One Week Down, 103 To Go!

¨La Concha¨in Somoto. Located in the Center of town

Well, we’ve completed our first week in site without any major glitches. We’ve been able to learn our way around town, find the best internet cafes, etc. We’ve even begun (and potentially ended) our hunt for a house of our own. All in all, we are very happy.

In relation to work (Matt) I have been bouncing around different organizations in town trying to figure out who’s got what projects going on and where I can offer the most help. One of the biggest tenants of Peace Corps is that every volunteer needs to be sure the work he or she is doing is sustainable past their departure. Also, it’s important to note that we should not be doing a job a Nicaraguan could be doing. Some might say the opportunities left can be counted on one hand, but once a volunteer gets comfortable in their community and creative with their ideas it’s easy to fill your work day.

I am officially assigned to the Centro de Salud (Health Center), which serves as the primary health care center for the community. Remember, Nicaragua has universal health care, and while there are plenty of private practices around, the majority of the population use the free services offered at the Health Center. Also, the Centro is an extension of the National and State Health Departments, responsible for local educational outreach. That’s partly where I come in. I work with the Health Promoters who spend their days visiting rural communities, established community groups (taxi drivers union, pregnant mothers club), and anyone else who will listen to a talk about how to live healthier. Most topics revolve around reproductive health, disease transmission, and hygiene and community health.

I was able to give my first “solo” charla (the Spanish word for group talk) on Thursday. The topic was HIV/AIDS and the audience was 19 12-15 year old kids. We were in a little town in the mountains around Somoto called Uniles. I had a great time and I think the kids did, too. This particular group is being trained to pass on the information to their peers and family, so they all have a real sense of responsibility and involvement. Even still, the kids separate themselves (just like they do in classes in the States) into those willing to participate, those to shy to participate but eager to learn and, of course, the troublemakers. All in all it a productive hour and a half, and it helped me orient myself to the world of giving charlas solo.

In other news, Jess and I met up with another Peace Corps Volunteer and HWS grad on Saturday. Raul is currently a small business volunteer in Honduras, and lives only 20 minutes or so from the Nicaraguan border. If you’ve looked at a map of Nicaragua you know Somoto is only about 30 minutes from the Honduran border. So, thousands of miles from the shores of Seneca Lake, we had a HWS reunion with people from two different countries, and it only took an hour to get there! It was great to see Raul, who will be finishing out his service in July. We’ve already made plans for him to make another trip so we can visit the famous Somoto Canyon.

HWS Latin America Club Inagural Meetiing

Somoto´s Central Park. Paradise!