Blogs from Managua, Capital Region, Nicaragua, Central America Caribbean - page 13

I am finding it difficult to write entries lately. Not for lack of topics to write about, but because I feel so inadequate explaining the complexity of my life down here--even things that may seem simple, like my daily routine, or my trip to Granada this weekend. I feel a burden of explanation and honesty. But the honesty I would like to portray is difficult to access from my limited perspective and without better language skills. The story is always much longer than any of us want to endure. I am going to try to write about small things, and perhaps with a collection of tiny windows into this life, you will all be able to piece together something more true that any summary I could compile. small thing #1: Hairbrush I have been meaning to ... read more

I am truly sad to think that I have missed the last hallows eve of my college career. Oh the scary and trippy times I can remember of those eves past. Not only are there 0 halloweeners in Managua but there is a movement to cast it down as the devils holiday. There is wide spread propaganda for this, but I still want a tshirt that says so. Instead of tricker tripping I WENT to an ecological concert benefit. I wanted to shoot myself for 70% and hope I returned from the dead in time to catch SAW 4 at its last showing at 10pm on the eve of goulish souls, but to no avail did I shoot myself or make the movie. However the concert nearly contained the same amount of torture that the movie ... read more

Hei alle sammen ! Nicaragua er definitivt et land med mange muligheter og mye urort mark.Vi rakk ikke saa mye mens vi var der men vi fikk et positivt og fint innblikk i hvordan livet der nede er og hvordan menneskene som bor der prover og overleve. De er stort sett veldig fattige.Noen har jo klart og starte sin egen lille bedrift.(salg av brus og stasj )enmanns foretak kan man si....Men de smiler og ler uansett hvordan de har det.Her tar man en dag av gangen...Noe og tenke paa for oss som stort sett er veldig materialistiske og har fine hjem og svaaare biler og kjoere i vroom..Managua hoved staden er ikke saa mye og se til.Der er det vel mer kjeltringer en det er godt folk:-)Men noe er det jo og glane paa. Definitivt ikke ... read more

I take the bus to and from Spanish class every day. The trip takes about 30 mins in each direction. That's a full hour of intense, presonal Nicaraguense, a kind of daily informal orientation to Managuan life. And so, I bring you the Managuan bus system as I know and love it: The bus lines are run by private entities, usually co-operatives, that own and maintain the buses. The fares are regulated by the government, but that's about it. Buses are generally old US school buses, and some are old European or Russian buses. The companies paint the buses in their own color themes, so it sort of feels like you're joining a team by riding it (maybe that's just me). The red and white buses are lines 113 and 114. I don't know if this ... read more

This morning Rick and I went to Casa Ben Linder to hear a presentation by the director of Accion Medica Cristiana or Christian Medical Action. He discussed the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, focusing mainly on the effects of Hurricane Felix, which some of you may know struck Central America on September 4th of this year. After painting a general socio-economic picture of the region before the Hurricane, he addressed the relief work by international aid efforts, the Nicaraguan government, and various NGO's. Primarily, he demonstrated that the portion of the country hit by the hurricane was under-funded and over-burdened with health issues (malnourished population, lack of access to health care, etc) previous to the hurricane, and that the current conditions only exacerbate that situation. After the hurricane struck, the government was unable to provide the necessary ... read more