Holas Todos!
It´s been just over a week since my arrival in Nicaragua and already there is so much to share! After meeting my group last Friday, we had a few days of orientation and moved in with our host families on Tuesday. I´m in Esteli, a northern Nicaraguan city, right now, spending the weekend with a few friends and scouting out a possible location for my independent study project. So far my time in Nicaragua has been exhilerating, exhausting and inspiring... here are a few fun stories...
Last weekend we spent a lot of time discussing program details with our academic director, going over safety precaussions, taking Spanish placement exams, and figuring out how to navigate the busy capital city. Managua is unlike any city I´ve visited before. Almost all of the homes and buildings are a single story, people sell everything from fruit to watches in the middle of three lane highways, the heat is stifling, sidewalks are indistigiushable from dumps, theft is pervasive, catcalls are endless, tropical trees are abundant, and Nicas are some of the most welcoming, friendly and passionate people I have ever met! One fundamental component of all SIT orientations is a ¨drop off¨which took place on Monday. We woke up early and took a bus to Leon, a colonial city in northwestern Nicargua. Upon arrival, our academic director Aynn asked two people leave the bus. She handed them an envelope, and the bus drove on. Student pairs continued to depart the bus at random points around the city, and eventually, when my turn came around, I took an envelop and began a journey with my partner Manual. In our envelope, we were asked to gather information about Nicaragua and specifically Leon, including local folklore. We had heard about a museum of Leonese legends, and after asking for directions from an array of street food vendors, we finally made it to the museum (addresses don´t exist in Nicaragua... a specific place is always described in relation to another, so if you don´t know the latter, it is very difficult to get aywhere!). Unfortunately the museum was closed, so we decided that our next best option was to talk to locals! We came across two women sweeping the sidewalk in front of their home and we asked them to tell us a Nicaraguan legend. Excited by our interest, one women described a story about a boogieman as the other retreated indoors. She emerged with a book of legends, suggested we make a photocopy of our favorites and explained that her son would guide us to a nearby copy shop... Legends in hand we continued to explore the city!
The next day we met our host families and, believe it or not, I am living with a 103 year- old grandmother! She is tiny and very sweet, though suffering from dimentia- I´ve been reintroduced to her a few times... In addition to la abuela I am living with a mom, dad as well as their son and nephew. I am the youngest member of the family by about 10 years, which makes for an interesting dynamic- they all look out for me, and try their best to ensure that I´m well-fed, well-rested and comfortable. Unfortunately, it is difficult for these things to coexist in Managua- water runs only from 2 AM to 6 AM, the city is hot and dusty and almost all of the food is fried! Nonetheless, I am happy and very charmed by thier generosity and kindness.
My classes started on Wednesday and I have Spanish for 3.5 hours every morning and the Revolution, Trasformation and Civil sociaty seminar for 2 hours every afternoon, except for Monday, when I have a field study methodology course for 3 hours. There are only three students in my Spanish course which is FANTASTIC! I´m absorbing a lot, learning local expressions and meanings, and increasingly able to have complex conversations. For the last hour of class two days each week we meet up with university students, our conversation partners. The student I´m working with, Noelia, is a advocate of womens rights in Nicaragua and very politically engaged. She inspires me a great deal- she´s very intelligent, well informed about social and political issues and devoted to making her country more just and peaceful... Every Thursday our Spanish professors bring us on a field trip, and this past Thursday we toured the National Palace and met Eden Pastora, the leader of the Sandinista group that took over the National Palace in 1979 and held the U.S.-trained National Guard hostage for two days. He is a legend and hero here in Nicaragua and we had the opportunity to talk with him for a few hours! Similarly, our afternoon classes are taught by an array of famous political figures and professors, including, so far, the president of one of Nicaraguas most prominent political parties and an acclaimed and incredibly brave Sandinista guerilla, also part of the group that held the National Palace seige in 79. These classes are fascinating and charged with passionate political energy, strong conceptions of justice, disparate views of how and why the revolution took place, inspired accounts of the role the U.S. has played in Niacaraguan politics, and projections about Nicaragua´s future. I feel so privileged to talk with such passionate and accomplished historical and political figures- AMAZING!!!
On Friday after class my friends and I left for Esteli... more to come on this adventure soon!
I hope you are all happy and well!
Love,
Em
The next day we met our host families and, believe it or not, I am living with a 103 year- old grandmother! She is tiny and very sweet, though suffering from dimentia- I´ve been reintroduced to her a few times... In addition to la abuela I am living with a mom, dad as well as their son and nephew. I am the youngest member of the family by about 10 years, which makes for an interesting dynamic- they all look out for me, and try their best to ensure that I´m well-fed, well-rested and comfortable. Unfortunately, it is difficult for these things to coexist in Managua- water runs only from 2 AM to 6 AM, the city is hot and dusty and almost all of the food is fried! Nonetheless, I am happy and very charmed by thier generosity and kindness.
My classes started on Wednesday and I have Spanish for 3.5 hours every morning and the Revolution, Trasformation and Civil sociaty seminar for 2 hours every afternoon, except for Monday, when I have a field study methodology course for 3 hours. There are only three students in my Spanish course which is FANTASTIC! I´m absorbing a lot, learning local expressions and meanings, and increasingly able to have complex conversations. For the last hour of class two days each week we meet up with university students, our conversation partners. The student I´m working with, Noelia, is a advocate of womens rights in Nicaragua and very politically engaged. She inspires me a great deal- she´s very intelligent, well informed about social and political issues and devoted to making her country more just and peaceful... Every Thursday our Spanish professors bring us on a field trip, and this past Thursday we toured the National Palace and met Eden Pastora, the leader of the Sandinista group that took over the National Palace in 1979 and held the U.S.-trained National Guard hostage for two days. He is a legend and hero here in Nicaragua and we had the opportunity to talk with him for a few hours! Similarly, our afternoon classes are taught by an array of famous political figures and professors, including, so far, the president of one of Nicaraguas most prominent political parties and an acclaimed and incredibly brave Sandinista guerilla, also part of the group that held the National Palace seige in 79. These classes are fascinating and charged with passionate political energy, strong conceptions of justice, disparate views of how and why the revolution took place, inspired accounts of the role the U.S. has played in Niacaraguan politics, and projections about Nicaragua´s future. I feel so privileged to talk with such passionate and accomplished historical and political figures- AMAZING!!!
On Friday after class my friends and I left for Esteli... more to come on this adventure soon!
I hope you are all happy and well!
Love,
Em
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