Volume 1, Issue 2 March 21, 2007

Oh, My! Ometepe! 2

A Sign that I’m Part 3 of the Family

Service and Friend- 3 ship

Bringing Coursework 4 to Life Greetings from !

The Atlantic Coast 5 Since we wrote our first newsletter, the time has gone quickly. We have all really begun to feel at home in and with our host families. The students have taken on larger roles at their service sites, the pace of our traveling has picked up, Adventures in 6 and the large number of still-to-be-graded essays that I have in front of me tells me that the course work for the semester is picking up as well. In short, we have been busy.

One of the highlights of the past few weeks has been the arrival of Assistant Trip Leader Dawn Mahi, whose travel experience, excellent Spanish-language skills, and warm personality have been a welcome addition to our group. Another high- Program Participants light has been our opportunity to travel. We have visited, among other places, the Holly Banner island of Ometepe, the northern city of Ocotal, the historic city of León, and the Andrea Barbour Atlantic Coast. We were also thrilled to have visitors. John Dorr; Hannah and Jeffrey R. Dorr Daniel Goodstein Abby Goodstein; Mary and Kaitlyn Stenger; and Lonnie and Mildred Barbour vis- Frances Harty ited the program. Dr. John Fairfield, chair of Xavier’s Department of History, also Kaitlyn Kramer visited us, and even brought along his daughter, Mary Frances. Fran, Kaitlyn, and Krista Kutz Abby, along with the ten ASLS students, all did a terrific job of guiding and inter- Matthew Mellon preting for our visitors! Dr. Irene Hodgson visited as well. As the only visitor who Jaclyn Stenger wasn’t in Nicaragua for the first time, Dr. Hodgson not only helped keep things Amy Wetterau running smoothly, she also got a chance to get reacquainted with the

Assistant Trip Leader who miss her so much. To have so many friends, family members, and colleagues Dawn Mahi visit and share their first experience in Nicaragua was a great joy that we will all, I believe, remember for a long time to come. Faculty Trip Leader Dr. Julia O’Hara --Julia O’Hara, Trip Leader

1

Oh My, Ometepe!

Ometepe is an island in , Sunday we split up. Half of us one of the largest lakes in North America, climbed 1000 meters up Volcan Con- and the home to the only freshwater cepción. We could only go up that sharks in the World. The island has two far, the tree line, because of the gas- volcanoes, Volcan , the dormant ses the was emitting. It was one and Volcan Concepción, the active a five hour hike with at least two one. Ometepe is a two and a half hour hours straight up hill. The other part drive plus a one hour ferry ride away of the group went to the other half of from Managua. We arrived on the island the island to visit a coffee farm called on Saturday morning and met our two Finca Magdeleña. It was rumored fabulous tour guides. We started the trip that the house belonged to the So- with a tour of Moyogalpa, one of the two moza family before the revolution in cities on the island. We visited an inter- 1979. At Finca Magdalena, they esting museum that talked about the his- learned about and looked at petro- tory of the volcanoes as well as the his- glyphs. After that they visited and tory of the indigenous people before the swam in a natural warm-water spring Amy Wetterau celebrates reaching the tree line arrival of the Spanish. After lunch we called Ojo de Agua. According to of Volcán Concepción, on the Island of went and swam at a beach famous for the Kaitlyn, “It was beautiful!” After Ometepe, after a two-hour vertical hike. beautiful view. Here we watched the sun- this busy morning, we ate lunch and set. The last thing we did on Saturday headed home to Managua Sunday after dinner at our hotel was attend a con- afternoon. Ometepe was unforgetta- cert. It was raising awareness for the ar- ble. I am very thankful there were no

cheological heritage of Ometepe. volcanic eruptions while we were Nicaragua Bloopers! there, as that would have caused some trouble. Match the Xavier Students 1. Told his/her family that s/he —By Amy Wetterau & Professors with the mis- prefers omelettes made with haps that follow: ojos (eyes).

Amy Wetterau 2. Face-planted in the mud while Dan Goodstein trying to dislodge the minibus.

Holly Banner 3. Accidentally dyed all of his/ Andrea Barbour her laundry pink. Krista Kutz 4. Missed the bus stop and had Dr. John Fairfield to hike 20 minutes uphill to get Dr. Julia O’Hara home.

5. Told host father “Soy el baño!” (translation: “I am the bathroom,” not “I am in the bathroom.”)

6. Made tons of Nica friends despite knowing only two Andrea Barbour and Frances Harty find their phrases in Spanish. sea legs aboard the ferry to Ometepe island.

(Answers on next page)

2

A Sign that I’m Part of the Family or that, and Doña Marta has consis- “Tia, Tia!” my three year old niece, with her, as I would with my siblings placements are. Amy, who tently told me: ¨Don’t worry this is Alicia, screams upon arriving at my in the . It’s difficult to is living with Doña Elba, your house, and we are here for house most mornings. Because ¨tia¨- have conversations about politics or has three sisters and a you.” In innumerable ways she has my 20 year old sister Raquel- and I social issues, or even just gossip in brother who echo the close shown me this love and hospitality are usually in our room sleeping or Spanish, but it has been the very thing relationships that Amy has and it is difficult to imagine a living getting ready for the day, Raquel that has helped to forge my friendship with her siblings at home. with another family. My Nica family often doesn’t answer. In the past with Raquel. As close as I am to my After having a dead mouse has made me feel right at home; I Alicia would switch to äbuelo¨ or family in the United States, I was thrown at her in jest by would definitely say it’s a perfect ¨mama¨ after not receiving a response fearful of coming to Nicaragua and Doña Nieves, Jackie com- match. And so, as I looked around from Raquel. However, in the past living with a family very different mented that she was glad our Bienvenida (our Welcome Party few weeks a timid ¨Kaylin!¨ has fol- from my own. But living here has her family has the same for our US families who were visit- lowed the unanswered call. Kaylin, humor that she does. So we ing) I couldn’t help but wonder how Alicia’s version of Kaitlyn, has fol- don´t know how they did it, Dr. O’Hara and Dr. Hodgson had lowed as I have become a fixture in but here in Managua, we done it. How had they managed to the family. While I don’t enjoy being are all enjoying the fabu- place each one of us with a family woken up by a screaming three year- lous love and care of each perfectly suited to our personalities? old, I can’t help but to smile at the of our respective ´perfect´ As the last month and a half have sign that I’m part of the family! families! progressed, and we all have become There has never been a doubt in my situated in our families, we have mind that I am a part of Doña —Kaitlyn Kramer Marta’s family, as they have opened noticed how ´perfect´ all of our their doors and their hearts to make me feel at home. I especially love the conversations that I have with my shown me the love and care of Doña sister, Raquel. As we are almost the Marta and her family that is much like These experiences have enabled us to same age, it has been really amazing my family in the United States. I am to talk about anything and everything forever asking if it is okay to do this give a real context to the social justice questions we have been asking in our Service and Friendship academic work this semester.

As the semester passes the midway point, all of The kids at service have been great, they us are getting settled into our worksites. At my never fail to make us laugh. This past month Where Have Our site, Olla de la Soya: Georgino Andrade (a the three of us Xavier students at the Olla Travels Taken Us So child nutrition project), my work has taken on have been bonding with the staff; some of our new responsibilities lately such as preparing new friends include Doña Christina (the direc- Far? craft activities for the kids and occasionally tor of the program), Jessica, and Leo (one of helping out in the kitchen. The day begins the teachers). It has been great to have the when Amy, Kaitlyn, and I arrive at 8 o’clock in experience to get to know such great people Masaya the morning and the kids run out to meet us and to become a part of their lives. Through La Catarina screaming and laughing. We then fix up the these new relationships we have learned much Granada & Las Isletas room that the kids spend the day in and clean about healthcare and education issues that are Ometepe the dust off the patio. The time before lunch is affecting the kids at Olla, which in turn has divided into sections for singing, homework for helped us tie in everything else we have been Ocotal school after lunch, drawing or painting exer- learning in our classes, especially Culture and León cises, and recess. Lunch is the final activity, Service Learning. These unique experiences Pearl Lagoon and because Olla de la Soya means “pot of have enabled us to give a real context to the soy”, the meal normally consists of a soy-based questions of social justice we have been ask- Bluefields food with vegetables, and a fresco, a fresh fruit ing in our academic work this semester. drink of piña or naranja. —Matthew Mellon 3

Bringing Course Work to Life

It has become clear amidst any downtime we may leaders, and learn their interpretation of auton- have why this is an Academic Service Learning omy. In a similar way in our Theology course Semester. The first half of the semester has we read about the concept of Liberation The- proven that amidst daily service, culture trips, and ology as theology from below, and on a regu- speakers the course load of this semester is every lar basis are allowed to visit Christian Base bit as intense as normal. The greatest difference Communities who manifest this theological between this semester and one back at Xavier is outlook. Our Spanish courses, which are more both the blessing and curse that all of our excur- like personal tutors with all the personal atten- sions and work has been intertwined with our tion, are probably our most applicable courses class work. In a sense it has allowed for a profes- with constant opportunities to continue refin- sor’s dream, class seven days a week. At the ing our language skills. There are many more same time it has been a great privilege to have the examples which I could list but I think what It has been a great opportunity to see our lectures and experiences becomes most evident in this semester is that privilege to have brought to life in our daily experiences. In our the academic concepts that sometimes seem History, Culture, and Service Learning classes we abstract are really brought to life on a daily the opportunity to read about how the Atlantic Coast of the country basis in Nicaragua. see our lectures has been struggling not to break from the rest of —Jeff Dorr Nicaragua but to gain autonomy. After these brought to life in our readings we had the opportunity to journey to that daily experiences. part of the country, converse with the community

Academic Service Learning Semester in Nicaragua

Dr. Julia O’Hara [email protected]

For more information on Xavier’s Academic Service Learning Semesters in Nicaragua, Ghana, India and Urban Cincinnati, contact:

Dr. Irene B. Hodgson, Interim Director 513-745-3541 [email protected]

http://www.xu.edu/ service_learning/

4

La Costa Atlántica, or The Atlantic Coast The Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua is such a different Garifuna, and Creole. In addition, many people place from the Pacific side that when we visited for have Afro-Caribbean heritage. The majority of five days people asked us when we were going “back Atlantic Coast inhabitants speak either to Nicaragua.” The reality is that the whole Atlantic indigenous languages or Creole (which Rosa termed Coast is part of an autonomous region located within “bad English!”). The cuisine on the coast consists Nicaragua. We visited the Pearl Lagoon and Blue- of a lot of seafood and a traditional dish called fields, both located in RAAS, the southern half of the “rundown,” which contains coconut milk, potatoes, autonomous region. The region gained the title of plantains, and meat or fish. “autonomous” in 1987 during Daniel Ortega´s first presidency. Since then, autonomy has been defined Luckily for Dr. O´Hara, her birthday fell during the largely as, “the recognition and effective exercise of trip. In true Nicaraguan style we “serenaded” her at the historical rights of the indigenous people and eth- 4:00 in the morning with the song “Feliz Cum- nic community in the context of national unity under pleanos.” It was a good start to the day for every- constitutional principles.” The ongoing struggle of the one. We celebrated that night with birthday cake, coast is to be integrated into the rest of Nicaragua and also had the unique opportunity to watch tradi- without losing its rich indigenous and creole cultures. tional coastal dances as well. The dancers invited us Since Ortega was reelected, the costeños have high up to try to dance with them at the end, and we saw hopes that more of their constitutional rights will be just how much harder the dances were than they granted within the next few years. looked. We struggled to move our hips even half as fast as the trained dancers. Our activities included speaking with Wesly Williams about the history of Pearl Lagoon. He emphasized the To complete our experience on the coast, we fin- current need for the government to reallocate the com- ished the trip with a visit to the Cays. We took an munal lands to indigenous and Creole communities, in hour-long panga ride out to a deserted island in the accordance with the national constitution. Then, Caribbean where we relaxed on the beach, swam, Johnny Hodgson spoke about the history of the Atlan- and snorkeled. Some people saw starfish and others tic Coast and he mentioned the acquisition of the At- saw sea urchins, lobsters, tropical fish, king crabs, lantic Coast by the Nicaraguan army in 1894. This and coral reefs. The boys collected coconuts to eat event was termed the “Reincorporation” by Nicara- and shared them with the group. On the way back, guans and the “Overthrow” by the then sovereign na- we saw dolphins swimming in the distance. We tion of Mosquitia. In another talk, a representative spent the evening riding 9 hours back to Managua, from MARINA (the Ministry of the Environment and which more and more feels like home. Natural Resources) mentioned some of the environ- mental projects that are in effect to protect the rainfor- —Jaclyn Stenger ests in the autonomous region. And a department di- rector at the URACCAN (the University of the Atlan- tic Coast of the Autonomous Region) gave us the his- tory of her institution and education in the area. We also spoke with the leader of a small coastal commu- nity, and with our guide, Rosa Woods, who is a native of the coast. We learned that the ethnicity of the peo- ple there is vastly different from the rest of Nicaragua. The Atlantic Coast’s rich cultural heritage in- Indigenous populations include Miskito, Sumu, Rama, cludes the Miskitu, Sumu, Rama, Garífuna, and other indigenous groups. It also includes a creole population of African and Afro- Caribbean descent, and a sizable mestizo population as well.

5

Adventures in Ocotal

In February we traveled north to Ocotal, a small city located Saturday many of our family members ac- near the Rio Coco, the natural border between Nicaragua companied us to Somoto, a 15 kilometer long and Honduras. After meeting our host families and settling canyon that was discovered just a few years in, we went on a tour of the city with our guides, Francisco ago. We spent the whole day swimming, and Gerardo, and with three students from the University of tubing, and exploring the massive canyon. Ocotal. As our group walked through the cobblestone Friday evening Dr. Hodgson arrived with streets, we spent much of the time learning about Ocotal’s Martín, and we had a gathering with all the rich history and culture. Included in our tour was the old families where we shared a Nica meal of regional headquarters of the National Guard, Ocotal Mar- fried rice mixed with chicken and vegetables ket, a colonial church over 400 years old, and a beautiful and discussed our trip, what we had learned, statue from 1945 dedicated to peace. On Thursday we left and some of our favorite moments. Sunday Ocotal for the mountains and La Finca Monte Libano, a we said our goodbyes to our wonderful fami- coffee plantation 2000 meters up in the mountains. There lies, guides, and new friends, and headed we learned how coffee is grown, harvested, and transported back to Managua. On the way we made a to storage and roasting factories. The process involves in- stop in the city of Esteli to view some of the tense manual labor, and workers are lucky to earn ten dol- amazing revolutionary murals there. lars a day. Although the increase in fair-trade coffee has helped the small farmers, it provides very little benefit to —Dan Goodstein the laborers. Leaving the mountains, we had lunch by the Rio Coco then went to a coffee testing lab cooperative where we learned about the extensive testing, roasting, and taste testing that is involved in the production of quality coffee. After buying some fair-trade locally produced cof- As we walked through the cobblestone fee we visited the Virgen de las Piedras, where the Virgin streets, we spent much of the time Mary is said to have once appeared. People from all over learning about Ocotal’s rich history Nicaragua make pilgrimages here in hopes that her presence will heal sick friends and family members. Friday we vis- and culture [including] the old re- ited an organic co-operative farm, where one of the owners gional headquarters of the National explained how the cooperative formed, the process of grow- Guard, Ocotal Market, a colonial ing organic vegetables, and the difficulties that arise from lack of water. From the farm we headed to a nearby or- church over 400 years old, and a ganic fertilizer (abono) producer, whose product is used by organic farmers throughout Nicaragua. Abono is created by composting a precise mixture of various materials. From carbon ash to coffee shells each of the 18 ingredients plays an important part in the overall makeup of the fertilizer.

(left) Krista Kutz with new friends in Ocotal: Francisco (l) & Gerardo

(right) Dr. John Fairfield, chair of Xavier’s History Depart- ment, visits the city of León with daughter Fran and trip leader Dr. Julia O’Hara. 6