Ann is a very special woman. She has been coming down here every year for 25-30 years to work with the school of social work, she being the Dean of that school at Uof Nebraska. She has also orchestrated the adoption of 18 Nicaraguan special needs kids by people in Omaha, one of whom was adopted by her daughter. There is a large orphanage in Managua where many of the special needs kids end up whether or not they have bio parents available. It is run by a church of some sort.
One way that my hanging around Leon has paid off is that while in Leon last time, I saw a b ulletin that the dance group from UNAN was putting on a performance last Friday night. So, Ann Coyne and I went and it was spectacular. The theater was wonderful ( even air conditioned) and the dancers and the music were totally fantastic. I am trying to think of a way to bring the show, or at least part of it, to my little pueblo. I have emailed with the director of the group and he gave me some things to think about so I am on that trail, too. The dancers and musicians are all students from various majors....there is no dance or theater or music major. These are just young people who love to have fun. The admission cost was 40 cordobas ...less than .50 cents.
Another highlight of my return to Malpaisillo was going to a baseball game at the local estadio. I now live very close to it. I took my counterpart, Adalayda, and it turns out it was her husband's first game since he returned from working 5 years in the US. He had been a super star with a professional team down here, he was a catcher, but injuries ended his career. So, he went to work in the US, without documents of course, for 5 years in construction, and just got back to Malpaisillo about the same time I got here, around last December. Anyhow, he is 48 and still playing on the local team and did OK. I will attach a photo I took of them in the stadium. Well, he is a local hero as the announcer mentioned his name continually during the game and he was a great sport about it. As we were walking back to their house, where I had left my bicycle, she thanked me for inviting her and said she would not have gone if I had not invited her. It was the opening day of the season and the mayor threw out the ball and all the teams from Malpaisillo were there even tho only two of them played that day. They use a lot of our terms but say them with a Spanish accent, e.g. peetcher, owt, streekay, etc. Adalayda did not know they were English words...she was surprised. Baseball is very very big down here. I learned thru my reading that Somosa, who was educated in the US, is the guy responsible for bringing baseball to Nicaragua...I guess he did one good thing !!!!
The schools are still on vaca due to the national holiday on July 19 which is a special day in the Sandinista revolucion of the late 70s. Ortega, the current president who is wanting to be reelected despite the constitution prohibiting his succeeding himself, is paying people to come to Manauga from all the departments ( we call them counties) on the 19th and he is providing buses, food and drink, etc. Of course, Peace Corps has forbidden us from coming to Managua until after the 20th when all the festivities should be over.
I took my dirty clothes to Leon today to a laundromat...first time for that. We have decided that washing clothes by hand is one of the things that contributed to my shoulder problems so an accomodation is to use a laundramat. I think lugging them to Leon was almost as bad as doing the washing...not really.
I am still having delightful bus experiences but nothing noteworthy at this time. Its just such a great opportunity to sit next to and share sweat with all kinds of people, all of whom speak better Spanish than I, and who are all interested in looking at my eyes or hearing me speak.( or petting my hair) So, its a trip.
My gardens were growing when I got back , among some weeds, so I was very happy to see that and have been working in them with a few earnest kids early in the morning before it gets too hot. We'll continue that once school starts too. I'll add a photo of our single tomatoe so far. Its still very green but I am told that as soon as it shows any sign of pink, neighbors will sneak in during the night and snatch it, so I took a photo for posterity and to prove to the kids that it was there if it disappears before they come back to school. Our squash plants are thriving and we have blossoms so there ought to be some pepian soon.
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| Can you believe I am sending you a pic of a tomato from Nicaragua..... |
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| Adalayda and Mario after his first baseball game of the 2011 season |
I just looked at my photos and see that I have one of a painting that is hanging in the Casa de Cultura in Leon of President Reagan sitting atop an indigenous woman who has slit her wrists. I 'll include that, for sure.
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| I think the two little jesters are two of the Somozas. |
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| The grounds of Hotel Convento in Leon. |
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Lobby of the Hotel Convento in Leon.
The last two photos were taken in the Hotel Convento which, of course, is a converted convent. So there is a small catholic church attached and the owner of the hotel also has a foundation that has opened two large art galleries nearby that I am told are very nice. He is the owner of the largest bank in Nicaragua so I am sure he is some awful oppressive capitalist, but...the hotel is nice. :)
Love to all, PaTreesha ( in Spanish, for Ellen)
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