DIECISIETE DE JULIO

 

TUESDAY, JULY 17, 2007

Diecisiete de Julio

Our bus broke down this morning.

FORTUNATELY, we had two bikes between the three of us (Adam’s and Teddy’s, with myself standing on the pegs of Adam’s bike).

UNFORTUNATELY, it’s all UPHILL to the school and these bikes are plain cruel on even a slight incline.

We cycled uphill with our thumbs out for a bit, and then hitched a ride on an 18 wheeler for the remainder of the trip, tossing our bikes on the bumpy platform bed of the truck.

The trip home is always fun, coasting downhill on Adam’s pegs under a canopy of trees, dodging the potholes and the oncoming busses.

It’s even more fun in the rain holding a guitar.

I hadn’t yet taken photos of Adam’s 3rd grade choir class, so I hopped on the back of his bike this afternoon with one hand on his shoulder and the other holding a guitar tied in a clear plastic bag. As we zipped thru town, the warm rain soaked us head to toe, temporarily blinding my eyes so I couldn’t be a back-bike driver (“watch that pothole!” “don’t run into that kid!” “you’re going the wrong way on a one way road!”). 

It's very freeing to not care about running make-up, messed-up hair and wet clothes.

We made it to the school, tucked down a muddy road and Adam taught the most adorable kids ever how to sing Cielito Lindo along with his guitar.
   

Tonight as I lay in bed in the dark, my smell sense magnified, I realized nothing around me, including myself, has had a proper cleaning in months. When water availability is sporadic, clothes, sheets, floors, dishes, and bodies don’t get cleaned as often even though they get dirty and smelly much faster here. Everything, including myself, smells like musty mildewed dirt and when there isn’t much one can do about it… being clean becomes less and less important. Going to bed with dirt caked to my feet, like the kids do in the barrios, doesn’t bother me anymore. Eating with dirty hands or with a spoon that’s still a bit crusty from breakfast isn’t as gross as it used to be. Putting on a shirt for the 9th time that has been rained on, sweat in and used as a napkin is no big deal. And falling asleep with my face in a pillow that smells like rotten egg just reminds me that, in the grand scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter. 

DIECISEIS DE JULIO

 

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2007

Dieciseis de Julio

Haahahah



Today after Adam’s guitar class we visited the neighbors next to the school. They have a few pony-sized pigs that we wanted to meet. Only the smaller of the two pigs was out and about, but there was a handful of dirty barefoot kids walking over mud and broken glass, who posed silly for the camera.

They were literally playing in pig sty.

CATORCE DE JULIO

 

SATURDAY, JULY 14, 2007

Catorce de Julio

I woke at 5am to watch the same sun rise, but alas the sky was covered shore to sky with dark rain clouds … equally as beautiful.


After paying for our meals and nightstay, we decide to walk along the shore to the next town – in the rain. The beach was nearly abandoned, besides a few locals washing laundry in the lake, a few kids bathing, and a few Spanish cowboys.
 


Also, fitting the eerie mood of this gloomy shore perfectly, a few ugly vultures peck at the eyeball of a dead fish.
 

We walked for three hours along the lake, then through the muddy roads canopied by green trees dripping dew and drops all the way. We were drenched and happy as we hola’d the locals and marveled at the butterflies.


We hiked uphill for 300 meters to the next nights accommodations, The Finca Magdelena which, located on the side of Volcan Maderas, was Heaven.

This finca (farm) needs no artificial fertilizers due to the rich volcanic soil. It is completely self-sustaining, so all the food we ate was from their gardens and the water we drank was filtered directly from the mountain springs. Heaven, indeed.

After sunset, Adam and I sat on the porch with our Toña’s (the Nicaraguan beer of choice) and named as many of the world’s countries as we could think of, then went to bed.

TRECE DE JULIO

 

FRIDAY, JULY 13, 2007

Trece de Julio

After a bumpy bus ride, a cramped mini-shuttle ride, a rickety boat ride, an expensive truck taxi ride, and a bit of walking… we end up on Isla de Ometepe. It is the only island in the world with two volcanos – one of them quite active (we heard it “burped” on Tuesday).

After a little hike to find the cheapest hostel, we end at a quiet cabana renting hammocks for $1.85 a night. We settled in and spent the evening watching the sun set into the giant golden lake at the foot of a massive volcano.

DOCE DE JULIO

 

THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2007

Doce de Julio

Another trip to the Mercado.

Although it’s not the place for Child Labor Activists or Claustrophobic Germ-a-phobes, we can’t get enough.

The vendors are here every single day – they don’t even close up shop when it rains.


There are more kids than adults running around.

This drunk fool sucked on my face.

Taxi, Taxi, Taxi, HORSE, Taxi, Taxi


Another amazing face.

DIES DE JULIO

 

TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2007

Diez de Julio

Another guitar class. Teddy and I got to know a boy in the class named Aniel who lives in a boys’ home down the street from the school. He started doing hard drugs at 13 and was sent to live in this boys’ home to straighten him out. He’s very bright and is picking up the guitar really quickly.

~ Sometimes, when we’re across town and don’t feel like riding our bikes home or catching the bus, we hitchhike. Nothing is illegal here – including riding in truck beds.

  

Adan and I are writing a song about Nicaragua.

All our babies in one lap.

 

NUEVE DE JULIO

 

MONDAY, JULY 9, 2007

Nueve de Julio

Every Monday and Tuesday, Adam teaches guitar at La Epifania, a small school in one of the poor neighborhoods.

Ritmo de los Barrios (Rhythm of the Barrios) brings musical education to the kids who otherwise would not experience the joy of learning an instrument. Adam also teaches choir on Wednesdays and Thursdays and a few other volunteers teach flute, percussion, and piano. The program is fairly new which gives the volunteers completely open criteria for lesson plans.

The most common problem we’ve encountered is the lack of structure in the schools to begin with. There seems to be no kind of schedule or curriculum and the kids are often running around aimlessly, so its difficult to keep the kids attention sometimes. Other than that Adam loves it.




 



During our bike ride home today, we stopped at shack full of kids for some photos. The photos always start sad and solemn, as the kids are not used to having their photos taken…





...but always end in huge smiles and giggles as they LOVE seeing the photos on the little digital screen of my camera…
 

Later in the day we went to our favorite place to find a bunch bustling Nicaraguans – El Mercado. It’s an outdoor marketplace where one can find absolutely anything and everything.
    

  

At the market, one can also find any and every kind of person.