Spring Break 2009

Hey family!

I went to Nicaragua for my Spring Break trip this year on a community service trip. I have some pictures and stories to share with you all.



Some pineapple fields. I was surprised by how they grow.


This is a dragonfruit plant, kinda cactus-y. It grows with the support of a host plant. The fruit won't be ripe until May so I wasn't able to try any unfortunately.

We were staying with Dona Brunilda, one of the community members. They had two houses, one with our room, and the kitchen, and one where they lived. There was no running water, and only one light bulb in the kitchen. We used latrines, they cooked everything on a fire, and water was brought in with buckets. A very simple lifestyle, without many of the comforts I took for granted, but I felt very at home there. It was almost a relief to not have to deal with all the materialistic crap of my own culture. It was tempting to romaticise the simplicity of it in my mind but life for rural people was a daily struggle, even with outside help.


Dona Brunilda's house. She lives there with her five children.


These are three of her daughters, Scarlet, Tatiana, and Rosa from left to right. We hung out together a lot when we weren't working. Had fun playing Go Fish, or Que Pesca. ^^

We ate what they ate. Beans and rice were a staple for every meal, complimented with cooked or friend plantains, sometimes salad, sometimes potatoes, and once a really delicious squash mix. It was always delicious. But the best thing were the drinks. At every meal we had juice, fresh fruit juice directly from the fields. It was so sweet and flavorful and we had a different juice every time. They got very creative with combinations, I think we only had three repeats the entire time.

We slept on ancient cots, but it was comfortable enough. There were pigeons living in our room above the door, scared me when I first walked in and they flew over my head. But in Nicaragua pigeons in your house are a good sign. They mean the house is in peace, so they get to stay. I like the way they think. :)

There were two latrines out back, I was really nervous about those at first, but after seeing them, they weren't bad at all, better than portapotties, for sure. The hole was at least fifty feet deep, so they didn't stink. The only thing bad about them was that at night there were HUGE cockroaches that just chilled around the inner rim of the hole. I was always afraid they were going to crawl up on me. *shudder* I like bugs, but.... Not down there... not with my pants down. GAH.

We were going to build one house in four days. We were building it for Dona Sandra del Carmen Martinez and her husband Don Mario Aburto and their five children. They had been living in the community for 28 years and Don Mario had often helped out with other bridges groups. He helps with pineapple production when not working with Bridges, and he is also a member of the Community Development Committee. They were both very excited to be getting a house after helping with so many other houses in the community.

I guess I should explain what Bridges to Community is first... Founded in 1992, it is a community service program that operates on a unique, yet simple, principle: that poverty must be fought by people in both "rich" countries and "poor" countries. Development needs to take place not only in Nicaragua, but also in the United States. They seek to empower Nicaraguans to lift themselves out of poverty and enlighten North Americans to make positive changes in their own lives, communities and ultimately this world that we all share. They do community development, meaning that projects and developments must be defined and managed at the community level, and benefit the community as a whole, not just individuals. Their approach is a holistic one, staying away from charity and focusing on grassroots efforts that allow Nicaraguans to guide their own development process.

Projects are designed in a sustainable way, avoid dependency-forming charity, and are centered around the support of local leaders and citizens and their visions from their own community. Bridges does need-assessment in each community, talking to leaders, the men, the women, the children separately to ask them what is most needed in their community. A list is compiled, and the highest priority projects are completed first. For Ticuantepe, the top of everyone's list was housing. So for the last few years Bridges volunteers and community members had been systematically building earthquake-stable houses for every needy family in the community. These families would then make house payments that equated to about half of the real value of the house, usually only ten dollars per month. Those payments enter a revolving community fund that goes towards future housing or community centered projects. It addresses both long and short term needs, and creates pride and a sense of ownership.

The houses themselves are very simple. Just four walls, two doors and two windows, built up with regular concrete blocks, and corrugated metal roofs. Sometimes a tile floor is installed, but often it remains as a dirt floor. It seems very simple to us, but for them it is a huge step up from plastic tents, or dangerous shelters not supported for earthquakes.

We started construction with some local masons. They were a riot to work with, Don Pablo and I became dancing buddies on the site, and they all taught us dirty words in Nicaraguanese, laughing hysterically whenever we whipped one out. The work itself was hard, but not beyond our abilities. Mostly a lot of lifting and shoveling. I enjoyed the construction a lot actually.


The construction site before we started. The foundation was already laid, WHEW!



Sifting sand to use in the concrete mix.



The actual mixing of concrete. It is like a volcano, water in the middle, dry mix on the outside. We had to go around the outside and keep scooping it up until it was completely saturated. This technique worked surprisingly well!



Then we start laying blocks. That's me in the funny hat. I call it Floppy Joe, and bring it with me to any tropic zone, I have had it since seventh grade. Ah, good old hat...





Even the little ones like to help!



Most of you probably don't know this about me... But I LOVE chickens. :D



And parrots too! This one was just always chillin at Dona Brunilda's house. But it was a mean bird... I learned my lesson quick *chomp*





Some views of the pineapple fields. It was a really gorgeous place.



And a lot of beautiful plants! I recognized a few species that we sell in my greenhouse growing wild. It was so cool.



We got fresh coconuts too! So delisc...



The whole gang in the back of the truck. This was our most common mode of transportation.



The most popular guy in Ticuantepe, Issac the icecream man!



And this is EVERYBODY all together once we got the four walls up. That was all we had time to do in four days, the masons would finish the roof after we left. It was such a great accomplishment, and everyone was so happy...

We had a dedication party, with music and dancing and pineapple pastries and even a balloon popping race. I am sorry to say the Nicaraguan team whipped the American tem. Oh and there was cacao, my absolute favorite drink in the world. It was so yummy... I can't describe it. If you ever get a chance to try it, GO FOR IT. I miss it already...

After we finished the house, we spent our last day seeing other parts of the country.



This is the cathedral in Granada.



Also in Granada.



LAKE! I don't know which one, but I know it is not Lake Managua or Lake Nicaragua, as those are both super polluted and toxic.



But this one is safe to swim in! :D This was the cleanest I ever felt on the trip. Our shower consisted of a bucket of water. And you can't tell from the pictures, but Nicaragua is a very dry country. The dirt is so dry it is almost fluffy, and it comes up in clouds all the time. Especially when working we would get filthy.



One of Nicaragua's volcanoes. Early Spanish conquistadors thought it was the mouth of hell... and tried to do some preventative measures.


Another view of the volcano.


And a warning to tourists! They even made us park in reverse just in case we needed to make a speed escape down the volcano.

It was an amazing trip. It really opened my eyes to completely new ideas. I was surrounded by such a rich culture, even if there was much lacking in resources. The people are very hard-working, warm, friendly. I did not feel out of place at all, very welcomed by the community members. The language barrier was more of an annoyance than any great hindrance (I think my Spanish improved, and my interpretive dance skills were definitely bumped up to the next level!).