Doggies

As I thought about writing this post, I had to wrestle with my thoughts. Is it okay to write something so simple and "off-topic" immediately after a tragedy? Do I need to wait? Should I write my grieving thoughts or is it okay for me to write about dogs today? I think all of us are grieving, coping, praying after the Boston bombings and the West, Texas explosion, and I'm guessing you, too are struggling with facing everyday stuff again. However; the everyday doesn't stop and with everyday God is walking right beside us.

Okay, I don't want to make my mommy sad, but here, in Nicaragua, I am now a little afraid of dogs. It's not something I can easily admit; not even to myself. I visited my Nicaraguan family from La Dalia the other day. They have a new "pet"/guard dog at their house. His name is Toby. However, if Toby walks anywhere near a person everyone in his vicinity tries to shoo or hit him. Vaya Toby! Vaya!

This is not all to uncommon with any dog in Nicaragua, due to the fact dogs and cats are not spayed or neutered and have therefore become more like wild/dangerous animals. Spending time around Toby for a few days really caused me to have somewhat of internal battle with myself. Dogs are bred to be around people. They need people for their happiness, health, pues everything.

However, I've found myself shooing different wild dogs, as well, because they are dirty, sometimes mean, and Nicaraguans are really upset by a dog's close presence. (I am someone who comes from a family which has always owned at least two big dogs at once. Our dogs sleep, sit, and live with us. They are considered part of the family. I miss you Sophie, Sadie and Izzie!) I haven't change my love for dogs, but I understand the difference between a wild dog and a cared for pet.

As for Toby, it's harder. I could see in Toby's eyes he still really wants to receive love and pets from his family members, even though they continue to neglect him. The whole time I kept feeling like I wanted to pet him, but at the same time I feared so much he would bite me after having so little trust in humans.

My supervisor Dr. Reyna has two precious dogs at home and she also treats them as family members. Also, in my neighborhood in Managua I see lots of people talking their dogs for walks, but these are more progressive thoughts towards dogs. Yet, my friend Lauren who worked in La Dalia through the Peace Corps, took in an "orphaned" perrito named mani, or peanut, and would constantly walk mani throughout the town, but many people thought it was strange.

When leading orientation for our volunteer groups at AMC, we now always talk about how to interact with animals when we are in the different communities. There was a participant in the past who decided to set her plate on the ground for the local dog to eat the remains of her meal off of the plate. Our Nicaraguan leaders were ofended and later threw the plate away, because to them plates are a nice item used for people and a wild, random dog is an animal that deserves to eat scrapes off the ground or a designated bowl. Earlier this year I had the opportunity to stop by Dra. Reyna's house and meet her family and doggies. As I was petting her dogs, she explained how much she loves them but then was sure to tell me, however, the dogs eat on their own designated bowls.

Last night, as I was walking to my house, I approached a girl sitting on the curb accompanied by a dog. The dog stood up to greet me, as many dogs do, but I tried to avoid the dog. However, I second guessed myself as the dog continued to follow me. I stopped and asked the girl if he was okay to pet and she gave me the go ahead. I began petting the cute doggie and talking to the girl. It turns out she volunteers with the equivalent of the SPCA in the States. She began to radiate her passion for helping out animals in Nicaragua. She told me a story of how she sat with a momma dog for numerous hours as the dog went through labor. It really was a spiritual moment for me. I took her number and I'm going to talk to her about possibly volunteering in the future. Although, a small, moment, it seemed like such a uplifting moment.

I will continue to understand more about people's different views towards dogs in Nicaragua.

God-Dog, Jack

Izzie dog.

Sophie dog.

God is not...

                  God is not Western
                                                     is not Eastern;
                      is not exclusively the God of classical culture
                                         or of primitive culture;
                  God is the God of the plethora,
                       the God of the diverse, the redeemer of the plural. 

                 Pentecost tells us that one artistic tongue is only a start, 

                                      and a thousand will never suffice.

Harold M. Best

Fishin'

“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. John 21:3

Here is the "backyard".

Sarah and I were invited by Dr. Francisco, who is our supervisor at AMC, to spend the weekend with him fishing. Dr. Francisco is a fanatic fisherman, but also works so often he doesn't always have the time to go fishing. He's been known to carry his fishing pole along when traveling with AMC to visit the project sites along the Rio Coco.

Dr. Francisco in his element.

One of the family members, from the house where we fished, found this baby "lora".

Last Friday night, we traveled with Dr. Francisco and his wife Alicia to stay with Dr. Francisco's mom in Matagalpa. Her house is located in a neighborhood just outside of the city and sits raised up on a hilltop with an awesome view over the city. We got to meet his mom and some of his siblings.

On Saturday, Dr. Francisco, his brother, brother-in-law, nephew, nephew's friend, Sarah, and I loaded up in the pick-up truck with two in the back with the poles and headed to MuyMuy or very very. The big question is very very what? We fished in a river in the backyard of a friend of Dr. F's. When I say backyard, I mean a breathtaking view of the mountains and rushing river. Their humble home sits in one of the most gorgeous spots in Nicaragua.

Kency and Sarah fishing with Kency's "breakfast" sausage.

I have to note that this is the first fishing trip I've gone on where we actually walked directly through the water while casting. I was very grateful to be in the cold water after a while and not standing on the hot shore.

One of my favorite moments was standing chest height in the river casting my line and simply listening to all the sounds surrounding me. I heard the clicking sound of my reel as I reeled my lure back in, the grunting/yelling sounds of local resident herding his cattle down to the water to get a drink, the sound of water rushing through rocks, and the slapping sound of a women as she swung her clothes to on stone in the river.

Sarah hadn't been fishing since she was 10. She became a casting pro.

One thing I quickly took note of was how little we fit into the scenery around us. We walked with our life vests, hats, fancy fishing gear, the whole package, yet we encountered "cowboys", children bathing and women washing clothes. We did encounter another little boy fishing, but he was using a simple fishing line and hook. Dr. Francisco's brother-in-law, Antonio, said he caught a fish but then noticed a local women was only catching little puny fish, so he gave his fish away. We were fishing for pleasure, while the community members were seeking food to feed their families.

We came across this precious little girl as we walked along the river. She was carry a sack of stones back to her house.

Dr Francisco quickly captured this picture right as my camera battery died. We traveled outside of Mantagalpa to stand at this breathtaking lookout where we could easily spot several of Nicaragua's volcanoes.

Sadly, no one caught any fish in our group, but as every sport fisherman and woman knows- it's not all about the catch- it's more about being in God's creation and being present with others. The whole time I could not stop thinking about how much Keith and my Pa would love to fish in such a location.

After fishing, we enjoying swimming and risking our lives for a thrill.

International Women's Day

Comida in Nicaragua

I want to first say that my day is totally made when I receive a random email or message from someone with encouraging words or simply updating me on their lives. I'm really loving it here in Nicaragua but it means the world to me to hear from people back home. Which is also why I am trying to be more consistent with updating my blog, so I can be in touch we you all as well. Y'all are awesome! Ustedes son tuanis!

I realize I don't share enough about my everyday living here in Nicaragua, so today I want to share about food here in Nicaragua. I cook for myself now, so sadly, I don't experience typical Nicaraguan dishes as often but when I am a satisfied girl.

One of my favorite Nicaraguan foods is a Nacatamale. Similar to the tamales from Mexico, Nacatamales are wrapped in banana plant leaves and contain cooked pork. People usually eat them for breakfast and only as a special treat. A house in my neighborhood sells them directly out of their house. They have a simple hand written sign that says "Hay nacatamles 30 cordobas". I went to my first Nicaraguan wedding in December and before we left they gave each of us a nacatamale. I was informed it was because we were leaving "early" at 11pm and many times wedding receptions last until the morning; therefore, they were going to provide nacatamales for breakfast.

When I lived with Doña Rosa my favorite dish she made were her Nicaraguan tacos. She creates some sort of sauce and cooks a large tortilla in the sauce while placing meat with different seasonings inside the tortilla. She folds the tortilla in half as it becomes hardened. The meat and filling is trapped inside. It's delicioso!

Next to the taco is what a typcial "ensalada" or salad looks like.

Lunches, here in Nicaragua, are always the largest meals of the day and consist of hot food. A typical lunch plate is some kind of meat, usually chicken or beef, rice, beans, and some kind of vegetable. Tortillas are always included.

This meal costs 50 cordobas or about $2. On this plate, the salad actually comes with lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes, but without salad dressing. The tortillas are always hand made whether they bought them from someone else nearby or made them at their restaurant. 

The other day I finally tried BOAH (ba-ow). Beef, yucca, and plantain is cooked together for several hours until ready, similar to brisket. The dish is typically served on a banana plant leaf, as well. I'm excited because I heard today at work Doña Chelito y Maria are serving boah for lunch. Maria said they started cooking everything at 6:30 this morning.

Another one of my favorite foods here is simply the fresh fruit. Fresh fruit is readily available anywhere throughout the country. Right now it is mango season. :) However, I harldly ever eat apples, grapes, strawberries or berries in general. These fruits are not grown within Nicargaua and as a result are a lot more expensive. It's kind of a privilege of sorts to eat an apple. I just discovered a fruit stand near my work, so I can easily carry my big plastic bags from the market and stock up on fruit each week.

People sell bowls of fruit, as seen above, on the street. The big orange fruit is papaya. I'd say it's one of the most popular fruits in Nicaragua. 

As I've traveled on different road trips with AMC, I discovered that a traditional "pit stop" snack is a tortillla with guajada. Guajada is pretty much the only cheese Nicaraguans eat. It has a salty, bitter taste. It is a filling snack and you can easily get back to working hard or traveling.

As I am talking about Nicaraguan food, I CANNOT forget the most classic food of all... Gallo Pinto. I still have yet to try cooking gallo pinto on my own, but basically you cook your beans and rice separately and add onions and seasoning to the rice. Then, mix the two together. You always want more rice than beans. I do love me some gallo pinto!

The most popular beverage in Nicaragua is coffee. I did not drink coffee before living in Nicaragua and now it has become part of my daily living. My supervisor, Dr. Francisco, can not go a day without his coffee and he always brings us special types of coffee. I learned when coffee is grown at a higher altitude it is has a much richer taste, which is why Matagalpa is the busiest area for coffee growth. Each of our land banks also grows coffee plants and it is the largest export for Nicaragua. However, out of the entire world's coffee exportation on 5% is from Nicaragua. I had a very short and glamorous experience picking coffee beans on my friend Jossimar's farm. You look for the matured seeds or the seeds which are red or mostly red, and pick them off with your hand. Most people who work picking coffee during Nov- Jan earn a small pay for every 20lbs they pick. It's hard work for little money.

You think I have 20lb?

I could continue on explaining and describing much more food and beverages from Nicaragua, but this will conclude volume 1 of Comida in Nicaragua.

Dios les bendiga!

Whit

Everyday I read this quote when I'm going potty. my house is also the offices to a social enterprise called Compañeros therefore there are many quotes and pictures decorating the walls.

I've mainly been doing behind the scenes work my fellow busy bees at AMC. While many of our offices throughout the country are out with people getting their hands dirty, the central office is working hard in a completely different manner. I get to witness the hard work put in each and everyday by people sitting in long meetings and in front of a television computer screen. I wonder if this kind of work sounds familiar to anyone. I'm learning how exhaustive the paperwork, finances, technical stuff lining an NGO can be for it's dedicated workers. It's a privledge to see both sides of AMC and see the great importance behind both being out in te field face to face with people and being in the office grinding out the things that allow us to continue functioning.

“Be like the sun for grace and mercy. Be like the night to cover others' faults. Be like running water for generosity. Be like death for rage and anger. Be like the Earth for modesty. Appear as you are. Be as you appear.”
― Rumi

The Face of God

I've seen the face of God within the many people I've had the pleasure of meeting here in Costa Rica. If I had more time, I would want to sit and listen to their life stories for longer.

Today we hiked through a preserved rainforest in which the property is owned by Scott & Linda's German friend who is reforesting many parts of the area.

We also went to an organization called the Faithful Servant which serves as an after school program and many awesome activities for the near by community.

Visa Renewal Trip... Or 4 Nights in Paradise

Spending 4 nights at "Tío" Scott & "Tía" Linda's house in Costa Rica in order to renew my visa. They have a pretty awesome setup outside of the city of San Ramon. I feel so welcomed and taken care of. Good food. Great company. Great view. I'm blessed!

Even when God seemed to have abandoned me, he was watching. Even when he seemed indifferent to my suffering, he was watching. And when I was beyond all hope of saving, he gave me rest. Then he gave me a sign to continue my journey.

“If there's only one nation in the sky, shouldn't all passports be valid for it?”

― Yann Martel, Life of Pi

I've Got a River of Life Flowing Out of Me

I've got a river of life flowing out of me;Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see. Opens prison doors & sets the captives free I've got a river of life flowing out of ME.Spring up oh well (goosh, goosh goosh, goosh) inside my soul.

Spring up oh well (splish splash) and make me whole.
Spring up oh well (yeehaw!) and give to me
that life eternally.

I grew up singing this fun praise song during youth group and I think it captivates the hope, growth, beauty, strength, and praise which filled my trip down the Rio Coco which follows the eastern border between Honduras & Nicaragua. Although, severe poverty is apparent in this remote area of the country, the projects, residents, fellow NGO partners, boat drivers, prayers, AMC, natural beauty and God's presence bring so much hope for this area. The group consisted of people representing partner & donor organizations to AMC, as well as, 2 AMC project directors, and AMC "Tecnicos" who work on the Coco River. We spent hours upon hours traveling to different AMC centers or Model Farms in order to observe, interview, and experience the ways in which the communities, thanks to AMC's support, are providing food and growth for their families and communities.

Take a journey down the Coco river with me!

tinki dawan!

Gracias a Dios!

Thank God!