The Past Three Months in Numbers

Total Days: 92

Trips to Managua: 4

Trips to Bluefields: 5

Trips to Pueblo Nuevo: 1

Trips to Pedregal: 1 attempted (more on this later)

Approximate Total Kilometers Traveled: 4200

Approximate Total Hours Spent Traveling: 112

Meetings Attended: 14

Presentations Given: 18 (mostly to youth in secondary schools on themes related to sexual and reproductive health)

Youth Group Meetings Held: 4

Trainings Given: 4

Trainings Attended: 2 (one being my final Peace Corps In-Service Training, held a bit after my one year anniversary in service)

Medical Brigades Participated In: 1

Health-Related Community Activities Participated In: 1

Youth Camps Participated In: 1

All this to say…this is why I haven’t posted anything in a while.

Oh the Weather outside is Frightful

Well folks, looks like it’s officially winter here in Pearl Lagoon. Gone are the endless sunny days, the intense heat, and the humidity. Okay, the humidity is still there. But instead of sunshine, we have day after day of monsoon-style rain. Constant, drenching, pounding, unrelenting rain. It is hard to sleep through the night with the heart-stoppingly loud thunder and brilliant displays of lightning. The roads are becoming a muddy mess, the health center is flooding, the bon refuse to rise properly, and the electricity cuts out more frequently. Everything that can mold is molding. It will soon be impossible to travel into and out of Pearl Lagoon overland. At least the toads are happy; every evening we’re treated to a chorus of croaking and chirping from the newly formed pathside ponds. A few tips for surviving the coastal winter:

1. Buy good rain boots and a big umbrella. Despite the potential mocking you may endure for your campesino style, but trust me: embrace the rubber boots, because it’s very unpleasant to have to spend the whole day with wet, dirty, wrinkled toes. A big umbrella is also key; little umbrellas are great for travel, but don’t hold up too well against high winds and torrential downpours.

2. Always be prepared to do laundry. Sunny days may be few and far between. Clothing is not limitless, and there are only so many times one can acceptably wear a shirt or sleep on the same sheets (remember, it’s still pretty warm here). So if the sunshine peeking through your curtains at 5 AM wakes you up, best you jump out of bed and start scrubbing. Sun peek out of the clouds after hours of rain? Head home; it’s laundry time! You never know how the sun will last, and you don’t want to get stuck with half-dry clothes or bedding.

3. Keep that mosquito net up and tucked in. Rainy weather brings more insects. The number of mosquitoes increases exponentially, and other creepy crawlies you might not otherwise see too much will find their way into your home where it is drier. Wear your bug repellent to fend off the blood suckers, cover your water supplies to discourage insect breeding, and keep food in tightly closed containers (though it may not guarantee the protection of your food from smaller ants). Oh, and if a big bad bug happens to expire in your home, don’t worry too much about cleaning up the corpse. There’s a good chance that other creatures living in your house will take care of it sooner or later (remember the scorpion post?).

4. Try not to worry too much about the leaks. It’s inevitable. So try to prepare as best you can, and don’t worry too much about the rest. Make sure your bed isn’t under any holes (or repair the roof the best you can, even if it’s only with duct tape or tarps), keep your things on higher shelves or in drawers, and remember: if your floor gets wet, it’s just a good opportunity to mop – you don’t even have to drag in a bucket of water!

5. Try to find the good. A week of rain can be a real downer. A month (or three) even more so. So try to find the positives, such as… it’s not as hot! The mangos are coming into season! The big growing season has begun – more fruits and vegetables are on their way! It’s an excuse to drink hot chocolate or tea! It’s a good time to get friends together and watch a movie, or curl up with a good book!

6. Don’t visit Nicaragua in June, July, or August. While I would love to see you all, and hope that you one day have a chance to get to know this country, I’d strongly advise waiting to do so until the drier (yet still reasonably cool) months of November through February. Unless you’re a surfer. I hear the waves on the Pacific side aren’t so bad in winter...

Word of the week: lluvia - rain

A Very Very

Happy Father's Day!

Sending my love from Nicaragua today (and every day). Dad, you've been there for me through thick and thin. Thank you!

Miss Marcia’s Special Bon for the Thanksgiving Harvest

If I haven’t mentioned it before, the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua offers some excellent traditional foods. One of my personal favorites is the bon: a sweet, spiced bread. I recently had the pleasure of making bon with Miss Marcia, one of my neighbors and friends here in Lagoon, as she prepared for the Moravian Church’s Thanksgiving harvest. I tried to take notes of the process, which I’m sharing with you today, but keep in mind that most good cooks here don’t really work with a recipe. Make adjustments as you see fit, or just come to the coast to experience them.

Bon – Makes approximately 15 loaves

36 cups of flour

7 cups sugar

1 additional cup browned sugar syrup, mixed with approximately 2 tablespoons vanilla

1 small handful salt

2 handfuls of baking powder

Milk from 3-4 coconuts

2 sticks of margarine

1 cup shortening

4 tablespoons instant yeast

6 tablespoons cinnamon

5 tablespoons anise seeds

Allspice

Nutmeg

Cloves

1-2 cups of raisins and/or candied fruits

FOR GLAZE:

1 cup coconut cream

2-3 tablespoons sugar

Mix together dry ingredients and spices. Stir in browned sugar syrup, then stir in enough coconut milk for the dough to stick together. Knead in the shortening and margarine. Stir in raisins and/or candied fruits, if desired.

Sprinkle flour on a clean surface and knead the dough until it is soft (several minutes). Separate dough into 15 separate balls, and knead each one individually, forming each into a smooth ball. Flatten the ball, pressing any raisins or fruits into the dough. Set aside and let rise. Bake until golden brown.

Mix glaze and brush over the cooled loaves. Allow to dry 20-30 minutes, and then apply a second coat.

A Further Note on Insect Bites

The amount and variety of bites I accumulate from insects on a daily basis astounds me, and has, over time, made me slightly obsessed with repellent. I used to find bites on my body and think to myself, “What bit me? And how did it get there?” After months of observation, I have become something of a connoisseur when it comes to insect bites: how each insect’s bite feels, how each insect’s bite looks, and how long it will last. For example:

I believe everyone is familiar with the bite of the mosquito. You rarely notice a mosquito until it’s too late – if you start to feel a slight itch, the mosquito is most likely finishing its meal. Immediately after, the itch will greatly increase in intensity, and the site of the bite will swell and redden (the amount to which it swells will depend on your level of allergic reaction). If you can resist scratching the bite, it will disappear quickly. Scratching the bite only causes further itching and swelling; if you scratch long enough or hard enough, you can break the skin and cause the bite to become infected with the bacteria living under your nails.

The sand fly is a tiny insect, but its bite packs a punch. Without warning, you will feel a sharp pain, mixed with itchiness. For me, this sensation fades as soon as the insect is removed from the skin and there is no lasting physical evidence. However, I have heard that some people have allergic reactions to this insect bite, and will experience waves of intense itchiness, with small red bumps.

The ant bite, on the other hand, feels like burning. It is extremely painful, and this pain will endure past the removal of the ant – up to an hour or two. The skin will swell slightly and become red. Rubbing alcohol applied directly to the bite will help reduce the pain and swelling.

The flea bite is generally not felt, but evidence of fleas manifest as small, itchy red bumps that can last up to a week on the skin. The fleas themselves can be hard to detect (tiny, jumping, black or brown specks), and nearly impossible to kill without the use of pesticide (even if you are fast enough to catch one, their hard little bodies are nearly impossible to smash with a finger).

As mentioned in the previous post, the yellow fly (also called the red fly, though they are in fact always yellow) leaves quite a mark. You most likely will feel little as the fly bites you, yet the site of the bite may bleed, and it will certainly swell. And turn red. And grow hot. The bite itself will itch a lot. It may even hurt. As with the mosquito bite, refrain from scratching – this will lead to days of unnecessary suffering.

I’ve been lucky enough to avoid run-ins with some of the other blood-sucking insects inhabiting Pearl Lagoon and the rest of Nicaragua.* I’ve been told that the bite of the black fly is even worse than that of the yellow fly, and that grass lice burrow under the skin and break out later, leaving itchy red bumps. There are stories of ticks in more rural areas that, in sufficient quantities, can kill even large animals. I hope I never have to find out if the stories are true. I’ve also seen what bed bugs can do (lines or clusters of small red bites, usually on the extremities or abdominal area), but have been fortunate enough to never have done battle with them.

As I said, I’ve become quite knowledgeable on bites. Yet I still fail, from time to time, to discover the answer to “how did they get there?”

Words of the Week: Los que chupan sangre – those that suck blood, hinchado – swollen, escondido - hidden

*This is not to say that these insects are only found in Nicaragua; there are simply more opportunities to experience them when one lives in homes that are not sealed or even screened in, when wooded areas are not maintained or sprayed with pesticides, and when domestic animals are not treated for fleas or ticks. Nicaragua, however, does have the added benefit (for the insects) of having a consistently warm climate, with forests, jungle, and fresh water sources.

A Fable in the Flesh

The Goods and the Ills

All the Goods were once driven out by the Ills from that common share which they had in the affairs of mankind; for the Ills by reason of their numbers had prevailed to possess the earth. The Goods wafted themselves to heaven and asked for a righteous vengeance on their persecutors. They entreated Jupiter that they might no longer be associated with the Ills, as they had nothing in common and could not live together, but were engaged in unceasing warfare; and that an indissoluble law might be laid down for their future protection. Jupiter granted their request and decreed that henceforth the Ills should visit the earth in company with each other, but that the Goods should one by one enter the habitations of men. Hence it arises that Ills abound, for they come not one by one, but in troops, and by no means singly, while the Goods proceed from Jupiter, and are given, not alike to all, but singly, and separately; and one by one to those who are able to discern them.

Aesop was a wise man.

The stress of going from Pearl Lagoon to Managua and back in a four day period definitely takes its toll on the body; after 14 hours of self-imposed dehydration, heat, dust, and bone-jarring bumps, I arrived in Pearl Lagoon exhausted. Three days later, I had to make another trip – this time to Bluefields. Although the second trip was far less extensive (a one-hour boat ride), it was made in the rain, then followed by a sleepless overnight stay before returning home the next morning. The combined travel resulted in a fresh cold – nothing too bad, but enough to slow me down and make me mildly miserable.

Then I started to feel a pain in my lower left leg. Within two days, my ankle area had become swollen, red, and hot to the touch. Cellulitis! I was prescribed a course of antibiotics and told to notify the Peace Corps Medical Office in the event that the situation failed to improve, or worse. Praying that my infection would not turn out to have been caused by the multi-drug resistant form of a staph bacteria known as MRSA (no more trips to Managua for me, please!), I took my first pill and sat down on the porch with a book to relax.

At which point I was bitten on my palm by a yellow fly, and my hand and arm swelled like a balloon. An itchy, burning balloon. I slathered myself with hydrocortisone and called it a night.

 The next morning, another yellow fly bit the back of my thigh while I was washing clothes outside. Again, massive amounts of swelling and itching. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I thought to myself, as I once again reached for the hydrocortisone.

It’s now a little more than a week later. The effects of the viruses, bacteria, and insects that ganged up on me have faded, and I’m more or less back to normal.

“So where’s the Good?” you’re probably thinking.

Well, just take a look at these awesome sandals I found in Managua! A steal at only $6, they are durable, easy to clean, and (trust me when I say this) quite Nica-rific.

Oh yeah, and my SPA application was accepted!

Words of the Week: Lo bueno y lo malo – the good and the bad

So...what have I been doing, exactly?

During service, every Peace Corps volunteer has the opportunity to apply for grants to assist in the realization of capacity-building projects. The funding mechanisms differ in their focus area, application requirements, and funding limit. For those of us in the health arena here in Nicaragua, there is the Volunteer Activities Support and Training (VAST) mechanism, the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP) mechanism, and the Small Projects Assistance (SPA) mechanism.

The idea behind this provision of monitory support is that, in the right situation, this resource (though relatively small, with a maximum of $10,000 USD in funding) can make a tremendous impact on community development. When we talk about “the right situation” we mean one in which 1) the problem and its solution have been identified and prioritized by the community itself, 2) the community can build on its own strengths and abilities to solve the problem, and 3) that the community can continue to actualize the solution in the absence of external support (the solution is sustainable). To quote the Peace Corps, “A cornerstone of the Peace Corps approach to development is the belief that success is achieved by helping people develop the capacity to use their own skills and resources to improve their lives. Identifying assets and resources from within the community and building on such assets to increase self-reliance and sustainable development are critical elements of the Peace Corps philosophy. While sustainable development efforts depend first and foremost on local commitment, resources, and skills, outside resources may help expand a community’s own asset base and strengthen an activity’s positive impact.”

As anyone who has ever worked on a grant application knows, a lot goes into the process. Writing the application itself can take weeks to months; after a project is identified and developed, one must carefully craft a convincing argument, complete with evidence, as to why that project deserves to be funded. Data is gathered; price quotes collected; letters of commitment from community partners secured; plans, timelines, budgets developed. There are rounds of edits to the draft before the final application is presented to a small grant committee, who reviews the application and determines whether or not it is worthy of funding. Before an application is accepted, however, the volunteer and a relevant colleague must travel to Managua to defend the application before the committee. A successful defense results in a final round of edits, followed by transmittal of application to Washington, DC, where funding is awarded. And then the real work begins.

This all to say that I’ve spent the last few months working with my colleagues on a SPA proposal to implement a series of trainings on three strategies developed by the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health (MINSA) that are designed to prevent maternal and infant morbidity and mortality through an increased understanding of maternal child health and the promotion of institutional care, promote healthy infant and childhood development through proper nutritional practices, and increase women’s knowledge of and access to family planning methods. We’ll be conducting these trainings with over 100 lay community health workers, or “brigadistas,” from three of Pearl Lagoon’s more inaccessible communities. If this project accomplishes what we intend it to do (and we certainly hope it does!), the brigadistas will serve as the communities’ first line of defense in the protection of maternal and child health, working autonomously in places that MINSA cannot reach with any regularity, and keeping MINSA informed of the health of their community members. This is extremely important work, as these communities all suffer from relatively high rates of high risk pregnancies (such as those among adolescents and those who have already birthed numerous children), obstetric emergencies, and childhood malnutrition.

While this is not all that I’ve been doing, it is without a doubt the project I am most excited to be working on. I was in Managua on May 3 to defend the proposal, which went very well. There are still several hurdles to jump, but I’m cautiously optimistic that things will work out. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Words of the Week: recursos – resources, desarrollo - development