Nicaragua 2019 - waterandlight.international
I feel this need not just to travel—but to travel with purpose. To travel to connect to people and cultures and inspire kids to fight Finding purpose is something that many people spend their whole life either trying to discover or trying to run from. Finding purpose is a great motivator and driving force for us all—and I am no exception. When I was researching places to go for mid-winter break, I was considering Guatemala or Colombia, but I was torn about going because there wasn’t a project or a mission drawing me there—just a destination. However, one night after I have resigned myself to going to Colombia, I went to book my flight and it was denied by the server four times, so I gave up. The next morning, I was driving to work, and I heard a voice very loudly telling me to contact Angie in Nicaragua about spending the week with her before I tried to book the flight again. I had found out about the work she and her family were doing in Nicaragua and my students came together to raise enough money to sponsor a girl named Emelina for an entire school year and I had been corresponding with Angie for a few weeks because of this. I had considered speaking with Angie about going to Nicaragua and working with her, but I had convinced myself that she wouldn’t need me and that it was a ridiculous thing to consider. So that morning on my way to school, it was revealed to me that I needed to stop writing my own story and that I hadn’t even offered my time to Angie and didn’t know if I was needed there. I sat in the parking lot and immediately wrote her a message on Whatsapp. To my surprise, she answered the next day and told me that she and Emelina’s mom were just talking about how wonderful it would be if someday I could come and work with the teachers. So, I booked my flight; and found my purpose. I guess that would explain why the server didn’t work when I went to book my ticket to Colombia….. So many people tell me I am lucky to get to go on trips like this one. But finding my purpose isn’t luck and it’s relatively easy to find--it’s located at the intersection opportunity and willingness.
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Monday, February 18
We spent the evening I arrived unpacking all that I had managed to bring with me—and it was a lot. I truly felt Angie’s appreciation for my efforts and her genuine love and gratefulness for all of the books that I brought down as a result of so many generous friends that donated money. There were a TON of books! I was thrilled to hear that she really wanted to use The Hungry Shark book and the sea animal flash cards that I had made for the kids on my first day with the them in English club. We met the next morning with two of the lead teachers, as well as two University students that volunteer in the club to improve their English while helping the younger members of the community. It was an extremely productive meeting and we planned out the morning with the older kids and the afternoon with the littles. Kids go to school in shifts here, so the younger kids go to public school from 8-12 and the high schools meet from 1-5, so we have them at the club in the opposite times. With the older group we focused on the virtue of honesty (something my students back home could use) and played the game two truths and a lie. Then we learned much of the vocabulary with the song Cha Cha Slide. A generous donor from my gym provided the funds for them to be able to purchase an amazing speaker so that the kids could learn English through song and dance—and my suggestion of the Cha Cha Slide was the inaugural use! With the littles, we focused on the book The Hungry Shark and vocabulary having to do with the sea—extremely important here since they live on the coast of Nicaragua. They learned in groups with books, games, and movement—it was pretty awesome, and Angie clearly knows what she is doing here. There were best practices in education everywhere I looked! These kids are so blessed to have this opportunity with a former teacher and mom of four leading the way. We ended our day with the youngsters with two more rounds of the Cha Cha Slide and debriefed the day with the teachers and the volunteers. It was at this point that I realized I had drunk about two gallons of water and still did not have to go to the bathroom, and that I was soaking wet with sweat in the 97 degree heat. Angie’s kids informed me that we were all in need of a swim. Luckily, their front yard is the ocean! We swam for about an hour to cool off and then relaxed for a few hours on the deck before dinner. Today was more than I could have hoped for and just so extremely inspiring to see what waterandlight.international is able to accomplish in this community with so little. And I feel blessed that I get to be a little part of it. Learning about this family and what they aspire to accomplish and what they gave up to do this work amazes me and hearing their stories and mission is truly incredible.
Tuesday, February 19
I had the morning free, as Angie spends Tuesday and Thursday homeschooling the kids, so I spent the time planning for the lessons that afternoon for reinforcement class. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the children from the community come for reinforcement classes, which includes enrichment activities to support learning, as well as HW help. They are also fed a large, balanced meal on those days. Classes go from 2-5pm in the afternoon and are led by five local Nicaraguan teachers hired by waterandlight.international. These teachers are absolutely incredible and truly desire to learn how to help their students improve academically and desire to support them in their learning. One thing that Angie desired for my time here is to show the teachers different strategies for reading and comprehension, as well as new strategies for supporting mathematics through games and manipulatives. I was in charge of leading four different aged reading groups in the afternoon with Cathy by my side for interpretation. I spent hours prior to arriving creating narratives with five different books that were purchased with donations and used those for the afternoon. For the youngest group of kids, I chose a book about Tides and since we were sitting on the patio by the ocean and I asked them about what they knew about the tides of the ocean to set up the story in advance. I then placed laminated photos from the book on the ground and asked kids what they noticed about them. Then, I read the story in Spanish and saw they were immediately pointing to the photos that matched the part of the story I was reading—which was the whole point of the strategy! After the book was read, the 10 youngsters were tasked with putting the pictures in order based on what they remembered about the story. It went so well! And both local teachers in that group were engaged and intrigued by the strategy, as well as impressed by the level of engagement by all students. At the end, we asked them questions about who had been to the beach, who had seen a crab, who knew why the tides came in and out, etc., trying to personally connect the kids to the information in the text—something truly lacking in education here (and in most developing countries). In the two older groups of 3rd and 4th graders, we did a book called If I Had a Little Boat and we used actions to describe each part of the story and connect them to the new vocabulary. They were all so engaged and truly enjoyed learning literature that way. Even the teacher had a huge smile on her face while she was helping lead the kids. At the end of the story, Angie’s son Parker and I had spent time learning how to make a boat out of a piece of paper and he showed them all how to do it. They were completely enthralled and asked if they could learn to make them on Thursday. It was a great lesson and it’s success surprised even me. The last group of 6th graders was the group I was most worried about. I had chosen a book called El Perro Con Sombrero, which also featured El Gato Con Zapatos. Since Angie’s kids are pretty awesome, I asjked them if they would be willing to act out the book. And they agreed! I found a large hat and boots and they enacted the story as the dog and the cat while I read the story in Spanihs. At first the kids didn’t quite know what to think—they had NEVER experienced a book in this way. But after the first couple pages, they all started to truly enjoy it. And the teacher (who is an actual preschool teacher in the government school here) could not contain her excitement and happiness. It exceeded my expectations and was more than I could have hoped for. I’m pretty sure she nearly passed out when I presented her with her own copy of the book for her classroom and she told me immediately she was going to do this with her kids at school. She is dying to become a better teacher; but can only teach the way she was taught. Experiences like this and access to new methods are invaluable to her and will alter the education of countless kids in this area of Nicaragua. She told Angie that she wished I was here longer so she could invite all the teachers from her school. I told her that she was welcome to use the materials from all the stories that I had prepared for Angie in her classes and she was so excited.
At the end of the day, we debriefed as a group of teachers and revisited all strategies. They had very positive things to say and all desired to learn how to use some of the math and reading strategies I presented to them that day. Personally, I was so proud of myself for reading all of the books in Spanish fluently and also speaking about 80% of the time for myself to the kids and teachers without the help of my interpreter and other lead teacher, Cathy. It connected me more with the teachers and students and also allowed me a chance to grow in my language skills while here. My only regret is that there are very few pictures and no video of the entire day. But that is because we were all truly in the moment and just being with the kids and the teachers 😊
After the long day of teaching, we headed down the beach to the home of an expat that Angie and Dustin used to live next to for a few hours and enjoy their pool and their company. We then headed back to the house for dinner and sat around the outdoor table for a while before turning in for the night. I went to bed just so gratified with what I was able to bring to the teachers here and how much I was able to interact with the students, playing games, teaching math, and reading. I still really struggle with conversations out of context and understanding the teachers and students when they speak, but that is to be expected and can only improve with time and exposure.
Today was just a great day. And more than I dreamed it would be when I booked my flight here just one short month ago.
At the end of the day, we debriefed as a group of teachers and revisited all strategies. They had very positive things to say and all desired to learn how to use some of the math and reading strategies I presented to them that day. Personally, I was so proud of myself for reading all of the books in Spanish fluently and also speaking about 80% of the time for myself to the kids and teachers without the help of my interpreter and other lead teacher, Cathy. It connected me more with the teachers and students and also allowed me a chance to grow in my language skills while here. My only regret is that there are very few pictures and no video of the entire day. But that is because we were all truly in the moment and just being with the kids and the teachers 😊
After the long day of teaching, we headed down the beach to the home of an expat that Angie and Dustin used to live next to for a few hours and enjoy their pool and their company. We then headed back to the house for dinner and sat around the outdoor table for a while before turning in for the night. I went to bed just so gratified with what I was able to bring to the teachers here and how much I was able to interact with the students, playing games, teaching math, and reading. I still really struggle with conversations out of context and understanding the teachers and students when they speak, but that is to be expected and can only improve with time and exposure.
Today was just a great day. And more than I dreamed it would be when I booked my flight here just one short month ago.
Wednesday, February 20
Wednesday there are no reinforcement or English classes in the kids club. It is the day that the family travels the 45 minutes into the city of Leon together. We left the house at 7:15, dropped off their 8 year old daughter Brielle at her Montessori school and then headed over to one of their favorite cafes for the three boys to study history with their mom since she homeschools the boys. They said this café is one of the few left in the city that they love, since most of them have gone under financially with the revolution that started last April. The US News doesn’t cover much about the revolution and the issues in Nicaragua right, but that will be for another blog. Dustin uses the time at the café to catch up on correspondence with donors and work for the NGO, as well as run all of the errands. After an hour or so there, the boys then go to their friend’s house where a private tutor meets them for a government lesson, followed by a music professor that comes to the house to teach them guitar for music class. During this time, Dustin and Angie take care of things needed for the kids club or for their personal lives in the city. Things in Nicaragua just take forever to get accomplished, so they need most of the day. Yesterday, however, we got to spend the afternoon hanging out talking to a friend that owns a café and also walked around the top of a church to see the view of Leon. (ok, mostly we spotted the view from the shade since it was so hot!) We also went to the Weaver’s, where I purchased a bag and a blanket from a local NGO that supports women’s empowerment in the community. We then went back to their friend’s house and hung out for the evening until it was time for a group dinner and an informal church service. It was a wonderful night, but the day was so long and tiring. We didn’t return to the house until 10:30.
One thing I realized last night at the gathering was how many people give up their lives back home to travel to third world countries to do empowerment projects—that was so inspiring. And also to see how much they rely on each other for support, ideas, and connections in the community. Many of them stayed during the time of the revolution and they now have a bond stronger than ever as they navigate their way through a changing country and government with more problems than ever. It made me think that if there were that many people just in Leon, how many people are living in Nicaragua doing this type of work for the people; and how many people are there all over the world selflessly giving their lives to the betterment of others. That was a very powerful and positive thing to wonder and realize.
One thing I realized last night at the gathering was how many people give up their lives back home to travel to third world countries to do empowerment projects—that was so inspiring. And also to see how much they rely on each other for support, ideas, and connections in the community. Many of them stayed during the time of the revolution and they now have a bond stronger than ever as they navigate their way through a changing country and government with more problems than ever. It made me think that if there were that many people just in Leon, how many people are living in Nicaragua doing this type of work for the people; and how many people are there all over the world selflessly giving their lives to the betterment of others. That was a very powerful and positive thing to wonder and realize.
The Smell of Smoke, Thursday, February 21
The first morning I woke here, I smelled something familiar. Burning trash. Not familiar from the states, but familiar from my travels in other countries. There is so much garbage and yet no infrastructure for picking it up and getting it to a landfill. Every landowner is responsible for their own garbage. And there are no trash cans; thus, trash everywhere. Homeowners have no choice but to burn their garbage. On this property, Dustin and Angie do an incredible job of composting, reducing, and reusing, but she said it was one of the hardest realizations with respect to life in Nicaragua.
For me, the sun, heat, and smell of burning trash immediately brought back my time four years ago in Ghana on a girl’s leadership project. It was the first project during my four-month sabbatical in various parts of Africa, and, while it is a project that I have fond memories of, personally it was one of the most difficult months of my life. The things I dealt with there were completely unforeseen, and yet had nothing to do with Ghana—or even being in Africa. It had to do with people—both foreigners and locals. And while I won’t go into details (you can read those blogs at followmarquardt.com), I will say that it was interesting to realize how just the smell of smoke can trigger feelings and past traumas. I can see how it could cause a person to avoid being in the position where they might be reminded of past events and having to deal with them—but here I am—breathing in the smoke and having to emotionally process things that many of us would choose to forget. And, also realizing how much of life it the process of dealing with the past in order to move forward. So many people avoid dealing with issues. Avoid putting themselves in positions that would cause them to feel difficult things. And yet, here I am. Breathing; feeling; remembering and processing. And moving forward.
For me, the sun, heat, and smell of burning trash immediately brought back my time four years ago in Ghana on a girl’s leadership project. It was the first project during my four-month sabbatical in various parts of Africa, and, while it is a project that I have fond memories of, personally it was one of the most difficult months of my life. The things I dealt with there were completely unforeseen, and yet had nothing to do with Ghana—or even being in Africa. It had to do with people—both foreigners and locals. And while I won’t go into details (you can read those blogs at followmarquardt.com), I will say that it was interesting to realize how just the smell of smoke can trigger feelings and past traumas. I can see how it could cause a person to avoid being in the position where they might be reminded of past events and having to deal with them—but here I am—breathing in the smoke and having to emotionally process things that many of us would choose to forget. And, also realizing how much of life it the process of dealing with the past in order to move forward. So many people avoid dealing with issues. Avoid putting themselves in positions that would cause them to feel difficult things. And yet, here I am. Breathing; feeling; remembering and processing. And moving forward.
Fantastico! Friday, February 22
Today for the first hour of reinforcement class, I wanted to do a math lesson on fractions with a group of girls using Valentine’s Day Candy I had brought from home. I know the kids don’t understand what a fraction is—the kids in most countries don’t understand that—and it’s hard for limited resource teachers to learn how to explain. Most teachers don’t understand fractions themselves, so explaining that concept is difficult. Well, I had Emelina and four of her friends with me at a table and we got to work. Even though I am dying to tell you the step by step sequence of fraction events, I will only tell you that I was so excited at how well the lesson went that I kept making the girls show their new learning to everyone over and over and just kept hugging them and shouting “fantastico!” I was so excited, a crowd of kids gathered around and there were about 15 of them by the end watching the crazy American shout excitedly about writing a numerator and denominator. They even understood by the end why any number divided by itself is always one. It was just the best case scenario and probably the most successful math lesson I’ve taught in another country—and it was completely taught by me alone in Spanish! I was so proud of myself and so proud of them and the best part is that you could feel that they were so proud of themselves.
The rest of the afternoon I led four more reading groups and continued to model for the teachers strategies to help with reading comprehension, student dialogue, and engagement. At the end, the teachers had their wrap-up meeting and I shared various other strategies that I didn’t have time to model and allowed them a chance to see all of the books that had been brought to them thanks to donors back home. We brainstormed ways that they could use some of the new strategies to teach with the new books. I then gave them all parting gifts, as I wouldn’t see them again before leaving on Sunday. They were all so thankful and so grateful and asking when I would return and if I would come stay for longer and teach with them. These teachers are amazing and genuinely desire to be effective teachers and engage the students and create success for the youth in the community. They promised to continue shouting “fantastico!” for me and also to try and be more loud and crazy like me when they read stories to the kids 😊
I am grateful that Angie, Dustin, and Cathy were all able to capture some photos and videos for me so that I can share my crazy with my family and students back home and share the love and joy found on this journey in Nicaragua.
After a long walk down the beach this morning, I had a chance to work with Angie’s son, Nolan, on his mathematics. He is 14 and takes mathematics online. However, I had brought math manipulatives with me and Angie wanted me to work with him on using algebra tiles to understand concepts further. We had a great time and he truly enjoyed the chance to see mathematics differently and to struggle through a concrete way to see abstract concepts. I rarely have the chance to tutor a kid that wants to learn on the beach with coffee in my hand! I’m thinking that was a once in a lifetime opportunity…..
About 10am Cathy came with about six students from the English club and they spent the time making bracelets and then Emelina and her mom and little brother came at 1pm to make pizza with us and to hang out for a while. I got a chance to give her letters from my students in the states and give her a few presents that were for her, including two of the most incredible crocheted dolls made by a student at my HS. She was so excited and you could tell she felt so special. I found out that one of her most favorite things to learn is sewing, so she was truly intrigued by how the dolls were made.
What struck me most about Emelina in my time with her is how loved and secure she seems. There are many places I go where the girls are so starved for affection and attention that they cling to you, or they want what you have so badly that they won’t leave your side. But Emelina was happy, confident, and clearly loved by her family. Her mom said that she sleeps with her elderly grandma every night and just adores her family. She is quietly mature for her age, as many girls are here, but she also manages to be a fun-loving child. I think that is what I appreciated most about the dolls. It gave her a chance to just be a child playing with her friend with some dolls while her mom talked to the adults. That is a normal childhood. And more than the gifts I brought with me, I am thankful I brought with me a chance just to play like a kid.
After they went home, we spent a few hours in our chairs on the beach watching the kids surf, boogie board, and play in the water while we watched the incredible sunset. We enjoyed tacos from the Instapot—something so many people have here!—and then I ended up asleep just after 8pm. It has been a long week, and spending four hours trying to understand conversations in another language is just another level of tired. I am so grateful for all of my experiences this week and for the open welcome from the family here. I am blessed to get to be in this experience.
The rest of the afternoon I led four more reading groups and continued to model for the teachers strategies to help with reading comprehension, student dialogue, and engagement. At the end, the teachers had their wrap-up meeting and I shared various other strategies that I didn’t have time to model and allowed them a chance to see all of the books that had been brought to them thanks to donors back home. We brainstormed ways that they could use some of the new strategies to teach with the new books. I then gave them all parting gifts, as I wouldn’t see them again before leaving on Sunday. They were all so thankful and so grateful and asking when I would return and if I would come stay for longer and teach with them. These teachers are amazing and genuinely desire to be effective teachers and engage the students and create success for the youth in the community. They promised to continue shouting “fantastico!” for me and also to try and be more loud and crazy like me when they read stories to the kids 😊
I am grateful that Angie, Dustin, and Cathy were all able to capture some photos and videos for me so that I can share my crazy with my family and students back home and share the love and joy found on this journey in Nicaragua.
After a long walk down the beach this morning, I had a chance to work with Angie’s son, Nolan, on his mathematics. He is 14 and takes mathematics online. However, I had brought math manipulatives with me and Angie wanted me to work with him on using algebra tiles to understand concepts further. We had a great time and he truly enjoyed the chance to see mathematics differently and to struggle through a concrete way to see abstract concepts. I rarely have the chance to tutor a kid that wants to learn on the beach with coffee in my hand! I’m thinking that was a once in a lifetime opportunity…..
About 10am Cathy came with about six students from the English club and they spent the time making bracelets and then Emelina and her mom and little brother came at 1pm to make pizza with us and to hang out for a while. I got a chance to give her letters from my students in the states and give her a few presents that were for her, including two of the most incredible crocheted dolls made by a student at my HS. She was so excited and you could tell she felt so special. I found out that one of her most favorite things to learn is sewing, so she was truly intrigued by how the dolls were made.
What struck me most about Emelina in my time with her is how loved and secure she seems. There are many places I go where the girls are so starved for affection and attention that they cling to you, or they want what you have so badly that they won’t leave your side. But Emelina was happy, confident, and clearly loved by her family. Her mom said that she sleeps with her elderly grandma every night and just adores her family. She is quietly mature for her age, as many girls are here, but she also manages to be a fun-loving child. I think that is what I appreciated most about the dolls. It gave her a chance to just be a child playing with her friend with some dolls while her mom talked to the adults. That is a normal childhood. And more than the gifts I brought with me, I am thankful I brought with me a chance just to play like a kid.
After they went home, we spent a few hours in our chairs on the beach watching the kids surf, boogie board, and play in the water while we watched the incredible sunset. We enjoyed tacos from the Instapot—something so many people have here!—and then I ended up asleep just after 8pm. It has been a long week, and spending four hours trying to understand conversations in another language is just another level of tired. I am so grateful for all of my experiences this week and for the open welcome from the family here. I am blessed to get to be in this experience.
Saturday, February 22
I’m sitting here this morning (with my coffee, of course) watching Dustin and his son Nolan and two of their friends spend the morning surfing. Since the beach is literally their front yard, this is a daily occurrence. These families work so hard and struggle through language, politics, culture, discrimination, and opposition in order to make the lives of Nicaraguans better, and somedays it seems time in the ocean and the waves is what makes it bearable for them and allows them to continue the work. It took them a lot of time and searching to find the perfect location to start their home and their organization here in Salinas Grande, and it is absolutely amazing. They have a beautiful tiny home (which they insisted was out of financial necessity, not Oregonian trend) and a casita on property that people can rent and come and stay in (it is way nicer than many places I’ve stayed during travel). They also have a two story Roncho (patio) that overlooks the ocean with furniture and hammocks. This is where I would blog each morning over coffee. On the front of the property is where they have the kids club with a large kitchen to feed them, as well as bathrooms. As of now, they have chickens, ducks, two toucans (bought in the parking lot of Price Mart!) and also one dog named Luna that is expecting pups any day. It is peaceful, remote, and rugged…. But they have water, flushing toilets, and Wifi—so what more could you need! They did say that I brought a little magic with me, as the weather was beautiful, the mosquitos were virtually zero, and the electricity stayed on for the entire time I was here! You’re welcome 😊
We took off to spend the afternoon at Playa Hermosa, which was about an hour away. We tide pooled, explored, chatted, ate lunch, and had a relaxing afternoon before heading back to Leon to eat papusas—a food a lot like a quesadilla, but made with a rice and cheese crust and filled with more cheese and fillings. The were delicious and all nine of us ate and had a drink for less than $20US.
We grabbed some avocados at the local store and raced back to the property to catch my final sunset. (Seriously, we saw about the last 1 min…) and then relaxed on the beach while the kids played and had chips and guacamole while debriefing the experience. Another great (and last) day with the fam!
We took off to spend the afternoon at Playa Hermosa, which was about an hour away. We tide pooled, explored, chatted, ate lunch, and had a relaxing afternoon before heading back to Leon to eat papusas—a food a lot like a quesadilla, but made with a rice and cheese crust and filled with more cheese and fillings. The were delicious and all nine of us ate and had a drink for less than $20US.
We grabbed some avocados at the local store and raced back to the property to catch my final sunset. (Seriously, we saw about the last 1 min…) and then relaxed on the beach while the kids played and had chips and guacamole while debriefing the experience. Another great (and last) day with the fam!