Who we are

There's something very soothing about rain falling on a tin roof.  The dull roar becomes a tranquilizer, numbing all your others worries until a trance like stupor is reached, complete with the drool and buddhist-like humming.  It rains a lot here during the rainy season, which I love.  Every time it feels like the city is being washed clean and layers of dirt and stress get purged from my body.

Thank you to all the people who have sent me emails in the past few days.  It's been great to hear from all of you and it sounds like you all are doing well, which I truly hope is the case.  Several people have asked some specific questions about the people, work, ect and so I thought I'd address them in this blog.  Please continue to send any questions you have along...they often give me food for thought.

First, people wanted a little more background on my coworkers and fellow volunteers.  Asofenix is in itself a very small organization, the key to it's success is the strong partnerships it has been able to develop with;  international organizations such as Green Empowerment and Hivos (Dutch program I think), the Nicaraguan government, both locally and within the Department of Energy, and finally with the local communities that need the help but don't know where to go.  All three relationships are vital as without the international aid the money would not exist, without the government the access would not exist and without the communities, well, nothing would get done...or stay done for that matter.  In many ways Asofenix serves as the bridge connecting the resources to the communities, both monetary as well as labor and skill-ish (as in my case).

Right now we are a group of 6.  Jaime, our director is the man.  Period.  Nothing would get done without him.  He taught in rural schools for many years before leaving to study renewable energy systems some 15 years ago and create Asofenix

about 7 years ago.  His time spent teaching in the rural areas allowed him to be able to develop trust with the original communities we worked with.  Trust that has now spread as the success and benefits that the communities experience following Jaime's plan are observed by their neighbors.  His hard work and ability to accomplish goals have also gained the trust of his international partners, with both Hivos and GE signing on to 10 year partnerships.  As for the government, well when constituents are happy so are they.

Seth and Sarah are married volunteers from the Mennonite Central Committee on loan to Jaime for 3 years.  Seth has a masters degree in tropical farming techniques/fauna/I don't really know, but he knows alot about the local agriculture, what they're doing wrong and how to improve their practices.  Sarah is a registered nurse and so she focuses a lot on the health problems, mainly through developing workshops for the communities on proper health techniques and trying to teach them why they get sick.  Seth and Sarah have a house in Bramadero, one of our communities, and thus have had the opportunity to spend considerable amounts of time living and working with them.  As I said before, their knowledge about everything from bus schedules, to do's and don'ts of rural living have been great.  They are both also planning the schedule for the service learning trips that Asofenix sponsors over christmas break, these trips are a good source of income as well as helping the communities and spreading awareness.

Last but not least is Fanny.  Fanny is a Nicaraguan working (not volunteering) for Asofenix.  She has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and worked for two years somewhere else (not very thorough is it).  She makes a lot of our technical presentations and gets a lot of stuff done that it would take a non-spanish speaking gringo like myself months to accomplish.

So we're the core.  There's usually a revolving door of volunteers who are here for 3 months or so working on small projects or lending a hand, but for the most part we're it.

As for how we're viewed in the communities, we're generally very welcomed.  I absolutely love spending time with my family in Candelaria.  They're very open and welcoming, as is the whole community.  We often get what we call the "gringo stare" as we come into a community for the first time but it only lasts for a day or so and usually by the time I leave I'm usually being asked to go help them work in the fields or go visit accompany someone to a friends house in the next village (which I found out was an hour walk...45 minutes after we left).  The only problem I can really complain about is that they feed us too much, and I still don't feel comfortable throwing food away (although I've become adept at feeding it to the dogs when no one is looking).  I think Jaime's presence and connection with the people really helps.  It's nice that we're not a huge organization that just throws money and strangers at a problem.  Instead we live with them and work with them, not for them, making sure they have input in the project and it's done the way they like.  Today for example we had a meeting in Managua of about 20 community leaders to discuss the different systems, what has worked and what hasn't, and to let them share ideas with eachother.  It's their village and their project, we recognize that and I think they in turn respect us more for it.

That's all for now.  Cheers.

Dave

PS - pictures of people to follow.  I have to get to the airport sometime this week though first.

Where am I?

Back by popular request, here's another installment of Dave's World 2008.  I was getting grief from some people about not updating this enough.  I'm flattered, really am, that some people actually care, but just a heads up that this is probably going to be a two to three week between update blog.  Why?  Well, first I won't go so far as to think it's interesting enough to warrant more and then there's always the motivation.  Not that I don't enjoy sharing my experiences with you all but as I like to disagree with all Country Music anyways I'll go ahead and dispute Mr. Atkin's assertion that there's no such thing as too much fun.

So where am I?  I'm in my bed actually, enjoying our freshly minted, hot off the press wireless internet.  I know of certain friends (minus the s) who happen to be in volunteering in India right enjoying, what sounds like, luxury living and Bollywood entertainment (in all seriousness John is doing some awesome work with some very needy kids in India.  Keep it up buddy, you're an inspiration as always).  That's definitely not the case here.  I'm still getting used to shaving with cold water (since hot water heaters don't exist down here), sleeping on plywood, and, well, the novelty of washing my closes by hand was removed much quicker than the dirt...or smell.  Needless to say I'll take my wireless.  In all seriousness though it has taken a little getting used too.  The standard of living down here, even in Managua, is, I don't know, different.  It's not appalling, saddening or deplorable.  I'm just as healthy and happy as ever, as are most of the people I meet.  It's just a different, cheaper way to live.  Also, the quickest way to assimilate myself was to go to the campo (countryside).  One week there and the return to Managua really felt like luxury.  I'm serious, I now feel lucky to have a fan.

I've also been pretty busy with Asofenix, as well as a short excursion to the beautiful Isla De Ometepe (have I mentioned that in a previous post...I'm already losing control of this thing).  We've had several meetings amongst ourselves and with community leaders, some of which were actually fruitful.  I've discovered patience is a wonderful virtue in Nicaragua as guys who ride horses as there only mode of transportation and have no electricity aren't the type to show up on time.  The Son Zapote water pump has been put on hold for at least a week because they're too busy with the harvest.  It appears as though the project will still start sometime in October.  It will be nice to see a completed project and the before and after effects it has on the community.

We also visited San Jose de los Remates, the area where we'll be installing a ridiculous amount of stuff, including at least two micro-hydro systems (22kw and 11kw), some solar electric systems for residences, and it appears a hospital, and most likely a wind turbine project partnered with Blue Energy, another organization that specializes in wind and is based in Blue Fields, Nicaragua.  The civil works for these projects are scheduled to begin early next year which means I'll be busy the next few month evaluating the water resources and energy, sizing the system and helping design/plan out the logistics of the actual construction (Intake system, penstock, power house and electric grid).  It's all relatively new to my fresh out of school brain but thankfully they have people with a lot of experiencing willing to help out.

Finally, I'm also starting to feel a little more at home in Managua.  It still is a little tough to get around (I can't believe no one has EVER made a map of the city bus system).  I still find myself taking 1 hour walks at times because I either a: have no idea where I am or b:  have no idea where that bus goes.  But the more I do figure out the system I'm realizing that the city is much more accessible than I had originally thought. The problem now is actually finding the places I'm looking for once I get there.  Twice now I've arrived in the "area" of where I want to be but because of the lack of any street signs and also addresses, I can't find the restaurant/bar/theater I want to check out even though I'm probably only a block or two away.  Let's just say it's going to be a work in progress.  One of my failed attempts did end up with me eating breakfast at Freddy's house.  I couldn't quite figure out if he actually runs a restaurant or if I was just eating in his living room.  The food was good though, and I got to meet his family which was nice.  Best of all he told which buses to take to get home.

Well so long everyone, until you read again.  Oh, that reminds me.  I know I have a distinct lack of pictures on this blog.  The problem here is that our internet connection is too slow and almost every attempt I have at uploading pictures takes about 4 hours and ends up with a"failure" message.  I've heard the solution to this is to go to the nearby airport and use their free high-speed access.  I will try to do this in the next couple of days and retroactively apply pictures to all my posts.

Saludos,

Dave

Managua

I'm beginning to settle into my life in Managua and at intervals I'm finding it both exciting and interesting or extraordinarily frustrating.  My initial thoughts and insights on Managua (if you remember my first post) were about as far off as I could have been.  Yes, the city is extremely poor and life can be very hard for many people.  But I now no longer feel the sense of urgency or frantic commotion I thought existed in, what I now realize, were my exhausted first hours here.  Instead, the city seems to go about its business with a refreshing efficiency of people determined to work and flourish in whatever little nook they've decided to live.  There definitely isn't the luxury and excess that I've become accustomed to back home but isn't really so bad, and the more I get comfortable here the more I realize it isn't necessary.  In someways not having it is a blessing in disguise.  The simple fact is, and I know it's horrible cliche, but simple can often be better.  

The people here are a case in point.  They don't have the luxuries we enjoy and most work harder than any of us can imagine, but nonetheless are very sincere and happy.  They don't share our wealth but also don't share our stupid stresses and worries.  Think about it this way, you wouldn't really give a shit when you got cutoff in traffic if you're just thankful to actually have car.  And saving for retirement worries?  Don't make enough to save and life's a breeze.  Too simple I know, and I also know that the people here have a lot to worry about, but the fact is they worry about what matters.  Who really cares if their plates match their bowls?  The result is a very friendly and open culture.  I get the gringo stare alot but it's not hostile, mainly curious, and I've found a simple hello is often returned with surprising gusto.

The country seems to be doing a lot of improving as well.  This is not an endorsement of any political party, I'll save a discussion of that for later, but roads are being paved, schools built and grids extended all over the country, especially in areas outside of Managua.  Tourism is also starting to increase, as I noticed when I visited the Isla de Ometepe (now in the running as one of the natural wonders of the world).

At the same time this place can be really frusterating.  The lack of organized industry, city planning or even addresses has made it just about impossible for a stranger in the city to get anything done.  What I could have accomplished in a day back home has taken us several weeks and counting.  Take the wind turbine project Calvin and I are working on.  This project consists of simply PVC piping, a saw blade, some screws, scrap metal and a generator, all of which could have been acquired in a day at home for less that $100.  But here the process involves going from one town market or street side shop to the next, digging through old junk, pointlessly trying to explain the difference between DC and AC and often banging our heads against the wall.  The only way we can actually get things accomplished is when Jaime, our Nicaraguan director, personally guides us through the 2 foot wide corridors in the maze of Mercado Oriental, the largest indoor market in central america.  Or when he randomly pulls over on the side of the road to have what turns out to be a makeshift auto mechanic weld our hub and cut us a tower base.  It's frustrating and debilitating to feel completely helpless and a little worthless.  I know this will pass as I become accustomed to the city and more comfortable with the language but for now it's rather irritating.

All in all though things are going well and I'm really starting to enjoy myself.  Our projects are making ssllllooooowwwwww but still steady progress and hopefully will come to fruition.