Tony's Travel Blog - Part 3
Tony Traback, our Pastor of Mission Mobilization, recently returned from a trip to Honduras and Nicaragua to spend time with our partners there. We are presenting his reflections in a four-part series. This is third installment, and we pick up the narrative after he has traveled from Honduras to Nicaragua. View the first installment here and the second here.
bLoG1: Nicaragua, Day One
The bus from Honduras to Nicaragua took about six hours. This may sound odd but I really enjoyed it. For six hours I was free to read.
When I arrived in Managua, Osman, Adelaida and Enma picked me up in a Taxi. Though my Spanish had improved by this time, I was relieved when Osman spoke to me in perfect English. The ride to San Juan de Oriente was quite quick. The road along which we travelled apparently goes all the way to Costa Rica; and it was quite smooth, making for a comfortable trip. Mostly I spoke with Osman, though Adelaida (the director of La Vida) and I spoke for a moment about the day’s schedule.
After dropping my things off at Anita’s home (my wonderful home-stay hostess), we visited families in the pueblo with whom River families had stayed. As we walked from home to home, it began to rain and we had our first real bonding experience running from shelter-to-shelter to escape the torrential downpour.
And one of these shelters happened to be a potter’s shop. More accurately, it was a home, ceramic studio and shop. Father and son greeted us. Clearly, it was a family trade. (I later learned that every home I went into had a potter’s wheel and a little store in which the family sold pottery. Something like 90% of families in San Juan de Oriente make and sell ceramics). The son showed us how he made the ceramics and when the rain ceased, we were off to visit another family.
Having met the different host families, we walked to a dinner with the entire staff of La Vida Education. Our dinner was in Catalina, the pueblo next door—or better yet, up the hill. And at the top of the hill are both restaurants and a beautiful view of a lake and volcanoes. Truly, it is spectacular!
And then we ate. I ordered bistec con Jalapenos again (by the end of this trip I think I ate this meal 3 or 4 times. It became a bit of an addiction!) It was also during this time that I learned more about La Vida Education and its staff. La Vida (or La Biblioteca as the locals call it) was started by a former River attendee and youth director, Aaron Pick. It is more than a library—though it is the second most trafficked library in Nicaragua!!! In a town of about 8,000 people, they have over 30,000 visits a year! It also hosts music and art classes as well as helps students at all of the local schools do their homework. Not only is the staff available to help with student assignments, but La Vida buys the books which students need in their classes so that the poorer students can afford to learn.
As I learned about La Vida, I also learned about its staff: Adelaida, Sully, Enma, Celia, Osman, and David. Each member of the staff introduced himself or herself and explained how La Vida has helped them. Most of them shared how little money they had made as teachers at a local school and how working at La Vida had improved their lives. Now, most of them are able to afford university and able to help their families financially.
Walking home from dinner, Adelaida and David (her husband) invited me to their home. They shared with me family photos, of their wedding and other special occasions. And then I asked David, who works at La Vida as a music teacher, to play the guitar for us. He agreed but then invited us all to sing worship songs. It was amazing. I enjoyed all the songs I did not know, and I relished the Spanish songs that I had learned at the River. It was such a beautiful moment to be able to sing with them! We truly worshiped together. We sang for over an hour with David, Adelaida, and David’s parents. Though it wasn’t Sunday, it was church.
bLoG2: Day Two in Nicaragua
I awoke early and ate. Anita, my host mother, fed me a delicious meal and I was off to meet the families of the La Vida staff. Both families were very welcoming and kind. Each showed me how to throw a pot and shared with me their finished pottery.
As we walked from one casa to another, I noticed that kids were playing baseball in the streets. It reminded me of old videos in which kids in the Bronx played stickball. As a bit of trivia, unlike most Latin American countries, Nicaragua focuses its talents on baseball, not soccer.
Next we took taxies to the nearby town of Masaya. We ate (and I ate Bictec de Jalapeno again!) and then we checked out the market. There, Adelaida surprised me with two wonderful gifts. One is a traditional Nicaraguan shirt, which I wore the next day. The second is a cup, which I really like. I had been looking for a goblet with which to celebrate the Eucharist and I found it at the market. I wanted to get it (I think it was $5) but Adelaida would not allow it. And so now I have it as a gift!
After a bit of rest at my home stay and some cena, I joined a few of the staff for church—at a Baptist church nearby. [One of the truly interesting things about the staff of La Vida is that there is an intentional effort made to have a balanced number of Catholics and Protestants. Because there can be some division between the two communities (as in the US), when La Vida hires new staff they make it an absolute principle to have as equal numbers of Catholics and Protestants.] The church worship was enjoyable but in all honestly I could not understand the sermon. It seemed like people who understood it enjoyed it. While the pastor preached and I sat uncomprehendingly, I decided to do a little people watching and I noticed a bunch of gringo families. I felt like I should wave at them or pass a note. As you can imagine, I didn’t.
bLoG3: Day three in Nicaragua
In the morning of my third day in Nicaragua, Adelaida and I walked to a nearby school to explore property that La Vida Education is interested in purchasing. Due to the enormous demand of their facility, they currently have to force youth from each school into time slots during the week. For instance, one school might come on Mondays at 8:00am and another at 9:00am and so on. Even with this forced limitation, it is the second most visited library in Nicaragua! Imagine if they had a larger facility in which more students could fit. Well, this is exactly what they have done. They imagined. And accordingly they found a piece of land, which is both for sale and being sold for a good price. With land, La Vida could build multiple buildings to house each of its diverse “ministries.” It would also enable La Vida to expand its library—which is currently limited by space. In fact, La Vida has stopped stocking more books because it is already crammed to bursting!
The property is actually quite beautiful: a green and rolling landscape that lies next to a local road for easy access. Though many of the coffee plants located on the property would likely be removed, I could imagine that coffee beans might add some revenue. And more than four acres, it would be plenty of space to build a new facility.
Hopeful about the prospect of the new property, we next went to a local school. The principle greeted me and then brought me to each classroom in the school. When I entered each classroom one of the students, on behalf of her/his classmates explained how La Vida’s library has helped them in their studies. This was pretty amazing. Their gratefulness for La Vida’s services was overwhelming. Clearly, it made a significant difference in their lives.
Before our final dinner, we met with the local priest. Just as in the US, there are divisions between Protestants and Catholics. La Vida, as noted previously, has tried to alleviate some of these differences. My talk with the local priest was another attempt. He is a kind man who loves his community. In fact, he is someone I so enjoyed that I hope to remain in contact with him.
Our final dinner was at Adelaida and David’s home. The food was excellent but the worship songs we sang afterwards were even better —Protestants and Catholics worshipping together. It was beautifully ecumenical. Yet, best of all, were the gifts given and the pictures taken at the night’s end. It wasn’t that receiving gifts was the height of the evening but the meaning of the gifts I received from my new friends. Three of the staff gave me a ceramic creation, which someone in their family made and David painted me a canvas beautifully. They each gave me something, which reminds me of not only who they are but who their families and communities have been for over a hundred years!
And, finally, we ended the evening with a fun picture—a picture in which we all jumped about in “unique” postures. The picture captured a moment of fun and joy. The picture was particularly significant because after taking the picture with a digital camera, David put it on the TV and we spent a good twenty minutes laughing together. It will be one of those moments I remember for a long time.