Goodbye Heroes and Martyrs

As we have navigated through Nicaragua and been exploring its history and culture, we quickly noticed that Nicaragua has a unique way in which it honors its heroes and martyrs that provides an important glimpse into the country's values and psyche. We learned about, talked about and focused on many of these folks during our time in Nicaragua and in previous blogs, ranging from poets to athletes to dancers to revolutionaries.

One of these folks who has captured my interest is Carlos Fonseca. We were previously wondering why Carlos Fonseca was not recognized in monuments or on T-Shirts like his spiritual counterpart from Cuba, Che Guevara. Was he too radical or leftist for even the Sandinista leadership that still governs Nicaragua today? Had he been forgotten 35 years after his assasination? Were the many books we read on Carlos Fonseca misguided? What was the real story?

In our visit to Managua, we finally found the Carlos Fonseca tomb. This resting place, in a very prominent location immediately off Plaza de Revoluccion, was elegant and is surrounded by azul-tiled pools with an eternal flame to symbolize Fonseca's contributions to Nicaraguan thought and the revolution. As we experienced the memorial, it finally struck me what was happening. Fonseca, by not being seen and featured all over the country, but instead enshrined in one magnificent place, is elevated and his stature heightened. This elegant monument is truly a haunting place and it brought the full force and significance of the 1979 revolution into sharp focus.

Another prominent hero and martyr--Augusto Sandino--stands tall over Managua in a very symbolic way. We walked around the grounds at the top of the Tiscapa Crater, the highest point in Managua (1.6 million people) where the Somoza Presidential Palace was located before the 1972 earthquake destroyed most of Managua, including the Palace. The Tiscapa memorial now has a larger than life statue of Augusto Sandino, the national hero who is the namesake for the Sandinista movement and party. Sandino was assasinated near this spot (supposedly by the Somoza family), as he was leaving a meeting at the Presidential Palace with President Sacasa. With the Somoza family in power, Sandino was hardly recognized in Nicaragua for thirty years after his death. It was Carlos Fonseca who had a large role in intellectually exploring Sandino, his role in Nicaragua, and then capturing Sandino's philosophies (and his name) in creating the FSLN that ultimately led the successful 1979 revolution against the Somoza regime. You can still get a feeling for the nature of "torturo las noches" in seeing El Chipotle, the prison and chambers under the same hill overlooking Managua where political prisoners have been brutally tortured for the past century. An eerie place after reading many accounts of the brutal political tactics that have pervaded Nicaraguan and Latin American politics for the past century.

The next evening as we were experiencing the music, dance and poetry of Nicaraguan culture, our friend Mundo read Ruben Dario's Autumn in Springtime, his sister Marianna presented his Los Cisnes (the Swans) from memory and then our friend Flavia read his famous poem, To Margarita Debayle. In English, Margarita is a beautiful poem for what it says--in Spanish it is magical for not only what the words say, but for the way the words all come together in a truly beautiful song. It was obvious after hearing heartfelt renditions of these poems why Ruben Dario is a deserving national hero and why we had seen him all over the country.

As we were getting ready to depart for the U.S., our amigo and Managua companion and guide, Roberto, had found a Carlos Fonseca T-Shirt that he presented to me as we were leaving. Earlier, our friend Flavia presented us with a beautiful copy of Ruben Dario's famous book of poems: Azul. These treasures meant a lot to us not only as a sign of friendship, but I am also guessing as an acknowledgment of appreciation for our efforts to delve into and better understand this beautiful Central American country and its wonderful and very proud people!

As we were departing Nicargua and standing in line for passport inspection in the Augusto Sandino Aeropeurto, we were struck by and could not help notice (and then smile with warm memories!) about the larger-than-life portraits of Augusto Sandino and Ruben Dario that graced the airport walls. Although there was not a portrait of Carlos Fonseca--his eternal flame for Nicaragua was casting a warm glow on those same walls.

Posted by David

Hasta La Vista Nicaragua!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last night we had a fiesta with all of our friends from Nicaragua. First everybody went swimming, which was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it started to rain and thunder which was a big bummer because we only got to swim a little bit. Then the feast began and all the kids ate dinner while watching Kung Fu Panada 2 in English with Spanish subtitles. Then everybody went up to the sky balcony to take in Catedral and Iglesia La Merced. It started to rain on us again and everybody thought it would be fun to go swimming.  After swimming, Malinda, Marcela, and Mundo' sister Marinette performed a dance and recited Rubin Dario poems from memory.  Mundo, David, Inglesie and Flavia all read Rubin Dario poems as well. It was sad to say goodbye to all of our friends, but we had a really good time. I am going to miss all of our Nicaraguan amigos.

Posted by Nielsen Guy

Adios Nicaragua

Last night we had a wonderful fiesta with our friends and their families.  We ate and drank Nicaraguan food and drinks, watched chicas perform authentic Nicaraguan dances and listened to the poetry of Ruben Dario.  We are scrambling around packing our bags, momentos and memories and enjoying the last few hours of the warm tropical breezes.

This last month we have all learned and experienced so much. We leave this county with a new found knowledge and appreciation for its land and its people.

Ingelise

El Perfecto

In Nicaragua, Dennis Martinez is El Perfecto. In this country that loves baseball, they are celebrating the twenty-year anniversary of Martinez throwing a perfect game while pitching for the Montreal Expos. Fans here are crazy about Dennis Martinez and they have a glow when they recall watching his perfect game.

Many people remember Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series or the most recent gem by Roy Halliday in May 2010. A perfect game is where no runner reaches first base safely--so no hits, walks or errors. There are 27 batters (9 innings x 3 outs). A perfect game is truly a masterpiece that has only been consummated 20 times in Major League history. Martinez's was the 13th!

Martinez was the first Nicaraguan to play in the Major Leagues and he is a national hero in his home-country. Martinez was born in Granada. He pitched for the Baltimore Orioles for ten years, the Montral Expos for seven and then had short stints with the Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves. He had 245 wins in his career, was an All-Star four times, won a World Series with the Orioles in 1983 and pitched his perfect game on July 28, 1991 with the Expos.

When we visited Managua yesterday, we went to the Dennis Martinez National Baseball Stadium where the professional Managua Boer team is playing in the Nicaraguan playoffs. We wanted to go to the game, but we had already planned to see the ballet at the Ruben Dario theatre at the same time. Next time.....

Posted by David

Ruben Dario Teatro

Today (Thursday) we went to The Ruben Dario Teatro in Managua to watch a Nicaraguan dance performance. We had rally good seats and there were a lot of people. The theater is really nice, it is even nicer than quite a few theaters in the United States. The performance was really cool; they did all types of Nicaraguan dances including tap dancing. They can tap really fast and for a long time. They had outfits of all colors, in some of the dances the men and women had matching outfits except the men wore pants and shirts and the women wore dresses, they wore the same colors. They had live Nicaraguan music, you could watch them play it was really cool.

Posted By Maren Guy<3

Ruben Dario Teatro -- Sign in Azul

Laguna De Apollo!

Yesterday we went to Laguna De Apollo in the afternoon. The place we went to is called the "Monkey Hut." It is a hostel and a place to go for the day. We went swimming in the crater, the water  in the crater is so warm it is warmer than the water in San Juan Del Sur. There was a dock you could jump off, there was a lower and higher spot to jump. Andie later jumped off both into the water. Hopefully she will now jump off the diving board. Out a little ways into the water was a floating dock. We swam out to the dock. At first the water was rough then later the water was so clear you could see these really pretty fish swimming in the water. Andie also swam out with Nielsen helping her in the inner tube. It rained for a little bit so then we went up on the porch and played board games then we went swimming again. Then we had to leave.

Posted By Maren Guy<3

The Atlantic-Pacific Passageway

When travelling around Nica, we have naturally focused on what we can see and experience. Yet, as we have immersed ourselves in this beautiful little country, we have also thought about what we have not seen. One vivid example is that we have not seen ocean liners floating elegantly up Lago de Cocibolca (Lake Nicaragua). Hmmmm.....

We all learn a bit about the Panama Canal history-yet most do not remember that Nicaragua was at one time the logical place to build this aquatic passageway and was favored for such a canal during the bulk of the processes that ultimately led to the choice of the Isthmus of Panama. (I did not remember.)

There are many good histories on the Panama Canal--I am a big fan of David McCullough's writing style and his book The Path Between the Seas is a good read. With respect to Nicaragua, the canal was logical for several reasons. First, the Nicaragua route would save 500 miles in transport (a full two days) compared to the Panama Canal. Lago Cocicobilo is an inland lake that is 16 miles from the Pacific Ocean and it flows into the Rio San Juan on the Nicaraguan-Costa Rica border, which then flows into the Atlantic Ocean. In the 1850s, during the throes of the California gold rush, U.S. businessman Cornelius Vanderbilt provided passage from New York to San Francisco (via Nicaragua) for $145. (Note: JetBlu has a one-way fare for $218 and it takes 5:15 with no winds, compared with Vanderbilt's 45-day trip.) He ran a steamship from the Atlantic up the Rio San Juan (with help by railway for certain sections involving rapids) to Lago Cocicobola, where he had wagons transport passengers to the Pacific where another ship was waiting for the journey to San Francisco. It was also important at the time that Nicaragua was not known as a deathtrap like Panama with malaria, yellow fever etc. Yet, we all know the Panama site was chosen for various reasons and Nicaragua.......well...

In considering what this means for Nicaragua today, there are several interesting ways to think about the canal and the hangover that still exists in Nicaragua. First, and most obvious, Nicaragua does not have the aquatic passageway, which--you can guess, is either good or bad depending on  perspectives within Nicaragua.

Second, and more psychologically, the debates surrounding the aquatic passageway are still close to the heart of nationalism that dominates the political landscape in Nicaragua and other Latin American countries today. It appears that anti-U.S. sentiment began to fester when the so-called [Theodore] Roosevelt Corollary expanded the U.S. Monroe Doctrine and exerted greater U.S. dominion over Latin America, which was manifested in the policies leading to the completion of the Panama Canal. These policies continued with President Taft and his dollar diplomacy. In Nicaragua, as the Panama Canal was being completed in 1914, the Bryan-Chamorro treaty between Nicaragua and the U.S. gave the U.S. the exclusive right for 99 years to build the Nicaraguan canal, thus precluding competition for the new U.S. investment in the Panama Canal. In return, the U.S. relieved certain Nicaraguan debts that had accumulated.

This treaty (and the imbedded U.S. domination) is still cited today as a source of Nicaraguan nationalism and the attendant anti-U.S. sentiments that still pervade the political landscape in Nicaragua (Yes, this was exacerbated by the Contra support in the 1980s).

In thinking about this, I recalled a discussion with former President Carter in Merced last year where he indicated that one of his proudest moments as President was signing the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which essentially returned the canal to the people of  Panama in 2000, while the U.S. reserves a right to defend the use of the canal. Like Nicaragua, the people of Panama, within hours of the ink drying on the 1903 Hay- Bunau Varilla Treaty, were basking in their new independence from Colombia and wanted the canal zone back as part of their new country. Panama's  independence finally happened 97 years later......  

Posted by David

What I Will Miss in Nicaragua

1.  Church bells
2.  Brightly painted buildings
3.  Friends -- Flavia, Isabel, Mundo
4.  Being together
5.  Speaking Spanish
6.  Riding the bus
7.  Catedral
8.  Mombocho
9.  Never being cold
10. Mercado

There are a few things I will not miss . . .

1.  Milk
2.  White Wine
3.  Humidity

Ingelise

Muy Feliz

My Spanish teacher Flavia teaches history and geography at a public secondario school in a very poor barrio in Masaya.  Today we were able to visit her school and meet its Director and students.  In the morning the school serves the primary grades from 7 a.m. until noon and in the afternoon the secondario students attend until 5:00 p.m.  There are 930 students in attendance.

The school is slightly larger than El Portal Elementary School and houses approximately 45 students per class.  It is very fortunate to have a small computer lab (very old computers) donated by the cellular company Movistar.  There is no cafeteria for the children, just a small snack bar.  The bathroom consists of an outhouse with a cement wash basin located outside of the classroom.

The students were delightful and all had big smiles on their faces during our visit.  The littles ones were vying for our attention so that we would take their pictures.  They were so excited to have us visit.  The majority of students were dressed in their blue and white uniforms (this represents the colors of the Nicaraguan flag) and had impeccable manners when we entered the class.

Twenty percent of the primary students do not have the appropriate uniform, however, they are still allowed to attend school even though it is against the law.  Secondario students are not allowed to enter the school campus without an appropriate uniform.

Many of you responded to Maren's request to purchase uniforms for students unable to afford one.  Today we were able to provide new uniforms and shoes for six boys and two girls.

We took a public bus from the school with the children (Flavia left us to find a missing student) and found our way to the Central Parque.  From there we went to the uniform store where each child received a pair of pants or skirt, undershirt, shirt and socks.  We then headed to the Mercado Municipal to purchase shoes.  The shoes are made in Masaya from leather.  The proprietor held a lighter up to the shoes to prove they were real leather.  The boys were ecstatic with their new shoes and kept looking them over and touching them. The children's shoes were falling apart and I am sure it was the first new pair of shoes they had ever owned.  After two hours of shopping the children were put into cabs and sent back to the school.

It was a wonderful day and the children were beyond grateful.  Flavia spent her morning off while ill with a migraine to help these children.  It was a good day for all.

We have a small amount of money left and will be purchasing markers for the teachers. Teachers in Nicaragua provide all of their own materials, books, pens, markers and pencils. There is a great need for these items as many teachers cannot afford to purchase supplies for their classrooms.

Thank you!

The School Principal, Flavia and Students (one was missing)

Arroz A La Valenciana -- YUM

Yesterday my friend Isabel made Arroz A La Valenciana for lunch.  It is one of my favorite foods to eat in Nicaragua.  She showed my mom how to make it so she can make it for me at home.  It has cut up carrots, rice, chicken, raisins, peas, onions, celery, bell peppers and a special sauce.  You serve it with pan (bread). Isabel also showed us how to make dragon fruit frescas.  It has pitayas (dragon fruit), limes, sugar and water.  You blend it in a blender machine.  You do not cut the dragon fruit, you just cut it in half and push it into the blender.  You need dos (two) dragon fruits.  She also taught us how to make tostones which are fried plantains.  They taste just like french fries.  The other dinner she taught my mom how to make is pollo jalapeno.  It is really good but I did not like the jalapenos.  You flatten the chicken and put yogurt, garlic and chicken stock and mix it together.  My mom is going to try making it when we get back.

Andie Guy

The Granada Hipica!!!!!!!!

Today was the Hipica in Granada!! The Hipica is where all the people who owns horses dress up in nice cowboy clothes and dress their horses and ride down the streets of Granada.  It is very cool because you see many different types of horses and people. You will see tall horses, short horses, skinny, fat or just really big. Also rich families in Nicaragua like the Pellos family bring their best horses and dress them in very nice tack.  Also many girls will wear big dresses and put part of the dress over the horse. After all the horses go by people drink and party hard. It can be very crazy and a little bit scary.. I really enjoyed watching all the horses go by.

Grande horse The biggest horse at the Hipica.

A little girl with her dress over the horse!!

Posted by Nielsen Guy

Running in the lluvia aka Rain!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ayer which is yesterday my padre and I went for a run in the late afternoon!! As we started to walk out of the house we looked up and saw that there was a huge dark purple cloud above us!! We started to run down to Lago de Nicaragua which is where we run to!! As we were about 200 yards away from the lake we started to feel drops of rain coming down!! We also noticed lightning and heard thunder!! So we get to the lake and hide under this bridge thing while the rain comes down really hard.  We wait with a bunch of people for the rain to stop.  Under the bridge taxis go by really fast and you think they might hit you.  After about 5 minutes the rain still did not stop. My dad didn't want to run in the rain. Joking!! So we decide to run back in the rain and after about ten minutes it finally stops. Very frio but nice! I really enjoyed running in the rain!

Wow this was a big storm huh

Posted by Nielsen Guy

Painting a Picture*********

Here is my painting. We didn't take any pictures this morning so my brother just held it up and took a picture for the blog!!

Today I painted a picture. I was the only young girl there! I painted a picture with lots of colors.  It has orange, yellow, blue, green, light blue, red, and brown. I also mixed a lot of colors together like orange and yellow, which made a golden yellow. I first put a color on the paper and then I get the paint brush and put it in water and then I swept the paint brush from the left and it turns into white!! I also put a horse in the middle of my painting which is azul. I wanted to do it in purple but the lady said it would look really good as azul. Which is blue in Spanish!

Posted by Andie Guy**

Balance

Balance: When opposing forces harmonize. It sounds so simple—yet we all spend considerable time seeking balance in nearly all aspects of our lives.

In Nicaragua, it has been fascinating watching various displays of balance. Women heading for the Mercado can balance large baskets on their heads and walk down a street in crowded spaces with an ease and gracefulness that is majestic to watch. Families of four all ride on the same standard bicycle and you can see that they all have their sense of both their individual balance and the overall need for collective balance to keep the bicycle upright. Nicaraguans effortlessly take a siesta in a hammock as if they were born in one. People can stand on the chicken buses (old US and Costa Rica school buses) without holding on, while the buses start and stop and weave through traffic. Reading Nicaraguan poet laureate Ruben Dario’s prose has a cantor and a certain balance that you can simply feel from the words.

Thinking toward Yosemite National Park, accomplished climber Dean Potter earlier this year visited the Yosemite El Portal School to spend time with the students in navigating slack lines. The timing coincided with Dean being featured in National Geographic (May 2011), where there are several crazy pictures of him, one acrobatically climbing an inverted wall below Glacier Point without a rope, and the other walking a slack line over the top of Yosemite Falls. I have also watched his films with interest as he walks a slack line across the top of Yosemite Falls or across the void between Yosemite Falls and Broken Arrow. You can see his incredible focus and can almost imagine the feeling of floating in space that he must feel as he keeps himself balanced across these death defying walks.

As I watched Dean explain and show the students balance, I was struck by the elegance of his balance and watching him stand on a one-inch slack line and slowly and gracefully walk down the line. If you have not walked a slack line, try it! It is both challenging and difficult and it takes tremendous practice. For many years climbers in Yosemite and other places, during their down time between climbs or “projects” as they call them, have taken chains and webbing and challenged each other to various tricks, all involving balance. There is a great photo of legendary climber Chuck Pratt in Yosemite in the Sixties acrobatically walking a fence at the top of Nevada Falls--while juggling. I am guessing this balance comes clearly into focus when gripping a granite wall a thousand feet above the ground.

Balance enters our daily lives in various ways. We all balance the checking book; we seek to find the right balance between our professional and personal parts of our day; and all daily activities require physiological balance to avoid injury. The President and Congress are now struggling to address our nation’s debt and seek balance in the federal checkbook. In resources management, water resources managers have a “water balance” and spend their days working to achieve that balance. We have a highly sophisticated and productive capacity to produce food, yet there are many places in the world suffering famine making our world out of balance with respect to basic sustenance. In our National Parks, natural resources managers strive to find the right balance between the landscape and the people that want to enjoy its splendor.  

In thinking about balance in this special place called Nicaragua, it appears there are few excesses that tug at people and seek to take away from their innate equilibrium. We are learning by watching. Largely driven by economics, but also a part of the culture and a function of limited resources, people only consume what is truly necessary for the day, whether it is water, food, electricity or gasoline to drive to the next town. Very different!

Posted by David

Nicaraguans

Families of five with three blond children are a rarity in Nicaragua.  Suffice it to say, we stick out like a sore thumb.  As we travel the streets of Nicaragua we frequently hear "Barbie, Barbie, Barbie" or "Muneca, Muneca, Muneca," which is doll in Spanish.  Nicaraguans are not used to seeing little blond girls with blue eyes that look like "dolls."  One little boy stared at Andie in amazement for several moments and then asked her "Why do you have ojos azules" (blue eyes)? While this initially gave me worry, it now puts a smile on my face thinking that this little boy had probably never seen blue eyes before. Nicaraguans see blond adult backpackers trekking around the Americas, but rarely children. Travelling throughout Nicaragua, we have learned Nicaraguans are the friendliest and most helpful of hosts.

While riding a very crowded public bus last weekend, a young woman got up from her seat and offered it to me so that Andie could sit down on my lap.  We were very close to the open door of the bus and it is very difficult to hold on while travelling at high speeds on the highway and then stopping rapidly.  The woman next to me then offered to have Andie sit on her lap so that Maren could sit on mine.  She was very worried about Maren's safety.  Earlier this week we were offered $200 USD by Oscar, our driver to San Juan Del Sur, to pay for our accommodations.  Unfortunately, the local bank in the small town would not let us wire funds from the U.S. and the travellers checks we brought were no longer accepted in the entire town. (Thank god for ATM's.) David and I were blown away that this man we had met for only 1 1/2 hours would offer us so much money.

On the public bus to Masaya (we are usually the only "gringos" on the buses) the "conductor" made sure we knew how to get to the center of town.  He was very concerned that we were headed in the correct direction. Additionally, on another bus trip, the bus was so crowded David and I could no longer see Nielsen or Maren.  The bus driver stopped the bus for a prolonged period (this is not considered acceptable) so that Nielsen and Maren could exit via the door instead of the window like some other folks.  I was never worried that the bus would take off with them still on board!

My fondest memories of Nicaragua will certainly be its people.  I have made many new friends that have helped me to understand and appreciate this country's customs, culture, language and history.

Posted by Ingelise

Claro o Movistar

Nicaraguans love their cell phones; on the bus, on their bike, on their horse or walking down the street.  Billboards advertising cell phone providers "Claro" and "Movistar" speckle the landscape and in cities the largest edifices are its towers.  Their adverstisments grace baseball stadiums, movie theatres and everywhere people gather. In Granada there are more cell phone recharge sites than there are coffee shops in Seattle. From our balcony we have a wonderful view of the cathedrals and Volcan Mombacho in the distance--only broken by the Claro tower.

Interestingly, Nicaraguans do not have monthly plans as we do, they simply go to stores on every half block and recharge their cell phone with a certain number of minutes. In every barrio and even the smallest pueblos you can recharge your phone.  Movistar seems to win the battle as it frequently provides promotions for doubling your minutes or texting.

It is fascinating that for many Nicaraguans they have never had land lines--so cell technology has brought them into the communications world. It seems Nicaragua has skipped an entire generation of technology and has embraced the era of mobile technology and mp3's that blare North American music through their earbuds.   Even familias pobre (poor) have cell phones.  They may not have water or electricity everyday, but they do have their cell phone.

Posted by Ingelise

Cordobas and Centavos

Last night we played a game where my mom asked questions and we had to answer in Spanish. If we answered the question correctly first, then we received coins that are either Cordobas or Centavos. There are 100 centavos in a Cordoba just like pennies.

The Cordoba was created in 1912 to replace the peso and $1 Cordoba was equal to $1 US dollar. The Cordoba was named after Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba who started Nicaragua. 22 Cordobas is now equal to $1 US dollar. All coins say En Dios Confiamos, which means In God We Trust.

We are going to keep playing the game and I am collecting all my coins.

Posted by Andie

Ocean!

Later today we went down to the beach and went far out to the big waves. We kept diving into them and going in the curl. Andie even figured out how to do it and she loved it. There were some really big waves out there, there were even people fishing out there. Then about a half an hour later my mom came down and went in the big waves with us but she only lasted ten minutes because she got salt water in her eye with her contacts in. We stayed about ten minutes more and then we went into the pool right on the ocean.


Posted By Maren Guy<3

Horse Back Riding!

Today we went horse back riding on the beach and in the mountains. We all had our own horses even Andie except she got tethered along. My horse's name was Katina, she was a big dark brown horse. All the horses ate plants along the way, except mine.   My horse held them in her mouth the whole time and ate them when we were done. Katina also liked to trot a lot and she trotted the most out of all of the horses. At the very end we bought sodas there and drove back in the back of a truck. My butt was really sore at the end.

Posted By Maren Guy<3

Surfing!!!!!!!!

Yesterday we went surfing at Playa Hermosa!! Playa Hermosa is a beach two coves off of San Juan Del Sur near the border betweeen Nicaragua and Costa Rica!! Survivor Nicaragua was in the next cove north. The beach was awesome, but very sunny!! The surf there is medium to small! The waves are very constant and are good for surfing. It is very shallow though, which made it so Andie could surf. That's right Andie is the newest surfer in our family!! Andie rocked at it!! I had a lot of fun surfing too!!  I also boogie boarded and swam!! The water here is so warm!! I could swim in it all day!!

Posted by Nielsen Guy

Surfing!

Today we woke up and went surfing at this really cool beach. It was a public beach but the road to get there is private, so there were only about fifty people there. It was really nice they had a food shack, tables all over and hammocks also all over. We rented surf boards for Andie, Nielsen and I. The cool thing was there were really big waves where you could walk the whole out because it was so shallow. Andie learned to surf for the first time, she went on the smaller waves. We hung out at the beach the whole day and we played in the water and surfed. The water here is so warm it is warmer than Hawaii, it is like impossible to get cold. When we were leaving I realized that I was sun burnt really badly in some places I even put sun screen on three different times.

Posted By Maren Guy<3

Ceramica!

Yesterday when we were touring around Pueblo Blanco we stopped at a pottery place. The guy there showed us how they make it all by hand and is a twenty-five day process. After telling us how they make the pottery, he showed us on the pottery wheel. He let me try afterwards, it was really hard. He made it look so easy, I even broke some of the clay off when doing it. He showed us their brick oven kiln(horno), when the top turns white it means the clay is ready. He showed us the rest of how they polish it and everything. They use leaves to make this natural paint. Afterward we bought a clay plate and bowl. The plate has a picture of Volcan Mombacho and some fruit and the bowl has butterflies on it.


Posted By Maren Guy<3

RUNNING FOR YOUR LIFE!

Today we went to watch the bulls running down the streets of Granada -- there were about seven of them. If people wanted to run with the bulls they could. There were about a thousand people running. There were men, women and even some children. They let the bulls out  one at a time. When I saw the first one it was huge. Our friend Mundo was running, he did this whole the time while the bulls were loose. It was really dangerous because the bulls can go anywhere so you have to find a really safe place to watch. It is really hard to watch because everywhere there are people. We left early because it was starting to get dangerous. We heard that there was a guy that got hit in the stomach with the bulls horn. They said the reason he died is because his guts came out. When our friend Mundo came back to the house he told us that he saw a lot of people get hit, plus he even saw some drunk people stand right in front of the bulls. Another thing he saw was that a man was trapped and about to get hit so he full on jumped off the bridge. The funniest thing he saw was that a bull a few minutes later also jumped off the bridge and kept running. Every year people get hurt and some die!

Posted By Maren Guy<3

The bull is at the bottom right of the orange building

Viva Los Tiburones

In Lake Nicaragua there are sharks that can live in freshwater. They are called bull sharks. They do not bite people. They swim deep in the Lake and they go up the Rio San Juan.

We went on a boat trip in Lake Nicaragua and we visited all the little islands that were formed by the last explosion of Volcano Mombacho. We did not see any sharks, but we did see monkeys on one of the islands

At one time before I was born Mr. Somoza and his fishermen hunted the sharks for shark-fin soup and he caught 20,000 in one year.

We also went to a Granada pro baseball game. The Granada team is called Los Tiburones, which means sharks.

Posted by Andie

A Monkey on Monkey Island

Pueblos Blancos!!!

Lago De Apoyo

Today we visited a few pueblos near Masaya! It was a lot of fun because we spent time walking around and  really got to see what the towns were like!!  We got to take a moto taxi to all the different little towns which was a new experience. There were eight of us including the driver and I think they are really built for four people.   I really like those moto taxi's!! While we were in a pueblo named San Juan De Oriente we went to house where they were selling pottery.  The owner took us back in his house and showed us how they make the pottery!! Maren even got to try making a candle holder on their wheel. The process from start to finish takes 26 days, it was really cool. We then went to Catherina where there was a great view of Granada and Lago de Apoyo!! Lago de Apoyo is a lake inside a crater and it has very clean water.  Andie and I climbed up on the walls there which was fun!!  We walked through the town some more and then we had some fruit which was delicious!! After that we took the bus home to Granada and I got to sit up on the dash against the wind shield which was awesome.  The driver was crazy avoiding children, animals, cars and bicycles.  I would never be able to do this in the United States.  It was actually safer than my earlier spot when I was right next to the open door going 45 m.p.h.  At one point the driver slammed on his brakes and I fell against a guy close to the door.

Posted by Nielsen Guy

Moto Taxi -- My Spanish teacher Mundo is taking the picture!

Education is very important.

Here in Nicaragua there are many children that cannot go to school. The reason they cannot go to school is because it is the law here that you have to wear a uniform to school. A lot of poor families cannot afford the uniform so their kids cannot go to school.  Some kids who do go to school are lucky to even get one meal a day and that is usually just a little bit of rice. If anybody would like to donate money for kids to buy uniforms so they can go to school let us know because it is really sad that some kids cannot go to school because they have to wear a uniform. Uniforms cost 40 dollars which includes a shirt, undershirt, skirt/pants, socks and shoes.  Next Thursday or Friday, we are going to purchase uniforms for children with our friend Flavia who is a profesora at a high school in Masaya.

Posted By Maren Guy<3

Where is Carlos Fonseca?

After travelling in various parts of Nicaragua we have not seen a statue of Carlos Fonseca or hardly any mention of him. This is curious to me and has led me to asking Nicaraguans why he has been forgotten.

Carlos Fonseca was the founder of the Frente Sandinista de Liberacion Nacional (FSLN), generally known as the Sandinistas. Fonseca died in 1976 while fighting the Somoza army that three years later the Sandinista's toppled from power. Today we visited Niquinohomo, the birthplace and hometown of Augusto Cesar Sandino, a hero and martyr in Nicaragua and the namesake for the later Sandinista movement. Sandino was shot by Somoza Garcia, the first of the three Somoza's who would dictate over Nicaragua until brought to an end by the revolution led by Fonseca in Sandino's honour. In the Niquinohomo Parque Central there is a huge statue of Sandino that looms over the town and he is recognized with smaller statues in Granada and several other places in Nicaragua. Yet we have not seen a Fonseca statue.

In 1979 a month after the revolution was successful, more than a hundred thousand people gathered in Plaza de Revolucion in Managua to honor Fonseca. Now, thirty one years later Daniel Ortega, one of the leading junta figures in the revolution is again running for President with a campaign slogan "Remember the Triumph 31 Years Ago." Yet, Carlos Fonseca appears to be lost in the background, even though he was the ideological and strategic leader of the FSLN and the revolution.

I am further befuddled by his absence as I liken his radical role in the Nicaraguan revolution to Che Guevarra's role in the Cuba revolution twenty-years prior. I vividly remember visiting Cuba in 1997 and being overwhelmed that Che (as he is referred) wearing his signature beret was on statues, t-shirts, murals, coffee cups and various other ephemera all over the country.

I will keep asking where is Fonseca and am hoping to gain a clearer picture as we travel around Nicaragua. I would appreciate any insights.

Posted by David

Augusto Sandino

Dancing

Last night we went to our friend Malinda's dance show in Masaya. It was really cool and they did all types of Nicaraguan dances. Malinda was really good and she looked very pretty in her outfit. The girls are from 5 to 16, there were also boys. There were also people who were singing during the break. It was really fun, it even started to sprinkle for a while.

Posted By Maren Guy<3

Messi v. Ronaldo

For those who follow the world soccer stage, there is an ongoing debate which player is better: Lionel Messi or Christiano Ronaldo. If you notice soccer jerseys, Messi's Barcelona jersey is red and blue striped, it has unicef on the front and he wears number 10; while Ronaldo's Real Madrid jersey is either white or black; it has bwin on the front and he wears number 7. If jerseys worn and displayed in Nicaragua are any indication, then Messi is the people's choice here!

Although baseball is Nicaragua's first sport, you see muchachos playing futbol on streets in all types of neighborhoods. Most of the balls are worn and some are even flat - yet that does not deter the soccer games at all. Nielsen and I went for a run the other day to Lago del Nicaragua (which incidentally may be the only lake on our planet to have sharks!) and saw two young muchachos playing futbol on a small concrete field that more closely resembled a basketball court. We walked over and started kicking the ball with them and before we knew it they challenged us to a game of 2 on 2. The ball did not have any air, but that just meant you had to kick it harder. Nielsen also had an opportunity to kick a soccer ball for hours with his new friend Luis in the streets of Leon the other day. What a great time--the muchachos all have raw skills and seem to have a zeal for the game that is wonderful to watch.

Worlds away in the major leagues of soccer, the debate continues between Messi and Ronaldo. There are websites dedicated to this important issue. Messi was born in Argentina in 1987; Ronaldo in Portugal in 1985. Messi is a playmaker; Ronaldo a striker and wingman. This year Ronaldo had 53 goals in all competitions, Messi had 50. The two are the highest paid players in the game, with Messi's estimated salary at $44 million annually and Ronaldi at $39 million. My quick math says they together earn about 2 billion cordobas in Nicaraguan currency.

Posted by David

Orquesta de Guitarras

After a long ride in a chicken bus to the town of Rivas (3 hours waiting on a hot bus and 3 hours driving), we arrived back in Granada for a quick dinner before heading to the Tres Mundos Cultural Center for an orchestral performance.  We were all a little grumpy, myself included, about heading out again in the Nicaraguan humidity.

The Tres Mundos Cultural Center was hosting the Orquesta de Guitarras Armando Morales Barillas.  The Orquesta de Guitarras was founded in 2005 and is made up of students from the Conservatorio de Musica de la UPOLI.  The orchestra is named in honor of guitarist Armando Morales Barillas, a Nicaraguan classical guitarist who became famous for interpreting Nicaraguan and Latin American melodies in classical style. The group is touring around the Country and we were lucky enough (we later found out) to take in its first performance.

We had no idea what to expect and frankly did not have high hopes for an amazing performance.  Wow, were we wrong.  The group of 14 guitarists, including a musician visiting from the United States, were outstanding. They performed classical Nicaraguan music along with overtures from Bach and Handel.  Who knew a group of guitarists could actually imitate the sounds of a full symphonic orchestra? 

Our favorite part was the piano like performance when the guitarists clicked their finger nails on the wooden frame of the guitars.  We were also blessed in the middle of the performance by a Central American rain that rang on the roof and misted through windows in the concert hall. If you are interested in hearing its music or watching a video, please go to www.orquestaarmandomoralesb.com.

Posted by Ingelise

Leon with Flavia and her Family!!!!!!!!!!

On Sunday we went to Leon with Flavia and her family!! Flavia, Malinda, Lili and Luis were so much fun. Luis who is 13 loves football/soccer, it is his favorite thing to do!! LiLi is super cute and loves Andie. Malinda is really cool too, she also likes soccer and is a great dancer!! Juan drove us to Leon and was great.  When we got to Leon we saw a Rubin Dario statue right away!  Then we went to the biggest and most important church in Central America -- Cathedral de Leon!!   On the walls were large paintings of the story of Jesus and how he died for us. It was some brutal pictures but really showed you the real story. After that we went to Rubin Dario's house!! It was closed but they guy let us in. It was a cool house!! After that we took a break. Luis and I played soccer in the street for a long time.  A little scary though with all the taxis and people riding their bikes!! My feet got really dirty too!! After that we went to an art museum which was cool. Everybody was really hungry so it was a little hard to make it through all of the rooms. We had lunch and then watched kids ring the Ruben Dario bell at the Cathedral De Leon. I had a really good tim in Leon with Flavia, her family and my family. Also, it was fun to play football with Luis all day!!

Posted by Nielsen Guy!!

Mosaic Art!

Today we went to an art gallery and made mosaics. I made a fish, Andie made a butterfly, Nielsen made a Cal one and my mom made a cool design. We first looked at some ides in some books then we drew our design. We put tiles in the lines of the design and then glued them down. We did that for a long time. Andie even got some tiles that had butterflies and flowers on them. Andie and Nielsen are almost finished but me and my mom need to go back and finish. We did this for and hour and a half. My hands got really sore.


Posted By Maren Guy<3

Pali, Wali, Stali

Today I went to the market named Pali with my dad, sister and brother.  We got a lot of food like milk (they put it in bags), water, crackers and cookies.  Pali is small but it has a lot of food.  There are a lot of people, cars, bike and motorcycles on the street next to Pali.  I held my dad's hand because I do not want to get hit!  We also got carrots, peas, papaya and chicken for dinner.  On the way back we went to the bank and got money.  We then visited the "coyote".  We use the same "coyote" every time because we like him. The "coyote" is the man we hand our American money to and he gives us Nicaraguan money.  He stands on the outside of a store at the end of our street.

Posted by Andie Guy

The Land of Poets

Flavia reciting "Caupolican" from memory

Cathedral de Leon -- The bell in the upper left corner is the Ruben Dario Bell

Ever heard of Ruben Dario? I had not until we started reading about Nicaragua several months ago in preparation for the trip. In Leon--the intellectual capital for Nicaragua--he is buried in the altar at the Cathedral de Leon, which is the largest and most important Catholic cathedral in Central America and was recently designated as a UNESCO world heritage site. There is also a Ruben Dario bell on the Cathedral, there is a Ruben Dario museum, he is visible in at least three statues we saw in Leon, there is a Ruben Dario Street, he is on the walls in local restauraunts and he is on the front of the Cien (100) Cordobas. Presidente Daniel Ortega, in announcing the Sapoa peace agreement that brought the end to the Sandinista-Contra war in 1988 began his speech with "Brother Nicaraguans, I speak to you as Constitutional President of the nation of Sandino and Dario.........." In sum, Dario is THE national hero in Nicaragua and yet we have not heard about him.

Ruben Dario was a poet born in Nicaragua in 1867. Lore has it that he read the bible at age 3 and was memorizing the classics at 6 years old. His poetry published as Azul in 1888 (at the age of 21) is considered a classic and every Nicaraguan reads it and many of his other works in secundaria (middle school). There is even a special Dario dictionary necessary for those reading his poetry.

In spending the day in Leon with our Nicaraguan friend Flavia, she read several of his poems to us from memory. I know she had it right as I had downloaded to our Kindle earlier in the week a copy of both Azul and Cantos de Vida y Esperanza (Songs of Life and Hope) and the latter, published originally in 1905, had both the original Spanish versions and translations to English. His poetry is beautiful in all languages, but his poems in Spanish have a certain cantar that reads like a wonderful melody. In fact, one of the reasons we have not studied Dario in the United States is that only recently have scholars even attempted to translate his poetry into English, recognizing that the musicality of his rhyme and rhythm is lost to a certain degree.  By most measures, he is considered the father of Hispanic modernism and one of the most influential poets in Hispanic literature.

In the United States, most of us cannot even name our nation's poet laureate (currently W.S. Merwin), yet in Nicaragua the poets are more famous than athletes, entertainers,and both political and religious leaders.  If you are interested in Nicaragua and its poetry, Salman Rushdie's treatment in The Jaguar Smile: A Nicaraguan Journey, reveals the depth and influence of poets in Nicaraguan society.

Posted by David

David, Ingelise, Maren, Melinda, Andie, LiLi, Nielsen and Louis with Ruben Dario

Baseball!

Today we went to a baseball game, the Sharks against the Coffees. We were rooting for the Sharks that is Granada's team and the Coffees are from Carazcos. The Coffees are the number one team in Nicaragua. This is the Major Leagues for Nicaragua. The weird thing about baseball in Nicaragua is that the players are really lazy in running to get the ball. For example if the ball is really close to them they would sometimes miss it because they didn't make an effort is what it looked like. Also they didn't run as fast as they could, which was strange. In the end it was a close game.   The Sharks barely won in the last minute, the guy for once was running as fast as he could and made it!

Posted By Maren Guy<3

Zip Zip Zip Lining and our Forest Adventure :):):):):)

One day I went Zip Lining in the cloud forest.  I had a really fun time!! One of the times I got to go by myself on the zip line!! I got to see monkeys and a sloth on our hike around the crater!! If you ever go zip lining it is a lot of fun and I promise you will enjoy it especially if it is in the cloud forest.

Posted by Andie Guy

Quite Bizarre!

Every once in a while in Nicaragua you will see some cows or horses grazing in the streets. They will just slowly walk on the road even if a car is coming. You just stare at them wondering what are they doing. It is quite bizarre, but also very interesting and crazy. Mainly you will see horses like two or three at the most. They don't even seem to mind you, it is like you are totally invisible to them.

Posted By Maren Guy<3

Observations on the people and the country of Nicaragua!!!!!

While on our trip to Nicaragua so far I have made many observations and learned about the history of Nicaragua and its politics. Nicaragua is a developing country which means it has limited infrastructure and an unstable government!!! A developing country is a lot different than our country. Here people don't have clean water, some people only get water once a week. Also people have very limited electricity and always have to wash all of their clothes by hand. A big problem in Nicaragua is education. Schools require students to wear a uniform and shoes. Many poor families can not afford a uniform and then their kids can not go to school. It is very sad the amount of kids that don't go to school because of money. Instead of education these kids end up having to work to raise money for their families. Also I have made a lot of observations on the politics of Nicaragua. Nicaragua is still governed by a dictator, however it is working toward a democracy!! In November Nicaragua will have its 3rd or 4th election. The current president Daniel Ortega will probably win the election and stay in power because there is no one to run against him. Unlike the U.S. the government struggles to keep its people fed and working!! Thats why the U.S. is such a great place to live. We are very lucky to live in such a good country with clean water, lot's of food, work and the right to vote for our government!! That is my observation on Nicaragua and it's people!!!

Posted by Nielsen Guy

The Nicaraguan School Uniform -- Blanco and Azul like the Nicaraguan Flag