Blogs from Estelí, Northern Highlands, Nicaragua, Central America Caribbean - page 8

Having discovered that the weekend buses to Somoto were far less busy than the student laden buses to Ocotal (our two nearby city options for entertainment) we decided Somoto would be the better spot to enjoy our Sunday. Being catered for fantastically by the family we stay with and our weekday lunches rotated between the Mujeres Solares (solar women) we had not yet needed to navigate the local market for eateries. However, so we could take a more leisurely approach to our Sunday trip to Somoto and give our family some space from their two guests we elected to seek alternative lunch arrangements. Somoto, especially on a Sunday, is every bit the tranquilo capital of Madriz this region of Nicaragua. It’s fair to say there’s not really much in the way of things to see and ... read more

Once we decided to undertake our year of exploration much fruitless Goolging ensued in the pursuit of a suitable volunteer experience in the Spanish speaking world. Grupo Fenix (www.grupofenix.org) was the shining light amongst many organisations that could do little to conceal that fact that they cared a lot about volunteers paying exorbitant fees and very little about what their volunteers might actually achieve. The enthusiasm and vision that Susan Kinne, a sixty year old American, the Programme Director communicated during our several months of email exchange about Grupo Fenix drew us in. An opportunity to be effective contributors to a project blending renewable energy technologies with the sustainable development of a rural community far removed from the fortunate wealth we enjoyed at home was irresistible. However, when we made the decision to leap off of ... read more

Ah omg so busy! Mon-Tues-Thurs Spanish class from 8am-12noon, and again from 1-3pm. Wed and Fri, as well as some Saturdays, like today, are in the field or the classroom learning Peace Corps stuff. Like getting immunizations, learning about dengue-malaria, figuring out the reasons why PC doesn´t like you to wear contact lenses - although I still am - learning about diarrhea and stomach viruses and how to prevent them... since out of the 22 of us several are sick and one has been taken to Managua for óbservation whatever that means, how to take your stool samples to the pharmacy to figure out if you have amoebas or bacteria or parasites or whatever... usually from the water that you drink, some from bad food, etc. Fortunately, knock on wood, I have a stomach muy fuerte, ... read more

Our first day post arrival in Managua felt highly intensive. It involved lots of forgetting of names, lots of nodding knowingly when we had no idea what we were being told in brisk Spanish and lots of trying to be nonchalant about places and situations very removed from anything we had previously encountered. Under the wing of Susan, the leader of activities here, we were navigated around the chaotic streets in the sticky heat of Managua. The primary mission for our day in Nicaragua’s capital city was to have ourselves recognised by the National Engineering University as being part of a legitimate programme (www.grupofenix.org), meet the programme staff based there, tour Suni Solar one of the entrepreneurial spin-offs from Grupo Fenix and have a solar cooked lunch (more about that later). Although some cloud nearly thwarted ... read more

I arrived to Esteli Nicaragua yesterday in the early afternoon. After a few quick bus rides I found myself in the busteling city that lies just along the Pan-Am. It is a great town to explore the streets are narrow and filled with color of fruit stands, clothes for sale, and brightly painted tiendas of every kind. As I walked through the streets I soon came to the cathedral. It caught me off guard, it was so breath taking, the crand white cathedral standing tall over the parque central. Every town here has one a grand cathedral usually opposite the park but somehow in every town, every time you come upon the cathedral it is a marvelous sight. Today I headed south of town out towards the saltos. I walked out of town and along the ... read more