the new one, we took off for Cigarzone (which is a pretty fancy club in Esteli) and danced the night away until we realized how late (or early) it was and headed home. It was a fun night overall. The next day, Jan. 1st, we really didn't do much before 2pm ( as you might have expected) but we did walk down the highway (because the buses were not running) and went to La Casita which is like an ecological park and cafe in one. They have whole wheat bread that they make on site, hummus, homemade cheeses, jams, drinks, and yogurt. It was a great snack and a great way to end my visit in Esteli. I headed back to Matagalpa the next day to get ready for my parent's, brother's, and uncle's visit to Nicaragua!