¿Cómo se dice...?

As I watch a soccer game in the park across the street from my house continue to occur during what is basically a monsoon, it’s hard to believe that I’ve been here for a week (and how the ridiculous amounts of rain do not seem to affect Nicaraguans- Greta and I actually got caught in a huge rainstorm coming back from Spanish School and it was really fun but we were soaked. Still, I’m thankful for this crazy rain that comes every afternoon because it makes the heat slightly less brutal). This week has been so overwhelming, and so exciting, and so new, and so full of bug bites and too much gallopinto- yet so wonderful. Helping Greta every morning at the center continues to be such a blessing, and I even have a 2 hour Conversation Class that I will be running on Fridays on my own. This Friday the first Conversation Class I led was great! I used a few of the games and all of the skills I learned from being a facilitator with English for Action (an ESL program that I worked with in the Olneyville community in Providence during my freshman year). We played Pictionary, Who Am I? (that game where you have the name of a famous person on your forehead and have to ask questions to figure out who you are), and “Speed Dating” with 5 minutes for certain topics of discussion. The class went really well, but it was semi-difficult to cater to everyone’s level of Spanish speaking ability. For example, there was a student who is fluent in English and a student who had never spoken English before. During speed dating she actually tried to avoid me because she was too nervous to truly speak in English but I told her how my Spanish is terrible and how we would help each other. I think it worked out pretty nicely. I loved the Conversation Class because it gave me the chance to get to know members of the community in a deeper way than English class.

Speaking of building community, I’ve been trying my best with my limited Spanish vocabulary to meet people and build relationships. (By the way Nicaraguan Spanish is very different from anything I’ve ever heard and my name here is Holli because people drop -s off the end of words) Friendship bracelets have been a huge hit and I’ve been going to soccer and basketball games (there are a few different leagues) in the park. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to play pick up basketball with David and his friends for an hour and a half during the middle of the day (which was not the best idea for someone who is fair skinned and not used to the heat). It was really fun to play, but I have an unfair height advantage over the average Nicaraguan. Last night was also great, because I got invited to go to a birthday party of one of the music directors at the Center, Myuelvin. A group of us went out dancing and I learned the steps to the Salsa and how to “dance” to Reggaeton. (But there are still so many dances to learn!!!) I’m actually going to be taking Salsa lessons on Thursday nights in Greta’s house, and next month I’m hoping I can be enrolled in the next dance class at the Center. It’s hard for me to keep track of everything that I’m learning- new people, new places, new bus routes, new dances, new music, new movies, and above all new language.

I’m definitely still undergoing a large amount of culture shock too. It’s hard for me to understand why the culture works the way it does in many instances. For example, people with numerous medical problems and children with little straw flowers and crosses constantly approaching you and asking you for money. Or me forgetting where I am because I can watch Friends (in English) or the NBA Finals Game 7 live from a living room couch(I’m still upset with the Celtics), and then walk into the neighborhood and see people living in one room homes. Not to mention, the relationships between men and women in this culture. This week I’ve heard multiple stories about men abusing their wives and wives leaving husbands and people cheating on people and men having multiple families and it’s just hard for me to wrap my head around. Especially situations occurring within my own family. Not to mention, having too much attention from the male members of the community is something I don’t think I will get used to for my entire stay here. I just thank God that I feel very safe within my house, and with my family, and with the Center. I’m not going to lie Managua is not one of the safest places in the world, but having such a great support system definitely makes it easier.

Now that I’ve spent half the day writing this post I’d like to end with a little something I just found in The Brothers Karamazov that Kiernan was nice enough to let me have as a bookmark.

Some Simple Steps to Building Community
- Know your neighbors
- Look up when you are walking
- Greet people
- Play together
- Pray together
- Share what you have
- Fix it even if you didn’t break it
- Honor each other
- Pick up litter
- Help carry something heavy
- Start a tradition
- Ask a question
- Ask for help when you need it
- Sing together
- Share your skills
- Listen before you react to anger
- Mediate a conflict
- Seek to UNDERSTAND