today was so great... i decided to go on foot to the dump this morning, since i didnt know what i was going to do exactly. i walked to the entrance where i ran into some familiar faces, a couple guys who are paid to clean up the streets outside the dump. They called me over to talk, and i did so for about a half hour. they asked me if i was a christian, and i said that yes, i was. one guy said that he was pentacostal, but that he just couldn't keep himself from sinning. he said that his sin was fornication, and he went on about how he has three girls right now, plus prostitutes that he gets every once in a while. he was all smiles, but i just wanted to punch him right in the face. i can only hope that he's not buying the little girls from La Chureca, but i guess it doesn't really matter who is, because it's happening. it felt really strange looking into the eyes of the enemy. he saw nothing wrong with it, and it actually seemed like he was bragging about it. to think that these precious girls are selling themselves to monsters like him just rips my heart out. i guess the part of the day talking to them wasn't that great, but i did find out some more about the economy of the dump.
I asked them if it was true what i'd been told about the middlemen marking up the prices like that. i told them about the kids that sold iron for one peso per pound, and they told me that the man they sell to only takes the stuff about four blocks away and sells it for 180 pesos per quintal, which is a hundred pounds. so, i guess the middlemen don't mark it up nearly as bad as i thought. they told me that the plastic bottles might have a higher mark up on them, but that might be because they transport them farther to sell.
Once i left the street cleaners, i walked down a little neighborhood street just to see who i'd run into. i walked past a number of houses until i heard my name called from my left. i looked in, and sure enough there was a small group of kids from the dump school. I didn't know that so many lived outside the dump, but there were about 15 kids who all lived nearby in this little street outside La Chureca. I was given the nicest chair to sit in, and the grandmother of some of the kids, who is a cook in the dump school, had her granddaughter andrea go and buy some soda and pico for us. pico is that good bread with sugar and cheese. i sat and talked with her and her son, who was the father of andrea and david, two students at Esperanza. after about an hour, i was given a plate of beans, rice, and tortillas which was excellent, followed by a glass of water to wash it down. i don't know how much the family had, but it was so generous of them to offer me so much. i spent about a total of two and a half hours sitting and talking with the family, and then i went out into the street to play with the kids. i was a human jungle gym for about 15 minutes, and i said goodbye and continued walking down the street to see who else i'd run into. there was a few kids playing catch with old, beat-up gloves and a ball made of tightly packed plastic bags. they asked if i wanted to play baseball, and we played for an hour or two. in the street they play with only home plate and two bases, one on each side of the road. it was one of the most fun baseball games i've ever played, but i haven't played too many.
Now i'm here at the coffee shop, where i just finished talking with deanna and dane about la chureca. dane is a christian guy from Mana Project, a non-profit down here that does some work with the clinic in La Chureca. he's also the guy i went surfing with with brad on tuesday. he invited me to go again with him tomorrow morning, so i'll be hitting the waves with him at 6 tomorrow. we'll come back by noon, and later in the evening i'm going to come back to the coffee shop where there will be a Chureca art exhibition, where people will be buying art done by the kids in the dump. they have an art class that they do outside la chureca, and apparently have quite a number of pieces that they're going to sell tomorrow. inbetween surfing and the art exhibit, i think i might go meet some people Orlando wants to introduce me to. Orlando is the guy who was driving Brad Corrigan's group around, and he wants me to meet a bunch of his wife's girlfriends who are students at UCA, the university where Esmir studies. I dont know if i really want to be hooked up, but he wants me to meet them so i might do that.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Everchanging Nicaragua
Well, on Saturday night Esmir and I took a taxi (the bike was still in the shop) to the coffee shop and nobody was there. It turns out everyone cancelled, but didn't let me know. So we pretty much just threw 5 bucks out the window, but that's Nicaragua. On Sunday I went to the second church service to meet Melissa and get my bag which I had left at her house on Thanksgiving. I also burned a cd for abdhie with the frontier horizon t-shirt designs i had made so she could make some more shirts. Apparently they were a hit, even though I don't particularly like them. Eli asked me to go to lunch with him and then to a soccer game, so I accepted gladly. We walked to pizza hut and finished off a family sized. He got a call and we found out the soccer game was cancelled, so instead we went to his house and watched some NFL football and I used his wireless internet for a little while.
On Monday morning I went to get my motorcycle from the shop. They had fixed the chain, and repainted the chain cover. They gave it to me with the idle a little low, but i adjusted it and everything was good. I went into the school and hung out a little while, and then went to dance practice. I told them that I might quit, and they were a little surprised. I told them that I would stay in the group until this Saturday, because we were supposed to have a show for the TV and everything, but that after that I wasn't sure if i'd continue. It's far away to drive everyday, and we never really do anything, not to mention that they never pay us, so I told them I was a little bit irritated. They said that this part of the program was just promotional and that we'd be getting paid once we started going on tour. The thing I was fed up with was that they kept adding new people and subtracting others, and we never learned anything new. Everytime I went was worthless, and I didn't want to waste my time.
After practice I went to the gym (in the dark because the electricity was out) and I thought about what to do with the whole dance thing. I thought it'd be cool to be on TV, and it was pretty hilarious just being part of this group, but I didn't know if it was worth all the time that I was putting into it. I didn't make up my mind on anything in the gym, but was leaning towards leaving the group.
On Tuesday I woke up early and headed out to Esperanza (the dump school). I noticed that as I was driving something was rattling, so I pulled over to check it out. A pin was loose, an important pin that connects the exhaust and other important parts. I got out my basic tool kit that the bike came with (which is a piece of junk) and tried to tighten the pin. None of the wrenches fit the nut, so i had to just tighten it as best as i could with a wrench and my thumb. I drove off and it started rattling again, so I just decided to take it to the shop again. I showed them what was wrong, along with a couple other things that I wanted fixed (the turn signals allways fall off because the nuts work themselves off the bolts when i drive) and they told me that it should be ready by 2 in the afternoon. So, I took a bus to La Chureca to spend some time with the kids. As I walked in, i saw the security guard that I had met the first time I went in back in September. I talked with him for a while because he's a really cool guy. He said that he's gotten to meet a lot of gringos who come in and out of the dump, but he say's i'm the first one he's really gotten to talk to much. We talked about the different aspects of La Chureca, as well as about the differences between here and the United States. I do want to get to know him better, but I didn't talk to him for more than 15 minutes. I said good-bye and walked into the dump.
As I was walking down through the dust and smoke, dodging animal waste, sporadic fires, and trash piles, I heard my name called from behind me. I turned to see two young kids who i'd never seen before. I said hi, went up to them, and asked how they knew my name. They told me that they had friends that went to school who had talked about me. That made me feel kind of encouraged, and I continued to talk with them. They were collecting iron to sell to a middleman just outside the dump. They had two bags full of scrap iron, each weighing about 25 pounds. I took one bag and they shared the weight of the other, and we walked up the hill and out of the dump to the man who would buy it. Everyone watched as I helped these two kids (Jose Noel, eleven, and his half sister Margarita, twelve) carry their heavy load. I was surprised at how hard it actually was to carry a 25 pound bag of iron up a hill, mostly because of the awkwardness of all the scrap pieces. How they do it multiple times a day is amazing. We got to Don Manuel, the middle man, and he put the bags on a scale. They weighed in at a total of 52 pounds, and they had a bag of aluminum as well which was relatively weightless but had some valuables which totalled 12 cordobas in value. In total they made 64 cordobas between the two of them, with the 12 cords from the aluminum and 52 cords at 1 cord a pound for the iron. Once split, the each made about $1.70 for the heavy load. We walked back down into the dump, and passed Margarita's house. There they had another bag ful of iron, and decided to do a second trip. This one I guessed to weigh about 20 pounds, but they said it was 35. We made the trip up the hill, collecting little washers or nails along the way. The bag weighed in at 20 pounds, much to their disappointment, but at least we could joke around about how bad they were at guessing the weight... it's a shame they weren't that far off in the other direction. I decided to just hang out with them a little while instead of go to the school, since by then it was already about time for school to get out.
I walked out and got a bus back to the shop. On the bus I ran into Alvaro, a young guy like me who works in Juntos Contigo, which is a computation class in another part of La Chureca. His bike was in the shop for maintenance, so we went together. Neither of our bikes were ready yet, as it was only about 12:30, so we went to get some lunch. It wasn't the best, but I was really hungry so I scarfed it all down. We went back and I got my bike, but his wasn't going to be ready until five, so I took him on mine to where he needed to be. We went to the house of a girl who works with Juntos Contigo as well, as they were going to an event together. We sat and talked for a while, and enjoyed an orange soda. Alvaro told me that Don Manuel was practically stealing that iron from the people in La Chureca, as he goes and sells it for 25 to 45 cords a pound. That reminded me of the time I talked with a man in La Chureca who sold plastic bottles at 3 cords a kilo to a man who turned and sold them for 28 cords a kilo. It's unbelievable how those middlemen oppress the people of La Chureca. I said goodbye and left at around 2:30 to head home.
As I was on my way home, I passed the hotel that Brad was staying at. I had seen his driver going into the dump to drop off bags of clothes in the school, and he told me that Brad was just relaxing at the hotel for a while. I decided to turn around and stop by the hotel to say bye, since Brad was leaving the next day. At this point everyone who was with him had left for the states, and he was alone for one last day. He said he was headed to the beach and invited me along. I didn't have any trunks, but he lent me a pair of his, and I pulled my bike into the hotel. We were off to the beach by 3:30, but Brad realized he didn't have a surf key to put his fins on his board. We decided to stop by the MANA house, where a group of Americans are staying for a year doing service here. Dane was there, who is the best surfer of the group of them, and he decided to come along as well, with his board and surf key. We talked in the car about a bunch of cool stuff. I told Brad about what I'd learned economics wise that day in La Chureca, and he was really intrigued. We read some verses in Proverbs that speak to the rich oppressing the poor and about how balanced scales are righteous in the Lord's sight but how unbalanced scales will bring destruction. Brad asked me if I'd like to be part of Love, Light, and Melody, his recently started non-profit. What that would entail is really just what I've already been doing... spending time with and learning about the people there. He was especially interested in me finding out more about the economics of the place. We want to try and possibly create a way for the people to get a fair price for their work, and that way maybe they could move out of the dump and just go there to work, not live. We think that something along those lines should be possible, since the fair price is apparently around 3 or 4,000% of what they're making. Brad said that he'd have to talk to Casey and Daniel, as well as their small board to see if I could come aboard, but that he was excited to meet someone who was on the same page as him.
The surf on Tuesday was a blast. We only had two boards between the four of us (Brad, Dane, myself, and Bismark, the driver) but just being in the ocean watching the sunset was great. I got to try both boards, Dane's seven sixer and Brad's six sixer. Dane's was much easier since it was longer, but I managed to get to my feet on both. We only surfed for about an hour since the sun was going down, but it was beautiful. On the ride home Brad told some stories about his experiences in La Chureca. He said that on Sunday he was with his favorite family there, and one of the girls, named Mercedes (now back into being a crack addict and glue sniffer at 16 years old) stole Casey's cell phone and some other things of theirs. They got them back, but he said it was so hard to think you're making so much ground in the way of friendship with these people, and then they slip back into their old ways and you feel like you're back where you started. He told us another story of when he first met the family, and a relative of theirs, Senor Ortiz, was dying. He was in his fifties or sixties, and was laying in the dirt with a bag over his head to keep the flies away. He was so out of it that it was almost as if he was in a coma. Brad was with Bismark at the time, and they said a prayer with him and called the police, news stations, hospitals, and firemen hoping that somehow an ambulance would come. They were told an ambulance was on the way, but they had to leave before it got there. The returned two days later and asked about Senor Ortiz. The family said that he was still the same, and that the amulance had never come. Brad and Bismark rushed over to where he was, and again prayed for him and gave him water. Brad said that he heard God speak to him saying, "Praise Me," and they began to sing worship songs with him. They heard the sound of sirens and an ambulance appeared from around the corner. They got him on a gurney and took him to the hospital. The next day, Bismark saw his name in the obituaries. Brad told us that he had asked Senor Ortiz if he had known Jesus, and he said yes. Brad said he was so happy to know that one day he will see Mr. Ortiz in heaven. Brad then asked Bismark in Spanish if he had that part right, and Bismark said no. He hadn't known Jesus, but Bismark witnessed to him, and the day before his death he accepted Christ as his savior. When Brad heard that with us in the car, he was speechless. We were all taken aback, and were just so overjoyed with how good God is. That was such a cool story.
We went out to dinner afterwards, and then back to the hotel. Brad gave me a copy of his new CD, along with his first rash guard, which is a tight shirt that surfers wear to keep from scraping up their chests on the board wax. I was so grateful for the gifts, as well as for the time he invited me to spend with him. I said goodbye, but it was more of an "hasta luego," because he's coming back for another trip just before Christmas. It was a pretty cool day, yesterday.
Today I went to the school again, this time for the last time this year. Today was the last day of school, and there was a party with food, singing, and dancing. The news channels were there, and presented 12 kids with the opportunity to go to Disney World in Florida. I'm not sure on the truth of that promise, but when I got home today at 2:00 I saw the kids on TV, and that's what they were saying. I don't know the details, but apparently some people from the States are paying for six boys and six girls from the dump to go to Disney World. I'm going to look more into that, because I have a feeling it was just a publicity stunt and that the kids are getting set up for a big let down.
I went to dance practice again today, but it wasn't any better, and I decided to quit. I said goodbye to everyone, and went home on the bike. I told them to call me if they really had something serious, but that I couldn't keep coming for nothing. Today they told me that the show for this Saturday had also been cancelled, because we weren't ready, but the only reason we're not ready is because they keep adding new people who have to learn everything over and over again. Some of us know it all, but we just keep doing the same thing over and over because half the group doesn't know it. I think the whole thing might fizzle out, because on Monday when I told them I was thinking about quitting, two of the other guys told me that they were also thinking about it. They said that if I was out they wanted out too. I feel kind of bad about it, but it was a waste of time and gas money.
Tomorrow I'm looking forward to my first day in La Chureca completely on my own. I'm not sure if I'll take the bike or if I'll just go in a bus, because I won't have the school to leave the bike in. Hopefully I can get the position with Love, Light, and Melody and start spending full days just learning about the people there. It's an exciting time right now, and I'm seeing a lot of God at work both in me and around me.
On Monday morning I went to get my motorcycle from the shop. They had fixed the chain, and repainted the chain cover. They gave it to me with the idle a little low, but i adjusted it and everything was good. I went into the school and hung out a little while, and then went to dance practice. I told them that I might quit, and they were a little surprised. I told them that I would stay in the group until this Saturday, because we were supposed to have a show for the TV and everything, but that after that I wasn't sure if i'd continue. It's far away to drive everyday, and we never really do anything, not to mention that they never pay us, so I told them I was a little bit irritated. They said that this part of the program was just promotional and that we'd be getting paid once we started going on tour. The thing I was fed up with was that they kept adding new people and subtracting others, and we never learned anything new. Everytime I went was worthless, and I didn't want to waste my time.
After practice I went to the gym (in the dark because the electricity was out) and I thought about what to do with the whole dance thing. I thought it'd be cool to be on TV, and it was pretty hilarious just being part of this group, but I didn't know if it was worth all the time that I was putting into it. I didn't make up my mind on anything in the gym, but was leaning towards leaving the group.
On Tuesday I woke up early and headed out to Esperanza (the dump school). I noticed that as I was driving something was rattling, so I pulled over to check it out. A pin was loose, an important pin that connects the exhaust and other important parts. I got out my basic tool kit that the bike came with (which is a piece of junk) and tried to tighten the pin. None of the wrenches fit the nut, so i had to just tighten it as best as i could with a wrench and my thumb. I drove off and it started rattling again, so I just decided to take it to the shop again. I showed them what was wrong, along with a couple other things that I wanted fixed (the turn signals allways fall off because the nuts work themselves off the bolts when i drive) and they told me that it should be ready by 2 in the afternoon. So, I took a bus to La Chureca to spend some time with the kids. As I walked in, i saw the security guard that I had met the first time I went in back in September. I talked with him for a while because he's a really cool guy. He said that he's gotten to meet a lot of gringos who come in and out of the dump, but he say's i'm the first one he's really gotten to talk to much. We talked about the different aspects of La Chureca, as well as about the differences between here and the United States. I do want to get to know him better, but I didn't talk to him for more than 15 minutes. I said good-bye and walked into the dump.
As I was walking down through the dust and smoke, dodging animal waste, sporadic fires, and trash piles, I heard my name called from behind me. I turned to see two young kids who i'd never seen before. I said hi, went up to them, and asked how they knew my name. They told me that they had friends that went to school who had talked about me. That made me feel kind of encouraged, and I continued to talk with them. They were collecting iron to sell to a middleman just outside the dump. They had two bags full of scrap iron, each weighing about 25 pounds. I took one bag and they shared the weight of the other, and we walked up the hill and out of the dump to the man who would buy it. Everyone watched as I helped these two kids (Jose Noel, eleven, and his half sister Margarita, twelve) carry their heavy load. I was surprised at how hard it actually was to carry a 25 pound bag of iron up a hill, mostly because of the awkwardness of all the scrap pieces. How they do it multiple times a day is amazing. We got to Don Manuel, the middle man, and he put the bags on a scale. They weighed in at a total of 52 pounds, and they had a bag of aluminum as well which was relatively weightless but had some valuables which totalled 12 cordobas in value. In total they made 64 cordobas between the two of them, with the 12 cords from the aluminum and 52 cords at 1 cord a pound for the iron. Once split, the each made about $1.70 for the heavy load. We walked back down into the dump, and passed Margarita's house. There they had another bag ful of iron, and decided to do a second trip. This one I guessed to weigh about 20 pounds, but they said it was 35. We made the trip up the hill, collecting little washers or nails along the way. The bag weighed in at 20 pounds, much to their disappointment, but at least we could joke around about how bad they were at guessing the weight... it's a shame they weren't that far off in the other direction. I decided to just hang out with them a little while instead of go to the school, since by then it was already about time for school to get out.
I walked out and got a bus back to the shop. On the bus I ran into Alvaro, a young guy like me who works in Juntos Contigo, which is a computation class in another part of La Chureca. His bike was in the shop for maintenance, so we went together. Neither of our bikes were ready yet, as it was only about 12:30, so we went to get some lunch. It wasn't the best, but I was really hungry so I scarfed it all down. We went back and I got my bike, but his wasn't going to be ready until five, so I took him on mine to where he needed to be. We went to the house of a girl who works with Juntos Contigo as well, as they were going to an event together. We sat and talked for a while, and enjoyed an orange soda. Alvaro told me that Don Manuel was practically stealing that iron from the people in La Chureca, as he goes and sells it for 25 to 45 cords a pound. That reminded me of the time I talked with a man in La Chureca who sold plastic bottles at 3 cords a kilo to a man who turned and sold them for 28 cords a kilo. It's unbelievable how those middlemen oppress the people of La Chureca. I said goodbye and left at around 2:30 to head home.
As I was on my way home, I passed the hotel that Brad was staying at. I had seen his driver going into the dump to drop off bags of clothes in the school, and he told me that Brad was just relaxing at the hotel for a while. I decided to turn around and stop by the hotel to say bye, since Brad was leaving the next day. At this point everyone who was with him had left for the states, and he was alone for one last day. He said he was headed to the beach and invited me along. I didn't have any trunks, but he lent me a pair of his, and I pulled my bike into the hotel. We were off to the beach by 3:30, but Brad realized he didn't have a surf key to put his fins on his board. We decided to stop by the MANA house, where a group of Americans are staying for a year doing service here. Dane was there, who is the best surfer of the group of them, and he decided to come along as well, with his board and surf key. We talked in the car about a bunch of cool stuff. I told Brad about what I'd learned economics wise that day in La Chureca, and he was really intrigued. We read some verses in Proverbs that speak to the rich oppressing the poor and about how balanced scales are righteous in the Lord's sight but how unbalanced scales will bring destruction. Brad asked me if I'd like to be part of Love, Light, and Melody, his recently started non-profit. What that would entail is really just what I've already been doing... spending time with and learning about the people there. He was especially interested in me finding out more about the economics of the place. We want to try and possibly create a way for the people to get a fair price for their work, and that way maybe they could move out of the dump and just go there to work, not live. We think that something along those lines should be possible, since the fair price is apparently around 3 or 4,000% of what they're making. Brad said that he'd have to talk to Casey and Daniel, as well as their small board to see if I could come aboard, but that he was excited to meet someone who was on the same page as him.
The surf on Tuesday was a blast. We only had two boards between the four of us (Brad, Dane, myself, and Bismark, the driver) but just being in the ocean watching the sunset was great. I got to try both boards, Dane's seven sixer and Brad's six sixer. Dane's was much easier since it was longer, but I managed to get to my feet on both. We only surfed for about an hour since the sun was going down, but it was beautiful. On the ride home Brad told some stories about his experiences in La Chureca. He said that on Sunday he was with his favorite family there, and one of the girls, named Mercedes (now back into being a crack addict and glue sniffer at 16 years old) stole Casey's cell phone and some other things of theirs. They got them back, but he said it was so hard to think you're making so much ground in the way of friendship with these people, and then they slip back into their old ways and you feel like you're back where you started. He told us another story of when he first met the family, and a relative of theirs, Senor Ortiz, was dying. He was in his fifties or sixties, and was laying in the dirt with a bag over his head to keep the flies away. He was so out of it that it was almost as if he was in a coma. Brad was with Bismark at the time, and they said a prayer with him and called the police, news stations, hospitals, and firemen hoping that somehow an ambulance would come. They were told an ambulance was on the way, but they had to leave before it got there. The returned two days later and asked about Senor Ortiz. The family said that he was still the same, and that the amulance had never come. Brad and Bismark rushed over to where he was, and again prayed for him and gave him water. Brad said that he heard God speak to him saying, "Praise Me," and they began to sing worship songs with him. They heard the sound of sirens and an ambulance appeared from around the corner. They got him on a gurney and took him to the hospital. The next day, Bismark saw his name in the obituaries. Brad told us that he had asked Senor Ortiz if he had known Jesus, and he said yes. Brad said he was so happy to know that one day he will see Mr. Ortiz in heaven. Brad then asked Bismark in Spanish if he had that part right, and Bismark said no. He hadn't known Jesus, but Bismark witnessed to him, and the day before his death he accepted Christ as his savior. When Brad heard that with us in the car, he was speechless. We were all taken aback, and were just so overjoyed with how good God is. That was such a cool story.
We went out to dinner afterwards, and then back to the hotel. Brad gave me a copy of his new CD, along with his first rash guard, which is a tight shirt that surfers wear to keep from scraping up their chests on the board wax. I was so grateful for the gifts, as well as for the time he invited me to spend with him. I said goodbye, but it was more of an "hasta luego," because he's coming back for another trip just before Christmas. It was a pretty cool day, yesterday.
Today I went to the school again, this time for the last time this year. Today was the last day of school, and there was a party with food, singing, and dancing. The news channels were there, and presented 12 kids with the opportunity to go to Disney World in Florida. I'm not sure on the truth of that promise, but when I got home today at 2:00 I saw the kids on TV, and that's what they were saying. I don't know the details, but apparently some people from the States are paying for six boys and six girls from the dump to go to Disney World. I'm going to look more into that, because I have a feeling it was just a publicity stunt and that the kids are getting set up for a big let down.
I went to dance practice again today, but it wasn't any better, and I decided to quit. I said goodbye to everyone, and went home on the bike. I told them to call me if they really had something serious, but that I couldn't keep coming for nothing. Today they told me that the show for this Saturday had also been cancelled, because we weren't ready, but the only reason we're not ready is because they keep adding new people who have to learn everything over and over again. Some of us know it all, but we just keep doing the same thing over and over because half the group doesn't know it. I think the whole thing might fizzle out, because on Monday when I told them I was thinking about quitting, two of the other guys told me that they were also thinking about it. They said that if I was out they wanted out too. I feel kind of bad about it, but it was a waste of time and gas money.
Tomorrow I'm looking forward to my first day in La Chureca completely on my own. I'm not sure if I'll take the bike or if I'll just go in a bus, because I won't have the school to leave the bike in. Hopefully I can get the position with Love, Light, and Melody and start spending full days just learning about the people there. It's an exciting time right now, and I'm seeing a lot of God at work both in me and around me.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Popochil
I woke up today at 5:15 to my cell phone alarm. At 5:30 I was on my way to the beach with Brad, his friend Casey and her two brothers Sam and Joe, as well as their dad. Also joining us were Eli and Deanna, who are each down here individually, Eli just doing volunteer work for whoever needs it as a handyman, and Deanna with her non-profit NicaHOPE, in which she is beginning a vocational school for the kids from La Chureca. Again the waves were small, (this time we went to a neighboring beach to the one last weekbut it was a fun time meeting everyone and actually getting up on a board for the first time. We only stayed until 11:00, and then headed back to Managua. I went home and ate lunch and showered, put on some dirty clothes and headed for La Chureca (in the bus, because my motorcycle is still in the shop). I got off the bus a ways from the dump, and when i came up to the entrance, i saw that it was almost impossible to get in, even on foot, because trash was all over the street. I'd forgotten that on saturdays they dump everything there (i dont know why) and on Monday the clean it all up. So, i turned down a really small street where many people were walking, working, or playing. Some were rolling joints as well, and of course drinking. It was a new sight for me, but i didn't feel uncomfortable or scared because i didnt have anything on me. i had only brought my bus money and an extra 5 cordobas just in case. I didnt even bring my wallet, just coins, keys, and my cell phone. I was planning on going into the dump because Brad and Casey were going to be going in, but i saw how the entrance was closed and didn't think they were coming. I was walking towards the back entrance where i ride my bike in, when I heard from behind me kids calling my name. I turned around, and it was 5-year-old Lester and his 3-year-old sister Alison calling for me. I went up to them, and just decided to hang there because it was a little rainy and it was already 4:00 anyways. I took some fun pictures with the little guys, and met some new kids as well, who don't go to the school. We played soccer, and my jeans got trashed, but it was a fun time. I spent my 5 cords on a 6 cord soda, but the lady was nice, and gave it to me anyway. i said i'd give her the cord next time i was around.
Tonight i'm going with Esmir to a coffee shop with Brad and Deanna and everyone, to hang out and see a band play. the band is a group of kids who play and work at the coffee shop. It's a really cool place apparently, run and owned by a christian man who employs the students as both workers and performers. They were the group that played worship in La Chureca on Wednesday. It should be a fun night.
Tonight i'm going with Esmir to a coffee shop with Brad and Deanna and everyone, to hang out and see a band play. the band is a group of kids who play and work at the coffee shop. It's a really cool place apparently, run and owned by a christian man who employs the students as both workers and performers. They were the group that played worship in La Chureca on Wednesday. It should be a fun night.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Motorcycle Diaries
So on Monday I left dance practice and my bike just wouldn't start. A security guard showed me how to choke the engine and i started it and went on my way. about a kilometer later, it quit on me. I started it again and it died, and again and it died, and i didn't know what was going on. I took it over to a close by security guard and asked him if he knew much about motorcycles. he said no, but his friend was a mechanic just a block away. so i walked the bike with him to the mechanic. he said he knew what was wrong, something with the carburetor, but that if he fixed it i would lose my guaranty with the company i bought it from. i told him to forget it, and I walked back to the place where the security guard was because he said he'd look after it for the night. i left it with him locked up behind a gate and took the bus home. It was dark out this whole time, and it would have been dangerous and tiring to walk it home. I was also carrying my computer because i'd taken it to a guy before dance practice to show him some design work i'd done because he was looking for a graphic designer (i got the job by the way). So when i got home, they asked me about the bike, and i told them what had happened. Alfonzo, the man who i rent from, freaked out and said that i can't just leave the motorcycle with a security guard on the other side of town! that's not safe at all! i thought it was fine, but he wouldn't have it, so we got in his car with some rope and went to bring it home. We got there about 10:30 at night, and the guard opened the gate for us and i walked it out. Alfonzo asked me if i had gasoline, and i said yeah i think so, but we checked and it was dry as a bone. Imagine that! i felt so stupid, but then i remembered that i had lent the bike to two friends of mine who told me they'd put two liters in, but didn't. it doesn't have a fuel gauge, and i just thought i had enough. i still was an idiot though, i mean i should have at least thought to check that, but i walked it over to a gas station, fueled up, and drove home fine. it was all a false alarm.
On Tuesday I took the bike over to the shop to do the first maintenance check of 500 kilometers. they said it would take 4 hours, so i left it there and took a short taxi ride to la chureca and went in on foot. While walking in, i ran into a boy who i'd met on my first trip to Nicaragua about a year and a half ago. he's now ten years old, but he hasn't been going to school, so i started walking with him and asked what he was up to and why he wasn't in school. he said he was looking for his friend, but he wasn't home, so now he was just going back home to hang out. he wasn't in school because he had to help work with his family, but he is going to start again in january. I walked with him back to his house and talked with his mom. she said that her husband was at work, but that since jose luis, the boy, was her oldest, that times were hard. With only her husband to make money, she had to take jose out of school to help out. she has four children in total, and i was able to meet jose's younger sister, the second oldest. it was a fun time getting to know them a little bit, and hopefully i'll have more time to do that type of thing, because this coming wednesday is the last day of school till mid january. for the next few days the kids will have exams, and then will be free for "summer break."
Wednesday we had a big party in the school because a group was down from the states for Thanksgiving, and a Nicaraguan youth band came in to perform. it was a really cool time of worship and dancing with the kids. Brad Corrigan, "Braddigan," was there as well, just playing with the kids. I met and talked with him a little, and met some of the other Americans. Later I went home and went to the marked with Esmir to buy food for the next week or two.
I went to La Chureca again on Thursday, and when i left i had another motorcycle problem, but this time for real. The chain broke in the middle of an intersection, and I had to walk it to a grocery store on the corner. I called the dealer and they told me to walk it to the shop, which was about a mile away. i did that, and dropped it off there, where they told me everything would be free since it was under guaranty. that was a relief, but i was pretty angy that my month old bike already broke. hopefully it won't be a problem bike. I rode the bus home and then went to melissa's house for thanksgiving. it was a really nice time, and it was a blessing to be able to enjoy the company of friends.
Today I spent the day with the group from the states that was down with Braddigan. We visited an orphanage called El Canyon, and then went to the mountains nearby to get a gorgeous view of the country. We were going to go to La Chureca, but it rained, so we didn't. Tomorrow i'm going to the beach with Brad and Deanna and a group, and it should be a blast. I will fill you in later. Sorry this was such a short summary, but i only had a half hour of internet time today.
On Tuesday I took the bike over to the shop to do the first maintenance check of 500 kilometers. they said it would take 4 hours, so i left it there and took a short taxi ride to la chureca and went in on foot. While walking in, i ran into a boy who i'd met on my first trip to Nicaragua about a year and a half ago. he's now ten years old, but he hasn't been going to school, so i started walking with him and asked what he was up to and why he wasn't in school. he said he was looking for his friend, but he wasn't home, so now he was just going back home to hang out. he wasn't in school because he had to help work with his family, but he is going to start again in january. I walked with him back to his house and talked with his mom. she said that her husband was at work, but that since jose luis, the boy, was her oldest, that times were hard. With only her husband to make money, she had to take jose out of school to help out. she has four children in total, and i was able to meet jose's younger sister, the second oldest. it was a fun time getting to know them a little bit, and hopefully i'll have more time to do that type of thing, because this coming wednesday is the last day of school till mid january. for the next few days the kids will have exams, and then will be free for "summer break."
Wednesday we had a big party in the school because a group was down from the states for Thanksgiving, and a Nicaraguan youth band came in to perform. it was a really cool time of worship and dancing with the kids. Brad Corrigan, "Braddigan," was there as well, just playing with the kids. I met and talked with him a little, and met some of the other Americans. Later I went home and went to the marked with Esmir to buy food for the next week or two.
I went to La Chureca again on Thursday, and when i left i had another motorcycle problem, but this time for real. The chain broke in the middle of an intersection, and I had to walk it to a grocery store on the corner. I called the dealer and they told me to walk it to the shop, which was about a mile away. i did that, and dropped it off there, where they told me everything would be free since it was under guaranty. that was a relief, but i was pretty angy that my month old bike already broke. hopefully it won't be a problem bike. I rode the bus home and then went to melissa's house for thanksgiving. it was a really nice time, and it was a blessing to be able to enjoy the company of friends.
Today I spent the day with the group from the states that was down with Braddigan. We visited an orphanage called El Canyon, and then went to the mountains nearby to get a gorgeous view of the country. We were going to go to La Chureca, but it rained, so we didn't. Tomorrow i'm going to the beach with Brad and Deanna and a group, and it should be a blast. I will fill you in later. Sorry this was such a short summary, but i only had a half hour of internet time today.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Sorry for my silence
A lot's happened over the past week and a half, and I've been doing a lot. The internet cafe is finally going to be set up this Monday, and hopefully going to be fully operational on Thursday. Keren had a phone conference with Vinny last week about all of it, and called me afterwards with some bad news. Vinny was only going to be able to pay me half of what he'd initially promised, which would still be enough to live on, but things would be really tight. I still agreed because I had no other source of income, but I wasn't too thrilled about it. I thought that with the money I'd be getting that I could maybe do things with the kids from La Chureca on the weekends and afternoons like take them out to eat or things like that, but now that was out of the question too. I spent last week in the Word and in prayer, because I really want to work with the kids in La Chureca. The internet cafe will be a great thing for the community of Vera Cruz, especially for the kids, but La Chureca is another story entirely. The kids in the dump need love more than anything else. I don't want that opportunity to be taken away from me just because I don't have money. So, today Keren called me with the news about the cafe being almost ready. She said she had yet to hire someone for the afternoon, but had someone in mind. I told her my situation, and that I wasn't 100% sure that I was in. She said that she needed to figure everything out really soon, and that it'd be better to just hire someone for the full-time position if I was hesitating. I said alright, do that, and hopefully that was the right decision. It's hard for me to know, but I do know what I feel in my heart, and that is that God wants me with the community in the dump. I can't really describe it, but I absolutely love it there. The kids are so different from any others I've ever met, and yet are just as human. I think I could spend the rest of my life with them.
That's another thing that I've been struggling with. I know that God has a plan for me, and that within every one of his creations he has instilled desires, gifts, talents, and dreams. God has given me so much that I don't know what to do with it all. Here I am studying at the recently #1 ranked school for Industrial Design, but at the same time I'm down in a dump full of these beautiful people who need Jesus so badly. I love art and design, and God has given me talent in those areas, but he has also given me a heart for these people, and the opportunity to work with them. What is my role as a steward of all that He has given me? I want to live in a way that is honoring to him, in which I am responsible with all that he has allowed me to have. It's really hard to answer these questions, and for now I'm here, so I'm just going to give all I can to the people here and really learn from them. I still plan to go back home and finish up my schooling, and I'm eager to see how God is going to tie everything together. If there's one thing I've learned so far down here, it's that life is a mystery. We'll never know all the answers, but when some are revealed to us we see that it's with good reason that not everything is in our control.
I did run into a possible job opportunity, however. One of the men who works with the guy in charge of the High School Musical group is looking for a graphic designer. "Someone who's really good," he says. I called him up yesterday and he wants me to come in on Monday to talk business. Ideally, I'd be able to meet with him for maybe an hour a day to discuss what kind of work he wants, and then be able to work on my own time on my computer in the evenings. I'm not sure if that will work out, but I'm kind of excited to have an opportunity to use my design talents and still be able to spend time with the people of La Chureca. Hopefully it all pans out.
So for the last week we've had some intense dance practicing. They found a guy from Mexico who was involved with the Mexican version of HSM, and who knew all of the choreography to every song. If only we'd have had him in the beginning. Next Saturday we're supposedly doing a show, but just of one song, and I'm not sure if it's going to be for the TV or not. But at least it will pay, and then we'll have more practice to try to get six songs ready for the competition in Costa Rica. I was really contemplating quitting the whole dancing gig, but it doesn't take up too much time and it would be kind of cool to be on the TV here. We were in the papers for the third time on Wednesday, but the pictures are never of very good quality. I managed to get a free copy, though.
Last Sunday I got invited to go surfing with Melissa, her brother Brensen, a friend named Eli, and a girl named Deanna who I met last Friday in La Chureca. I couldn't pass that up, so we went for a few hours after church to a beach where Melissa's family owns a plot of land. The waves were pretty small, but I managed to catch a few waves. It was a lot harder than I thought, but I was starting on a 6'6" short board. I never got up to my feet, but I got to a crouching position a couple times. It was a lot of fun, but it wore me out. I don't think I'm the strongest of swimmers yet. It was a fun time, though, and I look forward to getting to know the group better. There's a group coming on Monday from the states to pass Thanksgiving here. Brad Corrigan, who performed the concert in the dump last March, is among those coming down. Hopefully I'll be able to get to know him a little bit and actually have a real Thanksgiving! I am starting to really miss some things about home. Obviously the family comes first. I miss being able to talk with them whenever I want. Now it's hit or miss on the internet. Melissa has a German Shepherd and a Great Dane, and they make me miss Greta, my Saint Bernard. There are a lot of nice Land Cruisers down here that bring back memories of cruising around in my Bronco with friends at Virginia Tech. But in light of all of that, there's no place I'd rather be right now than right here. God's moving and it's great to be here with Him.
That's another thing that I've been struggling with. I know that God has a plan for me, and that within every one of his creations he has instilled desires, gifts, talents, and dreams. God has given me so much that I don't know what to do with it all. Here I am studying at the recently #1 ranked school for Industrial Design, but at the same time I'm down in a dump full of these beautiful people who need Jesus so badly. I love art and design, and God has given me talent in those areas, but he has also given me a heart for these people, and the opportunity to work with them. What is my role as a steward of all that He has given me? I want to live in a way that is honoring to him, in which I am responsible with all that he has allowed me to have. It's really hard to answer these questions, and for now I'm here, so I'm just going to give all I can to the people here and really learn from them. I still plan to go back home and finish up my schooling, and I'm eager to see how God is going to tie everything together. If there's one thing I've learned so far down here, it's that life is a mystery. We'll never know all the answers, but when some are revealed to us we see that it's with good reason that not everything is in our control.
I did run into a possible job opportunity, however. One of the men who works with the guy in charge of the High School Musical group is looking for a graphic designer. "Someone who's really good," he says. I called him up yesterday and he wants me to come in on Monday to talk business. Ideally, I'd be able to meet with him for maybe an hour a day to discuss what kind of work he wants, and then be able to work on my own time on my computer in the evenings. I'm not sure if that will work out, but I'm kind of excited to have an opportunity to use my design talents and still be able to spend time with the people of La Chureca. Hopefully it all pans out.
So for the last week we've had some intense dance practicing. They found a guy from Mexico who was involved with the Mexican version of HSM, and who knew all of the choreography to every song. If only we'd have had him in the beginning. Next Saturday we're supposedly doing a show, but just of one song, and I'm not sure if it's going to be for the TV or not. But at least it will pay, and then we'll have more practice to try to get six songs ready for the competition in Costa Rica. I was really contemplating quitting the whole dancing gig, but it doesn't take up too much time and it would be kind of cool to be on the TV here. We were in the papers for the third time on Wednesday, but the pictures are never of very good quality. I managed to get a free copy, though.
Last Sunday I got invited to go surfing with Melissa, her brother Brensen, a friend named Eli, and a girl named Deanna who I met last Friday in La Chureca. I couldn't pass that up, so we went for a few hours after church to a beach where Melissa's family owns a plot of land. The waves were pretty small, but I managed to catch a few waves. It was a lot harder than I thought, but I was starting on a 6'6" short board. I never got up to my feet, but I got to a crouching position a couple times. It was a lot of fun, but it wore me out. I don't think I'm the strongest of swimmers yet. It was a fun time, though, and I look forward to getting to know the group better. There's a group coming on Monday from the states to pass Thanksgiving here. Brad Corrigan, who performed the concert in the dump last March, is among those coming down. Hopefully I'll be able to get to know him a little bit and actually have a real Thanksgiving! I am starting to really miss some things about home. Obviously the family comes first. I miss being able to talk with them whenever I want. Now it's hit or miss on the internet. Melissa has a German Shepherd and a Great Dane, and they make me miss Greta, my Saint Bernard. There are a lot of nice Land Cruisers down here that bring back memories of cruising around in my Bronco with friends at Virginia Tech. But in light of all of that, there's no place I'd rather be right now than right here. God's moving and it's great to be here with Him.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Well, I’m safe again for a little while. I have the rent money and a little to work with until I get more from Vinny. I went with Keren today to figure out all the prices for the internet café. It turns out that the five computers, multi-function (fax, copier, scanner, printer), furniture, router, telephones for international calls, and the internet service will total around $6000. We’re letting Vinny know the breakdown and hopefully we’ll have everything in a week or two. Vinny’s going to pay me for a week of work in advance, since I’m a little low right now.
Monday I got my license plates, as well as my “circulación,” which is something like a title. I then went to dance practice, which was really nothing. The choreographer wasn’t there, and we just practiced to see if we remembered everything, since it’s been about a month since we’ve done anything. The dance teacher is apparently really expensive, and they’re thinking about changing her for another one, but they don’t know where to turn. I told them to give me the movie, pay me half of what they were paying her, and let me be the teacher. I could easily do what she did. We simply watch the movie and try to copy it—there’s nothing new or created. Anyone could teach that, so hopefully they’ll let me. That’d be some good money, too. I think she was making like $650 a month while working only three or four hours a week.
I went to La Chureca on Tuesday for the first time in a while, and all the kids wanted to have a turn sitting on my new bike. I took some pictures, but I lent my camera to a friend so I’ll have to post them later. I’m going to miss being there with the kids. Hopefully I can spend some time there in the afternoons and weekends.
Something got me a little bit sick to my stomach, but hopefully it will pass quickly.
Monday I got my license plates, as well as my “circulación,” which is something like a title. I then went to dance practice, which was really nothing. The choreographer wasn’t there, and we just practiced to see if we remembered everything, since it’s been about a month since we’ve done anything. The dance teacher is apparently really expensive, and they’re thinking about changing her for another one, but they don’t know where to turn. I told them to give me the movie, pay me half of what they were paying her, and let me be the teacher. I could easily do what she did. We simply watch the movie and try to copy it—there’s nothing new or created. Anyone could teach that, so hopefully they’ll let me. That’d be some good money, too. I think she was making like $650 a month while working only three or four hours a week.
I went to La Chureca on Tuesday for the first time in a while, and all the kids wanted to have a turn sitting on my new bike. I took some pictures, but I lent my camera to a friend so I’ll have to post them later. I’m going to miss being there with the kids. Hopefully I can spend some time there in the afternoons and weekends.
Something got me a little bit sick to my stomach, but hopefully it will pass quickly.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
funny blip
I forgot to say that when I was following the group out of La Chureca and to the historical sites, the truck with the group got pulled over by the police. I pulled over in front of them too since I didn't know where we were going. The officer looked at me, but didn't see my face, as I was watching him in my side mirror. He talked to Felix, the truck driver, and to the group for a couple minutes and then let them off. I'm not sure whether or not they had to give him a little bribe or not, but I'm glad it wasn't me that got pulled over. I didn't have (and still don't) my license plates or license, but luckily the officer assumed I was Nicaraguan and not a Gringo with the group, and didn't really give me much attention. Tomorrow I'm going to the "dmv" to pick up my plates and maybe get my license if I have enough to pay for it. If not I'll wait till Tuesday or Wednesday when I have some more cash.
Today was just another Sunday. I went with Esmir on the motorcycle to church, bought a few churros to hold me over till lunch, and then followed the orphanage bus to Vera Cruz. There I ate with the kids in the orphanage and later played soccer with them for a few hours. We returned to Managua around 6:00 and ate dinner at a really cheap "comedor" which is just a roadside eatery. I had gallo pinto, which is beans and rice (of course), a really interesting (but good) baked potato, some salad, a taco, an enchilada (chrunchy fried tortilla filled with rice), and a passionfruit juice all for 29 cordobas, which is about a buck sixty. That's where I need to do more of my eating.
Today was just another Sunday. I went with Esmir on the motorcycle to church, bought a few churros to hold me over till lunch, and then followed the orphanage bus to Vera Cruz. There I ate with the kids in the orphanage and later played soccer with them for a few hours. We returned to Managua around 6:00 and ate dinner at a really cheap "comedor" which is just a roadside eatery. I had gallo pinto, which is beans and rice (of course), a really interesting (but good) baked potato, some salad, a taco, an enchilada (chrunchy fried tortilla filled with rice), and a passionfruit juice all for 29 cordobas, which is about a buck sixty. That's where I need to do more of my eating.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
finally some futbol
When I said I was going to practice driving the motorcycle yesterday, I didn't think it would be very much. Just in the streets near my house, practicing starting from first and stopping, starting, etc. But boy, was I wrong. I left the fast food joint where I was on the internet (where I always go to write new entries... also where I am right now) and called Abdhie to see what Vinny and the group were doing. Keren answered the phone, and said that they were just about to go visit La Chureca for a little while. I said I'd meet her in the motorcycle and rushed home to get it.
I knew the way, mas o menos (more or less), because I take the bus towards that area of Managua all the time. I only made one wrong turn, but corrected myself quickly and found my way to the back road that winds behind the dump. I found the entrance, the better of the two by far, and slowly bumped my way to the school. Street dogs and kids were all over the path, so it was good practice for me as I made my way to the school. Reina, who is a really nice girl and one of the best nicaraguan friends of my good friend Chez from Virginia Tech, ran up to me and asked for a ride. I said alright, and she got on and I drove (poorly) her to the school. At the exact time we got there the group showed up in a truck. They told me to follow them, but I had no idea where they were going. They started to go out the other entrance, which is always horrendous. I really didn't want to go that way, but I had no choice because they were on their way and I had no way to catch them if I went out the back.
I was so scared. The mud was between two and eight inches deep, maybe deeper in places, with water and trash everywhere. I thought for sure I was going to fall into the mud head first and ruin the bike. A sharp turn came, and I prayed almost out loud that I wouldnt go over. The engine went wild as I squeezed the clutch and slowed to an abrupt stop. A guy standing nearby broke into a smile, and came up to the back of the bike. "I'll push you," he said, and so I slowly started up again and wobbled on down the sloppy mess of a road. Only by the grace of God did I make it through, with a bunch of dump workers laughing at me and helping me when I got stuck. Both of my shoes got submerged in the muck when I had to stabalize myself, and my shins were plastered with mud. La Chureca mud is by far the worst I've ever experienced. you have month old or older rot sitting in the water and dirt, and it is the worst smelling stuff you'll ever see. That's really the only time I was actually scared while driving the bike.
It's only from stories that I'm scared of the people there. I'm not scared of them, but when I was struggling on my way out of the dump, I was scared that they might do something to me. From my personal experience with the people there, I would never dream of anything happening. Just as I experienced in the muddy road, they are kind and willing to help when problems come around. People tell me to be careful there, that they jump you and take all you have, but I really don't think that's who they are. Yeah, they have done it, and yes I try to be careful, but if I treat them as humans instead of dirt, they are just like anyone else. I felt absolutely ashamed of myself for being scared of them. From now on I'm not going to be, because there's no reason to be. If I'm careful and friendly with them, they'll treat me just the same. They are people, after all. And beautiful people at that.
So, I made it out, my legs caked in refuse, and I followed them to some historical sites in Managua. We saw a tomb of a soldier who fought to overthrow Samosa, and also a shrine to honor him after he assassinated Samosa. We also visited an old building that had visible bullet holes in the towers, left from a battle between the dictator's army and the Sandanistas. Vinny gave us a little history lesson, and then we headed to his favorite restaurant: Ola Verde (the green wave). All the food at Ola Verde is organic, which really excites Vinny, but which I could care less about. One girl in the group had a grub in her salad and freaked out. The waiter apologized with great humility, but she wouldn't even accept a free desert or other dish. We all ended up getting a free brownie on the way out.
From there the team went to the market, but I went home quick to shower and rid myself for the moment of La Chureca. Esmir was in the room, so he hopped on the motorcycle with me to meet back up with the group in the market. When I parked the bike, a man said he'd look after it (there's always someone around eager to make a few cents) and wash it if I wanted. I said that would be great, and asked how much it would cost for him to wash it. "15 cordobas," he said, which is less than a buck, and I said, "Dale, pues!" which means "Deal!" in this senario. That was really a blessing. We went in and met up with the group. There was a woman trying hard to sell some hamocs, but I didn't have money (I wasn't going to say this in the blog, but I ran out of money. I guess it was a mistake to buy the bike, because it took much more than I expected to pay. I got it for $800, but some fees that I didn't know about took it up to $890, and then I had to buy a year of insurance in one payment, amongst about another $50 of small fees including license plates and a helmet. At the moment I have only $1.38 in my bank account, and about $6 in my pocket. Don't worry though please, because I'm getting paid about $90 on Tuesday, between my High School Musical gig and my English teaching job. Then I'll start with Vinny in the internet cafe, and I'll have more than enough to live on. It's just the past week or so that I've had to pinch pennies). Vinny really wanted to help her out, so he asked me if I could use a hamoc. I said no, but that I could give it to Lauren, our friend who's down here for a few months. "That works," he said, and bought a hamoc for $5, which would probably feed the woman and her family for a week.
From the market we went to the hotel where the group was staying to meet up with some kids from an orphanage to go swimming in the pool. We got there, and Esmir and I enjoyed a half hour of small talk with two men who were working for Vinny as chofers. I knew both of them previously, but it was fun to get to talk with them about my bike and joke around about my bad driving (on the way to the hotel I had one incident with the clutch that made the bike do a little wheelie and it freaked us out a little). Esmir loves to exaggerate ;) We then had a great dinner in the restaurant, made by a Belgian chef who's live in North and West Africa, Costa Rica, and Belgium previously, but who now has resided in Nicaragua for just a month. It was delicious, and I had a nice, though brief, conversation with him.
The plan was to go to the movies afterwards, but part of the group was going to San Juan del Sur (including Esmir). So, I left early with the truck that was going to San Juan del Sur because the group going to the movies was going to take a taxi, which would be hard to follow in the dark on my motorcycle for the first time. Felix, the driver of the truck, was going that way anyway to go to San Juan so he didn't mind showing me the way. I parked the bike in the lot, and walked to the entrance to wait for the others to arrive. There was a man with autism standing outside the theater saying hi to everyone that passed by and trying to shake hands. Everyone was ignoring him, and some people gave him dirty looks. The security guards seemed to know him, though, and left him alone. I decided to talk to him while I waited. He didn't have a whole lot to say, but he was quite a character nonetheless. Abdhie called me after five minutes to say that Vinny didn't feel well and that they weren't going to come. I said by to my buddy and drove home in the rain. It was just a soft sprinkle, but it reminded me that I still have to buy a raincoat and some booties.
Esmir was gone for the night, and I found myself a little bit lonely. I just read a little in Romans and listened to some good music before bed. In the morning I was going to play soccer.
I got up at 7:45 and got on some shorts and shirt, grabbed my cleats, phone, wallet, and helmet, and headed out to try to meet Esmir's friends to play some futbol. I got there and asked some guys if they knew Esmir, but they said no. I asked if I could play with them anyway, and they said they were full. So, I looked around the place and didn't really see any other group to play with. There were three guys there but they were just sitting in some chairs and smoking, and didn't really look like they were ready to play. I called Esmir and he told me to look for Jorge Roudes. I said I would, and when I hung up the three guys asked me if I was waiting for someone. I said that I was waiting for a group of my friend's friends. It turns out they were who I was waiting for, and I sat and talked while we waited for more to come. They were pretty cool guys, all around my age, but mostly out of shape. They said they studied with Esmir, who they called the "sheep," and asked me why I was here. I told them I was living here for a while working with the people in La Chureca and other volunteer work. They asked me how I got there, and I told them I just bought a bike. When they heard I had just learned how to ride two days ago, they busted up laughing, saying, "Este maje tiene huevos, no frege!" which means, quite literally translated, "This dude has balls, no joke!" It was a lot of fun laughing with them, and later playing. When we finished I followed some of them to a little shop for some beers and lunch. I had lunch, they had beers, and we just chilled for a while. I was a little worried about how much the lunch would cost, but when I asked, they said not to worry about it. That was pretty nice of them I thought. I think it only cost about a dollar fifty, but when you only have $6, that's a lot. I said thank you and headed home.
I'm finding myself strangely calm with the fact that I only have $6 to my name (the $1.38 in my bank account I can't touch because it would cost me more than that to take it out of an ATM). There's someone bigger looking out for me, and I know I couldn't be in a better place than where I am right now. So please, just forget I said I was out of money because I'll be just fine. Money isn't everything, and I have some on the way anyway. Just pray that God will hold me close and keep me on the right path. And also for my brother who just had surgery on his knee. You do that, and I know that I'll be fine. Until next time.
I knew the way, mas o menos (more or less), because I take the bus towards that area of Managua all the time. I only made one wrong turn, but corrected myself quickly and found my way to the back road that winds behind the dump. I found the entrance, the better of the two by far, and slowly bumped my way to the school. Street dogs and kids were all over the path, so it was good practice for me as I made my way to the school. Reina, who is a really nice girl and one of the best nicaraguan friends of my good friend Chez from Virginia Tech, ran up to me and asked for a ride. I said alright, and she got on and I drove (poorly) her to the school. At the exact time we got there the group showed up in a truck. They told me to follow them, but I had no idea where they were going. They started to go out the other entrance, which is always horrendous. I really didn't want to go that way, but I had no choice because they were on their way and I had no way to catch them if I went out the back.
I was so scared. The mud was between two and eight inches deep, maybe deeper in places, with water and trash everywhere. I thought for sure I was going to fall into the mud head first and ruin the bike. A sharp turn came, and I prayed almost out loud that I wouldnt go over. The engine went wild as I squeezed the clutch and slowed to an abrupt stop. A guy standing nearby broke into a smile, and came up to the back of the bike. "I'll push you," he said, and so I slowly started up again and wobbled on down the sloppy mess of a road. Only by the grace of God did I make it through, with a bunch of dump workers laughing at me and helping me when I got stuck. Both of my shoes got submerged in the muck when I had to stabalize myself, and my shins were plastered with mud. La Chureca mud is by far the worst I've ever experienced. you have month old or older rot sitting in the water and dirt, and it is the worst smelling stuff you'll ever see. That's really the only time I was actually scared while driving the bike.
It's only from stories that I'm scared of the people there. I'm not scared of them, but when I was struggling on my way out of the dump, I was scared that they might do something to me. From my personal experience with the people there, I would never dream of anything happening. Just as I experienced in the muddy road, they are kind and willing to help when problems come around. People tell me to be careful there, that they jump you and take all you have, but I really don't think that's who they are. Yeah, they have done it, and yes I try to be careful, but if I treat them as humans instead of dirt, they are just like anyone else. I felt absolutely ashamed of myself for being scared of them. From now on I'm not going to be, because there's no reason to be. If I'm careful and friendly with them, they'll treat me just the same. They are people, after all. And beautiful people at that.
So, I made it out, my legs caked in refuse, and I followed them to some historical sites in Managua. We saw a tomb of a soldier who fought to overthrow Samosa, and also a shrine to honor him after he assassinated Samosa. We also visited an old building that had visible bullet holes in the towers, left from a battle between the dictator's army and the Sandanistas. Vinny gave us a little history lesson, and then we headed to his favorite restaurant: Ola Verde (the green wave). All the food at Ola Verde is organic, which really excites Vinny, but which I could care less about. One girl in the group had a grub in her salad and freaked out. The waiter apologized with great humility, but she wouldn't even accept a free desert or other dish. We all ended up getting a free brownie on the way out.
From there the team went to the market, but I went home quick to shower and rid myself for the moment of La Chureca. Esmir was in the room, so he hopped on the motorcycle with me to meet back up with the group in the market. When I parked the bike, a man said he'd look after it (there's always someone around eager to make a few cents) and wash it if I wanted. I said that would be great, and asked how much it would cost for him to wash it. "15 cordobas," he said, which is less than a buck, and I said, "Dale, pues!" which means "Deal!" in this senario. That was really a blessing. We went in and met up with the group. There was a woman trying hard to sell some hamocs, but I didn't have money (I wasn't going to say this in the blog, but I ran out of money. I guess it was a mistake to buy the bike, because it took much more than I expected to pay. I got it for $800, but some fees that I didn't know about took it up to $890, and then I had to buy a year of insurance in one payment, amongst about another $50 of small fees including license plates and a helmet. At the moment I have only $1.38 in my bank account, and about $6 in my pocket. Don't worry though please, because I'm getting paid about $90 on Tuesday, between my High School Musical gig and my English teaching job. Then I'll start with Vinny in the internet cafe, and I'll have more than enough to live on. It's just the past week or so that I've had to pinch pennies). Vinny really wanted to help her out, so he asked me if I could use a hamoc. I said no, but that I could give it to Lauren, our friend who's down here for a few months. "That works," he said, and bought a hamoc for $5, which would probably feed the woman and her family for a week.
From the market we went to the hotel where the group was staying to meet up with some kids from an orphanage to go swimming in the pool. We got there, and Esmir and I enjoyed a half hour of small talk with two men who were working for Vinny as chofers. I knew both of them previously, but it was fun to get to talk with them about my bike and joke around about my bad driving (on the way to the hotel I had one incident with the clutch that made the bike do a little wheelie and it freaked us out a little). Esmir loves to exaggerate ;) We then had a great dinner in the restaurant, made by a Belgian chef who's live in North and West Africa, Costa Rica, and Belgium previously, but who now has resided in Nicaragua for just a month. It was delicious, and I had a nice, though brief, conversation with him.
The plan was to go to the movies afterwards, but part of the group was going to San Juan del Sur (including Esmir). So, I left early with the truck that was going to San Juan del Sur because the group going to the movies was going to take a taxi, which would be hard to follow in the dark on my motorcycle for the first time. Felix, the driver of the truck, was going that way anyway to go to San Juan so he didn't mind showing me the way. I parked the bike in the lot, and walked to the entrance to wait for the others to arrive. There was a man with autism standing outside the theater saying hi to everyone that passed by and trying to shake hands. Everyone was ignoring him, and some people gave him dirty looks. The security guards seemed to know him, though, and left him alone. I decided to talk to him while I waited. He didn't have a whole lot to say, but he was quite a character nonetheless. Abdhie called me after five minutes to say that Vinny didn't feel well and that they weren't going to come. I said by to my buddy and drove home in the rain. It was just a soft sprinkle, but it reminded me that I still have to buy a raincoat and some booties.
Esmir was gone for the night, and I found myself a little bit lonely. I just read a little in Romans and listened to some good music before bed. In the morning I was going to play soccer.
I got up at 7:45 and got on some shorts and shirt, grabbed my cleats, phone, wallet, and helmet, and headed out to try to meet Esmir's friends to play some futbol. I got there and asked some guys if they knew Esmir, but they said no. I asked if I could play with them anyway, and they said they were full. So, I looked around the place and didn't really see any other group to play with. There were three guys there but they were just sitting in some chairs and smoking, and didn't really look like they were ready to play. I called Esmir and he told me to look for Jorge Roudes. I said I would, and when I hung up the three guys asked me if I was waiting for someone. I said that I was waiting for a group of my friend's friends. It turns out they were who I was waiting for, and I sat and talked while we waited for more to come. They were pretty cool guys, all around my age, but mostly out of shape. They said they studied with Esmir, who they called the "sheep," and asked me why I was here. I told them I was living here for a while working with the people in La Chureca and other volunteer work. They asked me how I got there, and I told them I just bought a bike. When they heard I had just learned how to ride two days ago, they busted up laughing, saying, "Este maje tiene huevos, no frege!" which means, quite literally translated, "This dude has balls, no joke!" It was a lot of fun laughing with them, and later playing. When we finished I followed some of them to a little shop for some beers and lunch. I had lunch, they had beers, and we just chilled for a while. I was a little worried about how much the lunch would cost, but when I asked, they said not to worry about it. That was pretty nice of them I thought. I think it only cost about a dollar fifty, but when you only have $6, that's a lot. I said thank you and headed home.
I'm finding myself strangely calm with the fact that I only have $6 to my name (the $1.38 in my bank account I can't touch because it would cost me more than that to take it out of an ATM). There's someone bigger looking out for me, and I know I couldn't be in a better place than where I am right now. So please, just forget I said I was out of money because I'll be just fine. Money isn't everything, and I have some on the way anyway. Just pray that God will hold me close and keep me on the right path. And also for my brother who just had surgery on his knee. You do that, and I know that I'll be fine. Until next time.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Changes
A few of my friends came down from the states this week. Vincent "Vinny" Rosinni, the founder of Frontier Horizon, came down to check up on a few projects he's working on here. Bob and Graham Young, father and son, came down with a group from OrphaNetwork to do some business, including building a big team house on the Casa Bernabe Orphanage land to be used when big teams come down. It should be ready for the big Spring Break trip if everything works out... but it is Nicaragua remember. Vinny got in on Monday and I went with him to a farm project where they have 38 "manzanas" (manzanas are about 1.3 acres of land) of sesame seed plants. We also went around with Abdhie and Keren, the translators, to different places to look for computers to purchase for the internet cafe that Vinny is starting in Vera Cruz, in the house next to Abdhie and Keren. We talked about the project, and I told Vinny that i was looking for a job with him, whatever he had for me. He said that was great because he was looking for someone to run the internet cafe. So, i got a job for $5 an hour, monday through friday from 8 to 12. that'll be about $400 a month, which will allow me to really live well down here. Good thing, too, because that motorcycle just about took all i had. As soon as i got the job with Vinny, I told my english teaching job that i was finished with them. I enjoyed working with them, but i was only working saturdays, and was making half the hourly wage that i'll be making with Vinny. And with my job at the internet cafe, i'll be working with the kids teaching an internet class for school. I can't wait to build relationships with all the kids of Vera Cruz and the Casa Bernabe orphanage (the orphanage has a school on its grounds where all the orphans study as well as kids from the surrounding town Vera Cruz. There is also another school in Vera Cruz called Corazon de Jesus, where many more kids will come from to learn the internet).
On Tuesday, I spent the morning in Vera Cruz, and visited some friends of mine. First i ran into Amanda, a beautiful girl who's only 15 and getting married in December. I've become good friends with her and her family over the course of my trips and it's so sad to see her make that decision. She was doing well in school, but now she just dropped out of her third year of five years of high school. She says she'll start up in February and try to finish, but now she has to repeat her third year that she had almost finished. I don't think she'll finish high school, but she tells me that she and her boyfriend-fiance are serious about school. I said goodbye to her and went to visit my friend Delma, a girl i met last summer and have been hanging out with since i've been here. She's also 15 and beautiful, but don't worry i'm not dating her or anything. She wasn't home, so I just hung out and talked with her mom for a while. it was really good spanish practice. I told her i'd bought a motorcycle, and she said that her son (Oscar is his name) could help me learn to ride it. She said that he also is the captain of a soccer team in Vera Cruz and that i might be able to join his team. He's a really nice guy, about 24 and married. I then went to Amanda's house to hang out with her and her sister Irana, as well as her mom. I helped them sweep their back yard and we waited for Graham to come over, who'd gotten in late Monday night. Graham came over at about eleven, and we hung for a while, then i went back to my house in Managua to wait for Roger. Roger is a friend of mine who lives in the house next to Abdhie, where the internet cafe will be. He came over to my house and drove me on the motorcycle to the police department to get everything squared away. I got everything paid for, but the license plates wouldn't be ready till the next day, and i still had to have it pass inspection before i could have the plates. So, we drove it to Vera Cruz (he drove) and got soaked in the rain on the way. When we finally reached Abdhie's house, we turned into her driveway and Roger didn't know there was a foot brake, and we didn't slow down enough. We barely missed the driveway, came to a stop, but we were turning and off balance, and we fell into the mud. It was pretty funny actually, and there was no harm done. We got a little dirty, but it was such a slow fall that the bike didnt even get a scratch. I changed clothes and went out to dinner with Bob and Graham. At dinner, i got invited to go with them to Montelimar, and even though i had plans to learn to drive the motorcycle, i just couldn't resist spending a day with the kids at the beautiful resort.
So we left around 9 then next morning, and arrived at 11. We spent the day swimming in the pools, as well as driving four-wheelers on the beach. I had an 11-year-old girl riding on mine with me, and I let her do some of the driving. They weren't very fast, but she had a ball. The lunch was excellent at the resort, but we left just before dinner (an unexpected letdown). I then went with Abdhie to dinner with Vinny. We presented him and some of the people visiting with him with the new Frontier Horizon shirts that I had designed and had made in Granada, about an hour away. He liked the shirt, new logo, and everything, but they weren't very well printed. The good thing was that the shirts were a grand total of about 4 bucks a piece.
I got invited to go to Montelimar again with Vinny, but i really wanted to learn to ride the bike. So, i stayed at my house Wednesday night and left for Vera Cruz around noon. I left with Esmir, because he wanted to learn too, and we decided to take a bus to the market and get lunch first. We ate, and he remembered that he had class in the afternoon that he couldn't miss. So he left for the house, and I was on my own to Vera Cruz. I bought a new type of Churros on the bus ride, which might be my new favorite style. I forget if i've explained what churros are, but they are essentially fried bread with cheese inside. These ones had sugar on the outside, and were much like those fried sugar donuts that everybody likes, except with a slight cheese flavor. It seems like an unlikely combination, but it's amazing. I also like Pico, which is a big triangle instead of a fried stick of bread. It's also filled with cheese, but also with a sugary syrup. It can have sugar or some sprinkled cheese on the outside. Delicious, all of it. Anyways, i got to Vera Cruz, and Roger was building a new cememt driveway for Keren and Abdhie's house. He had plenty of time though, as the cement was setting, and he started her up. He showed me how to put it in first, and said "Go ahead." So i got on and slowly eased off the clutch as i accelerated. It wasn't the smoothest first ride, but i did a short circle and came back to Roger. He hopped on the back and said, "Let's go!" I was a little unprepared, but we went, and he explained as we drove. I shifted into second more smoothly, and then we ventured out into the less busy side of Vera Cruz. I got her up to about 45 km/hr on the good parts of the road, but was constantly slowing down and downshifting due to "policias acostados," or "sleeping police." They have more speed bumps than they know what to do with here in Nicaragua. It was a blast driving. I could feel every bump in the road and felt the texture changes from cement to gravel to dirt. We did a couple loops of the town, and then he took me to a dirt road with car-sized pot holes and puddles. "All-terrain," he explained, was good to practice on. So i took it slow, weaving the puddles and bumps. After that we hit the highway for just about a kilometer or so and went back to the house. I then took it out on my own for a while, and got a phone call...
"Brad, are you coming to the meeting today?" said my buddy Isaias from High School Musical. It turns out we had another meeting for newspaper photos. I said, "Yeah i think i can make it there in an hour." I turned the bike around and sped back to Vera Cruz. I grabbed my backpack and helmet and asked for a prayer from Abdhie's mom. I made it safely back to my house in downtown Managua without stalling once. A success. I took a taxi to the photoshoot, and then hit the sack. I was exhausted.
Now i'm just about ready to take the bike out for some more practice. The police transit is closed today due to a holiday "the day of the dead," not sure what it's about. I'll go in monday for my plates and license. Can't wait.
On Tuesday, I spent the morning in Vera Cruz, and visited some friends of mine. First i ran into Amanda, a beautiful girl who's only 15 and getting married in December. I've become good friends with her and her family over the course of my trips and it's so sad to see her make that decision. She was doing well in school, but now she just dropped out of her third year of five years of high school. She says she'll start up in February and try to finish, but now she has to repeat her third year that she had almost finished. I don't think she'll finish high school, but she tells me that she and her boyfriend-fiance are serious about school. I said goodbye to her and went to visit my friend Delma, a girl i met last summer and have been hanging out with since i've been here. She's also 15 and beautiful, but don't worry i'm not dating her or anything. She wasn't home, so I just hung out and talked with her mom for a while. it was really good spanish practice. I told her i'd bought a motorcycle, and she said that her son (Oscar is his name) could help me learn to ride it. She said that he also is the captain of a soccer team in Vera Cruz and that i might be able to join his team. He's a really nice guy, about 24 and married. I then went to Amanda's house to hang out with her and her sister Irana, as well as her mom. I helped them sweep their back yard and we waited for Graham to come over, who'd gotten in late Monday night. Graham came over at about eleven, and we hung for a while, then i went back to my house in Managua to wait for Roger. Roger is a friend of mine who lives in the house next to Abdhie, where the internet cafe will be. He came over to my house and drove me on the motorcycle to the police department to get everything squared away. I got everything paid for, but the license plates wouldn't be ready till the next day, and i still had to have it pass inspection before i could have the plates. So, we drove it to Vera Cruz (he drove) and got soaked in the rain on the way. When we finally reached Abdhie's house, we turned into her driveway and Roger didn't know there was a foot brake, and we didn't slow down enough. We barely missed the driveway, came to a stop, but we were turning and off balance, and we fell into the mud. It was pretty funny actually, and there was no harm done. We got a little dirty, but it was such a slow fall that the bike didnt even get a scratch. I changed clothes and went out to dinner with Bob and Graham. At dinner, i got invited to go with them to Montelimar, and even though i had plans to learn to drive the motorcycle, i just couldn't resist spending a day with the kids at the beautiful resort.
So we left around 9 then next morning, and arrived at 11. We spent the day swimming in the pools, as well as driving four-wheelers on the beach. I had an 11-year-old girl riding on mine with me, and I let her do some of the driving. They weren't very fast, but she had a ball. The lunch was excellent at the resort, but we left just before dinner (an unexpected letdown). I then went with Abdhie to dinner with Vinny. We presented him and some of the people visiting with him with the new Frontier Horizon shirts that I had designed and had made in Granada, about an hour away. He liked the shirt, new logo, and everything, but they weren't very well printed. The good thing was that the shirts were a grand total of about 4 bucks a piece.
I got invited to go to Montelimar again with Vinny, but i really wanted to learn to ride the bike. So, i stayed at my house Wednesday night and left for Vera Cruz around noon. I left with Esmir, because he wanted to learn too, and we decided to take a bus to the market and get lunch first. We ate, and he remembered that he had class in the afternoon that he couldn't miss. So he left for the house, and I was on my own to Vera Cruz. I bought a new type of Churros on the bus ride, which might be my new favorite style. I forget if i've explained what churros are, but they are essentially fried bread with cheese inside. These ones had sugar on the outside, and were much like those fried sugar donuts that everybody likes, except with a slight cheese flavor. It seems like an unlikely combination, but it's amazing. I also like Pico, which is a big triangle instead of a fried stick of bread. It's also filled with cheese, but also with a sugary syrup. It can have sugar or some sprinkled cheese on the outside. Delicious, all of it. Anyways, i got to Vera Cruz, and Roger was building a new cememt driveway for Keren and Abdhie's house. He had plenty of time though, as the cement was setting, and he started her up. He showed me how to put it in first, and said "Go ahead." So i got on and slowly eased off the clutch as i accelerated. It wasn't the smoothest first ride, but i did a short circle and came back to Roger. He hopped on the back and said, "Let's go!" I was a little unprepared, but we went, and he explained as we drove. I shifted into second more smoothly, and then we ventured out into the less busy side of Vera Cruz. I got her up to about 45 km/hr on the good parts of the road, but was constantly slowing down and downshifting due to "policias acostados," or "sleeping police." They have more speed bumps than they know what to do with here in Nicaragua. It was a blast driving. I could feel every bump in the road and felt the texture changes from cement to gravel to dirt. We did a couple loops of the town, and then he took me to a dirt road with car-sized pot holes and puddles. "All-terrain," he explained, was good to practice on. So i took it slow, weaving the puddles and bumps. After that we hit the highway for just about a kilometer or so and went back to the house. I then took it out on my own for a while, and got a phone call...
"Brad, are you coming to the meeting today?" said my buddy Isaias from High School Musical. It turns out we had another meeting for newspaper photos. I said, "Yeah i think i can make it there in an hour." I turned the bike around and sped back to Vera Cruz. I grabbed my backpack and helmet and asked for a prayer from Abdhie's mom. I made it safely back to my house in downtown Managua without stalling once. A success. I took a taxi to the photoshoot, and then hit the sack. I was exhausted.
Now i'm just about ready to take the bike out for some more practice. The police transit is closed today due to a holiday "the day of the dead," not sure what it's about. I'll go in monday for my plates and license. Can't wait.
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