A Hard Wind's A Gonna Blow...And Bring Light to This Town!

With this wind, the white sails of life will glow brighter

An artist will flourish

A student will study

A child will play

Hands will go uncharred

Sweaters will be sewn to keep warm

Eyes will see more

Relationships will grow stronger

Singers will serenade one another

The world will grow bigger

Out of the darkness, into the light

Two weeks ago I got to observe the installation of the wind turbine pictured above in the village of Portreritos. The turbine will be a battery charging station for the 4 household beneficiaries, and with that battery, life will be renewed for the 20 people living in those houses. Access to electricity will lead to light at night, music and news on the radio or TV, the ability to charge a cell phone and therefore keep in touch with family and work contacts…but so much more. While engineering students from Northwestern University soldered, welded, balanced, measured, and cranked away at the technical aspects of installing this beautiful white wind apparatus, I learned about the lives of the people who it will benefit and what their “enlightened” future might look like by conducting and videotaping interviews with each household. It was a blast and what I came here to do!

“I want to be more intelligent...I don't want to sleep my life away," said 78 year old grandmother Arcaria Gonzalez, pictured above with one of her grandsons. Arcaria cannot wait to have electricity because it means she will be able to read at night and learn about the world beyond her life in Portreritos. Currently, without electricity, her already poor eyesight is much too strained to read by candle light when evening falls, so she goes to bed at 6 or 7 most nights. During the day, at the height of sunshine, the house is still too dim to see very well. With electricity, not only will Arcaria be able to read, she’ll also be able to live out her artistic desires. In addition to sewing and drawing, she is known in the community for her beautiful paper flower arrangements. It makes sense that she will be receiving light from the wind- a force of nature- since, she told me, it is nature that taught her how to draw. All of the drawings proudly mounted on the adobe walls of her house are of the flowers and birds that surround her, and her paper flower arrangement was as colorful as her personality. Of the many people I have met in the communities Green Empowerment and AsoFenix are working with, I have not met any artists, or such a warm, energetic, and creative person as Arcaria, and it is a true treasure to be able to help her live out her last years doing the things she loves most.

The rest of Arcaria’s family all live nearby and will also benefit from the electricity. Above is a picture of    one of her daughters and her 4 children. There is a husband in this household, however he apparently      suffers from alcohol abuse, so it is a woman run household. In addition to having a well kept house, this   family has a large garden where they grow coconuts, papaya, banana, lemonds, oranges, wheat, and beans. They are 100% self sufficient, as are many, but have more than the average household. Truly overcoming      the odds of not having a man of the house as is tradition here.

The new light source will help them become even more productive and strong, with many possibilities.        The mother of the household, who’s name I forget at the moment, said that she would like an electric         stove and a refrigerator to use with the wind energy so that she can have a run a business for her family. Although the batteries cannot charge more than a blender, the ambition and entrepreneurial spirit she  expressed was awesome and goes to show, furthermore, that people really do want to progress and do        more with their lives, that they are smart and ambitious- contrary to the general perception of       “campesinos” by other non-campesino Nicaraguans

This family will be able to reap many other positive things from the new light source, however…in addition to receiving more grand works of art from their mother/grandmother, they will be able to save $15 a month that is otherwise spent on gasoline to light the candles they use to see around the house at night. And, less money spent on gasoline means extra funds for things like school supplies, materials for their house, medicine when it’s needed, and a number of other things that have been unattainable until now. Education will also be improved because the children will be able to do their homework without having to worry about the wind blowing out the candle, or burning them while they write their ABC’s out…not something most students have to worry about in the States or other developed areas of the world! The mother of the household will also benefit greatly, of course, by having the ability to see what she is doing in the kitchen at night and work faster with two hands rather than one since one hand will no longer have to hold a candle. When all the work is done for the day, if they choose to use that saved $15 to buy a radio or TV, perhaps they’ll sing, dance, and learn together as a family. If they choose to simply buy some special food from time to time and save the rest, it is certain that their lives will be very different, exciting, new, and with hopes for a brighter future. The power of wind combined with the efforts of Green Empowerment, AsoFenix, and Northwestern University, and the openness of the people of Portreritos to trust in foreigners like myself will energize the lives of all involved- the people receiving the light, and those who are privileged enough to be able to give it.

Christmas Time in Managua and My Class!

So, I have been in Managua for the past couple of weeks. I was planning on going to the community of Malacatoya this week but due to the celebration of the Mary, transportation would have been challenging, so I decided to push that back until next week. After two weeks here in this burly beast of a city, I am ready to go back to the campo for a couple of days next week!

Regardless, I have seen and done some interesting things with my time here when not at the office studying up on how solar, wind, and micro-hydro systems work, or keeping up with the news back in the states (that WikiLeaks scandal is rediculous!).

Last week I taught another class to the young journalists in the town of Teustepe, up north from Managua (everywhere I go is up north!). Here's a photo of some of girls working away, typing up the biographies of one another that I asked them to do as homework:

Some of the girls are more comfortable with using the machines than others. Since they only practice when we have class, generally, it is slow process but they are smart and willing to learn! This week's assignment is to make a photo-essay, to tell me something about their lives using pictures, not just one shot with a description, as they have done many times before. I look forward to seeing what they have to show!

Walking around Managua, and my neighborhood "MonteCristi," I am given a little taste of home with the very much out of place Christmas decorations:

I think Santa, his reindeer, and his friend Frosty the Snowman (not pictured here) would all melt or die of heat exhaustion if they were every really here! Just like in the states, however, it seems that each house is trying to out-decorate the other. If I felt it was safe to bring my camera everywhere, I would have more extravagant designs to show from outside Monte Cristi.

One other important thing to note on the holidays here in Nicaragua is the ongoing soundtrack of fireworks mixed in with Christmas music...Starting at about 6 a.m. some days I am woken by what sounds like bullets popping...like we're under siege, but then I realize it is just the neighborhood kids setting off fireworks and they don't seem to be tiring of it!

I did have a nice respite from the hustle and bustle last weekend when my fellow intern Kristiina and I headed to our house south of San Juan del Sur for a couple of days. It was so nice to put my feet in the sand, swim, and eat fresh seafood for the first time since I've been here. Our caretaker, Fredis, had the Christmas decorations up for us which made it feel like home. So, though I am missing everyone up there and the New York Christmas spirit, I've got an eccentric version of it down here!

Happy Holidays and take care until next time!

Of Sharks, Solar Ovens, y Mas!

Last week I visited the communities of San Diego and Portreritos. The two towns were part of a large solar pump project that was started back in 2007 to bring water to both communities. Unfortunately, the project is at a halt at the moment due to confusion over who is responsible for its maintenance, and technological issues. Most houses are running off of the traditional national electricity supply that was brought to them just two years ago, and which they have to use sparingly because of costs.

Going forward, AsoFenix and its partnering organizations will work on an individual basis, house by house, to install solar panels and/or solar pumps as needed. This is a good lesson to learn about what challenges can arise when doing this kind of work, that sometimes human nature and technology don’t make the best pair. It is a relationship that must be approached with creativity and flexibility!

That balance has been attained with a couple of houses in the area. One house in San Diego has its own panels on the roof. In Portreritos, shop owner Irene Gonzalez-Gonzalez (yes, she has the same name repeated in her last name) has the luxury of a gas stove fueled by a biodigestor, as well as the ability to bake with her solar oven. These technologies are VERY cool!

The biodigestor (above, top left) is made of a large thick plastic green bag with two tubes into which the biomatter, mostly cow dung, is fed into it. In order to “digest” correctly, it must be absolutely airtight and waterproof. The gas that is created is then fed into the kitchen through a metal tube. As you can see (middle) it lights a stove pipe, much like the kind we are all used to in the U.S. This is a BIG deal, very fancy and advanced, compared to the open wood fire stoves made of earth! And that cardboard box of “YUMMIES” that you see is actually a solar oven that traps the heat of the sun with an arrangement of aluminum and glass. So, no matter what the season- rainy or dry- this family can bake and cook without needing to cut down so many trees, make themselves sick from the smoke it produces, or risk burning themselves with the kerosene.

I had a great time up there seeing all of this, and of course I also worked on my tortilla skills (below, a tortilla NOT made by me, toasted on the pan). I also admired the many cute pigs and puppies. I have decided that the pigs are my favorite- they are very comical, snorting with every movement they make it seems, and just big dirty grunting machines. 

      

                                           

But, I must tell you a bit about the conversation I had with my host father for the night, Arsenio. He is the father of Lineth, one of the young journalists I am working with, and a remarkable person. Arsenio grew up in the life of "pobreza" (poverty). Both of his parents were orphans who received no sexual education growing up, so as their struggles to make ends meet grew, so did their family…until Arsenio was one of 16 children! Some of them went to school, perhaps until the 4th grade, while others did not. Arsenio was lucky enough to complete 4th grade before going to work with his father in agriculture and construction. By his early 20's he had met his wife Isabella. While he sowed the fields with his hands for pay, his mind focused on how he was going to provide a better future for the family he planned on raising. "My kids were going to go to school, and from that, they were going to be able to make a better living for themselves."

So, he worked hard, saved money, and set his mind on bringing a school to his community. He contacted the ministry of education and asked that they send a teacher to the community of San Diego. Then, he and other men from the community got the materials together and built a school where that professor would teach…Eventually, the ministry of education gave them cement blocks and other more sturdy materials to enforce the structure, and they built the small school that now sits across the way from Arsenio's house, and which all the children of San Diego go to. All of his children have not only gone to primary school, but also continued to secondary school in the nearby town of Teustepe. One of his daughters is a even a teacher in the community! The oldest child is his 26 year old son, yet to be married or have a girlfriend, but Arsenio is fine with that- he knows that it takes a lot to make it in life, and he wouldn't want his kids getting involved in more than they can handle.

Instead, I imagine they are inspired by their father, who has had to persevere and work very hard to have what he has now- 4 sons, 3 daughters, a house on a hill with a little passion fruit orchard, a plot of land to cultivate beans, corn, rice, and wheat, some pigs, chickens, dogs, a cat, and electricity to bring running water, light, and cellular phones to their lives. Though he identifies himself as poor- repeating “somos pobres” multiple times during our conversation- his wealth in courage, character, ambition, wisdom, and strength have trumped all in the face of challenge, overcoming any lack of formal training in life beyond the basic mathematics, history, and grasp of literacy he learned in 4th grade.

In order from left: wheat, walls of the house, rice

Nicaragua has a relatively perpetual deficit of employment opportunities with a lot of jobs operating on a temporary basis. Thus Arsenio, like many, has had to occasionally make the dangerous and illegal journey to Costa Rica for temporary work from time to time. This requires taking a motor boat, or “lancha”, full of other job seekers to the northern most point of Costa Rica, then walking for countless hours around a cliff side in order to avoid the border guards. This is all done without much aside from the clothes on their back and a deep well of determination to outlast what little water and food they can carry with them.

During one such journey, they motored right into a pack of sharks (“tiburones”) swimming in a line just a few feet from the sides of the boat. QUITE SCARY! Thankfully, they motored right past them without issue, but when the motor died out about a half a mile from the shore, they were forced to swim at the risk of drowning (not everyone gets swimming lessons here), or a run in with another pack of "tiburones." Regardless, Arsenio made it. Exhausted, thirsty, and hungry, they refueled and rested at a friend’s house before setting off for the hike around the cliff. Ultimately, the struggles paid off in the form of a month long gig working construction, and he was able to return to San Diego with much needed funds.

Today Arsenio stays local with enough business selling his crops at the markets of Nicaragua to support his family. When he is not in the field, he keeps an eye on the world beyond him through his collection of maps and a world atlas that was gifted to him by a visiting Spaniard years ago. He proudly showed it to me and remarked on the size of the countries are, how beautiful they were, or what interesting crops they have. I asked him where he would like to go in the world, if anywhere….His response: "Texas." Texas was his answer because he’s heard that they have very good agricultural practices, ways of planting seeds that he’d like to learn. He is a farmer, through and true!

Until he gets to Texas or a Texan comes to town and shows him how it’s done in the “lone star state,” Arsenio will continue to share the techniques he knows best with his sons as they work in the field together. Though his sons are all currently farmers, they are educated farmers with the guidance and example of their father to help them navigate challenges as they come. I am glad to be part of the education of Lineth, now 20, so that she can continue to progress and hopefully live a more empowered and prosperous life....My hopes are that she will be able to get a higher paid job with her computer skills, and provide an even better life for her family when she has one! For all of this, I am thankful and in admiration.

Solar Lagoons!!!!

Well, not sure what a "solar lagoon" would be like, but this post is about a beautiful volcanic lagoon I visited last weekend, and my 12 hour day helping to kick off the installation of a solar water pump project. Both very cool adventures! I'll start with the Lagoon...

LAGUNA DE APOYO

Here is a shot of the lagoon from way up on the crest of the former volcano. It's hard to see, but in the distance, in the center, lies the city of Granada in the shadow of Volcan Mombacho pictured below. Following is a shot from the shore of the lagoon. We spent the day here as guests of the "Monkey Hut" hostel, so we were surrounded by fellow travelers, and got to use the hostel's inner tubes and kayaks. I took a kayak out for a spin and it was GREAT! I love kayaking and was even cooler to be doing it on a lake that goes as deep as 600 FEET. Kinda scary, but very cool.

Below and to the right is a picture of one of the many BEAUTIFUL, strong, and most majestic horses I've ever seen! We came upon the end of a parade while looking for mountain-top restaurant to eat dinner at, and all the "caballeros" (cowboys) were loading up the horses, or taking them for a final trot around.

The man on the horse apparently lives in Managua and has his stables not too far from there. He invited me and whoever, to go riding someday. He even asked if I wanted to hop on there and then! Although it's not out of the realm of possibilities for me to do something like that, I was in my shorts and flip flops, and the horse was rather hot to trot, so thought "better to do this in a ring!" Regardless, I was starstruck by this...these horses are NOT the scraggly mule types you see around. I think these men are professional riders and participate in fairs for part of their wages. So cool!

So, all in all this day was a great one...and helped me sink further into my current reality of being in a warm, beautiful, fresh, and interesting country! Days like this balance out with the trips to the campo, even if they're just day trips, like today. We went to the village of "El Jocote," about a 2 hour drive from the office here in Managua, to prep the community for their solar water pump system. I will be part of this project from beginning to end, taking notes on the progress, and learning a lot about project management through it all!

EL JOCOTE

I just liked the look of this guy above. We stopped to ask him how much further we had to drive until we got to the point where we'd park the car and walk into the village of "El Jocote." The guy driving is Jaime, the founder and president of the AsoFenix (the Nicaraguan NGO I am working with).

And here is a shot of us walking into the village of "El Jocote" with the men carrying the materials to measure the well depth and pumping rate. Today's goal was to figure out how much water could be pumped sustainably, without drying out the well too much.

When we finally arrived at the "pozo" (well), we saw a very common scene: a young woman pumping water by hand to bring back to her house (above, left). Once full, she put the heavy bucket on her head (above, right) and walked back up and over the hill to her home (below, left). Then, like magic, we cracked the top of the well (below, right) and started on a system powered by the SUN that will, eventually, relieve her of this heavy burden.

Men, women, and children looked on as the team of engineers stuck their meters into the well and pumped water out to measure see the flow rate. It is certain that the presence of the engineers and "gringas," and the beginning of a life-changing installation was the event of the day...and maybe the week (????)

We also checked on a "weather station" that was installed about a year ago. The weather station is helpful to farmers, and the community as a whole therefore, by measuring rainfall, barometric pressure, and temperature. Gladly, it was in good condition, doing well!

Above, right, is what I think a very cool "digital macro" shot of one of my favorite flowers here- the hibiscus- a it's cool speckled yellow/green leaves.

To round it out, a few things/people I also liked from todays outing, in order:

A little 6 yr. old boy I became fast friends with. He excitedly showed me the rooster feather he found and insisted I take a photo. He then proceeded to grab my hand with his little hand so that I could walk with him to each site we visited...and melted my heart- soooo cute!

Next, a funky fruit tree that I forget the name of, but I liked how it looked with the branches and leaves there...

Following is one typical style of house here. This one was a bit fancier, I think, because it has the Spanish tile roof :)

Beside the house is one of the men of community and his little daughter. It was so endearing to see him holding her there as she chewed her fingers, and watched all the commotion!

Next down, in the last row, is my little friend ( I can't remember his name becuase he mumbled it and it was a unique one!) and I after the community meeting. He sat next to me the whole time while Jaime explained the aspects of the project and fielded questions from the people.

Following,all the kids took over BOTH swing sets and were swinging away in the afternoon sun with themountains before and behind them...It was such a sweet scene as they laughed and laughed andlaughed...

Lastly is my little friend (I can't remember his name because he mumbledit and it was a unique one!) and I after the community meeting. He sat next to me the wholetime while Jaime explained the aspects of the project and fielded questions from the people.

Que Barbaridad! Pigs Snortin' in the Morning, Corn Puddin' at Night, and a 10 Mile Hike in Between!

El Corozo

So, below you find a bit of a photo essay. I took so many photos that I wanted to share as many as I could! I returned from my first trip into the "campo" late Thursday afternoon and am taking it easy this weekend before leaving for another trip on Monday.

My four days in El Corozo were beautiful, challenging, and very different. I stayed with the family Cleysi, one of the young journalists I am working with, in their house made of earth, wood, tin, and grass. My bed was a cot surrounded by a mosquito net, which I was thankful for as every night I heard a high pitched chorus of the little buggers just dying to get past the netting and to my skin!

It is a lot cooler up in the mountains, especially at night, and it makes for some of the best star gazing there is- tons of stars clearly shining through! In the campo, there are no real bathrooms. Instead, there are outhouses or "latrinas." Except, the latrine of the family I was staying with was out of use because it is still full of water from the rainy season. SOOO...it was into "to the woods" whenever nature was calling. The whole experience felt like I was camping, but had a house instead of a tent.

Each meal was cooked an open topped wood burning adobe fireplace and consisted of coffee, corn tortillas, beans, rice, and "cojada" cheese- a dry and salty cheese made fresh from the cows outside the house. You CAN'T get any fresher than that! The corn tortillas, like everything here, are "hecho a mano" (made by hand) every day by grinding corn kernels through a hand powered corn grinder 2 or 3 times through. After that, you take the fine "masa de maiz" and pound it into a flat tortilla. I provided everyone much amusement when I tried making a tortilla by mimicking their fast circular motion that looks very easy, but is apparently a skill yet to be acquired by yours truly. Petrona and the women of the campo turn out perfectly round and flat ones in seconds, while I fumbled along with cracks, tears, and uneven thickness in mine...perhaps it is like riding a bike: once you "get it" it stays with you, but it takes a while to get to that point!?! It was fun, regardless.

On Tuesday, the first of my two full days there, we hiked around to various houses in the community so that I could check in on and see their solar panels. All the people I spoke with said that they like having the electricity and light at night so that they can do more...kids can do homework and women don't have to use candles and kerosene to see what they're doing (and therefore kerosene is no longer an accidental ingredient in their food!). The men like watching the news, and the whole family likes watching the "telenovelas," Spanish soap operas, on the TV. I am sure as I visit more houses and communities I will think of better questions and perhaps be able to go a little deeper into how their lives have been affected otherwise...what else they might be able to do with this electricity. Regardless, it is obvious that they appreciate being empowered!

The goal of the second day, Wednesday, was to go to the community of "El Plan" to take a picture of an 80 watt solar panel that had been installed, and to talk with the family who owns it. I was told that El Plan was close, no more than a 1.5 hr hike to get there. So, Petrona (host mother), Antonia (another journalist), and I set out at 6:30 a.m. after waking at 5 a.m. (I woke between 5 and 6:30 every morning and was asleep by 9 or earlier every night. You are very in tune with the natural light rhythms there!).

Well, we didn't reach El Plan until 10:00 a.m., after 3.5 hours of hiking. Our journey was lengthened substantially because all of the paths are very rocky and messy from the rainy season, slowing down our every step. Tired and hot, we got the picture of the panel and hung out in El Plan with Petrona's cousin for a long while. We even got to cool off in the river nearby! It was quite funny: there I was, bathing in the river in the middle of the mountains with two Nicaraguan women I had met but a few days before. Petrona, the mother, laughed loud and joyously as she swam in the shallow waterfall pool, amused that while other women were in their houses working and cleaning, she was chilling in the river :) She didn't want to leave!

Our journey back to El Corozo was no easier, despite taking what was supposed to be an easier and shorter route around the other side of the valley. Though it took took us but 2 hours this time, the last hour of it was treacherous. We had been hiking over an hour when we got to the final steep ascent over a mountain top. Problem: When we got further in the thick of the forest, the path disappeared- it, too, had been washed out by the rain and was turned into a crevice in the earth with boulders, rocks, fallen trees, and a bit of water trickling down. We had no choice but to keep going though, so onward we went! The whole time I was watching for falling rocks since in that situation, a rockslide could easily happen. I had flashbacks to when I was climbing a primary stream in Costa Rica and small boulder nearly landed on me. Thankfully, all stayed put as we scrambled up the mountain side. I was in awe of the strength and energy of Petrona as she balanced a large bag of bananas that her cousin gave her on her head throughout the ordeal!!! I think the women of the campo are some of the strongest physically and mentally out there!

When I reached the crest of the mountain, the afternoon sun was beaming down and the valley was large, green, and inviting. I felt that if there is a God out there, or whatever entity it is, he/she/it was there!!!

Now, to fill you in on some other parts of the story, are my pictures. Hope you enjoy them and that they give you an even better idea of what life and nature is like in the Nicaraguan mountains.

This is Cleysi, one of the periodistas, on her horse. He helped me get up the mountain when I arrived by carrying my 2 gallons of water. I rode for a minute, but when it got super rocky on the path, I had to hop off!

Hiking to El Plan from El Corozo- last leg of the 3.5 hour hike

The adorable and hammy niece of Antonia, another periodista, who also lives in El Corozo.

The 80 watt solar panel in El Plan. It apparently is having some issues with it's controller, but otherwise good to go. I had to balance on a tall ladder to take this photo. It was scary!

A shot of one of the "fincas" (farms)

It is corn harvesting season, so all the farmers have large cloths full of corn kernels drying in the sun outside their houses. The next crop to work with will be coffee, come December.

Here are some of the hombres shucking the corn and picking it off the cob in order to put outside for drying.

This my little friend "chocolito." He sat on my shoulder the whole time I visited his family and didn't want to get off when it was time to go! I met him last year when I visited this community. We go way back :)

Blue sky. Mountains. Trees. Tin roof. Sunlight. Solar power!!!

Feeling accomplished (and exaughsted) after scrambling up this rocky crevice of earth that used to be a path before the rains washed it out. I was praying to whatever larger entity is out there to reach the top safely. And that I did!

Almost there. Hola!

Sunset from the mountain top.

Antonia's sister as she separates the red kidney beans from their green shells.

2 year old Luis Miguel and his older cousin Yaser play "farmer" together, planting CORN!

No, these are no longer tools or objects of their original use. That rusty machete, broken corn grinder, wooden board, sardine can, perfume bottle, belt buckle, iron, and all else that you see here are Luis Miguel and Yaser's TOYS. They were very excited to show me....

Cleysi and her horse by the wash basin. The rocks around it are bleached white from the soap!

All the cousins together!

Petrona, my host mother, was very excited to make me some "atol," like a corn pudding made from, well, boiled corn, fresh cows milk, cinnamon, and sugar. Though I am lactose intolerant and it made my stomach hurt, it was worth it for the taste, and how happy it made Petrona to serve it up. A nice warm porridge after a loooong day. (It was breakfast the next day too)

The kitchen, and the whole house, is made of mudd, grass, wood, leaves, and tin roof with good natural sunlight beaming in. That's Cleysi to the right, grinding corn for tortillas.

Another beautiful vista :)

And a cute li'l puppy to round it all out. There are lots of baby animals all over!