Music

I’ve done a lot of posts about Nicaraguan culture but I haven’t spoken much about music.  Not that music isn’t important (it is), but that it’s maybe the hardest part of assimilation to catch onto.  At least for me.  Now I know most of you don’t speak Spanish but most of these songs are pretty easy to understand the basic premise if you watch the videos.

Jesse and Joy won best both record of the year and song of the year at the 2012 Latin Grammys and I hear it ALL the time.

This is another popular song here in Nica which was nominated in the same categories.

And this is probably the most famous Nicaraguan artist.

This is probably the most popular song among my age bracket and, last time I checked, was (embarrassingly) the most played song on my iTunes.  It was in the movie Fast Five and I think based off Lonely Island's I'm on a Boat...Anyway, I see why it has 400,000,000+ hits.

Any favorite songs or someone willing to catch me up on American hits?

Well Construction

There have been some updates with the well that I’m constructing.  As you all know, I applied for a grant to build a well in a rural community.  Unfortunately, the good people over in Washington don’t want to give me $2,000 until I can prove that the water is safe for human consumption.  This, unbeknownst to me until recently, presents a bit of a problem.  To extract the water to test it, you have to dig REALLY far down.  How far?  This far!

Descending into the well

Safely at the bottom

"Safety equipment"

That brings us to the issue at hand.  Standing in the bottom of a 20ft hole is a bit of a risk and I’d rather not get anyone killed.  Therefore, I made the potentially unwise decision to front a little of my own cash so they can build some walls.

Dirt excavated from the well, 2000 bricks and a creepy building

Next week I’m going back to see how the walls are!

Not-so-small business advising

As a small business development volunteer, it's recommended that we work with local micro-enterprises that have 1-6 employees.  Lucky for me, I have this in my backyard.

Pool with coffee drying in the background

Obviously not a "small" business

The above picture was taken at the surprising nice hotel that is on the premise.  Anyway, today I gave a presentation on how to create a 12 step marketing plan and it was well received!  Next week we are meeting to check off the first 2 steps.  I'll keep you posted on the progress of the well, too!

There and Back Again

Last time I posted was before the holidays so let me spend this post catching all of you followers up on my adventures in the good old United States of America.  Well to be honest, I started my vacation a little early by eating Subway seeing the Hobbit in Managua!  Highlights of my short trip in the US include (but are not limited to):

Eating curry

Winning Pub Trivia

Drinking a 40oz Smirnoff with college friends

Eating German food on Xmas eve

Seeing Potted Potter

Mini golfing

Bowling

Frisbee golfing

Now I’m on my way back to Nicaragua but I have good news: I need dental work!  Why is my possibility for a root canal a good thing?  Because it means I’m returning to Chicago in May.  Cya you all then!

Taste test

The coffee people that I’m working with have been asking me for weeks if I’d like to do a blind taste test with them.  As per all invitations that I receive I accepted but didn’t think it would actually ever occur.  And then Saturday morning I received a phone call if I could be available to taste test in 45 minutes.  Not aware of what I was getting myself into, here is their “laboratory”.

How professional!  There were 10 samples of Nicaraguan brand name coffees equipped with new spoons every taste, a rotating table and spit jugs.  First step was aroma and sniffing the coffee grounds and writing what we smelled (sweet, acidic, chocolate, earthy, bitter, flowery etc.).  Then we moved on to aroma which was scent of the coffee grounds in boiling water.  And we finished it off with tasting the coffees in the traditional manner of slurping loudly, swishing it in our mouths and spitting it out.  Afterwards we wrote down which were our favorites and I NAILED IT!  My first choice was the product that we are selling and my second pick was the next highest quality competitor.  BOOM.

Also my holiday party went well!  I forgot to take pictures but 8 PCVs from as far as an hour away came to celebrate the end of the year.  People brought chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, veggies with dip, banana bread, chorizo tacos and sponge cake.  Fun was had by all!

This is my last post until I come home for the holidays!  Can't wait to see you all soon.  And Beth from Grace Lutheran, get healthy soon!

Start to dig

There has been progress on the well!  Yesterday, Roger (the “master of work” as the Nicas say) and I went to the community to see how construction was going.

The hole-soon-to-be-well

Roger giving me his approval (I think?)

Roger measured and it appears to already been 3 meters deep so only another 2 to go!  I’m hoping they’ll strike water by the New Year and we can do the water test shortly after.  Then, if the water doesn’t have arsenic, we should receive the funds to buy the materials in February!  Roger did scare me when he said our budget will be tight.  Guess we’ll have to wait and see.  But if any of you find yourself with some extra cash in February, let me know!

Tomorrow I'm hosting a holiday party for the PCVs that live nearby.  I'm preparing cheese, salami, crackers, pizza bagels and chocolate cake with, of course, wine and rum.  Feel free to stop on by!

Coffee Survey Analysis

Hey all.  I finished tabulating the results and prepared a report for the coffee cooperative.  Overall, things went quite well.  Adelia (the woman in charge) understood the relationships from the results and what we could infer from them.  An interesting cultural tidbit, Nicaraguans are not direct communicators.  Stereotypically speaking, Nicas will tell you want you want to hear instead of saying “no”.  A fun example, when I was moving into my house I needed a taxi because it was late (after 6pm).  I called the taxi guy I know and he said he was already home but he’ll swing by in 30 minutes.  Forty-five minutes later I called him and he said that he was held up but could come in an hour.  What he was really doing was giving me crazy estimates that he hoped I’d say no and he wouldn’t have to come.  See?  Saying “no” without saying “no”.  The point is it makes completing unbiased surveys very difficult.  For the question “what brand of coffee do you normally purchase?”, 76% responded Café Palo (our brand).  Obviously that’s outrageously overestimated and people were just saying that to not hurt our feelings.  Therefore, we’re making some small changes and then taking the survey to Esteli!

Tomorrow I’m going to check on the progress of the well.  I’ll put up some pictures then!