¡Qué Tuani!

¡Qué Tuani! is the perfect phrase to describe this past weekend!
Charlotte, Molly, Moira, Dustin, Kendahl, and I headed off to Granada on Friday after lunch for a relaxing weekend. After sweating for an hour on the bus we arrived to the dreamy town of Granada. Once we checked into the Bearded Monkey Hostel we went off and did our own version of Black Friday shopping. We ventured over to the market and I was able to almost finish my Christmas shopping.

Soon we found ourselves in the Chocolate factory. YUM! We went back there for breakfast the next morning. I definitely recommend it! The evening consisted of sitting outside a restaurant, eating dinner, talking, and people watching-so interesting. There was a group of break dancers that performed for a while. Sunday after our delicious breakfast at the Chocolate Museum we headed to Laguna de Apoyo, about 15 minutes away. It was BEAUTIFUL! We spent the day kayaking, swimming, tanning, and hanging out.

We got back to Granada late afternoon, just in time to grab a quick gelato and snap a few pictures before heading back to Managua.

estoy agradecida

Although I am in Manauga, almost 3,200 miles from Chanhassen, and in a country that has been negatively affected by US imperialism, that doesn't stop me from celebrating thanksgiving. I love pies, eating sweet potatoes covered in marshmallows and cinnamon, eating turkey and gravy, and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.
I'm currently watching the parade and there is a table behind me filled with 18 pies that our wonderful Ruth made! I'm so excited!!! Today we have hopefully quick class session and then lunch!
Today for lunch we will have a Thanksgiving meal that is rumored to be delicious and possibly the best in town!
Some food to be consumed include: turkey, potatoes, gravy, apple pie, and pumpkin pie! YAY!

throwback thursday: freshmen year thanksgiving dorm decorations

It won't be the same wonderful event that it is back at the Berkness' but it'll have to suffice. Even though I'm bummed I can't be eating turkey, mashed potatoes, and pie at my grandparent's today, there are still so many things I am thankful for.
1. my family- for their love and support
2. my friends- for those back at home, at Olaf, and the new ones I am with today
3. for the wonderful letters, cards, and flowers I received in the mail yesterday! made my day/week/month! :) I was seriously SO excited. First mail abroad!
4. the opportunity to study abroad- for all the people I have met, the things I have seen, heard, and experienced
5. a house, clean water, food, clothes, and not having to worry about those
6. internet and my computer so I have been able to stay connected with so many throughout this trip
7. YOU! and for you reading this
8. SO MUCH MORE but I won't bore you, you should go eat more turkey now, or pie, or hang out with your family or friends, or watch football, or start decorating for Christmas- hang those lights, decorate that tree, or sleep, or watch a movie, or reflect on all the things you have to be thankful for, for we all have many.

Sending LOTS of LOVE and HUGS!

Livin’ the Campo Life

As promised, a more joyous post (and it has lots of pictures!).

If I could spend more time somewhere in Nicaragua it would be Sontule and Estelí, no doubt about it.

View of Estelí from Hotel Los Arcos

Last Tuesday morning we loaded the bus and headed 2 ½ hours north towards Estelí. It is beautiful town, muy tranquilo. When we first arrived at Hotel Los Arcos ((FUN FACT: When Anthony Bourdain came to Nicaragua we stayed there. Wonderful place.)) we met with the President and a member of the UCA-Miraflor cooperative to learn more about what they do.

View from Los Arcos

Then after discovering crime shows in English on TV we ate a delicious lunch and napped. Charlotte, Moira and I wondered the streets. Stopping at the park for quick see-saw session before ending of to ice cream and window shopping. However the window shopping soon turned into real shopping. I was in need of new flip flops while Moira really wanted high heels. After trying on various pairs, she convinced Char of buying some too. After dinner came more English TV and bed.

Church in Estelí

Early Wednesday morning it was finally time for our last rural homestay of the semester. We bumped and wound through the mountains and hills for almost 2 hours before arriving in Sontule. Once there we divided up into our homestays. Molly, Anna, and I were to live with Mafalia, the first and second grade teacher. Because she was teaching, her mother and ten year old nephew, Freder, came to pick us up.

Later that afternoon the group went to the coffee fields and to see where the coffee berries were processed. Since it is a cooperative, they help pick the berries from each others land. First they pick off the non-perfect berries and save those for themselves. A few weeks later they come back and pick the rest of the berries and bring them to the processing place. (I apologize my coffee producing vocabulary is fairly non-existent.) The berries are put into huge tubs where they soak for days. They’re put through some machines and then laid out to dry. From there they are sent off to roasters or other producers. (Sorry that was rough, I’m trying!) After our walking tour, we went to a community member’s house to learn about taste testing coffee. Too bad I’m not a coffee lover.

walking to the coffee fields

coffee tasting

Thursday we began by visiting the school. Due to the community's organization they were able to build a nice school building and they are now working towards having a high school there. Through international support some students are able to go on to high school and college, as neither is free. Mafalia’s sons are both able to attend college because of this. One lives in Estelí and studies during the week while the other, Wilber, only studies on Saturdays because living in Estelí is expensive for them. Anyways, back to the school in Sontule. There are about 70 kids in the school, divided into four classes: preschool, first/second grade, third/fourth grade, and fifth/sixth grade.

the school

Later we met with women’s cooperative to hear about their history and what they do. Some of the older women shared their stories of not being able to attend school as children either because they were poor or because they were girls and so their parents didn’t believe it was worth the time. The cooperative began in 1996 and is comprised of 19 women.

Later that afternoon we walked to the lookout to watch the sunset. Sontule is beautiful in the first place but the view from this lookout was AMAZING and the sunset was GORGEOUS!

OLES!

Nights at Mafalia’s consisted of sitting in the small wooden kitchen talking about the contra war, the fact that apples are produced in the US but not Nicaragua-along with various other produce, how she went to Cuba to learn about education, our families, and US music! Freder gave us a little concert and sang some Nicaraguan songs. Both nights we broke out the ipod and shared some music and some dancing. Freder can now cat daddy, dougie, and bernie!! We can sort of bachata. We also did the Cupid Shuffle! It was a lot of fun! I miss it!

the kitchen

our room

the main room

Friday morning we packed up and headed back to Managua. It was such a beautiful and relaxing experience to hang out in the campo. It was by far, my favorite campo experience and it’s a place I definitely wouldn’t mind returning to!

a cousin, Anna, Grandma, Jason (Mafalia's nephew), Wilber (Mafalia's son), Freder, Mafalia, me

This weekend was fairly chill- running, reading, eating helado de coco, and sleeping. On Sunday I went to misa with my host family- momma Daisy, sister Ammy, and brother in-law Alex. It was at the top of a hill and had a cool view of Managua.

Alex, me, Daisy

looking over Managua and Lake Managua

Hasta pronto!
MUCHO MUCHO AMOR! abrazos y besos! xoxoxo

A Timeline & Free Trade Zones

What better way to explain history than a beautiful timeline!

1912-1925 US troops stationed in Nicaragua

1926 Sandino began to fight against US occupation; U.S. troops create and train Nicaraguan National Guard; three powers in Nicaragua: Somoza/National Guard, President Sacasa, and Sandino

1934 Sandino murdered by the National Guard after dinner with President Sacasa

1936 Somoza takes power from Sacasa with National Guard; Somoza dictatorship begins with the support of the US

1956 Anastasio Somoza García assassinated; son (Luis Somoza Debayle) takes over

1961 FSLN formed by Fonseca, Frente Sandinista Liberación Nacional (party based off of Sandino ideology)

1967 Luis Somoza Debayle dies; brother Anastasio Somoza Debayle takes over

1977 Carter makes U.S. aid conditional on improved human rights situation; Somoza ends state of siege

1977 revolts begin to break out with more frequency, revolution really heats up

1978 Pedro Joaquín Chamorro murdered (editor of La Prensa); Sandinistas take National Palace

1979 Civil War intensifies; Somoza flees July 17^th; July 19^th Sandinistas control Managua and declare victory

1979-1990 FSLN in power, at first 9 men lead, then President Daniel Ortega in 1984

1981 Reagan provides U.S. support for counterrevolutionaries

1981-1989 Contra War, upwards of 30,000 killed

1990-1996 Violeta Chamorro elected President (UNO)

1995 MRS party formed (broke off from FSLN)

1996-2001 President Arnoldo Alemán (PLC)

2001-2006 President Enrique Bolaños (PLC)

2006-2011 Second term for President Daniel Ortega (FSLN )

2008 lots of fraud in municipal elections

2012-??? Daniel Ortega (FSLN) unconstitutionally “elected” President [can only be President twice and must be none consecutively but he made a decree], lots of fraud in the election

2012 November 4^th municipal elections, FSLN won in 134 municipals while the PLI in 12, PLC in 2 and Yatama in 3; the next day the papers are full of allegations of fraud

Alright y’all, my history post is changing more into a Free Trade Zone post and things are about to get heavy.

We had the opportunity over the first two weeks to meet with various political parties and feminist groups to learn about their perspectives surrounding democracy/political participation and the history of the country. We also visited a Zone Franca(Free Trade Zone). I remember learning about them in AP Human Geography back in high school and the horrible working conditions they must endure just to partially feed their families. Granted this FTZ is definitely a step up from ones we saw in videos about China, but there is still much violence, exploitation, and danger in these foreign owned factories. Of course when we went they treated us very nicely and made it seem like these people were given an amazing opportunity to work in comfortable conditions. The following day we met with a women’s organization, some of the women we met with have worked in these zones and others work with women who work in the zones. Their heart-wrenching stories of violence and inhumanity greatly contrast the stories of the big wigs of the zone.

When we went to visit the FTZ I left wondering why people disliked FTZ? According to the nice man with his Rolex from the National Commission of Free Trade Zones they provide thousands of jobs, they pay almost two times minimum wage, they have a program called Better Work that provides benefits such as housing, and they are working on getting companies that pay even better to come into their FTZ. In order to leave a FTZ they must have paid everyone everything they are owed and must do lots of paper work. However, it is quite a different story when you talk to those who have worked in the maquilas. Pay is below or just at minimum wage, companies try to leave without paying the workers, families are destroyed, and the government is participating in this exploitation. There is a high rate of rape outside the maquilas because they leave late at night and they rarely get paid for their overtime. These women need jobs and so they turn to the FTZ (the alternate option is prostitution) but are then subject to heinous conditions and have to leave their families and don’t even make enough to live off of. One woman talked about how maquilas have only caused illness, pollution, deaths, and violated the rights of so many. But her colleague quickly pointed out that there were also some benefits to maquilas, but only the owners experience them.

One woman, Ana, shared a story about a pregnant woman (going to call her Mary) working in the same factory as her. Mary was pregnant and having pains in her stomach so she wanted to leave. The supervisor, seeing that there was only one hour of work left made Mary stay. In pain, Mary sat down on the ground but the supervisor quickly grabbed Mary by the arm and made her stand up. Helpless, Ana and the other women watched as Mary was made to stand up and watched as Mary’s baby aborted there on the factory floor.

As María Jose said at the end of our meeting, “Remember that garments bought from here come with love, hard work, sweat, blood (literally), sacrifice, and single moms leaving their kids just so the capitalists can have money.”

But for real, that’s a lot to think about. What can I do to not exploit people every time I want to buy clothes or any other product? Go naked? just kidding.

I promise the next post is much more joyous! :) LOTS OF LOVE FROM NICA!

Election Night, Haircut, English/Spanish Convos, and Granada

Highlights from the past week:

            Typically we spend the day at CGE’s center or out and about listening to speakers, and then come 5pm we load up the bus and drive 5-10 minutes to our neighborhood. But Tuesday was different. We hung around the center to watch history unfold. Stuffed with pizza, brownies and ice cream we sat in our classroom/dining area, computers open, TV on to see election results. It was nice to be able to hang out with the group after nearly a week in homestays. We were an anxious group as we watched the results. It’s interesting as we were mostly all rooting for the same man. 10pm was starting to roll around and some were getting tired so we decided that no matter what we would leave at 10:30pm. Minutes before we were going to leave the Electoral College results showed that Obama would be President for another four years and so we loaded up the bus and headed home. When I arrived home my mom was excited to hear the results, as they hadn’t been shown on the local news they were watching. She gave me a thumbs up and exclaimed “Fue los hispanos!”. (It was the Hispanics!). We sat and watched the news for a while longer in hopes of hearing the speeches but I hit the hay long before that happened.

            Thursday was haircut day! My friend Molly and I were in need of haircuts and our professor Kathy has the cutest haircut so we asked where she gets it cut. We spent the afternoon with Kathy at the salón de belleza. I got about 6 inches cut off with lots of layers and Molly got a Lauren Conrad bob cut. Super cute!

            Friday after class 3 of my compañeros (Molly, Charlotte, and Dustin) and I went to the cultural center for English/Spanish conversation time! Reluctant at first I finally gave in and I’m glad I did. We broke into two groups. Dustin and I had five men in our group and we took turns asking questions. We began in English and then spent the second half speaking Spanish. One of the men lived in New York for a few years and speaks wonderful English while two of the guys just began learning seven months ago, there at the center. It was a bit awkward at times, not always sure what to talk about but it was fun! Some of us are going to get together this afternoon (Monday) to play soccer! Finally! I’ve been itching to play for some time now.

looking down at the crater

Volcano Masaya

This weekend, 13 of us went to Granada- in Nicaragua, not Spain. [I didn’t make a weekend trip to Spain, sorry for any confusion.] Saturday morning Joe and Ruth picked us up at our bus stop and we were on our way by 9:30am. We first stopped at Masaya Volcano National Park to see the volcano crater. There is lots of history surrounding the volcano. Way back when, indigenous people used to believe the crater was a gateway to the underworld and they even sent people down to check it out. Because of this they put up a big cross. Now the cross that is there is a replica of the one from way back when. The land around the volcano often times had FSLN camps up during the revolution (late 70s) (don’t worry I’m working on the history post!). Furthermore the Somoza dictators (30s-80s) used the volcano as a torture mechanism, flying around it in a helicopter, threatening to push the person in or going up to the volcano and pushing the person in. Anyways, it is a beautiful crater but we weren’t able to see much of it due to all the smoke clouds. After a quick look around we hopped back on the bus and went to the town of Masaya to shop at an artisan market. After finishing up Christmas shopping (almost!), we were finally on our way to Granada.

one of many Cathedrals in Granada

Said to be the oldest town in Central America, Granada was founded in 1524 by the Spaniards and was the first capital city. After independence in the 1800s the Liberals and Conservatives battled it out and there needed to be a new capital that was in a central location and so Managua was chosen. Granada is a beautiful colonial town, rich with lots of history. Unfortunately most of the original architecture is no longer there because of Mr. William Walker, a US filibuster who, in the late 1800s (same time as Manifest Destiny), went down to Nicaragua and declared himself President, institutionalized slavery, and declared English the national language. He was quickly shut down but one of the final defenses was in Granada and much of the town was destroyed and burned. 

two Oles in Granada!

Molly and I at Lake Nicaragua

For lunch on Saturday we had pizza, then we walked around town for a while and then found our hostel. After getting settled in we explored a bookstore and walked down to Lake Nicaragua, the one of the only (or the only? I don’t remember) freshwater lakes with sharks! Unfortunately we didn’t see any sharks. For dinner we went to a delicious place called Garden Café! Sunday morning we went to Kathy’s Waffle House for some tasty taste brunch and then after exploring some more, some of us did some reading at the café until it was time to head back home to Managua. It was a fun weekend and exciting to see more of Nicaragua!

Tomorrow (Tuesday) we are going to Estelí to a more rural community where we’ll stay until Friday.

Sending lots of love from Nicaragua!!! Missing you lots! Hope all you Minnesotans are enjoying the snow! ABRAZOS Y BESOS

Parks, Politics, and Ice Cream

Hi all! Sorry for such few posts. I’ve been busy with class, speakers, papers, friends, my host family, eating helado, and traveling!

            My host family has been great. We go on walks to the park, discuss politics, watch TV novelas (I couldn’t tell you what is ever happening), and eat yummy food. My ‘niece’ Amy is a Justin Bieber fan and listens to a lot of US music, just thought I’d share how we bonded recently.

Last Saturday (the 3^rd), my friend Molly and I interviewed our families about democracy and political participation in Nicaragua. Both are big FSLN supporters and it was interesting to hear their praises about their party when we’ve learned about how “President” Daniel Ortega is leaning more towards dictator than President and his neo-populist agenda. Ortega receives a lot of money from Venezuela and there is little transparency about where that money goes. However, Ortega has implemented many welfare programs in education, health care, housing, and more.            

Last Sunday (the 4^th) was the municipal elections. I went with Daisy to go vote. We arrived at the school and outside on the wall everyone’s name is posted with their cédula number (like our driver’s license) and which classroom they vote in. After quickly finding the room Daisy went and cast her vote for Mayor, vice-Mayor and Family Councils (FC). Family councils are in the neighborhoods to implement FSLN policy on a local level and if people need something or have a petition for something like new park or a new roof, they go to the FC. Then we saw Toño (her husband) who was working the elections. Daisy used to work the elections, (this is how she is CERTAIN there was ABSOLUTELY NO FRAUD in the past 3 elections) but now Toño does because only one person per family can. The electoral police are chosen by the FC, an FSLN group. Do you smell what I’m stepping in? Great. Moving on. After voting we stopped by the neighbors to have a little chat and eat some fruit salad. Sounds delicious, right? Only if you like cantaloupe and papaya, which I do not. But I somehow kept it down and smiled (I hope) through it all. Then back at the house we watched TV, “Yours, Mine and Ours” was one movie we watched. After lunch, my friend Charlotte and I went to Molly’s because her mom makes delicious coconut helado (ice cream). SO GOOD and only 5 cordoba ($.20USD)! We walked to the park and enjoyed the HOT afternoon. I went to evening mass with my family and after dinner we walked to the park, talked politics, and ate ice cream. 

more posts to come!

Managua

It is crazy to think that we are already on our final leg of the trip! We arrived in Managua on Sunday after being ripped of on the bus, the bus man made us pay $100 cordoba (roughly $5USD) as we arrived in Managua to get our luggage back. Ridiculous considering the bus ride cost $80cordoba (roughly $4USD), which was also a rip off because we're pretty sure everyone else only had to pay $50cordoba. Oh well that's what you get for being gringos.

Topics of conversation lately for our group have been about our wonderful fall break, the HEAT in Manauga, homestay nervousness and stories, talk about going home/end of the trip, foods we miss/crave, Halloween, snow, and Hurricane Sandy.

These past few days we have been staying at CGE's center here in Managua, the capital city. We're right next to a news station and the President's house, so a very safe area. CGE's center is main base for our time here as this is where we have classes and spend the majority of the day.

Monday we met our teachers, went over the syllabi, spent time hanging out, went to ice cream, and had a overall calm first full day. We are taking a Political Science class about citizen participation in politics and a History class about Nicaragua from the 70s-90s. Tuesday we had our first official classes! Our teachers are great so far and we began with a general overview of the history and politics to having a basic place to start. Our classes will be a mixture of speakers, lectures, discussions, and presentations, with a lot of overlap between the two classes.

I'm not even sure where to begin with the history. I think it deserves its own post so I'll write that soon!

Wednesday we met with a man from URACCAN, a university on the Caribbean side of Nicaragua in the autonomous regions. URACCAN is the University of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. The man talked to us about the Caribbean coast and how different it is from the rest of the country. The Caribbean coast is split into 2 autonomous regions- the North (RAAN) and the South (RAAS). They are comprised of many different ethnic and indigenous groups. Although many of the Pacific coast would say their is no racial discrimination, those on the Caribbean side would disagree. There is a social hierarchy between the groups and lots of mistrust too. They have been under the autonomous regime since 1987 and have substantially more poverty than the rest of the country. There are two regional parties on the Caribbean coast however the national parties also have a presence. It was fascinating learning all of this and seeing the huge difference between the two coasts in Nicaragua. 

Lake Managua

Love, peace, and life! FSLN slogan

After our meeting we drove around Managua to see the central plaza and the old President's house, the old Cathedral, and the National Place. We then went to Lake Managua, which a beautiful and very large lake that is sadly 90% contaminated. In the past all sewage and run-off from companies would flow into the lake but fortunately that no longer happens and Germany is supporting a project to clean the lake so in 50 years it will be clean.

National Palace

Old Cathedral

Wednesday afternoon we packed up our stuff and moved in with our host families! We will be with them for a total of 3 1/2 weeks, in the midst of that we will be in a rural community for a week, and then the final week we will all move back into CGE's center. Family is great! My host mom Daisy is very involved in the neighborhood's cultural center, place where we will be able to get involved through various art/culture/cooking classes and activities! I also have a host dad Toño. Daisy and Toño have 3 children in their 30s. One of the daughters lives with them, with her husband and 14 year old daughter. We ate pizza for dinner and then went to a big rally/party for the FSLN party. Nicaragua has municipal elections on Sunday and starting last night all parties now have to be silent. So there was a big dance in the streets. It was crazy. Apparently later on some prominent politicians came to speak and the dance lasted well into the night. This morning for breakfast I gobbled down eggs, doritos (?what?), pineapple and yogurt before Charlotte came to walk to the bus stop with me to go to class.

This morning we met with Mark Lester, the Regional director for our program. He gave a very knowledge filled overview of politics in Nicaragua, especially regarding elections. We talked about the fraud that has happened in the past and the role of the US, and what they're expecting to happen in these elections- continuation of fraud but no obvious involvement from the US.

Now we're waiting on lunch before meeting with the Sandinista Youth (FSLN). It'll be interesting!

MUCHO AMOR!!!