¡Viva la Vida!

Fun in Ometepe

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This past weekend we travelled to Ometepe island in Lake Nicaragua for a much needed holiday.  We stayed at beautiful Charco Verde where we swam, kayaked, played on the beach, and rode horses.  It was so much fun but we wore ourselves out! (click on the pic to enlarge!)

Two Year Anniversary

On this past Wednesday, June 15th, we completed our second year in Nicaragua.  The funny thing is that Jan and I passed more than half the day before being reminded by a friend of ours of the anniversary.  We had talked about it last week but then when the actual day came we had forgotten about it.  Anyway, we passed it without too much fanfare - but Jan and I did enjoy a rare night out on a date.  During the date we made up a list of some things we've learned in the past two years of expatriate living but Jan has that list and, well, you know how my memory is!  So I'll get Jan to blog that list. 

Field Trip

Yesterday I and 4 other high school teachers took the high school students on a field trip to 2 universities in Managua.  The purpose of the field trip was to allow the students to better know their options once they graduate from our school.  First we visited the University of Central America.  We were met by two staff members who gave us a nice video presentation and then a talk on all the things the university offers.  After that we toured the beautiful campus and were given a reception with snacks at the end.  I was very impressed with the quality of UCA and I hope that some of our students end up there.  Then we travelled several blocks over to another university, the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN), and toured that campus as well.  UNAN is cheaper in price and probably a little lower in quality than UCA but, nevertheless, it's still a good option for our students.   As educators, we not only have the responsibility of educating our students but in guiding them to that next step - and, for many, that next step will be the university.  As I was typing this here in the Internet cafe, one of my seniors passed by and I asked her what she thought of yesterday's field trip.  She smiled and said she saw lots of cute boys and then, on a serious note, thanked me for taking them and for doing this "for their future."  That makes it worthwhile...

The German Connection

Our city of Masatepe has a city-to-city friendship with the German city of  Kreis Groß-Gerau in the state of Hesse.  The friendship began in 1992 when our friend Uriel was vice mayor (seen here with me holding a newspaper headline) and, in an exchange of civic leaders, he had the chance to go and visit Germany.  The Germans have been very generous to Masatepe - spending 1.2 million US dollars since the partnership began.  They've built bus stops, organized sporting programs, helped build neighborhoods, and administered programs to provide assistance to young mothers, among many other projects.  A German foundation (not connected with the city exchange program, I don't think) also opened up a school here - called the Nehemiah School.  All in all, we're grateful for our German friends.  Uriel will be making the trip to visit Germany once again in July for two weeks.  We're excited to hear his stories when he returns and we hope the German-Nicaraguan friendship will continue to bear fruit and lead to greater mutual understanding between these two cultures.

A Note on the Political Situation...

Yesterday I received an email from a concerned friend with this story from CNN ("Nicaragua Under State of Emergency") who wanted to know if things are all right. Here's what I know about the situation: President Bolaños (right) last week declared a state of emergency and even suspended parts of the constitution in order to confront his political opposition and deal with the ongoing energy crisis this nation is facing. He's called out 5,000 extra police officers to reinforce security in Managua and has asked the chief of the OAS to travel to Nicaragua to help mediate the crisis. The problems are complicated but mainly involve the price of electricity and gasoline which has risen dramatically this year - the gas incresases caused student rioting in Managua back in April. President Bolaños' opposition has tried to capitalize on the unrest in order to make their presidential candidates in next year's election more popular. All in all, we can say that THERE IS NO DANGER FOR US OR FOR THE INCOMING MISSIONS TEAMS. I say that in all caps to illustrate my point! So, life here's going on just as normal as it was...state of emergency or not.

The 2005 Census

Like the U.S., Nicaragua conducts a national census every ten years.  The current census, Nicaragua's eighth, is being conducted from May 28 until June 11 by 12,000 census workers nationwide and at a cost of $14 million US dollars.  The 2005 census is a greatly expanded edition with a battery of questions such as "What type of floor do you have in your house?" (one option being a dirt one) to "How many foreigners have you had visit you in the last year?" (our answer...lots!).  It was an interesting questionaire and, being the data geek I am, I'm looking forward to surveying the statistics once all the information is compiled.  Hopefully the census results will help the government tackle some of the massive socio-economic problems  this nation faces as well as giving valuable data to the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that operate here.  You can see our excitement and enthusiasm in being good citizens and the joy of the census worker.  She said we're the last family on our block to be counted and was overjoyed to finally catch us.  Once the results are made public we'll let you know the new "official" population of Nicaragua.       

SUMMER 2005 Photo Album Now Up!

Hey...check out our SUMMER 2005 Photo Album...nine pics so far and more to come.  Look on the right sidebar under "Photo Albums" to find it.

The Boys of Summer

One of the fun things about working in missions is meeting the other people who come to serve here - whether for short-term trips or for longer stints.  Allow me to introduce you (from left to right) to Greg and Kris (who are leading an AIM missions trip to Managua next week) and Jonathan and Joshua (the brothers from N.C. who arrived last week).  We've had a blast with these guys as they've brought lots of energy and enthusiasm to Masatepe.  Kris donned a clown suit and was transformed into "Pepe the Clown" for the Day of the Child celebration at our school last Friday (notice the cut-off polyester pants...real classics!).  We'll keep you posted on all their adventures...   

Bird-Sitting

We have become acquainted with an American lady here in Masatepe who had to travel back to the US for a while.  She just recently acquired two baby keel-billed toucans and asked if we would like to care for them. These creatures are so beautiful!  Our backyard has become a mini-aviary with these two guys in addition to our little chocoyo (African parrot).  The toucans make little noise, and they are content to be held and played with. 

This morning I was sitting at the breakfast table listening to the sounds of my parrot, the songs of the wild birds, and the chirps of the toucans... I was reminded of the many places in the Bible where it says (this is WAY paraphrased, I know!)  that creation awaits anxiously in expectation for the revealing of the splendor of God. The songs were songs of hope to me as I also await the time where God's full splendor will be revealed to me.  I look at these birds with awe, and I think about the Creator and His imaginative creation, even down to the bright colors and soft feathers... and I thank Him for allowing me to be His child.