“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.”
Sorry for the delay my friends. The past two weeks have been busy, to say the least, and I didn’t have internet access. Combined with the stresses that are associated with sitting in Spanish lectures for 6 hours Monday-Thursday, I had to write up my senior plan for Denison. SAY WHAT?!!! Yeah, that’s right, I said SENIOR YEAR. And if you are as shocked as I am to think about that, multiply my shock by one thousand. WOW. Anywho, I haven’t done much the past two weeks. Our program has had two excursions, and those excursions were the highlight of my very busy week. The first trip was to San Catarina and San Juan de Oriente. There, we had the opportunity to converse with one of the families responsible for the creation of roughly 70% of the ceramics in Nicaragua, and about 40% in the US. It was intriguing to watch the process of the way in which the vases are created. It’s such a beautiful process that many people don’t understand. I was able to purchase a true collector’s item: a clay molded statue of Augusto C. Sandino. I watched them make it. IT WAS AWESOME! After leaving San Catarina, we headed north to San Juan de Oriente, where we learned more about ceramics. I was able to pick up some souvenirs. After this experience, I headed back to Managua for what would prove to be a RIDICULOUS week. I had two quizzes, an essay, a senior plan, and two job applications. While everything was difficult, I had more difficulty putting together my senior plan. Thankfully, I am done with that. In other news, I wrote my first Nicaraguan essay! I am so proud of it. As stressful as this week was, we took a trip to the Revolution Museum in Managua. There, we stood in the spot where the National Guard assassinated some of the Sandinista leaders. It was simply powerful. Afterward, we took a trip to Metrocentro to talk with some workers who were protesting the injustices of the Flor de Caña company, which is the National Rum of Nicaragua. These workers, because of the dangers associated with the machinery and infectious chemicals, had sicknesses that prohibited them from working. They are fighting to receive not only compensation, but for Flor de Caña to change the way in which they make their rum. It was inspirational to hear their stories and learn about the injustices that are present in that company. Lastly, the conversations that I had with the elderly at my volunteer job made my week worth the stress. I interviewed a señora, Francisca, who is 98 year old. She had so much energy and her openness and willingness to share her life experiences with me made me realize the beauty that is associated with the ability to communicate with those that are different than me. It is truly a blessing, and I am grateful to have that opportunity. As I transition into midterms and then Holy Week, I am reminded that no matter how hard it gets, I CHOSE TO COME HERE. Therefore, I must embrace all that Nicaragua offers me….and whether it is bad, good, or indifferent, this experience is something that I will never forget
Hasta Pronto,
DJM
P.S. Sorry for the lack of pics, we didn`t take many photos of the process.
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