Photo Update!

As the weather is getting hotter (which I didn’t think was possible), life in Managua seems to be getting busier! This past month was packed full of trips, visitors, and quality community time. And I have pictures to share of all of life’s recent happenings!

El Salvador 

March 24^th marked the 30^th Anniversary of Oscar Romero’s death. Romero was a bishop in El Salvador in the late 70’s who spoke out for the rights of the poor was killed by the military in the middle of offering a Mass. Even 30 years after his death, Romero symbolizes empowerment of the poor and fidelity to the Church in Latin America. As Jesuit Volunteers in Nicaragua, Romero’s life is an inspiration to us and a reminder of our call of accompaniment of the people in Latin America so all seven of us decided to travel to El Salvador for the annual march commemorating Romero’s death. 

This is a statue of Romero where the march began. We marched from this statue to the Cathedral downtown where we all celebrated Mass together. 

 
There was plenty of time to hang out before the march and all seven of us took advantage of that!    

Before we started walking to the Cathedral, there were a number of speakers. Patrick and I, along with our friend Bridget, are intently listening to one of them. 

Beach Trip!

Two times every years, Pajarito Azul packs up two school buses with food, sunscreen, towels and takes a trip to a beach called Pochomil. I always love going to the beach and going with Pajarito was extra special and extra fun! Here’s a few candid shots of some of the residents and workers as they take a dip. (You might notice that there is a lack of bathing suits… Well, Nicaraguans don’t wear them. They simply swim in underwear or shorts and shirts.) 

   
Semana Santa (Holy Week)

For Holy Week this year, three JV’s from Belize City came to visit. It was a great opportunity to reconnect with some people I had met this past summer at Orientation. 

  
Easter just isn’t complete without a good Easter egg hunt on Sunday morning. In order to properly prepare for the egg hunt, we dedicated a few hours to decorating eggs.  
 

  
On Holy Saturday, we attended Mass at this community called Batahola Norte. They have incredible services there and, as you can see in this picture, there is a beautiful mural at the front of the Church. This is all of the Nica JV’s plus the visiting JV’s. 

Retreat

The final highlight of this past month was retreat last weekend. We traveled to a small community called La Garnacha about four hours outside of Managua. La Garnacha is up in the mountains so the weather was cool and the scenery breathtaking. The retreat provided us with a much-needed chance to spend time together, reflect on our work and lives, and share our highs and lows. 

The view of the sunsets from La Garnacha is absolutely breathtaking... I couldn`t get enough!

 
After one of the morning sessions, Amber and I were doing some re-energizing for the following session. 

Since the nights were cooler (I actually wore a sweatshirt!) we would gather around the warmth of a fire. Here are the boys and Lauren trying to get the fire started. 


Well, that hits all of the major highlights from the last month of life in Nicaragua. I hope you enjoyed the visual update! Thanks for stopping by the blog. :)

Walking with Jesus

I love Lent. I love singing “We Rise Again from Ashes” on Ash Wednesday. I love Stations of the Cross. I love the idea of being united to all other Catholics in sacrifice and prayer as we try to make our lives more like Christ’s. I love fish fries. I love having an excuse to incessantly listen to Jesus Christ Superstar. I think you get the picture. While I have always been invigorated by the Lenten season, being in Nicaragua and experiencing a different type of Lent has deepened my love for the Lenten traditions that I have known for the past 21 years of my life. Sure, Nicaragua is a very “Catholic” country but it seems that the Lenten traditions from the States are simply not as present here. As a result, my desire to be surrounded by what I thought were typical Lenten devotionals and sentiments (Stations of the Cross, “giving up” something, somber Church decorations, etc.) has not exactly been satiated. However, this past Friday one of my favorite Lenten traditions shook hands with my new life here in Nicaragua.

One of my community mates, Christine, works at a grade school run by a group of nuns. One of the nuns, Fabbiola, heard that there is a nearby community known as Motastepe in need of ministry. Within this community, there is not a Church, much less a priest who is willing to say Mass. Fabiola tried talking with a priest from her neighborhood to see if he would be willing to say Masses in Motastepe once a month. Unfortunately, he would not agree to do so. Fabiola took matters into her own hands and declared that she might not be able to say Mass for the people of Motastepe but what she could do was bring the Stations of the Cross to them. This week I was lucky enough to be able to go with her.

I was excited to partake in a Lenten tradition that has been absent from my time in Nicaragua but I was not really sure what to expect. On Thursday night Christine told me to wear tennis shoes and bring a water bottle. I showed up at her work on Friday afternoon as prescribed and off we went with a small crucifix, a candle, a guitar, and a Stations of the Cross book. Fabiola had arranged for different families in Motastepe to set up little altars with flowers outside their house and we brought our Stations supplies, did one station at a particular family’s house, and then invited the family to continue walking the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) with us. Our crowd grew slowly. We sang together and prayed together at each house and in between, we walked together. I felt so empowered by the people of the pueblo (village) and was honored to walk with them. The prized moments of the Via Crucis passed slowly and as we strolled by houses where women were washing clothes, kids were playing in their cloth diapers, and dogs were meandering in the yard, I was sure that Jesus was walking the stations with us. I captured those moments and that feeling in my heart and knew that any expectations that I may have had were met and then some. It was unlike any Way of the Cross that I had walked in the States.

*

As some of you may know, on Friday my Grandma underwent an open-heart surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm. Receiving the news of her surgery last weekend left me feeling lonesome, worried, and doubtful of my presence in Nicaragua. I spent the whole week thinking of my Grandma and my family and praying for the best. Thankfully, my mom called Friday evening to inform me that my Grandma was waking up from a successful surgery. I released a huge sigh of relief. She then passed to phone off to my Grandpa. I spent a few minutes chatting with him but we had to cut the conversation short due to a bad connection. As we said goodbye my Grandpa said, “Keep walking with Jesus, Andrea.” To his wish I replied, “I will.” At the moment it had been an instinctive reply but as I hung up the phone, I recalled the events of the day and knew that was exactly what I wanted to say. So, yes Grandpa, I will. I will keep walking with Jesus.

Breathe

This past week for Spirituality Night, one of my community mates asked that we all reflect on what our spirituality means to us. After spending some time in quite meditation, we then expressed our spirituality in some creative form. I chose to write a poem. Since this is my debut on the poetry scene, I thought I would share it on my blog before I go and try to get it published. (Just kidding.)

Here’s what I came up with. I’ll just say that I think it would partner quite nicely with an interpretive dance….

I inhale. 

I sit quietly

I feel the wind all around me

I feel the Spirit all around me

O Great Spirit, breathe your life-giving element into me

Awaken me

Awaken my senses

Enliven my own spirit with

Courage

Strength

Hope

Peace

Joy.

I exhale.

I stand

I am aware of my shortcomings

I feel them gather in my lungs

I breathe out that poisonous air

I release

Fear

Judgment

Anxiety

Pain

Control

I release myself.

I inhale.

I lift my feet

The Great Spirit’s breath carries me away

May I be free like the leaf

Free to dance 

Free to fall

Free to live

Free to be.

I inhale and I exhale, breathing the Breath of Life.

The Call of Duty

I am officially a working woman! Last Wednesday brought about my very first day of work at Pajarito Azul and I have spent this past week getting settled into the routine of an eight-to-four job (a stark contrast to the leisurely lifestyle I was leading for the previous two weeks.) Throughout the upcoming months I will be working with a different group of residents for one week and after I have spent time in each area, I will decide what my role will be for the remainder of my time in Nicaragua.

I began my excursion of Pajarito Azul in a room called Hogar Ositos. The residents of this room are a mix of toddlers and low-functioning and immobile adolescents. My first week was overflowing with diapers, bottles, and baths as well as smiles, laughs, and games. I instantly fell in love with the kids in this room and the work that came along with caring for them. When there was not a diaper that needed changing, I took to holding one of the Ositos. I passed much of my time this past week in a rocking chair talking to a little one in my arms. That is until yesterday.

I arrived at work yesterday knowing that it was my last day with the Ositos for the next few weeks and, having grown quite fond of them, I was prepared to spend the day with a child on my lap. However, after being at work for about an hour, Maria, one of my co-workers, told me that holding the kids was not a good idea. I didn’t understand. As far as I could tell, it was a great idea. Not only did I love that part of my new job, but the children in Ositos rarely have someone to give them a hug, much less spend a significant amount of time holding them. It seemed to me that they were craving that personal attention and love. As I stood there looking perplexed Maria explained to me that when I hold the kids they grow accustomed to frequent and close personal contact. Thus, throughout the past week when I left work at the end of the day I left the kids crying and longing to be held. Unfortunately, there simply aren’t enough workers at Pajarito to continue holding the kids the way that I had been.

I was immediately hit by a wave of emotions. I was embarrassed that I had not realized my oversight sooner; I was disappointed that I could not spend my last day with the Ositos as I had originally intended; but most of all, I was disheartened because I simply did not know how I was supposed to spend time with the kids if I couldn´t hold. Maria continued to counsel me and explained that there are other ways to engage the children, such as taking them for a walk in their wheelchair or playing a game with them. I could certainly spend time with the children but I just had to do so in a manner that does not leave anyone in tears when I leave. Although I was still embarrassed, disappointed, and disheartened, I now understood what my co-worker was trying to tell me: I have to be sure that my interactions with all of the residents can be sustained by the staff after I go home at four o’clock and even more importantly, when I return to the U.S. in two years.

Establishing a sustainable role in my job is one of the challenges at the heart of my work as a temporary volunteer. Since I am only here for a short while, I cannot make the residents of Pajarito so dependent on me that when I leave they are not able to continue as normal. I do not anticipate that I will be irreplaceable at the end of my time at Pajarito but Maria’s honesty reminded me of the balance that I will constantly have to keep in the back of my mind as I continue my work. I fully intend to give of myself the best way I know how but I must do so without disturbing the normal order of my workplace. At times this might mean that I have to sacrifice what I think they need (like I did yesterday) and at other times this might mean that I have to give more than I thought I could. However, these are the very challenges that will remind me of my call of duty: to be with the residents and accompany them in their daily lives. And that is something I can do.

My Life in Pictures.... Plus a Little Treat!

Life over the last two weeks has been totally crazy! I spent one week in the campo staying with a family and then returned home to Ciudad Sandino long enough to bid farewell to Michael and Jenna, the two volunteers returning home after two years here. I then stayed with a family in my neighborhood and went to language schoool for a week. And I just returned yesterday from a retreat with the other volunteers. Here are some picture highlights....

One day during my campo homestay, I was walking with my host cousin and snapped this picture. I think my favorite part of my campo homestay was walking around the roads there and taking in the sights and smells of rural Nicaraguan life.

 

 These are all of the JV´s in Nicaragua at the farewell party for Michael and Jenna.

Here´s me with my community mates! From left to right: Lauren, Patrick, Christine, and me.

After my homestay in Ciudad Sandino, I went back to the campo for a fair with some of the other JV´s.  There was dancing, food, goat raffles, and more!

This is me and Maribel, my host mom and dad´s granddaughter. She´s the absolute cutest.

This is a picture from Laguna de Apoyo where we went on retreat. It was beautiful there! The water was perfectly clear and the lake was surrounded by mountains. The best part of it all: I got to go swimming!

One last thing I wanted to share with you all is a video. While I was interning at the Catholic Student Center at WashU, the other interns and I did a spoof of a youtube video and I find it to be pretty fun and entertaining. I hope you enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCeYVzBahBQ And here´s the original video if you´d like to compare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU157NWHBiM&feature=related

I am wishing you all a Merry Christmas! If anyone wanted to send me some snow, I certainly wouldn´t object......

An Address...Finally!

For all of those who have been asking, I finally know my mailing address! I added it on the left.

(And just for the record, I accidentally deleted my first post and had to re-add it so if you´re looking at the dates, the one I just posted is not a new one. One of these days I´ll figure out how to use the Internet.)

Abrazos y Quesillos

Hola everyone! I am writing my first blog post from my new bedroom here in Ciudad Sandino! Since my arrival last Wednesday my life has been a whirlwind full of sweating, trying to speak and understand Spanish, meeting Nicaraguans, riding buses, learning the history of Nicaragua, killing cockroaches the size of corn on the cob, moving into a new house and figuring out what it means to be a Jesuit Volunteer. It’s different being a new place where I don’t know anyone. All of the second year JV’s have been great and the other newbies have been as well; however, I think that it will take some time for Nicaragua to feel like home to me, especially considering the language barrier that I am trying to cross. On Saturday night I finished unpacking and my room now feels like the first place that I can call home. I’m grateful for that. The rest will come with time and with small steps. Paso a paso, right?


On Friday I went to Pajarito Azul for the first time and I loved it! (Pajarito Azul is the home for kids and adults with disabilities where I will be working for the next two years.) I was greeted with so many hugs and smiles that I couldn’t help but feel that I was in the right place. I have often heard that a person needs a certain number of hugs everyday and after being at Pajarito for a mere fifteen minutes I was sure that day in and day out I would be receiving so much love just through hugs.

After being showered with hugs from all of these residents, I went with some future co-workers and a small group of residents on a field trip to a nearby town called Nagarote. We went to Nagarote because we had a particular mission: to eat quesillos, a “tasty” Nicaraguan treat that Nagarote is famous for. I was pretty excited about trying this new food and after walking around town for a few hours I was ready to eat. However, once the quesillo was placed in front of me, I wasn’t as sure of my hunger. Quesillos are essentially an oversized, flavorless string cheese topped with onions and some mayonnaise-like substance (I was later told that it was sour cream but I still have my doubts) and wrapped in a tortilla. Yum!…. not. I stared at the plate and knew I had to go for it so I ate a few bites out of politeness but was unable to eat the whole thing. I’ve been told by the second years that quesillos are an acquired taste so the day that I crave one of those or enjoy eating it, I will let you know. Even though I did not particularly enjoy my quesillo, I had a wonderful day and feel very blessed that I was placed at Pajarito. Although it is still very early on in my JV experience, I think that the people at Pajarito are going to be a constant source of joy for me. I can only hope that it will become a home for me as well.

Before I conclude my first blog entry I wanted to offer a ginormous thank you to everyone back home. My final month in the U.S. was filled with so many thoughtful goodbyes, heartfelt words, and genuine love, all of which I will carry with me as I continue to settle into life here. You all are in my heart…. thanks for everything.