the birthday post (posted a day late)

Today is my 24th birthday. Nothing too excitingis happening, but we did have a spectacular weekend and I’m looking forward to a great dinner!

The weekend:

Jess, Astro, and I visited Salto Estanzuelo, a 45 foot waterfall just outside of Estelí. It was quite an ordeal getting there, but definitely worth the trip. Astro made his first trip on an inter-city bus and got to spend time in the Peace Corps office in Estelí. It’s not much, but Peace Corps maintains a little space with a bathroom and shower, small library and two computers with computer and internet. It’s available to any volunteer (you just go to the store next door and ask for the key) but really only gets used by volunteers in our area. We went to the office so I could research my future. I’m thinking about going to grad school when we get back, so we took a few hours to research programs and figure out how to take the GRE’s in Nicaragua. We made it back to Somoto by 7ish and were completely beat.

Sunday both Jess and I were sore and stiff from our travels. Astro wasn’t. We spent the day cleaning and relaxing. We also hung out with our host family and watched the Spain-Italy Eurocup game. Being the huge sports fans we are, we left during overtime. I wonder who won?

The dinner:

Jess is going to make me the following:

Cold chicken fajitas on flour tortillas with refried beans, guacamole, salsa, lettuce and cheese.
A twice baked potato
Lemon Bars

It should be great. I’m especially looking forward to the Lemon Bars. We’ll see if she pulls it off…

This week is going to be one of my busiest. First of all, the Health Center announced last week that we are in a little bit of a health crisis. In the past week, the Health Center tested three more people positive for HIV. That brings this years total to 6. There were only 7 in all of 2007. The health center recently started pushing the HIV rapid test, which is completely voluntary, confidential, and only takes 20 minutes. 98% of the women that have come into our maternity clinic in the past 2 months have elected to get tested. That’s a really good thing. The bad thing is that some of our worst fears are now being realized. Nicaragua has one of the lowest rates on HIV in Central America…lowest recorded rates, that is. It also has one of the lowest testing rates, which means could be a bunch of people out there with HIV who just don’t know (and neither do we). With these 3 new cases in just 1 week, it looks as if that’s the truth. What are we going to do about it? We started a massive outreach campaign promoting the test and alerting people to the gravity of the situation. On Friday alone we spoke with a union of taxi drivers and two radio programs. Monday is a talk with the Police. Tuesday, university students and Wednesday, the firemen. We’ll be bringing the rapid test and a few nurses to each stop, which means anyone who wants to can go ahead and get tested right there. We’ll post updates on how we do.

Another big thing on my plate is a group of 20 Irish volunteers who are coming to build a health center in an outlying community. They are arriving on the 27th. Last year, the ame group built a health center in another community and the previous Peace Corps volunteer handled all of the translating and logistics. I will be filling that role this year. The group is here for 6 weeks, only the first of which I’ll devote entirely to them. Afterwards it will be on a needs basis. I’m looking forward to teaching the group a crash course in Nicaraguan Spanish and Culture. I also can’t wait to pick up a shovel and get my hands dirty. I think I expected a lot more hands on labor in Peace Corps. Who knew it’d be so much office work?

Jess and I are also gearing up for July, which is shaping up to be a very busy month. She’s going back to Carazo for a week of Language Training (I can’t because of the Irish). We’re planning on joining a group of volunteers in Omotepe for the 4th of July. Then Jess is heading back to the States from the 17th to the 21st. She’ll be missing out on Somoto’s Fiestas Patronales (July 17th and 18th) and Nicaragua’s “Independence Day” of July 19th. I put Independence Day in quotes, because they really didn’t gain Independence from a foreign power. They gained it from a Nicaraguan dictator and put in place Sandinista leaders who some would argue actually made the country worse. More on that as we get closer.

Thanks for reading!

Also, thank you to Aunt Ellen for the delicious doggie treat hamburgers! Astro really enjoys them! Everyone also got a big laugh out of the dog receiving a package, including the mail workers (the name Astro isn´t listed as one of the tenants of our mailbox).

Updates: Breastfeeding and Toothbrushing!

After 5 days of hard work drawing, cutting and pasting, my mural on Breastfeeding is complete! Today I hung it up in the Casa Materna, and kind of group home where women in their last days of pregnancy wait for the big day. The Casa Materna has a nurse on duty day and night, and has a direct line to the hospital, which sends an ambulance as soon as a woman goes into labor. It´s a great option for women living in the country who otherwise would be giving birth in their homes. The women can stay at the house for as long as they need to (normally 15 to 25 days). Their food and lodging is free, paid for by a Nicaraguan non-profit. The women also receive daily talks about nutrition, hygeine, and other things like breastfeeding.

I know my mom and her scrapbooking club would be very proud of this accomplishment. In fact, I´m dedicating this mural to her upcoming scrapbooking marathon. Go get em!

Astro, reaching his 5 month birthday on the 30th of May, has also begun improving his personal hygeine. Following in the style of Jess´ parents´ pets, Astro is now brushing his teeth nightly...all by himself. I, for one, have always believed that the Werders have a special way with animals, and it seems as though Jess also shares this incredible talent.

Answers to Mrs. Lyttle´s Class - in record time!

Today…the impossible…has been realized. In an incredible feat of international diplomacy, trans-atlantic crosswinds, and pure luck I hold in my hand the letters from Mrs. Lyttle’s class. Somehow the U.S. Postal Service and (even more incredibly) Correo Nacional de Nicaragua delivered their package to our mailbox in 4 days. 4 days! In honor of this momentous occasion we will now attempt to respond to your letters in record time, as well.

Anyway, it’s great to hear that the parent dinner was such a success. We were sad to miss it, especially the Goldfish! Someone asked what my theme was for the parent dinner. Sadly, I was never in Mrs. Lyttle’s class to choose a theme. I did, however, get to attend pretty much all of the previous 19. Jess even made it to a couple! OK, on to the questions:

After swimming in the Río Coco, did your Spanish get better?

The Río Coco is the spiritual center of the indigenous cultures of Nicaragua. Therefore, after swimming in the Río Coco, one should emerge speaking one of the Native American tribal languages, like Miskito. Nicaragua was one of the first places to be colonized in the New World. Christopher Columbus first reached mainland in Nicaragua, at a point he named “Gracias a Dios,” or, “Thank God [we made it]!” I added the “we made it” part, be really the phrase “Gracias a Dios” is pretty much only used in situations like that. However, Columbus came up with it 600 years ago, so something might have been lost in the proceeding centuries. Nicaragua is also home to the first Colonial city in the Americas: Granada.

Anyway, the point of all that background was to say that we think of Spanish as the native language down here because it’s been here a really long time, and pretty much all of the real native languages have been wiped out.

And no, we can’t speak Miskito.

Adriana likes to listen to American Music. Where does she buy her CD’s?

Most Nicaraguans buy their CD’s from black-market vendors who download the real CD and just burn copies on their computer. That’s also how they get their movies. Each disc usually costs 20 córdobas (about 1 dollar), but quality can really range the entire spectrum. The rest of the Nicaraguans download music online and save it on generic versions of Ipods or on their cellphones.

Americans think buying music like this (pirating music) is a bad thing, as the artists and companies involved in producing the music and movies don’t get their share of the profits. It’s also virtually impossible to find these pirated copies in the States. Down here, though, I don’t think we’ve seen a single legitimate vender who sells CDs or DVDs in their original, licensed form. Therefore, Nicaraguans get their music the only way available: the black market. Oh, and the black market also happens to be mixed in with all of the perfectly legal products on the legal market, so who can really know the difference?! There are black market meat stalls right next to stalls with meat checked daily by the health department. It’s also very common in Nicaragua to pay for anything using solely cash. That way you don’t have to pay taxes and neither does the vendor!

By the way, Jess and I don’t condone this activity and neither does the Peace Corps, the US Government, or the Nicaraguan government, but that’s just the way it is down here.

What’s it like living with Astro?

Astro is great! We love hanging out with him and he likes it, too. A couple times a week we go running in the mornings. The other mornings we go to a local playground where we teach him tricks. So far he goes down the spiral slide and the straight one all by himself. We’re going to start working on the see-saws.

Astro also goes to work with me if I’m going out in the countryside. He sits in the back of the pick-up truck while we make the trip and then explores whatever school or farm we’re at while I give talks. He’s very quickly becoming the Health Center Mascot.

Astro was 4 months old when we got him, so he was already house-trained and pretty well accustomed to people. He’s a very well behaved dog, never really barks, and doesn’t cause trouble when he’s in the house alone. He does, however, like to dig, steal socks and sandals, and jump on people. We’re working on those…

Has Adriana heard of lemonade?

Adriana’s backyard has two lemon trees. They are enormous and put out about 200 lemons a week. Her family drinks lemonade about 5 times a week, and gives away the rest of the lemons to friends and family. I’m not kidding…

How are you two feeling about living in Nicaragua? Do you want to live there permanently? What are you going to do for New Years: our tradition or theirs?

Jess and I are very much enjoying our lives in Nicaragua. Just like life in the States there are things that could be better (like less rain), but overall life is more relaxed than it was. Things that one would imagine taking all your time (like washing all your clothes and dishes by hand) still leave you with plenty of time to read or play with the dog. We also cook huge breakfasts virtually every morning and still make it to work on time. It’s almost like you get more minutes in every hour somehow.

We miss a lot of stuff about the States, especially our families. We have also come to appreciate life “up north.” Not in the manner of unlimited cell phone plans and dishwashers, but things like people’s respect for others and the sense of personal responsibility and ownership. Not that Nicaraguans don’t have these qualities, it’s just a different culture.

New Year’s?! We’re still planning 4th of July! We think we’re going to meet some other volunteers from our group on the volcanic island of Ometepe. We’ll see…

Why do Nicaraguans have half days of school?

Nicaraguan classrooms average about 50 students to a class. Sometimes more. Some students are lucky to have around 30. Only in 2006 was it mandated that all Nicaraguan children have the right to a free education. The system is still trying to manage the influx of students. Therefore, the day is cut in half to accommodate twice as many students.

How many departments are in Nicaragua?

Nicaragua has 15 departments and 2 autonomous regions. Most departments are conveniently named after their capital cities (Managua is in the department of Managua, Estelí in Estelí, the same for Granada, León, Masaya, Jinotega, Matagalpa, etc.). Somoto, Madriz is an exception to the rule.

How to Nicaraguans celebrate birthdays?

Nicaraguans celebrate them much like we do. Those who can afford to have parties with cake, just like us. It’s also very common to have a piñata. Someone is in charge of shaking the piñata up and down and the kids have to dance around as they swing at it. Naturally, this is much more difficult, so nobody is blindfolded. Most Nicaraguans also know the English “Happy Birthday” song, which they sing along with another birthday song in Spanish. All in all, their parties are a pretty good time, even without the pizza.

OK, thanks again, Mrs. Lyttle’s class. Please feel free to keep in touch on your own once the summer begins!