erikwinkler

Feliz Dia De Amor y Amistad- Happy late V-Day

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:33:27 GMT

I took this picture, unsuspectingly, last year at the high school. I saw it as an innocent and young gesture of budding love. I wanted to capture it with the cam. A perfect Valentine's Day picture.

Nica Villages

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:48:45 GMT

Gioconda Belli- The Country Under My Skin

"The hamlets and villages of Nicaragua are sleep communities where time's passing is barely perceptible. Tiled-roofed houses, with high ceilings, and adobe construction, are packed tightly together and thickly planted parks, with large trees and the ever present old church. Only the center of town qualifies for paving, otherwise it's all dirt roads where pigs and chickens roam, bordered by houses built out of rough-hewn planks with outdoor kitchens, zinc roofs, and children running around barefoot and in rags."

Lupe

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:27:18 GMT

Mireyling was laughing when she told me that Lupe had a little crush on me and got jealous when she saw me walking down the street with Joanna.

Lupe happens to be my four year old neighbor that has funny stories to tell me and usually drops by the house unexpectedly looking for markers or crayons or we go and buy beans together. Lupe lives in the small store next to my house where I go to buy basically everything I need. She has a cute speech impediment so I have to ask her to repeat herself a lot of the time and I thank her for being so patient with me.

	Lupe outside the venta.


	Lupe on Independence Day

Party Time

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:10:18 GMT

¨Erik,¨Marta said softly. Cee Cee´s tail was wagging and I drifted out of my daze. Marta woke me up at 5:15 this morning so I could come out and see the pig dangling from the tree. He oddly enough didn´t make a noise getting killed and the cute old campesino man that did him in made me laugh. He had no shirt on and was using rope as a belt. I paid him 50 cords, he swung the axe (pig killing method) over his shoulder and swaggered off to start his work day fishing on the lake, just like that.

After washing down some coffee, helping to skin the pig, and minutes later eating some of the fried pork rinds, I was off to the country side by bike to help cut palm leaves with Erikson (the family farm hand), to wrap up the nacatamales.

Water service has been very irregular in town this month. We went three days without it last week and it´s been off every afternoon since. We have to fill up huge plastic barrels and resort to bucket baths at night, which are actually quite refreshing after you get over the initial dump on your head. I don´t think any of my neighbors saw me standing out by the lavendero taking a bath the day I took Cee Cee to Managua. It was still dark anyway.

The economy here is as always struggling. The government just announced that all ministries (aka government organizations) work from 7AM to 1PM as a cost saving measure because they can´t pay their utility bills. Prices keep rising, which is a never ending problem and conversation topic, while salaries stay the same or go down. Last year inflation in Nicaragua was a whopping 18%. I fear that it´s only going to get worse herewithout trying to sound too speculative.

	Marta toasting corn to make pinolillo

	Toasted cacao

Hanging in There

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:15:51 GMT

Had to take Cee Cee to Managua yesterday to get her spaed. She was such a good girl. Her first time on the ferry and first time in a car. Minus throwing up on the outbound ferry (didn´t know dogs got sea sick) she was very well behaved. We picked up my friend Kristel and her three legged dog, Ty, in Nandaime to go get checked out as well. It was a dog taxi all the way. I gave an extra 50 cords to Ivis, my friend and taxi driver, to get the dog hair vacuumed up.

I also take back former comments about all Nica police being honest and good. We got pulled over twice for no reason and they hassled Ivis just to nail him on any violation.

You know what hit the fan when they opened up the trunk and started going through our stuff without even asking, to ¨look for drugs¨. Yeah lady, I hid drugs in my Sbarro pizza bag. Kristel rose her voice out the window, ¨US Embassy...we work for the US Embassy.¨

The cop came closer and I wondered how she got around passing the physical exam. Too many rolls were popping out of places that they shouldn´t have and it looked like she slapped some makeup on in the middle of a dark room. The blue eye shade she poorly selected was not about to be matching her uniform.

You should have seen the look on the officers face when Kristel told her again we worked for the US Embassy. She understood that much in English. It´s not true, but we do carry these white diplomatic ID cards and Peace Corps is technically a part of the State Dept. She stared at us for a few seconds.........¨Vayanse (Go).¨

The second time wasn´t nearly as long of a delay but the cops backed off when Ivis told them he was with a couple friends from the US Embassy.

I´m not sure if what we did was snobby or presumptuous but I just can´t stand that type of corruption. No protocol or procedure in place just like the lawless west.

On to the good news though, I have bought a pig from a friend of mine!!! This is the same friend that invited me to lunch last week and fed me rabbit. Wasn´t to bad. He cost me roughly 1550 cords or $78! I´m having my going away party in two days and we are going to make typical Nica dishes like nacatamales and vigoron. I sat down with Marta on my bed and we made a list of all the things we´ll need to buy. This is the fun part. I will not however be killing the pig. Don Miguel is going to find me someone who can do it for us and we got stocked up on the fire wood we´ll need to do the job.

I´m going to get back to snuggling with Civila and cleaning up the house a bit. man the dust here is BAD right now.

Here is a nacatamal. A type of pie wrapped in palm leaves with meat, rice, dough, and vegetables. I´m thinking of opening up a nacatamal store in Lake Forest;)

Fruits

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:53:50 GMT

¡Clase papaya! (What a papaya!), when I saw the orange colored cylindrical shape sitting on top of the fridge. Minutes later, it was cut up and we were all enjoying it for breakfast, how the mouth seems to dissolve up the sunset colored flesh.

It still seems like I´m finding new fruits all the time in my backyard. Strange, odd, colorful, asymmetrical ones that can be eaten or made into some sort of juice. Noni, avocado, mandarin, sweet orange, sour orange (good for cooking rice), grapefruit, lemon, mango, star fruit, coconut, and papaya trees always give me something to look forward to in the morning. I was happy to see that lemon season is back when I noticed the round little green yellow balls hanging outside my window.

Days earlier I was recounting to Marta about how much I´d miss my tropical fruits, fruits that are going to cost me dollars by the pound in the US, and probably not taste nearly as good.

My eyes widened when I saw her coming around the corner holding a huge papaya by it´s stem, a few days short of being ripe. ¨Te la corté,¨she said giggling(I cut it down for you). It was a sweet gesture and in typical Marta fashion. She´s always watching out for me.

One has to slice the skin lightly with a knife so the milky substance it contains can dribble out. If not, it doesn´t taste as good supposedly.

	Melocotón...star fruit
	Noni...smells like bad cheese but makes a great juice when mized with lemon and sugar in the blender.
	Grapefruit
	Papaya

	Oranges
	¡Clase payaya!
	Ripening in the sun

Island Life

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 04:43:11 GMT

A young face taking a look at his outside world.

New Ferry

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 04:07:32 GMT

Jona and I are in Granada enjoying some down time seeing I am no longer a Peace Corps volunteer and just regular old Erik. It has been windy as hell lately and just today it came out that one of the ferries almost crashed because its motor went out due to the high winds and waters.....don´t ask cuz I´m confused too. It was mayhem I guess.

The same ferry was tossing when we left on it yesterday and some people even had their life jackets on. Today she had finally had enough. One of my friends is a crew member on the ship so I´ll have to ask him what happened. Check out the photo all the way at the bottom. All those plantains....that would have been a big loss.

So, here are some photos of the ¨new¨ferry that Ometepe recently got. She´s a 1966 Dutch liner that is going out of the port of San Jose. By Nica standards, that´s young. There was a huge hubabaloo about it because the ferries that leave out of Moyogalpa now have less passengers and less money. Milton Arcia is already making enough money charging us 60 cords each just for the hour long voyage across the lake. Que barbaridad.

	The new ferry ¨El Rey del Colcibolca¨
	Victor eating a banana.

Nuevo Diario article

Fuertes vientos provocan estragos en Centroamérica
En Nicaragua un Ferry con 99 pasajeros y ocho tripulantes provenientes de la Isla de Ometepe en Rivas quedó a la deriva producto del oleaje
elnuevodiario.com.ni
AFP - 12:30 - 05/02/2009

Cortes de energía eléctrica, caídas de árboles, crecidas de ríos, aldeas inundadas y al menos dos muertos ha dejado un frente frío que azota a Centroamérica, acompañado de lluvias y fuertes vientos que alcanzan velocidades de casi 100 kilómetros por hora. Los vientos son usuales en esta época del año en el istmo y llegan por fenómenos atmosféricos registrados en el Golfo de México y el mar Caribe, y el presente frente se debe a un sistema de alta presión polar que se encuentra en el mar entre Texas y Florida, afirman los servicios meteorológicos.

Ferry a la deriva en Nicaragua
En el lago Cocibolca, en el sur de Nicaragua, un 'Ferry' con 99 pasajeros y ocho tripulantes que zarpó desde la isla de Ometepe hacia San Jorge, tuvo que ser auxiliado tras quedar a la deriva por una falla mecánica causada por el fuerte viento, mencionó el portavoz de la Defensa Civil, teniente coronel Gilberto Narváez. El temor a ahogarse obligó a uno de los tripulantes a lanzarse al agua a 200 metros de distancia del muelle. Asimismo, una mujer nicaragüense resultó herida al caerle la rama de un árbol en el departamento norteño de Matagalpa, aseguró Narváez.

El capitán del transbordador aseguró que la carga transportada era superior a la establecida por las autoridades, lo que condujo a un total rompimiento de las cadenas que enlazaban los vehículos pesados (un camión con alrededor de 10.000 plátanos, un microbús y dos camionetas) que venían en el barco. Tanto las autoridades del Bemérito Cuerpo de Bomberos como la Cruz Roja se hicieron presentes al lugar para evitar cualquier peligro, Asimismo, Defensa Civil dio orden de suspender cualquier operación de traslado (entrada y salida) hacia la Isla de Ometepe.

Carazo y Chinandega sin electricidad
En Carazo, la población permanece sin electricidad después que cayera al suelo un poste de luz en el kilómetro 54 de la carretera Jinotepe hacia Nandaime, que se presume abastece de energía a todo el departamento. En Chinandega, las ráfagas de vientos despegaron láminas de zinc en varias viviendas del barrio “Roberto González” y Santa Rosa, así como rótulos y postes de tendido eléctrico, que han dejado a cientos de usuarios sin energía eléctrica y agua potable. Las cuadrillas de la Empresa Nicaragüense de Acueductos y Alcantarillado, Enacal, trabajan para reestablecer el servicio a los usuarios.

Según Luis Ramón Lindo, director departamental del Silais de Chinandega, han orientado a la población a proteger los alimentos para evitar enfermedades respiratorias causadas por las polvaredas. Mientras que, Gloria González, directora departamental del Mined en Chinandega, asegura que están pendientes ante cualquier orientación del Ministerio de Educación de suspender o no las clases. No obstante, indicó que son los padres de familias quienes deben valorar si es peligroso enviar a sus hijos a clases debido al mal tiempo.

Dos muertos en Costa Rica y Panamá
Una mujer panameña de 50 años murió al volcarse el bote en que navegaba por una crecida del Río Cañas, cerca de la frontera con Costa Rica, país donde a causa de un paro cardíaco murió el policía Rafael Castillo, de 61 años, quien fue arrastrado en su motocicleta por la crecida del río La Trinidad, en la zona atlántica. En el país vecino las crecidas de ocho ríos anegaron 15 aldeas del Caribe, mientras la Comisión Nacional de Emergencias mantenía una "alerta amarilla" en esa zona y en un cantón del centro del país. "Se están enviando botes, alimentos, espumas (colchones), cobijas y se están fortaleciendo las bodegas instaladas en la zona" atlántica, expresó la Comisión.

Incendio en El Salvador
En El Salvador el viento ayudó a que se propagara un incendio forestal, que ha consumido al menos 30 hectáreas de bosque. En el departamento guatemalteco de Jutiapa, fronterizo con El Salvador, las ráfagas de viento llevaron a suspender las clases en al menos 25 escuelas por temor a que causaran daños en las aulas, divulgaron radioemisoras. En la ciudad salvadoreña de Izalco, 65 kilómetros al oeste de la capital, la ventolera destruyó los techos de al menos 71 viviendas, pero la Dirección de Protección Civil no reportó víctimas. Pueblos de al menos cinco departamentos de Guatemala permanecían sin energía eléctrica desde anoche. Los meteorólogos prevén que el tiempo mejore a partir de este sábado.

El frente ha bajado las temperaturas a 13 grados Celsius en ciudades donde la media anual supera los 25 grados, lo que tiene entumecidos a millones de centroamericanos, mientras las autoridades movilizan a la Cruz Roja, Bomberos, Policía y Ejército para atender las emergencias.

(Con la colaboración de Tania Goussen)

Fun in Managua

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:13:20 GMT

I was leafing through an old picture book about Managua at Hispamer, Nicaragua's largest chain of bookstores, imagining myself walking those streets in the book. The glorious mansions, department stores, and unique architecture called for a very different Managua than the one today.

Lizzet, my old boss, invited me to stay at her house for a bit last week and took me on a tour of old Managua, the Managua that the famous earthquake of 72' didn't destroy. We went with her daughter Magda, son Adiac, husband, and a friend.

It wasn't anything like the work of Gaudi in Barcelona, but when you are used to one story cement housing, it's enough to raise an eyebrow. We even took a tour of the newly finished sea walk park on the edge of Lake Managua.

Hey, I also have a new look too. Is it chiq enough for Chicago?

	The old cathedral
















	Lizzet, one of my Nica mothers, and great friends
	Pig roast anyone?

	Do ya like the new look?
	Magda speaks perfect English. It was the first language she learned while Lizzet was studying in Arkansas.
	Magda and I at the edges of Lake Managua
	Social Security building
	With architecture like this, Managua used to be a beautiful capital city.

Katie and Moises

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:15:15 GMT

Katie is a NICA 44 volunteer that I stay with at times when in Managua. She lives in a town right outside the city called Veracruz. Her boyfriend Moises is a class act guy who works on the Atlantic Coast part of the year and also has family in Chicago.

Training Ci Ci

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:11:00 GMT

Joanna and I tried training Civila with some new treats I got sent to me from the States. She really didn't get it.

	I love this picture



	Come on girl!

Banderines

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:22:22 GMT

Nicaraguans love to hang up banners of all colors for any festive occasion. Walking down the lonely and isolated streets at night, the fluid flapping of the colored flags is a soothing and familiar sound.

	Banners create a festive and cheerful environment to celebrate occasions. These blue and white ¨banderines¨ on the side of my house lull me to sleep every night.
	Looking up into a nighttime sea of colors.

Jona

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:59:52 GMT

After class Johnaton came to my house last night and we sat on my bed while eating fresh ceviche and crackers listening to bachata music. He was reluctant to open up and I was feeling guilty. His Mom is leaving for Costa Rica in two weeks for the first time, and I´m leaving soon too. I think he was tired and so was I. I´ve been tired lately.

We got bored so we painted our finger nails black together. I´ve always wanted to paint my nails black since I was younger. The goth clique in high school was so mysterious and attractive to me(I know you´re laughing Gretchen). Probably because I was so different.

Ever since last year Jona and I have had a friendship that has grown closer and closer, mostly in the last few months. It all started that December night in 2007.

We were having an English class party in Ligia´s house. The tostones, frijoles, rum, and coke were all being shared, and in good company.

I left to wash my hands and Johnaton came up behind me. He wanted to tell me something and I´ll never forget it. He nervously opened up to me, as I sat on the edge of the lavandero. He told me about how he´d never felt such a strong connection with a friend before, about how much he appreciated me, and loved me.

In that moment all I could think about was the movie Ordinary People. Think about how the mom, Beth, can only sit there frozen when her son, Conrad, tells her that he loves her.

I didn´t know what to say, and my Spanish certainly wouldn´t have helped. I wouldn´t have been able to find the words in English. I didn´t want to be frozen like Beth.

No male friend of mine had ever told me that he loved me up until then.....but it was true....and it happened in Spanish. For the first time I could feel my brain making that transition into my heart. If you have ever tried learning a new language you know what I´m talking about. You can speak the words and you know what they mean perfectly fine but they don´t have the rough edges on them. They are empty. The swear words don´t make you cringe and the compliments don´t make you feel warm inside. That takes time.

His words were so full of warmth and so full of meaning that night that I could almost feel my nuerons firing away with new excitement. A new memory to store away in the archives. That was more than a memory though. It was and is a mark on my heart. That´s the transition to the heart that I´m talking about. I got it. All I could do was put my hand on his shoulder and invite him to eat Christmas Dinner with my American family when they came into town.

Jona, as I call him, is a great English student and LOYAL friend. He gets my sense of humor and is so comfortable in his skin. We can pass hours laughing together, or in silence. He´s not afraid to give me a hug or will let down his gorgeous charcoal black hair and let me run my hands through it while I teach him new English phrases or practice all of my new Spanish vocab on him.

In fact, I´ve never had a friendship with another guy like the one we share. It´s a blessing. It´s always been a challenge of mine to have deep, open, personal, fun, and emotionally intimate relationships with other men. But I found it, and it´s ironic that I´ve been able to experience it in Nicaragua, a country full of machoism.

He´s never gotten the chance to travel around and see Nicaragua, his own country, so after I close my service on Jan 30th I´m taking him to the Atlantic Coast to vacation together in one of Nicaragua´s most unique regions.

¡This one´s for you Jona! I love you...Te amo.

In Nicaragua there is always time to sit and talk. There is always time for people. Jona and I parked outside the bank watching the people go by.

Alvaro

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:04:18 GMT

Nicaragua´s national police force has good officers that are willing to help, for the most part, with few resources. They were really helpful when my cell phone was stolen in July and I also make an effort to wave hello walking past the police station in town. Nicaragua prides itself on having the most female officers out of any Central American country. Alvaro and I always talk to each other when we get the chance. He´s wearing the traditional uniform that is easy to spot from far away. Some people refer to police officers as ¨los azules¨ or the blues. He´s only 19 years old and there are many more that look younger while standing guard on the street.

Irania

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:43:17 GMT

One of my students, Kenya, invited me to eat lunch at her house. Doña Oliva, Doña Elida´s daughter and Kenya´s grandma, made us a cheese soup. It was unlike any other I had tried before: Thick and creamy with coconut milk.

It was a typical Nica meal, sitting at the table, chickens waddling around, kids screaming in the background, and Doña Oliva telling stories just like Doña Elida.

Doña Oliva talks to me slowly and loudly, as if I still had trouble with my Spanish. It´s a sweet gesture. She was going on about the difference between the houses in Nicaragua and in Miami all while taking a breath about every 20 seconds to yell at the dog and then continue with the story. The story how Nica houses have dressers and the houses in Miami have closets. She gave me a mini tutorial on how a closet is much more useful and takes up less space than a dresser.

After about 15 minutes of trying to help her pronounce ¨Fort Lauderdale,¨ with no luck, I was filled up on cheese soup and went outside to wash my hands when Irania spotted me with the camera. She wasn´t shy of the lens and kept wanting me to take lots of action shots to prove to her Mom that she really does help out around the house.

	Irania doing chores
	Sweeping away
	How could I forget the cheese soup.......so good!!!!!!!!!!!!
	¨Take another one!!!¨she kept yelling.

	So proud.

Doña Oliva far right with Doña Elida next to me.

Katy

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:18:28 GMT

¨I have to go. I can´t stay here anymore.¨ she said holding back tears. ¨I would have left a long time if it wasn´t for this class.¨

I was blown away. It had meant that much to her?

We were once 40 and now we are down to eight...no seven....without Katy. I didn´t realize that things were so bad at home for her until she announced her departure. For over a year Katy, a teenager mother of two, brought her two young daughters to English class without ever hardly missing a day.

Our community English class is more like a small family that hangs out after class and supports each other in hard times. I will truly miss them, the walks to the class, the shared confidence, the personalities.

Katy in class balancing being a teenager mother and student.

Island Life

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:34:26 GMT

Island Life
Another one of those tropical sunsets ushering in a gorgeous night full of familiar smells and sounds.

Making Cheese with Marta

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:23:25 GMT

I loved running my hands through the bucket of cows milk mixing it until it thickened, then pressing out the excess liquid as it came to. I made cuajada with Marta the other day. It was so therapeutic. If my hands could have sex, this would be how they´d do it. We took out our frustration on the cheese because she just had a chicken stolen recently as well. Standing there talking about our lost feathered friends colors, we laughed and bonded.......all while making cheese.

The Novoas are in Managua and I´m becoming more and more close to Marta as each day goes by. She´s been my Nica mother the past two years and she still teaches me new things. Marta walks into Moyogalpa almost every day from La Concha four kilometers away to clean, wash clothes, and manage the Novoa household. Erik, ¨I won´t be coming in as much when you´re not here.¨ she said.

Cuajada is a soft type of cheese that is maybe similar to feta but much saltier and great to eat with gallo pinto or just beans alone. Even better....with a fresh, hot tortilla.

The cheese is almost consistent as Marta mixes it.

Weighing the cheese to get a half pound exactly.

Isla Life

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:59:19 GMT

My built in best friend and guardian. Cee Cee is always happy to see me! I love seeing her tail twirl like a helicopter as she runs up to greet me from a long distance away. I´m taking her to Granada to get her spaed soon.

	Happy to see me!

Doña Elida Returns

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:51:47 GMT

Doña Elida came back! She recognized me right away and hasn´t missed a step at 93 years old. I´m still ¨El Gringito¨ or ¨El Yanquito.¨ We started right where we left off, sitting on the porch in rockers, the same old stories about Miami, some new ones about her childhood on the island, the days spent fishing, and playing with the marbles she used to keep in her toy chest.

I´ve been sleeping every night with the pillow she gave me. I tried explaining to her that I already have four, but she laughed in that high pitched cackle, opening up a closet full of them. ¨I have more than you!¨ she continued laughing. ¨Take another one for your head.¨ She even gave me a small place mat for my table.

Every time I walk into the house she gives me the same tour of the photos that are hanging on the wall. I never manage to get tired of hearing her talk!

Doña Elida with some neighborhood kids

Election Night

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 00:58:46 GMT

“They would wait for me. They always did. But history wouldn’t. That day would never happen again, and I had to live it.”

I felt the same urgency Gioconda Belli felt the day she arrived in Managua, that hot July day in 1979, to celebrate Nicaragua’s successful revolution.

History wouldn’t wait for me either on Nov 4th, 2008. I had to fly home and it didn’t matter how close I was to finishing my Peace Corps service.

I will never forget standing in Grant Park, nudged somewhere in between the Chicago skyline and the sea of fervent onlookers, on the tips of their toes to catch a glimpse of the latest results on one of the jumbo-tron screens.

I was dreaming, no, I was alive. Me, standing in the midst of it all. Black, Hispanic, white, old, young, gay, straight, immigrant, citizen, all together, crafting the beautiful face of America. And there I was, a tiny freckle on that face.

The autumn wind was brewing something up. “CHANGE” was the cry of the people that night. Even the leaves were excited as they fluttered down out of the night sky from tree tops, like little messengers, telling all of us to hold on just a little longer.

Then it happened, like the moment when you close your eyes at the top of the rise on a roller coaster. You know it’s coming, but the feeling is still sensational when you go over the top.

“I will never forget the eagerness, the hope, the joyous optimism on those faces. What more could I ask for to bear so much witness to happiness? I felt I was floating over a canopy of grinning faces and outstretched hands. I was witnessing the birth of my country. What ever existential doubts one had disappeared right here.”

I wonder if Gioconda would have felt the exact same way standing next to me that night in Grant Park, as she did in 1979? She probably would have. I too, had witnessed a birth. Seeing people who have lived lives of oppression reach that light at the end of the tunnel. Seeing an America stand tall, seeing an America choose right over wrong and honesty over corruption. Seeing an America be strong and not just act strong. Barack’s voice echoed in the distance, “If there is anyone who doubts that America is a place where all things are possible…tonight is your answer.”

Chase, a Peace Corps friend, drove in from Omaha to be in Chicago that night. We met two great gals. Valerie and Natalia are Russian-Americans, living and working in Chicago. They promised me they´d wave hello to Sarah from Russia, seeing they can look at Alaska from where they are. WINK WINK Sarah.

Waves of people on that magical night waiting and watching the results come in. The weather could not have been any more perfect. It was moving and momentous being there.

¿TAJADAS?

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:46:44 GMT

I love my tajadas with vinager. They are the perfect snack to tide you over until a meal. They are thin plantain chips put into small plastic bags and are sold everywhere in Nicaragua. There is always a bottle of vinager sitting nearby that you can use to spice them up after ripping the bag open slightly. Nicaraguans usually make their own vinager and then put it in an empty plastic water bottle. A hole is punched into the top of the cap and all one has to do is flip it over for the vinager to dribble out. ¡Delicious!

¡Sold in any marketplace and very cheap! ¡A little bag costs only one cordoba!

Put some vinager on those tajadas.

Who Stole the What?

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:39:53 GMT

I was sitting on my back patio talking with Marta, sipping on an instant coffee(Café Presto) enjoying the November winds. I had the nagging feeling that something wasn´t right. It kept grabbing at me, but I listened to Marta go on about her snobby little daughter-in-law any way. God knows how open her ears have been open to me in my hard times.

She continued cleaning the recently harvested corn by sorting the good kernels from the bad ones. I leafed through the post election TIME that I bought in the airport on my returm trip to Nicaragua.

I always used to get confused about how Nicaraguans keep track of which chickens belonged to which family because they meander around, pecking away all day, crossing property lines.

Sitting there on the patio, I started to count the chickens: Only nine. I walked over to the star fruit tree where they roost: None. I looked under the table where the lay their eggs: Only two.

Where in the hell was my rooster? I called out Marta, ¨¿Dónde esta el gallo mio? ¿Lo has visto?¨

She forgot to tell me. He had been missing for a week. So in other words, someone stole him. It´s very common this time of year with Christmas nearing.

I´m still bothered by it. He had grown so big, beautiful, and tall. I really enjoyed watching him grow, roam around the patio, and was really looking forward to the chicken dinner I was planning with friends!

Other than that ordeal I´ve been feeling really confused, sad, guilty, and anxious about leaving Nicaragua. I´m trying to come to terms with it all.

Island life. Horses always find their way home after walking through town. It´s common to see horses loose in the streets. They don´t get stolen though!!!

Happy To Say It

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:35:28 GMT

A happy update all. Found out that I was accepted to Teach For America!!!!!! Even better I´ve been invited to serve in Chicago as a potential K-8 teacher. It was a last moment decision to apply to Teach For America after talking with some friends that have done it. The actual application took a long time however:) It´s an amazing organization that will give me a chance to keep on serving back home. I didn´t want to publicize it but now I´m excited about it.

Dear Erik,

I am pleased to extend you an offer to join the Teach For America 2009 corps! This offer to join Teach For America reflects both your outstanding accomplishments and your potential to move students to achieve. In order to secure your place in the 2009 corps, you must complete matriculation forms on the Applicant Center on or before Friday, December 5 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Effecting dramatic, measurable gains in students' academic achievement is an incredibly challenging pursuit given the obstacles facing students and teachers in our nation's lowest income communities. You have demonstrated great potential to excel as a teacher despite these challenges and to ultimately assume great influence in our country. We now invite you to make this commitment and take our effort forward.

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Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:26:47 GMT

Hey All-
Here in Nicaragua again after a successful short tour of the US. I got a lot accomplished while at home for a couple weeks.

1) Took some Illinois Board of Ed teats to get certified. Still waiting on the results.

2)Celebrated my Dad´s birthday and Thanksgiving at the same time with a two-for-one special dinner

3) Gave a presentation about Nicaragua to 5th and 6th graders at the local Jr. High. They loved it! Such good kids.

4)Election Night Victory Party in Grant Park.....ahem.

5)Teach For America Interview. I like how multifaceted it was. Both individual and group work components.

Things were politically tense when I got back. There was a lot of violence in Managua after the mayoral elections. The Sandinistas took to the streets tearing down and burning opposition party propaganda. They blocked the roads in protest and even damaged quite a few vehicles. It was horrible with both parties claiming fraud on the other side and people finding ballots thrown out. It´s sad to see Nicaragua in disarray at times. It makes progress seem at too slow.

The Sandinistas did win in my town which is the first time it has ever happened in Moyogalpa. The new mayor goes by the name of ¨El Gallazo.¨ Something to do with a rooster. I´m not sure. I put an article below.

Sandinistas lead in Nicaraguan mayoral elections
By FILADELFO ALEMAN, Associated Press Writer Filadelfo Aleman, Associated Press Writer Mon Nov 10, 5:46 pm ET
MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Nicaragua's ruling Sandinista party claimed victory Monday in nationwide municipal elections, but rival parties said the early returns were misleading and the U.S. government expressed concern about the vote.

The mayoral elections were seen as a referendum on leftist President Daniel Ortega, whose government has come under fire for barring two opposition parties from fielding mayoral candidates and for police raids against non-governmental organizations.

Sandinistas and opposition supporters engaged in scattered rock fights in Managua, the capital, and police spokeswoman Vilma Reyes said four people were injured, including two teenagers hit by bullets.

The country's Supreme Electoral Council said the Sandinistas were leading in 94 of the 146 mayoral races nationwide with a majority of votes counted. No percentage of votes counted was given, and results from six municipalities had not yet been calculated.

With 69 percent of votes counted in the race for mayor of Managua, former boxing champion and Sandinista candidate Alexis Arguello led with 51 percent while former Finance Minister Eduardo Montealegre had 47 percent for the Liberal Constitutional Party.

Sandinista congressional leader Edwin Castro said the party's own quick count showed it had won in Managua and in 95 to 100 other municipalities, though he acknowledged apparent losses in provincial cities such as Jinotega and Granada.

Montealegre, who lost the 2006 presidential election to Ortega, said he was winning in the capital, and his party said it had won about 60 mayoral races. Montealegre said horn-honking Sandinista car caravans that appeared on Managua streets Monday were "celebrating their own defeat."

The nationwide vote was the first major electoral test for Ortega since he returned to power nearly two decades after leading a Marxist government that fought U.S.-backed Contra rebels.

Ortega has regularly criticized Washington's foreign policy and built strong ties with Cuba, Venezuela, Russia and Iran.

Opposition leaders have criticized the government for failing to invite observers from the Organization of American States and refusing to accredit the local group Ethics and Transparency, which has monitored past elections.

Ortega said he rejected the observers "because they are financed by outside powers" and accused local news media of conducting "an open campaign" against Arguello.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said there were reports of "widespread irregularities taking place at voting stations throughout the country" and said the refusal to permit outside observers has made it tough to "properly assess the conduct of the elections."

"We also note that political conditions that existed during the campaign were not conducive to free and fair elections," he said.