toupees and muffin tops

ometepe was fantastic. we left pretty early in the morning and got there around 9, arriving just in time for breakfast (and an ice cold beer). we were able to all pitch in for a taxi and avoid the ridiculously long bus ride to the other side of the island. because the volcano trek starts earlier in the morning than we expected, we all ended up heading to the same spot instead of splitting up. it took about an hour and a half to get to the hostel in Merida because the roads were so bad. ive never really seen main roads this shitty before. my feet actually hurt after walking quite a ways with Pedro in the afternoon because my shoes are so thin and the roads are so rocky and uneven.
anyway, we all hung out at the hostel for a bit, went swimming in the lake, and ate some food. they actually had soy vegetarian options, which was really exciting. i felt like i had found my way to a remote, nearly unreachable oasis.

after a while pedro and i decided to make the trek to the waterfall at san ramon. it took about half an hour to walk down the road to the biodiversity preserve, then another hour and a half to begin the hike up the volcano to get to the water. the first couple kilometers were not much more than i was expecting, but the last was phenomenal. its was just a tiny little footpath through the rainforest.

distant forlorn screams of howler monkeys and the songs of exotic birds created a constant, melodious rhythm that helped us keep pace as we trudged along. walking through countless spiderwebs that enlaced the path, we were accompanied by a myriad of some of the most interesting insects ive ever seen. enormous termite nests clung tight to the trees high above the heads of the thousands, if not millions, of ants that carried leafs single file in a line that must have reached nearly two hundred yards. we felt like explorers. adventurous, sweaty explorers.we had some trouble finding the waterfall. at points we thought we may have missed it. or gone too far. or lost the path. but we marched on until we could go no farther. and we found it. it was alright. i mean, sure it was beautiful; tall, smooth, elegant, mystic. but, as you may know, i have lived quite close to some fantastic waterfalls nearly my entire life and it just didnt compare. at the very least, it was worth it just to have the opportunity to hike through the jungle.
it was nearly darkwhen we finally got back and the entire hostel property and surrounding hospedajes had all lost power. luckily we were able to refresh in the warm waters of the gigantic lake and eat dinner prepared by candlelight. throughout dinner we were entertained (and entertained) a couple of local young boys. they had initially stopped by to try to sell their handmade bracelets but soon gave up and just sat down with us. we helped them with their english homework and then took turns showing off what magic tricks, jokes, etc. that we new.

after being eaten alive throughout the night, i awoke eagerly with the raucus crowing of the nearby roosters before my alarm went off and walked immediately to the docks. unfortunately it was still overcast, but the warm, choppy water of the lake was invigorating and abandoned. i ate breakfast from the hostel buffet, filling my belly with enough rice, beans, eggs, fruit, bread, and coffee for a few. afterwards pedro and i packed up our stuff and waited around for the bus to the other side of the island. i was planning on hiking the volcano Madera that day but changed my mind after i found out that i wouldnt be able to descend the other side and end up at Finca Magdalena, the place which drew me to the island in the first place.

after hearing the honking horn of the bus, we grabbed our bags and headed out to the road, surprised that a Nicaraguan bus could have actually arrived 15 minutes earlier than scheduled. and quite early indeed, as it had already come and gone by the time we got there. we ran after it for a few minutes but soon gave up and just decided to walk the long, rocky road to the other side of the island. we met a local on the way and our conversation made the two hours pass a little more quickly.

arriving tired, sweaty, and smelly, the natural beauty of the Finca Magdalena immediately extinguished any negative thoughts that may have been crossing through my mind. the old, enormous farm and barn turned hostel was nearly empty and ours for exploration. it was literally a huge old barn that they had converted into a hostel; the beds were just cots suspended a few feet off the ground; hammocks abound on the wide-open porch; fresh, cheap food and beer served from the old stables. we had some food, spoke for a while with a couple french ladies that are traveling the world together, and then headed our separate ways: pedro to the porch to read and i went off exploring. the gardens were filled with tons of beautiful, colorful plants that id never seen before.
and the permaculture institute was just through the woods and down the hill. i started off trudging through the mud in the direction that someone had pointed out, but soon encountered another gringo hiking the opposite direction, squeezing himself through a barbed wire fence and greeting me with a friendly, 'howdy.' i was really quite lucky to bump into chris, the director of the Project Bona Fide, the permaculture institute, as i would have honestly never have found it on my own.

it started to pour just as we were arriving back at the kitchen/classroom where a group of students from UVM as well as a few regulars were finishing up work for the day and making some food. i was introduced and quickly welcomed into the small community, making myself at home underneath the straw roof that was doing such a great job of keep us all warm and dry. i was invited to eat with them and got to share their bread and fruit with fresh jam and chocolate, which they had just made from cacao grown there on the farm. it was amazing.after the rain stopped and i had gotten a chance to speak to nearly everyone, a few of the girls were nice enough to give me a tour of Zone 1 of the farm. it was beautiful. there were so many different species of plants grouped so densely together, all placed strategically in certain places in order to most effectively and efficiently benefit and cooperate with their neighbors.

pedro and i hung out with a few of the girls from the farm after they walked back with me to the farm, then had an early dinner and passed out. we were pretty limited in terms of buses in the morning because most of ometepe shuts down on sundays. so we woke up at 4 this morning and walked down the long, dark, rocky slope to the town of Balgue to catch the 4:45 bus back to the other side of the island.

although i was bumbed about not getting the chance to hike one of the two gorgeous volanoes, i had an amazing time and had the chance to see some of the most beautiful things ive seen here, if not in my life. while im sure the view from the top of the volcano would have been fantastic, i was happy enough looking at it from afar. these pictures dont do it justice, but the cloud formations that almost always surround the top of Concepción are one of the most beautiful things ive ever seen. they're so incredibly smooth. it looks as if the ancient volcano is wearing a slick, puffy little toupee. or perhaps a grand, icing-covered muffin top. its fantastic.

well, i think thats all folks. i doubt that ill be posting again this trip as ill be heading home friday. thanks for reading and keeping in touch. love and peace to all you wonderful people. until next time...

good vibes, hard rain

hello beautiful people. sorry i havent posted anything in a while, ive been trying to keep myself busy with other things and away from the computer.

in between community visits, workshops, and torrential downpours, ive been able to fit in a couple of trips to help me keep my sanity. last weekend we were able to borrow a friend's truck and drive down to the pacific coast at San Juan del Sur. there were 6 of us but only room for 3 in the cab so Bidkart, Pedro, and I got to ride in the back for a couple hours...

it was really great until it started pouring...by the time we got there the rain had stopped and the sun came out. its a pretty beautiful beach and it was nice to see some unpolluted water and wildlife for a while. we stayed there most of the day, explored the rocks on one side (which were so beautiful that i realized afterwards that i took way too many pictures of rocks...), and left just in time to catch another storm the whole way home.

we weren't able to make much progress last week because our workshops and community visits were repeatedly canceled as a result of the awful weather and some communication issues...anyway, we were able to spend more time planning our workshops for this past sunday and this upcoming week. we had a workshop yesterday at Paz y Vida and worked a little more on community building, cooperation, teamwork, and communication. it was also a celebration for mother's day, so it was pretty nice. we had a fairly good turn out, there was a bunch of food, and people seemed to enjoy our activities and had a good time. while im starting to get used to it, i dont think i could really ever adjust to the nicaraguan time schedule, especially after being raised in the united states. although the event was supposed to start at 9, alli and i didnt show up until about 9:20 and i was worried we might have kept some people waiting...but it wasnt until around noon when all the people had arrived and we could actually start. its quite frustrating. everything just moves really slow here. almost unbearably so. on the bright side, its helped me to just chill out and learn to be more patient. i guess i really dont have any other choice..

this past saturday we went on another little trip to La Laguna de Apoyo, which is a beautiful lake only about 25 minutes from where i live. its surrounded by volcanoes on one side and mountains on the other and really reminded me of home. the water was beautiful and really really warm. we rented some kayaks and just explored and hung out for nearly the entire day. it was great to swim and enjoy the natural beauty of the surrounding rain forest.

today, after i get back from lunch, we have a workshop with La Solidaridad on health, hygiene, and sanitation. although its not really what i was expecting to work on, its definitely needed and i think they'll hopefully get something out of it. we're doing the same workshop tomorrow in El Fortin and then planning for a workshop on gender and stereotypes. we have one of those later this week and then have a couple days off. we're planning on taking a trip to the island of Ometepe, which is in the middle of beautiful lake nicaragua. the island consists of two large volcanoes, one active and one inactive. because of the higher altitude and warmer climate most of the island is covered by rainforest.

although i dont know if ill have time, i hope to be able to make it to the permaculture institute thats on the southern part of the island. i was hoping to do a joint project with them and one of my communities, but as a result of time constraints and the snail-like pace that we're moving down here, i doubt it would have ever worked. but i at least want to try to speak with the directors of the institute, who are both americans, about their project and their success teaching permaculture concepts to the local people of nicaragua, as well as any other recommendations or insights they may be able to give.

i probably won't have time to post at any other point this week. ill try to write once more and perhaps post pictures of ometepe sometime next week. ill be pretty busy next week, squeezing in my last workshops and trying to plan one of my own. im supposed to do my own workshop and make a brochure or something that may be of use once i leave, but at this point am having difficulties researching and finding relevant information. a ver.

peace and good vibes to all. keep in touch. love.

La Solidaridad

here are some shots of the community La Solidaridad that i promised...

...what once was a beautiful beach on lake nicaragua is now covered with trash for as far as you can see

kill your television

today i experienced the most extreme levels of poverty that i have ever been exposed to.

i felt a pit sinking deeper and deeper in my stomach as we drove into the La Solidaridad housing project, just outside of Granada. the "streets," littered with mounds of rubble, dirt, and burning garbage, were almost all flooded, mosquitoes breeding in the small lakes where half-naked children played. occasional ghastly, lone horses occupied some corners, trying to find what grass was left to fill their skin-and-bones figure. men and boys worked without pause, hauling large concrete blocks to new houses in construction where others stirred cement mixture in the street, most covered head to toe in dirt and bits of dried concrete. in between houses in the midst of construction stood, and leaned, small one-room homes made of uneven wood and scraps of metal and plastic.

though a large percentage of the 200+ families in the community have already received help to build a new concrete home, over 40 are still without, living in the small shacks, most of which are not more than 8x8 feet. the ground, dirt, is the floor. the roofs are made of straw and whatever other scraps they could throw together. the bathrooms, for the houses that have them, are small outhouses, also made of similar wood scraps and plastic.

however, almost without exception, save for a few of the unfinished homes, a television glowed its sickeningly-blue glare through the window of every house. they even shone through the cracks between the wood and metal of a number of the casitas. some presented the evening news, some presented happy, well-clad white people, grinning ear-to-ear, eager to win Gameshow X. others played movies from the shiny, sleek DVD player that rested beneath the devilish-looking, square black box.

one can't help but wonder what the hell has happened when a family that doesn't have a floor, nor a bathroom, nor a stove, is sitting together, being brainwashed by an inanimate, sadistic box of glass and plastic. what have we done? we, as people of the developed world, who have exported countless lifeless, unnecessary consumer electronics to nations that have yet to reach economic stability, gender equality, or even sufficient literacy rates. we have exacerbated a completely and utterly sickening distortion of priorities among the people who most need our help.

globalization has taken its deadly toll on this country in ways that make me sick to my stomach. as a result of thousands of lives lost in revolutionary war, a complete lack of development, sheer poverty, and ridiculously unequal distribution of wealth, the cultural norm revolves around instant gratification. candy and cigarette vendors, cheap ice cream, restuarants specializing in deep-fried chicken and other meats, and slot machines line the streets. with their pointless products, unhealthy habits, and unnecessary reverance for plastic, mass-produced consumer goods, the capitalist United States have helped institute a philosophy of "one-time use," instant satisfaction, and short-term goals.

...and so the environment, and the people, continue to suffer. it pains me to see people, countless times every day, walk by the public garbage cans, so generously donated by Rotary International, and instead throw their trash on the ground. it collects everywhere. instead of picking it up and disposing of it, it is rather just shifted from one location to another. it has now made it outside of the city and contaminated the beautiful lake nicaragua where locals used to be able to swim. now no one dares to enter, save for the few that don't have any other choice if they need to bathe.

i can't really explain how much it hurts me to see all this happen. most of the time i really have no idea what to do with myself. because such beliefs and actions are now so deeply rooted in the culture, the hope for positive change within the near future is slim to none. while the roots of the issue lie in the extreme levels of poverty, ridiculous distrubution of wealth, and the generous support of the capitalist state that is the entire developed, globalizing world, i feel the need to do something to provoke change. although all of our others focus on gender, health, and community unity, i plan on doing my last workshop later this month on the direct and indirect environmental effects of their careless actions.

in the meantime, think about someone or something besides yourself next time you consider buying something you don't need, biting into a big juicy burger, or driving when could walk instead. you're not seeing or feeling the direct effects of your actions

...but we are down here.

Ay, que calor

You'd probably be surprised to know that, despite the intense heat and humidity (that's totally kicking my ass), we actually have been working and getting things done down here. I visited Paz y Vida, one of the three women's housing projects that I'm working on, Saturday morning for an hour or so. They meet about once every couple weeks now but set up a special meeting in order to get acquainted with Alli and I so that we could start our work with them. About 30 members that will potentially live in the community met us on their land, where they have a small structure that provides shelter from the rain and sun but not much else. The construction has yet to begin and they have a long way to go before its a completely functional community. Its been in the works for about two years now and its surprising that they're still so motivated.

This picture shows their land, which they just recently divided into equal plots on which each family will have a small concrete home with indoor, potable, running water, a kitchen, bathroom, and the like.

After we introduced ourselves and spoke a little about the projects we'll be working on, we split them up into groups and handed out nice little cards we made so that they could think together of some ideals and goals for their future community. While there were the obvious answers like running water, good lighting, and places for children to play, we were also surprised at the number of people who solely wished for a safe place where they could live in harmony, unity, and peace and work with one another to overcome their many challenges. After they shared their goals and ideas for their community with the group, they had a nice little presentation for us where a few of their daughters danced along to typical Nicaraguan music. It was cute.

Yesterday we had the day off and Pedro, Alli, and I went on a little trip to the nearby Volcano, Mombacho. It's a fairly decent size and only took about an hour and a half to hike to the top. Although most of the area around Granada where I'm living is pretty dusty and practically infertile, the volcano almost always gets rain and has a cloudforest at the top, which is basically a small rainforest. It was beautiful, much more luscious than the rainforest surrounding the Mayan ruins in Tikal.

At the top there are a few paths that circle the craters that were once the volcano's main outlets for its hot, sulfery, greatness. Now they are just breeding grounds for tons of beautiful trees and other plants. Beyond the crater you can see where the land drops back down to reveal the beautiful Lake Nicaragua and the hundreds of small islands that surround the penninsula near the edge of Granada.

We're meeting tomorrow first thing in the morning to visit the other two communities we'll be working with, El Fortin and La Solidaridad, both of which have already begun construction but still have many squatters and many people living in extreme poverty. We'll just be meeting the community members tomorrow, then planning workshops for next week on women's health, gender equality, and overall community cohesion. It should be quite the experience.

Wish me luck. Hope to hear from you all soon.

All the best,

w

Travels of a Godless Vegetarian

Hey all,

I'm here. It was pretty late when I finally got in last night so I didn't get a chance to write until now. My flight out of Miami didn't end up leaving until an hour after the scheduled time because some joker checked their bags but forgot to show up for their flight. Apparently its federal law that a plane can't fly with someone's luggage and without the passenger so we had to wait for them to unload everything they had just loaded and find the two bags. It took forever.

Luckily my ride from Managua to Granada wasn't nearly as long as I expected and my boss picked me up at the airport, which was really nice as I didn't really have to think about transportation. I met most of my host family last night except for my host brother, who won't be back until sometime tomorrow evening. He went to the island of Ometepe for a few days and got trapped there as a result of a nationwide strike against public transportation. Nearly all the bus and taxi drivers are on strike in order to lower the price of gas, which as actually almost twice as expensive as ours in New York. Which is ridiculous considering practically everyone is living off of about $100/month.

In addition to my host mother and her son and daughter, there's also another volunteer staying here as well. Pedro's probably in his early thirties and is from Seville. It's really nice to have him here as he functions as a translator between my family and I. I can understand his Spanish just fine but so far, Nicaraguans prove pretty damn difficult to understand. In addition to their slurred, sloppy version of the language, most of them speak pretty softly and I just have a hard enough time hearing them.

When I woke up this morning I had breakfast with my family and Pedro and then met with my boss, a local woman from one of the communities I'll be working with, and another volunteer who will be working closely with me on a couple of my projects. We spoke a little about one of my communities, Paz y Vida, which I'll get to meet tomorrow and start developing a program. It's a pretty small community, consisting of about 50 single mothers and their kids who are currently displaced and are living in various places throughout Granada and the surrounding area. They've received a grant to help them begin building their homes but as part of the project to create appreciation for the community, as well as self-sufficiency, they have to contribute two workers and help pay for the installation of plumbing and electricity, both of which are pretty out of their price range.

Although I obviously can't really help them out with their financial troubles, I'll be doing my part to try to get them to work together and work towards a common goal. At this point in time, as a result of the cultural norm as well as their extreme state of poverty, none of them really work together, are ridiculously competitive and, needless to say, thus moving in the wrong direction. Many of them don't even know the other women in the community and have lost motivation. So I'll be heading over there tomorrow with Allie to just do a small introduction workshop, get them acquainted with one another, and facilitate a constructive conversation so that they, as well as myself and the non-profit I'm working for, can figure out what their true goals for the community are and how to go about accomplishing them. I'm not too nervous about facilitating the workshop except for possible communication and confrontation issues that could result from our inability to understand their Spanish as well as their highly competitive nature.

Everything has gone fairly well with my family so far. My host mother and her 12 year old daughter are pretty nice and accommodating but I always fear that I'll create problems as a result of two things: my vegetarianism and my complete lack of religion. She has been pretty accepting of my disinterest in eating meat but I fear that I may have sparked some aggression and discontent when she asked me if I was religious and I said 'no.' As my only two reoccurring issues that keep me from completely relating to people in Latin America, it'd be nice if they could somehow be avoided but...yeah, that's pretty near impossible I guess. Everybody here is so damn religious that I feel like they take personal offense when they find out that I am not. I don't really know what to do about it. I don't want to lie and say that I am for fear that they'll later call me out and then just accuse me of being a liar. Ah well, guess I'll just stick it out and hope that all continues to go well with Doña Xiamara.

Hope all is well at your comfy little computer where you're reading this. It's a hell of a lot hotter and more humid here than I was imagining. Not sure when I'll make it back to write to ya'll, but I'll try to keep in touch. Judging by what I have experienced thus far in the last two days and the sheer level of poverty that I'll be working with, I think this will prove to be quite the adventure.

If you want to keep in touch, email me at wra2@cornell.edu and I'll do my best to get back to you as soon as possible. Love and peace to all.

En solidaridad,

Wren René

into thin air

nope, never made it to el salvador. its been a while since ive posted but my original plan was to leave san pedro, go to the ruins in tikal, and then head to the atlantic coast for a few days before going down to the beach in el salvador. i did leave san pedro, and i did go to tikal. it was amazing.

however, on the way there the cab driver totally ripped me off and it kind of ruined my whole day. i was the only one that got off the bus in flores at 5:30 am and there was only one taxi drive to take me the hour to the ruins. so i didnt really have any other choice and i ended up getting fucked. in short, i paid more for that hour taxi ride than for the ten hour 1st class bus ride that included a meal. shit.

anyway, the ruins were pretty ill, but i couldnt stop thinking about the fact that i lost so much money so quickly. on top of that, it was pretty dreary all day and when i got back to flores, i checked the weather for the next week at the atlantic coast and it was supposed to be pretty stormy and rainy as theres a pretty big storm front developing here - people think its the beginning of a hurricane. needless to say, i didnt feel like spending a week at a rainy beach. without thinking i just bought a return bus ride back to the capitol and decided to head to el salvador right away.

upon arriving in the capitol, i decided it might be better to wait a few days and headed to antigua for the night. i had a pretty chill day there and a girl at the hostel let me borrow her el salvador guide book, which informed me that i should pretty much go anywhere in el salvador but the city i had planned on going to. after that day in antigua, i had had enough - its a beautiful city but its completely overrun with tourists.

the next morning i left at five for xela, the second biggest city in guatemala that is equally as beautiful without copious amounts of tourists. ive spent the last few days in the area. i just got back a few hours ago from a two-day trek up the highest peak in central america - the inactive volcano tajumulco. i was pretty lucky because its the middle of the week and there werent any other people except for my group, which just consisted of my 22-year old guide, a college couple from idaho, and myself. it was pretty amazing. we spent yesterday hiking up to the base camp, setting up camp there, and watching the sunset from the second highest peak. then this morning, the guide and myself woke up at 4:30 to scale the rest of the mountain alone, as the other two didnt feel up to it. we got to the top just in time to watch the sunrise over the other volcanos over a hundered miles away and were able to see a city in mexico from the other side.



we came back down for breakfast and then headed back down the slope. ive been running around here in xela since i got back, buying bus tickets and doing some laundry before i head off again. ive gotta get up at 2:30 tomorrow morning in order to make my 3:30 am bus back to the capitol. from there, im taking a two-hour bus ride to the pacific coast so i can enjoy some beach time in my last few days. i doubt ill have internet access there so i believe this will be my last post. thanks to all who have read and kept in touch. look forward to seeing you all.

love and peace