tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34717432360831299342024-02-18T21:40:47.662-06:00My Bare FootprintBare: Basic, with nothing extra. Footprint: an impression or mark made by a foot, as in sand. The impact on the environment of human activity.Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-55932348912738124022013-06-12T19:59:00.000-05:002013-06-12T19:59:59.766-05:00The Other Side<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Before leaving Nicaragua I talked about returning to the
U.S. with other volunteers and referred to it as “the other side”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I had returned home twice
during my 2 years of service, my return trip back was completely different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the last year of my service I think
I finally grasped just how special Nicaragua is and how much I loved my life
lifestyle during service.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Reverse culture shock is something Peace Corps tries to
prepare you for as you close your service, but honestly it hasn’t been an
issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course I’ve done silly
things like address people in Spanish when they clearly don’t speak the
language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve gone through a
drive through and passed the order window with out even realizing it and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>wound up at the pay window with nothing
ordered in my name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little
American conveniences that are new or I haven’t used in quite some time tend to
surprise me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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The transition from Nica to AZ and then on to South Carolina
for grad school was quick, but honestly I don’t know if I would have had it any
other way, now that I’m here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
like having a new focus and meeting new people immediately. I’ve never been
good at sitting in limbo and twiddling my thumbs for very long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I arrived in SC a week ago now with hopes
of moving in to a place right away, but with nothing available, my roommate
Chalin and I are renting a house from some undergrads who are gone for the
summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Low and behold our third
night in the house we didn’t have electricity because they forgot to pay the
electric bill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Another week went by and the water went out. </span>I swear it was like
Nica all over again, but honestly I didn’t mind it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found it quite comical actually that here I am in the U.S.
and this doesn’t even phase me anymore.</div>
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<br /></div>
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What I don’t find comical is how much everything costs!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t even remember what things cost
before I left for Nica for a comparison, but I sure as heck don’t remember
toothpaste costing $5 or a dinner out being so darn expensive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granted everything was so cheap in Nica
and I was used to dealing in cordobas that I’m flabbergasted every time I take dollar bills out to pay for something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Spending $20 in Nica was a huge purchase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find myself comparing prices of things on craigslist as I
buy things for my new life in Columbia, SC to have a better understanding of
what things cost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Now that I’ve crossed over to the other side I am starting
to realize the impact that living two years abroad had on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The number one thing that drives me
crazy in the U.S. is the amount of time people spend on their smart phones
instead of interacting with the people around them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look around me at a bar and realize that there is more
virtual communication going on than face-to-face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A new application I just learned about called Tendr lets
people search for a girl/guy by distance from them, their picture on their
profile, and friends in common.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s basically replacing organic chemistry that exists between two
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am clearly not a
supporter and grossed out by the amount of young men and women utilizing the
app.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am clearly behind on several
trends including Dub Step and smashbox burgers.</div>
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<br /></div>
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What I do find comfort in is my spanish class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My Peace Corps friend and fellow
classmate, Chalin, and I have a high-level Spanish class all to ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first day of class we just had an
hour and a half conversation about our Peace Corps experience, which felt
awesome!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hadn’t spoken more than
a few words since landing from Nica and it was such a release!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also very comforting that I
could understand absolutely everything my teacher was saying in perfect Spanish
because I had a hard time understanding many Nicaraguans at some points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also had lunch with a graduate of my
program from Chile and we spoke the entire time in Spanish with complete
understanding of each others' idioms!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What a great feeling to know my Spanish training will translate across
countries even though I spoke quite a bit of slang over the last 2 years.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpb5IZ5YBet5GlJQdQToosd4xDdc9pJP_-ztb2ZMk2v5zLZSnvwRI7a1EDW2Yd5X8HOUjpm-vIRbO68Tlivgi_EZQ4P2C7Gt1GvyxIe9kF2KHSRnJBtLBLddEUt55F7RjHj60iQo1PCcM/s1600/IMG_1583.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpb5IZ5YBet5GlJQdQToosd4xDdc9pJP_-ztb2ZMk2v5zLZSnvwRI7a1EDW2Yd5X8HOUjpm-vIRbO68Tlivgi_EZQ4P2C7Gt1GvyxIe9kF2KHSRnJBtLBLddEUt55F7RjHj60iQo1PCcM/s320/IMG_1583.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Our first night out in Columbia with the gang!</div>
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<br /></div>
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It’s also amazing to have my buddy Chalin as we go through
this transition together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We speak
in Spanish and understand what’s going through the other one’s mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We both get overly excited about silly
first world conveniences and the variety of food available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can even share the cost of books!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Besides my stomach being upset from all the rich foods and feeling
freezing wherever I go due to my lack of exposure to AC, I’m doing pretty
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really enjoy the people in
my program so far and we have bonded already.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the end of week one and I can’t even count on my hands
the number of times we’ve all hung out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was stoaked when a few class mates, Will and Kristen, wanted to go
trail running with me through a state park this past weekend. It also sounds
like there are a few surfers in the group so I won’t be alone in hunting down
waves. This weekend a large group of us are heading to Adam's lake house for three nights for some water skiing, booze cruisin and bonding time! Almost feels like Peace Corps group all over again!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-71563455620579414512013-05-29T22:52:00.001-05:002013-05-30T08:02:51.461-05:00Mermaid"I must be a mermaid. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living."- Anais Nin<br />
<br />
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This quote is at the top of mind as I transition back in to living in the U.S.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to say my greatest fear in life
is to live with out depth, intention and awareness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is quite possibly the worst thing
that could happen - to lead a shallow life.<br />
<br />
I reflect on all the memories and experiences that awakened much of the inner mermaid in me during my time in Nicaragua. Not only the connection with the ocean, but the interaction with raw nature, living simply and with out excess, my personal growth and reflection, as well as all the deep interactions with many people. I was literally a fish out of water when I arrived and some how I've linked the two worlds to feel more like I belong on land and in water. The challenges I faced forced me to grow and dig a bit deeper. There is a sense of accomplishment in realizing that I was the happiest(and still am) living in Nicaragua with out all the amenities that I once thought were necessary. The daily adventures and challenges kept me engaged, alive, and aware. Even after two years in Nica, life was unpredictable. Every day held something new and I realize that is how I want to live from here on out. <br />
<br />
I will not let myself be complacent. <i>Impermanence</i> is a word that has also come up lately. My time in Nica had an expiration date, but then again doesn't everything? Not all relationships, jobs, life challenges are meant to last and isn't that what makes life so interesting? and unpredictable? and <i>impermanent</i>? the one thing that we can rely on is change. But we owe it to impermanence for helping us grow because each time we make an adjustment we are thrust in to that space of the unknown where we must dig inside to get ourselves through. And although it sometimes is scary or painful, doesn't it always reward us with enlightenment and a lesson learned when we come out on top? It's powerful stuff. (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbu7pJWvEeY">one of my Peace Crops theme songs</a>)<br />
<br />
Although I was not 100% ready to leave Nicaragua I know that I was getting really comfortable in my lifestyle and work. Not that I would have ever felt complacent, but I am inviting the next step and challenge to make sure that I keep growing as I go forward. I also know now that the lifestyle I had in Nica is something I want to mesh in to my future. Grad School will challenge me in different ways and one of them will be to not loose sight of all that I have grasped during my time abroad. My feelings about the ocean, the people I met, and the Nica culture will never change and I intend to push to keep those feelings strong and cherish their impact.<br />
<br />
My journey ahead may have a more practical set up in comparison to the Peace Corps, but I will push myself out of my comfort zone every chance I get. I will also make it back to the all so familiar Latin American scene come my study abroad in Guadalajara, Mexico and internship in South America to challenge myself in completely different ways.<br />
<br />
As I transition I see many differences in values between Nicaragua and the U.S. , which makes me appreciate and also frustrated with our country. This is where I want to be aware. To not fall in to the typical work, eat, work out and sleep routine that we all have seen too often. I will not become a part of the rat race and can say after my experience in Nica that this goal is very doable. In fact you just have to manifest it for yourself. I met individuals who made their dreams of starting an eco-lodge and NGO to rebuild an impoverished community a reality. They have been truly inspiring along with many others.<br />
<br />
I see how quickly we race around in the U.S. and judge ourselves if not every second is productive. I do the same, but have gotten better at just soaking up the present, whatever it may hold. When I head out to surf, I say," that every day on the water is a good day", waves or no waves. Obviously I'd like to catch a wave, but what about just sitting on my board past the break soaking in the scenery? Maybe in my previous life I wouldn't have thought that as productive.<br />
<br />
I look at my calendar and realize the only thing I have noted is the first day of classes for my International MBA Program on June 3rd and a wedding for my friend Julia in Philly on July 19th. This freaks me out, but also gives me a wealth of excitement as this new journey unravels. And no I probably won't be surfing or hiking volcanos with as much frequency, but the beauty of not knowing what will fill my calendar is exciting.<br />
<br />
On Chinandega's oceans is where I met a wealth of amazing individuals who will forever be with me. I gained myself the nick name of weekend mermaid as I would show up each weekend to surf with out fail. I promise to make it back to this place that literally stole my heart. I also promise to return to the ocean as much as possible to re-wet my scales and remember what makes me tick and keeps me alive. I promise to stay aware, alive and to challenge myself do live deeper and to never approach shallow waters.<br />
<br />
Shout out to my friend Chris for capturing my last great surf in Nica! Chris is also the gal that did all the work to produce the Artesenia del Mar jewelry catalogue and is now continuing to work with the ladies. Check out her work at <a href="http://designbodyandsol.wordpress.com/">http://designbodyandsol.wordpress.com/</a><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jzTNfarOvoRmCY5SxwJDEN0mUMTyxpzUjYILrCSs3LFtkW_XvO7SeT4pclDEjRvzImhcooJ6jlIq24zO06glNr-BFjPQ730pCCcjWFePyXBytI22DrwLAZhyphenhyphenHxTqKj5RQCwddGnAYLU/s1600/DSC_0194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jzTNfarOvoRmCY5SxwJDEN0mUMTyxpzUjYILrCSs3LFtkW_XvO7SeT4pclDEjRvzImhcooJ6jlIq24zO06glNr-BFjPQ730pCCcjWFePyXBytI22DrwLAZhyphenhyphenHxTqKj5RQCwddGnAYLU/s400/DSC_0194.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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**My friend Ryan gifted me this song and told me it reminded him of me a few days before I left country and I've been listening to it non-stop since. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdTZNVWTQtM">Vampire Weekend- Unbelievers</a> reminds me of my move back the states and what the future may hold.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-66865394664257929912013-05-11T00:42:00.000-05:002013-05-11T00:42:37.241-05:00Gratitude
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This is what I feel as I come to the end of my service-Pure <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gratitude</i> for my placement in this
beautiful country in the city of Chinandega.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">grateful</i> for
the people that have crossed my path and become key components to my experience
here.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have met amazing individuals that have helped me to
re-define the meaning of living fully and whole-heartedly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have learned to love more freely,
judge my self a little less, and define a good day as having a personal
connection whether it be with myself or someone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This place and the people I have become close with(Nicas,
Volunteers, and ex-pats) have forever changed me, and I am grateful for that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still love the great outdoors and the
ocean, but with a greater intensity and appreciation than ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel I have become a more pure,
uncluttered, down to earth version of the gal that left the states two years
ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have immense gratitude for the counterparts and
organizations that helped me to make my dream of improving the lives of Latin
American women a reality. I have worked with women entrepreneurs in meeting
their personal and professional goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have influenced business owners, youth and educators.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have loved many Nicaraguan people and
they have changed me eternally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
have surfed and salsa danced my heart out<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">. </span>I have challenged myself in so many ways- emotionally,
physically and intellectually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
came in to this experience with an open mind and heart, to fill it up with much
more than I thought I ever could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am so very <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">grateful</i> for
this.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am grateful that the people I have worked with have chosen
to express their gratitude for me in various ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ladies of Pro Mujer put on a house party with loud salsa
music, friend chicken, soda and a gift of a turtle statue: I only like the
first of those four things, but I’m so grateful!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love that this is how they show me how grateful they were
for my two years of working closely with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Regret is not a word I like to use, mainly because I don’t
believe it exists; it’s simply an unhealthy form of dwelling in the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything happens for a reason and you
learn from it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I reflect back on
my service and begin to put on paper what these 2 years meant, I contemplate if
there is anything that I have left undone, but there isn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am grateful for every ounce of
sadness, discomfort, rejection, joy, accomplishment and triumph I
experienced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because the harder
times help me to grow and realize just how grateful I am for all the wonderful
things in my life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am grateful to have experienced living in a developing
country and realize just how great we have it in the U.S. and where our values
could be considered out of whack. I can say I truly have loved living here and
I’m hesitant to re-immerse myself in the first world, but I’m grateful that I
have that opportunity to do so if I chose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t tell you how many Nicaraguans have asked me to take
them with me to the U.S., jokingly, but with all seriousness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am grateful that the stars aligned and I will be studying
at the University of South Carolina in an internationally focused MBA program
that fits me perfectly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
grateful that I will be traveling back to Latin America with in nine months as
I continue to study and feed my craving to travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m grateful that my position with Peace Corps and my past
experiences has helped me to obtain a scholarship in the process.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am grateful for all the friends and family back home who
have supported me and even made their way down to see my life in
Nicaragua.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am grateful that you
all have taken an interest in what I chose to do with my life for two years
here in Nicaragua.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-20810776098780184252013-04-16T12:49:00.002-05:002013-04-16T12:49:41.209-05:00Love is in the Air<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The final weekend of Semana Santa I made
my way back home to Chinandega for Holly’s wedding on Saturday the 31<sup>st</sup>.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This wedding, unlike any
other I have been to, triggered something with in me and for the first time I saw for my own eyes what I
would like to have one day.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I pass Kim, Holly and her sisters on the way to
prep for the wedding my heart skips a beat and I start getting excited for the festivities. When I pull on to the Coco Loco property a wave of comfort and belonging engulfs me. I was not sure if I was going to make the wedding on time with Semana Santa traffic and the stress falls from my shoulders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Holly’s surfer friends greet me with white pore cleansing face masks as they play the guitar in
hammocks on the front porch of their cabana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instantly loving Holly
and Kim’s families and friends we head to where the wedding will take place
at La Bahia owned by our friends Jimmy and Lisa just down the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walk in greeted by a beautiful
ocean view and familiar faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Holly and Kim brew their own beer and made an amazingly hoppy beer for
the occasion to accompany Lisa’s signature cocktail-passionfruit and rum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Non-traditionally we all mingle over
drinks with the bride and the groom before the ceremony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Holly is wearing a simple white Marilyn Monroe style dress to her
knees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My jewelry ladies made
a beautiful necklace of shells that covered Holly’s chest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her matching earrings and bracelet also
have the same sea-foam beads that match Kim’s linen shirt.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdSkDM3-fbXIiU8Y52gGUoxJmBHtH177j6AzxvitSUFOdnhmjB8CsFuY2sPjjE2W2scunR5YkFuTduHKh-yI3XU5EFTkGHhezNfpgXILKRH6-Tcq1mOwDY36v_0QzPRvyegpReRvrPSM/s1600/DSC05506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdSkDM3-fbXIiU8Y52gGUoxJmBHtH177j6AzxvitSUFOdnhmjB8CsFuY2sPjjE2W2scunR5YkFuTduHKh-yI3XU5EFTkGHhezNfpgXILKRH6-Tcq1mOwDY36v_0QzPRvyegpReRvrPSM/s400/DSC05506.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Casually around sunset we all walk barefoot down to the
edge of the property covered in birch trees looking<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>out over the bay where we surf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Under a simple halapa Holly and Kim
share their vows with each other, just them, no on else was involved in the
ceremony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Holly’s sister and Kim’s
brother each share a special story about when they met their siblings’
spouse-to-be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their puppy Lobo was waits patiently in the half circle of folks that gathered around to witness
the event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the couples signal
he runs up with the rings tied to his collar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of “I-dos” Holly and Kim had made a wedding wine of
calala, honey and gang to toast with. We raise or hand carved glasses of jicaro seeds to toast to the couple's future together.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmn48z7OskKt4JJYjUN1-CHRqYHg-ZMjYVCFyzX4V0aWcVy_MZCYlbaFUFv91oB-HvvB0z4NZF1zNbA0sUoHskj96vFqIeN7p9_7Ifpu3pkQOdUUxwUuMPnRoRebfibzrdcPlcPd1r2Q/s1600/528453_10151342574761135_507125663_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmn48z7OskKt4JJYjUN1-CHRqYHg-ZMjYVCFyzX4V0aWcVy_MZCYlbaFUFv91oB-HvvB0z4NZF1zNbA0sUoHskj96vFqIeN7p9_7Ifpu3pkQOdUUxwUuMPnRoRebfibzrdcPlcPd1r2Q/s400/528453_10151342574761135_507125663_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJnjPr93I1OvoNecsC7XlfFndIdcTBklH8uPrUw_KRiFHUfwpcBeg-UvhKLV7szbtpbDQIUmibHGlY9mHs8fidr1n73A_sOf-7eN3_t7YiBcm83U5XECa7KtvDuVbcO8f7sA9HEmDKCc/s1600/DSC05521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJnjPr93I1OvoNecsC7XlfFndIdcTBklH8uPrUw_KRiFHUfwpcBeg-UvhKLV7szbtpbDQIUmibHGlY9mHs8fidr1n73A_sOf-7eN3_t7YiBcm83U5XECa7KtvDuVbcO8f7sA9HEmDKCc/s400/DSC05521.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the sun sets photos were taken, we smoked cigars and sipped our
wine with the newly wed couple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the sun sets we make our way back to the pool
for a candle lit dinner made by the amazing staff of Coco Loco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> They served</span> fish tropical from the
fisherman, nacatamales made by Victor’s mother, local leafy greens and much
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Coco Loco's famous </span>carrot-almond-cacao
cake is served for desert just before the dance party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jackie, Nikki and I make moves to get people going and
before ya knew the entire wedding party is on the dance floor and the host
Jimmy is pouring rum in to everyone’s mouth as he makes is way around the dance
floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point the groom
stops him abruptly and makes him par-take in his own activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of Holly’s friends performs a break
dance and every one has their chance to show-off inside the dance
circle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECEMEPFk2Fny18pHwt00QoZu4sVUgKFxbQe8JT8tNmedOKiXAhvj6j07UZ_COSa9ksmOClcHK7G_06kCl3mYZFRdtRtopMv4NX21YotYItLkN_bYdJTmSYEwOzJYisvKlpY21gaGrbO0/s1600/DSC05533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECEMEPFk2Fny18pHwt00QoZu4sVUgKFxbQe8JT8tNmedOKiXAhvj6j07UZ_COSa9ksmOClcHK7G_06kCl3mYZFRdtRtopMv4NX21YotYItLkN_bYdJTmSYEwOzJYisvKlpY21gaGrbO0/s400/DSC05533.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally we make our way back to Coco Loco along the moonlit
beach only to find ourselves back at the beach for skinny dipping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The</span> bioluminescence I had experienced on
the Atlantic coast earlier in the week were even more intensified. As we
swim out to sea a continuous glow follows our bodies.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a beautiful wedding. It was small, simple, intimate,
and real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No unnecessary people
were there or extra words said that didn’t need to be said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone felt the same about the bride
and groom and the amount of love that they bring to the community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything was connected, from the
waves behind the couple as they married, to the brew served, to the jewelry made by local shells that Holly wore. It was personal beyond words for everyone who came and shared the joy.<br />
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-52265190478325713142013-04-15T22:20:00.000-05:002013-04-15T22:20:12.421-05:00Semana Santa East Coast Style
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
This year Semana Santa feel on the last week in March which
Noelle, Chalin, Ryan and I decided to treat ourselves to one last big
trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took off on Friday to
Little Corn Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been
twice before to spend a few days with my mom and Kevin when he visisted, but
was never able to finish my Scuba Diving certification.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time, I was determined and so glad
I made the investment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The four of
us hippies had a sweet group dynamic and an amazing time together on this
island of no shirts or shoes. The four of us snuggled up in a cabin at Casa
Iguana enjoying basil mojitos and our own little private stretch of beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granted this time around I didn’t
linger on the beach as much I spent underwater exploring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I tried scuba diving the last time I was on Little Corn
I immediately feel in love with the underwater world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is an immense difference form snorkeling and free
diving versus floating at the ocean bottom amongst sea creatures and their
habitat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I’m typically in to
more “high impact” sports I wasn’t sure if I was going to get hooked or not,
but my obsession with the sea took over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The mermaid in me found complete serenity floating over the coral reefs
and ducking under shelves and arches searching for sea life. Some of the
highlights where encountering a ancient female sea turtle with the enormous
amount of barnacles on her back revealing her age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On that same dive we saw Dolphins before diving down and
could hear their clicking noises underwater and enormous puffer fish with one
eye When I was finally certified I went on a night dive which proved to be
magical as <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we turned off our flood
lights to see the bioluminescence which were activated with each kick of my
fin. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I swam amongst various sea
turtles that decided to leave the comfort of the caves in the coral as I passed
over them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My last dive Chalin and
I went with a dive master who was hunting Lionfish with a spear gun since they
are not native to these islands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As he killed and collected more fish the blood started to attract other
creatures, two of them being Nurse Sharks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As they tracked the sent you could see their bodies twitcing
back and forth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a feeding
frenzy as the dive master fed them the fish one by one of the end of his
spear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though he was handing
over their prey dead, the sharks still acted like they were on the hunt which
was amazing to see as we floated only feet above them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The diving was truly amazing, but Noelle and I got a sweet
snorkel sesh in as well where we saw an enormous Eagle Ray. When I wasn’t
pruning in the salt water or on the boat I was playing volleyball, chillen, or
stuffing my face with amazingly fresh seafood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWM6vNLe8ktkXohqyw4mzGQ6mwejOX8ZVZVQBwGsyx3h7xpSGO5toT7Vh6HQ30h8mkYEsHs5xucLPRNizdn4iuK09MkA_bnYY7p5y8IuZn4RbpzdsOhSOCnzp0Aw98j8NU6OFsdLlKA9U/s1600/DSC05465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWM6vNLe8ktkXohqyw4mzGQ6mwejOX8ZVZVQBwGsyx3h7xpSGO5toT7Vh6HQ30h8mkYEsHs5xucLPRNizdn4iuK09MkA_bnYY7p5y8IuZn4RbpzdsOhSOCnzp0Aw98j8NU6OFsdLlKA9U/s320/DSC05465.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The four of us conveniently were in the same place as far as
pursuing grad school after Peace Corps and agreed that this would be our last
shebang before hunkering down to save for school. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact the night we decided to go all out with a big group
and eat at the nicest place for dinner was the evening I checked my email on
Ryan’s phone to find out that I had been awarded a merit scholarship to USC
cutting my tuition in half!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
trip was an awesome chance to process all of these changes and opportunities
before me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We drank well ate like
Kings for no more than $8 a night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We indulged in margaritas, crack Pina coladas, run down seafood soup,
lobster, coconut bread French toast, pork ribs and so much more.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7ZZa939M_QU9zeyacc-6XvwO7VuD80eCx-0MV8QKiy4gwmo0AO7gp9PcKaCEeVl0oX6HxcQIeX-xfvaSJ_zhMQ6GLC2FTz8RSWE77VO3mywsNF19oY5MViEGLxJVFTqMeAW47kNdu6k/s1600/DSC05467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7ZZa939M_QU9zeyacc-6XvwO7VuD80eCx-0MV8QKiy4gwmo0AO7gp9PcKaCEeVl0oX6HxcQIeX-xfvaSJ_zhMQ6GLC2FTz8RSWE77VO3mywsNF19oY5MViEGLxJVFTqMeAW47kNdu6k/s400/DSC05467.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I left Little Corn with a clearer view of what my next few
years were going to look like and finalized that I could live with my buddy
Chalin at USC after 5 nights of living on top of each other in our little
cabin.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-16177208964568542162013-04-14T23:58:00.000-05:002013-04-14T23:58:09.820-05:00ChatSalud<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Since January I have been working on a social impact project called ChatSalud, which was started by a group of Peace Corps Health Volunteers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I can't take credit for the innovative idea as that was all health volunteers, but I was asked to get involved in ChatSalud to leverage my finance background and sort out the project's finances. </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.frontlinesms.com/2013/01/31/chatsalud-aims-to-empower-rural-nicaraguans-to-advocate-for-their-sexual-and-reproductive-health/">ChatSalud</a> is a free and anonymous text messaging service to
educate rural and urban Nicaraguans on safe sex practices, HIV AIDS prevention, and
reproductive health in rural areas via text messages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing that was surprising to me when arriving to Nica is
that everyone has a cell phone, whether they have electricity or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s pretty common to bum electricity
off a neighbor or business to charge your cell phone and everyone has one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
fore about 90% of Nicaragua can be reached via their cell phone and have service to access
ChatSalud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Users text a message to
the mainframe and then receive a menu with a list of topics they can read about
via text. The user and system keep going back and forth in a "pin-pong" like fashion until the user is
satisfied with the information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of
course these text messages and mainframes cost money so we have been working on getting investors to buy in. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We believe this system will be extrememly successful given that one of the largest barriers to sexual health
education is “pena”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This Spanish
world does not directly translate well to English, but basically means embarrassment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nicaraguans don’t like
to talk about subjects such as sex, sexually-transmitted diseases, or contraceptives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also most rural Nicaragua communities
are so small that every one knows everyone’s business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a young girl were to walk to the
health clinic, every one in her town would know and possibly start roomers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hope ChatSalud’s anonymous system,
to the point that we can’t even see the number texting in to the system, will
help break down this barrier known as pena.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We have already had buy-in from a company called CRONOs who
has sponsored servers for the mainframe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also one of the largest cellphone service providers Claro has agreed to
sponsor all incoming and outgoing text messages, which alleviates a huge
expense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Several Nicaragua universities have provided student programs to help set-up the system and keep it running in a sustainable manner. </span>The next step was to meet with NGOs in Nicaragua that work in the health, women's rights advocation, HIV AIDS and technology sectors. To name a few that were present: Red Cross Nicaragua, Pro Mujer, ASONVISIDA, Teran Foundation. We met a the Word Bank where Nishant(ring leader) presented ChatSalud and how we hope to launch a three month pilot to start. Everyone was extremely receptive and thought it was a great idea! We formed committees to share responsibilities such as management, content development and advertising as we want this project to eventually be owned by Nicaraguans, not us volunteers. It was amazing to see about 30 of Nica's most influential business men, NGOs, and academics gathered around an oval table at the World Bank! It's been amazing to be a part of something so entrepreneurial and innovative in the social sector. Sadly I won't see the project all the way through since I will be leaving soon for grad school, but I hope that I find myself looking at a similar opportunity to get involved in the future in the social impact space.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-51348583500510919312013-04-04T01:20:00.001-05:002013-04-04T01:20:32.871-05:00Taking it Rural
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<br />
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My readers I’m sure have picked up by now that the city of
Chinandega where I live is a large city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It doesn’t mean that it is on par with even a small city in the U.S. by
any means, but it has grown a ton since I arrive almost 2 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We now have a mall with a food court,
movie theatre, casino and restaurants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Two Nicaraguan “5 star” hotels have been built for businessmen and
tourists to stay in luxury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We now
have a few cafes and nice restaurants with air conditioning, one of them being
a sushi joint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may not sound
like a big deal to you, but it is for Nica!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Chinandega’s growth is exciting, but it has also voluntarily
pushed me to take my work more rural.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was already traveling frequently to rural beaches to work with the women
of Artesenia del Mar and Waves of Hope, but I’ve stepped up my traveling in the
new year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been working with
Pro Mujer Micro Finance Institution to take my trainings up north to train
rural women entrepreneurs in business management skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition I am also working with the
NGO CSMMO, which is basically Chinandega Services for the Movement of Women in
Business(translated).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I blogged
about them back in the beginning of the year when we elected several women’s
cooperatives to receive foreign funds based on their goals to reinvest in their
coop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now I am traveling with a Nicaraguan counterpart Candelaria
to visit these cooperatives in different parts of rural Chinandega and Leon to
offer 2-day workshops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The women self-organize
in their community to host the training and offer lunch to the 20 women
invited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We performed our first
training in Jicaral, Leon inviting women from two small communities focusing on
self-esteem, the meaning of being a women in society, goal-setting, client
service, marketing, accounting, budgeting and saving over the span of two
days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As many of you know, this
was my passion before ever coming to Nica, to empower women to take control of
their lives and create a future for themselves and their children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have become even more passionate
about this type of aid after arriving in country and witnessing just how
negative the effect of machismo can have on Nicaraguan women.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I loved getting to know these women over the two days,
personally getting to know them, their lives, their goals, and being serenaded
by an 80 year with a heck of a voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point we played a
version of musical chairs to keep the women from falling asleep in the
heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Picture women ranging from
age 18 to 80 running around to grab the last seat and at one point breaking a
plastic chair because they jumped in to it with such force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was one of those moments down here
where everything almost freezes and I take a step back to look around at my
setting of lively Nica women, the wilderness around us, the smell of baho cooking for lunch and the sound of bachata playing in the background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mind flicks back in time to what I
thought Peace Corps would be before accepting this position and I smile, knowing
that the decisions I have made have helped me to create this reality.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpTHOkP0R_F-RVPwFtvQX_EWYQWONk2YU97ZAYnw4WMZh_gy1PzI0i3FYiBRswexe_CVXOypaFkNK6GtBkYfEmIO6L-d5u7VtKIpuEGOEeD4UUSnmBwRdNEmH14zxvz1v_E7q_SCUnRA/s1600/SAM_1302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpTHOkP0R_F-RVPwFtvQX_EWYQWONk2YU97ZAYnw4WMZh_gy1PzI0i3FYiBRswexe_CVXOypaFkNK6GtBkYfEmIO6L-d5u7VtKIpuEGOEeD4UUSnmBwRdNEmH14zxvz1v_E7q_SCUnRA/s400/SAM_1302.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I won’t know how many of the women will actually implement
what I taught them or if their financial situations will improve, but that’s
the nature of the work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think
after two years I’ve finally become OK with that and realized it’s the
experience for not only myself, but for them that matters most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that I loved sitting around over
lunch and talking and listening to music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I know that at the very least they walked away with a better idea of how
to track their expenses, a design they created for branding their
business, and a goal to work towards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
had to travel 2 hours each way on a sweaty school bus to get to them each day,
but it was so worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
cooking was awesome and I am always well taken care of when around Nica women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the training the woman
who hosted sent us out in to her yard with a long stick to knock fresh cohote
fruit out of her trees to take home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It reminded me of when a piñata finally breaks and candy goes spewing
everywhere as we scrambled to not let the fruit linger on the ground for too
long. Cohote is a small green fruit that can be sweat/sour depending on its
ripeness, but always better when rolled in salt.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Before I knew it I was back in Chinandega in time to make
dinner and then head to the city of Leon in a microbus for salsa dancing with the Chinandega
Salsa group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was almost culture
shock to go from a rural community to turn around and be at a salsa dance club
in the city of Leon just hours later surrounded by foreigners and Nicaraguan
University students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That has been
the nature of my service here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
have been lucky to have opportunities and experiences to appreciate everything
this country has to offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
really going to miss working with the women, natural beauty, waves, salsa, traveling, friends I've made, food and so much
more. It finally set in that I have created my reality here. I have created a new life that will be hard to uproot once again.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-42419831746734908842013-03-09T22:26:00.000-06:002013-03-09T22:28:13.633-06:00Kev and Kaz Go South<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I’ve been meaning to write this post after my buddy Kevin
left in the beginning of February, but there was so much to cover that it was
almost a daunting task because I wanted to do his trip justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kevin, long-time friend from my
internship at Vanguard and U of A, came down to Nica mid January to pay me a
visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kevin served as a Youth
Development Volunteer in Ukraine, which is partly why we hadn’t seen each other
in 2 years!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It sounds like
forever, but our lives have paralleled so much that we jumped right back in
where we left off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact we even
found some interesting parallels between Nica and Ukraine while he was here:men
flipping up their shirts to reveal their bellies when they are hot, tons of
stray dogs, machismo, etc.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kevin and his Dad Kaz started their trip in Mexico City for
NYE and worked their way down to the Yucatan where they caught a flight to
Managua.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went straight to
Little Corn Island to relax and catch up as we soaked up the scenery from Casa
Iguana’s deck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a real treat
to travel with Kevin’s father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
69 he went barefoot running with us, took a discover scuba course and even did
a little yoga.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was thoroughly
impressed, as I can’t say I don’t know many 69 year olds who can keep up with
us 20 somethings like he did. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
said he came only for the lobster dinner, but participated and contributed so
much more to the experience as a wise Japanese man who moved to the States at
age 27.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an amazing 5 days
on the island scuba diving, yogaing, playing photography, and just plain
chillen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kevin engaged in some
competitive volleyball with the local boys and we met some Canadian girls who
became our dinner dates as we bounced between restaurants comparing the quality
of lobster and island fare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
end Rosa’s had the best Run Down soup and Bridget’s had the best lobster. The last evening we made the god awful trek across sea to Big Corn Island where Kev and I almost threw up from sea sickness. After a few hours in a hammock we were able to enjoy the beautiful Italian owned hotel and restaurant we were staying at. On the shore of Big Corn we had a three course amazing Italian dinner cooked by the owners who were from Rome.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9Z1xIGmtbbu8n1rI-Jcm3Y1XKHxd9nb1gj3vY8vAxj6yAMtc555hDRq7OH8Cx8y2CCD6_VmbWAW7aw9Wl-7bv1TnTiYD8JJUnEB3yweaTJ_PYTPKWjedQ7G5nE7PHDKFEG07B55OBVA/s1600/555329_10101604383080342_591350887_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9Z1xIGmtbbu8n1rI-Jcm3Y1XKHxd9nb1gj3vY8vAxj6yAMtc555hDRq7OH8Cx8y2CCD6_VmbWAW7aw9Wl-7bv1TnTiYD8JJUnEB3yweaTJ_PYTPKWjedQ7G5nE7PHDKFEG07B55OBVA/s320/555329_10101604383080342_591350887_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Kevin is a professional photographer so I took advantage and
picked his brain while he was here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We spent several hours just playing photography with different subjects
and I learned quite a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully
Kevin will bless this post with some of his awesome photos.</div>
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After leaving Corn Island I was expected in Managua for
training so Kevin and his Dad made their way to Leon for a few days until Kaz flew out and Kev and I continued our travels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next stop
was the island of Ometepe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you
seeing the island theme here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
we could not make it all the way to the island from Managua that day, we made a
stop off in San Juan with my friend Noelle to eat some delicious Mediterranean
food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vegetable curry and shish
kabobs were a nice break for all of us as traveling tends to take a toll on
your diet, especially in Mexico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
stayed in a quaint little hostel perched up in the hills over looking the town
of San Juan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day we
headed out towards Ometepe and realized once we got there that we wouldn’t be
making it to the other side of the island as planned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So on a whim we decided to stay in Noelle’s town and hike
the La Concepcion volcano the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That whim turned out to be a very good decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We woke up at 5:30 to start our climb
up the second largest volcano in Nicaragua.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been planning on running the Fuego y Agua marathon up
this volcano, which I wrote a post about, so it was a great chance to test her
out before race day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we started
the climb a local was kind enough to cut down some branches and shave them down
in to a walking stick, at the time little did we know how much we would need
them on the way down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I would
consider myself athletic or at least in shape and Kevin is an expert hiker
having spent 3 months on the Pacific Crest Trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve hiked other volcanoes, but this was by far the hardest
climb I’ve ever done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were
pretty determined to get to the top quickly and pushed ourselves with out much
rest at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we climbed we
started to hit different patches of climate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cloud cover started to play a roll in cooling us down
all while the wind started to pick up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We encountered enormous Venus fly trap looking plants and other exotic
leafy vegetation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The moisture in
the air became so thick that drops of water were falling from the tip of my
nose and whisked from my eyelids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was hard to keep our balance, as the wind was incredibly strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t even hear what Kevin was
yelling to me as the terrain changed to volcanic rock approaching the crater.
Kevin has a video on his iPhone and it looks like we are in the middle of a
hurricane climbing to shelter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
one point our guide just stopped and sat down on the rocks that were emanating
heat and explained he would go no further because it was dangerous and one
could actually be blown over the edge in to the crater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was it for me.</div>
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About a third of the way down the volcano, the clouds began
to disperse a bit and the breathtaking view submerged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By now you may know that Ometepe is an
island formed by 2 volcanoes in the middle of Lake Nicaragua.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we looked out we could see volcano
Maderas looming next us, and the enormous ocean like lake that surrounded the
island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an amazing site to
see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can only imagine what the view
would have looked like from the top had the weather been better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we worked our way down the energy we
had exerted on the speedy ascend caught up to our muscles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My legs were starting to give up as
well climbed down the rock faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My walking stick helped to catch me when my knees buckled, but it felt
like the descent would never end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Kev and I started laughing hysterically from exhaustion, as our arms
would fling up over our heads when our knees buckled in effort to regain our
balance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we finally reached
flat land I couldn’t bend my knees in fear that my quads wouldn’t hold my body
weight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back at the hostel we
drank some well-deserved litros and peanut butter sandwiches, our staple for
the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We still had to make it
to Finca Mystica that afternoon which is where we were staying for the next few
nights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a much longer trek
than I expected and when the bus dropped us off about 40 min walk short of our
destination I wanted to cry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Luckily alternate transport showed up and we enjoyed the sunset from the
bar/restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next few days
were spent chillen, eating amazing food, story telling about our volcano hike, playing
photography and hunting for monkeys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7ff8p08K0EXs8tcpI6WRf7WF21tpDlz6iJjmZAudQx9ogz3HgKfZXpGZ_39lyfyM259bSf6S5sUynG2bKyH6nUmS_jUUcbyU_cO3QMmeKHTBV00Y01zfT9N0SP8_lFcuGb2naJx94J0/s1600/164479_4511831866107_599807711_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7ff8p08K0EXs8tcpI6WRf7WF21tpDlz6iJjmZAudQx9ogz3HgKfZXpGZ_39lyfyM259bSf6S5sUynG2bKyH6nUmS_jUUcbyU_cO3QMmeKHTBV00Y01zfT9N0SP8_lFcuGb2naJx94J0/s320/164479_4511831866107_599807711_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Next stop was Granada as we were determined to visit a cigar
factory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made some Canadian
friends along the way, a really cool couple from Whitehorse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got to see first hand how they roll
cigars and press them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made our
own and smoked a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ended up
buying a few aromatic cigars as I can only handle so much of the extremely bold
flavor of tobacco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After our
purchase we made our way to the Calzada for Sangria and dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the night was spent playing
cards, smoking cigars and watching my own team the Tigres from Chinandega win
the Baseball Championship!</div>
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Last but not least we made our way up to Chinandega.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stayed a night at Coco Loco and then
at my host family’s house on the beach where we played with my puppy, surfed,
and tried to skin board. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
morning we rented a boat with my friends Jackie, Jamie, Victor, Daniel and
Nikki to go fishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our fishing
with rods made from branches and using our empty tona bottles as weights didn’t
prove to be very functional so we resorted to wakeboarding in the estuary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently there had been reports of
small crocodiles in the estuary, which was incentive to stand the hell up on
the wakeboard, but I never did. Wah wah.</div>
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The last night of the trip my host parents Martha and Julio
came back from their grandson’s birthday party in the city around 7 pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Julio was full on drunk off Vodka and
proclaimed that he was going to speak in English with us tonight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kev doesn’t speak much Spanish and
Julio is usually too embarrassed to break out his English so this was a real
treat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was hilarious the
stories we got out of him!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were
all drinking vodka for a good few hours until Julio declared bedtime and
proceeded to give Kevin a big hug and tell him that he was always welcome here
and to let him know if he could find him land here in Nica.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Julio’s hug literally engulfed Kev.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the perfect way to end a great
trip.</div>
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It was awesome having Kevin come see my life down here and I
realize that the best of friends never change over time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish you luck Kev as you move back to
the Ukraine and start a new chapter with Natalia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are truly an amazing friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for visiting!</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-80449693330865938902013-02-20T22:46:00.001-06:002013-02-20T23:08:51.512-06:00Fuego y Agua UltramarathonThis past weekend runners from all over the world and Peace Corps Volunteers from Nicaragua traveled to the island of Ometepe for the <a href="http://fuegoyagua.org/">Fuego y Agua Ultramarathon</a>. The event consisted of a 25km run up volcan La Concepcion at 1600 meters, 50km up volcan Maderes at 1300 meters, 100km up both volcanos and a survival obstacle course based run.<br />
<br />
The 25 km trail was an unforgettable experience and it reminded me just how much I love the challenge of running. It's an incredible feeling to push yourself and realize just what your body and mind is capable of accomplishing when put to the test. Truly amazing. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous going in to the race, under-trained and sporting a healing broken toe. In the end it was the shuffle down a steep incline that made my IT Band flair up and ache the last 5 miles of the race, but nothing ice and tiger balm couldn't fix. <br />
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We started the run at 7 am, too late in my opinion as the sun was already blazin. We took off through a dirt ravine lined with trash and cow dung heading toward La Concepcion Volcano. We ran past fields of crops and dodged cattle as they blocked our path. As we gradually climbed I took the first aid station, and last chance to refuel before the steep climb, way too loosely. As my run gradually slowed to a straight up hike the lack of fluids really hit me. Fortunately a friendly Costa Rican gal that I started the climb with offered me water as we continued together. People started to drop like flies and I found myself asking several people if they were ok and wondering how fast my dehydration could debilitate me. Fortunately after grabbing a few dead tree branches which led to face planting in dirt, I made it to the top where it felt like the wind might blow me off the mountain. I had to sit down to slurp down my GU gel and pound water. After contemplating how much further I had to go I talked the guy at the aid station in to letting me take off with a half gallon of water in my hand. Thank god! As I shuffled down to where I could actually start running again I ran in to others that were in need of water.<br />
<br />
It was cool getting to know the runners around you after settling in to a pace. We would pass and re-pass each other and eventually learned each others names. Other runners would shout my name as they heard the sloshing of my water chug approaching. The last 5 miles were the most painful, but stretched over the best trail I've ever ran. I ran up and down rolling hills while looking out over Lake Nicaragua from high up the volcano. Dodging rocks and tree roots made it all that much more fun. Settling in to a runners high over that kind of terrain was a blast. After finishing the 25 km with some juice left, I regretted not pushing myself a bit harder. But that's why they made the 50 k right?<br />
<br />
I heard stories from other runners who hit up the 50km and 100km and completely gained my respect. Shout out to friends/bad-asses Sam Shepard and Jake Pritchard for rocking the 50 km! Apparently the survival run only had 2 finishers! The winner was the famous local Nicaraguan runner Johnson who ran with chickens, tree trunks, shimmied up trees, swam great lengths and basically survived what a good number of men and women could not. We had the pleasure of sitting by Johnson during the award ceremony, whom proved to be a very humble and well spoken individual. It is amazing how he is setting an example in a culture where ultra-running is not the norm and over all good physical health is not high on the list of priorities. The winners in all four categories walked away with hand made Nicaraguan animal masks from the artisan town of Masaya. A monkey represented the Survival run winners and was by far the most interesting. The masks got progressively more fierce from 3rd place to 1st place. The day after the ultramarathon a race was held for the youth of Ometepe Island. The finishers got a pair of running shoes and a t-shirt. Over all the event was an awesome mesh of culture as well as a display of camaraderie.<br />
<br />
The next day we celebrated and rewarded ourselves with beers on the island beaches looking back at the volcanos we had conquered. As we sat around telling stories, a survival runner participant came up with a large horse feed sack and told us to pull out our prize. We quickly named him Santa Clause as he sported a narly mustache that curled up at the corners as came around with his sack. I pulled out a liter of Tona, perfection. We continue to reward ourselves with beverages all day and in to the evening. That night there was a runner's party with human bowling, Flamenco dancing, whiskey, cigars and breaking it down to some talented DJing. All in all it was an unforgettable weekend.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAop4lRsjaOa4T4AW2hRbAMHsjPAfQ9lBDlbFV3NLmzHILS7kKLhkgnJsxTv4e-tm6zdYIz2ynN-g5s-1ARjIhbwV9Qo_dOO93P-RNyovo6fSeFMu9iaiQO11vOKDB3FyABYi0FapCs1s/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAop4lRsjaOa4T4AW2hRbAMHsjPAfQ9lBDlbFV3NLmzHILS7kKLhkgnJsxTv4e-tm6zdYIz2ynN-g5s-1ARjIhbwV9Qo_dOO93P-RNyovo6fSeFMu9iaiQO11vOKDB3FyABYi0FapCs1s/s640/Picture+1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Some fun semi-correct facts from my Garmin Watch. Obviously 25km=15.5 miles so the elevation change messed with my watch a bit.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgas2u7Lamzg3zW_9Hsk0G7pMzvP4TBMrN6MXPROoVAnzi8ErrsBaJvCENebp8YqSNohGdjYY9Ji4-Dzvi0cIVgzC8rKrUeC5HGZnbiyxGUcuhwgRiq7sKP90Y4VZ5g6NDBops2J70xGwM/s1600/DSC05357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgas2u7Lamzg3zW_9Hsk0G7pMzvP4TBMrN6MXPROoVAnzi8ErrsBaJvCENebp8YqSNohGdjYY9Ji4-Dzvi0cIVgzC8rKrUeC5HGZnbiyxGUcuhwgRiq7sKP90Y4VZ5g6NDBops2J70xGwM/s400/DSC05357.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Some sported mohawks</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitikhfhzRPaIQxzHBzLiFCVpolK_TnZJpG-WHzRQwkzZ-TwBNI04_SUULM6kv6I46IMMbetqMs4CMbtHZhMD_pUwkOHN0N2-iRuAdrh7itXJlxlwxuJI1dvFoflj22Hk7W6IV0C4dKPgM/s1600/21725_4817281944725_1542318418_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitikhfhzRPaIQxzHBzLiFCVpolK_TnZJpG-WHzRQwkzZ-TwBNI04_SUULM6kv6I46IMMbetqMs4CMbtHZhMD_pUwkOHN0N2-iRuAdrh7itXJlxlwxuJI1dvFoflj22Hk7W6IV0C4dKPgM/s640/21725_4817281944725_1542318418_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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my number was 311 :)</div>
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Santa Clause is sportin the hat, glasses, and the stashKate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-69345764931359242092013-01-17T22:44:00.002-06:002013-01-17T22:50:22.452-06:00FOMO<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I learned this term from a good friend Jackie, who has
taught me a ton about surfing and loving freely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was when my friends Julia and Kelly were visiting for my
birthday that I discovered the condition that I have suffered from for many many
years!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kelly, Julia and I had just
gone for a long horse back ride down the beach and were returning to Coco Loco
to drop off the horses when we ran across Jackie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She asked what we had been up to that morning. We returned the same question and she answered, “Dude we went wakeboarding this morning up
and down the coast.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of a
sudden that hot itchy panicky feeling rises in my throat and I have no words, I’m
horrified that I missed wakeboarding and all I can think about is how amazing
it sounds to be whipping up and down the beaches of Coco Loco with all my
friends wakeboarding on surf boards screaming my head off, hair blowing in the wind……and
then I finally come back to the present moment. Jackie says, “Dude, you just had a
serious case of FOMO amiga.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“What’s that?,” I ask. “Dude, Fear of Missing Out, don’t worry I suffer
from it too.” She says.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Seriously, I have issues!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have this fear of missing out on all the amazing things
life has to offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably why I
run around full-speed from sunset to sun down. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mom was always telling me to just be present in the moment and stop racing ahead to the next event, but how can I when there are so many cool
things out there to experience?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m doing
better these days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve self
medicated with yoga, meditation, and learning to play the guitar to calm the
heck down and live in the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s just so much more fulfilling to be in that one moment and disconnect from
all that is happening around you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With that being said, I think there is also a healthy amount of FOMO
that drives me to make the most out of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It makes me who I am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Running half marathons is half the physical challenge and half FOMO,
knowing that I can’t die not having the experience of running one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Low and behold I really liked it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just
like surfing, I can't live this close to amazing surf beaches and leave this
beautiful place not having surfed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Again I’d like to attribute many of the things I do to FOMO, because I
may never have tried it in the first place with out my mental condition. Thank you Jackie for diagnosing me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I hope that I have instilled a bit of FOMO in my readers
to seize the opportunities that come your way because you never know if it will
present itself again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-60156120166358396112013-01-12T21:39:00.000-06:002013-01-13T14:59:28.536-06:00Gypsy<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Lately I’ve been feeling very free, independent, no
attachments to anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realize
that I lead a few different lives down here, which almost allows me to float
and feel as though there is nothing holding me to an agenda or commitment,
unless I let it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last week when
the volcano outside my city was spewing ash I took the liberty to travel around
the country with a few different groups of people, engaging in whatever
opportunity came my way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt
very much like a gypsy floating from one situation to another with no idea what the next day would hold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went from
surfing the beaches down south, to the colonial city of Granada sipping cocktails
by the pool with my friends Mandy and Jeff, to the northern mountains of Esteli to raft a canyon within a
span of 5 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cherish these
backpacking experiences and the excitement of having the plan of no plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this is coming form Ms. Type A plan
everything in advance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Granted there are some negatives to that as well-not feeling
like I belong anywhere, or that no one really knows or cares where I am, and no
one really knows all the faces of who Kate is down here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes I crave the people that
just know what I’m thinking or feeling with out a word being said. But for now
I want to focus on the freedom, because I know that one day a
family and a career may not allow me to ever be back in this place, right here,
right now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If any of you have been on Facebook you may have noticed the
amount of photos taken by the beach, surfing or riding horses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately my proximity and attachment
to the beach community of Manazano 1 has helped me to reach this level of
freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I float between my work
in Chinandega in the high schools and NGO Pro Mujer and then back to Manzano 1
to work with Waves of Hope and the jewelry ladies of Artesenia del Mar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some weekends I float on over to visit
friends in different parts of the country to clear my mind and have a new
experience, but I realize I’m doing that with less frequency as I have found my
heavenly place in Manzano 1.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s been awesome learning to surf and the intensity the
ocean brings up for me is amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As a double water sign, I’ve always felt at home by the ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been able to get back to the
things that connect me to my childhood- the ocean and riding horses-
literally riding horses on the beach almost puts me over the edge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Nicaraguan family that I live with
brought a beautiful sorral quarter horse stallion to their beach house where I
can run him up and down the coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Freedom is what</span> I feel when we are running full speed through waves that splash up in my face while my hair whirls around my
face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s that
feeling of completely letting go and trusting the beast beneath me, whatever it
may be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet it’s a two way street,
he trusts that I would never ask him to do something dangerous and I trust him
to do the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes the
beast is a massive wave that closes in on my board, but then again the trust arises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Horses are made to run, waves are made to crash, and it is up to us to
decide how we react.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would like
to make the conclusion that one cannot feel true freedom until they trust in
themselves to let go, be a gypsy, at least just a little bit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-21602310172093409042012-12-18T16:29:00.003-06:002012-12-18T16:29:38.617-06:00High School Graduation
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It’s the end of the year for the students here in Nica.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means I have a good two-month
break from working with my teachers on the Emprendedurismo course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went to my favorite schools
graduation last night and couldn’t help to reminisce about my own high school
graduation as they strutted to the podium in their caps and gowns to receive
their diplomas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike this
Nicaraguan highschool, which is a semi-private school for high performing
students from under privileged families. They students actually receive
scholarships from the school if they meet certain expectations. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went to Sabino, nick named “Snob-ino”
if that gives you a clue. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Classmates of mine rolled up in beamers and I had a 96 Copper
Saturn SL2 that I was in love with. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last night a large chunk of seniors graduated with 90%
average grades or higher(they go by percent instead of GPA).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was beaming as one of my star
students, Kenneth, from my Entrepreneurship course gave his valedictorian
speech.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had flash backs of my
friend Jeff or “Big Red” giving his speech at my graduation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was sitting in the front row because
I was graduating with the top 10 in my class, dorks we were, all AP students. I can remember that feeling that sinks in to your gut when you realize just how much you have invested to get to this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember the lime
green dress I wore(eeeekkkk), which somehow looked good at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember the rhinestone sandals that
I recycled from prom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Sabino
garb was a purple robe with a gold sash, which seemed so elegant then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember the beach balls bouncing
amongst the crowd and tortillas flying across the 450 of us seniors spread
across the football field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
remember my boyfriend Taylor also wearing a shade of green to match me, I was
so lucky to have a first love like him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My girlfriends, my rocks, Jamie and Erin by my side and Annie was back
from college to see me graduate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My family had all come together for my important day, which made it really
special.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember them highlighting the universities that students
were attending and my name looked so cozy next to the name Texas Christian University
on the program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had anxiety
about leaving everything behind, but also knew I had an amazing summer in front
of me before the move to Texas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The rest of the ceremony was a blur with foghorns and screaming after
each name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the ceremony
we threw our caps in the air and “the group” united effortlessly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had an amazing group of high school
friends and we were inseparable: Me, Jamie, Erin C., Taylor, Aly, Erin D.,
Danny, Ryan, Brett, Steve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sooo
many amazing memories 4-wheeling, camping, prom, my house in Mexico,
Springbreaks, and everything else in between.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of firsts with that group who has helped to shape the
person I am today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My heart actually just skipped a beat when I realized this
time next year my 10 year high school reunion will be creeping up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d love to see how everyone is doing
out there in the real world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then came the after-party at my house of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember things blowing way out of
control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was supposed to be a
smaller party where everyone could crash and spend the night if they
drank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember at one point my
brother, boyfriend and Dad having to turn people away at the front door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought my Dad was going to freak
when a guy friend of mine, Alex, brought an ice-looge!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dadio was actually totally cool and got
us a folding table so we could position the louge by the pool so any run off
wouldn’t stain the flagstone ha ha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What an awesome night-My bro, his friends, my friends and family all
having a very memorable time together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Back to Nica. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
know these kids have a very different night ahead of them after they receive
their diplomas. They are still just as rowdy and the teachers continually try to get them to be quite and stop rearranging their chairs during the ceremony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so proud of
how hard they have worked all year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Only a portion of these students will study at a university, but I know
all of them will have success in their own way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was proud to see that one of my entrepreneurial groups
took advantage of the occasion to sell their products, a broom made from
coconut leaves, but decorated in holiday ribbon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much like my friends and I, my students united after the
ceremony in their smaller tight knit groups to take pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was honored to be pulled in to
several small groups and told that It had been a pleasure to have me as their
teacher and friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope that
their motivation and passion never dies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I would really love to truly believe that my presence during their
senior has made some kind of difference in how they view themselves as
potential leaders, no matter how small.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My counterpart that I work with, Professora Silvia, is one of a
kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I surprised her with a
certificate that I made and had the administration present to her at the
graduation for all of her hard work and dedication to the Emprendedurismo
course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is a pleasure to work
with and is an amazing teacher who gives tough love to her students, which I
feel is very hard to find here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
think back on my “tough love” high school teachers and they are the ones I
respected and learned the most from.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKAekvLNkWksApwgWyyyqD8HyY5VS0YUX06JC9HnA6r77ocKxa5rzUNjoG8pQkLCOMcht_NY17k1paL_rJfqbU0kMNQRznjZ7hTiKFBqtcn6DBpZZwtnbJyfzF0Z9UpZkFd6a-locWH0/s1600/DSC05278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKAekvLNkWksApwgWyyyqD8HyY5VS0YUX06JC9HnA6r77ocKxa5rzUNjoG8pQkLCOMcht_NY17k1paL_rJfqbU0kMNQRznjZ7hTiKFBqtcn6DBpZZwtnbJyfzF0Z9UpZkFd6a-locWH0/s400/DSC05278.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Escoba Plus- the group that made the brooms out of coco leaves</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I thought about how proud their parents
must be because I know I am incredibly proud as one of their teachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder who they will grow up to be
and if they have a desie to make an impact on their country like I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder if they really even understand
they significance of my presence here in Nica.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then one of my young girl students comes up to me asnd
says, “We are truly blessed to have you here in our country helping our
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been my pleasure to
have you in my life.”</div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-56622683428759599132012-12-01T11:57:00.000-06:002012-12-02T11:37:21.619-06:00National Entrepreneurship Competition and ThanksgivingIt's that time of year again when the winners of the departmental Emprendedurism Business Competition travel to Managua to compete at the national level. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to represent the Chinandegano region with my kids who made a Vinegar from Mimbro, which is a acidic fruit grown in this region. Yes it is the first of its kind, but there were some much more creative products that they were up against. There tend to be a lot of food products in these competitions and really we would like to see products that have a positive effective on the environment and/or better people's lives. This year the competition started with a 2 day congress where the kids and teachers of the winning teams got to spend 2 nights at the hotel in Managua. We had presentations on opportunities after graduation, how to network, how to legalize and finance your business, and motivational speakers. I gave the talk on how to legalize and finance your business with another entrepreneur from Leon who had started his own eco-tourism company. It was really neat working with another experienced individual and I learned quite a bit about the government legalization process here in Nicaragua. <br />
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Over all my teachers and students got to mingle with students from all over the country and expand outside of their Chinandega bubble. They had a great presentation, but did not place. When I asked them how they felt about the outcome of the competition, they said they felt they did their best, but there were some really great products that deserved to win. I was very proud of them for realizing its about the experience, not the winning. The winning product was a mosquito trap that utilized a natural solution to draw mosquitos in, but they couldn't find a way out. This is a product that will positively effect the lives of the Nicaraguan people, since Malaria and Dengue are a reality in all parts of Nicaragua. The second place winner was a contraption that connects to a water faucet and that shuts off the water flow when the buoy can tell that the sink is going to overflow. To put this in to context, many Nicaraguan communities do not have water 24/7, many only at night. Families will turn their water on during the night to fill up a pila(water bucket) so that they have water the next morning and day. What usually happens is the pila overflows, wasting water and racking up a higher water bill that the family can't really afford. This new product will help manage these real life issues. Needless to say these products deserved to win seed money and recognition for their hard work.<br />
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The competition and congress ended the day before Thanksgiving so we stayed put in Managua to spend the holiday with an Embassy family. Noelle, Kelli and I were placed with Gary and Eve Clements who cooked a fabulous Thanksgiving day meal. Not only did we get the Thanksgiving favorites, but we got ricotta stuffed bell peppers, quinoa, and butternut squash. It was a lovely day filled with lots of wine and laughter. <br />
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The following day a group of 19 of us headed out to Laguna de Apoyo, which I know I mentioned during my training months because we used to hike down in to the crater and bathe in the crystal clear water on the weekends. Basically it's a crater of a dormant volcano that has filled with rain water over the years to create a lake and its absolutely beautiful. We rented a 6 bedroom open air house with a huge kitchen and beach with a private floating dock. We held the first annual Beer Olympics where we competed in our training town team from back in the day. The Nandasmo crew or Nandazy-survivors dressed for survival as we all know we had the roughest training town. With headlamps, duck tape, glow sticks, bandanas and swiss army knives we were set to take on our opponents in a series of 6 events. We walked away with the gold from flip-cup, surprise! We wore our crushed beer cans strung around our neck with pride!<br />
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Please excuse the flipped up shirts, but this was an event requirement since this is how grown Nica men cool themselves by exposing their huge protruding bellies in the heat of the day</div>
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Needless to say it was a great time! The rest of the weekend was pretty tranquilo. I taught a yoga class one morning and we cooked excellent meals. It was nice having some down time with a group of people that I have grown to love and truly respect. Us volunteers keep saying that its amazing how Peace Corps brings people together from all walks of life and many people that I may have never sought out back home are now great friends. To sum up the weekend, it was a great reward after a long school year of hard work with our kids.</div>
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I'm not going to lie, I was a tad bit upset that I missed the Latin American Surf invitational in Chinandega where our local ripper Holly Beck took 2nd place. I got to hear all about it when I got back which just contributed to my FOMO(Fear Of Missing Out). My puppy Sirena is starting to show personality and play a bit. The pups are almost a month old and you can see that she is definitely the runt of the litter, but maybe not such a bad thing since she is going to be a massive dog anyways. Check pics on Facebook.<br />
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<br />Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-68507429908327047882012-11-21T23:36:00.003-06:002012-11-21T23:36:49.424-06:00Kel and Julia Visit<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">October was a heck of a month as I scrambled to finish up my first MBA
application to Berkeley(nightmare), sit for the GMAT(nightmare #2) and plan
Chinandega’s regional competition for my entrepreneurship class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It ended with a bang when Julia and
Kelly arrived on October 27<sup>th</sup> to celebrate my birthday and just in
time for the annual Peace Corps Gala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My Small Business Development Project puts on a formal evening each year
to raise money for the national competition between the winning student teams
from each department in Nicaragua. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Julia and Kelly, although exhausted from traveling, held it
together for a night of dancing and the usual Peace Corps shenanigans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was awesome to have them meat the
majority of my Peace Corps “Family” down here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They originally flew in to celebrate my 27<sup>th</sup>
birthday, but they got oh so much more!</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Our adventures started out the next day as we headed to my home in
Chinandega.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a quick visit to
my house in Chinandega and meeting the family we headed to my second home, the
beaches of Chinandega.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent
two nights at Coco Loco where the gals took surf lessons and went barefoot
beach running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I taught a little yoga
and we got to see the baby sea turtles released in to the wild. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We enjoyed the fresh local fair that
Coco Loco serves and chilled in the pool with cervezas. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really neat to see my Kel and
Julia engaged and so interested in the projects that Coco Loco/Waves of Hope
are performing in the community as well as the people driving them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Sunset on Coco Loco Beach</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">On my actual birthday I woke up at Coco Loco and headed out for a morning
surf, ate breakfast burritos with the gals, practiced some yoga and then had a
message!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not bad! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also kept up or daily ritual of beers
before lunch, usually around 11. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the afternoon we headed over to Marta Montealegre’s house
where she threw a little birthday shin dig. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I have mentioned the Montealegre’s in my past blogs,
but they have become my family down here over the past several months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Julio and Marta have practically adopted
me and given me my own room in their beach house just minutes from Coco
Loco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel very at home with
them and their family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marta had
originally said that she wanted to put on a little birthday celebration and
have Kelly and Julia stay over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
casually mentioned to my friends in the community to stop by for some drinks
and appetizers that afternoon around 4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no idea she was going to put on a three-course
meal and make a tres leches cake!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
made <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sopa de albondigas</i> or a soup
with meatballs made of shredded chicken held together with cornmeal and
immersed in vegetables(one of my fav Nica meals).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were
quesadilla like appetizers and tacos to wrap it up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My jewelry ladies Norma, Hazzel, Maria and Sendi came as
well as some local Nicaraguan surfer friends Victor and Yerlis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Holly and Jackie came from Coco Loco
with Waves of Hope volunteers Milo and Edgar making it an eclectic mix, which
was really neat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked around
the huge circular table and realized that all of the people there have been
really great to me and I am honored to have each and every one of them in my
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a Happy Birthday
serenade I blew out a single number “6” candle since that would be the average
age of Marta’s grandchildren, ha ha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Her tres leches was seriously the best I’ve ever had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If your not sure what that is, tres
leches is a cake that is basically moist with milk and covered with a meringue
frosting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For my birthday present
from Marta and Julio I got to choose a puppy from their Rhodesian Ridgeback’s
litter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I named her Sirena and
there will be much more posts on her as she grows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">The next day us gals went on a horse back riding adventure down the
beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was quite hilarious as I
was riding the Montealegre’s horse who only knows one speed, gallop, and Kelly
was on a moderately fast horse while Julia was on Molasses, we named her that
for a reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a hilarious
day of running up and down the beaches and trying to stick together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the day we hung with Marta
as she filled us in on how the Nicaraguan war of the 1980’s affected her family
and their life as a whole. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
chatted about politics and filled Kel and Julia in on how things work down
here, dysfunctionally. Marta is a very talented, intelligent and gracious woman
who I now call mama Nica and she calls me hija gringa(white daughter).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think we all agreed that we could
have spent more time at Marta’s house lounging in hammocks and soaking in the
view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The house is gorgeous and
right on the beach. But we had a date to climb a volcano the next day so we
were off to Hacienda Consiguina.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Hacienda Consiguina is owned by friends/yoga students of mine who were
so kind to let us stay for free in their beautiful ranch house tucked at the
base of the volcano.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We lounged
and chatted over wine that night, entertained by their crazy kittens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were in such another world I almost
forgot it was Halloween.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next
morning we road in the back of a pick-up truck to Volcan Consiguina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were tossed about like rag dolls as
the truck sped across peanut fields and started to climb gradually as tree
branches smacked us down and sent us flying around the bed of the truck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was quite an adventure before we ever started the
climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the top we took in the
views of the islands of El Salvador and Honduras while listening to monkeys
howl from down inside the crater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had hiked the volcano once before, but the views were still just as
amazing if not more the second time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">After climbing back down we set out on our way back towards Managua, but
this time to the beaches outside the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all agreed that about 24 hours was enough time away from
the beach and we were glad to be back by the water. We loaded a big school bus from Chin to Managua for Kel and Julia to get a taste of the open air, 80's beat bumping, public transportation. At one point we video taped a music video to Titanic's "My Heart Will Go On" for the entertainment of the passengers. Kel is that video available for public viewing yet? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">We arrived at Los Cardones at night and they don’t have
power in their cabins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
quite fun switching to head-lamps and candle light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I can speak for Kelly and Julia as well that this
place was really special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
cabin had a huge porch looking out towards the ocean with hammocks and rocking
chairs to take in the view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
primitive but oh so quaint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
waves were awesome and despite my bronchitis that I was sporting at the time, I
took advantage of them every morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I came down with a cough right before the gals got in to town and with
no time to see a doc I kept hacking my lungs up through out the trip and taking
my crazy prescribed cough powder medication which I referred to as
“crack”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly I was having
such a good time I didn’t really let it phase me accept for the fact that I
couldn’t breathe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite my
bronchitis we practiced yoga, walked the beaches, surfed and just plain
chilled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ate some typical
Nicarguan dishes and indulged every meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At night we sported our head lamps to dinner and then retreated with
handfuls of beers to our cabin before cracking open our wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sunsets were incredible, as
usual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took advantage of the
late high tide and did a sunset surf everyday up until the waves coming at me
were just a silhouette.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
evening there was so much ocean activity I saw fish swimming beneath me and a stingray
jump out of water!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To continue
with the animal theme we went on a crocodile search, but only ended up seeing
one splash back in to the murky water.</span></div>
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Los Cardones</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">The last few days at Los Cardones were pretty special as it really set
in on just how long it had been since I had gotten to spend some real quality
time with my girls. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our morning
coffee/tea ritual looking out at the ocean was one of my favorite
activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We once again all got
messages from the local women and mine happened to be just before we headed out
on our last day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I showed up to
lunch after my message on cloud 9 as the girls handed me a beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ate and drank cervezas until our
taxi driver Jose arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
catch was Jose was almost 2 hours late, so something like 7 beers later we
loaded the truck to head off to Granada feeling pretty darn good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Jose sped over the washboard roads
we realized that all of Nicaragua would be dry that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before we went in to panic we picked up
Jose’s wife and son of 4 years to accompany us to Granada and then found a
restaurant in route to sell us tall boys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On the way to Granada Jose’s son fell in love with Julia and continued
to take picture of her on his mom’s cell phone and then stretch her face out
like a fun house mirror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless
to say he had us rolling in laughter all the way to Granada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we arrived to the city and before
Jose left we all climbed a bell tower of a church to take in the sunset and
views of the city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">The last night we spent at Casa San Francisco with mojitos in the pool
and then a roof top dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
so awesome to share my experience down here with Kelly and Julia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really special to be able to
share the life that I’ve built down here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Kelly took some amazing photos over the trip and captured the sweetness
of the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Julia and I
stopped asking each other where Kelly was once we realized her tennancy to wander off randomly and engage in photo shoots with the local plants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-82738346066904033832012-10-02T00:28:00.001-05:002012-10-02T00:28:54.421-05:00A little goes a long way
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">I haven’t written in quite some time due to all my extra energy going
towards Graduate School Applications and GMAT studying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Volcano Evacuation really threw off
my study plan and I returned back home to a bunch of unfinished business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any who I wanted to take the time and
write a blog post about my past weekend because it has touched me in many
ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so thankful to return
to my home in Chinandega after not being allowed home for 10 days and it made me realize how great my life really is
here in Nicaragua.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granted I get
lonely, a lot, but there are some things that make it worth it.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This past weekend I was offered a ride
out to the rural beach community where I help out, by a nice couple Mark and
Kay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The also offered to put me up
in there beachfront house so I didn’t have to commute back and forth to
Chinandega with the rain and all the hassles that come along with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a treat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got to go on a beach run during the sunset Friday evening
and then do a little yoga on the rocks over looking the ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I settled in to watch a movie with them
in a rocking chair and then fall asleep to the sounds of the waves
crashing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I woke up the next
morning to another beach run with the Coco Loco dogs Ocita and Rocco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent the majority of the day working
with the Artesenia del Mar jewelry small business, getting them ready to export their
jewelry to the States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> These women are always a joy to be around and really appreciate my efforts to help them improve their business skills. </span>I may have
mentioned in a previous post that its turtle season and Waves of Hope has a
turtle conservation project where they pay locals to bring in turtle eggs where
they protect them until they hatch and then release them in to the wild.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well Friday night about 30 eggs hatched
and we let them loose Saturday afternoon as the tide was going out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was my first encounter with a baby
sea turtle and they are adorable as they flap about trying to make their way to to the ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My jewelry ladies
and Coco Loco friends took pictures and tried to smooth the sand in their path
so they didn’t get stuck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a
really neat experience, but also heart wrenching to know that only 1 in 100 sea
turtles actually make it to adulthood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After a sunset dip that night I walked the beach under a full moon with
a Nicaraguan friend and Coco Loco employee who is in charge of the turtles eggs
by keeping track of when they come in and when they should be hatching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jaime is his name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to see a momma turtle come lay
her eggs so we went walking and talking to try our luck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we walked we started to talk about
the moon and how it affects the tides and before you know we are talking about
how the sun and moon are correlated and how that effects the time that you are
born until all of a sudden I realize we are talking about astrology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually the conversation turns to <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>evolution versus religion and what came
first the chicken or the egg!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was absolutely blown away by his views, he’s not one religion, but views
himself as accepting of all religions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We started talking about energy and karma and how there is no good or
evil, it is just what is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jaime is
from this rural community and can barely write in Spanish, but he is an
extremely progressive and intelligent individual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We chatted about our views on life and how we feel about our
work in the community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He told me
that it doesn’t matter to him what people think about him, just about how he
values himself and if the work he is doing is helping his community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He takes a tremendous amount of pride
in helping Waves of Hope protect baby sea turtles and strolling the beaches at
night to make sure he gets to the eggs before the poachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We continued to talk about the
different types of people that coexist like those that value philanthropy and
those that only want money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
seen Jaime’s living conditions, its him, his wife, and two daughters in a 10 by
10 room with a stove top outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This person is living to give back. An hour and a half later my
appreciation for this individual has multiplied times 10 and I want to hug him
for reminding me that even when I get frustrated with the culture that not all is lost in this country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The next day I went horse back riding with Holly to
break in her new horses that she bought to use during the woman’s surf camps that she
hosts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ran the youngins up and
down the beach as they shyed away form the water's edge, not too sure what to make of
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ate lunch at the Montealegre’s
house and finally headed back to the city to work on grad school application
essays an study GMAT. The Montealegre's are beautiful people that live down the beach from Coco Loco. They are Nicarguan, but raised their sons(my age and up) in the states before coming back to settle in Chinandega. They are extremely supportive of my projects and treat me as though I am part of the family. I look back at my weekend and feel very fortunate that there are people that recognize that life isn't always easy as a volunteer. Their little bit of charity goes a long way in just helping me feel good while I'm here.</span><!--EndFragment-->Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-66431284197677088522012-09-12T00:55:00.000-05:002012-09-12T00:55:45.670-05:00Volcano Evacuation VacationThat's what we've been calling this time spent evacuated out of Chinandega for the last 4 nights. It all started about a week ago when a 7.6 earthquake shook northern Costa Rica that could be felt in southern Nicaragua. We received tsunami warnings on the Pacific Coast through out the week and there was knowledge that the northern volcanoes were heating up. Saturday morning around 10 am I noticed the rain clouds moving in quite a bit earlier than normal and with a brown tinge to them. It wasn't until I glanced at my phone and saw the 13 missed calls and inbox full of text messages, that I registered what was happening. The largest and most active volcano in Nicaragua, which happens to be right outside my city, was erupting and spewing ash. The missed calls were from my boss, my site mate, long distance friends and the head of security checking in to see my status. We were to evacuate Chinandega immediately to Leon city about 45 minutes south and then on to Managua. At the time I was actually north of Chinandega traveling with some Nicaraguan friends for the day. If I had been in my house in Chinandega I could have easily gotten on to a bus and out of there. In this case being north away from any danger, there was no chance I was getting on a bus to return down in to Chinandega were all the action was. Since I was actually out of the zone that was being effected I was instructed to stay put and wait for someone to come get me. As the day chugged along the volcanic ash cleared with the wind and things seemed to settle, but Peace Corps continued to gather volunteers all around the Chinandega and Leon departments to bring them to safety. Around 4 pm the head of safety and security picked me up in the middle of a rainstorm to bring me down to Managua where my fellow volunteers were gathered. Although the action had wound down, its still Peace Corps' priority to keep us safe and accounted for.<br />
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The first two nights after the explosion we were put in a nice hotel in Granada which was plenty far from the volcanic activity and the earthquake prone epicenter of Managua. After 2 nights of just hanging out, eating good meals and catching up with friends we thought the action was over. Monday morning the Leon department got the ok to head back to their sites, but the Chinandeganos had to spend the following night in Managua until they were positive that nothing more was going to happen. The following Tuesday morning we packed up or things to head home. I decided to do some work before heading back, but just as I called a cab to head out we got the update to stay put in Managua because the volcano was showing some activity. Unfortunately 5 volunteers had already gotten a head start to their sites and were ordered to stay put in route as yet another mini explosion took place. Not minutes after that we were all called back to Managua once again. So here I am in a hotel in Managua starting to go stir crazy. When you only have a short period to pack up your things, I went for the passport, rain jacket, computer, toothbrush and wallet. Hind site is 20/20, but right now I'm wishing I had some running shoes, a yoga matt and more clean clothes! I had no idea that I would be peacing out of my site and not able to go home for 5 days now. It's not looking good to return tomorrow....Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-91617855952653764022012-08-08T00:16:00.000-05:002012-08-08T00:16:13.809-05:00Momacita en Nicaragua!All the months of planning and the many skype sessions to plan our epic journey across Nicaragua finally came to fruition July 11th when momacita touched down in Managua! I had been envisioning the day my mom would finally come to Nicaragua and everything would go completely wrong and make her hate this country, but instead it was quite the opposite. The taxi to the bus station went well and we even got two seats together comfortably on a public bus. Things were looking good.<br />
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The first few days were spent at Aqua Wellness Resort Outside San Juan del Sur easing mom in to the journey ahead. Our cabin was upgraded to beach front and sported AC and internet so we were living large. We practiced yoga, snorkeled, kayaked, and went hiking to look for monkeys. All of that went pretty well accept for getting stuck in torrential downpoor when spying on monkeys, pero este es la vida Nicaraguense especially during the rainy season. Be ready for rain, ALWAYS! We ate well and took in the beautiful views of our private bay. Just two bays down was the International Surf Competition which happened to start the day we left! I would have been more upset if we hadn't been on our way to the airport to catch a flight to Little Corn Island.<br />
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View form our cabana</div>
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mom's first Flor de Cana rum drink</div>
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After an hour long flight to the eastern coast coast of Nicaragua to Big Corn Island from Managua, we took a half hour long panga(boat) ride across the Caribbean to the undeveloped Little Corn Island. The panga raced across massive waves to deliver us to an island of about 500 people, half of them being tourists. We hooped of our boat to climb across 2 other boats to finally land on a dock. There are no motors on this island. No cars, no motorcycles, no roads for that matter. Just a boy with a wheelbarrow to help us take our luggage across a dirt path to the other side of the island, in about 7 minutes. The island is tiny and its parameter can literally be walked in maybe 4 or 5 hours depending on how many beautiful white beaches you stop to rest on. It has a Jamaican feel as all its residents come from African American decent, but they speak creole which reflects the history of the british that first conquered the area. Mom and I had our little cabana at Little Corn Beach and Bungalow was right on the beach looking at crystal clear blue water and white sand. Their pina coladas were the best I had ever had with roasted coconut on top, as my Peace Corps friend Kelli says"they're like your island crack". It took us maybe one morning to discover all the island had to offer, which in fact was quite a bit. There are several dive shops, cute restaurants and bars that line one side of the island. We spent most of our happy hours at bar Tranquilo with my Peace Corps friend McClaine and girlfriend Kelly as well as our new friends, a dutch couple that road the boat over with us. We hit some amazing snorkeling spots where we saw sea turtles, nurse sharks, manta-rays, stingrays, lobsters and barracudas. The rest of our time was spent lounging on the beach, doing yoga, or getting a massage. We ate very well on the island. One afternoon for lunch a local women made us Run-Down soup right out of her house which was truly amazing. King fish cooked in a coconut curry broth with breadfruit, yucca, plantain and potatoes. At night we visited Bridget's local where you could get a huge plate of several lobster tails any way you like it for about $10. The two night we ate there I had garlic and then curry, which were amazing and we would have gone back there every night but we wanted to share the wealth. I didn't leave the island with anything but pictures, a bit of coconut oil, and mother-daughter matching coco necklaces, but it's not a place where you come to accrue things, but realize how unimportant things really are. It's a truly special place where locals and ex-pats work together to keep their beaches clean and stray dogs healthy, which is extremely rare in this country.<br />
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Amazing beaches that stretch forever, literally untouched</div>
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Happy hour with McClaine and Kelly, check out our mom-dot necklaces!</div>
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After 5 beautiful days we wheelbarrowed our bags across the island to catch the boat back, to get a taxi, to catch our flight, to catch another taxi, to take a bus to get yet another taxi. All while I'm completely stressing because this is all happening on July 19th, Nicaragua's day of independence after the revolutionary war of the 80's. As we were heading in a big yellow school bus to Chinandega buses and trucks overflowing with people were heading in to Managua to celebrate. We had just missed the chaos by maybe 20 minutes. We could already see the traffice backing up the Pan American highway from Managua. <br />
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Thank fully we made it to Coco Loco by 2 pm to enjoy lunch after all those various methods of transport to get there. The next 5 days would be spent at my second home, Coco Loco, surfing and just plain chillen. The plan was to get my mom to try surfing, but my first day out on the water I managed to come back with a swollen face and black eye after my board hit me upside the head. My mom took one look at me and swore off surfing, chillen it was. We took in amazing sunsets and enjoyed tasty dinners. It was nice to have her finally see where and with who I spend my weekends with, just really awesome people at a really feel good kind of place. On Saturday we took a day trip up to Consiguina volcanoe where my friends have a ranch to do the same horse back ride I did with my bro and cousin. We road through the wetlands and took in the views together as well as a great meal with my friend's fmaily. On Monday Waves of Hope, the non-profit arm that I help out with held their first ever surfing invitational for the local rippers. They told the kids to show up at 7 am for a surprise and low and behold! Holly ended up awarding surf boards to first and second place and my mom donated money which will go to building a repair shack for the local kids to learn how to repair their own surfboards. We had a lovely time and Mom rolled away with over $200 dollars of jewelry from my women's group who makes earrings, bracelets, and necklaces from local shells and seeds.<br />
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Check out the shiner!</div>
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There was a tie for 1st place! The winners with Jamie, Ben and Holly Beck</div>
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We finally pulled ourselves away from the beautiful beaches of Chinandega back in to the sweltering city where I live. Mom trailed around with me to my classrooms, my NGO, my yoga class, and to meet my family. At times she didn't think she could outlast the heat, but she was a trooper and we made it through our time in the city before heading down south to Granada. Our last super in Chin was a lunch of albondigas(basically chicken and corn balls in a vegetable broth) soup with my entire family at our house. My host mom went on and on about how I'm always running of to teach yoga then to teach class and then to salsa and then for a evening run and finally off early to surf. They said they never see my face because I'm so vaga(always out of the house). My mom just nooded her head and said, yes that sounds about right, thats my girl.<br />
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Mom sneaking shots of me teaching</div>
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Mom with my counterpart teacher and the owner of the cafetine where I eat lunch</div>
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When we arrived in Granada we were pleasantly surprised to have been upgraded to staying in the hotel owners' house with a beautiful pool and private courtyard. My friends Kelli and Noelle came from afar to spend the evening getting to know my mom. We chatted over wine and a nice dinner together to wake up the next day to massages at the house and more hanging by the pool. None of us wanted to part, but mom and I had to get to Jicaro. We spent our last three nights together at a beautiful all inclusive eco-resort on a tiny island on Lake Nicaragua, about 20 minutes by boat from Granada. The island literally had a restaraunt, fresh salt water pool, 9 cabanas, a yoga deck, spa deck and nothing more. It was so excluded from the mainlaind with Volcan Mombacho hovering in the back ground. One day mom and I did a hike around the volcanoe base and then kayaked through the hot springs. We mainly just relaxed and enjoyed the incredible food that was served.<br />
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Sunset on the lake</div>
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Our lakeside treehouse</div>
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kayaking by Volcano Mombacho</div>
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At the end of the trip I asked mom what was surprising or unexpected during our travels. Since we had spent plenty of time in Mexico as I was growing up she said there weren't any surprises really, but she did say that she observed how hard it would be to live here. Not just in regards of transportation, but access to things, the heat, the culture would all be challenging especially long term. It was nice to have someone so close to me realize it for themselves. She did also say that she was surprised how happy the Nicaraguan people seemed, but yet there was still a depressing vibe amongst the country. After her conversation with a local about the revolution and how the government operates today, she had a better understanding of why. My mom is one of the most compassionate persons I know and to see her morn for the dogs and want to reach out to the children made me more aware of how I've become numb to the many tragedies that plague this country. It scared me that I viewed some of these things as normal. I'll never get used to the burning trash in the streets or the starving animals, but somehow I've began to turn the other cheek. Having mom here was an opportunity to keep my compassionate side in check and realize that I do have an amazing country to go back to in one year. I hope to make the most of these next 12 months that I know will fly by. Thanks mom for an amazing 18 days of great friendship, comfortable traveling and fine dining. Now its back to reality here. Miss you a ton already!</div>
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<br />Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-2493599887714313752012-07-11T22:53:00.002-05:002012-07-11T22:53:32.513-05:00Bro and Cuz Visit!Finally the first family members came to visit after a full year down here! I was excited and nervous as I waited at the Managua airport watching Clay and Sarah's flight get delayed on the arriving flight screen. I have never seen two people look more like tourists, and then I had flash backs of arriving in Managua last May with a bunch of gringos and wondered what I looked like then. We made our way up north to Chinandega with both Clay and Sarah reviewing their spanish vocabulary as we passed street signs and billboards in Managua. Our adventure started out waiting for a microbus to fill so we could head north to my city of Chinandega. Sundays are slow for travel so we waited and waited some more as vendors tried to sell me books on reading dreams and give me long winded speeches about how much they love the U.S. Sarah and Clay just stared in exhaustion until we finally filled up enough to take off.<div>
<br />We arrived in Chin with a quick stop off at my house to meet the host family and then straight to Coco Loco, my second home. We reached just in time for one of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen out here. It was a perfect week to be up at Coco Loco as we were the only guests along with one other friend who was visiting the Coco Loco yoga teacher Nikki. The owners Jamie, Ben, his girlfriend Chris, surf teacher Jackie, Waves of Hope volunteer Jason, yoga teacher Nikki and the three of us had volleyball tournaments where we invited the locals to play along with us. Coco Loco's right hand man Orlando took MVP with his spikes, granted the only rule was you had to have a beer at all times. The week consisted of surfing, yoga, volleyball, walking the beach and just catching up over the years the three of us had missed since growing up together.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Wednesday we had a special invitation to go up to a friend's farm at the base of Consiguina Volcano. Sarah, Clay, Jackie, Jason and I loaded up the truck with Orlando and drove up at 5:30 am. By 7 am we were scaling the side of the volcano in an open air four wheel beast you might know as a unimog. Branches were smacking us through the side of the truck and bugs of all kinds crawled amongst us as well climbed the side of the mountain. Once we reached the top we could peer down in to the crater and see across the ocean to the islands of El Salvador and Honduras. After hiking around the rim and taking in the view we headed back down to the ranch house for lunch.
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<br />My friend and owner of the farm Luis and his parents laid out a wonderful spread of beautifully cooked steak, potatoes, salad, rice, local cheese, avocado, and cucumber fresco with vodka. After a few more beers we decided it was time to saddle up the horses and head out in to the wetlands. All of the horses were beautiful, well taken care of and very well trained. We made our way through the wetlands wading through rivers, running across wetlands and even swam with the horses in one area. The river was covered with bright green lily pads that juxtapose the mellow blue of the sky. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever scene. As we ran through the wetlands water splashed up on and all around us catching the light of the setting sun. Jackie and I at the head of the pack just let the reins go as the horses ran releasing all their pent up energy.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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My horse Gatiado, the largest of the pack had to swim across first</div>
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We continued to talk about that day as one of the most memorable experiences of the trip. The farm had so much character and a ton of history from the war during the 80s. Of course Luis' family made the experience unforgettable with their hospitality as well. The rest of the week at Coco Loco ended with a bang as we headed to Al Cielo for dinner our last evening. Two parisians moved down to Nicaragua, fell in love with surfing, and built cabanas and a restaurant on the beach close to Coco Loco. The food is absolutely amazing and they infuse their own rums and olive oils. Ben, Chris, Jason, Jackie, NIkki, Ckay, Sarah, and I made our way over to enjoy the sun setting on Nahualapa bay where we surfed each morning. We started the meal with a pineapple infused rum shot and the night just got more out of control from there. The wine, pizza, fish, chocolate mouse and more great food just kept flowing form the kitchen. We ended the night with yet another bottle of wine back at Coco Loco and a mini dance party. The next day it was hard to say goodbye, not because we were hung over, but because we had just spent the week as a close knit family and it was truly a blast!
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<br />Saturday we made our way to Granada and happened to meet up with several Peace Corps Volunteers from my group. Sarah and Clay had the chance to meet my best Peace Corps friends, which was really neat for me to mesh both families. Sunday we all watched the soccer game, toured around the city, and did a pre-birthday dinner for Clay with all my peace corps friends that were still left. Kelli went all out and got a chocolate cake to celebrate! Clay's birthday was Tuesday so we decided to celebrate in the morning with a zipline tour on Mombacho Volcano. The three of us got our own tour with two guides that were absolutely hilarious. They were constantly trying to scare us and act like we were going to fall off the platforms when we were really already attached to the line. The zipline itself was pretty mellow compared to the one I did in Costa Rica, but we got to backwards, upside down and on top of each other which spiced it up. </div>
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<br /> <br /><br />Granada is known for its colonial architecture which pulls in plenty of tourism. We stayed at the beautiful Casa San Francisco which is owned by a previous Peace Corps volunteer. The rooms are all unique and ours overlooked their quaint swimming pool and fountain. We decided to be the tourists that we are and take a boat tour of the isletas(mini islands) off the coast of Granada in the gigantic Lake Nicaragua. My Peace corps friends Luis joined us on what we turned in to our own booze cruise. We stocked up on beer and headed down to the dock like dorky tourists in a horse drawn carriage. Our guide ended up being a really neat guy who gave us a personal tour and history lesson on Granada. At one point we had a monkey named Lucy chillen on our boat with us a we enjoyed our cold beers. It was amazing to hear about the famous individuals who had purchased these islands and see the high quality of architectural talent that went in to building the houses that inhabited them. After yet another solid Birthday dinner of pizza and pasta we headed to a bar named Imagine where we jammed the rest of the night away to Neil Young, Crosby Stills and Nash, the Doors and other great classic rock hits.<br /> <br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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Our last full day together was spent at the famous Laguna de Apollo which you may have seen in my earliest posts from training. It was a blast from the past sitting along this beautiful lake's shores deep inside the volcanic crater and looking out in to the crystal clear water. It took me back to the days of training where there was no freedom and this beautiful place was my only escape on a Sunday morning. I remember the hour hike straight up and down to reach this paradise. Funny how much has changed since then.</div>
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<br /><br />Over all it was an amazing trip and it was hard to watch Clay and Sarah leave. It was just like the good old days when we spent our summers together growing up. I'm really lucky to have such an awesome brother and cousin! You guys rock! Thanks for coming to see my life down here! And special thanks to Sarah for teaching us the drunk shakey face! <br /> <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-45863766488030910582012-06-21T11:32:00.001-05:002012-06-21T11:32:18.393-05:00Women's Leadership Camp at Coco LocoAs you can probably tell by previous posts, I spend a good chunk of my time at Coco Loco located on Chinandega's coast volunteering at their nonprofit Waves of Hope. This is where you can typically find me on the weekends surfing and advising my women's jewelry group. This past weekend another Waves of Hope volunteer, Jillian, and I decided to host a women's leadership camp at Coco Loco. Jillian was a previous Peace Corps Volunteer is Macedonia working in youth development so we immediately had the same ideas of how we wanted the camp to run.<br />
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We targeted young ladies between the ages of 12 and 18 and now looking back I didn't realize how big of a range that was and how the various ages differed. Yet I'm also amazed how well everyone got along. We had four fun filled days with fourteen participants hitting all ages and even sneaking in some little sisters around 10 and 11. Our topics included leadership, decision making skills, goal setting, effective communication, healthy relationships, the cycle of violence, at home beauty recipes, self-esteem, reproductive health and preventing teen pregnancy along with yoga and other activities to burn off some energy. I completely forgot how much energy teenagers have! I would consider myself a high energy "go-go-go" kind of person, but I was exhausted each day. Thursday and Friday we just had sessions in the afternoon starting at 1 pm so the gals didn't miss school. Saturday we started at 9 am and after a full day we hit the beach after dinner for a bonfire where the girls shared their favorite part of the camp and what they were taking away from the experience. At some points during the camp I wondered how much the girls were really getting out of it as I'm used to teaching an older crowd with a longer attention span. I invited my site mate Lindsay, a health volunteer to come out and I noticed during the preventing teen pregnancy talk some of the youngsters would disappear out of embaressment for a bit, but eventually find their way back out of pure curiousity. Around the bonfire as they roasted their marsh mellows for smores I got the real scoop on what was going through their heads. I was really touched to hear that everyone had a different part of the camp that deeply effected them. Jillian and I even had girls approach us individually to talk about their personal experiences. I was also pumped to hear that all of them really enjoyed the yoga! One of the more touching moments was when we all sat in a circle and talked about how the machista culture has effected our lives as women. This machismo mentality tends to foster the mistreatment of women as they are viewed as inferior to men. We talked about how women need to unite and are more powerful in numbers. They recognized each other as someone in their community to rely on and trust, they are now more of a team than ever.<br />
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I should have guessed that having the girls spend the night would turn in to an all night sleep over party. We hauled mattresses up to the open air yoga studio to create one huge bed where the girls continued to put on fashion shows and scream throughout the night every time thunder or lightning hit. It took me back to my slumber parties as a youth and remembering how I never wanted day break to come so the fun wouldn't end. Fortunately we had a banana chocolate pancake breakfast planned bright and early at 6 am. Over the coarse of the camp the girls had envelopes posted on the yoga studio walls that they had decorated where others could put "kind words". This self-esteem activity was really neat as everyone got to read all the nice things that others said about them over breakfast. The first pic below was taken after breakfast at about 7 am, some older girls had already left to head to Sunday classes in the city so you can see how young Nicaraguan teenagers look compared to Americans. They are generally really petite and skinny until the rice, beans, and fried foods catch up to them. Don't they look so young? It really blew me away the first day of camp when I had this vision of what teenagers would look like!<br />
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Anyways all of this would not have been possible if it wasn't for the lovely people Jamie, Ben and Earl who started Coco Loco and Waves of Hope two years ago. Their dedication to improving the community and providing opportunities to local Nicaraguans is amazing! These three canadians have put a new spin on community development. They employ all local Nicas at Coco Loco and hand out numerous scholarships for students in the area who are helping to give back to the community. The Waves of Hope volunteers help out in the schools and give english class. Waves of Hope is in the process of building a high school as they just finished their primary school a few months ago. But what's more is the locals are all friends and we are all on the same level. I surf with the chef of the kitchen, Caludio, in the morning and we sit down for drinks after dinner together. A local surfer Elton who is extremely talented also comes over to paint a wall at Coco Loco and we all watch surfing videos together over dinner. I guess I'm trying to say that this place has it right, local Nicaraguans and North Americans working right along side each other to make a difference in the community sustainably. I consider this place my second home outside Chinandega, but really it's where my heart is. Pro surfer and friend Holly Beck also has paired up her women's surf retreat with Coco Loco to give back to the community. Watch a video on Jamie and how Coco Loco and Waves of Hope operate <a href="http://surfwithamigas.com/giving-back/">on Holly's website</a>. Also you can read more about Waves of Hope at their <a href="http://www.waves-of-hope.org/">website</a> where I recently posted a <a href="http://www.waves-of-hope.org/apps/blog/artesenia-del-mar-1">blog</a> about my women's jewelry business that I'm advising.<br />
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7 am after breakfast- No one wanted to say goodbye!</div>
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Decision Making Activity where the girls had to put themselves in tough situations and present their reasoning and thought process to come to their decision</div>
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At home beauty! I'm about to apply and avocado and honey face mask!</div>
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Team building excersize! The girls had to fit all team members through a different part of the web to get to the other side. Planning a strategy a head of time was key!</div>
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Jillian is with the girls in a big not and they are trying to make their way in to a circle with out letting go of their hands.</div>
<br />Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-39673335407353033692012-06-06T00:10:00.001-05:002012-06-06T00:10:30.094-05:00Palo de Mayo<br />
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The last weekend in May I traveled across Nicaragua to the Atlantic
Coast to celebrate Palo de Mayo in the city of Bluefields. I know what you’re thinking,
Bluefields? That’s not
Spanish? Precisely. I bet you didn't know that Nicaragua has the largest population of African descent across Central America. The Atlantic coast is heavily
influenced by the English who developed the Eastern side of the country when
the Puritans first founded colonies along Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast in the 17th century. They also brought with them an enslaved populations of Africans to work on their plantations. Enslaved Africans form Jamaica also later sought freedom in and around Bluefields after the British emancipation in 1834. This area became a destination for free blacks from the British controlled Caribbean. There fore the people of Bluefields
speak english and creole, but a special kind of creole that has developed over the years
and is spoken no where else. Common
phrases like “alright, alright, alright”(popular greeting), “ya done
reached”(you have arrived), “lick-a-bit”(referring to a small amount), and many
more phrases fill the streets as I walk past southern plantation looking houses
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A large group of volunteers united and organized events over
the long weekend such as a happy hour, parade watching party and a trip to the
keys off of Pearl Lagoon. Saturday
was our big day of cultural events.
We kicked it off by visiting the central park where vendors, which were
thick homely black women, served home cooked meals that they had been slaving
over all morning. The key
ingredient in the Atlantic coast diet is coconut. Everything from bread to soup here is riddled with coconut. I had a plate of gallo pinto cooked in
coconut milk with lobster in creole sauce and yucca cooked in coconut
broth. A stage was set up in the
park where traditional Atlantic coast dances were being performed. The costumes are made of brightly colored fabrics and typical leave
womens’ midriffs exposed. These
dances are much more provocative than what you find on the pacific side. There is an overwhelming amount of
booty shaking and grinding performed by all ages. Later that afternoon the party really got started with the
Palo de Mayo parade. This holiday
is focused around fertility and there fore the fertility dance is performed by
several different groups as they make their way through the street of
Bluefields. This consists of
several women surrounding a fertility tree, or in this case a large branch, and
wrapping strips of fabrics around its branches while making some freakish
grinding moves as well. Over all
it’s a great show and we couldn’t help but join the crowd and party through the
streets. At one point in the
parade there were young men spraying spray-paint in to the air and lighting it
on fire, awesome for the environment I know, and one of them happened to have a
University of Arizona shirt on!
You know what I’m talking about, the gigantic blue and white “A” on a
red T-shirt. I totally flipped
out, chased him down, and took a photo with him.</div>
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Lobster and coconut gallo pinto</div>
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Go Wildcats!</div>
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Hanging in the park</div>
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After the parade we found ourselves back in the park, but
this time ten times as packed and with cold beers in our hands. After a dinner of more typical east coast
food, we made our way to the most popular and shady reggae club called Four
Brothers. This was my first
experience with dance hall reggae and it was a blast! Everyone was grooving and chillen to some serious beats, but
the trippy thing was the lights were so low the corners of the club were left
black and all you could see was the bar lit up.</div>
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The next day we rose early and painfully to take a small
boat up the coast about an hour to Pearl Lagoon. If you recall from my previous posts, I visited this place a
year ago when I visited another volunteer during training and absolutely fell
in love. The people in Pearl
Lagoon are some of the most friendly and warm folk I’ve ever encountered. Animals run the white sand streets
freely and English has basically vanished leaving only a very thick creole in
its place. Unfortunately we did
not loiter long in Pearl Lagoon as our main goal was to reach the keys about an
hour off its coast. Twelve of us
including our guide Jimmy took off to sea in a rather small panga. After fighting the waves to push our
way out of the lagoon we finally made it to the crystal clear carribean
waters. We parked our boat on a
tiny island with nothing on it but us.
There we cooked a famous Atlantic coast soup called rundown. The “run-down” comes from the act of
the fish, shrimp and other seafood that is boiled on top of the stew and the
flavor runs down in to the yucca, plantain and root veggies that are drowning
in a coconut broth. The flavor is
absolutely amazing and for a seafood lover like me, heaven. After bathing in the clear water,
walking three times around the island and hunting for what coconuts existed on
such a tiny piece of land, we headed back to Pearl Lagoon. This was just a taste of what is took
come when my mom visits in July and we head to Little Corn Island! Can’t wait! That night we took advantage of our last meal of coconut
shrimp and listened to a fellow volunteer play some reggae on his guitar. I actually fell in love with his music
and bought the CD from his band back home called Reviva, check out their song <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kay4QMXR0Wg">Illegal</a>!</div>
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The key</div>
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Alicia and I on the boat</div>
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The trip was quite long, totaling 14 hours of travel by bus
and boat, thankfully I broke it up over a few days getting there, but it was a
rough one full day of travel back home.
In the end it was all very worth it! One Love!</div>Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-88574055035938807582012-05-09T00:24:00.001-05:002012-05-09T00:24:19.875-05:00One Year AnniversaryI can't believe that it was one year ago today that I packed my bags to leave for Nicaragua. I had so many judgments and preconceived notions at that time. If only I had known then what I know now, but then again isn't that part of the lesson we are learning? Time has flown by so fast that I have barely had the time to notice all that has changed in my life. The best part is that I would never have been able to convince myself, back when everything was starting, that I would feel this amazing after one year of service. Training was a total wreck, but my nine months of service in Chinandega has been extremely rewarding. <br />
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I never would have guessed that my relationship with Pro Mujer would go so well, that yoga would be such a success, that I would love teaching high schoolers or get to surf my own surfboard on a regular basis. A year ago, I wouldn't have been able to identify that working with a women's jewelry cooperative would be one of my favorite and most personal business advising ventures.<br />
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I would have been able to tell you that I'd eventually get sick of the food, that the lack of being able to communicate in spanish would be frustrating, and I would be lonely at times. But these things all seem so minor in the whole picture of my service. I would have been able to tell you that I would change, but never would I have been able to tell you to this extent. It's truly amazing watching the impact this experience has had on myself as well as the people I work with, both American and Nicaraguan. I would have guessed a year ago that my fellow Biz 56 volunteers would play a huge role in my social life here, but never that we would all be so close and act as each other's family. I had my heart set on meeting a loving host family, but during training I never would have dreamed the current family I live with would exist. I realized tonight after teaching my host mom and sister a yoga class, just how close we've become through birthdays, family coming and going, Thais' birth and now being able to connect with yoga. I year ago I would have told you that I expected to be challenged, but in retrospect I really had no idea to what extent or form.<br />
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A year ago I was worried that I would loose friends or that we would drift apart, but turns out that communication has been flawless and some have already come to visit or at least plan to. I was worried that rice, beans and tortillas would make me blow up twice my size, but in fact I feel amazing and was able to finish a half marathon in February. I was worried about being lonely, but in turn I have become even more comfortable in my own skin while making some amazing friendships. <br />
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This past week was spent in the mountainous of Matagalpa at a Biz 56 wide training set in the mountains followed by a one year celebration in the city with good food and great company. Here I had time to reflect on how the last year of service has gone and really connect with my counterparts. I also spent quality time with my entire Biz 56 team reminiscing about the past year we have struggled, partied, laughed and cried through together. A good friend of mine, Michaela, reminded us all of just how precious the time we have left here really is. She had recently lost someone very close to her, someone who had served as a life mentor. A technique that this woman used to savor life was to maintain a jar of marbles that represented the days she had left with her seniors at Michaela's university who were about to graduate. Each day that passed, one more closer to graduation, she would remove a marble from the jar. Michaela gifted each and every one of us a jar of marbles representing the weeks we have left here in Nicaragua to make an impact. Inside the lid of the marble she wrote a personalized message to each and every one of us. My note read," I admire your strength in character and personality, and your confidence in knowing what you want and tirelessly(yet seemingly effortlessly) going after it. I feel like you squeeze every drop out of the day that life has to offer, and you live and love with a bright energy that resonates around you." After wiping away a few tears I realized that the way I have tried to live my life here in Nica has shown through to another. There are days here were I stress about the impact that I'm actually making, but then I realize how that stress has driven me to take on more in a positive way. I realize that I have taken advantage of the resources around me and plan to continue over the next year and some to maintain this energy and momentum. I'm not expecting it to be easy, but I am expecting it to be everything that I'm not expecting :)<br />
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BIZ NASTY 56 with our jars of marbles: Michaela is to my right</div>
<br />Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-4858436087890426432012-04-30T22:45:00.000-05:002012-04-30T22:57:17.882-05:00Corinto Seafood FestivalThe month of April has flashed before my eyes, maybe because I spent a good chunk of it traveling for Semana Santa. Work has also had me very busy along with the addition of several yoga classes to my schedule. Yoga has finally taken off in Chinandega for me and it's almost overwhelming. I stared the process by asking of I could teach a free class at an all women's gym when I first arrived in August, but with no success. I returned several times over the last month or so asking for just 30 minutes here and there to at least give a demo and then let the members of the gym chose for themselves if they want a yoga class offered or not. Well turns out the women really enjoyed my class despite my gringa spanish, but the gym wouldn't offer me an evening time slots because the aerobics classes are all too popular. We are talking super ghetto wanna be aerobics on three pieces of wood haphazardly nailed together and used as a "step". And this wins over my yoga class? humbling ha ha. I posted signs in the gym with my phone number and asked women to organize a group of their friends, find a local, and I will come teach. Finally it all worked out and I have an organized group Monday and Wednesday nights. While all this was going on apparently the gym decided they wanted me to teach Monday mornings so now I have 3 scheduled classes a week. Plus my host sister and mom are all in to yoga now so I'm teaching a class at my house for them and our mutual friends. Is there such thing as to much yoga? I don't think so!<br />
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I have started a series of trainings at my Microfinance NGO Pro Mujer. Last week was my first 2 hour training session to 20 women small business owners from different parts of Chinandega. We covered leadership, goal setting, the planning cycle and FODA Analysis. I couldn't believe how well the women were engaged and participating through out the two hours. Here two hours is quite a long time to keep a group focused, but these ladies were really in to it. I'm sure they were getting a kick out of my less than par spanish. At the end of the session they all wanted copies of the slides, and with myself being a poor volunteer, they all chipped in and paid for their own copies, which aren't exactly cheap. Guess they liked the materials! It's really great to have Pro Mujer behind me financially to reimburse these women for traveling in from the campo, providing the equipment and air conditioned space.<br />
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Artesenia del Mar, my women's group that makes jewelry, is really taking off! We just did a photo shoot this weekend on the beach of all of her new styles to create a catalog. I felt like I was creating an Anthropologie Spring Edition catalog by wrapping bracelets around drift wood and using natural props to display the jewelry. Pictures to come! Norma, the lady who started it all is really putting everything she has in to it and coming up with awesome designs all on her own.<br />
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Amongst all this I found time to visit my BFF here in Nica in the mountainous city of Boaco. It's the San Fran of Nica minus the Bart and trolleys, so let's just say my gluts got a work out. Amongst working on her community garden, hiking and morning yoga, we mainly found ourselves day drinking and catching up over the last 3 months that just flew by. By the way, an excellent rum drink to cool you down is pineapple, cucumber, cilantro, orange, and grapefruit juice, rum to taste.<br />
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This past weekend was the Corinto Seafood Festival. Corinto is the port town about 15 minutes away from Chinandega. It's a smaller quaint city where the majority of the cargo arrives to Nicaragua on the Pacific side. They block of the central park and vendors cell every type of Nicaraguan seafood you can imagine. There was ceviche, fried fish, pupusas with fish, seafood soup, shrimp, lobster, muscles and the list goes on. Of course a lot of it was fried like Nica food always is, but oh so good. There were also beer tents set up so you could roam around drinking and eating as you redeemed your tickets for whatever goodies your heart desired. That morning a good friend from training, Irma, came up from Masaya to perform with her dance group at the festival. It was great to catch up with her over breakfast and then hang to watch her perform the traditional Nicaraguan folklore dances as well as the Palo de Mayo from the Atlantic coast. After achieving a full stomach we(20 plus volunteers) headed to the beach to relax and digest before heading back for round two. Around nightfall a live band started playing music in the central park which only led to one thing.....dancing.....possibly on stage........<br />
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Gotta love the costume</div>
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She's in the middle</div>
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Smile for the camera Irma!</div>
<br />Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-22205317197382122242012-04-11T23:10:00.000-05:002012-04-11T23:10:04.848-05:00Semana Santa with Char & DerekLittle did Char and Derek know when they booked their flights to visit me here in Nica that they were coming over the biggest party week in Central America. Although we avoided the chaos that Semana Santa brings we managed to have our own party on the Island of Ometepe! We started our journey in San Juan del Sur with some surfing, beachside beers and fish tacos. Char and Derek got a load of the popular surfing beach Maderas as they rocked their longboards. At night we chilled on Buena Vista Surf Club's infinity deck watching the sunset and listening to howler monkeys. This is of coarse before Char and Derek did their nightly bug hunt to kill of any living creatures in their cabin. I was informed that there were several scorpion encounters in their bed the few nights prior to my arrival! Welcome to Nica!<br />
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After a few chill nights on Maderas beach we made our way to the Island of Ometepe which sits on Central America's largest fresh water lake named Cocibolca or "Lake Nicaragua". I should redefine "island" because we are actually talking about two volcanoes, one dormant and one active, that are adjoined as one large land mass. We parked ourselves about half way up the Maderas dormant volcanoe at the eco-resort Totoco to stare across the way at the very active La Concepcion volcanoe. While we were at it we thought we might as well take a dip in their infinity pool.<br />
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</div>Our island adventures began with a narly bike ride, wait I should clarify, more like mountain biking an hour and a half to the entrance of another 2 hour hike to San Ramon waterfall. I think we were all ready to pass out by the time we reached the cool waters, but it was well worth the hike! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJ0kxg9iRp-BpHOfB2n8yGncgKKV8SLQOgCVh3d5LS0PdNMmt1XTnhMBCKkWiWwJMvHyF2cSfTK1ptpr2uLmCeGKDc6uvcfgBR6SdEUh9V9js1OiW22aBjRU-HZHQ6zCSzxomizPEDyA/s1600/DSC00551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJ0kxg9iRp-BpHOfB2n8yGncgKKV8SLQOgCVh3d5LS0PdNMmt1XTnhMBCKkWiWwJMvHyF2cSfTK1ptpr2uLmCeGKDc6uvcfgBR6SdEUh9V9js1OiW22aBjRU-HZHQ6zCSzxomizPEDyA/s400/DSC00551.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>That night we had some of the best mojitos I think I've ever had, made with sugar cane straight from the island. We dined like kings at a foreign owned restaurant named Campestre that has amazing meals for around $5, and returned just about every night after that to do it all over again! As if i hadn't completely tuckered Char and Derek out, the next day we decided to kayak the Istiam river, taking us on a three hour journey over the lake and between the volcanoes. Char and I ended that day with her treating us to messages on their cabana porch as the sunset, what an awesome friend no?<br />
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The next day we played it more low key and checked out the natural spring Ojo de Agua to bath in its cool waters and drink coconut water. The day winded down with yet another Toña litro session at Campestre with another volunteer friend Ricardo.<br />
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Sadly the next day Char and Derek left the island to head up north to the city of Leon to board down volcano Cerro Negro before heading back to the airport in Managua. It was reported to be an awesome experience and I'm still waiting to see the Go Pro video they took! It was so amazing having them visit and get to see the country I live in. I think they really enjoyed themselves, I know I did!<br />
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My island adventures continued with Noelle inviting Ricardo and I along with her Nicaraguan friend Roberto to go fishing Nica style. I'm talking wooden stick with fish line attached. Our bait was larva that we hand picked from the bottom of rocks from the lake's shore. That in itself was an experience as the larva had pinchers and they actually drew blood! While Roberto and the owner of the boat reeled in fish after fish, us volunteers ended up empty handed. After several hours we parked ourselves on a deserted beach off the lake to build a fire and cook up the fish they caught while the sun set.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_hkLNwH9VikDgn-xEwbaxmDkhcN8dVLMIQRfIj728UaR7oFkBg9ivLBFPwrRiNrLYaOSfiTW4VrjcW7nPRlFjSRpbTIxc-uuxvxdwHmBpkMou0oO5-AbDIajTMcQipFxwPD1ZHiTtnE/s1600/DSC00632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_hkLNwH9VikDgn-xEwbaxmDkhcN8dVLMIQRfIj728UaR7oFkBg9ivLBFPwrRiNrLYaOSfiTW4VrjcW7nPRlFjSRpbTIxc-uuxvxdwHmBpkMou0oO5-AbDIajTMcQipFxwPD1ZHiTtnE/s400/DSC00632.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoABbtt98fTTSX65lAJnAJmdrMxnpHr4R600LejZZcIACRe18rSn0ZegPPTjwoAQ2NQcvavEWeQGDvNP24Z9YGeMcvP_JP4eu3U4N9qq9VJ1BPiSUQN-SZbw8Jz-WnSnYGYy5KDL3OjE/s1600/DSC00654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoABbtt98fTTSX65lAJnAJmdrMxnpHr4R600LejZZcIACRe18rSn0ZegPPTjwoAQ2NQcvavEWeQGDvNP24Z9YGeMcvP_JP4eu3U4N9qq9VJ1BPiSUQN-SZbw8Jz-WnSnYGYy5KDL3OjE/s400/DSC00654.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZt3hfxSvFBIhUybLTZH0GWG45oULJcoVwZs8ERgUXiO4_vQPVzL-rpSazKQIiHHNsTLamaroG1Ens2E5JsOaitk9_GSZzcVX2w9kdgLH3cSM6yGsXEbCRmOOEYqRQIu3vn-R0KjHs2vI/s1600/DSC00672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZt3hfxSvFBIhUybLTZH0GWG45oULJcoVwZs8ERgUXiO4_vQPVzL-rpSazKQIiHHNsTLamaroG1Ens2E5JsOaitk9_GSZzcVX2w9kdgLH3cSM6yGsXEbCRmOOEYqRQIu3vn-R0KjHs2vI/s400/DSC00672.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Island fish, apparently the pinker the better</div><br />
After picking every piece of meat off the bones of these fish stuffed with peppers, onions and garlic, we made our way back home while the sun setting over volcano La Concepcion.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmjzYztsNde4O4Q3x7F3Cs9dPUfyCCFK11yMSQqmXey75P4dheKiSe7m2LpDOF800QJD0y8sjs2NDytM6LOWSV-035o23_Sbt5JW92rrv0tCVv8jO-J2MQnwnOBaUZuWdlNf8hC7ckEA/s1600/DSC00701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmjzYztsNde4O4Q3x7F3Cs9dPUfyCCFK11yMSQqmXey75P4dheKiSe7m2LpDOF800QJD0y8sjs2NDytM6LOWSV-035o23_Sbt5JW92rrv0tCVv8jO-J2MQnwnOBaUZuWdlNf8hC7ckEA/s400/DSC00701.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The next day was dedicated to getting our horseback riding fix as Ricardo and I share the love of riding We reminisced about riding in our childhood as we galloped along the lake shores amongst herds of horses running free. Later that day we were joined by my two good guy friends MacClaine and Ryan. As soon as they hit the island we found ourselves on the beaches of the lake with our own litros of Tona.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_Xj87hqQyfp48Ne_awnP5M7drVrNp4yxsIT_4-DsCLvmr2qw8ShiEffDPgSHQODIQJ733S72ZSCuMLwokseX0RKh6ylCddScIY8sCe6Ntb_iFnjzNxtnCMmMS3jGsoqXl5VOcdD1CIU/s1600/DSC00712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_Xj87hqQyfp48Ne_awnP5M7drVrNp4yxsIT_4-DsCLvmr2qw8ShiEffDPgSHQODIQJ733S72ZSCuMLwokseX0RKh6ylCddScIY8sCe6Ntb_iFnjzNxtnCMmMS3jGsoqXl5VOcdD1CIU/s400/DSC00712.JPG" width="265" /></a></div><br />
The next day we took on the challenge of hiking up Volcano Maderas. My friend Andrew, our fearless leader, took us on a record breaking straight up hike of 2:15 while it takes most groups 4 hours. I was drenched with sweat and gasping for air as we made our way through the thick cloud layer. The crater at the top has turned itself in to a lake since the volcano's dormancy. It made for a beautiful view. It wasn't until the way down that the mud turned in to a problem of slipping and sliding down the mountain. I've never ended an adventure so dirty.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifPd6mULDjbrWbJOzDj68H4M19BfpksKuhl8EX01wDBGv6dPSfGrKWmYSuM8kpYFnmEupaaZf3q-ljXsToixxH3IGT9sH1gFIqInWCvWZ_7eUO1Wt6rlJEWB6y93dKB0ssxN2Nc6tU3I/s1600/DSC00736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifPd6mULDjbrWbJOzDj68H4M19BfpksKuhl8EX01wDBGv6dPSfGrKWmYSuM8kpYFnmEupaaZf3q-ljXsToixxH3IGT9sH1gFIqInWCvWZ_7eUO1Wt6rlJEWB6y93dKB0ssxN2Nc6tU3I/s400/DSC00736.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The crater lake and lingering clouds</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSl0og-g3sV2KT0MCLS-6TKG8fiyqslXGCnPzDa_qr_FFzpnFa_Nuri3ROBc4EzGiRL57FGxuvrFX2DEWlvjGWSgFpMUueRtXGGhVy3uMARLnbaGApq3CQyscMHtmdlViliGy9NK3H1w/s1600/DSC00751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSl0og-g3sV2KT0MCLS-6TKG8fiyqslXGCnPzDa_qr_FFzpnFa_Nuri3ROBc4EzGiRL57FGxuvrFX2DEWlvjGWSgFpMUueRtXGGhVy3uMARLnbaGApq3CQyscMHtmdlViliGy9NK3H1w/s400/DSC00751.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">view from about half way up the volcano</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmKhgf20kUq4HIDuy06KKTnQujkKJSmdAoXWCf9QCdASEiCjUit0-VPHVRCyr48mspS-Na8am2neGO40FzyhZXNl6MvPqrTi_SnUTcu_z12Zb7cCjT6LAb3x8xaFk_RzvhSpq8eYBSK4/s1600/DSC00727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmKhgf20kUq4HIDuy06KKTnQujkKJSmdAoXWCf9QCdASEiCjUit0-VPHVRCyr48mspS-Na8am2neGO40FzyhZXNl6MvPqrTi_SnUTcu_z12Zb7cCjT6LAb3x8xaFk_RzvhSpq8eYBSK4/s400/DSC00727.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the boys lookin for the monkeys</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The next few days we camped for practically free along the Lake's shores switching it up each night. I experienced one of the most beautiful sunsets from a dock set away from the beach in the middle of the lake.<br />
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The last few nights of my Semana Santa were spent in San Juan del Sur where we partook in some great DJ parties on the beach and more amazing food. I sealed up the trip with a bang when I bought my first real legit surfboard. The one I had was really beat, but this brand new board made its way up from a shaper in Peru. I bought her off a canadian named Jacoah who just couldn't afford to get his custom board back to Canada with him. It's not exactly the color scheme I would have choose, but beautiful none the less.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOtVat5QX4YbvLxrmDhH3l1FPgZ1J2MLUWQ5EIYwsxJWWAY0LjZmQVHSLSVCOKqxgHDx4QFEtiVSWcUt3vE8MPPAdNLOXwp4xiC2FpeLF-v9bDPEI_QX0xKeXgFTCLrOWYh2MqmUgNUU/s1600/DSC04278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOtVat5QX4YbvLxrmDhH3l1FPgZ1J2MLUWQ5EIYwsxJWWAY0LjZmQVHSLSVCOKqxgHDx4QFEtiVSWcUt3vE8MPPAdNLOXwp4xiC2FpeLF-v9bDPEI_QX0xKeXgFTCLrOWYh2MqmUgNUU/s400/DSC04278.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-81993692100209614932012-03-19T23:54:00.001-05:002012-03-20T14:29:10.125-05:00Calle 13 ConcertOh how I have missed my live music down here! I'm not sure if you've heard of Calle 13, I hadn't until I came down to Nica, but they are a Puerto Rican band that has cleaned up over the past several years at the Latin American Music awards. Last November they released Entre los Que Quieran, which highlights the bands controversial style of addressing Latin American cultural and issues. They are known for their satirical lyrics which are usually accompanied by unconventional instruments. I was lucky enough that they included Managua in their concert tour! Last Thursday night several volunteers and I gathered in the capitol to attend the concert which was held in Managua's nicest mall's parking lot. They put on an amazing show and drew a eclectic crowd of foreigners and Nicaraguans alike. My fellow volunteer buddy Julian was born and raised in Puerto Rico and you can see him representing with his homemade flag below. It was a true display of latino culture. One of their bigger hits is Latinoamerica which has an amazing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssxM5sJAB1c&feature=related">music video</a> to accompany it and the lyrics are great as well. I recommend viewing even if you can't understand the lyrics, but here is the <a href="http://lyricstranslate.com/en/latinoamerica-add-english-title-here.html">translation in to English</a>.<br />
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Julian representing with his Puerto Rican flag. He even made it on their official Facebook page <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=411112172237144&set=a.149144288433935.30102.147921335222897&type=1&theater">here</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13YMndFH4T_KbnOppomRQpWbhzRaeboC4wYizxrMpcevi9k0tWkWWfc9kg3ik0ngRSWwlcDcBH_rHqywuFAmqFjOGi4rLmy3K9UAnspL3vBTdbmMeD7SKzOZ0NDLXv3xioA7vy67tkQ4/s1600/DSC04248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13YMndFH4T_KbnOppomRQpWbhzRaeboC4wYizxrMpcevi9k0tWkWWfc9kg3ik0ngRSWwlcDcBH_rHqywuFAmqFjOGi4rLmy3K9UAnspL3vBTdbmMeD7SKzOZ0NDLXv3xioA7vy67tkQ4/s400/DSC04248.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFvTwd3r62fEn6S2nvX92F8IRcawekxIGY5szjYct9MlzX5lK1iKsLC-hZPzus4tEorzXyjOoJGgwzq0izO7hItc-phtCOboo9tql0xEcDuZRo43a6j0wup24R8iBl8SwdG4QOB3AYNM/s1600/DSC04255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFvTwd3r62fEn6S2nvX92F8IRcawekxIGY5szjYct9MlzX5lK1iKsLC-hZPzus4tEorzXyjOoJGgwzq0izO7hItc-phtCOboo9tql0xEcDuZRo43a6j0wup24R8iBl8SwdG4QOB3AYNM/s400/DSC04255.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17LUoWQqh6YFyItiSvjlpdbzYTmn1tCvEzDOn2f1zp596x0ADYkrG3z55gyy_jzenezgR6Fb5wFVcG96whTjM8dbhVIyzKgG3lTRZgN0xsPi99Zh4dTc3j3hSJmLUBUQG3guhmxRW6aA/s1600/DSC04250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17LUoWQqh6YFyItiSvjlpdbzYTmn1tCvEzDOn2f1zp596x0ADYkrG3z55gyy_jzenezgR6Fb5wFVcG96whTjM8dbhVIyzKgG3lTRZgN0xsPi99Zh4dTc3j3hSJmLUBUQG3guhmxRW6aA/s400/DSC04250.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>I was also fortunate enough the weekend before last to catch some acoustic live music by Luis Enrique in Esteli with some friends. His music is also full of Nicarguan history as he touches on the contra war and how to assemble an AK 47 which was broadcast to Nicaraguan troops from Honduras during the war to educate the soldiers. It was my buddy Nelson's b-day so at one point we actually got him to do a shout out and dedicate a song to the volunteers of Chinandega. Live music is something that has always been such a huge part of my life and I have really been missing it. I think I got a good fix for the time being, but there is always room for more! If you think of it, send some new music my way if there is anything new out that you know I'd like. I hate being behind on the music scene down here.Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471743236083129934.post-35681337263747803002012-03-12T00:08:00.000-05:002012-03-12T00:08:58.706-05:00International Women's DayHere in Nicaragua International Women's Day or "Dia de la mujer" is a national holiday and rightfully so. The women of this country prove over and over to be survivors where they are by no means the dominant sex. Nicaraguan women usually take sole responsibility for taking care of the children, providing food for their families, all the while they are usually expected to bring in additional income to the household. Here women are typically told what to do and never have the right to complain about their work load or the lack of their own personal needs being met. Yet the women of this country are the ones that will have the largest influence on bringing us out of poverty. Studies have shown that when women are given control over the family finances, that more funds are spent on such things as education, healthy foods and typically result in a higher standard of living. If we can empower more women to stand up and make healthy decisions for their families we can take one giant leap in the right direction.<br />
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It has been a personal goal for me, as you probably already gathered, to empower and work with women during my service. Some of the training we do with our women at Pro Mujer focuses on women's rights. We cover their rights in a sexual relationship, for instance the right to choose the number of children they want to have and to realize its ok to walk away from an unhealthy abusive relationship. Self-esteem has also worked it's way in to many of the talks I give to women.<br />
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To celebrate this holiday I organized a Women's Empowerment Fair along with an organization called Movimiento de Mujeres de Chinandega. This organization is a non profit aiming to fight and eliminate violence towards women. The goal of this fair was to present women with all the possible resources they could take advantage of in our community to empower themselves and better their lives. We had presence from healthcare organizations, microfinance institutions like Pro Mujer, women artisans, as well as other NGOs to educate on topics such as HIV/AIDS protection. <br />
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I invited my women artisans who make the jewelry from shells, which now has the official name of Artesania del Mar. They sold a lot of jewelry and gained some confidence in their products as well as some sales skills. The different booths were set up with flyers and different tid bits of information along side the central park here in Chinandega. We also had guest appearances from a youth folklore dance team, a local orchestra, as well as skits depicting violence in the household and how it can be handled. My site mate Nelson designed a game to create awareness about HIV/AIDs by creating a wheel of fortune like contraption where players had to answer certain questions about HIV/AIDs prevention and transmission to win a prize.<br />
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Over all it was a great success and I am definitely doing it again next year! Wear that purple ribbon with pride ladies! Felicidades a las mujeres!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TS_CYsursEjy5mgRHdjOlBVS3DeJEFFKLgt5mF_EWBEEJNFrC-9sC-btCvdkOZfht7Qw8F6sDATc-JrxY3f1UDDvL5fdZ5n7yB61zo80iHuxqKo3wppYxIAreCceV3-2T13inddAgNE/s1600/DSC04180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TS_CYsursEjy5mgRHdjOlBVS3DeJEFFKLgt5mF_EWBEEJNFrC-9sC-btCvdkOZfht7Qw8F6sDATc-JrxY3f1UDDvL5fdZ5n7yB61zo80iHuxqKo3wppYxIAreCceV3-2T13inddAgNE/s400/DSC04180.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7T4ZAjg8aIWnOerIctolXkDTXO0n5zYa32f16ccWNWw6LsZz5GMXVMXU2sgZr-sQE3rRHdvIu9rNF1InCxOh4GQxbfbDdPLtHHHh2jee5FWRoc_rwlf55ZBbPWgilVhyd609wbhDstlQ/s1600/DSC04156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7T4ZAjg8aIWnOerIctolXkDTXO0n5zYa32f16ccWNWw6LsZz5GMXVMXU2sgZr-sQE3rRHdvIu9rNF1InCxOh4GQxbfbDdPLtHHHh2jee5FWRoc_rwlf55ZBbPWgilVhyd609wbhDstlQ/s400/DSC04156.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Artesania del Mar- my women and their jewelry</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvp9QmFNVAf6A6nlHpmkHd-lMJJ8i2S4xdmEfejM04xz8vuIY0n0twvT4kSms80P3GZuGfjFQQicfzpCprjFzDw9lv6NZQUhHb8-W0ITbfvcP7IvhDkn07Q4oRDdM2kxgejLyU5XcckmU/s1600/DSC04163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvp9QmFNVAf6A6nlHpmkHd-lMJJ8i2S4xdmEfejM04xz8vuIY0n0twvT4kSms80P3GZuGfjFQQicfzpCprjFzDw9lv6NZQUhHb8-W0ITbfvcP7IvhDkn07Q4oRDdM2kxgejLyU5XcckmU/s400/DSC04163.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My Pro Mujer team</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ahslkTkrF1sXjFd92_3uojERmOLAdQAcW7xvOeufPJnJMZEzTTahFF-x_YC_xEmiuR-UTxp-Y7ia15W1q-9zmIPlJZ3ozfZx4QOzFnMlEFeCZ1oyBGt-ss85TDDY0sKBckAwEsladMk/s1600/DSC04175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ahslkTkrF1sXjFd92_3uojERmOLAdQAcW7xvOeufPJnJMZEzTTahFF-x_YC_xEmiuR-UTxp-Y7ia15W1q-9zmIPlJZ3ozfZx4QOzFnMlEFeCZ1oyBGt-ss85TDDY0sKBckAwEsladMk/s400/DSC04175.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nelson and his HIV/AIDs game</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVu1JLQC70nnPiAwpYEaK9yvO0OiUrKoXwEVMU2IPY7z0pUHRTeJoJba5CgWLX6odW4lVwLkTSYkuvyC1qa7D0iy1Cc6OxCuTa9SadNbbBfdVTZIG4nJo6_j-jbssxWJgdamtDdul3Eb4/s1600/DSC04166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVu1JLQC70nnPiAwpYEaK9yvO0OiUrKoXwEVMU2IPY7z0pUHRTeJoJba5CgWLX6odW4lVwLkTSYkuvyC1qa7D0iy1Cc6OxCuTa9SadNbbBfdVTZIG4nJo6_j-jbssxWJgdamtDdul3Eb4/s400/DSC04166.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">me sporting a prize sponsored by Pro Mujer</div>Kate Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13799149513436843537noreply@blogger.com1