first Review Masaya, Nicaragua, 28 September 2008
love donors, relatives, friends and all interrested,
the first lines of charge to all my donors. At this point, a huge thanks to you, without your donations would be this year and this kind to provide help for a better and fairer world not have been possible. The subsequent experience reports, it will be ten total giving, hopefully a good impression of my work here at the Centro Creativo in Masaya, Nicaragua. I hope you enjoy reading.
The little culture shock
Yes, where do you start when the head is so full of new impressions and one wishes his eyes with a film camera would be the one to hold everything. Best with the flight. The flight was 21 hours late. The advantage of a night at the luxury Sheraton Hotel in Frankfurt am Main. Since I still have time to really indulge in the luxury German. All the greater was the contrast when we after a stopover in Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep., another in San Jose, Costa Rica and a long bus ride arrived in Masaya. There is no running water, a shower will wash well with rain water, such as laundry. Power outages occur again and again and cook on open fires. So I said goodbye to the German standard of living. Honestly, you get a little culture shock hardly around. Alone, that this is only eaten from plastic tableware requires getting used to. The poverty is to be an extra issue, but as for me is very excited to now: The people here have very little, but still is a lot of laughter.
On-Arrival-Training (OAT)
We are a group of 15 volunteers of the Global Initiative, which operate at four different locations in Nicaragua: Matagalpa, Nueva Guinea, Leon and Masaya. In Masaya, we are four, Doro, Malte, Ivo and me. We were all very fond of a typical Nicaraguan meal of the family of my project received. It was Gallo Pinto (fried rice with beans), served with fried cheese, eggs and delicious frtitierte Fresco (Nicaraguan soft drink).
After dinner, it was late snapped, we are a hammock, and tied her up and somewhere to sleep. When we woke up the next morning, waiting for us next to a delicious breakfast (gallo pinto, fried eggs and fried cheese), the beautiful-beautiful land of our project. Coconut palm trees, various types of banana and bamboo, as high as a house.
The OAT could begin. The former volunteers showed us the country and its people. Among other things, we made a Carrera, a game where we learned to know through various tasks (eg "Buy a dowel on the market") the city. It happened to us not just once, the one nicaraguense the time took us to accompany just to show us where to go. The friendliness and helpfulness in this country is just great.
left in the photo you see the whole crew to Masaya to Ruth. That is, the former Aron, Kristina and Alex, the Nicaraguan volunteers Ana, the project director Griselda and the four of us.
The work could begin.
The former are prepared on the year and to working in the project. We watched in class on the shoulder. So out we could find to take over what classes are we and we were introduced to our new students. Our time here was very by the English marked.
5 hours per day, learn a lot of homework and endless vocabulary. But what has brought. Meanwhile, we are now fully integrated into the work. At this point, many thanks to the former. You have prepared us great and I am glad to see you again in Germany.
more details about my work here within the next few reports.
How and where do I live?
I live with Ivo directly in the project. It is so half the green on the outskirts of Masaya. We live on the property of Angela, Co-founder and head of household. Angela has four children, in turn, have a total of 10 children. So here is always on the hustle and bustle Grounds. As it happens sometimes that come up at half past six the little guys over, pull me out of bed and play with my football do. The family lives on the sale of food and clothing on the market. They are all super nice to us and I think this is a good year here with them.
The simple living conditions I have described above. I have so far, say one month sleeping in a hammock under a tin roof. That will change but as soon as Aron, the last former takes up here, on his way to Chile and I will move into his house. A tree house made of bamboo. This is exciting. Exciting are the animals that exist here Sun Until now we had two tarantulas, one in pocket of Alex. But they are not a problem. You should just make sure that they do not orinieren on finger or toe nails, details of which would do in fact dissolve. Furthermore, a scorpion and two Coralitos. Coralitos, the snakes are small, perhaps 25 cm, whose poison is deadly. As you have told us but we got one day to get the antidote. Critically, it will only at the Coral, as you have only two hours. That sounds even worse than it is. So far, this never happens. I also enjoy the beautiful garden and getting up early to begin work. There are always things to do. And this is in part because it here are not machines, which decrease one's work. Whether it is a pump for water, a washing machine or dishwasher.
I love the life in the streets, the colorful bemahlten houses, old school buses from the U.S., the old man at the corner, I always greet the two girls who call kiechernd my name if I her house to come over.
I am very happy to have landed here in the Center and look forward to working with the children.
It greets all the Simon
