La Chureca

Last week, I went to La Chureca (the dump) in Cuidad Sandino with a translator and a boy who used to live there that now lives in Furia Santa, the center for addiction that Project H.O.P.E. runs. It would not have been safe to go without him. When we arrived in the morning, we drove through fields of trash until we found where people were working that day. As the trash trucks come into the dump, children and youth climb up on top of the trash load and start going through the pickings as the truck drives back to the dumping site. When the trash is dumped, everyone rushes over to see what of worth is in the load. They put what they want in the bags or carts that they carry. Metal and plastic items are the most desirable.  The first woman we talked to was cutting the metal buckles off of a tattered purse with a machete. She did not want to be surveyed. When we found willing participants, we stood in the trash and interviewed them, running out of the way when trash trucks came flying through to dump more trash. The people we interviewed were tough and weather worn, their arms and legs almost black from sorting through the trash with their bare hands. I could tell some of the guys were in the local gang by the way they dressed and acted.

 When we returned in the afternoon after our lunch break, about 20 people stopped our truck and jumped into the bed as we drove into the dump. When we got into the dump there were over 100 people waiting for us. The people thought we were bringing them food. We tried to remove ourselves from the mob by walking up a hill of trash, but everyone followed. I found myself standing 4-5 people deep in the middle of the hill with dogs sitting on my feet and between my legs (I guess they also thought I was going to feed them). Our intent was to interview the de facto leader of the group about the needs of the community, but we couldn’t get away from all the other people so it ended up being more of a group interview. We found out that they were squatters on the land at the edge of the dump. When I asked about the strengths of the community, they told us that they were hard workers and took care of each other. Their biggest expressed need was food for the children. The children work in the dump at least half of the day. 

As we were leaving, a huge storm was coming in. So as we tried to walk out of the dump, a strong wind was blowing trash and dirt all over us. We were picked up about a minute before a monsoon-like rain began. 

 

Please pray for these families.

 

 

 

 

Pictures from Dos Santos and Futbol

Click here for pictures

Creative Transportation in Nicaragua

Census in Gruta Javier

This week I have been doing a census in a barrio up the hill, Gruta Javier. We didn’t really know anything about the community, besides where it is and that it appears to be very poor. Eduardo, one of the Project HOPE staff, is helping me. We are doing a short survey that asked for names and ages of household members, as well as monthly income and the type of house they live in (i.e. corrugated metal, cement block, etc.). I also take a picture of the family for Project HOPE to use in the future if they decide to partner with the community. In the middle of the community is a huge building project; the government is building apartments for single mothers that will cost approximately $30/month. This means the community will be growing significantly in the near future.

Eduardo is hilarious. He is in charge of children’s ministry at Project HOPE and used to be a professional soccer player in Nicaragua. He is learning ventriloquism, so when we see kids in the community he talks to them in a funny voice with his mouth closed (this produces amused looks from the older kids). When a kid was looking at the truck we came in, Eduardo pretended his voice was the truck talking and the child looked confused and walked away. Eduardo is learning English, so he is always keen to learn new words and their pronunciations. He will make me repeat words he doesn’t know and write them down. Since we are both learning each other’s languages, sometimes our conversations are quite entertaining. When we were driving up to the barrio yesterday he pointed out a woman we had interviewed for the census the day before and said, “We censed her yesterday”. When I saw two men using roosters for a cock fight, I said, “look they are fighting with the chickens!” and Eduardo responded, “no, it is like boxing”.

Eduardo

Picture links

Pictures from my mini vacation: click here
Pictures from the new barrio I have been working in: click here

Lessons from a beginning surfer

Surfing is hard

They’re called rash guards for a reason

The surf board is heavier when you are leaving the water

If you don’t lift the front of your board when a wave comes, the board will hit you

If your board drifts sideways as you are going out, the board will hit you

When you fall off the board, come up from the water with your hands over your head, or the board will hit you

If you want to be a surfer, you have to watch the tide

Lots of big waves are not a good thing

You have to be very selective when choosing your wave

Getting back on the horse

 I haven’t ridden a horse since I was about 12, so it took me awhile to remember how when a local rancher took me down the beach and through sugarcane fields on horseback. After about 15 minutes,  when my thighs were screaming at me and I was terrified of falling off, I remembered I could raise myself off the horse and hold on with my legs. Things went much more smoothly after that. While riding, I got to see fishing Nica-style. The men stand in the waves about knee deep and swing fishing line above their heads lasso style, then cast it out into the water. The line resembles a kite string in the way they have it wrapped. This was part of a great mini vacation I had this weekend at Los Cardones Surf Lodge. The lodge is an eco-friendly and socially responsible retreat. There is not electricity in the cabanas, and they have composting toilets. Everything is on the beach, so naturally, the view is amazing. I spent a lot of time swinging in the hammocks and relaxing. I saw countless iguanas and large red and blue crabs. The toads come out en mass after dark, so I had to watch my step. I also learned how to surf (for my thoughts on that, you can see the next post). Now I am back at Project HOPE and quite sore. I will be starting a census in a barrio up the hill from the base that we haven’t worked in before.