Chinandega Site Visit

I now know why Chinandega is labeled a very Nicaraguan city.  I entered the bustling commercial center through “El Bisne” which is the largest market and bus station that the city hosts.  Chinandega is a flat city, but the largest volcanoes in Nicaragua linger close and can be seen towering over the city in the distance.  The old and new money that keeps this community afloat comes from sugar, bananas, Flor de Cana rum, peanuts, sesame, soy and shrimp!  Chinandega is far enough north that it isn’t frequented regularly by backpackers or tourists, but serves as Nicaragua’s most important agribusiness center.  Travelers usually pass right through on their way to the untouched northern beaches of Chinandega where surfing is at its best.   The city doesn’t boast any fancy Spanish architecture and tons of hostels like it’s neighboring city Leon.  I love that I can walk through the streets and not hear a word of English.  Locals treat me like one of their own in the community and not as a visiting gringo.  The central park has an enormous beautiful yellow and white cathedral and various types of food to enjoy in the open air such as gyros, puposas, hamburgers and subs.  Each barrio or neighborhood sports a brightly colored colonial church whose steeples serve as a guide as I wander around the city. 

I’m not going to lie, its hot here in Chinandega getting up to 90 degrees during the day(and its winter).  The 32 volunteers that live in this department boast that we live in the hottest region and we love it.  Granted the Pacific Ocean is only 15 minutes by bus, which provides much needed relief from the heat.  The closest playa is Paso Caballo is littered with large huts made of palms called “ranchitos” where you can pick out your whole fresh fish to fry on the spot and drink cold beer after a nice swim in the refreshing waters.  This is an important aspect of the city that I’d like to point out- Nica’s largest fishing as well as export/import town Corinto is just down the road making seafood a part of the diet here, thank god!  I know you all know how much I love seafood!

The three institutes(high school equivalents) that I will be working in range from private, semi-private to public and are all on the outskirts of the city making them beautiful places to work.  One of my schools has an outside classroom under a cabana surrounded by tropical trees.  My other private school has passageways lined with palm trees and beautiful flowers.  I met all of my directors in the schools and felt very at home in each schools community.  All the teachers that I will be training and supporting with business experience are very dedicated and love their jobs which makes my job so much more enjoyable.  The head of administration at my private school has already asked me to motivationally speak about North American culture and our workforce with a dedicated group of students from all over Chinandega who have earned scholarships and have the chance to go to college.   I made an appearance at the nonprofit Promujer(see link on right hand side column), which helps women to realize their dreams of starting a business through micro loans and business advising.  I’m hoping that when I meet with the HR representative in a few weeks that there will be opportunity to get involved here.  There are ample nonprofits and cooperatives to work in and I look forward to starting relationships with micro finance institutions like FINCA and Fundaceon Leon.

My outdoor classroom

Entrance to one of my schools

I’m going to be living my first two months with an older lady who is very sweet.  She is actually the mom of one of the teachers I will be working closely with whom lives next door.  I’m getting upgraded to a huge room with my own bathroom(with septic) and ample space to practice yoga, which is huge!

I love that the city is lively and extremely social which perfectly matches the personalities of the volunteers that inhabit it!  Right away I clicked with another health volunteer Lindsey who has been here for three months.  Lindsey and I found ourselves salsa dancing by the second night I was in Chinandega.  I enjoy that my new city serves as a transportation hub, which means several volunteers are passing through at any time and creating excuses for us all to get together and cool off with some cerveza.  The city is large which means I walk a lot, but there are also options to take a triciclo(bike powered carriage) or taxis for a fixed cheap price no matter where you go in the city.  I’m looking forward to permanently moving there in 3 weeks when training is over!

Lindsey and I out Salsa dancing!

In the mean time I’m going to enjoy the last few weeks I have in Masaya and take advantage of the access to the artisan market and crafts, which is what this city does best.  That’s right, I bought my first Nicaraguan hammock!  Today we lounged on the beaches of Laguna de Apollo once again and kayaked its shores.  This is one little piece of paradise I’m truly going to miss.  On the flip side, Pacific surf here I come!

Where I ordered my hammock- pics to come when its finished!