Thursday, May 31, 2012- My Project

Since I still wasn’t feeling entirely up to par today (half due to being sick yesterday and half due to the lack of sleep last night), I accomplished nearly nothing except to finish my plan of work, read a newspaper, and take a nap. Since this was a less than exciting day (and I want people to continue to read my blog), I am going to take this opportunity to explain what my next three weeks are going to entail for work.

I am going to be working with the biodigesters. As I said before, a biodigester breaks down organic matter (manure) and as a byproduct, methane is produced. The methane gas is then burned in a stove for cooking (like a gas stove in the US). These gas stoves are much safer than the traditional wood stoves (like the one my host family had in language school) because they do not produce the dangerous smoke and particulate matter as wood burning stoves.

I am going to be doing a study on that compares the thermal efficiencies of the different types of stoves. There are two types of stoves that are attached to a biodigester. One is a stove that is made by EOS. It is not very pretty but it does the job. However, the flame is very hard to control due to the low pressure of the gas. Then there is a commercially bought stove that looks nicer and can control the flame a little better for burning. I will be comparing these two stoves to each other and also to the traditional wood stove. In addition, I will be doing the test on a commercial stove that is attached to a propane tank. Propane is very expensive here, and some of the engineers here are hoping to show that the biodigester has similar thermal efficiencies to the expensive stoves while being a fraction of the cost.

I am going to measure the thermal efficiency of each type of stove by doing what is known as a water boiling test. It is actually a series of three tests done in rapid sequence. In the end, I will know how much energy it took each stove to boil a pot of water. The thermal efficiency is then how much energy each stove used divided by how much energy that pot of water should have used in a “perfect” world. I have to weigh all the wood before and after the test, the pots, and the water before and after. I also have to figure out the amount of water in the wood, the type of wood, and the local boiling point, which may be different than 100C due to elevation. For the gas stove, I also need to be able to estimate the volume of gas in the biodigester after each portion of the test.

I need to repeat each test three times for each stove to ensure accurate results and to be able to run some simple statistics on them. I also don’t want to disturb a family’s cooking routine too much, so I am only going to test each stove once per week and stretch it out over a three week period. I would also like to add that one of that has the biodigester with the commercial stove and a traditional stove offered to be my host family for three weeks while I am doing my testing. They live about 20 minutes by bus away from the office in a very nice house in the “campo”. They also live across the street from the family with the biodigester attached to the homemade stove. Therefore, on Monday, I will be moving in with them. The plan is to do my testing in the mornings and then take the bus into work in the late morning or early afternoon and spend some time in the office doing other things. This way I can also have the internet.

I will have pictures and more explanations as time passes if there is any confusion or uncertainty. Sometimes I struggle to explain myself well because I know what I am doing and can easily forget to mention some key details. This is why I seem to be continually updating my plan of work here haha. If there are any blaring questions, feel free to email me at lgeiger09@gmail.com though.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012- Skandolo

Today ended up being the first day I have been sick since arriving. I have no idea what I ate or drank to have caused it because Chris and I have been eating and drinking practically the same thing. I know that he is probably more accustomed to the food since he spent two years here with the Peace Corps. However, I spent a week in the “campo” eating some pretty suspect things and never got sick. Anyways, in the end, I ended up having a pretty good day.

This morning, I had a three hour meeting with Alvaro, Chris, Denis, and Walter to hammer out all the details about my project. They wanted more clarification about what exactly I was going to be doing. The language is still a slight barrier, but I was really relieved when everything finally clicked with them and they realized that my project would really help them with technology promotion and possible improvement. Then, they got excited and were throwing more ideas at me. My language skills are improving by huge bounds every day though. The overall plan is pretty lengthy so I think I am going to save it for either tomorrow or Friday since today’s blog entry will be pretty long.

As an outcome of the meeting, I still had to revise a couple of parts of my work plan and write a few more things. However, I did not feel well at all and quickly decided that a nap was in my best interest. I got up a few hours later but really didn’t feel significantly better. Brittany was over when I got up to use the internet, so we all just hung out for a while.

Denis had invited everyone over to his house for supper in La Trinidad since it was Mother’s Day in Nicaragua. I was thinking about not going but decided that since I hadn’t eaten anything all day, I should probably go. The food was excellent. There was a huge array of food to choose from. There was crispy pork (kinda like pork rinds), steamed vegetables, sausages, fried bananas, yucca, a taco like meat, homemade tortilla chips, chicken, rice, and pineapple upside down cake for dessert. It was all really good (except the pork rinds).

The table full of food (plus Chris posing for the camera)

Alvaro with his big plate of food.

Then, we went to a disco between La Trinidad and San Isidro to hear a band play called Skandolo. Chris and I had actually met one of the singers when we went to Milton’s softball game last weekend. The band was really good. They had music of their own and also covered other things. I’ve decided that I really like Latin music and need to listen to it more, so I can become more familiar with it. They were also very entertaining to watch. Everyone danced and had a pretty good time. I was feeling better until about an hour before we left, and then I decided it was best for me to sit down and just listen. We got home around 2am, and Brittany stayed the night in the office with us since it was so late. It was a pretty good night.

Here is a link to one of the band's songs if anyone is interested. It was one of my favorites.   http://youtu.be/WLL9o5-qvt4

Me with one of the singers (who also plays softball for La Trinidad)

Skandalo

Chris, Brittany, and I

Alvaro and I

Chris dancing.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012- Water Chlorinators

Today I observed an installation of a water chlorinator in a small village near La Trinidad called Machapa. We were going to leave around 10am but there was a bad storm the night before that destroyed part of the road between La Trinidad and San Isidro. Therefore, a lot of the workers couldn’t make it into the office until late afternoon, but it worked out fine for me because I needed to improve my plan of work and translate the experiment I am going to do from English to Spanish.

Walter finally arrived around 12, and we were ready to go around 1. We went by motorcycle, which was a little uncomfortable since we were transporting two backpacks and a whole bunch of PVC pipe. The water tank for the village was located in the forest on the other side of town because it actually feeds two towns. The road we had to take was pretty bad. It was incredibly steep, had huge rocks, and was washed out in places, so of course we took the motorcycle. I was pretty scared I was going to fall off the back, but we made it to the top.

Water tank before the install

Walter assembled the chlorinator on the ground first. It is made out of PVC and plastic pieces. It is a relatively cheap way to purify water by removing most waterborne diseases, so that it is safer to drink. I calculated it out that it would cost $150 for the initial install and then about $5 per month to purify water for two communities! The ingenious part of the whole thing is that the chlorine tablet is suspended a little bit inside the pipe. This way the amount of chlorine added to the water is controlled by the flow of water through the pipe. When there is less water, less chlorine will be added.

Water Chlorinator

The water chlorinator is then installed so that the water enters the chlorinator first before the water enters the holding tank. The goal is to have about 3ppm of chlorine in the tank.

After the chlorinator was installed.

After we finished the installation, Walter brought me to his house since he technically lives in the same village. His mom gave me cookies, sweet bread, and coffee. She even gave me a bag of cookies and bread for me to take with me. People here are so kind and hospitable!

Monday, May 28, 2012- The Basics of My Project

First, I would like to apologize for the spotty updating of my blog. I was without the internet this weekend and late last week. There were also some power outages. I am doing my best to keep my blog up to date and will continue to do so. I encourage anyone and everyone to comment on any posts with questions or comments. If you leave an email address, I will gladly respond.

Today, I was better able to grasp what I am going to be doing over the next few weeks. Everyone from the EOS team had a meeting this morning to plan out the week. After the meeting, I reviewed plan of work and created a list of questions for people with biodigestors. Then, after lunch, Salvador, Chris and I traveled to a nearby village to look at a couple of biodigestors. One of them was actually the first biodigestor that I had seen in Nicaragua. It is also one that I will be doing some testing on. It is perfect because the family also has a traditional wood burning stove.

The first part of my internship (about three weeks) will be spent determining the difference between a traditional wood burning stove and a stove that uses gas from a biodigester. I will do this by completing what is known as a water boiling test. This test takes approximately two and a half hours to complete because it has multiple parts. A water boiling test quantifies the energetic input of each type of stove to boil water so that the two can be compared apples to apples. The downside is that the household loses 2.5 hours of gas for the day that I am there, and I need to do the test three times for validation. However, the family was very willing to let me into their kitchen and even though I will be using most of their gas for the day. Since they have both types of stoves, I will be testing twice per week: one for each type of stove. This way, they can still use the other stove while I am doing my testing. After my testing is complete, I will be able to compile some statistics about the differences between the two types of stoves for EOS to use. It can also be used as a starting point from which improvements can be made to the biodigestor.

Sunday, May 27, 2012- The Waterfall and Mine

Today, Brittney, Chris, and I went hiking. We all got up early and took the bus to Estelí. From there, we hiked/hitchhiked the 5 km to see a waterfall. It was really awesome. The hike was really tough since it was through the “mountains” around Estelí, but the end result was definitely worth it.

Brittany and I in front of the waterfall.

Then on our walk out, we walked down another path that was above the waterfall and found another really beautiful spot.

We ended up having to walk the full 5km back, but luckily it was almost all downhill. When we were about 2km from Estelí, Chris spotted a sign for a soapstone mine and decided it would be cool to hike the 800m to go see it. When we asked a local if it was possible to just go see it, he told us it was a little dangerous, but he would be willing to show us the way. He then grabbed a machete and started walking.

We did not take the road that the sign had indicated. Instead, we went through his property. Along the way, he even climbed up in a mango tree and shook it until some fresh mangos fell down. It was a lovely snack for the rest of the trip.

He led us on a very intense hike up the side of a mountain. At times, it was nearly straight up. The walk was very difficult. We had walked for quite a while when he indicated that we had arrived. “The mine” was actually just a place where the locals collect the soapstone for carving. He used his machete to show us all the different colors available and even gave me a really nice piece. He also told us that there is no road, so everyone has to carry the rock on their back or by ox cart.

The mine

He then took us to the highest point on the mountain and removed a tree so we could get some really great pictures of the view of the countryside and Estelí below.

Before Tree removal

During tree removal

After tree removal. The city of Esteli is visible below.

We returned the same route as we theoretically would have taken had we gone to the mine ourselves. We agreed that we probably would not have found it on our own. We went through a very small village where we met our guide’s brother. He carves the soapstone into figurines (our guide makes sinks for washing hands). All three of us bought a soapstone turtle for the equivalent of $2 US each. We wanted to support the local economy (as well as get something to remember our day).

Soapstone sink our guide had made.

We paid our guide for his excellent tour and finished our hike. We were so exhausted that we ate at a small restaurant across from where we exited our hike into Estelí, which is also the bus stop. We had hiked for about 6 hours in all. My feet have blisters, and I am a tiny bit sunburned but the day could not have been better. It was a great adventure (with no rain)!

Saturday, May 26, 2012- Beisbol!

For most South and Central American Countries, their national sport is soccer, but in Nicaragua it is baseball. It is because it is a game that the US Marines played throughout history when they were stationed here.  Milton plays on a slow pitch softball team, and he had a lightning championship tournament this weekend in Estelí. He invited me to come watch him, so I agreed to go.

I was told that the game started at 11am, so Chris and I got on the bus in San Isidro at 10am to go to Estelí. It cost less than a dollar for the 45 minute ride. Since we weren’t exactly sure where the stadium was, we took a cab once we got to the bus station. We were glad that we did though because it ended up being clear across town. However, I had been given faulty information about the game and the team didn’t even show up until almost noon. Then, the first game wasn’t until 1, and Milton’s team, La Trinidad, only played the second and third games.

Chris wanted to go grab lunch and show me the city, so we decided to do that and go back to the stadium later to see the games. We walked quite a bit, but I feel much more comfortable with the city now than what I did before. There is a rather large vegetable market there also. It was pretty cool.

Then, we walked back to see the games. The second game had only just started. It was La Trinidad Vs. Pueblo Nuevo. La Trinidad ended up crushing them in only five innings. Milton even got a home run when he hit the ball out of the park. The second game was more intense. It was La Trinidad Vs. Estelí. Both teams had won their first game. The crowd was also more rowdy because there were more “barrachos” or drunkards. It was a really good game. La Trinidad ended up winning. It was definitely an experience.

The players in the  red and blue jersey are on the same team.
Their jerseys don't even have to have their team name on them.

Friday, May 25, 2012- A short reflection

This morning, another EOS intern arrived. His name is Chris. He was in the Peace Corp and has been out for about a year and a half now. We will both be living in the office until I get a host family, but there are two bedrooms and plenty of space.

I went to Sebaco for the first time today, which has a rather large vegetable market. Almost all of the traffic from Managua to Matagalpa or Esteli has to go through Sebaco. It has the closest banks and the cheapest food. We went for the primary reason of the bank, but then did a little bit of shopping. Chris had to get some bedding and a new “mattress” for his room, and I got a mosquito net. The mosquitos aren’t bad here yet per se but there is a rather large insect infestation in the office due to all the rain. I have been getting bit up at night, so I think a net is a wise investment.

Then, we came back to San Isidro where the power was off. It stayed off for a couple of hours. I was told that it is because it is due to all the rain we have been receiving. The trees get weighed down and take out the power lines. The entire town was out. Brittany, the Peace Corps volunteer in San Isidro, came over and hung out during the outage.

Now that I have been here for two weeks, I think it’s time to reflect on a few things:

1.       I need to learn how to go with the flow. I am a crazy planner, and it is too stressful here to worry about. I need to find a good balance.

2.       I am a crappy packer. I need more shoes and shirts! Enough said.

3.       The food here is great! Since there is very little refrigeration, everything is very fresh and very good.

4.       I need to stop speaking English. It’s a downfall of mine. I am not making any progress on my Spanish by speaking English to Milton, Brittany, and Chris all the time. Spanish from now on only!

Thursday, May 24, 2012- Managua

Today was a very long day. I got up really early and went to Managua with Alvaro, Dennis, and Bianney. The original plan was to spend the mornings in meetings and then spend the afternoon shopping. However, it did not turn out that way. We got to Managua a little bit late after having stopped for breakfast along the way. Then, we had to drop some barrels off at the Peace Corps office to be used for ovens. They were already welded and ready for use. However, we got lost and couldn’t find the office.

At this point I would like to make two points. The first is that nearly everyone is always late here. No one ever seems to be in a big hurry. They say they will meet you at nine, but they will really show up between 9 and 10. I try to be ready as scheduled but compensate for their lateness by reading a book. The second point I would like to make is that cities are incredibly hard to navigate. There are no street signs or street names for that matter. Addresses are given in relation to major landmarks within the city or by the name of the neighborhood it’s in.

Once we dropped off the barrels at Peace Corps, we made our way to the FUNICA office for our second and last meeting of the day. FUNICA is a large non-profit organization in Nicaragua that helps other groups with projects. EOS has a drip irrigation project with them. The purpose of the meeting was to show them our reports on funds and progress. However, we showed up at the wrong place (their office rather than the hotel where everyone was meeting), and from my understanding, the financial part of the report was in the wrong format. We ended up being there for the rest of the day to fix it.

I did get to see the large mall in Managua when we went to the bank. My ATM cards worked, which was a huge relief to me! I even bought a couple of books. I bought “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” and “The Little Prince” both in Spanish. Alvaro and I did not leave Managua until 7:30 that night, and we still stopped for barrels in order to make more ovens for Peace Corps on the way home.

EOS truck loaded down with 15 barrels!

Christopher Faye, Me, and Alvaro in front of the truck

Wednesday, May 23, 2012- OVENS!

I learned a lot today about improved ovens. Let me first begin by discussing what an improved oven is. Most Nicaraguans do not have stove/oven combinations like people in the United States and other developed nations may have. Instead, they have a either a gas stove top or a wood stove for cooking and a many also have some sort of barrel oven for baking. The barrel ovens that EOS installs use 75% less firewood than traditional ovens in Nicaragua because the heat is more evenly distributed. They are also much safer because the wood and fire is separated from the baked goods; the openings for both are also on opposite sides so women are breathing in less smoke when they bake. They cost $40 USD.

Several days before the construction of the oven begins, a foundation must be constructed. The actual foundation must be at least one meter by one meter. However, the one that I helped install today was a little longer. The foundation is constructed of bricks and a mud mortar. The middle is filled with sand.

Foundation of Improved Oven

Then, bricks are laid so that they form a one meter by one meter box around the top of the foundation. Again, mud is used as mortar. I helped with this part, but I soon realized that brick laying is not my forte. Salvador was very patient with me, but had to correct nearly every brick that I laid.

Before the barrel is added.

Then, the barrel, which has been fabricated so that it has a door on the outside and racks on the inside, is put on top of the first few layers of bricks. It is leveled so that goods will bake evenly.

Barrel with support bricks ready to be put under. You are looking at the door of the oven.

Next, bricks are added around the barrel, but gap is always left between the barrel and the bricks to allow for even heat transfer.

Adding bricks (and mud) around the barrel.

When the bricks are almost to the top of the barrel, one brick is layed upright in each corner of the barrel. Rebar is placed between them. The rebar then supports the bricks, so that the gap is still maintained.

Top(ish) bricks that lay on the rebar.

Finally, bricks are added to the top of the oven. The oven then has to dry for several days before it can be used. Sand is also added to the bottom of the barrel to help with even heating.  This process takes quite a while. We started at 6:30 in the morning, and I worked until a little after 11. Then, I had to leave in order to make lunch. However, Salvador was almost finished. All he had left was the top bricks to add. The reason it takes so long is the each brick is laid perfectly. Salvador is constantly measuring, leveling, and breaking bricks so that everything fits together nicely. A lot of mud is needed to hold everything together also.

Finished Oven at Alvaro's. Front view of door.

Rear view of where wood is added.

After helping to construct the oven this morning, I got to bake in one for lunch. After leaving
Salvador, I went to the store with Dennis to get the things I would need to cook the Tilapia that we had caught on Sunday. We also had go to a fresh vegetable stand because grocery stores here don’t carry anything fresh. At the stand, I bought three onions, three green peppers, some cilantro, and a nice sized pineapple for 35 Cordobas. This is equivalent to a little over $1 US. It was awesome!

The fish was simply scaled, gutted, decapitated, and cut in half. The skin and bones were still intact. I put the fish skin side down on some greased aluminum foil and rubbed butter and garlic on the fish. I didn’t want it to dry out. Then, I threw some onion, green pepper, and some salt and pepper on the fish before putting it in the oven. I made a pineapple salsa to go with it (equivalent to mango salsa but mangos are going out of season and getting hard to find). It had pineapple, onion, cilantro, and a little bit of fresh orange juice. Ubania made rice. The oven worked perfectly and the fish stayed moist. Everyone said they liked it. I know I did!

Tilapia ready to go into the oven



Fish coming out of the oven.

Ready to eat!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Today was a pretty slow day in my opinion. I didn’t sleep well last night due to my heartburn, so I was moving pretty slow this morning. However, I was feeling better by this morning. I spent the morning revising my plan of work to make it more specific and adding more detail, but I am still unsure what type of document is wanted from me. I discussed it with one of the coordinators here, Dennis, since Alvaro did not come in until late. He liked my plan of work and was unsure of what else to include also. It is basically an outline of the tasks and goals I want to accomplish this summer.

Alvaro returned around 11:30 and said that we would be going to La Trinidad for lunch at Milton’s. At 12:15 he was ready to go, so we hopped on the motorcycle. I was a bit scared at first because I have not really even ridden a motorcycle in the US let alone in a country where the driving is dangerous, but Alvaro is a great driver. We both had helmets, and I felt safe the entire time. It was great in fact!

At Milton’s, we had guapote. It was really good.  It was a “mild” fish; it wasn’t too fishy. Milton’s sister made a ketchup sauce with garlic, onion, and tomato for it. It was perfect. We also had rice, tomatoes, cucumbers, and banana fritters. I was stuffed by the end of lunch. We hung around for over an hour after lunch and chatted. It was really nice.

Then, Alvaro and I headed back to San Isidro. We stopped at a grocery store around the block from the office, so I could buy some bread for breakfast, some cooking oil, and something to cook for supper. I want to start cooking for myself more since there are so many fresh fruits and vegetables available. Tomorrow I am going to make tilapia for everyone for lunch using one of the improved ovens that EOS installs. I am actually installing one in the morning and then cooking with Alvaro’s. I’ve never used an improved barrel oven (more info tomorrow) so wish me luck!

Since I didn' t have too much to talk about tonight, I thought I would share a map of Nicaragua for those of you who do not know where it is or what it looks like. I was hoping for a better one but this one will do.

I currently live in Esteli, which is in the department of Matagalpa. Esteli is located in the very northwest part of the department near the border of the department of Esteli. La Trinidad is located within the department of Esteli near the border also and Esteli is in the department of Esteli. The lake where we went fishing this past weekend is actually the lake that can be seen in the southern part of the department of Jinotega. The Spanish school that I went to is in the northern part of the department of Leon.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Today was my first official day of my internship. I got up around 6am and straightened up the office. I swept the floor a little bit because there was dried mud all over. I also picked up the bathroom. Then, I did some laundry since my clothes from yesterday were filthy and a little smelly. I also was almost out of clothes, so I needed to wash some shirts. However, I didn’t wash everything because it looked like it was going to rain.

Then, everyone showed up around 8am for work. Ubania and Mili came with Alvaro also. The team had a meeting this morning about goals for EOS and everyone’s position within the group. It was really interesting and everyone is really nice. While we were having the meeting Ubania cleaned the entire office, including my room. She even made my bed.

After the meeting Salvador and Dennis took me to a nearby village to look at a biodigestor. It was in household of a richer woman it seemed. She had an industrial stove (aka store bought) instead of the fabricated one that EOS makes, so it had a great flame. I should explain that I will be working primarily with biodigestors this summer with EOS. A biodigestor takes organic matter (in this case cow manure and water) and uses microbes in a closed environment to essentially ferment the manure to create methane and a high quality fertilizer. The methane rises to the top of the bag and is piped out via PVC to a gas burning stove. The biodigestors installed by EOS provide 5-6 hours of gas per day for cooking. Manure is only added two times per week in this particular one. I will get more into my specific project as time goes by as it is easier to explain as I actually do stuff for the project.

Then we returned to the office where I worked on my blogs and work plan (in Spanish) for the rest of the day. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do for lunch until almost everyone had left to go home for lunch. As I was getting ready to leave to go the restaurant for lunch, the two secretaries insisted that I eat lunch with them at the office. They had brought gallo pinto, which is rice and beans, banana chips, and some sort of fruit juice. It was incredibly nice of them. For supper, Alvaro and I went to a pizza place near the town square in San Isidro. We took one of the motorcycles there. The pizza was pretty good, but they don’t use pizza sauce. Instead, you get some ketchup. It was really interesting. I was fine with my choice of food for the day though because I woke up around 4:30 with some really bad heartburn, and it will not go away. If it’s not gone by tomorrow, I will have to go the pharmacy to get some real acid reducers because pepto bismol isn’t cutting it.

Me stirring a bucket of manure

Savador adding manure to digestor

Methane gas stove (industrial)

Biodigestor

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Today was a pretty great day. I got up at 6am as usual and brought my laundry inside since it would dry better with the fan than in the rain. I picked up a little bit, got dressed, and took a new book outside to read while I waited for Alvaro to show up. He was supposed to come at 7 but he didn’t get to the office until almost 8. He also had his brother Omar and one of his nephews with him. We then drove to La Trinidad to pick up Milton, so we could all go fishing.

We ended up going to Jinotega, which is a different department (kinda like states). It was a two hour drive. Along the way, we stopped at the Quesarilla, which sells cheese and onions wrapped in tortillas smothered in onions and more cheese. It was pretty good. When we got to the lake, Alvaro, Milton, and one of Milton’s friends all changed into wet suits because they fish with spear guns not fishing poles. I got in the boat along with the others and off we went.

Milton “caught” quite a few tilapias, one bass, a “chorro” which is good for soup, and one guapote. Since I didn’t have a change of clothes, I wasn’t planning on swimming or anything, but about an hour into our day (we got there around 12), it started down pouring. The water was much warmer than the air was, so I got in and went swimming. I ended up helping with the fish stringer while Milton and his friend did the fishing. The sun came out at one point, and I was almost dry when it started to rain once again. I eventually gave up and got in the water again. When we were “done” for the day, I asked Milton if I could try out the spear gun. He ended up giving me his goggles, weight belt, and gun and showing me how to shoot a fish. Of the three fish I shot at, I missed all three. However, I impressed everyone with the fact that I can lay down on the bottom of the lake for over a minute. Apparently, most people only last about 40 seconds. I was up to pretty close to a minute and a half by the time I was done for the day. It was a really cool experience.

We finished just as it was getting dark. We packed everything up and headed back to the truck. Someone had an army jacket that they let me wear since I was soaking wet (it was still raining), and I didn’t have any dry clothes to wear. We drove back the two hours to San Isidro and dropped Milton off in La Trinidad. Then, Alvaro took me to the office, so I could change before he took me to his house for supper. It was about 10pm at this point. Ubania made taco meat, a tomato salad, and rice. It was pretty good. Then Alvaro brought me back to the office where I took a cold shower and went to bed.

Storm coming in on the lake

Me with some of the fish and the spear gun

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Today I was up at 4:30 in the morning, so that I could pack and be ready to leave at 5:30 when the community truck left for Estelí. I rode in the back of the truck for an hour and a half with ten other people in order to get to Esteli. It was a pretty good ride though. It is pretty warm in the mornings and the countryside is beautiful. I had the truck drop me off at the bus stop in Esteli where I hoped Alvaro would be to pick me up. I had sent him an email on Thursday trying to figure out how to get from Esteli to San Isidro with the intention of checking my email on Friday. However, Luis left Lagartillo Thursday (with the flashdrive with the internet on it). Luckily Alvaro showed up within a couple of minutes.

Then we went to Evelyn’s for a little while so that Alvaro and her could figure out exactly how much Hijos del Maiz owed EOS for the installation of some technologies (Luis was going to meet with the on Saturday to pay the bill). We were there for a couple of hours and then left to get something to eat. Alvaro took me (and his daughter Mili) to a touristy café for an early lunch. We had banana yogurt, cheese, bread, tomatoes, and cucumbers. I thought it was really good. There was also a park there, so Mili played for a while too. Then we went to get insect repellent for me and Vitamin C for Mili since she was getting sick.

After we were done with that, we came back to San Isidro where Alvaro dropped me off at the office. I did some laundry and made some phone calls. I went to the restaurant around the block for supper since I didn’t have any food in the office. I had beef strips with chili sauce, banana chips, rice, and coleslaw. It was really good. Then, I came back and called it an early night since I was pretty tired.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Today was sort of a mess of a day. I got up at 4 in the morning because I went to bed at 8 since there isn’t much to do when it rains. Since it was still raining though, I didn’t actually get out of bed until 5:30. Then, I read the book Alcedes let me borrow. Francisca told me that I would not have class in the morning because one of Alcedes’s sons had had a seizure the night before and went to the hospital in Achuapa. Alcedes might then be back on the afternoon bus if they released his kid. Nicolia didn’t have class either because Alcedes was actually supposed to teach her today also because her teacher had to go to Leon. Therefore, we decided to go hiking.

We hiked to a place called “Almirador”. It took about 40 minutes to get there and it was pretty high up. It had an even better view than the other two places that I had hiked to. However, since I didn’t think things through, I didn’t charge my camera prior to going to Lagartillo or bring the charger. Therefore, I had to use the camera on my phone (ie no pictures of the view until I get back to the States). I also got BURNT. My back and shoulders are pretty bad even though I put on sunscreen. I guess it must have worn off.

When we got back, I showered, which felt really great since it was incredibly hot out. Ermalinda, one of the teachers, came to talk to me after I got out. She said that if Alcedes wasn’t back at 2pm, she would teach me for the day, and since it was my last day, I would have class for 4 hours. She said that since Nicolia was there for another week, she would make up her four hours later.

My lunch for the day was soup. It was good that it was a light soup. The chicken in it had been butchered that morning. Then, I hung out for a few hours reviewing my Spanish until class. I ended up having class with Ermalinda because they were keeping Alcede’s son for 24 hours for observation.  Ermalinda did not want to read to me as Alcedes had been, so she just talked to me. It was fine, but it wasn’t necessarily helpful to improving my comprehension.

I then returned home at 6pm for a supper of beans, cheese, and a tortilla. There is a smoothie stand next door that always sounded good, but I was always so full after every meal. I decided that since it was my last night, I would just get one anyway. I essentially ended up with a milkshake. It was pretty good. Then I continued to read the book that Alcedes had lent to me.

Smoothie place next door

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Today was an excellent day. I woke up around 5:30am after not sleeping well due to the hard rain the night before. I walked to meet Luis at his house, so that I could use the internet. We walked to “la punta” which means “the point”. It was the same basic direction as “el pino” but it wasn’t as high. It had a clear view of the nearby community of Achuapa and their cellphone tower. It was a great view. I needed to send an email to Alvaro about when I would be returning on Saturday to coordinate how I would not only get back to the office but also into the office. Then, we walked back to Largartillo. It was about 6:30 in the morning. When I got back, Francisca was making tortillas. It was a bit late for her, but she told me she had a headache from the heat and humidity. Therefore, I gathered the wood for the day. It took three armloads to get enough. It was wet and heavy. I do not envy her for having to do that every single day. For breakfast I had beans, cheese, avocado, and a tortilla.

I went to class at 9am as usual in the cabana. When I arrived, Alcedes asked me if I wanted to go on a walk almost immediately. I agreed. We left the village and walked through pasture and grazing land towards the forest. In the forest, Alcedes and his brother had planted coffee. He told me that Lagartillo is too hot for coffee so it has to be planted in the forest where it is a little cooler. The places in Nicaragua that can grow good coffee, like Matagalpa, are at higher altitudes where it is naturally cooler. Alcedes said that his coffee was an experiment to see if it was good. His plots were only six years old (this is how long it takes the plants to grow). This is also why I apparently like the coffee here. It is fresh and organic. He also told me that he has plans to cut down the old, dying trees around the coffee and plant some fruit trees for more production. Currently, he has three types of banana trees, avocado, and bamboo. He wants to add passion fruit, mango, and more avocados. He also plans to build a house closer to forest since it’s kind of a hike to get there from the village. During the summer, he needs to irrigate the coffee, but he is lucky because his coffee is at a lower elevation so no pump is needed. On the walk back, I saw a lot of bamboo and wild parrots. I also saw a huge humming bird that was almost the size of a real bird.

Then I went home for lunch. I had rice, fried potatoes, spicy fish (from a can), fried bananas, and a juice made of passion fruit. It was really good but really heavy. Then, I wrote a short essay about women in the US for my afternoon homework. At 2pm I went to the library so that I could pay for my classes for the week. The school was very unclear about how payment worked and I had to ask Nicolia about it. If I wanted to be dishonest, I could have easily have left without paying. It needs to be run better/made clearer. The cost of the school pays for fresh fruits and vegetables for the student, it gives a stipend to the host family, gives money to the organization of Hijos del Maiz, as well as gives 20% to the community for projects like solar panels for electricity, clean drinking water, community gardens, an ambulance, etc.

For my class in the afternoon, Alcedes read to me and I wrote again. He read to me from the book “The Little Prince”. Then we talked about different religions around the world. It rained a lot again and never stopped. For dinner, I had beans, rice, cheese, and a tortilla. Then, I made paper boats with one of Francisca’s granddaughters, so we could race them in the river forming in the street. It was a lot of fun. Alcedes let me borrow his book, so I am going to read a bit of that too.

The view from "La punta"

Coffee planted in the forest

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

I went to bed around 9 the night before and woke up around 5am. I practiced my Spanish verb conjugation and looked up words I didn’t know before breakfast. Then, around 7 I had a breakfast of oranges, bananas, and some melon. I was a lot of fruit. I tried to tell her that I don’t eat that much, especially for breakfast, but she doesn’t seem to follow through with giving me less.

After breakfast, I practiced my Spanish more before class at 9. Then in class, we reviewed the subjunctive again and went through some examples. Then, I did a comprehension exercise. Alcedes read a paragraph to me from a book, and I rewrote it. Understanding people when they speak to me is a big problem for me. I can read and write Spanish pretty well, but listening is totally different. It’s hard to recognize the words. I had a lot of problems with the exercise, so we are going to do it again tomorrow.

Then, I came home for lunch. I had a tortilla, rice, an avocado, and some vegetables. Plus I had some fresh squeezed orange juice. I showered, but it was pretty chilly outside. Then I talked with Nicolia for a little bit before returning to class.

We only talked for this class. I really need the practice though. It started raining around 4pm and didn’t stop. After class, I ran to the library and tried to check out a book, but they wouldn’t let me. I guess they have had problems in the past with students checking out books and not bringing them back. It is a really small library with a very limited collection. It is both the school and the town library. Instead, I sat in the library and read part of “Sherlock Holmes” in Spanish. Even though I didn’t have my dictionary, I understood quite a bit of the book.

Then I went home and had supper. Francisca made what was sort of like pizza for supper except it had beans instead of tomato sauce and had a tortilla for the crust. It also had some cheese, tomato bits, and onion on it.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Last night I slept really well. I did not hear the chickens or the tv, but I did discover that my bed fleas in it. I could not figure out what all the little bites were from since I never seemed to be bitten by mosquitos and my bed had a bug net on it. I think that the fleas are from the random dogs and cats that come into the house during the day to look for food.

Nicolia came at 6:30am so that we could go on a walk, but I had not had breakfast yet. I had breakfast finally at 7:30 of rice, eggs, a tortilla, cheese, beans, and coffee. Francisca gives me way too much food but I always finish it because I feel guilty about leaving food on my plate.

Then, Nicolia and I went on a walk to “el pino”. It literally means “the pine” because there are pine trees at the end of the trail. We had to walk through the woods and up a small mountain/large hill to get to “el pino”. The view was magnificent! I could see for miles and miles. The weather was a lot nicer too since there was a lot more wind. We sat on a big rock and talked for a while. Then, we returned to the town because I had to get to class.

In class, I reviewed the subjunctive tense. It’s used in the Spanish language when someone expresses doubt or a wish. I learned all the verb tenses in my Spanish classes in college, but I did not bring any of my notes. I really wish that I had. I remember the verb forms when we practice them, but I can never remember to use some of them in conversation. I need more practice. For homework due in the afternoon, I had to write a mini essay about energy. Alcedes wanted me to use the subjunctive as much as possible in the essay.

As I left the cabana, the rain started, so I ran to the house. I talked with Francisca a little bit and then had lunch. I ate tomatoes, rice, beans, and a tortilla. I also had a drink made of fresh limes. It was really good. Then, I wrote my essay and finished my book. I could not/would not shower since it was raining outside. It was too cold. I returned to class at 3pm and practiced the subjunctive more.

I had to run back to the house after class was over because it was still raining hard. For supper, I had beans, rice, cheese, a mixture of vegetables, and coffee. The mixture of vegetables was composed of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and carrots. The onions and carrots were really sweet. The onions were not strong at all. There was a lot of rain today and there is a little river running down the street. The ducks are pretty happy, but me, not so much. When it rains, it gets pretty chilly and the rain seeps through the roof. I hope that I will sleep good though.

"El Pino" from "La punta"

Monday, May 14, 2012

I was exhausted, so I went to bed at 9pm when my host family did. However, I could not sleep because the family next door had their tv on and the roosters started crowing at 2:30 in the morning at the literal crack of dawn.

I was out of bed nonetheless at 6am because I finally gave up on sleep. I got ready and puttered around in my room for a while before breakfast at 7am. I had beans mixed with rice, cheese, and a yogurt substance. The yogurt substance did not taste good at all. I also had coffee. Then, I sat outside and watched the children walk to the school across the street before deciding to review some Spanish before my first class at 9am. My teacher, Alcedes, met me at the home where I was staying, and we walked to the cabanas in the park for class. The cabanas were small bamboo huts that had large windows, a roof, as well as a stone floor. They also had two student desks and a whiteboard in each.

We talked for two hours about agriculture in the US and Nicaragua, prices of things in both countries, weather, our families, and other things. He made the same comment as many others; I have great Spanish speaking skills, but I lack confidence. He talks slowly and clearly, which is great.

After two hours, we broke for lunch and agreed to meet at 3pm in the same cabana. He lives just down the street from where I am living. I had only been home for about 5 minutes when he was at the house to get his son, Carlito, who Francisca watches since his wife is a teacher in a nearby town.

I had lunch around noon that consisted of rice, a tortilla, shell pasta with a little tomato sauce on it, and some sort of mild-cocoa cold drink. It was pretty good. I read my book outside even though it was really hot because the smoke from the stove was unbearable. Then, when the heat outside became too much, I took a shower.

At 3pm, I returned to the cabana. Alcedes took me to the library in town and showed me where I could find books in Spanish to read. Then, we started to walk outside of town, so he could show me the town’s pumping system. They use a pumping system in the summer since there is no surface water for drinking. It used solar panels with direct energy (ie no batteries) since they only need the pump during the dry season when there are no clouds. He also introduced me to a bunch of people along the way. Upon returning to the cabana, we reviewed some of the more complicated verb tenses in the Spanish language.

At 5pm, class was over, and I met up with Nicolia. She switched host families and now lives next door to me. We talked for a while, and then helped some of the adults move some bamboo for the construction of a new cabana. I then went home for a supper of quesadillas and coffee. I guess I am a coffee drinker now since I drink it twice per day. Marcelano, Francisca’s husband, talked to me about the government of Nicaragua. He had a lot of interesting things to say. For instance, Largartillo began as a cooperative before the contra war. Marcelano moved to Largartillo when the cooperative was started. Six people from Largartillo died during the contra war, including one of Francisca’s sons. After the war was over, Daniel Ortega dissolved the cooperatives, and Marcelano received some land.

Then, I read my book outside using the light from the house and wrote in my journal. Marcelano noticed that I was writing in English and not in Spanish and asked why. I realized that I did not have a good answer, so tomorrow my personal journal will be in Spanish (translated back to English before blogged).

Traditional Stove