play!

Schmello, it's been a while since a solid update, hasn't it? Several, and I mean several, interesting weeks have flown by. After the Virginia team left it wasn't long before the WCUMC family team showed up. This was our last team of the summer. It was a fun week getting to reconnect with people from Woodinville and to experience their sense of hard work and trust in God. Halfway through their time here, my friend Brookes, the hijo of Halle and Kathy, flew into town. We had a bit of a vacation when the W. team left, heading to Montilemar, just an hour away on the coast. It was a beautiful resort with an unlimited supply of french fries and drinks. Mmmm mmm good. It was a fun time to get away and just relax! We befriended the entertainment workers at the resort and were all-star pool aerobics, volleyball and polo players. Although, I was not impressed by their "A history of Michael Jackson" dance recital. La-de-dah. Well, that's the past 3 weeks in a nutshell. But I gotta tell you- this week has been one of the best.

Since we have no teams and I don't have much to do, I've been spending a ton of time playing! I'm already pretty good at it, because heck, I'm a Rec major. But this week has been SO fun making a fool of myself. Soccer, basketball, volleyball, tag, jenga... the list goes on. The other day I was in the library helping kids make crafts when I saw a boy sitting on a couch alone. I asked him if he wanted to read books, and he eagerly jumped up, grabbed a book and started to read to me! I'm not sure how old he is, maybe 7 or 8, but he struggled his way through the book valiantly. Once that one was over, he got another... and another. I think the library is so successful because kids around here don't have tons of books lying around their house, or someone to read with all the time. It's really good practice for the kids academically, and it gives them more imagination and a change of pace. Love it. I've also been getting to know a few kids better than others, one of them is named Francisco. We call him Fran. Lately we've been playing the same basketball game 23423535 times a day. The past few days I've been noticing something's not sitting right with him, but when I ask what's up, he just shakes his head. What he doesn't know is that I have a pretty good intuition about those kinds of things. I'm praying I can help him, or talk to him about what's going on. I'm loving all the kids I am meeting and all the friends I am making here. They are gems beyond compare. Everyone keeps asking when I am coming back, all I can say is that I will come back when I have a reason. One of the kids responded saying "Tienes MUCHOS amigos aqui, antonces..." so there, I have one I guess. :)

A few weeks ago I met a friend named Norman. Halle has been telling me about him since I got here, so I was excited to finally meet him. Norman and a few friends came by to play lacrosse at El Salero, and they graciously invited me. Finally a sport I'm actually good at. I kept up with the boys and even showed them up a little. Boo ya. So Norman works for an organization called Lacrosse the Nations (LnT). They have 2 locations in Nica, one in La Churreca (the dump) and a new one here in our community. Norman and the La Churreca coaches brought their kids to El Salero yesterday to play lacrosse. I'd been waiting for them pretty much since I woke up, so when they pulled in, I was ecstatic and ready to play! I was so impressed with the way the coaches were promoting the sport. While not all the rules were correct, I learned why. They are working hard to teach the kids how to play a competitive sport non-violently, in a friendly way. For all you lax junkies, this will mean something to you: they only let one person from each team go after a ground ball , checking is not allowed and you can't go after the goalie. All hard for me to follow, but it made perfect sense. Those three things are the most aggressive parts about the game, once the kids can learn, maybe they will be introduced. At first, I was playing with the girls. But they had 3 gringos there already, plus the boys were a wee bit better. I had so much fun playing with the chicos - I seriously love this organization. Yesterday I emailed 5 lacrosse coaches in Bellingham, asking if they would be interested in hosting a tourney with proceeds going to Lacrosse the Nations this fall. Prayers for that please- all I need is one coach to get on board! Seriously though, dream job.

Okay, I'm off. Tonight is the last Noche de Juegos for the youth while I'm here! Thanks to the Woodinville team for all the nailpolish- it's being used tonight! hurrah! I leave here on Wednesday- crazy!

xoxo!

Only in Nicaragua

The things that make life here extra special:

Well, you did order fish...

Hands down most unintentionally awkward photo of my life.
Sorry for disrespecting your privacy, cows.

Traffic jam? No problem, someone's herding them with a range rover.

The law says you have to have a helmet while you're riding a motorcycle...
it never says you need to wear it.

There's always room for one more.

Gringo's are the worst drivers. And pedestrians.

"Baby's day out"

3's a crowd on most motorcycles. But today, I did see 4.

I don't remember if those are dogs or goats.
And don't worry, that boy was ready for anything while texting, look at his grip.

Because the ride in the water just wasn't enough.

Corruption? Paintball it.

Goodbye Virginia!

Here are some recent pictures from the past week: Two are from Nueva Vida... two are of me and Sammy with our

food. :)

7 of the busiest days of summer just passed, and now I can breath... and BLOG.

Team Virginia left yesterday at 5am, what a phenomenal group of 20! They had a strong connection with Nueva Vida, a church and ministry about 30 minutes away from our house, we spent 4 days serving there. It is a poorer community, many orphans and families living in "gifted" homes where they don't pay electricity, water, or taxes. All around the community Nueva Vida has feeding programs that run 5 days a week. I had a blast being a "translator" at one of the feeding centers. It feels good to put myself in uncomfortable situations and to rack my brain for conjugations or words. The Virginia team did a great job at organizing and staying craaaaaaazy busy. They also had a band that performed two worship services for Americans around the community and a Spanish worship service for one of our Youth Nights. Which, in case you didn't know, is probably my favorite night of the week. They were a vivacious bunch of people that will remain close friends. I feel SO lucky to have met them all.

This is an update that I sent to my professor. I think it encompasses a lot of what I have enjoyed doing, as well as some mumble-jumble I have been reflecting on in the past couple of weeks:

My dearest professor,

Here I am, just finished up week four. So far we have had three teams come through from the US; from Washington, California and Virginia. As I have been here, my role has become more defined. I have definitely found my passions here. They lie in the youth culture in Chiquilistagua (surprise, surprise!) and the development of the teams from the US that come down. My goal in being here isn’t to change the world or lives by offering a saving haven for the people here. My goals and interest lie in helping to develop an impactful community center that encourages healthy recreation and relationships.

My favorite times here are Fridays at 7pm. We have “Youth Night” for 14+ kids. One HUGE cultural difference I’m noticing is that it is not abnormal for people who are 24, 25, 26 to be at youth night and to hang out regularly with people who are in their early teens. As long as we have games and time to hang out with a large group of people, most young adults are in. I have started taking more ownership in youth night. I am the game gal. I rack my brain weekly for different games to play. The trick is picking games that can cross cultural/language barriers. Amanda, one of the El Salero founders from California, is fluent in Spanish and is very competent in understanding and discerning what works and what won’t. We go through the games the night before to decide. The thing is, people will cheat here at games. So we have to do games that will be either hard to cheat in, or cheating won’t matter. We play a lot of games here that are competitive and involve teams, which seem to be the favorite. So before youth night, I set up sound and music, and brief the teams on what happens during youth night. Some teams are very prepared for youth night and bring their own special talents to share while others would rather participate. We encourage US teams to bring something to share, either a message, testimony, skit or other abilities. After games we head to the Ranchon for a message or music, smaller games, and skits. Last week the Virginia team had some musicians and came prepared with some AWESOME contemporary Christian Spanish music. That was SUCH a treat for everyone at youth night. After the message, or about ¾ of the way through, I help get snack ready in the kitchen, then everyone just hangs out and eats a snack until about 9pm. On Saturdays we usually have Game Night. Sports in the covered basketball court, cards and board games in the Ranchon and a “girls only” room in the library where we do crafts or paint nails or make bracelets. This follows the same time frame as Friday, 7-9.

BUT there’s a catch, Keith. We usually only do youth nights when we have a team here mostly because we don’t have the staff/resources to manage and entertain 75 kids w/ only 4-5 of us. This totally bums me out because, well, I LOVE youth night. So I was talking to Thomas, Amanda's husband, and we decided that we are going to go for it. He has a huge heart for youth too, and we want to give some more stability here for them. So I am going to do a lot more planning and developing for our youth nights so that we can create a structure and keep the kids out of parties and in a healthy environment. I am asking the next team to bring down some supplies like nail polish, string, prizes and some kooky game supplies for me. BOO YA! Can’t WAIT! J

By far my biggest responsibility and role has been with the US teams. Our first two groups were no bigger than 9, and our last one was 20. As I mentioned earlier, each one brings a different skill set, so the projects and community involvement are different. I’m learning that with each team comes constant adaptations. I can’t claim to be culturally competent when it comes to understanding the Nicaraguan Culture, but I have learned a lot and I like to think some of the sensitivities I have towards relating to other cultures and people are natural. Sometimes it feels like a battle trying to help people to understand and adapt to a different culture. And to be completely transparent, it’s been hard for me to not feel ticked off when people say things that are are downgrading to the culture here. Even though 99% of the time it is unintentional, which is why I don't get ticked off. A consistent one has been “I wish I could trade tickets with them, so that they could go back to the US and have a better life.” It’s hard to get Americans past the point of pity and in line with compassion. We talked about that quite a bit in class. Having pity on someone doesn’t accomplish anything, it’s compassion and empathy that can inspire change. Nicaraguans are very proud people. They love their country, as they should. It is beautiful here, and is rich in tradition and culture. It seems ignorant to want to take that away from them. Instead, we should be encouraging them to take ownership over their own lives, to get away from poverty not through giving things away or buying stuff for the Nicaraguans, but by coming alongside through relationship and opportunity. Again, I don’t claim to know it all, heck, I’m probably sounding pompous right now. But I do know that we are not meant to be here to travel back with pictures of poverty in our 6GB camera cards so that we can show our friends how we changed the world. If anyone should be changed, it should be us.

Raaaaaamble. I can’t wait to look back on that and laugh in a few months.

So part of my job here is to encourage different thinking within the teams through discussion, one on one building of relationships. Reminding others that we are guests here, we can be graceful and loving by offering service and compassion and energy. We can show the culture here that women can do more than raise the kids by being on the road shoveling dirt and cleaning trash and painting walls, building pathways, playing with kids, playing sports, talking to boys just as friends. I help lead the teams through project leading, I make their beds, help them when they’re sick, answer questions, get what they need, introduce them to the community that I’m building a good rapport with, ETC. I LOVE IT! J

I will send off more to you soon, Keith. Hope this is sufficient. But I will write to you about the finer details of this recreation program. I am learning that this is like tourism, community development and outdoor recreation all in one. A 3-in-1 deal. Heck ya!

MUCHO amor,

Mikay k.

That's all for now, folks.

Happy 3 week anniversary, me!

Every week or so I like to commemorate my visit with a toast, made by me, to Hallee and Kathy. Today, I made a toast with an invisible drink. What's happening to me?

My good friend asked me to update the blog- so here I am. This place has become home. I'm blessed daily with great company and family, and have been given an upgraded name from "Intern" to "Daughtern." Booooooo ya!

Over the past 10 days we have been enjoying the presence of a group of 8 all the way from Menlow Park, California. It's been a busy week of work and play. The team worked on new walkways, murals, de-branching and picking up trash. Halle let me use the chainsaw- YIKES! We also did the typical tour of Managua, zipline, volcano visit, market-shopping, Catarina, and San Juan Del Sur visit.

My favorite part of the week was going over to El Farito, just a few miles away. El Farito is a preschool that Kathy started when the August's first moved over here. The land was the first property they bought. Today it serves as a preschool and a feeding center. A few times a week, lunch is served to the neighborhood kids. Not only does this place give meals that some kids might not ordinarily get, but it teaches them how to wait in line, wash their hands, volunteer for dish-duty, pray before meals, and sit respectfully in their seats while having fun with their friends. This last week and next all the public schools are on vacation so we didn't get as many kids as we might get on a typical day. What made this day stand out was seeing Kathy in her element. Watching her lead, organize and interact with the kids, cooks and volunteers gave me a model to look at when planning programs like this in my future.

I also saw a few kids, Joel and Eric, that actually remembered me... 3 years later. Joel is still a chunk. So precious and wonderful. There was another boy who used to live in the neighborhood and come to the feeding program named Gerald that was close to my heart last time I was down here. Three years ago we did a VBS type program with elementary aged boys from the El Farito neighborhood. We ended our visit with a movie night where I got to sit with Gerald plopped in my lap, holding my hands. One of the sweetest moments I have experienced to this day. Since then, and especially the year after my last visit, I have been praying for Gerald and his brothers. I knew they had good relatives, but I also knew his mom was unstable and all the boys had different dads. Gerald and his brothers lived with their grandma or aunts, and went from aunt to aunt's houses for different meals. (One of their Aunts is Fermina, our cook- I'm very close with her family). Basically, they had no stable source of food or shelter. When I got here this summer, I asked Kathy if she knew anything about where Gerald was. Ladies and gents, God is faithful. These boys were taken in by an American couple- put in nicer schools and given food, shelter and most importantly, stable love. I was at Fermina's house a few days ago and played soccer with a much different (attitude wise) little boy. God answers prayers.

Well, life is really great here, I mean it. My Spanish is getting better, I'm making friends, living with amazing people, only have 1 boy writing me spanish love notes, aaaand I'm actually getting a bit of a tan. Beerlieve me!

I will update this again soon, hopefully. Sorry to all those who I have not written back in emails or via facebook- it's been CA-RAY-Z! In two days we have a new team of 2o coming from Virginia. Here we go!!!

xoxo

Gracias

While some things on this journey have been challenging, hilarious, or joyful- none can compare to the beauty and reality that God is alive and stirring my heart daily.

JUMBLE!

My head is jumbling with thoughts, words and memories right meow. Today is the first day without a team. It was so good to have the Woodinville group here. I'm constantly impressed with Kim's leadership and heart. All in all, it was a successful trip for them. We ended their time here with a trip to San Juan Del Sur, a BEAUTIFUL beach a few hours from our casa. We had a great time body surfing in the ocean, playing in the pool and drinking reallllly yummy coffee. I pray that the trip was meaningful for everyone, and that they continue to grow in who they are and their relationship with Christ when they go home. It was fun to be on the other side of things for once; taking the team to the airport and saying goodbye, staying on the outside of the glass doors, not catching a plane home. Our next group comes in on Saturday. In the meantime, I've been enjoying quality time with Kathy and Halle. :)

Today I went with Halle and Jennifer to a market in Managua. Our original goal was to look around and find some cacao to sip on while we explored. We asked around a bit, and were told that the BEST cacao in Managua was just a mile or so away. We stayed at the market for about an hour, I wish I would have brought my camera in to show you pictures. The most interesting, and gnarliest, part of the market was the meat section. Jenny turned her head in the opposite direction towards pirated DVD's as we passed by piles and piles of dead fish. We're talking allll kinds. Fish covered in blood, fish with no heads, just heads, big ones, small ones, red ones, blue ones! There were live crabs crawling on the counters, chunks of beef/pork hanging and finally, the saddest of them all, were live iguanas. (Stop reading if you love animals). The iguana's hands and legs were tied up, and their mouths sewn shut. Halle said they leave them alive because iguana meat doesn't last long after it's killed. Needless to say, it was a bit depressing. We delved further into the market. There was anything and everything there, it's not a market for tourists, but for Nicaraguan shoppers. I felt legit. I also felt the minority. Interesting.

My plan for today was to finish trimming the hedges, but just as I got my work clothes on to go outside, Halle pulled away. Maybe by the end of the summer I can start the darn thing on my own.

Also, I ate the most amazing food yesterday. Quesillos and Cacao. Mmmm Mmmm good. :)

What rhymes with Ream Schmoller??? apisonadora! (That's for you, Tay Yost!)

Much love.

Ants in my pants. Seriously.

This week is flying by, folks. I'm soaking in every moment, and trying as hard as I can to remember what has been going on in terms of all the various projects and relationships, and practicing all the Spanish I can get my hands on.

Supposedly, I'm supposed to be following Halle around with a clipboard, and writing down the tasks we need to finish and start including...

-bury a dead bird

-trim hedges

-replace stolen toilet paper holder

-trim the trees at El Farito

-replace drain in baseball stadium (Halle... you did that, right?!)

-paint 20908098340234 different things around El Solero (the Sport's Center)

-mow the soccer field

-change the oil in the van

aaaaaand the list goes on

I'm not claiming to be a handy(wo)man, but I sure am learning. It's been a bit herky-jerky at times, a few sore arms and machete cuts, but I am enjoying all the labor that comes with this crazy internship. I'm starting to comprehend the physical labor, the program planning, hospitality, cultural differences and mission that all combine and form a really great program down here.

Today we took the team to the Mercado, in Managua. It's FULL of vendors selling Nica knick-knacks sure to please any traveling tourist. As soon as we pulled up, a man (who was very adamant about me joining him to dance meringue at a club) greeted us with a cart full of sunglasses. Everything from Chanel to "Bay Bands" were there. As we approached the entrance to the market, the anticipation of the group heightened as everything became brighter, louder and more confusing. I led a girl around the market, helping her barter and buy gifts for her family, learning new words along the way. I got a pretty good idea of fun things I want to bring back in a few months for friends and for my house in Bellingham. (Callie... birds). I love the market because of it's rush-hour feel. Although I wouldn't want to go every day, it's such a cultural experience full of color, voices and Cacao, my favorite drink here. It's amazing that people's livelihood is found in the market, because they have so many things to sell. It seems like the labor vs the payoff is not equal, but if they get to the right gringo, they could make their year's worth. :)

Tomorrow, we're taking the group to a Nicaraguan church! I'm curious to see if I will understand any of what is happening.

hasta luego.

Boo ya, made it!

I arrived in Managua yesterday at 12pm to a very bald and Hawaiian shirt wearing Halle August and the lovely Kathy August, a great couple I have known since I was a kiddo. I took 3 flights, BUT got upgraded to first class! That was just neat. I felt pretty pompous as they asked me if I wanted a "Hot towel please?" and gave me luxurious meals and free dranks. Needless to say, it did make travel better. The one thing I missed about good ol' coach is that the people you sit by ACTUALLY talk to you. They don't pretend you're invisible. Blaise-blah.

We drove to my new home and I conked out for 4 hours. (I think this will turn into a play-by-play if I don't be careful...) Anyways, after my nap, I really hit the ground running. I was dubbed with a second name, "Intern," and know it will be a never-ending joke throughout the summer. Boy. We picked up our first team at 8:30pm yesterday. Already one of my favorite things is watching people's reactions as we drive through the streets for the first time. "Oh my gosh, there's a baby on that motorcycle! It's a sandwich!," "There's like, 12 people in that Cab!," "um... 3 people just ran a red light.... is that legal??". I completely understand, it certainly is a different world down here. Rules are, to follow the Pirates of the Caribbean example Kathy said earlier, more like guidelines in Nicaragua. They don't have the authorities here that will reprehend people's law breaking. So, you see many people run red lights (I stopped counting after 13 today), hold your breath as you suddenly merge into the left lane because a car is parked illegally on the side of the street, and grow to understand that the people know how to walk in and out of traffic without getting hit.

Oy vey. This is great.

Today we took the team to Old Managua and talked about the history of the Earthquake in '72 and the Sandinista takeover in '79 and all the affects (good and not so good) it's had in Nicaragua. Since history can be taxing, we took the group to a lookout where you can see Lake Nicaragua and ziplined! It was really neat to see a lot of fears conquered today, and I am beginning to see the reason and necessity behind the order of events and activities when planning for a team. This kind of thing bonds a group together fast, and provides a shared experience that builds trust. Hey... we talk about this in my major! Real life application! Cool!

We ended the day with some projects around the Sports Center. (That's where I'm staying, by the way.) One group did some work on a wall in the baseball stadium and the other did some touch-up painting on the murals outside of the stadium. Kathy made us a Nicaraguan dinner and the team did some group debriefing.

That's what happened today!

I'm loving it here wieth all my heart. I feel assured that this is where God wants me, and I know He will show me an astounding amount of new things. It already feels like home. Keep up the prayers, or thoughts, please.

You rule. Email me if you want!