Wrapping Things Up

With just a few weeks remaining in Nicarauga I took it upon myself to make the most of the experience. I know what you are thinking, how valient of you Jason to step up to the plate and take a hit for the team. I mean, not everyone is able to just see the greater vision and realize that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. 

Well, this guy did, and here is a quick photo montage of my last weeks and good bye parties.

 For our group despedida we rented a house out in San Juan del Sur. For all of you that aren´t familiar with Nicaragua, SJDS is a surfer town by the border of Costa Rica. It is the main tourist destination and where Survivor was filmed. Thanks to Chelsea we found this amazing house and had the mansion to ourselves for two nights.As you can see from the picture, we were really roughing it with a pool, view of the ocean, and the villa like layout. I made the most of it by cooking pizza on the first night and spending the next day grilling up hot dogs and hamburgers.

 To top off our time at the beach, it was the first time that I had seen the sun in weeks. I know that the US was getting a lot of raining, but it was perpetual in Nicaragua. It was cloudy, my clothes were all mildewy from the lack of dryness and I was downright depressed. Well by some miracle the skies cleared up and we saw the beautiful sun.

 Once back in San Dionisio I realized I only had 20 more days in the country. What happened to my two years? They were flying by and I now had to carefully plan my last remaining days and minutes with friends and family. To make it more interesting my host sister and her husband are leaving for a job and that forced us to have my goodbye party a little bit earlier. Here are a couple shots of them cooking. It was a delicious meal and I can´t thank them enough for all that they have done for me.

Besides my family I have to say goodbye to all of my students. It is no small feat, I have 5 schools and hundreds of students. I have been with all of them for two years and I can´t help but feel attached to each one of them. Sure, I am more attached to some kids or schools than others, but don´t ask me which or I will have to kill you. Ha, so for my farewells I decided to make pinatas with my students last week and this upcoming week we will fill them with candy and say goodbye. It wasn´t my idea, I have to give credit to my friend Geory who thought it would be a more economical and easy way to ease out of giving classes. My students loved the idea and we used balloons and later boxes to make the pinatas. Sure, they are no works of art, but they are going to be bashed to pieces, so that really is besides the point.

Last but not least I had my farewell dinner with my sitemates up at my house. I wouldn´t say it was a huge goodbye, but I wanted to do something with Monica and Sarah before I left. With the help of Monica we prepared a pasta dinner complete with garlic bread. It was good to just have all the San Dionisio volunteers together one last time before I took off. As you can see from the picture, they are doing a great job adapting to the Nicaraguan culture and have truly mastered the Nica face.

World Map

One of my last projects in Nicaragua was to complete a world map at one of my rural community schools. The concept was simple enough: I had sixteen sheets comprising of a world map that was grided and we would then transfer the drawing proportionally to the school wall. I remember saying how the last couple months would be the hardest because I would be unmotivated and have difficulty finding projects, but this world map idea just fell into my lap. In all of my four rural schools we did world maps on large butcher paper, but at only one did we decide to go big and put it on the school wall. The final dimensions were 5ft x 10ft and it is the first thing you see walking up to the school. I was so proud of all my 5th and 6th grade students. Yes, I am a perfectionist and I ended up drawing most of it, but you know what, I took a back seat and let them do all the painting. Sure, some of the borders may have shifted and I am sorry to all people in the newly formed South Sudan, you did not get your recognition. In fact, I am sorry to Andorra, Luxemburg, the Balkans, and the countless islands in Polynesia that we left out. Whoops, I guess you can´t fit it all in there, it is a big world you know.

Anyways, the point of this project was to show my students how grand the world is. Think about it, these students have not grown up with television nor Internet. They have no idea where Nicaragua is nor its size to the rest of the world. It was shocking when we were labeling the countries when I asked them to find Nicaragua. The first response was, "It´s so small" or "I didn´t know the world looked like this". I hope that they will see this map as a reminder of our two years together and also be a way for them to relate to the world when they hear the news about a report of other countries. I left it to them to do the painting and at the end each one of them signed their masterpiece, I hope that this will be something that they can look back on and one day show their own kids.

... I'm so Humble

No biggie really, I just was traveling through the capital city for a dinner with the country director and was put up in a hotel with not only air conditioning, but hot water. Really, I am just like everyone in my site, I wake up in the same cement block houses and sleep under the same zinc roof, but I leave every weekend for an exuberant weekend fueled by lavish hotels and imported food. Really, I mean isn't that your weekend, don't you just decide to hop on a bus bounce down to the coast and spend the day tanning and riding waves? I thought everyone just picked up after class and headed out to discover a 20m waterfall or head out to climb a volcano? Wait... you mean this isn't everyone's life, you must just be talking about other people in my town... no you are serious, Americans don't do that frequently as well either? Huh, well I'll be damned; I guess I should just hop on down and meet with one of the local NGO directors or better yet just walk on in and meet with the mayor... without an appointment. Now you have to be joking, locals can't just push aside the meetings of directors because you want to talk about the weather or sports? Well they must at least be able to show up at any house in town unannounced and get a free meal? Nooo, I don't believe it, they can't, what is this disastrous life you speak of? Out with it now; you mean there are people out there who are suffering, can't travel to anywhere in the country at the drop of a hat, and are intimidated or inhibited from talking with organization directors in an informal manner? Lunacy I decree, how dare you tempt to shatter the carefully crafted I have expanded upon my life.

Wait Wait... before you dismiss me as a bigot and a braggart I must come forward. I can't do this, talking so pompously just isn't my style. I can sense the sense of disgust coursing through your veins. Really, I am not like that, but I was trying to present a comical opening to what is a rather egotistical article and self-presenting idea.

I am almost done with my service and closing a 27 month chapter or my life. I am coming back to the United States and will have to say good bye to a lifestyle I have come to embrace and depart from many of the friendships I have made in my town and with other volunteers. As much as I have immersed myself in my new country, I will be plucked out and be told to catalog my memories and move back into the everyday flow of the United States. Quiet now, we don't want to hear about how much we indulge in petty merchandise or have a maniacal desire to spend our ways into debt. Yes, isn't it cute that you lived in a country without central air or hot water... shhhh, stop mentioning that all our meals are overstuffed with calories and foods that are shipped from all corners of the globe. I know I am paying a normal Nicaraguan's monthly salary for this meal, but stop reminding me. In short, yes I am not so sure I am ready to jump back into my old life. Was that politically neutral enough. Did I successfully skirt around giving a straight answer?

So the point of writing all of this. We were in Managua this Friday to give our good bye presentation to the staff. The concept was that it was a celebration for our group to share all of our experiences and accomplishments throughout our two years of service. Originally I was dreading the idea, but in the end it was a lot of fun and impressive to see all that can be accomplished by 14 environment volunteers.

Let's agree on a point, my heavy introduction of sarcasm and irony is a sufficient buffer to distinguish this from shameless gloating. I don't want to come across as vain, but I am proud of all I have done in San Dionisio and I want a place where I can systematically spell out all that has been done in just two years.

- I started a youth soccer league. Wait, the singularity of the word isn't enough; this league was not just a one time thing, but has been going on for two years. We had two complete seasons and the third one has just started up. In San Dionisio there weren't any outlets for youths and the league was immediately embraced. Not only was it a league, but it was constantly adapting and improving. My first attempt was lead by me with an iron-fist... I admit, I micromanaged and was too scared to trust most of my counterparts, but honestly I got better. By the second season I was working with a fully formed director board that was comprised of adults and youth players. We expanded to more teams and divided the league into two age groups. We received donations from the mayor's office for balls and uniforms, I received donations from amazing friends in the States including balls, uniforms, cleats, protectors, and socks. And the best part, the league is still going with absolutely no help from myself.

- With the help of SOCOM and the US Embassy my friend and I started a youth baseball league. We received $2,000 worth of gear including uniforms, helmets, bats, and gloves to create an inter-town league. Later this gear was reused to form a league within San Dionisio and the closer communities.

- I supervised and guided a community group to apply for and write a $5,000 USAID SPA grant for the construction of 20 latrines in their community.

- Assisted and helped at a Youth Leadership Camp for young people from all around Nicaragua.

- Co-taught with 6 elementary multi-grade science teachers in rural communities.

- Taught and fostered friendships with over 200 elementary school students from all over San Dionisio and I have never grown numb to hearing..."adios, profe".

- Working with my friend and high school English teacher in Susuli and the many students I now count as my friends.

- Developing different youth groups that met at my house where I taught how to cook nutritional meals, how to work-out, or just giving them an outlet to play.

- Encouraging and celebrating environmental days by building manualidades or environmental murals.

- Donating over $175 worth of books to the local delegation to help teachers plan for their classes.

- Painting a 10x5ft world map at one of my local schools.

- Building community gardens in all of my elementary schools and including not only the students, but inviting parents and fostering a greater sense of community.

- Making countless friendships and sharing both warm and embarrassing moments with my new family.

- Visiting the departmental hospital and spending time with abused and abandoned children and offering a sense of security at such turbulent times.

- Having such supportive family and friends in the States who sewed handmade dresses for children living in the city dump.

- Working with different NGO's to improve their organization and impact in the community.

- Working three times with a medical group from Gaylord, MI and making new friends and being reminded how giving and caring people are around the world.

- Knowing I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without the limitless support of the other volunteers and friends in Nicaragua. Making new friends I will have for the rest of my life.

And most importantly appreciating the love and support I have felt throughout my service from my family and friends back home. I wouldn't have made it to the end without the calls, emails, and packages. I can't thank you all enough and see all my successes as only being possible thanks to you.

A Day in the Life...

Alright, this is a day late and a few bucks short. I promised to several of you a long time ago and I never got around to it. I know they aren't expertly done, but give me a break, I am a Peace Corps Volunteer and just have a small iPod camera. here are the links and let me know what you think.

Walking to school through the hills
http://youtu.be/UoBmar5d7yk


Touring around my school
http://youtu.be/xg2Hg8nL16Q




Walking through my neighborhood and my house
http://youtu.be/mSreFMocpiY




Checking out San Dionisio
http://youtu.be/zppTzKxuIEA

Mid-Service or the Home Stretch

I don’t know what has been going on lately, but it is difficult to find satisfaction in my life. I am not saying that I am squandering my life nor am I depressed, but I find that the original charm has worn off. I am accustomed to working in the schools and what I once saw as a novelty is ordinary. I have forded rivers, ridden horses, walked through cattle drives, chased pigs, and dealt with countless other experiences that would have seen alien in my former life. I am not bored, but I also don’t feel complete. Perhaps it is because I have too much time to think, yet I don’t know what I still hope to accomplish. My latrine project is beginning to wind down and my soccer league is on auto-pilot mode. I feel like I have completed my goals and I reluctant to start up another challenge. I originally equated it to me starting to become lazy, but there is more to it than that. In a sense, I am going through a crisis, what will define me for the next six months?

I stand by my decision to join the Peace Corps, it has been a life changing experience and the best thing I have done for the last 20 months. I believe I have influenced countless lives and have made many new friends. I have learned about a new culture and I have taught others about my own. Through trial and error I have gained many new skills and believe I am a better person than I was two years ago. With all of this growth and satisfaction, why do I still feel inadequate? I have joked with other volunteers that service is like putting your life on hold for two-years. While we are sharing our culture in Nicaragua there still remains a boundary that we can never quite cross. We can help a community to the most of our ability, but we still have that plane ticket that will sweep us home after two years. Our service will quickly be filed away as just another blurb on our resume and many people will want us to condense all of our experiences into a 15 second sound bite. I know this and I expect this, but at the same time it is what I want. I love my life here in Nicaragua, I love how it is simplified and all my needs are taken care of. However, there is something disconcerting about this, while there are many flaws regarding life in the US, I miss it and yearn for it. I dream of being back in Boston and spending way too much on a beer or going out to a concert or a play. I want to walk around NYC and gawk at the overdressed and vain strangers. I miss the over competitive atmosphere where no matter what you do, you are always expected to deliver more. While I agree with the mentality that living comes first and taking things slow, I miss the cut-throat atmosphere of always wanting more. In no way do I want to detract from my service as a volunteer, but I feel like I am falling behind the curve. Given, I compare myself too frequently to others, but many of my peers in college are now completing their master’s, MBA’s, or preparing for the bar exam. Getting back to the point of my life on hold, what have I accomplished? Yes… I know have done a lot here as a volunteer, but sadly we can all recognize that this is not measured on the same scale as someone else furthering their education or quickly climbing the career ladder.

In reference to the title of this entry, I am starting to think of the end of service. Yet, am I jumping the gun? I do still have 6 more months of service, which is 25% of service left. We are often told that the first few months should be spent observing, thus our most productive months are skewed and rather than wrapping up, I should be more productive than ever. However, I can’t help but feel that I have passed my prime and I am ready to be phased out. I notice I am looking at the calendar with more yearning than ever before and any time I am on the internet I realize I have wandered over to idealist.org or other career websites. This is a time to reflect on my goals and hunker down for the remaining quarter or service. I have more ideas in the pipeline, but it is not nearly as spontaneous as before. Rather than the beginning of my service where I was braced for the long haul, I find that the light at the end of the tunnel is an excuse to expedite my remaining time rather than plant my feet and finish strong.

La Liga!

Its back, la liga infantil/juvenil de futbol campo is up and running and stronger than ever. After much apprehension and anxiety I have gotten my act together and am working with La Liga 2.0. Like my SPA project it has not been a perfectly smooth ride, but I don’t care, it is soccer and it is fun. While it may not be my main project and is not exactly what Peace Corps wants me doing, it is my baby project and is what keeps me sane while in San Dionisio. I am surprised how much I missed all of my kids and spending my Saturdays down at the field with 200 of my closest friends.

This year we made several improvements from the previous year. We have divided the youth league into two different age brackets: U-13 and 14-16. The idea is that this will allow more players to participate and it will be a safer experience for the smaller kids. Last year we only set a maximum age limit and the issue we found was that all the teams wanted to be as close to the limit as they could and many smaller kids felt too intimidated to play. This year there are 10 teams; 6 of the teams are U-13 and only 4 are 14-16. The reason that there are not more teams this year is that this is a layover league. Let me explain, the main time for soccer is between September and December, but with my constant badgering and the interest of the kids we decided to do a small league in the summer to spark interest and give an outlet for the kids. With the help of Professor Diego (director of the adult league) we created a 2.5month bracket for the 10 teams and have gone one step further… we are a federation. I am still not exactly sure what that means, but it means kids have to pay C$10 to enter (50cents) and supposedly we are recognized by the overall league in Matagalpa. The perk is that with this money the teams feel more committed and responsible and the money can be put towards buying trophies at the end of the league.

I want to give a huge thank you to my Aunt Ana for her help with my soccer league this year. Thanks to her and the families at her church we were able to supply each team with a soccer ball and give over 60 cleats to the players. Since Christmas I have coordinated with Ana to send donations to my town from the States and 5 months later and many confusing phone calls they have come. Why so long? I am glad you asked, the cleats were sent down via boat on a private currier to keep costs down and well, it is Nicaragua and things just don’t move as fast. The point is that they are here and already on the feet of my little kids. It is a whole other story to detscribe the pandemonium of handing out the cleats. There were the expected issues of many kids being angry that they weren’t given cleats and envy that some were prettier than others, but in the end everyone felt better that it was something. I handed to cleats out to the poorest team in the league (Piedras Largas) and the leftovers were distributed between individual players identified with the most need. Each team also got a soccer ball and you can see from the pictures how much they appreciated it and truly needed it.

Similar to my latrine project the soccer league has not been without its own set of headaches. I have to deal with the constant badgering of kids wanting to know the number of points each team has, the time they are playing on the weekend, and when more cleats are coming to town. Yet, like my latrine project, I love it. I love seeing the kids motivated by the league and that they are investing so much time and interest in it. Unlike the adult league these kids arrive to the field every Saturday on time, not only that I always get there an hour early and find out that I am bested by no less than 40 kids. Without the support of any adult the kids are able to raise the necessary C$30 ($1.50) to pay for the referee and bring ash to line the field. I am so proud of my kids and I know this is proof that sports really do make a difference in the life of kids and can teach as much as any classroom. The time the kids spend on the field and off has taught them to be leaders, given them patience, and to learn that as kids they can do anything they put their mind to.

Thank you again to Ana Chambers for her contribution of all the cleats and balls for my soccer league. Thank you to all the friends and families that donated their cleats and balls to help my children and please know that it was very much appreciated.

PS: If anyone has any extra sports supplies they would like to donate I am always looking for more. Please email me and we can try and coordinate a shipment. Jason.c.koza@gmail.com

King of the Latrines

Greetings all, it has been a spell since I have written or have even thought about my blog. I am sorry that I have not kept you all updated about my life, but it seems to have slipped my mind. While there is no adequate excuse, you are just going to have to accept that I have been quite busy and that my life just hasn’t been that interesting. Well, I think at least one of those previous comments is true; I’ll let you be the judge. I don’t want to this be an overzealous approach to recollect all the events between January and the present, but rather I will tackle the main events entry by entry.

The most pressing issue at hand has been my SPA project or more commonly known as Hell. The idea of SPA is that it is an opportunity for a Peace Corps Volunteer to initiate a community driven project with the ability to acquire USAID grant funds. Usually these are larger projects such as building bridges, wells, latrines, community centers, or even libraries. Volunteers can solicit up to $10,000, yet there are several restraints. Remember, I said it was a community driven project. This means that the community is supposed to think of the idea, work on the proposal, and be the organizers. Well, let’s just say that things don’t always go as planned. Yes… I did start the project late. Another aspect of SPA is that you cannot do one in the last 6 months of your service. I waited until January to propose the idea of SPA to my community and that meant I only had two months to go from nothing to a being able to defend our proposal in front of the Peace Corps committee.

Everything started off so well, it was like the calm before the storm. I called a meeting at the Alcaldia with all the different community leaders. We proposed different ideas ranging from wells to latrines and we eventually decided on building latrines. The idea was that they were the most cost effective and would benefit the general theme of water and sanitation. We then decided on one neighborhood that agreed upon as the poorest and with the most health risk. From there we were able to successfully survey the neighborhood and choose the 20 families that would benefit from a new latrine. Here, is where the drama begins. Who wouldn’t want a gringo showing up at their door with the proposal for a new latrine? From the get go I was taking flack about how I chose the 20 families and why I couldn’t add just one more family to the project. I was accosted daily by different families and neighborhoods wanting to take part in the project and while I told them that there just wasn’t enough money to go around, several people took the answer rather harshly.

I am going to fastforward two months to the present. Don’t worry, I didn’t skip much, just the usual and expected. To quickly summarize, I had to write a 20page report regarding the needs and organization of our project, I got cost estimates for all of the materials, and looked for labor contracts. Now, in the present the issue is the delivery and execution of the construction. As a community project the families benefiting from the project are responsible for 25% of all the costs. We were able to circumnavigate this problem by putting a cost on labor and them promising to give food to some of the extra laborers. In addition, I also had a contract from the Alcaldia that they would supply the transportation of the materials from Matagalpa to San Dionisio. So far so good right? Kind of, after a month of waiting I got the money last week and I immediately went to Matagalpa with the truck from the Alcaldia to get the money and buy all the materials. While the Alcaldia promised to help, it was a pain in the butt to coordinate the travel date and the worst is that the prices of all the materials skyrocketed. Here is my first major complaint with this program; we are required to get 3 proformas for all the materials, but by the time the money comes they are 2-3 months old. I know it doesn’t take much of an extrapolation to assume that prices of materials are going to continue to get more and more expensive. Compound this known fact with the obvious that we are in Nicaragua and it means I am C$3,000 in the hole or roughly $142.00. Luckily, I am coming up with ways to bridge the gap in the old and current budget, but I think it is ridiculous that the project demands lowest costs and then overlooks the fact that prices in Nicaragua are anything but stable. While this is a pain and I am stressing out about the C$3,000 it pales in comparison with the issues I am having with the local masons. I don’t know if it is a rural thing or people just taking advantage of me, but a contract is a contract. Last I checked, a contract is a legal binding document for both parties. I am expected to uphold my end of working with the agreed upon mason for a set price and to reciprocate the mason has agreed to do the work. Nope, not in San Dionisio, a contractor can back out when the feel like it because they feel the price is now too cheap and then come crawling back when I have no problem ditching them. It is a giant game of call my bluff, and it leads to enormous headaches. These bluffs lead to my project being held up and lead to further contract issues when I am delayed and the whole timeline has to be pushed back. I have wanted to walk away from this project countless times and I keep asking myself why I am going through the agony.

I will tell you why… I am a masochist. I enjoy the pain and I would feel useless if I wasn’t bogged down by way too much stress and responsibility. Yes, my executive board is more honorary than functional, but they have their moments of pulling through. I have put in countless hours and have been working side by side with the families, but I enjoy it, I feel like part of a bigger idea. And yes, while I moan and complain about the lack of support, I love taking the lead. I like the power of deciding and delegating jobs. I like being the person people have to rely on and look to for guidance and support. Most of all it is worth it for the few people who realize I am busting my butt for them and the small thank you’s that they offer. I do it for the glass of water they give me when I have been working all day moving blocks or the mango that I am given for dropping off a 300lb cement tablet. Finally, I do it for the families that always exceed my expectations and have the patience to tolerate me and have followed me to the river to shovel sand, to deliver cement blocks, and to deliver the cement tablets. While this project has been far from perfect I feel positive that I am helping families. Perhaps my original expectations of bringing a group together and creating a fine oiled machine were not realistic, but there has been progress. There is no “hora nica” with my group, all families show up on time, families are willing to help if I ask, and even my executive board has taken the lead to make sure all materials are accounted for and dropped off. We will be done within the next two weeks and while I have been waiting for this moment since the project began, I am going to miss the insurmountable stress and pride I felt working with my families. 

Leadership Camp

I promise I have to write a bit more about it, but here are some pictures of the Leadership Camp I participated in last weekend.

https://picasaweb.google.com/andrew.boddyspargo/CampamentoDeLiderazgo2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCMH8872-77-o8wE&feat=directlink#

Getting Back in the Swing of Things

After my time in the United States I was unprepared for what awaited me back in Nicaragua. It wasn't so much the elements or the people, but what mental state I would be in. My time at home was a mental rollercoaster. I remember for the first week thinking about how I missed Nicaragua and how I even wished I could go back sooner. Cue my days of joining yoga, home cooking, family, and relaxing and I found myself on the opposite side of the pendulum wondering how on earth I would be capable of going back.

The airport was hard on both my mom and I.My mom was crying that her baby was leaving her yet again, and I was wondering why I was torturing myself. I liked my life in the States, I had a false sense of security that I could find any job I wanted, thus why torment myself with another year in a foreign land. Well, let's just say I am glad I got back on the plane. Upon getting to Nicaragua I rushed back to site and it has been non-stop since then.

I have taken a new oath to work harder than ever and pursue my goals. I have no distractions and my one objective for 2011 is to be the best volunteer possible. Sounds dorky, I know, but hear me out. I felt that I started taking some of my responsibilites too loosely (ie: traveling around for a week) and I needed to reign in my wandering mind. I want to be remembered in town not just as some gringo, but as an individual that has truly changed the lives of many of the residents.

Since I have gotten back I have already set-up meetings to kick-off round two of my soccer league. We are expanding from 10 teams to over 15 and I am even working at starting a female futbol sala league with the high school. Thanks to Ana all of this is possible and the wonderful people at her church. I have a donation of over 200 cleats and 30 soccer balls to my community and the grand unveiling will be at the opening of my league. I have also already met with my high school director to keep my college fair going and have taken it further to offer professional development classes and lecturers to all 5th year students.

I told you I am taking this seriously. It has only been two weeks and my soccer league is alive, I have universities ready to visit during the school year and my baseball league has been resurected from the dead. While I was gone none of the teams practiced and one actually fell apart. I needed to get them back into some type of organization before we head to Angus' site in Muy Muy to play and I not only got my team restructured but formed a new team in La Colonia. To further cement the process I helped organize a two-game scrimmage at the field that lasted over 4hrs and had in attendence over 50 kids.

I don't want to sound like I am bragging, but I am just very excited for what is to come in my town. This weekam having my first meeting regarding the construction of a $10,000 well to help fight the drought we have every year and will benefit over 4,000 people. I also am working at a youth leadership camp next week and will be presenting four different themes with volunteers throughout the country. It is a heck of a way to start off the new year and stick with my resolution; I only hope I can keep it up... it has only been two weeks.

Part I of my garden complete with a roof to shelter the plants from the deadly sun.

Final bit, I swear. In my free time I decided to jump-start my garden. I got a few tires in town from the local repair man and cut them open with my machete. Cool, right? Well, yes it is cool, but not as easy as it sounds. Those rubber tires for trucks are built heavy duty and I think it has been the hardest work-out I have done in months.

Two tires used as a compost since my soil is solid clay and can't support life.

 Ok and the last bit of news. Since I plan on being busy this year I finally broke down and did something drastic. I can no longer walk an hour and a half to school and lose all that time being productive so I bought a bike. Now, I am really into cycling and this is an insult to my racing days. Basically it is a POS, but what are you going to do, it gets me from point A hopefully to point B. It must weigh 40lbs and I have been tinkering with the gears, but it sure is a lot faster than walking.

Fun in Vermont

For the last couple years the four of us always head up to Vermont after Christmas. It is a time to just unwind from the intensity of the holiday and just escape from life if only for a moment. Our Vermont trip was also a landmark because it was the first family trip that I could recall that Sa and I were allowed to bring friends along for the experience. Sure, there are many running jokes that have resulted from this and I know I will never forget the night that one of my friends got too drunk and screamed how he hated us all, but that is what vacations are all about… right? Anyways, the convoluted point that I am trying to reach is that this year it was just the four of us, no friends, no internet, and more family time then any of us had been expecting in quite a while.

No story about our trips to Vermont would be complete without mentioning the Monopoly incident. I guess it has already been two years, but Vermont seems to be one of the only times that we actually get together to play board games. Monopoly already has an infamous history as being a game of contention, but we always have to take it to the next level. A few years back we were all playing and the game as predicted started to get heated, yet I don’t think any of us saw it going so far. The climax of the game was when my dad told me to “Eat sh*t and die!” Luckily no such outburst happened this year, but another such blasphemous event occurred, Sa won. I guess I should give credit when it is due; she did play like a true mogul and bought up every property she came upon and then just held with an iron-fist and refused to make any trades or deals.

Beyond our normal game nights we drove up to Vermont with the blizzard of the year nipping at our heels. Reports said that we were due from anywhere up to two feet of snow and winds of over 50mph… exciting right? We did miss all the snow on the drive up and it was nice to just get into the house, start up a fire and watch the snow come down.

This year was a relaxing trip and what better way to kick things off then just sitting around with the fire roaring, a good movie on, and playing with the dogs. I of course was excited to hit the slopes the next day and was having fantasies of getting in a day as close as possible to the fabled powder out west. Well, who would think you could actually get too much snow? I woke up the following day the world covered in two feet of snow, but the real problem was the wind. It was already freezing outside and rumor is with the wind chill the temperature dropped to -15 degrees. Ok, I love skiing, but I guess this would be a little much and to make it worse the winds were closing down many of the lifts. Alright, I concede it wouldn’t have had the best day of skiing, but it is a form of torture to have all this snow and know that I couldn’t yet go out and tackle it. Just to give you an idea about the quantity of snow I brought the dogs out in the morning and through both Bailey and Tibby straight into the powder.

Instead of hitting the slopes all of us woke up fairly late. I admit, as much as I wanted to go skiing it was nice to sleep in and both my dad and I were playing the game of seeing who would wake up first. That meant we got a stellar griddle breakfast from my mom and we all headed out together to the town of Ludlow. Ludlow is the town at the base of the mountain of Okemo and is always the image I conjure up when I think of Vermont. Since we couldn’t do downhill today we figured we would do the next best and try-out cross-country skiing. Well turns out that two feet of fresh snow is not the best for that sport either and we ended up going snowshoeing.

I’ll admit, snowshoeing was never something I wanted to do, but it was a blast. It doesn’t take much practice and we just did a loop around a golf-course, but it was surprisingly fun.

Traveling to Vermont is a time for all of us to just relax and recharge our batteries. We all take this charge rather seriously and commit to it in our own manners. I like to be active in any possible winter sport, while my mom and sister prefer to be around the house or go into the small villages. Luckily I was able to get out with my dad the following day to Stratton Mountain.

It was still pretty windy out and I was grateful we didn’t go out the previous day. There was still some powder left, but on the steeper, exposed slopes most of the new snow was already pushed aside. For me the conditions were perfect, but since an injury a few years ago my dad had been struggling. We got in several good runs in the morning, but I headed off on my own that afternoon to really start pouring in the runs and hit the moguls and double diamonds. That night we all came together again and headed out for a sleigh ride. Again, not something I ever really imagined doing, but it was a lot of fun. There is something magical about just heading out into the blackness of the night. It was a one horse sleigh and even had the bells to boot. The ride brought us out to a sugar shack and even a roaring bonfire.

 

As quickly as our trip started it was already coming to an end. It had been a busy couple days and absolutely perfect. Yet, we still had one more morning at the house and I was able to convince my mom to take me out and finally go cross-country skiing. I figured I can do most other things, so how hard can it be? Well, turns out that cross-country skiing is not like walking and downhill skiing combined. I was dripping sweat and my mom only hung around for the first kilometer. Again, I got ditched by one of my parents and decided to head out alone. For my first time I believe I held my own and I did about 10km. Perhaps the best part of my cross-country experience was that while I was busy playing in the snow the rest of the family was back at the house packing and cleaning. 

The trip had come to a close and it was time to head back home. I still had about four days in the United States but that rising sense of dread began to dredge up about going back to Nicaragua. Luckily, I still had plenty of distractions, we were heading to visit my cousins in Glastonbury to keep Christmas going and New Years was just right around the corner.

Family Party

I think it is best to present the family party in its own section. The family Christmas party is not just any get together, it is something I look forward to all year and I start the countdown the minute I leave Amparo’s house. It is one of the few times that the entire family is able to get together and to me it seems even more important as we are all growing older and slowly the family is starting to move apart. I love traditions and this is one of the few that I can recall as early as I remember still being intact. As always the kitchen is reserved for the guys.

Sure there are some of the girls passing through, but if you ask anyone, Amparo gets a buy because she is busy cooking chorizos or bunuelos. The main attraction of the kitchen of course is the “holy water” or Aguardiente. It didn’t take long for this dangerous liquid to come out and it always leads to an eventful evening. I remember stories from my dad of the uncles and my grandpa shaving each others’ heads and some pretty intense conversations. If you hang around long enough you are always rewarded by exaggerated stories both from Al and Frank and it never hurts when you start to mix in Will and Tony. 

As fun as the kitchen is, it is vital that you take it in doses. If you are not careful one shot will quickly turn into 8 or 10 and no one likes a drunk on Christmas... we are classy. Remember the main event is the family and this was no normal party. We had a lot to celebrate; Jill and Carlos were visiting from El Paso, TX.

Also, Al and Mel just got married in September and it was their first Christmas as newlyweds. Perhaps the biggest news was that Al and Mel are not along with that accolade, Will and Lyn are finally newlyweds. In fact, I somehow got called in to do a toast in front of the entire family for them. Now for those of you that know me well I am not much of a public speaker and more often than not trip over my words. Well compound my past with a shot or two of Aguardiente and all I could mutter was a few short phrases in their honor. I attribute it to the fact that I was beyond happy to hear that they are finally wed and that they are so happy together, as I said that night… it is about time.

The night is a time to catch up with everyone that we normally don’t get to see and is a time for me to appreciate how lucky I am. I am honored to have such a loving family and I never forget how fortunate I am. For as much as we rarely see each other during the year we are all able to come together on this one night and act like nothing has changed.

It is fun to see the new generations growing up and to see how everyone is turning into truly wonderful people. Yet, as special as the night is, we have to remember that we are all Restrepos and there will be some chaos along the way. This year the chaos came in a wave known as Christy and fake tattoos. I can’t let her take all the credit, I too got in on the fun and before anyone knew it we were baptizing everyone with tattoos whether or not our victim was willing.

I don’t want to brag, but I love my family and I am so blessed to have them all in my life. More than anything my greatest Christmas present this year was being able to come home and spend even just one night with everyone.

Fallon being a ham for the camera

Coming Home

It was a no frills deal getting back to America, but I was half expecting to get stopped at customs. I promised that I would bring back some smoked cuahada (local cheese) and I was pretty sure that it was against the law, but what the hell. Also, I always check “yes” that I have been in close proximity to livestock since it is not uncommon for a loose pig or horse to come meandering through my yard. Well with all my apprehension I knew I was done for and would be called aside to be searched… nope, I was just asked if I stepped in any manure in my boots (are you serious? These were my classy custom made boots; I am not sure what he was thinking). Another big plus of my flight back was that I had no checked baggage and was able to change from my 7hr layover in Miami to only 2hrs! Big plus, yet I still didn’t leave until 4hrs later because of some rain delay, you would think an airport has never experienced rain before.

With all that put behind us I was still home 3hrs earlier than expected and back with my family. It was wonderful to be home again and just soak in all the things that I have missed. After traveling in a bus for so long I had forgotten the simple luxury of having sufficient personal space in a private car. My mom spared no expense in my welcome and I had a new electric blanket for my bed to help me combat the bone chilling conditions that I was no longer accustomed to.

I started off the week simply enough. Unlike my last trip home I had no ambitious plans of running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I was not planning any ambitious trip to NYC and then to Boston or even running around Brookfield. Instead, I wanted this trip to be about family and if my friends wanted to see me, they knew where to find me. Of course this lead to some issues, but I have no regrets about how I spent my vacation. If anything my few times home in the last 16 months have taught me who I can really count on and that it is an inevitable fact that people may grow apart. So a brief summary of my time home was that I started doing Bikram Yoga. Basically it started on somewhat of a bet with my sister. She told me that I wouldn’t be able to handle it… enough of a challenge to perk my interest. I will be perfectly honest, it was difficult, but I was hooked. I always wanted to get into yoga and why not supplement it with a super hot room to help increase the sweating. Over the vacation I went five times and I think I felt taller by the end of it. Also, getting back into a routine made it feel like I wasn’t on vacation, but had moved back home. Some other things were that I met up with a good friend, Carl Bailey, to talk about how we can work together in some of my projects in Nicaragua. He was kind enough to not only invite me to one of his community parties but also later for a dinner party at his place. It felt so nice to know that I have friends with the same interest and see them implementing it in their daily lives.

So the real reason I came home… Christmas. The day after I got back home we were off to the Christmas tree farm to choose our victim. It has always been a tradition of ours to head out to Shelton as a family and find the perfect tree. A running joke is that we scour the hillside marking trees only to come back to one of the firsts and cut it down. Another historical fact is that my sister has a running record of always choosing the tree. It is not that we simply want to appease her, but she actually chooses the best tree. I don’t want to read too much into it, but this year we decided to get a blue spruce and for one of the first times I had the winning tree. Maybe it was because the tree was a new species or I got sympathy points since I had been gone, I don’t care, I won. Well, one tradition that did remain intact is that I got the honor of cutting down the tree. I now know why we usually go for the Douglas firs, those blue spruces are quite sharp and it makes cutting them down a pain in the butt… literally.

We had funny running through the cold and taking plenty of pictures of our trek through the farm. I made sure to take plenty of pictures of the process to show my family back in Nicaragua and even got the elusive Mom in some of the pictures.

Even though I tried to keep my visit home low-key I still was fairly busy. I don’t know what is different between Nicaragua and the States, but my time at home just seems to fly by. I made a thorough list of things I wanted to accomplish, but I still didn’t get to hit it all. I did some Christmas shopping at the mall, took out my dad’s car for a joy ride, but I never had that dead time that I can’t seem to kill when I am at my place in San Dionisio. I guess that is beside the point, getting back to the idea of Christmas I decorated the Christmas tree alone this year while everyone was at work. Another difference between here and there, everyone here works and has a million responsibilities. I can’t really blame them, but I guess I can settle for dead time for the day rather than always having to be at work.

One quick note before I get to the family Christmas party. I did plan one extravagant trip during my vacation. I went to New York City for the night to meet up with one of my best friends. Sadly, I don’t have any pictures of us together because I am just a horrible camera man. Yet, I did get some free time to meander through the city and took some pictures of the skyline and the touristy spots.

I met up with Michelle after taking the train down to Grand Central Station. Upon getting into the city I just realized how populated the city is. Also how fast everyone moves. I am considered a fast walker in town, but I was being left in the dust. In the station I was distracted by the ceiling and felt like a breakwater from the ever present tide of people.

I met up with Michelle for dinner because like any twenty something year old you have a job and can’t just wander around like a Peace Corps Volunteer. It was pretty swanky and I was amazed by this lifestyle. I remember before leaving for Peace Corps saying how I could give it all up, but sitting in that restaurant… I missed it. Everyone around me was so attractive and in shape. Given, I was at 20^th and 5^th Ave, a young professional hot spot, but still I was blown away. I don’t know, I say how I want to continue living abroad and I have been known to openly bash NYC, but after my dinner with Michelle and seeing her place in Brooklyn, I could see myself as a New Yorker… scary.