Tech Exchange in Rancho Grande!

Just a few days ago, I traveled to the small town of Rancho Grande. It is small in comparison with the city I live in here in Matagalpa, but it was rather large compared to the even smaller communities that surround it. The purpose of my visit, which was a 3.5 hours journey on a somewhat paved, and mostly dirt road, was to visit Anna, a fellow PCV in the health sector, with a project she started at the Casa Materna in Rancho. With the help of some donors from the USA as well as the support of her local health center, mayor's office, and community, she and the workers of the Casa Materna will be starting a milling business. Now, a milling business in the US might not seem like a good idea, but considering one of the staple foods in Nicaragua is corn tortillas that are made from freshly milled corn daily, it is a great idea. That and according to popular lore, women who have recently given birth are only allowed about 4 foods for the first 40 days after giving birth, one of which is Pinol, a corn beverage that needs... you guessed it! Milled corn!!

So after picking up the mill in Matagalpa, (which ironically has a Leeson motor powering it... small world right?) we headed off with the Ministry of Health Director, Administrator, Anna and I in their pick-up truck and made the long journey back to their community arriving at 11pm. The next morning, Anna showed me around town, introducing me to just about everyone we met, it's one of the blessings and curses of living in a small site... you know everyone and they all know about you! We then later had a meeting with the individuals that will be in charge of overseeing the mill and worked on record keeping. It was about all we could get through, because the little building that will hold the now present mill is still not completed. I will most likely need to return once the mill is fully functional, but in the meantime, we were able to clarify some things and make a plan for the running of the mill. Overall it was a productive exchange and I had a wonderful time in Rancho Grande.

On my last day there, Anna and I took a walk out into the campo and went to call on some friends of her's who live on a finca or farm. When we arrived, the mother and her three daughters were making fresh cheese which they later served us with a fresh warm tortilla. I even got some to take home with me! This family was truly wonderful, they showed me all over their farm, and I happily followed taking pictures and being amazed at seeing cacao trees, bean bushes, banana trees, and even a red headed woodpecker! I also got to try the fruit from a cacao tree. Little did I know that you can eat or rather suck on the creamy white flesh that surrounds cacao beans. It was sweet and sour, and slimy and very tasty. I have a feeling that my visit to this farm will be one of my favorite memories of Nicaragua.

Here are some pictures from that awesome trip!

Anna supervising the moving of the mill into the truck

Anna and her wet and dry mill

It fit!!!

Anna hard at work at her radio station gig! She talks about sexual and reproductive health weekly on the Catholic Radio station

Me in the back of the truck getting excited for the journey... we ended up riding in the cab, but it was fun to pretend

The Catholic Church in Rancho Grande

A beautiful view of Rancho

I just felt like striking a pose

Anna in front of the Casa Materna

The horse parking lot hahaha

Explaining the importance of recordkeeping... although I realize I look mad hahaha

Don Chico working on his record sheet

Anna watching the ladies enter their first "sale" of the day

Anna and those who will be responsible for overseeing the mill that can be seen in the background

A barber shop, but with an audience outside watching the tv

View from inside a beautiful chapel at the technical school

A picturesque view of a barrio of Rancho Grande, honestly, more what I thought would be my living situation in the Peace Corps... I am not complaining though!

Me in lovely Rancho Grande!

A man leading his horse up to graze

So pretty right?

Two young cows battling it out over a female! Or just goofing around

Anna and Dona Claudia at the finca

A river runs through it!

Anna helping to make fresh cheese, Cuajada

After they make the cheese curds, they have to mill it to form the ball ready to eat... I guess we could say they are Nica Cheese balls!

A Cacao fruit

A woodpecker

Not ripe Cacao hanging on the tree

Their bean field... gallo pinto has to come from somewhere right?

A Cacao fruit opened up... you can eat the white fleshy bit around the cacao beans and it is soooo good

Varieties of Cacao pods and their colors

PS, this is my 100th post! Awesome!!!

Natural Wonder of Nicaragua

Recently, I had the privilege to take a trip to the Somoto Canyon. I had heard that it was beautiful, but what I had heard didn't even compare to the actual experience. My boyfriend and I took a 4 hour trip down the canyon with Namancambe Tours (that was the original name of the canyon). Starting with a 2 km hike into the canyon, followed by about a 1.5 km swim through the canyon (we had life jackets so really it was a float through the canyon) and then a 2km hike out on the other end. It is no where as large as the Grand Canyon in the US but it is equally stunning in its own way. I could keep talking about it but would much rather show you the pictures... so enjoy! I hope 2013 is full of many more mind-blowing experiences.

Unforgettable! Really!

Happy New Year 2013!!!!

Happy new year 2013!!! 2012 was full of fun, challenges, accomplishments, family, love, and many many more things to be thankful for! I know the 2013 will be full of many more milestones... including turning 30! figuring out what to do with the rest of my life, and enjoying being alive! Not too bad I think.

So a quick update about my holiday! I spent Christmas here in Nicaragua, spending the 24th (Noche Buena) with my boyfriend's family at his house. Christmas day, I went with him and his brothers to a waterfall close to Matagalpa and we had a picnic lunch, went hiking, and of course swimming in the waterfall pool! It was strange swimming outside in a natural pool of water on December 25th but then again that's one of the great things about living in a tropical country! I wish I could figure out how to get the pictures I have off of my phone (as my camera died, and I had not gotten my new toy yet!)

On the 27th I headed back to Nashville for a 9 day visit with my family, and boy was it a necessary one. It was great to see my whole immediate family complete with dogs Byron and Tiddles, and just get to hang out and be at home for a few days. I am currently trying to decide what I want to do this year, finish my time in the Peace Corps and look for a job (who knows where), extend a few months to finish out the school year and specific projects I am working on and then look for a job or...??? So many options and yet nothing is for certain!

Who knows where this year will take me, but I do hope that it is filled with happiness and opportunities!
Keep making good choices! Will update again soon. That's a promise!

National Congress and Competition

I should have reviewed what I had already posted on my blog before writing this... oh well, enjoy it anyway!

It's the end of the school year, classes have ended, and it's still a few days before the graduations of the three high schools I work with. In between end of year reports and errands, I figured this would be a great time to update my blog. And I just realized that I have posted NOTHING about the 1st Annual Entrepreneurship Congress and the 10th Annual Entreoreneurship Competition, that I along with four other members of Team Emprende (that's what we call ourselves) has been working on since DECEMBER of last year!!!

A little background first. So as you know, I teach 5th year high school students entrepreneurship as part of the National curriculum. Every year, the Peace Corps works to culminate the efforts of the students and teachers by throwing a competition series (local, municipal, regional, and national competitions). I signed up last year to be part of the team that not only organizes the National Competition, but is also in charge of fundraising for it, and therefore also in charge of the Fundraiser Gala (that had traditionally been known as the Cocktail Party). We met throughout the year, worked on guidelines for fellow volunteers, raised funds through events and grants, and to celebrate the 10th! year of competitions, we decided to add a Congress to the Competition to encourage the students to think critically about their futures, and provide them with additional tools to convert their academic business into a lasting business if they choose to do so.We also invited 16 Distinguished teachers that have been teaching the Emprendedurismo course for 5 years or more and continue to do so without the aid of a volunteer to honor them for their work in making Peace Corps' work sustainable. Each took home a huge box full of goodies that they can use for their classes. (That might not seem like anything special, but in a country where the teacher must foot the bill for any and all copies, papers, markers, etc they use in the classroom, it was huge!!!)

In the end, the event was a complete success! Everything from the Gala Fundraiser to the Congress to the Product Fair where I got to guide the US Ambassador to Nicaragua Ms. Phyillis Powers from table to table, was professional and exceptional. I am extremely proud to have been part of the team that put this incredible event together, that made such a difference in the lives of the students and teachers that attended.

I won't be able to put up many pictures here, but we have a ton on our Facebook page: Emprendedurismo
Please check it out! I will post the few pictures I have that I was able to take before my camera broke.
Hope everyone is well and that they are making good choices! Love you all!

Check-In

Decorated for Christmas

Gingerbread Train

The Courtyard

Convention Center

Team Emprende Members getting the Check-in table ready

The conference space

The big cheeseball modeling the backpacks given to the students

Snack time before we start!

PCVs checking in

Hamming it up!

Fellow PCV Julian with Bismark, a distinguished teacher from Matagalpa

Thanksgiving Pictures

So here are those pictures I promised! Sorry it took me longer than I thought... I ran out of space on the blog and had to buy more!!!

Dinner Table at the Ambassador's house!

Yessica and Carlos enjoying their meal

US Seal on the coffee cup!

Me, the Ambassador, Yessica, and Carlos

Me and the US Ambassador to Nicaragua Phyllis Powers. She was so nice!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello World,

First of all I apologize for abandoning my blog again! But I hope that you will forgive me after I tell you what I have been up to! But first of all, Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a wonderful day and were able to spend time with your family and friends in whatever part of the world you encounter yourself.

This year, I felt even more thankful than normal as my time and life in the peace corps Nicaragua has taught me a lot about how fortunate I have been in my life so far, and how thankful I should be and am for all of the blessings I have received. I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon with some amazing people, fellow peace corps volunteers, volunteers with project Mana, staff from the US Embassy, and the Ambassador herself! That's right! The Ambassador of the US in Nicaragua was gracious enough to open her doors (and refrigerator) and fed about 40 people total! The food was amazing, the company was excellent, and it made me incredibly thankful for the time I have spent here in Nicaragua. I hope to be able to post some pictures soon of the lovely dinner.

In the meantime, let me tell you about the most amazing, awesome Small Business Plan Congress and Competition that I was privileged to attend and more importantly coordinate! We held the 10th annual National Business Competition and the 1st ever and hopefully-to-be-annual Congress at the Hotel Camino Real in Managua and in my opinion, as well as the Ambassador's, it was a great success! The students and teachers that attended learned a lot and in most people's opinion, the quality of the presentations on competition day was much higher than the previous years.

I will try to write more soon, but the triptofan (sp?) from the turkey and the exhaustion of the previous week's worth of work has made me very tired. So I will leave you with some pictures of the event, with the intention to post more soon!

Love you all! Make good choices!

Check-in at the hotel

Already decorated for Christmas

A Gingerbread train in the hotel restaurant

The lobby of the conference area

The courtyard to the conference, this tree had Christmas lights at night

Getting ready for check-in

Final details before we got started

Team Emprende ready to check people in!

Checking in the teachers!

So excited to get backpacks!!!

A quick snack before we start...

PCVs checking in!

Me presenting a student with his backpack for the congress

Student groups presenting themselves

SUPER APCD Georgia giving the opening remarks

A Professor Sharing his thoughts...