Monday, May 30, 2011

August School Supply!!

600 children are waiting in the school yards of El Pantanal. They hope we return to them with a fresh batch of hand made school packs--complete with notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpeners--this coming August.

A school pack costs about $5 to $6 dollars. Can you spare a few dollars for our cause? http://www.nicaraguaschoolproject.org/contact.html

I realize that the world is on fire right now; there are so many causes to support--the tornadoes of the south, the Japanese earthquake, and the floods plaguing the planet.... If you are still able to help our cause, I truly appreciate it (and so do our Nicaraguans friends.) The communication of this organization is different from other causes since our philosophy is of frienship; the aim is never to annoy or plea with donors for help... If you can help--it's most appreciated. I also realize that not everyone is in the financial situation to donate. Perhaps, having this type of philosophy isn't the most lucrative, but it has always worked for us in the past. Friends of Nicaragua School Project are some of the most wonderful and generous people:)

We seriously appreciate our donors and use 100% of the money for the children and teachers of our two schools in El Pantanal.

Thank you for helping in whatever way you can.

Kathryn, Andres, and Juan Carlos.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Take Spanish in Nicaragua!

A really wonderful way to travel is to spend some time in a country learning a language. This project was born from my desire to learn Spanish and also experience living in another culture.

My intercultural and language skills evolved each day I spent in Nicaragua; I was learning how to live my life in another country. The mere lesson of living and breathing another culture gave me the needed skills to run this small project (which has been around for 3 years...) Getting to know the people through my (sometimes) poor attempts at speaking their language created the bridge from my culture to theirs--I naturally (without intent) built the needed relationships to create a project that worked within the confines of Nicaragua.

It was never my goal to start a project like SI QUIERES or Nicaragua School Project Society but my goal of learning Spanish and choice to live in a Nicaraguan families' house gave me this opportunity. This type of travel is worth trying--it is bound to take most people out of their comfort zones. Feeling the differences of another culture can be the most amazing learning experience of all. I encourage people to pick a language--pick a country--and jet!

I recommend Granada, Nicaragua and taking your Spanish classes at Casa Xalteva: http://wwww.casaxalteva.org
The staff at Casa Xalteva is phenomenal. Beautiful, laughing, wise people... We often travel and never talk to the people around us--the bartendars, hotel staff, and taxi drivers... Taking Spanish classes will give you the opportunity to connect.

Feel free to email me if you have question about Casa Xalteva.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Education in Nicaragua

I sat on the porch with Olma, my Nicaraguan home stay momma, attempting to seek refuge from the sauna like atmosphere of the tin roofed house. My 14 year old Nica brother, Oscar, also joined us outside. We sat on the street in wooden rocking chairs. The conversation turned interesting.

Olma discussed education in Nicaragua. She told me something that I will never forget. She told me that the parents of children in Nicaragua have only one responsibility—that is to ensure that their children go to school. She believes that the reason why many kids don’t go to school is because their parents don’t enforce it; they quickly give up on their children after a few refusals or the ‘feet stuck in the mud’ syndrome.

Olma grew up extremely impoverished; she was raised by her mother who worked hard her whole life cleaning and cooking in nasty rich peoples’ houses. Although they struggled, Olma claims her mother made sure that her children attended school—whether clean, dirty, or hungry—they made it to school every day. Both her daughters graduated high school.

The conversation turned to Oscar, who isn’t Olma’s biological son but somewhat of an unofficial adopted son. Oscar can be lazy. Sometimes he doesn’t feel like going to school and struggles to get out of bed. Olma directed her comments at him—stressing that he had a choice—go to school and succeed or drop out and end up an uneducated casualty.

I had been teaching English to Oscar the past month and had noticed his desire to ask a lot of questions. Asking questions implies a level of interest and intelligence. I told Oscar that he was smart and has a lot of potential. My words hit his heart; I could see a slight flicker of a smirk. I hope Oscar chooses his path through education.

I think Olma is right. Kids need to go to school. Parents need to force them to go. School is free in Nicaragua (at the public schools.) Projects like ours—Nicaragua School Project— can break down other financial barriers for parents, since we purchase necessary school supplies for 600 children in El Pantanal. Let the mentality of education (seen in Olma) spread like wild fire across Nicaragua and throughout this beautiful world!!