Archives for Summer 2011 Category

A Trip Out East – Preface

Co-leaders’ introduction by Lisa & Jen From last Thursday through this Monday we took an extended field trip to the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, on the opposite side of the country from where we are spending most of the term. The eastern autonomous regions of Nicaragua comprise over 50% of the country's land mass but only 10% of the population. That population, however, is more culturally diverse than the Pacific side of the country, consisting of five major ethnic groups: Miskito, Sumu, Rama, Garifuna and Creole. The history of this part of the country is quite different from that of the Pacific side as well, the Caribbean side having been allied with the British (as a protectorate) for several hundred years rather than colonized by the Spaniards.

Day to Day Life

As we head into our second full week with the students, most are starting to settle into a daily routine.  A typical day begins with breakfast with the family between 7 and 8 and then they are off to school by either walking or taking a micro bus, which is basically a Mitsubishi van rigged to hold around 15 people…and sometimes more J  After gathering for a bit of a check in at the school, the students then divide into their Spanish classes and work with their teachers from 9 till 11:45.  We were very happy to once again have Doña Mirna, Don Ramón and Don Rene as our teachers.  They have done very well with the students in the past and we are already hearing compliments from both teachers and students. Doña Mirna works with our two highest level students while the other students are divided between Don Ramon and Don Rene.

First Reunión

Midway through our first week of classes and lectures in Jinotepe, we had our first reunión, which means "meeting." We also like the literal translation of the word, reunion: a time when we come together and get reacquainted with each other and with ourselves. This will be a weekly event at the unit house, during which we'll have guided discussion, getting-to-know-you exercises, group processing of events and issues, and devotionals/worship.

On to Carazo to meet host families

Sunday morning we headed from Managua to Jinotepe, stopping for a few minutes at Loma de Tiscapa on our way out of the capital city. This hilltop was where former dictator Anastasio Somoza built his presidential bunker, and ruins of his palace are still visible. Also atop the hill is…

Two Days — Two Houses

     After a full day of orientation, the students set out on a two-day service project in connection with an organization called Un Techo para mi País.  Techo is an organization that works with destitute families to help build them more sustainable housing.  The program, organized and run by university students, requires the family to be involved with the construction so that they can be a part of the process as well as give the volunteers a chance to make a connection with the family.  Our goal was to build two houses in two days in an area called Barrio Grenada.  Barrio Grenada is an extremely impoverished neighborhood in Managua where most people live in homes made of scraps of tin or cardboard.  

SSTers arrive in Nicaragua

¡Bienvenidos a Nicaragua SST 2011!We're happy to announce that 11 Goshen College students arrived safely Wednesday night in Nicaragua – all together, in one piece and with their luggage – after a very long day of travel. In fact, some reported that they never went to bed the night before they left Goshen! From the airport we went to “Casa Blanca,” the house where we’ll be doing orientation and also the home of Compañeros, Inc. Compañeros is a social enterprise NGO (non-governmental organization) that organizes and facilitates short-term volunteer service and cross-cultural learning experiences in Central America. Our country coordinator, Dalena, works with Compañeros, and this year we’re partnering with the organization on a variety of activities, including a mini-service project in Managua that gets underway on Friday (more on that in the next blog post).