It is often impossible to share exactly and accurately everything I feel and experience here. That would take a whole lot of dedication and a lot of volumes of books filled with my thoughts and perceptions and experiences. So, I am offering to you the short version. Any longer versions of these stories will have to be in person upon my return. J I am happy to share. To my loyal readers, who happen to be my parents and other extended family, I am sorry for the delay in entries. Often times, writing is a deliberate process that I need to [View Full Entry]

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I was asked to write something for the website. Here is my story. Please find it on the website: www.nph.org Go to Nicaragua at the top (flag) Then go to volunteer testimonials on the right side Michelle Jacobson (USA) - English Teacher 23 May 2008 - Nicaragua Known as Friends of the Orphans in the USA, the recruitment office in St. Paul actively sought me out while I was a senior in college. Planning to travel and serve abroad, I knew I had many paths. It was October 2006 and I had Spain in the back of my mind. Having recently [View Full Entry]

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Time has seemed to take a back seat here in lovely Nicaragua. Lush green forests and plantain forests loom in my backyard. While I eat my breakfast on the patio, I sit and stare at the aloe plant and look out into the distance of tall green trees mixed with palm trees. The sound of the waves in the distance lulls me to sleep. The striking blue bird, a relative to the blue jay I believe, hawks its annoying cry to attract a mate (heaven knows how he/she will with that sound…). I see the base of the volcano in the [View Full Entry]

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Hola todos. Saludos de Ometepe Island, Nicaragua! Hopefully (soon) to be in the new and revised list of the 7 Wonders of the World. Post your vote on www.laisladeometepe.com Many changes have been taking place, which is the norm here. However, some are worth taking note. Along the way, I will tell my stories. First off, NPH, the organization I am serving through, has recently partnered with the Enrique Iglesias Foundation. I am not sure how we made the connection, but we did. A cameraman came to the orphanage to shoot some footage of the kids singing to Enrique's new song: [View Full Entry]

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It's been a really long time since I have written. It has also been a really long time since I have seen home, or so it seems. I miss my family, the familiar and comforting friends, the Minneapolis skyline, the salsa, swing, and ballroom dancing, my car, good wine, the availability of PEOPLE who speak my language and goods and resources, and Lake Calhoun. One day I will go back...I have to survive 8 more months here. However, thank goodness that there is a lot going on here to keep busy with. I will share with you a snid bit of [View Full Entry]

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I came to Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH) Nicaragua expecting to be stretched in ways that would challenge me. This couldn’t be truer. Every day, there is something that makes me uncomfortable, be it the insects in my bed, not having gas for cooking for a few days, the hot weather, the cold showers, the kids that will not listen to me, the coordinators or directors who unexpectedly leave, or the communication that went wrong. However, life is a big lesson and if you are not open to adapting to the ever-changing pace of life, especially here for me, it will only [View Full Entry]

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Upon first being interviewed for my local newspaper about my trip, I told Emily, the interviewer, that I wanted to learn what it was like to live like a pequeno, or an orphan. I find that now, after two months here, I am not living in an impoverished orphanage. Rather, my life is full of excitement, as well as the pequeno's lives. I am busier than I was in college and there is a lot to do, if you really put your mind to it. With 13 volunteers this year alone, along with hundreds of others in the past since 1994 [View Full Entry]

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Hola todos. Sorry it has been long since I have written. There has been much to tell! It is often hard to keep up with the busy pace of life here! Since I last wrote, classes started. What a fun and challenging time. I first have to say that my time as English teacher has been confusing and extremely difficult. I often have no direction and do not know what goes on all the time. However, poco a poco and with time, I learn. Patience is key. Being a Catholic organization, we had mass the first day of school. Since I [View Full Entry]

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Sample Article for the nph.org website The new volunteers for NPH 2008 arrived in early January with a grand welcome from Casa Santiago, Nica style. Although we came during vacations, there were many preparations being made for the beginning of the school year, which marks the start of many of the therapies and teaching the volunteers partake in. As the month passed by, the festivities of the first week finally arrived, pure Nica style. February 4 was that special day, the day many kids were anxiously waiting for. Others were sad that it marked the end of vacations. Their limitless free [View Full Entry]

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After the long week with the kids, it was time for a needed break, some group bonding time and for reflection. Yet before we go, we are offered a few surprises back on the range. Some former volunteers, actually from MN, Matt and his wife Rachel, come to visit for a week. The kids still remember them! Having met early in school, they went to college together, during which they took a break to serve with NPH for a year. They returned to the states to get married and finish their schooling. After that, they served another year with NPH. They [View Full Entry]

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