Each of the small business volunteers spent
Week 5 of training with a current volunteer to learn about our future role as
Peace Corps Volunteers. Our life as an aspirante (candidate) is not similar to
the life as a volunteer. We have structured classes and activities that we must
attend and there is a lot of reflection and follow-up. One of the purposes of
the visit was to assess if the PCV experience is one we want to commit to for
the next two years. My visit definitely confirmed my decision.
I went to Camoapa in Boaca. It is a small
city in the center of the country, in the land of cowboys and cows. I visited a
girl from Pennsylvania who prior to PC participated in AmeriCorps*City Year in
Boston and we actually studied at the same school in Seville, Spain. I
thoroughly enjoyed my time in Camoapa and hearing about her experience
definitely inspired me.
The bus ride out there was easy. I met up
with one of the other aspirantes at
6:10AM for the 9AM bus out of Managua.
We first took a bus into Managua’s Mercado
Huembes (I was familiar with the location since it is where I went to take
the bus back to my training town when I was sick). Then we called a cab to
bring us to Mayoreo, a large bus
terminal. We waited at the terminal for about an hour and of course saw other
volunteers travelling to their sites since many buses leave out of Mayoreo. The ride was easy. I couldn’t
buy a ticket in advance but I was able to “reserve” my seat. Most people left
their bags on the seat but I left a book since we were “reserving” them about
20 minutes before we were leaving the station and we only were allowed to
quickly go on the bus, put something on a seat and then get off the bus and wait until we were
allowed to board the bus. It was my first time on a long distance bus and it
wasn’t any different from the yellow school buses I am used to. At almost every
stop people got on to sell thing, mostly food and drink, but one guy got on to
sell cookbooks of drinks you can make to cure a variety of illnesses. He was
selling them for 30 córdobas each and about 6 people actually bought them. We
also listened to some music hits from the US, like Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me” and
Aerosmith’s “Amazing”. You really never know what songs you are going to hear
here.
The volunteer lives with a single woman in
her early 30s and her 8 month old baby. The volunteer has her own room in the
back of the house that includes a shower. There is a shared latrine in the
garage like area. It was my first time using a latrine in Nicaragua. I was
lucky and didn’t have to take a bucket bath. Amazingly there was water each
time I wanted to take a shower. Something very uncommon at her site.
The volunteer I visited currently works in
3 schools, teaches 2 English classes and has a youth group. I was able to
attend classes and co-planning sessions at all 3 schools and participate in her
2 English classes. She works at one rural school, one public school in the city
and one private school in the city. The teachers she works with are all
familiar with the material and after she leaves in July will be fully capable
to teach without her support. At most schools, the students were working in
small groups on their product so I was able to meet with all the students and
learn about the products they plan to make for the competition.
At one of the schools, I met a kid with his
fingernails painted black. The volunteer pointed it out to me and I asked him
if his sister painted his nails. He immediately laughed and told me that the
lead singer of one of his favorite bands paints his fingernails black and he
went on to tell me all about the music he likes. We went back and forth for
about ten minutes about bands we like and don’t like and he was super impressed
by the fact that I have seen many of the bands he likes. I made such an
impression that weeks later he asked the volunteer I visited if I am coming
back! Unfortunately, one of the teachers made him take off the black polish and
he has not been able to paint them again.
While in Camoapa, I was able to try some
new foods, such as rosquillas (crunchy ring of salted corn dough) and almíbar
(a sticky concoction of sliced fruits cooked in dulce. The one I had was made
of jocote, tamarind and mango). I also tried a fruit that looked like a large
piece of okra but it had white flesh and black seeds. I wasn’t a fan of the
three things I mentioned above but I tried a papusa made on the corner near the
park for 20 córdobas (less than a $1) and it was delicious! A welcome treat
from the rice and beans I eat every day. I also went out to dinner on Sunday
night with the volunteer and her volunteer site mate. It was my first time
going out to dinner here in Nicaragua.
The volunteer has been in her site for
almost 2 years so she has built strong relationships with many individual in
the community. We went to one of her friend’s places for lunch. We first went
to the market to buy some random things and then gave them to her as gratitude
for feeding us. She made a pretty impressive meal, which included macaroni and
cheese, on a two burner gas stove without a rice cooker or running water. The
volunteer also teaches two English classes in the evening and the families that
host the class serve her dinner those nights so I also got in on the action,
rice, beans, and tortilla. Pretty standard but still very tasty!
My last night there was a Wednesday and
there was a big birthday party down the street. We didn’t get invited or go but
I could hear the mariachi band then just loud music and also a great rendition
of Happy Birthday. My bus ride back was on a coach bus and we watched music
video. This time they were the popular Spanish songs with Gangnam Style thrown
in. The best part was that Gangnam Style had Spanish captions!
One interesting fact I learned is that it
is common for new mothers to eat only tortillas and cheese for the first 40
days after delivery. It is supposedly common throughout Nicaragua. Also, I
learned that Nicaraguans start feeding babies solid food much earlier than in
the states. And also saw a lot of women breastfeeding. It is definitely not
something reserved for private spaces. A bunch of women at the heath center
were breastfeeding, for example, and no one was using a cloth of any kind to
cover themselves up.
Here are some pictures I took from the bus
on the way back to Managua.
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