El Puesto de Salud - El Kairo

As you’ve been hearing over the past two months, virtually all of my work-time during the month of July was devoted to working with a group of Irish volunteers from the University College of Dublin (www.ucdvo.org). Spending time with this group was one of the most enriching experiences of my Peace Corps service so far for several reasons:
1. I met a lot of great Somoteñans who helped me connect to the true pulse of Somoto. I know now where to go to rent a bus, get a good take out meal, and buy 30 bags of cement at discount prices.
2. I met a lot of great Irish folk who were able to accomplish an enormous task in only 6 weeks. Let’s just say it was nice to work at a faster pace than “Nica-time.”
3. I was able to help in a way that only a Peace Corps volunteer could and in a way that I believe can really help the developing world.

To expand on the third point, the project really needed someone who could translate for the group, but also had knowledge of the area and the various institutions involved. They also needed someone who could step outside of regular responsibilities and devote a significant amount of time to the project before, during, and after the actual construction. Luckily, as a Peace Corps volunteer, my role with the Health Department allowed me to do exactly that, and still stay inside my normal job description.

Secondly, we talk a lot in Peace Corps about sustainable development, which means that the projects we start should be sustainable long after we’re gone. In order to have sustainable development, you have to have community engagement to keep up interest in a project. You also need to have committed volunteers or contributors that can take over a managing kind of role when the program reaches a certain stage of stability. Lastly, most importantly, and perhaps sadly, there needs to be a steady stream of funds to maintain the financial costs and obligations of a project. Step 1 and 2 are fairly easy to accomplish, as long as the project really is for the benefit of the community. However, that last step really is a doozy. If long term funding can’t be guaranteed, the community incentive to even start a project is almost zero, and for good reason.

The volunteers from UCDVO take the time to research a community and it’s needs before committing to a project, but once it’s assured that a real benefit can be provided, they come in and take care of step 3. In this case, the real expense of a health center is the construction and medical equipment. If the Health Department can manage paying for qualified staff (1 nurse 5 days a week and 1 doctor 2 days a week) and building maintenance, then you’ve got yourself a sustainable project!

OK, well, if this kind of boring stuff interests anyone out there, let us know and we’ll write a little more about the theory behind being a Peace Corps volunteer. Until then, take a look at these pictures that show the progression of the project, and finally the inauguration ceremony on Thursday.

The project should be finished by the middle of September, so look for final pictures then!

¨Be My Amoeba¨ by Aeron Hurley

Before I write about our adventures I want to thank Matt for putting up with me for the majority of two weeks. This was the best vacation I have ever had, which doesn’t say much since I have never gone on a real, legitimate vacation. If I had, however, I’m sure this one would have been better…

I have never been out of the country. I don’t count Canada because…well, I just don’t. I was excited and scared out of my mind at the thought of traveling to Central America. To me, this was a place I only saw on maps and maybe memorized names and capitals in sixth grade. To be honest, I had to check where Nicaragua was just so I could orient myself to where I was going to be spending my two weeks.
I wrote to Matt probably a month before I actually left and told him, half jokingly, that I was going to come and visit him, that I had tons of vacation time accumulated, and that I was coming as soon as I could. A week later I purchased my first passport, expedited of course, and, thank you Orbitz, a round trip ticket to Nicaragua.
With pretzels as a gift from the States, I met Matt and Jess at the airport in Managua, and stepped onto soil other than U.S. soil.
The first few days were acclimation days, and did I ever acclimate. “I put my toilet paper in what?” “Hey Matt, where is the hot water knob in the shower?” “Hola waiter, do you have anything else besides rice and beans? Tostones? Sounds great!”
From Managua we traveled by bus to Estelí and then hitchhiked on the back of a pickup truck to Somoto. We spent the evening walking around town and had dinner at a local restaurant. Matt, or should I say Matteo, is pretty much a celebrity in Somoto. Everyone waves at him and shouts his name like he’s a rock star. Speaking of rockstars, I was introduced to an amazing Nicaraguan band called PerroZompopo. It was a relief to hear something else besides reggaeton in this country.
The next day we met up with the Irish, a group I’m sure Matt has “blogged” about many times. From their health center construction site, Matt and I saddled some horses, Bob and Frank, and rode off into Honduras, snapping pictures at petroglyphs along the way. On the way back, yes, I did get clotheslined in the face and fell off my horse. I would just like to add that for the duration of the ride my horse (actual name: Maria de los Pobres) was simply amazing and I felt like a regular John Wayne. Matt’s horse (actual name: Pony) on the other hand, would stop for no reason and stare at a tree or rock. I think Matt just needed to work on his horse taming-skills a little better.
The following day brought hopes of swimming and exploring more of the countryside via Somoto Canyon. This would turn out to be one of the scariest and most exciting adventures of my two weeks. For the sake of not wanting Matt kicked out of the Peace Corps, I will make this the abridged version. Astro fell in, and into one of the worst parts of the river too. Escaping near death from rapids and the clenches of fire ant mandibula, we bouldered up the canyon and into a cow farm where we thought we would have to spend the night. Thankfully Matt found some ant covered tortillas, tomatoes, and a well worn path that turned out to only be a few kilometers from the Pan-American Highway.
Back to Somoto for dinner and Toña, my personal favorite.

I had far fetched plans to travel on my own for a few days, and I did. I took a bus to the city of León. Here I stayed at a very nice hostel, did my souvenir shopping, and swam in the Pacific Ocean. Seeing the Pacific was the best part of my trip. Maybe it’s because I was on my own, or that I was in a foreign country, possibly even both. But like they say, “Words will never fully describe it.” And since my camera got wet in the river, I will hold that experience in my mind.
Matt met me in León the following Wednesday. We went out that evening for pizza, Chinese, and beer. I have never had amoebas, and never want to, but after that dinner I feel I have some idea what it feels like to have them. On Thursday we took an early bus to Granada and enjoyed desayuno at Kathy’s Waffle House. From there we traveled to a place called Laguna de Apoyo, a gorgeous crater lake in the center of an ancient dormant volcano, and swam all day. Getting up early again to catch a bus, we traveled to Masaya to meet up with Jess, who just got back from the States, and to take a ride to see an active volcano. Volcán Nindirí showed some activity a week prior, so there was some sulfur smoke rising from her depths when we showed up. After being asphyxiated by smoke, we ventured into the bat caves of Volcán Masaya.
The next few days were basically relaxation and reflection days. I said goodbye to Matt and Jess and stayed in Laguna de Apoyo one more time. The next day I traveled to Managua where I stayed in a hostel and saw Batman “The Dark Knight” at a local theater for 50 córdobas, or $2.50 in U.S. dollars.
My flight out of the country left at 6:30 the following morning. I was sad to leave. My first time out of the U.S. was better than I expected. Where else, and with whom else for that matter, can you almost die in a river, get eaten by fire ants, swim in Pacific waters, see an active volcano, and do it all for really cheap? Leaving is part of the experience, I believe. It’s your chance to bring stories and a new perspective back with you for use in your hectic daily life.
Aside from all the things I did and the experiences I had while I was there, I also got to see the benefits of Matt and Jess’s work in the Peace Corps. Their volunteer work in health education, particularly in HIV/AIDS awareness, is life-changing for the people of Nicaragua and inspiring for those of us back here in the States.
Thank you Matt and Jess for taking the time to show me around and for almost killing me. I’ll never forget it.

Friends, Family, and Amoebas & Amoebas Today, Gone Tomorrow (DOUBLE POST)

Friends, Family and Amoebas

First of all: Apologies. We have not posted in a while, mostly because we have both been busy traveling across large geographical distances and haven’t paused to write about our adventures. Matt will write about his travels, but as for me, I just returned last week from an absolutely wonderful trip to New York/New Jersey, in which I managed to combine visits with my friends and family (Matt’s family included J).

The impetus for the trip was the wedding of Jolene and Zach Bennett, and I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity to be part of the wedding and to see so many people that I love, all in one space! My mom and dad also deserve thanks, for two things – for bringing together so much family, and for organizing an amazing picnic, the highlight of my entire trip. And thanks must, of course, be given to Matt’s parents, Dave and Cathy who carted me all the way from Newark to Syracuse, and later from Honeoye back .
Despite what Dave may think, I actually enjoyed the roughly 11-hour car ride with my in-laws nearly as much as the food (though the food clearly comes in first place – I’m sorry).

The Newlyweds!

While my trip home was amazing, timely and filling, my return trip to Nicaragua quickly reminded me that Nicaragua and New York are clearly different places. First of all, the humidity of Western New York in July pales in comparison to the suffocating heat of Managua that greats you when you leave the plane. And, next to the 11-hour, nicely air-conditioned trip in the cute convertible PT cruiser of my in-laws, the 3 hour bus to Ocotal seems to take a century.

Reaching home Tuesday morning, after roughly 24 hours of traveling, all that I wanted to do was shower. But of course, there was no water in Somoto, and it didn’t return until about 8pm. To top it all off, I was acutely reminded that I live in a third-world, tropical country on Thursday, when I awoke with massive stomach pains, vomiting and the need to visit the bathroom several times throughout the morning. Apparently the amoebas that seem to have taken up residence in my stomach were thrilled that I had chosen to return to their country of origin. Thank god for pharmaceuticals.

After readjusting to Nicaragua (Matt and I are still having serious discussions about the reverse culture shock of visiting the states and the adjustment needed to come back, but that seems too serious of a conversation for the blog right now), medicating myself heavily and sleeping for nearly 24-hours, I decided to join Matt and Aeron in Masaya and Granada for the weekend. I was still feeling a bit exhausted, but not too much for some bat-cave adventures at Volcan Masaya. Pretty cool stuff, especially with our great bilingual tourguide, Luis. I also scored an absolutely beautiful amber necklace and ring set, handmade by a Chilean women. Matt bought it as a gift for me in Granada – I consider myself very lucky to have a thoughtful husband, who also has a great eye for jewelry.

All in all, life continues as always in Somoto. We work, we eat and we play with the dog….

Amoebas Today, Gone Tomorrow

Jess and I both are recovering from amoebas, but I’ve had mine waaaay longer than her. I almost feel bad killing them off, I feel like we’ve bonded over the past month. However, waking up with morning sickness is just not something I ever want to experience again.

The Irish group and their health center are coming along nicely, although over the past two weeks I haven’t had much of an opportunity to participate in the building. Most of my time (when not out of Somoto) has been spent negotiating with contractors, lunch ladies, and solar panel salesmen. I really enjoy the role I fill with this group, but it leaves me exhausted at the end of the day. They are looking to finish up the 8th of August, which means our time is quickly winding down. Consequently, I am really poking and prodding Nicaraguan business folk who are used to a slower pace of life.

Our boss from Managua came to visit us last Monday and Tuesday to check in on our work and living situations. All volunteers are required to have some sort of activity ready to show them what it is we do on a daily basis. I took our Assistant Peace Corps Director for Health and the Project Specialist for Health to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting around the corner from my house. It’s a group of about 40 recovered alcoholics, all men, who meet every single night (7 days a week) from 7-9 to discuss and fraternize. Some of these guys haven’t had a drink in a decade, but they still go every single night. So, we spiced it up a bit with an HIV talk. I really enjoy working with men in this capacity, so it was easy for me. We talked about the virus, how it’s transmitted, its effects and how it can be prevented. We even did a condom demonstration with a variety of vegetables. Specifically, we put condoms on a cucumber, a yucca root, a carrot, an ear of corn, a banana, and a platano verde. Clearly, we had a ripsnortin’ time and learned quite a bit as well. Peace Corps was happy.

After the visit I met up with Aeron in Nicaragua’s second colonial city, León. León isn’t nearly as touristy as Granada (Nicaragua’s and the New World’s first colonial city). We had a great time and stayed at a great hostel that was cheap, clean, and relaxing. We went on from there to Granada, then Laguna de Apoyo, and finally to Masaya to meet up with Jess. I won’t go too into detail about our adventures, as Aeron is going to be a guest blogger and elaborate on our journeys.

One of my favorite parts of his visit was our horseback ride into the mountains bordering Honduras. We headed out from the Irish’s up and coming health center and headed toward a town called “Las Pintadas,” or, the painted [rocks]. The community says they have several pre-columbian petroglyphs scatter around, but we only encountered one. Either way, it was pretty cool. From there we continued on past the community. Aeron’s horse was named Maria de los Pobres and mine was called Pony. Astro came along, but he didn’t get his own horse. He just chose to ride mine when we was tired, and/or lazy, depending on your opinion. Basically, Aeron and I just aimed for the highest peak on the horizon and rode towards it. A few hours later we were at the top with a beautiful of both Nicaraguan and Honduran countryside. We rode back almost completely in a full gallop, with Astro keeping pace next to Pony (who I chose to call Frank because Pony sounds too wimpy). We arrived back at the worksite, a couple of true American cowboys, with our cattle-ranchin’ dog in tow. Everyone was awed by our equestrian mastery. That is until Aeron was clotheslined by a wire connecting a couple of fence posts. He fell right off of Maria de los Pobres (who he was calling Bob, despite the gender contradiction), but luckily she was a small horse. His fall did nothing more than hurt his pride and dispel the respect of the Irish. They are a harsh group, what can I say.

I’m also beginning to study for the GRE’s. They are being offered in Managua in October and November and I want to take them with plenty of time to re-test if I go belly up. That being said, please take note of my expanded vocabulary in this post and those in the future. Thank you.

More to come!



Laguna de Apoyo at sunrise. Nuthin´better!

Aeron Hurley: Today, world explorer and cancer research pioneer. Tomorrow, Greek god.

Here we are about to climb into the bowels of the sulfur spewing volcano you see behind us. Hi, Mom!

I survived the Volcán Masaya Lava Tunnels and all I got was this stinking bat guano on my legs...

The Cathedral of Granada.

Optimism and Innovation, the two keys to hitch-hiking.

Kathy´s Waffle House, Granada. American Diner food never tasted so good.

The Cathedral in León, still awaiting a facelift like it´s cousin in Granada.

The condiments found on the table of a local Chinese restaurant in León. Okay, okay, we brought the beers....

Welcome to the Canyon!

Me, Astro, and Pony, also known as Frank, contemplating the universe and our pack out lunches.

Aeron, Maria de los Pobres, also known as Bob, somehwere near the Honduran Frontier.

Aeron and Astro, best friends who found each other through Emo music.

Jess and Aeron found this incredible specimen sunning himself by the pool of our Managuan hostel. Croikey!

Long time no blog

The Island of Omotepe!

Hello to all you faithful readers out there. First of all, our apologies for not posting in quite a while. Since we last wrote, Jess has spent a week in Carazo (our old training site) and I have begun working with a group of Irish volunteers who are building a health center near Somoto in just under 6 weeks.

El Volcán Concepción

We also spent the 4th of July on the Island of Omotepe. It´s located in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. It´s actually the largest fresh-water island in the world with two huge volcanoes, one which is active. The volcano Concepción last erupted in 2007, so let´s just say it´s really active. The island offers all sorts of nature outings, but Jess and I chose to have a relaxing weekend and spent most of our time napping in hammocks or eating. We did go on a hike to see some pre-Columbian petroglyphs. They were carved in volcanic rocks a few miles from the hostel we were staying at. There was a bunch of pretty flowers and wildlife as well. Fairly interesting stuff!

The trip was really more of a reunion for our Peace Corps training group. We celebrated 3 birthdays (mine included) and just caught up on our experiences over the past the months. The birthday boys got cookies and a piñata full of chocolate. Nicaraguans have giant piñatas like in Mexico, but the way they are destroyed varies. In Nicaragua the person hitting the piñata isn´t blindfolded, but the challenge is much greater. The person hitting has to dance while they swing the bat, and another person is pulling the piñata up and down on a string. Very difficult.

The hotel that we stayed at was like a beefed up tree house with hammocks and lawnchairs and rooms hidden all over the place. Unfortunately, the don´t accept credit cards, so Jess and I were stuck camping at the lake´s edge. We had brought our tent, however, so it really wasn´t that bad. We also saved a bunch of money!

On the way back across the lake we found ourselves on a much smaller ferry than on our trip across. What we rode couldn´t really be called anything more than a tugboat. There was only the main deck, which was already loaded with produce before the ¨human¨ cargo even made it on board. While the ride was very beautiful, we all were a little nervous we´d hit a giant wake and find ourselves swimming amongst pineapples and potatoes.

The week has been fairly regular, with Jess once again in Somoto. I´ve been working on the construction site of the Health Center every day, which has been great. Astro has been joining us occasionally, but has had to stay home lately because we´re pouring concrete. He did get to take a run with his dad the other day, though. I don´t know if we´ve explained this in the past, but Astro lived with his biological father and his family for the 4 months of his life before we got him. Every time we go by their house, it´s always a battle to keep Astro from running in the door. We bring him by for visits, but only when he´s just had a bath. We don´t want them to judge. Sometimes when we´re out and about we find Astro´s dad just sitting outside his house. His dad still remembers his son, like any good father, and always likes to run with around with us as we walk. The two look almost identical, so a lot of our acquaintences around town are constantly laughing and pointing at our white dog parade. It´s ok, though. We like the attention.Can you guess which one is our dog?

So, that´s all for now. Jess heads back to the States next week and Aeron Hurley is coming to visit for a couple weeks. We´ll have plenty of adventures to share as well as pictures of the construction site. Thanks for reading and we´ll be sure to post more soon!

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.