If you're not familiar with Pandora, you're missing out! You can create your own radio station and listen to all the music you want, with no commercials. Best of all, it's free!
I've been fine-tuning a custom radio station for several months, and now it is ready for world-wide distribution. Check it out:
http://www.pandora.com/people/tomfiatlux
Friday, December 29, 2006
Thursday, December 28, 2006
The long-awaited photos
I posted these photos in several different albums so they would be easier to manage. Enjoy, and tell me what your favorites are!
Esteli: http://berkeley.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2118387&l=9857c&id=1219341
Siuna: http://berkeley.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2118392&l=6102b&id=1219341
Matagalpa: http://berkeley.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2118399&l=b170e&id=1219341
Leon, Ometepe, and Honduras:
http://berkeley.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2118418&l=053f9&id=1219341
If you like this stuff, you really ought to visit Nicaragua yourself! It's super cheap, safe, and beautiful. It's not heavily touristed like Costa Rica, but it won't be long before it's swarming with travelers. It's helpful to speak a little bit of Spanish, but no matter what, the people are very friendly, and they love Americans! Simply by being a gringo who travels to Nicaragua, you'll find that the locals will be eager to talk to you and buy you drinks. No joke.
Esteli: http://berkeley.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2118387&l=9857c&id=1219341
Siuna: http://berkeley.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2118392&l=6102b&id=1219341
Matagalpa: http://berkeley.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2118399&l=b170e&id=1219341
Leon, Ometepe, and Honduras:
http://berkeley.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2118418&l=053f9&id=1219341
If you like this stuff, you really ought to visit Nicaragua yourself! It's super cheap, safe, and beautiful. It's not heavily touristed like Costa Rica, but it won't be long before it's swarming with travelers. It's helpful to speak a little bit of Spanish, but no matter what, the people are very friendly, and they love Americans! Simply by being a gringo who travels to Nicaragua, you'll find that the locals will be eager to talk to you and buy you drinks. No joke.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Looking forward, looking back
Today is my last day in Nicaragua. While I’ve been excited about coming home for a long time now, it suddenly occurred to me during my going-away party in Matagalpa how badly I would miss this place. I can’t wait to organize my pictures and show them to you guys. Stay tuned…
Looking forward, there is a lot to be excited about. On Thursday, I’m going to New Orleans to watch Rice University’s first bowl game in almost 50 years. Since they were coming off a 1-10 season last year, it’s even more shocking. After spending Christmas in Memphis with Mom and Dad, I blast off to California on December 26.
I’ve got big plans for the spring semester. First, I’m going to be living in the International House, where I’ll get to hang out with Latino and European students every day. I expect to make some awesome friends, as well as learn a lot about the world as I interact with everyone. Second, I’m going to train for the Devil Mountain Double (April 28), a one-day ride that covers 200 miles and nearly 19,000 vertical feet of climbing. It goes over two mountains and takes about 15 hours to complete. If I can survive this, my oral qualifying exams the following week will be easy in comparison.
Speaking of academics, I lucked out and got awarded Berkeley’s Academic Progress Award for spring 2007, so for the first time since starting graduate school in 2002, I won’t have to work while I’m trying to studying. With the extra free time I’ll have, I’d like to audit a Latin American history class, as well as take a paleontology class with Kevin Padian. Since he was an expert witness in the Dover Pennsylvania Intelligent Design Case, you can bet that it will be exciting.
After the semester ends, I’d like to head to Germany for the summer to become familiar with the archives, as well as do some sweet bike touring in the Alps with my friend Bernhard. It will also be great to drop by Innsbruck and visit my Austrian friends that I haven’t seen in years.
In the fall, I hope to move to South America and live in the Andes for a year or two. Besides being an awesome plan for mountainbiking, I think I could write a really good dissertation there, too. The general topic could be, “European scientific exploration of South America in the 19th century.” I didn´t have this idea before coming to Nicaragua, but living abroad can do crazy things to your mind.
When I think about what part of the world I'd most like to be affiliated with during the next fifty years, South America easily comes out on top. I think that it’s going to be a really exciting place in the 21st century, and I want to be a part of the changes that are underway. Also, my interests in Latin American history are much broader than those of Europe-- besides the intellectual and scientific issues, I am curious about the political, social, and cultural developments of Latin America in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
But this all belongs to the future. It’s fun to dream, but I don’t have my heart set on things unfolding exactly as I want them. Many of the best experiences in my life were completely unexpected! Some of the worst experiences too…
Looking back on the past two years, I’ve had some incredible ups and downs. There were times when all my wildest dreams came true, and times when I couldn’t bear to live another day. I don’t know if there is any connection between these two extremes in my life, but I know exactly what it feels like to hit rock-bottom. Having passed through multiple episodes of clinical depression, things that used to worry me don’t really bother me anymore. Doing major research projects, applying for fellowships, running out of money, wondering where I’ll be a year from now; all these things seem so small in comparison. Who would have thought that watching my life completely fall apart would be such a liberating experience?
Having been through all of this, I’ve also found that I am more grateful than ever for the good times and the great people in my life. I’d like to take this moment to thank some of those who have been instrumental in making me who I am. First, my mom and dad, who tirelessly support me regardless of how crazy my plans may seem. My sister, who encouraged me to complete my grad school applications when I felt like giving up. Claudia and Luke, who I carry with me every day of my life; I honestly don’t know who I would be if I hadn’t met them. Christian and Andrew, who challenged me to confront Christianity head-on, using all the intellectual tools I could muster. Nick and Dean, who have been my constant companions during my time in Berkeley; they have been more important to me than anything else that’s happened in grad school. Thanks to Verena for all the phone conversations we’ve had in the past three years. And thanks to everyone I’ve been bicycling with (you know who you are). We’ve shared experiences that most people only dream of.
I am grateful for all of you, and I pray that you will continue to love and support lots of other people, just as you have done with me.
See you soon!
Looking forward, there is a lot to be excited about. On Thursday, I’m going to New Orleans to watch Rice University’s first bowl game in almost 50 years. Since they were coming off a 1-10 season last year, it’s even more shocking. After spending Christmas in Memphis with Mom and Dad, I blast off to California on December 26.
I’ve got big plans for the spring semester. First, I’m going to be living in the International House, where I’ll get to hang out with Latino and European students every day. I expect to make some awesome friends, as well as learn a lot about the world as I interact with everyone. Second, I’m going to train for the Devil Mountain Double (April 28), a one-day ride that covers 200 miles and nearly 19,000 vertical feet of climbing. It goes over two mountains and takes about 15 hours to complete. If I can survive this, my oral qualifying exams the following week will be easy in comparison.
Speaking of academics, I lucked out and got awarded Berkeley’s Academic Progress Award for spring 2007, so for the first time since starting graduate school in 2002, I won’t have to work while I’m trying to studying. With the extra free time I’ll have, I’d like to audit a Latin American history class, as well as take a paleontology class with Kevin Padian. Since he was an expert witness in the Dover Pennsylvania Intelligent Design Case, you can bet that it will be exciting.
After the semester ends, I’d like to head to Germany for the summer to become familiar with the archives, as well as do some sweet bike touring in the Alps with my friend Bernhard. It will also be great to drop by Innsbruck and visit my Austrian friends that I haven’t seen in years.
In the fall, I hope to move to South America and live in the Andes for a year or two. Besides being an awesome plan for mountainbiking, I think I could write a really good dissertation there, too. The general topic could be, “European scientific exploration of South America in the 19th century.” I didn´t have this idea before coming to Nicaragua, but living abroad can do crazy things to your mind.
When I think about what part of the world I'd most like to be affiliated with during the next fifty years, South America easily comes out on top. I think that it’s going to be a really exciting place in the 21st century, and I want to be a part of the changes that are underway. Also, my interests in Latin American history are much broader than those of Europe-- besides the intellectual and scientific issues, I am curious about the political, social, and cultural developments of Latin America in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
But this all belongs to the future. It’s fun to dream, but I don’t have my heart set on things unfolding exactly as I want them. Many of the best experiences in my life were completely unexpected! Some of the worst experiences too…
Looking back on the past two years, I’ve had some incredible ups and downs. There were times when all my wildest dreams came true, and times when I couldn’t bear to live another day. I don’t know if there is any connection between these two extremes in my life, but I know exactly what it feels like to hit rock-bottom. Having passed through multiple episodes of clinical depression, things that used to worry me don’t really bother me anymore. Doing major research projects, applying for fellowships, running out of money, wondering where I’ll be a year from now; all these things seem so small in comparison. Who would have thought that watching my life completely fall apart would be such a liberating experience?
Having been through all of this, I’ve also found that I am more grateful than ever for the good times and the great people in my life. I’d like to take this moment to thank some of those who have been instrumental in making me who I am. First, my mom and dad, who tirelessly support me regardless of how crazy my plans may seem. My sister, who encouraged me to complete my grad school applications when I felt like giving up. Claudia and Luke, who I carry with me every day of my life; I honestly don’t know who I would be if I hadn’t met them. Christian and Andrew, who challenged me to confront Christianity head-on, using all the intellectual tools I could muster. Nick and Dean, who have been my constant companions during my time in Berkeley; they have been more important to me than anything else that’s happened in grad school. Thanks to Verena for all the phone conversations we’ve had in the past three years. And thanks to everyone I’ve been bicycling with (you know who you are). We’ve shared experiences that most people only dream of.
I am grateful for all of you, and I pray that you will continue to love and support lots of other people, just as you have done with me.
See you soon!
Report from Matagalpa
I’m leaving Matagalpa today, and while I’m really excited to come back to the States, I’m really sad to leave this place. Matagalpa is easily the best city I’ve been to in Nicaragua, and if an interesting research project were available, it would be easy to spend a year here. Let me tell you about a few of the things that I like about it. The weather here is beautiful, much like that of Southern California. It’s also way up in the mountains, so there are great places for hiking and biking. Matagalpa has several universities, so there are lots of young people and an amazing nightlife. There’s a sign in town that captures the local scene nicely: “Las mujeres mas lindas de Nicaragua están en Matagalpa y dan amor verdadero.”
That being said, let me tell you about my time here. I worked with Matagalpa Tours, and my primary responsibility was translating their website from Spanish to English-- it should be up shortly (http://www.matagalpatours.com/). I also lived with a really nice host family, and their oldest son Guillermo was fun to hang out with. Since he is 20 years old and 100 percent hormones, we went out drinking and dancing a lot. While this is not my usual scene, it worked out well for a number of reasons. First, since I was without my bicycle, I had no reason to go to bed early and get up early. Second, since I didn’t know anyone when I arrived, I relished the opportunity to meet new people. Third, since my Spanish skills are not up to the task of having deep philosophical discussions, I fit in just fine at the discos and bars, where it’s perfectly acceptable to have superficial conversations.
I will relate one story here that says a lot about what it’s like to be a gringo in Nicaragua. During my first week here, I went out dancing with Guillermo and two of his lady friends, one of whom had just been in the Miss Nicaragua contest the night before. That weekend was the Fiesta de Oro in Matagalpa, so the city transformed one of its buildings into a giant dance club. When we arrived, I couldn’t believe my eyes—it felt like we had just stepped into an MTV video. Reggaeton was blasting from the speakers, platform dancers were strutting their stuff, and a mass of humanity was grinding on the dance floor. After a few songs and a few beers, we were swept into the mix.
I had a blast with Guillermo’s friends, but as the night wound down to a close, I had a very odd conversation with Carla. We were talking about what we wanted to do the next day when she asked, “Why don’t we rent a car and drive to Selva Negra tomorrow?” Now while this followed the script of every adolescent male fantasy, it really caught me off guard. First, it is really uncommon to rent cars in Nicaragua-- it is quite expensive, and it was obvious that she was expecting me to pay. Second, it’s super easy to get to Selva Negra by bus and costs less than a dollar. After asking her several times to make sure that I had understood her correctly, I told her this, and a long, awkward silence ensued. Then it occurred to me, “This is exactly how stereotypes get perpetuated—“Rich gringo goes out with beautiful, young Nicaraguan girl for weekend of fun.” There was no way I wanted to go down this road, because there was no way that it could possibly turn out well. So we took her home, I felt really bad about the situation for a day, then everything smoothed itself out. And I was a little bit wiser.
But the evening did not actually end there. We went back to the disco for a few more songs, and when we got in, they were playing head banger music. Guillermo jumped into the mosh pit, but Joselin and I held back. In less than 60 seconds, Guillermo came rushing back, his mouth and throat covered in blood. We didn’t know if his nose was broken, his teeth were knocked out, or what had happened. He yanked his shirt off to keep it from getting bloody, and we ran out of the building to look for a taxi to take us to the hospital. Little wonder that nobody wanted to pick us up, since with his cornrows, big silver chain, and blood all over him, it looked like he had been in a gang fight. But miraculously, his cousin showed up in his pickup truck and whisked us to the hospital. The doctor checked him out, cleaned him up, and told us he’d be okay. He didn’t need any stitches, but he had a big fat lip for the next three days. His mother was certain that he had been in a fight, but I assured her that it wasn’t nearly as cool as that—somebody in the mosh pit had accidentally bashed his mouth with the back of their head. Nothing to brag about, really. But it sure makes for a good story...
That being said, let me tell you about my time here. I worked with Matagalpa Tours, and my primary responsibility was translating their website from Spanish to English-- it should be up shortly (http://www.matagalpatours.com/). I also lived with a really nice host family, and their oldest son Guillermo was fun to hang out with. Since he is 20 years old and 100 percent hormones, we went out drinking and dancing a lot. While this is not my usual scene, it worked out well for a number of reasons. First, since I was without my bicycle, I had no reason to go to bed early and get up early. Second, since I didn’t know anyone when I arrived, I relished the opportunity to meet new people. Third, since my Spanish skills are not up to the task of having deep philosophical discussions, I fit in just fine at the discos and bars, where it’s perfectly acceptable to have superficial conversations.
I will relate one story here that says a lot about what it’s like to be a gringo in Nicaragua. During my first week here, I went out dancing with Guillermo and two of his lady friends, one of whom had just been in the Miss Nicaragua contest the night before. That weekend was the Fiesta de Oro in Matagalpa, so the city transformed one of its buildings into a giant dance club. When we arrived, I couldn’t believe my eyes—it felt like we had just stepped into an MTV video. Reggaeton was blasting from the speakers, platform dancers were strutting their stuff, and a mass of humanity was grinding on the dance floor. After a few songs and a few beers, we were swept into the mix.
I had a blast with Guillermo’s friends, but as the night wound down to a close, I had a very odd conversation with Carla. We were talking about what we wanted to do the next day when she asked, “Why don’t we rent a car and drive to Selva Negra tomorrow?” Now while this followed the script of every adolescent male fantasy, it really caught me off guard. First, it is really uncommon to rent cars in Nicaragua-- it is quite expensive, and it was obvious that she was expecting me to pay. Second, it’s super easy to get to Selva Negra by bus and costs less than a dollar. After asking her several times to make sure that I had understood her correctly, I told her this, and a long, awkward silence ensued. Then it occurred to me, “This is exactly how stereotypes get perpetuated—“Rich gringo goes out with beautiful, young Nicaraguan girl for weekend of fun.” There was no way I wanted to go down this road, because there was no way that it could possibly turn out well. So we took her home, I felt really bad about the situation for a day, then everything smoothed itself out. And I was a little bit wiser.
But the evening did not actually end there. We went back to the disco for a few more songs, and when we got in, they were playing head banger music. Guillermo jumped into the mosh pit, but Joselin and I held back. In less than 60 seconds, Guillermo came rushing back, his mouth and throat covered in blood. We didn’t know if his nose was broken, his teeth were knocked out, or what had happened. He yanked his shirt off to keep it from getting bloody, and we ran out of the building to look for a taxi to take us to the hospital. Little wonder that nobody wanted to pick us up, since with his cornrows, big silver chain, and blood all over him, it looked like he had been in a gang fight. But miraculously, his cousin showed up in his pickup truck and whisked us to the hospital. The doctor checked him out, cleaned him up, and told us he’d be okay. He didn’t need any stitches, but he had a big fat lip for the next three days. His mother was certain that he had been in a fight, but I assured her that it wasn’t nearly as cool as that—somebody in the mosh pit had accidentally bashed his mouth with the back of their head. Nothing to brag about, really. But it sure makes for a good story...
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Nicaraguan presidential elections
After receiving emails from Kevin and Curt asking about the state of affairs in Nicaragua after their presidential elections, I decided to write a blog entry about my general impressions. The election took place November 5 and featured four major candidates. Historically, Nicaraguan political parties have been of two types, liberal and conservative. These are not to be confused with the political parties of the United States, however. Liberals in Latin American politics are essentially neo-liberals, following a tradition that dates back to 18th century enlightenment Europe and the laissez faire economics of Adam Smith. The conservatives represent a group which we no longer have in the United States, something that you might call royalist. It has a strong continuity with the ancien regime in Europe before the French Revolution. Another important issue in Latin America is the relationship between the church and state. Liberals have traditionally been anti-clerical, whereas the conservatives tend to use the church as a political instrument.
With this context in mind, let´s look at the current political situation in Nicaragua. The liberals are represented by two parties, the PLC and the ALN. The current president, Enrique Bolaños, is a member of the PLC. It, however, has been racked with corruption, and a new liberal party, the ALN, arose as an alternative. The ALN´s candidate, Eduardo Montealegre, was the finance minister of the past two PLC administrations, but due to internal strife, wasn´t allowed to run for the presidency in their party. Of all the candiates, he has received the greatest support from the United States government for this election.
The other two major parties the FSLN and the MRS. Both of them are Sandinistas, the group that overthrew the Somoza dictatorship in 1979 and ruled Nicaragua for the next decade. Because of their socialist tendencies, the United States funded the Contra War to depose them. Daniel Ortega was the president during this tumultuous period, but he gave up power in 1990 when he lost a democratic election. Since then, he has run for the presidency in each subsequent election, and he has lost each time. He is a determined man.
Having lost the last three elections, Ortega tried a new tactic this time. He ran on a platform ‘reconciliation and peace,’ and he mended rifts with his former enemies, the Contras. In fact, he chose Jaime Morales, the former leader of the Contras, to be his running mate! Ortega also smoothed things over with another major political power, the Catholic Church, with whom he had serious friction in the 1980´s. Clearly, a lot has changed since the Sandinistas have been out of power. They have become a lot more moderate, and a lot more willing to work with opposition to find acceptable compromises, thus maintaining peace during a turbulent period.
But like the liberals, the Sandinistas were not fully united either. There are many Sandinistas who do not like Daniel Ortega, and they are upset that he continues to run for president every election, rather than stepping aside and letting others take charge. Thus they formed another Sandinista party, the MRS, and chose as their candidate the beloved former mayor of Managua, a man named Herty. Unfortunately, he suffered a heart attack and died this summer, effectively ending their chances of gaining the presidency.
In the weeks before the election, the favorites were the ALN´s Montealegre and the FSLN´s Ortega, but neither had a decisive advantage. When the elections took place, everyone waited with baited breath for the outcome. To keep things calm, the sale of alcohol was prohibited and the discos were closed. Lots of election officials were present, including those from the United States and Europe, to insure that no one would manipulate the outcome.
Everyone voted on Sunday, November 5, but the results would not be official until Tuesday. On Sunday night, it was clear that Ortega had surged to an early lead, and the Sandinistas started partying like it was 1979. I woke up at 5am on Monday to some explosions that sounded like gunshots. I poked my head out the window to see if all hell had broken loose, but what I found was the neighborhood kids shooting fireworks and waving Sandanista flags. Nevertheless, the election was far from decided.
On Tuesday, I traveled to my new home of Matagalpa, where everyone was eagerly awaiting the official announcement. Knowing that I was in a Sandinista stronghold, I put on my Sandinista t-shirt with the expectation that it would generate some entertaining discussion. It wasn´t two minutes before a guy pulled me into a bar and started buying me drinks—‘A friend of the Frente is a friend of mine,’ he said. Then we watched on television as the results were announced. The winner was Daniel Ortega! The town went crazy, and my new friends and I jumped into a pickup truck to zoom around town in a spontaneous victory parade. It was surreal. I was watching history unfold before my eyes. The only event in my memory that I could compare this to was watching television coverage of the fall of the Berlin Wall of 1989. But being in Nicaragua in person made this moment much more vivid. Nicaragua has hope again! It brings tears to my eyes to reflect on this moment.
What can we expect from El Frente Sandinista in the next five years? Their general political philosophy is a social-democratic, mixed economy, probably most similar to that of Scandinavia. They aim to provide better social services for the poor and promise not to nationalize anyone´s private property or business. This comes at a good time, because every since the Sandinistas lost power in 1980, illiteracy has been climbing, health care has become deplorable, and chronic unemployment is decimating communities and families.
Can the Sandinistas follow through on their promises? We´ll have to wait and see. However, they already had a significant degree of success in the 1980´s, especially considering that the United States was doing everything possible, including violating International Law, to destroy them. Hopefully the U.S. has learned its lesson in Iraq and will not try to manipulate Nicaraguan politics this time around. Now if only there were a presidential candidate in the United States who ran on a platform of ‘reconciliation and peace’ in 2008, THAT would be someone I could vote for!
With this context in mind, let´s look at the current political situation in Nicaragua. The liberals are represented by two parties, the PLC and the ALN. The current president, Enrique Bolaños, is a member of the PLC. It, however, has been racked with corruption, and a new liberal party, the ALN, arose as an alternative. The ALN´s candidate, Eduardo Montealegre, was the finance minister of the past two PLC administrations, but due to internal strife, wasn´t allowed to run for the presidency in their party. Of all the candiates, he has received the greatest support from the United States government for this election.
The other two major parties the FSLN and the MRS. Both of them are Sandinistas, the group that overthrew the Somoza dictatorship in 1979 and ruled Nicaragua for the next decade. Because of their socialist tendencies, the United States funded the Contra War to depose them. Daniel Ortega was the president during this tumultuous period, but he gave up power in 1990 when he lost a democratic election. Since then, he has run for the presidency in each subsequent election, and he has lost each time. He is a determined man.
Having lost the last three elections, Ortega tried a new tactic this time. He ran on a platform ‘reconciliation and peace,’ and he mended rifts with his former enemies, the Contras. In fact, he chose Jaime Morales, the former leader of the Contras, to be his running mate! Ortega also smoothed things over with another major political power, the Catholic Church, with whom he had serious friction in the 1980´s. Clearly, a lot has changed since the Sandinistas have been out of power. They have become a lot more moderate, and a lot more willing to work with opposition to find acceptable compromises, thus maintaining peace during a turbulent period.
But like the liberals, the Sandinistas were not fully united either. There are many Sandinistas who do not like Daniel Ortega, and they are upset that he continues to run for president every election, rather than stepping aside and letting others take charge. Thus they formed another Sandinista party, the MRS, and chose as their candidate the beloved former mayor of Managua, a man named Herty. Unfortunately, he suffered a heart attack and died this summer, effectively ending their chances of gaining the presidency.
In the weeks before the election, the favorites were the ALN´s Montealegre and the FSLN´s Ortega, but neither had a decisive advantage. When the elections took place, everyone waited with baited breath for the outcome. To keep things calm, the sale of alcohol was prohibited and the discos were closed. Lots of election officials were present, including those from the United States and Europe, to insure that no one would manipulate the outcome.
Everyone voted on Sunday, November 5, but the results would not be official until Tuesday. On Sunday night, it was clear that Ortega had surged to an early lead, and the Sandinistas started partying like it was 1979. I woke up at 5am on Monday to some explosions that sounded like gunshots. I poked my head out the window to see if all hell had broken loose, but what I found was the neighborhood kids shooting fireworks and waving Sandanista flags. Nevertheless, the election was far from decided.
On Tuesday, I traveled to my new home of Matagalpa, where everyone was eagerly awaiting the official announcement. Knowing that I was in a Sandinista stronghold, I put on my Sandinista t-shirt with the expectation that it would generate some entertaining discussion. It wasn´t two minutes before a guy pulled me into a bar and started buying me drinks—‘A friend of the Frente is a friend of mine,’ he said. Then we watched on television as the results were announced. The winner was Daniel Ortega! The town went crazy, and my new friends and I jumped into a pickup truck to zoom around town in a spontaneous victory parade. It was surreal. I was watching history unfold before my eyes. The only event in my memory that I could compare this to was watching television coverage of the fall of the Berlin Wall of 1989. But being in Nicaragua in person made this moment much more vivid. Nicaragua has hope again! It brings tears to my eyes to reflect on this moment.
What can we expect from El Frente Sandinista in the next five years? Their general political philosophy is a social-democratic, mixed economy, probably most similar to that of Scandinavia. They aim to provide better social services for the poor and promise not to nationalize anyone´s private property or business. This comes at a good time, because every since the Sandinistas lost power in 1980, illiteracy has been climbing, health care has become deplorable, and chronic unemployment is decimating communities and families.
Can the Sandinistas follow through on their promises? We´ll have to wait and see. However, they already had a significant degree of success in the 1980´s, especially considering that the United States was doing everything possible, including violating International Law, to destroy them. Hopefully the U.S. has learned its lesson in Iraq and will not try to manipulate Nicaraguan politics this time around. Now if only there were a presidential candidate in the United States who ran on a platform of ‘reconciliation and peace’ in 2008, THAT would be someone I could vote for!
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Report from the island of Ometepe
Just after moving to my new home in Matagalpa, I had the opportunity to do some traveling with two friends from the States, Kelly and Erinn. Kelly is easy to distinguish because she has the best laugh in the Northern Hemisphere—her only rival is Dean’s friend Michelle, from New Zealand. I’d give just about anything to see those two girls in the same room together. Will it happen someday? I’m sure of it. When Dean gets married (hypothetically speaking), I will do everything in my power to make sure that both are in attendance. Then we’ll have a laugh-off, and it will be the event of the century.
Kelly is best friends with Erinn. They are so tight that I sometimes confuse their names, much like others did when I lived with Luke Hartley (some suspected we were a gay couple) or when I lived with Nick (we were self-described Siamese twins). My connection with the girls is that Erinn’s boyfriend is Todd, Todd went to high school with Nick, and Nick introduced me to Kelly when she moved to the Bay Area. The fact that Todd, Erinn, Kelly, and I are all in Central America at the same time is quite remarkable. It certainly helped that Todd has a job with the State Department in Honduras and that I withdrew from graduate school for a semester, but nevertheless, the timing was uncanny.
Now, to the travels. We met up in Masaya and headed the next day to San Juan del Sur, world famous for its surfing. In all my time in Nicaragua, I had yet to go to the beach, so it was really nice to float around in the ocean and cool off. I also liked the fact that we could stay in a beach-front hotel for four dollars a night. But the real highlight of our time was when Erinn and Kelly treated each other to grilled lobster, fine wine, and for dessert, banana splits. It was truly an Epicurean delight.
Next we went to the island of Ometepe, located in a gigantic lake, the largest in Central America. The island is composed of two volcanoes, Concepción and Maderas. Of course, since they were there, we had to climb them. We chose Maderas, and we were not disappointed. It had rain forest, cloud forest, howler monkeys, birds, and to every girl’s delight, chocolate growing on trees. I had never see monkeys in the wild before, so I turned to Kelly, a real animal lover, and told her, "It feels like we are at the zoo!" She didn’t find it nearly as funny as I did. To be honest, what I liked even better than watching the monkeys was watching Kelly watch the monkeys. It was like watching a girl eat chocolate—it’s way better than if I eat it myself, because I just can’t appreciate it as much. Anyway, besides the great wildlife, the climb itself was formidable, and it took us nearly five hours to get to the top. But we were rewarded with a beautiful crater lake, and though we were surprised by the two feet of mud beneath the water, it made for a refreshing swim. Getting down was no small feat either. By the end of the hike, I was totally shredded, operating in survival mode, and my legs hurt for a week. I loved it.
Part of what had made my legs so tired was that the day before the hike, I went on a ridiculous bike ride. We had been staying in the town of Altagracia, and there was no ATM in sight. We heard rumors that there was one in Moyogalpa, about thirty kilometers away. Taking the bus there would be about an hour each way, and we had had plenty of bus traveling already. So I volunteered to ride a bike over there and withdraw some money for Kelly. Under ordinary circumstances, it would have been a breeze, but in this case, I needed to get back in time to catch the last bus to the other side of the island, where we would start our volcano hike. So I took off at breakneck speed, or at least as fast as I could go on the rickety bike I had borrowed from a kid off the street. I quickly discovered that the shifters didn’t work, which meant that I had to stand up on all the hills, much like Nick on his BMX. While it was fine for about the first fifteen minutes, after a while I thought my legs would explode. The other trouble was that the bottom bracket was either seriously loose or cracked, which meant that every pedal stroke uphill sounded like a dying animal. Nevertheless, I made it to my destination in good time. Dripping with sweat under the scorching tropical sun, I rode up to the bank security guard and asked him where the ATM was. Quite earnestly, he replied, "There are no ATMs on the island." Quite dumbfounded, I continued to prod, hoping that I could somehow conjure one if I asked the right question. Then he told me, "Well, we actually do have one, but it’s brand new and doesn’t have any money in it." He was right. There, in a small, air-conditioned room was the machine, lifeless and inert.
Still searching for answers, I realized that I had biked five minutes past my point of no return, the time I thought necessary to get back to Altagracia and catch the bus. So I quickly chugged a bottle of orange Fanta and set off in the direction that I had come. The last thing I wanted was to come back empty-handed AND miss the bus. Miraculously, the rear shifter started working, so I didn’t have to stand up on the hills on the way back. I didn’t check my watch at all while cycling because it wouldn’t make me go any faster, so when I got back to Altagracia, I had no idea if I was late. I found the girls eating lunch in the shade with a rather bemused expression on their faces. "What time is it?" I asked. "It’s 1:52, you’re twenty-two minutes late, and the bus already left," Erinn responded. Waiting for the effect to register, after a long pause, she added, "But don’t worry, there’s another bus coming at 2:30." Thus concluded my one and only bike ride in Nicaragua.
Kelly is best friends with Erinn. They are so tight that I sometimes confuse their names, much like others did when I lived with Luke Hartley (some suspected we were a gay couple) or when I lived with Nick (we were self-described Siamese twins). My connection with the girls is that Erinn’s boyfriend is Todd, Todd went to high school with Nick, and Nick introduced me to Kelly when she moved to the Bay Area. The fact that Todd, Erinn, Kelly, and I are all in Central America at the same time is quite remarkable. It certainly helped that Todd has a job with the State Department in Honduras and that I withdrew from graduate school for a semester, but nevertheless, the timing was uncanny.
Now, to the travels. We met up in Masaya and headed the next day to San Juan del Sur, world famous for its surfing. In all my time in Nicaragua, I had yet to go to the beach, so it was really nice to float around in the ocean and cool off. I also liked the fact that we could stay in a beach-front hotel for four dollars a night. But the real highlight of our time was when Erinn and Kelly treated each other to grilled lobster, fine wine, and for dessert, banana splits. It was truly an Epicurean delight.
Next we went to the island of Ometepe, located in a gigantic lake, the largest in Central America. The island is composed of two volcanoes, Concepción and Maderas. Of course, since they were there, we had to climb them. We chose Maderas, and we were not disappointed. It had rain forest, cloud forest, howler monkeys, birds, and to every girl’s delight, chocolate growing on trees. I had never see monkeys in the wild before, so I turned to Kelly, a real animal lover, and told her, "It feels like we are at the zoo!" She didn’t find it nearly as funny as I did. To be honest, what I liked even better than watching the monkeys was watching Kelly watch the monkeys. It was like watching a girl eat chocolate—it’s way better than if I eat it myself, because I just can’t appreciate it as much. Anyway, besides the great wildlife, the climb itself was formidable, and it took us nearly five hours to get to the top. But we were rewarded with a beautiful crater lake, and though we were surprised by the two feet of mud beneath the water, it made for a refreshing swim. Getting down was no small feat either. By the end of the hike, I was totally shredded, operating in survival mode, and my legs hurt for a week. I loved it.
Part of what had made my legs so tired was that the day before the hike, I went on a ridiculous bike ride. We had been staying in the town of Altagracia, and there was no ATM in sight. We heard rumors that there was one in Moyogalpa, about thirty kilometers away. Taking the bus there would be about an hour each way, and we had had plenty of bus traveling already. So I volunteered to ride a bike over there and withdraw some money for Kelly. Under ordinary circumstances, it would have been a breeze, but in this case, I needed to get back in time to catch the last bus to the other side of the island, where we would start our volcano hike. So I took off at breakneck speed, or at least as fast as I could go on the rickety bike I had borrowed from a kid off the street. I quickly discovered that the shifters didn’t work, which meant that I had to stand up on all the hills, much like Nick on his BMX. While it was fine for about the first fifteen minutes, after a while I thought my legs would explode. The other trouble was that the bottom bracket was either seriously loose or cracked, which meant that every pedal stroke uphill sounded like a dying animal. Nevertheless, I made it to my destination in good time. Dripping with sweat under the scorching tropical sun, I rode up to the bank security guard and asked him where the ATM was. Quite earnestly, he replied, "There are no ATMs on the island." Quite dumbfounded, I continued to prod, hoping that I could somehow conjure one if I asked the right question. Then he told me, "Well, we actually do have one, but it’s brand new and doesn’t have any money in it." He was right. There, in a small, air-conditioned room was the machine, lifeless and inert.
Still searching for answers, I realized that I had biked five minutes past my point of no return, the time I thought necessary to get back to Altagracia and catch the bus. So I quickly chugged a bottle of orange Fanta and set off in the direction that I had come. The last thing I wanted was to come back empty-handed AND miss the bus. Miraculously, the rear shifter started working, so I didn’t have to stand up on the hills on the way back. I didn’t check my watch at all while cycling because it wouldn’t make me go any faster, so when I got back to Altagracia, I had no idea if I was late. I found the girls eating lunch in the shade with a rather bemused expression on their faces. "What time is it?" I asked. "It’s 1:52, you’re twenty-two minutes late, and the bus already left," Erinn responded. Waiting for the effect to register, after a long pause, she added, "But don’t worry, there’s another bus coming at 2:30." Thus concluded my one and only bike ride in Nicaragua.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Wrapping up in Siuna
In a couple of days, just after the Nicaraguan presidential election, I will be leaving Siuna and heading to the town of Matagalpa, where I might live until Christmas. This represents a change of plans, as I had originally intended to spend all my time in Siuna. However, things rarely go as we expect them to, and in my case, the professors that I have been working with just don’t have enough time to commit to my classes. That should come as no surprise—they are just as busy as professors in our country. But for me, without that work, there is little point for me to remain in Siuna. In the past week, I wrote up a comprehensive document in regards to teaching English here, so when the next teacher comes, they’ll know what to expect and how to best carry out the classes.
Upon reflection, I have enjoyed a number of things during my time in Siuna. Here’s a few:
1. Throwing food scraps out the kitchen window
2. Riding in the back of pickups
3. Watching thunderstorms and listening to the rain hitting the tin roofs
4. Watching cowboys drive cattle past our house
5. Using the airstrip as a soccer field (when planes aren’t landing)
6. Nigaraguan beer
7. Laying in a hammock on a hot day
A couple of weeks ago, I went back to the United States for my sister’s wedding. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed seeing my relatives and my parents’ old friends. Also tremendously entertaining was my ten-year high school reunion. What made it especially exciting was that all my best friends came back for it, with the exception being Eiji, who lives in Japan. We had a good turnout overall, and it was neat to see how my classmates had changed over the past ten years. A delightful surprise was that all the old social cliques had disappeared, and all of us were able to talk to each other with mutual respect and admiration. Unfortunately, many of the more socially marginalized students from the high school days did not come back. Too bad, because I’m sure they would have been some of the most interesting people to talk to.
One incident of culture shock that I did not expect was in seeing Memphis girls again. My high school classmates had all married girls that looked like models, and when we went out for drinks in a trendy part of town, I thought we had stepped into a professional photo shoot. Perhaps I have simply been living in Berkeley for too long, but it still struck me as odd. Why do girls try so hard to be sexy?
On the flip side, one might ask, Why do guys spend so much time watching sports? I can’t believe how many baseball playoff games I watched in October, both in Nicaragua and in Memphis. At one point, I think I saw seven games in three days here in Siuna. Now to be fair, my beloved Cardinals were in the playoffs, and I had to watch all the other games in order to see who the Cardinals might be playing in the next round. So I watched the Tigers vs. Yankees, the A’s vs. Twins, the Mets vs. Dodgers, and the Cardinals vs. Padres. Once the Cardinals advanced to the next round, I was glued to the television as they played seven games against the Mets. Watching Adam Wainright strike out Carlos Beltran to advance to the World Series was an unforgettable moment.
Against the Tigers in the World Series, the Cardinals were probably the biggest underdogs in decades. Many people wondered if the Cardinals were even going to win one game. That made it even sweeter to watch them demolish the Tigers, taking four of five. It was sweet vindication for getting swept by the Red Sox in 2004. Also, I had been waiting for the Cardinals to win the World Series championship since 1985, the year I began collecting baseball cards. To be honest, I still don’t really believe they won, so I’m going to watch tapes of the World Series over Christmas break, just to make sure.
Now that I’m back in Nicaragua, what am I up to for the next six weeks? I’ll be living in the town of Matagalpa, which is a trendy town nestled in some beautiful mountains. The weather is cool, and the outdoor possibilities are endless. If any of you want to visit between now and December 20, I’d love to see you! It’s super cheap to live here (I spend about seven dollars a day for food and housing), the only significant cost would be an airplane ticket (i.e. $550 roundtrip from San Francisco to Managua). Let me know if you are interested in coming, and we’ll make it happen!
In the meantime, I’m going to be helping develop local tourism in Matagalpa. You know when I wrote to you with my idea about starting a mountain bike company down here? Well, I found a group that did! They’re called Matagalpa Tours, and you can check them out on their website, http://www.matagalpatours.com This is a very unexplored part of Nicaragua, so it’s perfect for the adventurous types.
That’s all for now. I miss you guys!
Upon reflection, I have enjoyed a number of things during my time in Siuna. Here’s a few:
1. Throwing food scraps out the kitchen window
2. Riding in the back of pickups
3. Watching thunderstorms and listening to the rain hitting the tin roofs
4. Watching cowboys drive cattle past our house
5. Using the airstrip as a soccer field (when planes aren’t landing)
6. Nigaraguan beer
7. Laying in a hammock on a hot day
A couple of weeks ago, I went back to the United States for my sister’s wedding. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed seeing my relatives and my parents’ old friends. Also tremendously entertaining was my ten-year high school reunion. What made it especially exciting was that all my best friends came back for it, with the exception being Eiji, who lives in Japan. We had a good turnout overall, and it was neat to see how my classmates had changed over the past ten years. A delightful surprise was that all the old social cliques had disappeared, and all of us were able to talk to each other with mutual respect and admiration. Unfortunately, many of the more socially marginalized students from the high school days did not come back. Too bad, because I’m sure they would have been some of the most interesting people to talk to.
One incident of culture shock that I did not expect was in seeing Memphis girls again. My high school classmates had all married girls that looked like models, and when we went out for drinks in a trendy part of town, I thought we had stepped into a professional photo shoot. Perhaps I have simply been living in Berkeley for too long, but it still struck me as odd. Why do girls try so hard to be sexy?
On the flip side, one might ask, Why do guys spend so much time watching sports? I can’t believe how many baseball playoff games I watched in October, both in Nicaragua and in Memphis. At one point, I think I saw seven games in three days here in Siuna. Now to be fair, my beloved Cardinals were in the playoffs, and I had to watch all the other games in order to see who the Cardinals might be playing in the next round. So I watched the Tigers vs. Yankees, the A’s vs. Twins, the Mets vs. Dodgers, and the Cardinals vs. Padres. Once the Cardinals advanced to the next round, I was glued to the television as they played seven games against the Mets. Watching Adam Wainright strike out Carlos Beltran to advance to the World Series was an unforgettable moment.
Against the Tigers in the World Series, the Cardinals were probably the biggest underdogs in decades. Many people wondered if the Cardinals were even going to win one game. That made it even sweeter to watch them demolish the Tigers, taking four of five. It was sweet vindication for getting swept by the Red Sox in 2004. Also, I had been waiting for the Cardinals to win the World Series championship since 1985, the year I began collecting baseball cards. To be honest, I still don’t really believe they won, so I’m going to watch tapes of the World Series over Christmas break, just to make sure.
Now that I’m back in Nicaragua, what am I up to for the next six weeks? I’ll be living in the town of Matagalpa, which is a trendy town nestled in some beautiful mountains. The weather is cool, and the outdoor possibilities are endless. If any of you want to visit between now and December 20, I’d love to see you! It’s super cheap to live here (I spend about seven dollars a day for food and housing), the only significant cost would be an airplane ticket (i.e. $550 roundtrip from San Francisco to Managua). Let me know if you are interested in coming, and we’ll make it happen!
In the meantime, I’m going to be helping develop local tourism in Matagalpa. You know when I wrote to you with my idea about starting a mountain bike company down here? Well, I found a group that did! They’re called Matagalpa Tours, and you can check them out on their website, http://www.matagalpatours.com This is a very unexplored part of Nicaragua, so it’s perfect for the adventurous types.
That’s all for now. I miss you guys!
Saturday, September 23, 2006
From Siuna, Nicaragua
A happy coincidence that I discovered upon arriving in Nicaragua is that the five-dollar straw hat that I bought at a Hawaiian convenience store has profound cultural significance here. According to the locals, it is identical to the sombrero worn by Augusto Cesár Sandino, the national hero of Nicaragua.
To give you some background, Sandino became famous in the late 1920’s for fighting a U.S. Marine invasion and avoiding capture for five years. Eventually, the Marines gave up trying to capture him, and they left the country after placing a man named Somoza in power. Once the Americans were gone, Sandino and his men laid down their arms and signed a peace treaty. However, after attending a presidential banquet celebrating the new peace accord, Sandino was promptly assassinated by one of Somoza’s men. This event marked the beginning of a brutal, 45-year, dictatorial reign by the Somoza family. Mercifully, it was brought to an end in 1979 by an immense, popular uprising led by a group that called themselves “Sandinistas.”
Sandino, and particularly his sombrero, symbolize the Nicaraguan yearning for freedom and autonomy. Unfortunately, it is also a tragic symbol, as Nicaragua’s history has been marked by dictatorships, assassinations, and U.S. invasions ever since gaining independence from Spain in 1821. I guess it’s ironic that there is a gringo running around Nicaragua wearing Sandino’s hat, but perhaps it’s not so strange if you consider that many of the locals here wear baseball caps and professional wrestling t-shirts while singing along to old Lionel Riche songs. Do you remember, “Oh, what a feeling, when I’m dancing on the ceiling.” I try not to, but I can’t help but laugh every time I hear it here.
I´m continuing to grow my hair, and it gets shaggier by the day. For those of you who see me around New Year´s, I should have the Paul McCartney look, circa 1968. Also, I´ve followed the method of uber-catholic Mike-- I don´t use shampoo any more. Instead, I just rinse it with water every day. Since we don´t have running water in Siuna-- we use rainwater to take bucket baths-- the rinse method is very apt. After about two weeks of this method, my hair and scalp started looking and feeling better than it ever did back in the States. Who would have guessed?
By the way, if you ever want to do a bad-ass mountain bike tour, bring a bike to Nicaragua. This country is the safest in all of CentralAmerica (and probably in all of Latin America), and there are tons of unpaved roads that are ideal for cycling. In fact, on a bike you can go faster than the buses, who have trouble negotiating all the potholes. If you made Matagalpa your home base, you could do a series of sweet one-week tours in the mountains and towards the atlantic coast. Keep in mind that nobody speaks English here, so it is imperative that you or whoever you´re with has a good command of Spanish.
If I were an entrepreneur, I would consider starting a local mountain biking business that would bring North Americans down here. In addition to some great riding and beautiful scenery, they could learn about Nicaraguan history and politics, which have included (lamentably) a lot of bloodshed, both through internal conflicts and through direct and indirect U.S. military involvement for the past 100 years. It would be a great way to spread goodwill and international understanding, as well as diversify the Nicaraguan economy. Besides, I´ve met a couple of local Nicaraguans who work as trekking guides who would jump at the chance to get onboard with this business.
Things started a little slow here in Siuna (where everything is slow), but are beginning to pick up. The first day I was here, we went to a rodeo, which is indicative of what kind of town this is. More people own horses than cars, and it´s great to sit on the front porch, swing on the hammock, and listen to the clackety-clack of horse hooves on the ground. I imagine that life here is quite similar to that of my grandmother who grew up in rural Missouri during the Great Depression. Unemployment is a huge problem here since the international mining companies left, and now the local guys mine with pics and shovels, much like they did before the Industrial Revolution. There are many other problems here too, but I don´t want to dwell on the negatives, because the people here are generally upbeat. They make do with what they have and find happiness in their relationships and their laid-back lifestyle. Last weekend, we watched a great basketball tournament, pitting the mighty team from Leon against the local Siuna guys. And soon, the baseball season will start, which is especially exciting for me. I brought my glove from my high school baseball days, so I´m all ready to go!
The english classes that I´m teaching at the university have just gotten underway, and I´m probably going to teach some high school students as well. I don´t know a lot of people yet, but recentIy I met a nice girl named Candi who is our age and works with teenagers at her church (similar to Jeremy´s old job). I went to her church on Sunday, and though it felt excessively Pentecostal at times-- I´ve never heard so much about the Espiritu Santo (Holy Spirit) in all my life-- I will continue going. It´s a great way to meet people, learn about the culture, and participate in a vibrant international community. It is fascinating to compare the various Christian communities that I know in the United States, Austria, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. I could tell you much more, but that will have to wait for another time.
I think it would be fun to work with the teenagers at the church, and I´ve already been invited to go with them to an International Christian Youth Conference in Guatemala in late November (I imagine that it´s something like CHIC). I´m very curious to see how they fundraise for this, as it is a very poor community, and it will cost $170 per student for the travel, hotel, and conference. To give you a sense of how much this is, my entire living expenses for an entire month (housing, food, and incidentals) are only $100. Still, I think it will be money well spent. Most of the kids have never left the country before, and it will give them an opportunity to meet others from all over Central America. I imagine that they will have access to literature that they can´t get in Siuna (there are no bookstores here, and even in a big town like Esteli, selection is poor), and it will definitely broaden their perspective.
Since arriving in Nicaragua, I’ve read a number of fascinating books, and I’ll tell you briefly about two of the best. The first is Salman Rushdie’s The Jaguar Smile: A Nicaraguan Journey. This concise account about the state of affairs in the Sandanista government during the crisis of the 1980’s is both insightful and hilarious. If you’ve read this already and want to learn more, I can also recommend a more extensive account in Where is Nicaagua?, by Peter Davis, written during the same period in a similar style.
The other book I can enthusiastically recommend is Justo L. Gonzalez’s Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective. Gonzalez, an excellent historian and theologian, is a Cuban-born, Protestant Latino, giving a minority perspective that few other people in the world can claim. After taking traditional Christians to task for expropriating religion for dubious ends, Gonzalez presents a powerful vision of community-based, socially just, spiritually-attuned, ecumenical Christianity. Regardless of your personal position on religion, I think you would find this a very engaging work.
For the rest of my time in Nicaragua, I will be focusing on books written in Spanish. Right now, I reading Rubén Darío’s complete works. For those of you who aren’t familiar with him, he is Nicaragua’s most famous literary figure. Some of you have read a great deal of Hispanic literature—if there is anything that you think I must read in the next three months, please let me know.
I miss you guys!
To give you some background, Sandino became famous in the late 1920’s for fighting a U.S. Marine invasion and avoiding capture for five years. Eventually, the Marines gave up trying to capture him, and they left the country after placing a man named Somoza in power. Once the Americans were gone, Sandino and his men laid down their arms and signed a peace treaty. However, after attending a presidential banquet celebrating the new peace accord, Sandino was promptly assassinated by one of Somoza’s men. This event marked the beginning of a brutal, 45-year, dictatorial reign by the Somoza family. Mercifully, it was brought to an end in 1979 by an immense, popular uprising led by a group that called themselves “Sandinistas.”
Sandino, and particularly his sombrero, symbolize the Nicaraguan yearning for freedom and autonomy. Unfortunately, it is also a tragic symbol, as Nicaragua’s history has been marked by dictatorships, assassinations, and U.S. invasions ever since gaining independence from Spain in 1821. I guess it’s ironic that there is a gringo running around Nicaragua wearing Sandino’s hat, but perhaps it’s not so strange if you consider that many of the locals here wear baseball caps and professional wrestling t-shirts while singing along to old Lionel Riche songs. Do you remember, “Oh, what a feeling, when I’m dancing on the ceiling.” I try not to, but I can’t help but laugh every time I hear it here.
I´m continuing to grow my hair, and it gets shaggier by the day. For those of you who see me around New Year´s, I should have the Paul McCartney look, circa 1968. Also, I´ve followed the method of uber-catholic Mike-- I don´t use shampoo any more. Instead, I just rinse it with water every day. Since we don´t have running water in Siuna-- we use rainwater to take bucket baths-- the rinse method is very apt. After about two weeks of this method, my hair and scalp started looking and feeling better than it ever did back in the States. Who would have guessed?
By the way, if you ever want to do a bad-ass mountain bike tour, bring a bike to Nicaragua. This country is the safest in all of CentralAmerica (and probably in all of Latin America), and there are tons of unpaved roads that are ideal for cycling. In fact, on a bike you can go faster than the buses, who have trouble negotiating all the potholes. If you made Matagalpa your home base, you could do a series of sweet one-week tours in the mountains and towards the atlantic coast. Keep in mind that nobody speaks English here, so it is imperative that you or whoever you´re with has a good command of Spanish.
If I were an entrepreneur, I would consider starting a local mountain biking business that would bring North Americans down here. In addition to some great riding and beautiful scenery, they could learn about Nicaraguan history and politics, which have included (lamentably) a lot of bloodshed, both through internal conflicts and through direct and indirect U.S. military involvement for the past 100 years. It would be a great way to spread goodwill and international understanding, as well as diversify the Nicaraguan economy. Besides, I´ve met a couple of local Nicaraguans who work as trekking guides who would jump at the chance to get onboard with this business.
Things started a little slow here in Siuna (where everything is slow), but are beginning to pick up. The first day I was here, we went to a rodeo, which is indicative of what kind of town this is. More people own horses than cars, and it´s great to sit on the front porch, swing on the hammock, and listen to the clackety-clack of horse hooves on the ground. I imagine that life here is quite similar to that of my grandmother who grew up in rural Missouri during the Great Depression. Unemployment is a huge problem here since the international mining companies left, and now the local guys mine with pics and shovels, much like they did before the Industrial Revolution. There are many other problems here too, but I don´t want to dwell on the negatives, because the people here are generally upbeat. They make do with what they have and find happiness in their relationships and their laid-back lifestyle. Last weekend, we watched a great basketball tournament, pitting the mighty team from Leon against the local Siuna guys. And soon, the baseball season will start, which is especially exciting for me. I brought my glove from my high school baseball days, so I´m all ready to go!
The english classes that I´m teaching at the university have just gotten underway, and I´m probably going to teach some high school students as well. I don´t know a lot of people yet, but recentIy I met a nice girl named Candi who is our age and works with teenagers at her church (similar to Jeremy´s old job). I went to her church on Sunday, and though it felt excessively Pentecostal at times-- I´ve never heard so much about the Espiritu Santo (Holy Spirit) in all my life-- I will continue going. It´s a great way to meet people, learn about the culture, and participate in a vibrant international community. It is fascinating to compare the various Christian communities that I know in the United States, Austria, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. I could tell you much more, but that will have to wait for another time.
I think it would be fun to work with the teenagers at the church, and I´ve already been invited to go with them to an International Christian Youth Conference in Guatemala in late November (I imagine that it´s something like CHIC). I´m very curious to see how they fundraise for this, as it is a very poor community, and it will cost $170 per student for the travel, hotel, and conference. To give you a sense of how much this is, my entire living expenses for an entire month (housing, food, and incidentals) are only $100. Still, I think it will be money well spent. Most of the kids have never left the country before, and it will give them an opportunity to meet others from all over Central America. I imagine that they will have access to literature that they can´t get in Siuna (there are no bookstores here, and even in a big town like Esteli, selection is poor), and it will definitely broaden their perspective.
Since arriving in Nicaragua, I’ve read a number of fascinating books, and I’ll tell you briefly about two of the best. The first is Salman Rushdie’s The Jaguar Smile: A Nicaraguan Journey. This concise account about the state of affairs in the Sandanista government during the crisis of the 1980’s is both insightful and hilarious. If you’ve read this already and want to learn more, I can also recommend a more extensive account in Where is Nicaagua?, by Peter Davis, written during the same period in a similar style.
The other book I can enthusiastically recommend is Justo L. Gonzalez’s Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective. Gonzalez, an excellent historian and theologian, is a Cuban-born, Protestant Latino, giving a minority perspective that few other people in the world can claim. After taking traditional Christians to task for expropriating religion for dubious ends, Gonzalez presents a powerful vision of community-based, socially just, spiritually-attuned, ecumenical Christianity. Regardless of your personal position on religion, I think you would find this a very engaging work.
For the rest of my time in Nicaragua, I will be focusing on books written in Spanish. Right now, I reading Rubén Darío’s complete works. For those of you who aren’t familiar with him, he is Nicaragua’s most famous literary figure. Some of you have read a great deal of Hispanic literature—if there is anything that you think I must read in the next three months, please let me know.
I miss you guys!
Monday, September 18, 2006
Report from Esteli, Nicaragua
Greetings from Nicaragua!
I spent my first two weeks in Esteli, and below are some thoughts on my experience there. Right now, I´m living in Siuna, and I´ll report on that in a few weeks.
Esteli (August 26 to September 9)
I usually measure success in a foreign country by whether or not I´ve made friends, and on that count, I´m doing well. Right now, I´m taking spanish classes, and living with a host family. Instruction is one-on-one, four hours a day, so it´s pretty intense. My first week, my instructor was named Ruth. She is my age and is really fun to talk to. We developed a good rapport by the end of the week, and I expect that we´ll keep in touch after I leave.
This weekend, I went to a region called Miraflor, which has spectacular scenery and great hiking. I cruised around with a guide named Alex, and he took us to some awesome places. You´ll have to wait for the pictures for awhile, but they´ll be worth the wait. I also have a sweet video of me jumping off the top of a waterfall. I would have done the flea, but you have to jump out really far in order to
avoid being dashed on the rocks. Since I didn´t want to wind up like Angela, I used a more traditional method of entering the water. I´d like to come back in December to catch up with Alex again, so I´ll get a chance to perform other daring dives.
This week, I have a new spanish instructor who studied in Cuba, so I have ample opportunities to learn about revolutionary movements past and present. Esteli and the surrounding region is still a hotbed of Sandinista sentiment, and they are hopeful that Daniel Ortega and the FSLN will win the election on November 5. If it does, this city will party like it´s 1979.
Last week, I went to a museum that commemorates those who died in the revolution of 1979, and among the dead was a woman from Berkeley! They had a great picture of her in a tank-top with a machine gun. It´s pretty sobering to learn how much blood was shed in Nicaragua in the 20th century, as well as how much of it the United States is directly or indirectly responsible for. I wonder what J-man´s perspective is on this matter.
Another interesting factoid about Esteli is that there are lots of bicycles here, and guys like to ride double with their girlfriends. The style here is that the girls sit sideways on the top-tube while the guy pedals. You ought to try it sometime!
This week, I hope to meet a Nicaraguan political science professor. I expect that local scholars are probably going to look at their history from a significantly different perspective than their American counterparts. One may not necessarily be better than the other, but both points-of-view will certainly be enlightening. Hopefully this professor can recommend some good books on 18th and 19th century Latin American history.
That´s about it for Esteli. The next update will deal with Siuna, where I am teaching until Christmas time.
Also, here´s a much belated link to my Guatemala photos from July
http://www.photoworks.com/share/shareSignin.jsp?shareCode=A30F1C2C211&cp=ems_shr_alb_pml&cb=PW
If you are a facebook user, the photos are up there as well.
I spent my first two weeks in Esteli, and below are some thoughts on my experience there. Right now, I´m living in Siuna, and I´ll report on that in a few weeks.
Esteli (August 26 to September 9)
I usually measure success in a foreign country by whether or not I´ve made friends, and on that count, I´m doing well. Right now, I´m taking spanish classes, and living with a host family. Instruction is one-on-one, four hours a day, so it´s pretty intense. My first week, my instructor was named Ruth. She is my age and is really fun to talk to. We developed a good rapport by the end of the week, and I expect that we´ll keep in touch after I leave.
This weekend, I went to a region called Miraflor, which has spectacular scenery and great hiking. I cruised around with a guide named Alex, and he took us to some awesome places. You´ll have to wait for the pictures for awhile, but they´ll be worth the wait. I also have a sweet video of me jumping off the top of a waterfall. I would have done the flea, but you have to jump out really far in order to
avoid being dashed on the rocks. Since I didn´t want to wind up like Angela, I used a more traditional method of entering the water. I´d like to come back in December to catch up with Alex again, so I´ll get a chance to perform other daring dives.
This week, I have a new spanish instructor who studied in Cuba, so I have ample opportunities to learn about revolutionary movements past and present. Esteli and the surrounding region is still a hotbed of Sandinista sentiment, and they are hopeful that Daniel Ortega and the FSLN will win the election on November 5. If it does, this city will party like it´s 1979.
Last week, I went to a museum that commemorates those who died in the revolution of 1979, and among the dead was a woman from Berkeley! They had a great picture of her in a tank-top with a machine gun. It´s pretty sobering to learn how much blood was shed in Nicaragua in the 20th century, as well as how much of it the United States is directly or indirectly responsible for. I wonder what J-man´s perspective is on this matter.
Another interesting factoid about Esteli is that there are lots of bicycles here, and guys like to ride double with their girlfriends. The style here is that the girls sit sideways on the top-tube while the guy pedals. You ought to try it sometime!
This week, I hope to meet a Nicaraguan political science professor. I expect that local scholars are probably going to look at their history from a significantly different perspective than their American counterparts. One may not necessarily be better than the other, but both points-of-view will certainly be enlightening. Hopefully this professor can recommend some good books on 18th and 19th century Latin American history.
That´s about it for Esteli. The next update will deal with Siuna, where I am teaching until Christmas time.
Also, here´s a much belated link to my Guatemala photos from July
http://www.photoworks.com/share/shareSignin.jsp?shareCode=A30F1C2C211&cp=ems_shr_alb_pml&cb=PW
If you are a facebook user, the photos are up there as well.
Monday, June 12, 2006
From Berkeley
After some extensive traveling, I am back in Berkeley, making preparations for my big trip to Central America. After receiving several requests, I decided to start up a blog so that my friends can share some of my adventures.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
