ProNica Blog

Road work, El Limon

2009-06-24T10:10:00.000-04:00

Road work, El Limon, Esteli.

2009-06-24T10:01:00.000-04:00

Working on the road, El Limon

2009-06-24T09:01:00.001-04:00

Our last full day in Nicaragua!

2009-06-23T12:40:00.000-04:00

Mixed feelings arise as we begin to pack dirt stained clothes into our bags for Miami … some people are as anxious as can be to get home to their warm, comfortable beds, hot showers, air conditioning, and familiar foods. However, I think that the majority of us (as much as we miss our friends and family) are saddened that this trip has already come to a closing.
We arrived in Managua after a long, cramped bus ride from Esteli, around 4:30. Trevor negotiated with the taxicab drivers and we finally got back to the Quaker House; home sweet home! Our grumbling stomachs demanded nourishment, so pizza was the easiest solution. When dinner was finished and people had showered, nine of us packed into Lillian’s car and we headed off to the sweat lodge for Nicole’s birthday celebration. While we were away, those who stayed behind decorated the patio and created a gorgeous birthday crown for the birthday girl. We got home and enjoyed some cake before showers, packing, and bed.
In regards to what we’ve been up to the last few days: We spent Friday in Esteli at a hostel. We got to contribute to the Funarte mural project, which was actually pretty awesome. We split up into groups and worked with different children from around the city on different art projects. Later, we chilled out in the hostel and watched “Carla’s Song” a movie that was filmed in Esteli about the war in Nicaragua . Saturday, we woke up early and rode out in the back of a red pickup truck to El Limon. We had a short meeting and then were introduced to our host families. The people were so incredibly nice, not to mention proud of their small but humble homes. Dinner was served just about as soon as it got dark. I can’t speak for others, but I ate in the candlelight, and actually quite enjoyed my meal! The coffee here is really, really delicious! Sunday, we woke up to a deafening symphony of roosters, chickens, cows, pigs, and dogs, that lasted at least an hour and a half … an alarm clock that we’re not really accustomed to. We spent half of the day working on the muddy roads of El Limon, and were allowed to explore the town for the remainder of the day. Sunday night was extremely chilly, and as some of us weren’t given blankets, we realized how difficult the people of this town really have it. Today we rose with the roosters, yet again, and worked until lunch time. Lunch was served and then we had to pack to leave for Managua. We said our farewells to our host families, and then headed out.
Tomorrow, we will leave for the airport at ten in the morning. Our flight is scheduled to leave Managua at twelve forty five in the afternoon. And hopefully, if all goes well, we should arrive in the states at 5:30, and clear customs by 6:15 or 6:30.

This country is beautiful, as well as the people who inhabit it, I will never forget this experience, ever (:

Seeya when we get home!

Peace,
Genevieve Rowe

2009-06-22T22:32:00.002-04:00

22 June, El Limon

Right before leaving today, we planted a small lemon tree next to the preschool at the community center in El Limon, a token of gratitude from our delegation to the families who so generously gave us their beds and cooked for us during our two day stay. To say it was a privilege to have shared two days in the life of the people of El Limon sounds trite. But it is a very appropriate word to use. Their sense of community, of openness, and genuine hospitality and warmth is something rarely experienced in our culture in our time.

I was very proud of our youth as I watched them working hard on road repairs these past two days. They really put their backs into it and all participated. We had lots of rain in the Esteli area and the road and paths to the homes we stayed in were very muddy. Parents will hear the mud stories, I’m sure.

The piles of rock and dirt for the much needed road repair were bought with money earned by the teens and raised by our SEYM meetings. The road is the village’s lifeline to Esteli. The children use the road to get to school. The milk is delivered evey morning by horse on the road. Filling the washed out places, digging trenches for water runoff, and stacking big rocks to divert the rainy season waters was the most important task the village needed to have done and the work of our youth made quite a difference in the length of the job.

Tomorrow we return home, ready for hot showers, air conditioning, and our own beds. But we all will be returning changed by the experience of Nicaragua and full of memories of this beautiful, poor country.

Kathy Hersh, very tired chaperone

We're back from Ometepe

2009-06-19T08:45:00.002-04:00

We have returned from three days on the island of Ometepe where we enjoyed the gorgeous views of the two volcanos, hiked through the Charco Verde reserve (and saw howler monkeys), and swam a lot in "the sweet sea", as Lake Nicaragua is also known as.
We returned late last night and are off and running this morning to Estelí for the final stretch of the trip.

Lazy days in Ometepe

2009-06-19T00:16:00.002-04:00

We've just spent three blissful days in possibly the most beautiful place on earth. Flowers of unbelieveable hues bursted from every corner, their lingering fragrance spicing up the air. We got out of the van and were greeted by the incredible sight of a vast, rolling lake hitting the black sandy shores, a massive volcano adding to the picturesque view. Immediately, clothes were discarded and bathing suit clad teens were rushing into the welcoming surf. We lazed in hammocks as the sun set behind the distant mountains that framed Lake Nicaragua. Our initial plans of visiting a waterfall and another beach were impeded by one of the largest landslides in the island's recent history. We laughed, we danced and had a good time celebrating Elizabeth's 17th birthday Nicaragua style. Tomorrow we will be venturing into Esteli. These next few days will be harsh and trying but I believe we will be able to endure it because of our desire to improve the lives of others.

Peace and love,
Nicole

A boat ride through the top of the Mombacho Volcano

2009-06-15T23:44:00.004-04:00

Yes, actually, the 365 little isletas we boated past in Lake Nicaragua were once the top of the Mombacho volcano in the background. It was really beautiful to be there late in the day among such incredible natural beauty.

Nicole and Marian on big Lake Nicaragua

2009-06-15T23:36:00.003-04:00

Enjoying the volcano

2009-06-15T23:29:00.002-04:00

After emerging from the lava tubes and before hiking back to the car

2009-06-15T23:23:00.003-04:00

Here we are with our wonderful, bilingual guide Luís who mesmerized us with his studies of the indigenous people who populated this area and geological information as well.

At the Masaya volcano and on lake Nicaragua

2009-06-15T23:14:00.003-04:00

Here we are at the Masaya volcano before heading off into the lava tubes, or tunnels, to look for bats and admire the huge tree roots from below.

Teens in 'tubes

2009-06-14T21:38:00.003-04:00

A lazy Sunday at Laguna de Apoyo

2009-06-14T21:27:00.002-04:00

Here are the kids enjoying a lazy day at Laguna de Apoyo. This is one of the most beautiful places in Nicaragua and one of my personal favorites (which is why I love to bring visitors here).

Crater Lake

2009-06-14T20:08:00.002-04:00

Today we started out the morning with meeting for worship. We had a meeting afterwards to discuss some tensions in the house. So far everything feels a bit more relaxed. We took a scenic route to crater lake, being the only route that winded up the volcanic mountain side. As soon as we arrived we ran down to the bottom and jumped in. The water temperature was very comfortable although it was quite overcast and foggy today. We ate lunch shortly after while sitting in hammocks and rocking chairs with this incredible view of crater lake in front of us. We went back out and swam to the floating dock and spent a lot of time having fun and tilting the dock from side to side. Around 4:30 p.m we headed back in the van and we were all exhausted. Now we have returned from a wonderful day of swimming to eat sleep and relax.

Light and Peace,
Jessica Begin

Yesterday the teens saw the Crater Lake, aka Laguna de Apoyo from the lookout point of the village of Catarina. Today they swam in the lake the entire afternoon. They will sleep like babies tonight, especially after Dona Lupe's excellent meal of rice, grilled chicken rolled around steamed vegetables, and a wonderful fresh vegetables medley of chayote, carrots, onion, and Nicaraguan squash. Each night we have a fruit drink made from fresh tropical fruits like passion fruit, mango, tamarind, and pineapple and rice mixed together in a delicious drink.

Everyone is talking about how friendly, accepting, and generous the Nicaraguan people are.

Kathy Hersh

At Catarina with the Mombacho volcano in the background.

2009-06-14T10:07:00.003-04:00

We will be driving to the top of Mombacho on Monday to hike in the cloud forest there. If it's a clear day, we'll be able to see the hundreds of tiny islands, or isletas, in the big lake Nicaragua which is the 7th largest lake in the world. Actually those 365 isletas (yes, one for every day of the year) were once the top of Mombacho until a violent eruption millions of years ago blew them into the lake.

If it's a cloudy day, we will be hiking in literally a cloud. Stay tuned!

Teens at Catarina, overlooking Laguna de Apoyo.

2009-06-14T09:59:00.001-04:00

2009-06-14T01:21:00.002-04:00

Today we got up and went to Los Quinchos. They were having their 18th annaversary party. Los Quinchos is a great organization, they create a productive home for street children. Without this organization these kids would be living out on the streets, sleeping on cardboard, going weeks without food, and and sniffing glue (the local drug of choice). At the party we played soccer with the children and watched their cultural performances and gave lots of piggy back rides. We then drove up to a near by volcano. The view was absolutely stunning. We played around there for awhille and then headed back to los Quinchos where we ate and then had a dance pary. We danced and sang, laughed and smiled. We drove back exhaused...we are all snuggled in our beds, exhaused from another tiring yet fabulous day.
Much love from all of us,
Elizabeth

The kids have been really busy with all the activities Lillian planned for us. So this explains why postings on the blogspot have been spotty. Add to that the fact that it's been extremely hot so it takes a while to recover. We will be attending meeting for worship in the patio in the morning with the Managua Worship Group. In the afternoon, we will be swimming in a crater lake and relaxing for the rest of the day. These kids are ready for that.

Kathy the Chaperone

Teens under the shadow of Sandino

2009-06-11T19:17:00.002-04:00

2009-06-11T19:09:00.000-04:00

Touring Managua

2009-06-11T19:08:00.001-04:00

Today we had a great talk by Kathy Hersh at the Ben Linder House about being a war correspondant at the end of the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua, then headed out to tour Managua. Here are a couple of photos.

Watch out for the little green elf....!!

2009-06-10T23:22:00.005-04:00

We arrived in Nicaragua safe, sound, and excited, not knowing what to expect. As we drove away from the airport and through the streets of Managua, we stared out the windows, awed and slightly shocked. It is a city with all the potential to be beautiful, with it's bright buildings and tropical-esque foliage. Yet, the streets are littered with beggars and street children. While all of us teens were aware that Nicargua is the 2nd poorest country in the western hemisphere, I don't think we quite prepared ourselves for this. And apparently, this is not even the worst of the poverty we are going to be introduced to. It was bizarre and sad. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we wished more than anything that there was something we could do to help. This feeling has us excited to travel around Managua and other places to learn about their incredible yet painful history and to meet the people.

Today, Lillian introduced us to Roger, *pronounced "Ro-hair"* a 19 year old Nicaraguan from Leon who will be travelling with us for the rest of the trip. At first, it was awkward and hard to communicate. Our names were difficult for him to pronounce and we couldn't find a lot to talk about. 3 hours later, we were all sitting around a rickety old table laughing hysterically at the the communication issues and Roger's strange stories. He warned us of a little green elf that will follow us around Managua and Esteli and possibly play tricks on us at night. Seems fishy, but we'll see what happens with that :P We taught Roger how to play the card game BS which was a source of grand entertainment. It took a lot of slow explaining, frantic hand motions and confused expressions. I think he likes us...we all think he's just wonderful!
Marianna, the other Nicaraguan teen, will be joining us on Saturday. We can't wait to meet her!!
Well, the gong sounded at 10:00 and it's time to get ready for bed. We have a busy day tomorrow!!
Peace and love,
Nicole

Oh, and we definitely did not prepare ourselves for this heat!!

2009-06-10T21:49:00.003-04:00

We just finished a delicious chicken and rice dinner, followed by an interesting talk by Lillian on the history of Nicaragua since the 1850's. It's hot here but a storm has arrived and the rain is cooling the air a bit. The youth have tremendous energy still after a long day. Check in tomorrow for blogs from the teens about the day.

Peace,
Kathy

The teens have safely arrived!

2009-06-10T17:57:00.002-04:00

After the tedious hour and a half wait of getting through customs and immigration, getting their luggage and renting the minivan, the teens and the Hershes emerged safe and sound in Managua (with all of their luggage! no less).
We are going to lay low at Quaker House today and get oriented. The teens are all in the back patio catching up and the Hershes are chatting with other Quaker House guests.

And in a typically Nicaraguan scenario, the phone at QH is out because the phone company is working in the neighborhood for the next few days, so the entire sector will be without phone service for that time. By some miracle, we do still have internet (knock wood!).

The kids will be emailing their parents as moved by the Spirit.

peace and light,

Lillian

SEYM Youth Delegation gathers in Miami

2009-06-10T14:55:00.005-04:00

Tuesday afternoon many of the youth delgation and several of the parents that provided transportation, gathered at Kathy & Carl Hersh's home. Several Friends from the Miami Monthly Meeting joined the group for a potluck dinner and social. It was a fun evening ... great food, good conversation, some play time in the pool, and a chance to wish all of the youth delegation our best wishes for their adventure in Nicaragua.

The remaining youth arrived at the Hersh's this morning, and after breakfast and some last minute packing we caravaned off to Miami International Airport, arriving about 10am to check-in for a 1pm flight.

SEYM Quaker teen itinerary

2009-06-06T13:57:00.002-04:00

Greetings everyone,
As the arrival date gets closer, the final touches are being put on the itinerary. I am sure that you will not only have a great time, but that you will learn an immense amount about this wonderful country. We will be accompanied by Marian and Roger, two Nicaraguan teens.
See you soon!

QUAKER TEEN DELEGATION
JUNE 10TH-JUNE 23RD

Wednesday, June 10th: group arrives on AA flight at 1:35 pm. Settle in at Quaker House. 5 pm: introductions, review itinerary, logistics, safety and health issues, etc. Dinner at QH. Evening: Nicaraguan politics and history talk.

Thursday, June 11th: 8:30 am: attend the weekly presentation at the Ben Linder House. Kathy Hersh will talk about being a war correspondent here during the wars. 10 am: tour Managua. Lunch at the Casa de los Mejia Godoy. Afternoon: continue touring Managua. Dinner at Quaker House.. Evening: see the movie on Ben Linder, a young engineer who came to work in solidarity with the Nicaraguan revolution in 1983 and was murdered by the US-backed contras in 1987.

Friday, June 12th: 8:30 am: visit the Batahola cultural center which teaches art and culture as well as vocational classes in a working class neighborhood. 11 am: visit the Quinchos project at the La Chureca garbage dump. Lunch at QH. Afternoon reflection, journaling and blogging.

Saturday, June 13th: visit Los Quinchos Association for ex-street-children. This will be their anniversary celebration and we are invited to join in the fun. Afterwords, visit the Masaya volcano nearby.

Sunday, June 14th: 9 am: Meeting for Worship at Quaker House, then drive to the Laguna de Apoyo Crater Lake for a day of swimming in the volcanic crater. Evening: meet with Philip Montalban, Nicaragua’s most famous reggae musician, who will talk about the cosmovision of the indigenous people of his native Atlantic Coast and bring his guitar to share his music with us.

Monday, June 15th: Visit the colonial city of Granada and the Mombacho volcano. Visit the picturesque village of Catarina.

Tuesday, June 16th:- leave EARLY for Ometepe. Will stay at Hotel Finca Venecia for two nights.

Wednesday, June 17th: stay in Ometepe. Elizabeth’s birthday! What a great place for a birthday!

Thursday, June: leave after lunch, returning to Managua. Stay at Quaker House.

Friday, June 19th: 8: 30 am leave for Estelí. Drop things off at Hospedaje Luz y Luna. Visit the Gallery of Heroes and Martyrs, a museum run by the mothers whose children died in the struggle to overthrow the Somoza dictatorship in the 1970s and also in the fight to defend their revolution in the 1980s. Lunch at Café Luz. 2 pm visit Radio Cumiche, the youth run radio station which focuses on human rights. 5 pm: visit Aldo Marcell, origami wizard (you can google Aldo Marcell origami for a preview). Dinner. Evening: see “Carla’s Song”, filmed in Estelí.

Saturday, June 20th: 7:30 am spend the morning with the youth artists of Funarte, a human right and muralism project. Lunch. 2 pm leave for El Limon, a peasant community 4 kilometers from Estelí. Stay in pairs or threes with peasant families. Be prepared for simple accommodations (bucket showers, outhouses, rice and beans) and wonderful people. And especially be prepared to practice your Spanish!

Sunday, June 21st: .work in the community fixing the road. Bring sturdy shoes, work clothes, hats, and work gloves.

Monday, June 22nd: work in the morning, after lunch return to Managua in the afternoon. Nicole’s birthday! Not as nice as Ometepe, but we'll do something fun.

Tuesday, June 23rd: return to the US. Happy travels.

Welcome to Nicaragua

2009-06-05T14:40:00.002-04:00

Welcome SEYM teens on Wednesday 10 June

Welcome to our new blog

2009-02-23T19:50:00.002-05:00

We hope that you will enjoy following the travels of our student visitors this summer.