Introducing the 2012-2013 PDs!

The last of the old PDs left this morning and us new PDs are officially in the swing of things! We learned a lot from the old PDs in the short time we were together; their stories and achievements were encouraging and inspirational. I hope that we can continue to improve and strengthen MPI's programs just as they did. Last week we had the annual despedida/bienvenida party at El Farito to say celebrate both teams and the community. It was the perfect way to say heartfelt goodbyes and meet new friends. Especially since a piñata and a cake were involved.

Click here to meet the new team!

Quinceañera Norma

This past weekend some of the program directors celebrated a fiesta de quinceañera with one of the girls, Norma, that lives in the community.  For those of you that do not know, turning fifteen in Nicaragua and in most Latin American countries is a very big deal.  It is distinct from any other birthday because it marks the transition from childhood into adulthood for a young girl.  Quinceañera is the name of the girl who is turning fifteen, and the fiesta de quinceañera is the name of the actual party.  So on Saturday night program directors Carly, Steph, Luke, and myself headed into the community to celebrate.  Upon arriving we were immediately asked to sit down and were served dinner, which consisted of a rice dish, a roll, and soda.   After we ate the rest of the evening then followed a similar pattern to that of a wedding: a father-daughter dance, lots of chatting with surrounding neighbors and friends, many pictures of Norma in her beautiful dress, a cake-cutting ceremony, and lots of dancing. Norma's house and the surrounding area was completely transformed for the party, with pink balloons and streamers everywhere and a DJ playing music.  All of her family and friends were also extremely involved, acting as either hostesses or helping serve food, which made it really special and fun to see.  It was such a beautiful party and a privilege to be able to celebrate with her, and we all ended up having a really good time and were thankful to be able to go. Below are some pictures from the fiesta.  

Norma after her mass service at the church.

Luke, Steph, Carly, Norma, Megan and Tressa.

Norma in front of her cake.

POOL FIESTAS AT THE MANNA HOUSE

NICA STYLE

As many of you know at MPI Nica we have a pool in our backyard.

We have a lot of pool parties as rewards for the community members in our programs. For many of them this is their only chance to learn/practice swimming. Right now is getting to be the end of our first term and it's party season! Here are some photos from Steph's Children's English Class (we split up the boys from the girls in hopes for a little less chaos during the fiesta... it sorta worked).

WOMEN'S FITNESS

Bi-weekly the women of Cedro Galan meet and have an hour long fitness class.

The women come to class in the same clothes that they wear during the day: knee-length skirts, jeans, and sandals (which they often slip off for class, participating barefoot) and they never complain. Before they knew that we had a set of free-weights they suggested we fill old plastic water bottles with rocks for weights. Their enthusiasm and willingness to learn how to exercise continues to inspire me to plan new work-outs and different fun ways to get in shape. We do a mix of cardio, yoga/stretching, and muscle work in class. I remember the first class when I tried to get the ladies to do some sit-ups, and it just wasn't going to happen. But, recently we've started doing up to 50 sit-ups in one class! They may not be the most co-ordinated group of gals, but I've seen them improve drastically in the past 4 months.

Back home I played with my university's Women's Ultimate Frisbee team named the UVixens (the short form of my university's name is UVic). Last week they sent over a box of donations (shoes, sports bras, shorts, t-shirts) for the women that participate in the class and we gave them out as Premios last Wednesday.

A Premio is a reward/prize that we give out to people that participate in our programs regularly. A Premio will often be a thing that a person needs for the program but can't normally afford on their own. For example, shorts or running shoes for fitness class. It was so great to be able to reward the ladies for all of their hard work with some much needed exercise apparel!

¡MUCHAS GRACIAS UVIXENS!

WILL'S NICARAGUAN B-DAY

Last Sunday we celebrated Will's 23rd b-day with a nice dinner, cake, and of course a Spiderman shaped piñata! It's also a Nicaraguan tradition to crack a raw egg on the head of a person when it's their b-day. The Nicas say it's for good luck... and of course we wanted Will to have all the good luck he could! jejejejeje.

Here are some pictures from the celebrations.

Jaquie, Spiderman, & Will

Marcos blissfully trying to hit the Piñata and William watching seriously in the background preparing himself for the battle to get candy

Will really enjoyed it!

It was little Jaquie's b-day too

so she got a good luck egg on the head too

Lester making sure there was no left over candy hiding in Spidey

the other night

at the Manna House

we had a

PAPER MACHE PARTY!!!

here are some pics

loca for piñatas

I was unaware that a large part of my job description would be "party and event planning." The amount of rice and beans consumed in Nica is an appropriate parallel to the number of parties and special events we've hosted lately (read: LOTS). The formula for a rockin' fiesta is as follows: piñata + soda + cake + reggaeton music + gringos for crowd control during the piñata frenzy. The presence of a piñata jammed pack with cavity creating treats sends children and adults alike into a tizzy. (Side note: the piñatas are often very creepy Chuckie-like dolls or large animals), but I digress. After being swarmed by children begging to have a go at the piñata, one lucky child at a time is blindfolded and starts swinging. The following moments seem to pass in slow motion. Should even one piece of candy squeeze out and fall to the ground, people dive, wrestle and fight on the ground for the treats like their lives depend on it. Often times the child up at bat doesn't realize there are people diving around his feet (due to the blindfold) and continues to swing that bat like he's aiming for a home run. Thank God that no serious head injuries have occurred. A few weeks ago at a giant birthday party we put on for the local children, there were no less than 50 children in a massive pile clawing their way to candy heaven. The icing on the cake was several moms who used their height advantage to tackle the still hanging, yet mostly destroyed, piñata and ripped it to shreds. Planet Earth should do a slow-motion segment on this phenomenon; it is simply stunning to watch.

Next to Jesus' birthday, mothers' day is probably the most important holiday in this country. Consequently, we've tried to honor the mothers of the children in our programs and any mothers in the local communities we've gotten to know during our time here (nearly one year!!!!). Monday morning we had a special brunch for mothers only; the idea was to have a classy, relaxing lunch for the moms, a time when they could have fun and enjoy each other's company without the looming presence of needy children. We played a few games, raffled off some prizes and provided a delicious meal of eggs, tortillas, cheese, fruit salad, pound cake and coffee. This morning we had a similar celebration for the Chureca mothers in our child sponsorship program. We brought a piñata, cake, soda and raffle prizes; fun was had by all!

In the spirit of mother's day, I'd like to quickly honor my adoptive Nicaraguan mothers. I lived with their family for a week, teach or coach all five of their children, and recently was the confirmation sponsor for my 'brother' Enrique. Jamilet (the mom) and Gloria (the hilarious and token mildly-crazy grandmother) are incredibly hospitable, loving and generous. Not only that, but they are constantly scheming to find me a Nica husband so I'll live next door to them and stay forever. I feel so comfortable sitting outside of their tiny, dirt floor home surrounded by their loving presence. I know they think of me like a daughter because Gloria often (jokingly) threatens to spank me with a belt for doing something bad. Feliz día de las madres!

Finally, a huge success story on the soccer team front. No, we didn't qualify for World Cup South Africa 2010, but we had a surprisingly successful game on Friday against the Chureca girls' soccer team. This is the fourth encounter of the two teams and due to the fiesty, spunky nature of many of the girls on both sides, I was prepared to break up fights and deal with many a complaint and problem. Miraculously the game went in the opposite direction. Not only did we win 3-0, but I've never seen my girls behave as well as they did nor get along as well. Girls who normally sit out and complain were encouraging each other and playing hard! Two young mothers handed off their babies and ran around with their friends. A few who normally skip practice to make out with their boyfriends showed up and complied with our rules of having fun, no fighting or complaining, and encouraging each other on and off the field. They were sportsmanlike to the other team and a few of the girls really stepped up to be leaders among the team. Plus, they looked great in their matching black uniforms!

Enjoying actually being a coach instead of a strict enforcer,

Christina

a new kind of dance party

It may seem oxymoronic to place a costly sound system within a pile of garbage, to pair a Northamerican college student with a dirty Nicaraguan child, or to see joyful dancing within a neighborhood of need. But last week within the trash mountains of La Chureca, Dia de Luz (Day of Light) called for a partnering of such opposites. Love, Light & Melody is an organization that works within the Managua municipal dump, loving on its inhabitants and seeking to serve them as they encourage both adults and children to seek a better life. Founded by musician Brad Corrigan (originally of Dispatch), this group plans Dia de Luz each year with the intent of bringing gringo and Nica together, uniting us as humans, and manifesting a joy through music that celebrates life.

This concert by Braddigan (the name of Brad’s current band, inspired by and centered around La Chureca) was preceded by many events throughout the week intended to connect and serve dump families. Many Manna PDs, along with a spring break group from UNC-Wilmington, were invited to assist in planting flowers around homes and participating in field games. Gringo and Nica dug together, played together, and ultimately danced together as the week drew to a close with the concert. And in this final event there was something surprisingly powerful. Set before a backdrop of garbage and smoke, Brad sang of walls falling down and the hands of a mighty creator. And filling a dusty field before the stage were people from the dump and the suburbs, from the developing world and the first world, from dirt floor shacks and air conditioned mansions. With dirty feet and painted faces, people tossed water in the air and danced hand-in-hand, perhaps oblivious to the the juxtaposition they formed, but fully aware of the delight found in unity and music.

The following day as Braddigan played a benefit concert at a beach hotel, he spoke of the need to bring the poorest of the poor to an ocean resort and the wealth holders of the world to a destitute dump. All people should be allowed to witness the beauty of the beach – and the beauty within a neighborhood of trash. Brad spoke of bringing our worlds of difference together and how significant it might be to break down the disparity between rich and poor and to expose each extreme to the struggles and splendors of the other. We are handicapped by the layers of separation existing within our globe, those that are perhaps forced to exist in order to maintain an apathetic comfort. So what a striking and influential picture Dia de Luz was in revealing for a moment the beauty of differences broken down in order to witness a union of humanity!

I can now confidently say that dance parties with trash and face paint are my new favorite kind…

Emily

all in the family

Whether in the States or south of the border, December brings invitations of all kinds. Over the past week, Manna PDs have been invited to numerous end-of-the-year festivities taking place in the community, from parties to school ceremonies to hilarious singing holidays! Participation in these events usually means a) we are the only gringos and b) we have no idea what we are getting ourselves into…

First was Enrique’s promoción ceremony from sixth grade to primero año at Niño Jesús de Praga, the local Catholic school. Next was Norma and Lester’s First Communion on Sunday morning. In both occasions we sat in our seats amongst a sea of Nicaraguans, a very close knit community that welcomes us warmly but stares with such curiosity, thinking, “Who the heck are these gringos and why are they here?”Yet among the stares and long ceremonies and “gringa, gringa!” yells, we find it such a privilege to be invited to these events. In rural Nicaragua, they are the milestones of life that mark a sweet coming of age and will be remembered with a special fondness. Graduations, communions, holidays- these are events to be celebrated with family, and although we’ve been in Managua for only five months, I have grown to love these people as just that. Yesterday as we thanked Yamileth, the joyful mother of Enrique, Norma, and Lester, for inviting us to participate so richly in her family’s life, she simply said, “You all are also my family.”

As relationships here strengthen and we are invited more and more to be part of significant life moments, differences that once seemed so evident fade. Meandering through the Catholic church with a Nica child holding each hand, I forget that I am very tall, very blue-eyed, and very much not hispanic. Situations that once seemed awkward or foreign are now just life. We’ve been embraced by a community here in deep friendship, and I am so often caught off guard by how natural it is to call these people family. Before heading home next Tuesday, there remain a Purisima celebration, a birthday party, and a graduation to attend… What a blessing that in leaving one family behind in the States, we find another in Nicaragua!

Emily

pizza fiesta

Last week the Manna house turned into party central – a pizza party, that is, with our Advanced English students! The MPI Advanced English class consists of about 15 “adult” students, a group of enthusiastic and sassy Nica kids who have grown to be our good friends. Because the majority of the class is our age, it has been so natural for in-class relationships to grow into solid friendships. We visit their homes and meet their families. Maddie and Christina spend hours each week learning guitar from Gabriel. Mose has a fierce chess rivalry with Fabricio. As months go on, friendships deepen. It’s incredible to see the ways that differences in culture and language fade into the background…

So, for said crazy pizza mixer, we ordered tons of Valenti’s (Nicaragua’s very-Latino version of Pizza Hut) and piled the red boxes high on the dining room table. Drinking too-sweet/too-red Nica soda and eating hundreds of Tressa’s cookies, the crowd played guitar and chatted in a hilariously creative English-Spanish lingo. I found myself astonished by the normalcy and joy in these Nica-gringo connections. The sing-a-longs, jokes, deeper one-on-one conversations… all parts of the night meshed into a beautiful picture of what Manna Project is all about: communities serving communities. Mutual learning, mutual sharing.


And of course a night so dear could only end with a little “let’s throw everyone in the pool completely clothed” fun. Basically, Nica boys are mischievous and have no concern for nice gringa jeans :)

Full of pizza and still trying to dry my chlorine-y clothes,

Emily

*Definition. Gringo: white, English-speaking, obviously foreign individual