Hello all!! Rita and Justin arrived safely in Nicaragua this morning at around 11am, and then we headed to the project site to have orientation with Christina Palazzo. She is our main contact for Manna Project International, the local NGO that we are working with for the duration of the project. Manna is an international nonprofit organization that focuses on wellness, education, leadership development, and economic empowerment in their partnering communities. Orientation started at 2pm, in which we met an assistant of our contractor who helped us acquire our in-country materials named Walter. We had brief introductions and immediately got down to business. Unfortunately, the concrete slab, that we were hoping to have in place so that we could start building the superstructure, had not been laid yet. So Laura, our best Spanish speaker, Justin, our technical advisor, and our scope team spent a great deal of time talking with Walter about where the concrete slab would be located and how we would adjust our design plans to accommodate the surroundings.The septic tank, by the way, looks FANTASTIC! A big shout out and much love to Kerri Shetrone, currently doing an internship, who designed the entire structure with Justin. We miss you Kerri!!
After speaking with Walter, we were able to meet with some of the program directors (PDs) from Manna and walk around the community of Cedro Galan. The PDs and Christina are an amazing group of people. They are really motivated and inspiring in their own right, and also truly love the work that they are doing here in Managua and with the Cedro Galan community. We also got the privilege to meet a local teenager, Diana, who learned English through Manna programming. As a result, she was able to get a scholarship to an international Christian school in Managua and help her family by translating English in the summers. It was so great to hear her story as an example of the positive impact that Manna is having on this community. It makes us that much more excited to have this opportunity to impact Cedro Galan in a way that only students from the University of Texas can.
Walking around the community, in my opinion, was probably the most impactful experience of the day. Meeting families, going into homes, enjoying mamones (a local fruit that is REALLY sour), and just taking in Cedro Galan was a surreal cultural experience. My group went to Laura's and Jesenja's homes, where we chatted and met their families. At Laura's house, we met Laurita, her daughter, who took us in the backyard to try mamones (I think it's the best fruit I've ever had). A few of our team members took some with us, and we ate them after dinner at the hostel. Laurita's mom, Laura, is working with Manna's micro finance program. She has her own store, and is currently venturing into making waffle cones for the ice cream sold at the store right next to the community center. We met Jesenja, who is this animated, engaging, fantastic woman and infamous for being one of the best cooks in the community. She told us stories of other Manna project groups and specifically told me that I could learn Spanish in a week if she was my teacher. I must say, I pretty confident that with her guidance I am well on my way to becoming fluent.
All in all, today was eye-opening and full of learning. When we finally arrived home, tired and hungry, we spent some time discussing how we would accommodate the unexpected. I could write so much more, but then we wouldn't have any stories for when we arrive home.
I hope all is well in the States,
Jade Jackson
After speaking with Walter, we were able to meet with some of the program directors (PDs) from Manna and walk around the community of Cedro Galan. The PDs and Christina are an amazing group of people. They are really motivated and inspiring in their own right, and also truly love the work that they are doing here in Managua and with the Cedro Galan community. We also got the privilege to meet a local teenager, Diana, who learned English through Manna programming. As a result, she was able to get a scholarship to an international Christian school in Managua and help her family by translating English in the summers. It was so great to hear her story as an example of the positive impact that Manna is having on this community. It makes us that much more excited to have this opportunity to impact Cedro Galan in a way that only students from the University of Texas can.
Walking around the community, in my opinion, was probably the most impactful experience of the day. Meeting families, going into homes, enjoying mamones (a local fruit that is REALLY sour), and just taking in Cedro Galan was a surreal cultural experience. My group went to Laura's and Jesenja's homes, where we chatted and met their families. At Laura's house, we met Laurita, her daughter, who took us in the backyard to try mamones (I think it's the best fruit I've ever had). A few of our team members took some with us, and we ate them after dinner at the hostel. Laurita's mom, Laura, is working with Manna's micro finance program. She has her own store, and is currently venturing into making waffle cones for the ice cream sold at the store right next to the community center. We met Jesenja, who is this animated, engaging, fantastic woman and infamous for being one of the best cooks in the community. She told us stories of other Manna project groups and specifically told me that I could learn Spanish in a week if she was my teacher. I must say, I pretty confident that with her guidance I am well on my way to becoming fluent.
All in all, today was eye-opening and full of learning. When we finally arrived home, tired and hungry, we spent some time discussing how we would accommodate the unexpected. I could write so much more, but then we wouldn't have any stories for when we arrive home.
I hope all is well in the States,
Jade Jackson
Justin is the guy standing behind Madeline and Rita is the girl in the blue shirt in the window between Rosie and myself. More pictures to come!!