Nicaragua: First Impressions

I’ve told some people privately lately, but I think it’s worth sharing that it’s a really good feeling to know that the place you are is where you are supposed to be and the work you are doing are exactly what you are meant to do. 

Upon my approach to Managua I saw the thick haze of dust that greeted me as my plane descended from the clouds in a classic hallmark of a dry country in need of rain.  After clearing immigration and customs in Managua, I felt the morning heat and took my first inhale of the concoction of burning garbage and diesel fuel that I had been missing in the sanitized cleaner-emission city of New York.  This is not a complaint about Managua, as I generally welcome this smell that is unique to a nation that is growing and developing, but still has work to do.  It was the breeze of a welcome home to a place that I had never visited but already felt intimately familiar with.

One of Many Parades in the streets of Leon

Fortunately the air is cleaner in León and its pristine in the volcanoes where we hike.  I’ve settled in and am falling in love with this old colonial city.  Its one of the oldest cities in Central America and home to the nation’s top universities, hordes of expats and tourists, and within striking distance of some of the youngest and most active volcanoes in Central America.  The city is full of large churches in various states of repair that are the landmarks for navigating the city (I live 2 blocks north and ½ block West of the Cathedral, for example).  Some are artifacts, and some are alive and well, with crowds spilling out the front and side doors for Sunday masses.  The Church of the Merced (Our Lady of Mercy) is right around the corner and I attend mass there on Sundays when I can get in the door.

When I’m not exploring the city, I’m trying to get to know the people and culture here.  I’m really fortunate that Quetzaltrekkers has two Nicaraguans who work as guides and that our Board of Directors is made up entirely of Nicaraguans.  We work hard together, but they are also very social and open to discussing their country and culture over a liter of Toña beer or a Nica Libre (Rum & Coke).  We’ve already had many events and parties where we all get together and practice each others’ languages and learn from each other.

My Spanish is getting much better, but still has a long way to go.  Its hard to believe that I’ve been here a month already and some days it feels like I’m making leaps and bounds in my Spanish proficiency (talking to clients on the phone, negotiating business transactions, ordering food, etc) and some days I feel like I don’t know a single word in Spanish, let alone how to pronunicate or conjugate the words that I barely know.  I’m also finding it difficult to take time to study after long days of work in the office or in the sun on volcanoes.

 

And finally, the work thus far has met all of my expectations.  This organization’s model of turning tourism dollars into support for children is novel, brilliant, and its working.  Tourism is frequently shown as a successful and sustainable way to develop a nation by bringing tourists with expendable cash to an economy.  Typically a nation hopes that the entire economy will improve and services such as education and other social services will follow.  Quetzaltrekkers isn’t waiting for this gradual change and is directly

supporting local organizations already doing great work with children.  We work with organizations who run pre-schools, after-school programs, outreach to street-kids and drug-rehab programs (kids sniffing glue is a problem here in León).  We also just built a school on top of an active volcano for a community of about 50 families who wanted better education for their children.  And, best of all, I selfishly have opportunities to go visit all these projects and work first-hand with the children we support.

The community of volunteers we have has also been welcoming.  I arrived to a community of

volunteers from five nations, all young, vibrant and inspired to work hard.  And work hard we do.  Hiking volcanoes is not leisurely for a guide.  We prepare all the food and equipment for our clients (this means checking lots of tent poles and cutting many vegetables) the night before our hikes and wake up early to lead them.  We trudge up steep inclines carrying 40 lb bags, bake in the sun and try to start fires with wet wood.  And through all this, the volcanoes are amazing.  A client recently asked me if I get tired of leading hikes.  At the time I was standing on top of an active volcano explaining how the chain of five other volcanoes we were looking at were formed.  It’s a breathtaking sight and remarkable to think about every time that I am standing on top of that volcano the tectonic plates are shifting under my feet.  I’m not yet immune to the beauty and natural wonder of what I’m doing.

And it is wonderful.  I’m still in the “high” phase of my initial cultural adjustment (those of you who have experienced culture shock know what I’m talking about).  I am in an amazing place, surrounded by great people doing work that is hard, but fulfilling and worthwhile.  I do miss my girlfriend, my friends and my family.  I do wish I could do this without sacrificing investing time into those relationships.  I also really wish I could find hot wings and a good IPA.  But with Meghan joining me in Nicaragua shortly and by building a community around me (and friends and family from home scheduling trips), I already know that this place will be more than suitable as a temporary home.