coconita
Courtney Joined: May 5th 2009
Logged in: August 14th 2011
Logged in: August 14th 2011
Travel Blog Posts
Natural Medicine Taller (Workshop)
So it feels like ages since I have written… and in fact it has been months. I have received many messages from you all wondering if perhaps you were doing something wrong because you have not been able to get blog updates… well rest assured it is me not you. I have been in Nicaragua for almost 4 months now. It is very crazy to think so many months have passed by and yet in many ways I still feel like I am adjusting to our new lives here in Nicaragua. There have been numerous changes since September though. For one I have more or less a set job…although it is in no way defined or consistent. As I had originally hoped, I joined the Rural team here with Cantera in the beginning of October and ... read more
Mmm...
The project I have worked most closely with is ¨huertos familiares¨ or Family Vegetable Gardens. This project involves traveling to the rural communities outside of Managua and working with the families to grow their own fruits and vegetables. While each community is different, many of the families grow their own beans and corn (two of the staple Nica foods along with rice). Some families have 1 or 2 members who work outside of the community in various jobs, and some have members who travel to Managua to work. That being said, after the bills are paid and basic foods bought, these families have little money left over. Their diets therefore consist largely of beans, corn, and rice… and little vegetables. Vegetables are expensive and can mean travelling outside the community to buy them. With our vegetable ... read more
Por fin!! After about two months of orientation and language school we are finally here in our house in Managua! It is VERY exciting! We arrived last Sunday morning and have spent the week setting up the house and getting to know the different projects Cantera has. It has been very exciting but exhausting at the same time. Cantera has a great variety of projects located all through-out the city and in surrounding towns and rural communities. Right now there are about 10 different projects in which I would love to work! We are hoping to have a better idea of our specific assignments by the end of next week. In addition to getting to know Cantera, we have also been trying to get to know our neighborhood (barrio) and neighbors (vecinos). I’ll fill you in ... read more
antonio
Well i successflly completed my first week in Nicaragua! It has been a lot of fun but super busy! We are both volunteering and taking classes at Casa Xalteva, so I spend around 12 hours of my day there! Casa Xalteva doubles as a Spanish School for foreigners and also daycare of sorts for local children. I get in at 8am every day; from 8-10am I tutor a great 12 yr boy with his homework. (they have tutoring/homework help for 2 hours each day; if there are enough volunteers its 1 on 1). Three days a week they have a local man teach chess lessons from 10-11...and these kids are incredible chess players! The other days we play futbol or games inside (its super hot! right now i am sitting still with a fan on my ... read more
Volcan Mombacho
I am in Granada for three weeks at language school before we move into our house in Managua. While here in Granada I am staying with a wonderful host family! My madre nicaraguense is an older woman named Nubia. She is super sweet and is always teaching me about the food, the mercados (markets), the culture, etc. Right now in our house its only her and her husband Francisco. They also have a woman (Saida) who comes 6 mornings a week to help with cleaning (they clean their houses here daily!) and washing clothes. We also have many pets! A lora (parrot), who sits right outside my window, about 4 turtles (its hard to tell because they hide unless its raining.. and it hasn´t rained!), a puppy, and about a hundred or more fish all over ... read more
Arrived safe and sound!! We arrived around midday last Sunday during the last day of a week long festival here in Granada call los Hipicos. Driving into the city alone was quite the experience as people come from all over the country and other countries to take part in this week long celebration (the biggest fiesta of the year!)...and we arrived right before the parade of horses. This consists of about 3 thousand men and women on horseback! Quite the sight! Our langauge school picked us up at the airport and after many detours managed to drop all of us (theres 5 other volunteers in Nicaragua with me) at our homestays. My host family lives right in the center, not too far from the Cathedral or el parque central. (if you google Granada those are the ... read more
