Tuesday, June 24, 2008

2008: The Newly Liberated Quincho Library

My past week has been spent revamping the Quinchos library, which included books enclosed in wooden bookcases, within a small, well lit room. The books were disorganized when I arrived, lacking labeled sections or easy access. I saw great potential in “La Biblioteca” and realized so much more could be accomplished beyond buying new books.

The librarian, DonaIvana (also my host mother), has been laid back yet excited about my ideas. With her help, we have revamped the space. We first ventured to Managua to buy posters for the walls, school supplies, and of course, books! (Thank you to those who helped me raise the funding for this project. It made all the difference!) We bought an insurmountable number of books, most of which have been read/or looked at by the children as of now.

Rose and I spent two full days, a total of about 16 work hours, sorting, piling, and categorizing the books, the old along with the new. We created categories such as History, Social Sciences, Geography, How to do Things Section, Sports, Math, Science (with sub-sections of Geology, Astronomy, Chemistry, Biology, etc). An entire book case was devoted to children´s books, organized by level of difficulty.

Amongst our organizing were curious children mixing up our piles and occasionally asking for advice on what to read, or inquiring "what is this?" (To the left are many of the new books we bought and below is a photo of the organizing process.)


The final result was better than I could have ever imagined. We hung up the posters, put the finishing touches on the library (cleaning, straightening etc), and watched as the kids walked in after school, all of whom marveled at the posters and newfound brightness of the room. It is now easy to seek out books from the various sections. The children are more engaged by the light atmosphere.

About 1/3 of the money I raised remains, and now that we have reorganized the library into sections, and have a better idea of the contents, we can spend the rest of the money on the three or four sections that are lacking. In Nicaragua, children do not have their own copies of text books. They travel to school every day, listen to their teachers lecture from the selected textbooks, and are expected to complete their homework without any references. The library carries many of the textbooks to use for reference, but much of the remaining funding will be used to complete and amplify the text book sets.

The library funding from my family and friends has provided about half of the textbooks the library holds. Thanks again to everyone who helped make this project a reality.




2008: Daily Life in Nicaragua

Before leaving for Nicaragua, I had a hard time contemplating what life would be like working in a small, suburban town. I have been placed with a homestay family, and I share a small bedroom with Doña Ivania, my homestay mother, and her daughter Leonela.

Water is only available from 8 p.m.- 10 p.m. so my family fills large vats with water to use the next day. The toilet doesn't flush, so you have to pour a small bucket of water swiftly into the front of the toilet to trigger the flush. We forget how lucky we are to have running water at all hours, and it rarely crosses our minds how much water we waste by showering with running water. I usually take bucket showers, because it is too cold to shower past eight at night.

I have grown accustomed to all these differences, and feel it will be hard to readjust to the ways of the United States. Food is another topic I find very different here. Many Nicaraguans eat rice and beans for breakfast, or a mix of the two called Gallopinto. It is great the first few times, but after a few weeks one becomes very tired of this delicacy (but I should try not eating for a few days, as many people here do not, and then see how great Gallopinto seems). Chicken and white rice are the signature lunch and dinner items, and a mango from the tree in the back yard serves for dessert.

Peanut butter, jam, butter, etc are all too expensive for the normal Nicaraguan family to afford. The only reason I eat toast and peanut butter for breakfast is because I buy it myself to share with my family. Refrigerators are also hard to come by. My family has one that currently doesn’t work, so they buy the food they need daily, including milk. Fruit is also very expensive, although Nicaragua produces a lot of such things.

Snacking doesn’t really exist here, so one is always good and hungry for the next meal. For this reason, I find rice and beans very tasty!

San Marcos

I’ve spent four weeks in Nicaragua and have already fallen in love with the country, despite my run ins with hongos, parasites, and various other health problems one might encounter when in a tropical country.

More than a week ago I arrived in San Marcos, a quaint town full of life but begging for improvement. It is far better off than many towns, considering it has various medical care, a few coffee shops, pharmacies, and a market place, not to mention it is somewhat safe. This isn’t to say that there is not a high level of poverty…as in other towns; San Marcos is chalked full of stray dogs, children who beg in the park, people without shoes, and thin faces which show hard work with little to show for it.

The cycle of violence and neglect is vicious…and is not only reflected on people, but on animals as well. A man abuses a woman, and the woman then yells at her children and kicks her dog. The father may get fed up with his family responsibilities and leave, pressuring the mother to provide for her children. Many mothers in extreme poverty prostitute their daughters to make a few extra Cordobas. Several of the girls I am working with have been put in this situation. It’s incredible that these girls are motivated enough to go to school, do their homework, and still have the energy to smile and play. The spirit of children is unlike anything else.

The day I arrived the children welcomed me with open arms, wondering who I was, where I was from, if I liked Nicaragua. Many of the girls remembered me from the day I visited, and dove into my arms as might a long lost friend who hasn’t seen me for years. From the second day on it appeared as if I had known the girls for years. They all crave love and attention, considering they have two adults who live with them, who are unable to give sufficient amounts of awareness to all thirty girls.

The same goes for the sixty boys in the program. Every day this week I’ve found various little boys say, “MARGARITA HOLA!!” I’m ashamed because I haven’t memorized all of their names, but in time I will come to learn them!

It’s hard to realize that 90 percent of these children have been molested, abused, and/or neglected. All of them possess incredible potential and merely want to be cherished. It’s incredible how easily they pick up English and other various languages, like Italian. Many can rattle off Rúben Dario poems they memorized in school, one of which is named “Margarita.” With every new fifth grader I meet, I hear the poem Margarita. By the end of the summer I will know the poem by heart just because the kids recite it so much.

There is a huge necessity for books and reading practice. Much of my time has been spent reading with the kids, sounding out words as we go.