Isa :)

At Cantera's 1st Annual Compamento (Lock-In) for Teens

Oftentimes when talking about moving somewhere near or trying to start fresh, people talk about "making a name"--whether that may mean specializing in something, doing something crazy and memorable, or whatever. Well, after a couple weeks here in Managua, I feel like I'm starting to make a name for myself, but without any gutsy dance moves or huge accomplishments. Allow me to explain...

The Spanish spelling of Elizabeth is oftentimes "Elisabet", which my campo family in the Dominican Republic shortened to "Isa". So, as we have been visiting different CANTERA sites and meeting tons of new people over the past couple weeks, I have had gazillions of opportunities to introduce myself as "Isa". However, when I sign my name, Isa looks to short, so I generally add a little smiley face afterward--I mean, why not?! We all smile in the same language!! Smile in Spanish is sonrisa, so Matt has unofficially been calling me (and introducing me as) "Isa Sonrisa". I suppose there are worse things to be called :)

In other news, we have managed to keep ourselves quite busy, despite not having started working as of yet. On Independence Day (Sept 14th) we went downtown where Daniel Ortega (the current president) gave a speech. The next day Matt and Megan went to Costa Rica to renew Megan's passport, and Ana and I got to spend some quality time with Courtney. We enjoyed getting to know some of the Nicaraguan friends she has made in her two years of living here. We have also met many of the other volunteer and religious communities in the area. Every Thursday there is a gathering of North Americans and Nicaraguans at "Casa Ben Linder" (the first American killed by President Reagan's "freedom fighters," the U.S.-backed Nicaraguan Contras, in 1987 while engineering a hydroelectric dam in northern Nicaragua). The morning we attended we were able to hear a presentation by the author and editor of Nicaragua: Surviving the Legacy of US Policy. Their story of making the book, the testimonies, and especially the photographs are a harsh but compelling witness to the violence Nicaragua has seen in the last couple generations.

One highlight for me was "attending" Thomas' 3rd birthday party. He tried to tell Grandma Debbie that I could come if I just 'flew in an airplane, landed in their driveway, and walked in the door', but all the flights seemed to be booked ;) The next best option was attending via Skype on Kelli's laptop; she set it on the floor in front of him while he opened his presents. He came over and said hi right away and then I figured he'd forget about me and do his own thing, but instead he talked to me directly more than anyone else who was actually there! Not only did he get super excited after he opened the little gift I left for him, but he continued to show me everything he opened. My heart melted as he ripped open the paper (while providing commentary like "I don't know what's in here, it's a surprise!"), pulled out whatever it was (with a shriek), and then said "Look, Beffy! It's a ___!!" each time. You can see (in the picture below) him showing me a book Aunt Amy made for him. My favorite was after he opened two tractor picture-frames and then proceeded to show me how they worked by setting them up on the keyboard in front of my face (which is below the camera, so I couldn't even see them!). I was able to "be there" for over an hour and at least got to see the entire family as well as some of Rachel's family. As you can see in the second picture, T came over and gave my face on the screen a kiss before I said goodbye. I miss that little guy's hugs and kisses (and habits and sayings) SOO much, but he really made me feel like I was right there in front of him - and no one told him to say anything to me! I'm so blessed.







I could talk about the cute little things he and Matthew do every time I video Skype them (ie Matthew's army crawl!), but I'll try to concentrate on things around here. It's just such a good feeling to see them both happy and healthy :)


Anyways, I am still in the discernment process as to which "work" placement I will commit to for the rest of my time here. Last Friday I visited a preschool in another community and talked about the option of assisting in the classroom and possibly working with the parents and doing home-visits as well. On Friday we all went to a campamento (more or less a lock-in) with over 200 jovenes (teenagers). This is where I officially decided that I would rather not work with large groups of teens--I was completely overwhelmed. However, I was also able to visit Mateares, a community outside of Managua (a 45+ minute commute by public transportation/bus) where Cantera has a small campus that has several new programs for kids and teens. There, I could teach (English, piano, sewing, etc) and/or work with a literacy program in which the teens (who initiated the project) read to younger kids in the community. Although I have not fully committed yet, I am leaning toward this option because of the flexibility and variety of activities. Plus, I'll take any excuse I can get for a drive through the countryside!

I'll post more details about the house, but until then, you can visit Ana's Blog for pictures and a little description. It's pretty comfortable, but there are definitely some things to get used to (the afternoon heat, laundry by hand, little critters that can climb over the walls since they don't go all the way to the ceilings, cold showers, cooking w/ a camping stove, limited grocery options, and no microwave, etc), but we're having a ton of fun learning new ways to do things and living much simpler!

Two more house-keeping items:
1. If you would like to send mail, PLEASE use the CANTERA address!!
Elizabeth Schroer
CANTERA: Apdo: A-52
Managua, Nicaragua
2. If you have a Facebook and a few minutes to spare, check out our pictures from Granada!


Con Amor y Paz (y sonrisas!),
-Isa :)