She died this morning.

When I told the grandmother , her comment was that I ( me) had done everything I could.  She is a very sweet woman.  When she asked her vago son to dig a hole for her outside of their house, he said, Awww, throw her out !!!  ( meaning put her in the garbage)  So, the grandmother got the digging tool and showed me where another dog was buried, and that they would put stones on top to protect her body, and started digging the hole.  I said I'd bring her back in an hour.  She had one other daughter there to help heer.

So sad, but Betty is so right....they just don't know..they don't have the option of  rushing off to the vet when there are signs of illness.  The grandmother told me that Margarita had been "triste" ( sign of a fever) for a couple days and they were getting ready to take her to the vet when I got there.  I feel so bad that I went on that little vaca...but, I know this would have happened later, rather than sooner anyway.  Still, sad.

I learned a lesson about trying to apply my US standards to a developing country...it doesn't translate.

But, the grandmother and I are friends forever and when Helen comes back from visiting her mother in Managua, we will continue our reading classees....can only do what I can do.

This is my last picture of Margarita wrestling with the kitten from her house ( who has moved in here now) before I took her to her house while I left town for 4 days, her last 4 days.

Love, a sad me.

Update on Margarita

Its not good news.  I kept her with me until she had her stitches taken out and there was one little place that was still open so the vet gave me some lotion to put on it with instructions to clean it twice a day.....and another 5 days of antibioticcs.   He said she would be fine returning ot her family if they kept up the cleaning and lotion.

I had planned  a 4 day vaca of sorts so I turned her over to her family ( she really wanted to be with them, she escaped from my house and went there whenever she could)  and when I got back, this morning, I went over to check on her and she was a mess.  Her entire stomach cavity was hard as a rock.  They said she ate and pooped yesterday but clearly she had not today..and she had vomit on the floor of the little place they had her penned in .  I am sure she would have died there if I had not come back. And I told them ( and I know they understood because they told me they were going to take her to the vet) that I would pay if she had any problems while I was gone, and they should not hesitate to take her to the vet.  Clearly, they hesitated !!!

Anyhow, I scooped her up and ran, once again, to the vet and he has hope that with more antibiotics she will beat this infection and be fine.  So, now I have her with me again and will keep her until Jan. 9 when I have another little vaca planned.  What a mess.  But, it was this or let her have puppies and god knows how that would have gone.  She still looks like a puppy herself...how could she have a litter especially with that mangy mongrel I saw her hooked up with ......yuk !!!!!!

What an experience this has been.  

I did spend a little time in Managua and Leon ( while Margarita was suffering, had I known!!!) but boy now I sure feel guilty about being gone !!!! But, it was nice to get away and I had the best night's sleep since I've been here last night in a hostal in Leon. 

I met some nice folks in the hotel in Managua and more in the hostal in Leon so that was nice.  I went to a Mirimba music show at the municipal theater in Leon last night and itt was interesting.  I sat with  a bunch of young people who were staying at the hostal, three from Suisse, one from US, one German and one from Spain.  When one part of the show came on, I leaned over and commented to the one from the US that Monty Python would have a field day with this.'  I was thinking "Life of Brian."

Here is the scene....two rows of mirimbas, one on risers behind the other, with about 6 mirimbas in each row and two girls or boys ( dressed in christmasie colors)  on each mirimba.  Mary and Joseph enter downstage carrying a baby who was literally glowing white and they moved around the stage to Latin Christmas music ( I think it was Feliz Navidad)  with a little sort of salsa step all the while staring down into this doll''s face. Joseph had his staff but it had a small green wreath hanging off of it and it was wrapped with green and red ribbon like a candy cane.  So, the three of them settled in the middle of the stage, in front of the mirimbas and on came a wise man carrying one of the gifts again coming on with a salsa step to the continuing latin christmas music, and this continued for three wise men and several other helpers of some sort.  Anyway, they all gathered around mary and joseph with a tiny girl standing behind them with angel wings and a litte wand with a glittery star on the end, and then all exited again, including the angel,  using that salsa step.  Very cute.

They did have a kid who looked like he was 7 or 8 who sang and had a very mature, beautiful voice.  And they had a guitar player/singer who a lot of the young people seemed to know and love, so all in all it was a big success. 

So, life goes on down here.  I'm back in my site until Jan. 9 when I hope to leave again for about 4 days and then school starts again at the end of January.  The kids don't start until the middle of February...don't know why.  Might find out more later.

One more thing, I got another little boy who cannot read in Spanish.  He seems darling, lots of energy, but I'm playing card games with him and letting him use the scissors and he is just thrilled.  Basically everything they do in school is with pencil and paper or getting to go to the board to put something up there with chalk.  But educational games...never !!!

Love,

This is my favorite tree....it covers half the mercado which is on the other side of those stores and then reaches over to this street to provide all that shade.  Its a "seba" but I can't find it on google.  Its a good ole gal !!!! You can see the brown leaves, this is dry season and they are getting ready to drop which means they'll burn them in the street and streets will be filled with smoke.

Music was blasting from these speakers mounted atop this tricycle carrying Mary thru town.  One of the helpers from the church was selling "rifa" ( raffle) tickets.  I guess just a fund raiser. I'd like to get them started with bingo.

This was a last day activity I got the kids to try.  They are a lovely bunch, very snall class ( 14) 5th graders and all very polite and good learners. The kid with the big smile is Carlos.  One day, after his teacher gave a presentation about something like civics or science, he had been listening intently ( they don't have any text books) and when she finished he said, " Gracias professora."

Pat

Margarita had a bowel movement !!!!!

Hope that gets your attention....you won't believe the last week or so but the last best news I have to report is the Title of this blog....Margarita had a bowel movement !!!!
So, here's the story.   I have blogged about the dear little dog that comes to my porch to eat good food and drink clean water.  Well, she came into heat and I had the unfortunate experience of seeing her being impregnated.  It was just awful....she was flipped over onto her back with her feet pointing toward the male dogs head...I have no idea how they got together but, believe me, they were together.

So, I immediately went to her family ( Helen is in her family so I know the grandmother who runs things) and asked if I could pay to have her spayed.  They were very willing to let me do so.

So, on Saturday after Thanksgiving, Helen and I took her into our local veterinario  at 4 pm and he told us to come back in two hours for her.  Well, two hours later, he said he needed another .5 hour and then he said he needed another two hours.  So, I was in a panic and asked his wife what was going on and she said either he nicked a vein or something like that, but there was a huge blood loss and she did not clot so they worked on her longer.    When I finally got in, she was still heavily under sedation and sort of quivering so I said I would not take her until she was more responsive.  It was about 8 pm before I actually left with her.

  He did the surgery on the same table where he sells chicken food, baby chicks, dog food , and anything else he does there.  His tools were in a stainless steel tray and all he did was pour that brown liquid over them.....I was really starting to panic.

Anyhow, I kept her with me that night and she did pretty well and was a lot more responsive by morning.  The next day I took her back to Helen's and they had a place fixed up for her in what used ot be a shower stall (cement floor) which was good because the rest of the house is dirt floors and that would be troublesome with an incision to keep clean.  The vet sent us home telling us ot feed her hidago de pollo ( which is Spanish for chicken organs so you know I love cooking that stuff up).  Fortunately Margarita loves Hidago and its helping to restore the blood she lost.  It might well be the most protein she's ever had... I think they fed her tortillias and rice.

Anyhow, things were going pretty well, she was eating, I was taking her in for daily antibiotic injections, when Helen's sister ( a very dumb one) picked Margarita up by her front legs and her stitches popped and part of her intesting popped out.   I am so glad I was there as who knows what they would have done.  I cradled her in my arms and ran, literally into the street, yelling "emergencia" and luckily a tricicle ( our form of transportation) came and rushed us to the verterinario who luckily was there.  He opened her up again, right there in the retail part of his store, put the intestines back in, and sewed her up again, while of course making a few other retail sales while Margarita was passed out on the table. I stood next to her waving the flies off of her while she waited.

So, I brought her home with me and she has been here  since and I plan to keep her until she is out of all danger.  She had not urinated for at least a week ( as far as I knew) but she finally did that on Saturday.  And today, I am sure as a result of Helen's grandmother's prayers, she moved her bowels.  She had shown a good appetite and was drinking and peeing, but I was so worried that she would not be able to move her bowels since they had been outside her body.  But....she pulled thru.

Now, I am feeding her the hidago de pollo and changing her dressing several times a day.  I used the ace bandage from my Peace Corps med kit and the gauze pads to cover the incision and to keep her from licking it.  They don't have those plastic collars and I tried to make one out of a plastic bottle but it does not have the flare and I am afraid she would suffocate.  I put it on her when I am changing the dressing but only for a couple minutes when I can keep an eye on her.     The incision seems to be seeping a lot but I'll watch it for another day or two before I panic about that.   She is supposed to get her stitches out next Thursday so we'll see....

This has been so different from any spay or neuter experience in my long life.  I had no idea it could be so complicated.  You know how we just take our animals in and they get returned to us all cleaned up and done.  Well, its sure different down here.  When I got Margarita back after that first surgery her whole hind quarters had been soaked in blood and her fur was soaked.  Helen's grandmother did give her a little bath before the intestine trauma so at least she is relatively clean.

 I guess I should have asked more questions but I didn't, of course.  But, its all turning out OK.

I have these two kittens who need spayed but I am taking them into Leon for their surgeries.  A friend had her two cats done at a vet there and its a lot more like what we are used to.  At least they keep them overnight for one night and they have a stainless steel table.  I also don't think they need antibiotics for the next whole week to offset the unsanitary conditions of the surgery "suite."

My only other news is that I had Thanksgiving dinner at the home of the Charge D'affairs of the US Embassy here.  We don't have an ambassador...apparently the one Obama appointed was not approved by the Senate...something to do with his history related to Cuba...don't know details.   I have heard that he has apppointed a woman who now will go thru the approval process.  The Charge's home was "lovely" amidst all this poverty.... I just could not do that.....but somebody's got to I guess.

This is Margarita relaxing while she heals.  That ace bandage has slipped a little...its usually a little higher on her body but you get the idea.

Is that a face that could live in the US or what ??????

 I spent some time with his wife while the youngsters enjoyed the pool.  Turns out their daughter is working backstage  ( like a stage manager but she had another name for it) at the National Shakespeare Theater in DC so I told her about my brother's stint at the Folger Theater in DC and one thing led to the next and before you know it, I discovered that the Charge's wife, and her daughter, are HUGE Deep Space Nine fans and were thrilled to be making my acquaintance !!! Small world when you are related to a Klingon !!!!

So, other than bowel movements and hidago de pollo, my life is pretty normal.

I'm going to Costa Rica later this month to visit the family I stayed with about 7 years ago.  I'm taking a picture of Tico with me since that is where he came from.

The Charge D'Affairs is the fellow in the orange shirt.  There were about 18 volunteers there for dinner....he has a large kitchen staff.  They all probably live in homes with dirt floors and share with  2 or 3 generations. 

This is the young lady, Nereyda, who did the Nicaraguan Sign Language video for me.  She has gotten her degree in Environmental Science but she has lots of interests.  She wants to learn English well enough to work in a call center.
Her family is from one of the northern parts of Nicaragua and she is goingthere later this month to help "cut" coffee for them.  She says to do it well is quite a skill and they need her help. 

Love to all,
Pat

 

Update

Its sunday morning here and the weather has become noticeably cooler.  I just spent two days in Managua doing the mid service physical exam.   They do a pretty complete job of checking us out, especially those of us over "50."  It took a couple days and involved 4 sweaty bus rides but they put me up in a hotel wiht a/c, wifi and hot water.   HEAVEN !!!

 I have met a young woman who has graduated from college here with a degree in Environment Science but has discovered she's interested in working with people who are deaf.  She lives in Managua with her aunt but her parents live in Nueva Segovia ( mountain and coffee country) where she will return in December to help them "cut" coffee.  She also is learning English and wants opportunities to practice it.  So, we have worked out a deal; she has agreed to make a video tape with me of certain simple phrases in Nicaraguan sign language, e.g., My name is....what is your name, etc.  that I can use in the schools to teach the kids those phrases, and I'll talk English with her for a couple hours everytime I am in Managua.  Her goal is to learn English well enough to be able to work in a call center....imagine !!
She is really beautiful...looks more mid eastern than Spanish. I'll try to get a photo.

This was the first time I left Doris and Javier over night but all went well.  My neighbor, May, had my key and came in a couple times a day to feed them.  I left the back door open ( but the gate with the bars etc. was padlocked) so they could come and go and poop outside.  Its seems to have worked out very well.

My best current bus story involves a handsome older Spanish man who sat down next to me on the bus one hot day.  He had a big bucket with him, the kind that comes from Home Depot with 5 gallons of paint or something like that in it.  Anyhow, we smiled at each other a little, buenas dias, etc. and then he showed me a brochure he was carrying.  Turns out he was selling things made of fish: sticks, fillets, etc.  Well, by the time we got to Malpaisillo ( and he was going another 2 hours to San Isidro) it was real clear what he had in that bucket.  I guess he carries his wares around and sells them out of that bucket.

My classes continue with Helen and she is quickly becoming a reader.  Since I am teaching her to read in Spanish, I have my issues with pronunciation and whether the nouns are feminino or masculino.  She has corrected me a couple times...cute.  And she has a primo ( cousin) who wants to come to my classes too.  Actually, I think he just wants the cookies...but, if that's what it takes...that's what it takes.  I am sure Helen was hungry the other day when she showed up at 8 am asking if it was time for class, which we usually have after lunch.  So, she had her milk and oatmeal cookies while we did a little reading.

I made a BINGO game with the numbers from 1 to 100 and the letters: G,H,J,Q and U ( since those are the letters the kids have trouble pronouncing so this gives them lots of chances to hear and pronounce them). We use frijole beans to mark the homemade cards, etc.  Anyhow, they seem to have all heard of BINGO and they were thrilled to get the chance to play.  It was a big success and I am talking with one of the teachers at the Catholic school about doing BINGO for the town as a fundraiser.  There is a casino in Leon where they play BINGO but there does not seem to be any in the communities.  We are pondering that now.   And these people are good ponderers.....I'll be lucky if they are done pondering before I leave in a year.  I think it would be a lot of fun to do but they have to be the ones who want to go forward and I will just facilitate.

For Thanksgiving the Embassy families traditionally invite the PC vols to their houses for a traditional dinner.  I accepted the offer and I, along with three other vols. have been assigned to the home of the Charge d'Affairs, Robert Downes.   He is second in command down here and has been the front man for a while since the Ambassador retired  and the new Ambassador either has not been appointed, approved or sent.  I don't really know the status of that.  But, Mr. Downes was quoted in the paper the other day as saying the US relationship with Nicaragua will continue, despite some "lack of transparency" around the recent election.

I read Huff Post several times a day and am enjoying following the Herman Cain "performance art" as Rachel Maddow describes it and the Occupy news.   I have one more year here with Peace Corps then I am coming to the US and hope to occupy something somewhere.  I am so proud that we are finally showing some "civil disobedience."    We should have done this long before it got this bad.

I'll tag on a couple photos.

Peace Out,  ( remember that?)
Pat

Celebratory parade in Malpaisillo after the election of Ortega

same

Notice the Red and Black flag...that is the flag of the Sandinista party, Daniel Ortega's, and the same party ( altho changed a lot) that over threw Somosa in the late 70s. 

Nov. 2 is the Dia del Muertos.  They celebrate it more reverently down here ( unlike Mexico) ; the folks take lots of flowers and some take beer and food and spend the day in the cemetaries with their dear departeds.  I'm always very selfconscious taking pictures of times like this so they are not the best.

Just Photos

 This is a hand crafted custom made chandelier of Belgian crystal hanging in the French panaderia ( bakery) in Leon where I get the best whole wheat ( multicereal) bread, wonderful coffee and use their pristine bathrooms.  It was made for the owner of the property, a very rich Nico, who  leases the property to the Dutch couple who runs the bakery.  We have diversity.

I mentioned this circus in a previous post.  Next year I hope to take some photos inside but I'll need a flash camera which I don't have at present.  Its is such a throwback and the people just loved it !!!!  El Principe s means "The Prince."

This is a covert shot of a kid dressed for work somewhere as a clown.  I think he was on his way to Leon where they ride the local buses in pairs and make jokes, shouting back and forth to each other from one end of the bus to the other, and then go person to person asking for donations.  As always, the people love it and seem to support it generously.  The kids on this minibus were scared to death of him being so close.  He was a cute kid.

Just a little news

Doris and Javier enjoying my bed and pillow.  How do they know ? Javier has the world's longest limbs.

I am attaching  at the end a photo that shows the sign I mentioned in my last blog.....I just think that is so darn funny.

I am also attaching a photo of Helen, Margarita's owner.  She is 8 and has been used by the family as a babysitter, ergo she'smissed more school than not.  Both her mother and her old sister both have infants for whom she is used as a babysitter.  She cannot read at all but does know some of the sounds so at least we had something to work with.  She comes over almost every day to do some reading work and I send her home with a packet of nutritious cookies...which she just loves. She does not know the alphabet, nor the days of the week.  such basics..but it has been so rewarding watching her progress in just a few weeks.  Her smile is huge.

I am teaching her to read in Spanish which is so much easier than teaching a kid to read in English....Spanish is so much more predictable...tho there are a some irregularities, but not many.

The Peace Corps has issued a "stand fast" which means we volunteers are not permitted to leave our communities for the next two weeks, unless given prior permission from the country director.  The national election is next sunday and they are expecting a whole lot of agitation in the next week and then afterwards, regardless of the outcome.  But, it is a pretty sure thing that Ortega will be declared the winner....sort of like Bush but they won't go thru a Supreme Court charade....they'll just declare it.

There have been a few skirmishes in some of the more northern departments ( counties) and there was even a photo in the paper of the police going door to door in one little burg with their guns drawn looking for a couple of agitators who ran off.  They found them and they looked like little old men so the town got very angry about the police presence and actions.

Actually, many countries have withdrawn their NGOs and financial support due to the illegality of the elections in 2008 so there are some real problems.  In fact, Holland is closing its embassy and terminating its fianacial support to the country.  There are lots of vehicles and buildings here with inscriptions indicating that they were gifts of Hollandia....so that is really going to be felt by the poor folks here...the rich ones won't even notice but the poor folks are the ones who always suffer first and hardest.

Well, the town just went black.....its about 8:30 so now I am on battery.  Glad I have a head lamp to read by but it attracts the tiny little bugs that can get in thru my mosquito net.   Darn,  I am discovering the lighted computer screen does too..so, good bye.

This is Helen sitting at our table.  She is a dear thing. 

A photo of the "Garage sale" sign that made me laugh.

More later,
Pat



I'll blog if anything else happens

Some explaining...but worth it...I think

OK, this will take some explaining but I think it will be worth it.

In Leon, the houses are built in the european style  with the door flush with the sidewalk but when you get  inside you see an interior courtyard, sometimes with a lower and upper level, sometimes very charming with palm trees, hammocks, banana trees, etc.

Anyhow, on the street all you see is a flat door and its usually pretty dull.  Sometimes, a few feet past  the entry door is a wider door which is where they drive their car in, over the sidewalk and into a part of the house that is used like a "garage." ( garaje in spanish)

The point I am trying to make, is that from the sidewalk, all you see is an entry door and then a few feet away, another wide door for the car to enter.   Often, I have seen a sign posted on the wider door  NO ESTACIONMENTE...meaning   NO PARKING.  Obviously this is done so one parks in front o the door and the homeowners can get their car in and out.

Well, today, I was walking along a sidewalk past an entry door and then I came to the wider door and spotted the sign posted  " GARAGE SALE"  Someone had added in marker " carro" which means car) I Think think think to myself, why does that sign seem so weird ?

Finally, I got it.  There is nothing for "sale."  Sale is the Spanish word for "leave".  So I figure someone saw this sign somewhere and figured it meant, " this is a garaje and the car might need to "sale" -leave !!!  Isn't that the cutest ?