Discovering Masaya

Now that I have had over a week or so to settle in to my small pueblo I have had the chance to explore the surrounding pueblos and cities.  Nica is divided up into departments much like the U.S. states.  Masaya is the department that I live in and the city of Masaya, which is about 20 mins away by bus, serves as the department capital.  There are no other departments in Nica where you can find the massive amount of arts and crafts that are produced from the cities of Masaya.  The arts produced such as hammocks, furniture, pottery and the art of bread-making (panaderias) make this department a top destination in Nica.  Masaya is famous for its Mercado Artesenia (artisan market), which houses the arts all the while reflecting the ancient architecture of the Spanish that colonized this city in 1524. 

The pueblos outside the capital of Masaya are called the Pueblos Blancos (Nandasmo is one) and are known to supply Masaya with the arts for the large amount of tourists that visit the artisan market. 

I don’t think I mentioned this in my previous post about my town of Nandasmo, but it is known for its furniture making, specifically rocking chairs and its bread!  I don’t mean just bread, but bread with sugar and cheese or apple filling.  Fresh bread pops up everywhere in the tiny houses around me and I do indulge when I see a Panadera (breadmaker) taking out a fresh batch as I walk through town.

The Nandasmo Mirador is also a beautiful attraction here.  A mirador is a look out point usually over a body of water, which isn’t hard to come by here.  My Mirador looks out over Lake Massaya and is currently under construction.  Apparently the Nicas of Nandasmo partied so hard over Samana Santa they trashed the pool to the point it had to close.  Seems as though they are taking advantage of the closing to add a restaurant and will be reopening to the public soon.  You’ll know where to find me when it does.

Masaya Mirador

My Mirador in Nandasmo

My first weekend was rather eventful.  We typically have training on Saturdays and this Saturday we met at a nice restaurant to go over our goals and objectives as Small Business Volunteers for the next two years once training is finished.  It was comforting to have a clear cut view of what is expected of me and project some numbers around our impact.  I guess I haven’t completely lost my finance side and need for numbers.  See the Projects tab for a further description of my goals.  One project that has me extremely excited is the creation of multiple community banks.  The model Peace Corps uses mirrors Muhammed Yunus’ Grameen Bank model, which I am very passionate about.  I’ll post some articles that outline the importance of Micro-finance in developing countries just to help those who are doubtful of its impact J.  Saturday night a large group of us volunteers gathered in another neighboring Pueblo Blanco Catarina to enjoy some cervezas and the famous Mirador over Lake Apollo, which gives this town its reputation. 

Yoga continues to be a huge part of my day-to-day life here.  Sunday I ventured to my friend Leslie’s house in Juan de Oriente(one of the Pueblos Blancos) where his parents hold up the town’s reputation for producing massive amounts of gorgeous pottery which is exported to the U.S.  Its great to be surrounded by yogis here in the Peace Corps, who would have thought! Ha ha, just kidding!

Sunday night my family went to yet another neighboring pueblo Blanco called Pedio XII for my cousin’s (I think) dance performance.  It took place at a festival where the folklore dances of the pacific coast and the Jamaican influenced dances of the Atlantic coast were showcased.  I have also included pictures of Nicas engaging in a common fiesta practice of climbing an extremely large pole by stacking one on top of the other to reach a cerveza at the top=interesting.

Catholic church in Masaya

This week has been a whirlwind in language training as we have already visited the police station, the governor’s’ office and sat in on an entrepreneurship class at a high school in Masaya.  We have yet to hold our second youth group meeting, which will take place later this week.  We are engaging youth in starting a small business of their choosing and going through the motions of what it takes to become an entrepreneur.  Hopefully more to come here as we get going, but our first meeting drew in about 15 youth of all ages!

I continue to bond with my family as they laugh at my grammatical mistakes and gawk awkwardly at my gadgets.  Every time I whip out my electric toothbrush my mom makes a buzzing noise to imitate it while Sheila(lil sis) just stares as though she will find where the noise is coming form.  I know what your thinking,” really Kate?  An electronic toothbrush?”  I figured if I have electricity than I’m bringing the electric toothbrush because nothing can top it!  Annie I knew you would be proud!  As weird as they think I am, the Nicas take the prize with their odd mystical beliefs.  Apparently my mom had pain in her neck/jaw and it’s a Nica cure to roll up a piece of newspaper like a funnel, stick it in your ear, and burn it until it gets dangerously close to your head.  What the?  I witnessed it and told them they were insane the entire time.

Juevos rancheros, I finally discovered it.  It’s been a rough start with the intensity of the rice and beans diet here in Nica.  I’ve already had enough, but luckily my blabbing about how much I love eggs brought out the juevos ranchers tonight!  It was truly delicious and hit the spot!  I must say that the daily dose of tropical fruit such as mangos has me very happy, but I’m working on adding more veggies to my diet.