sea-2-see: Act 24 | Nicaragua

Managua

I was fortunate enough to have Dr Alejandra Narvaez at the airport to collect me on arrival because her organisation (VOSH) had arranged for me to deliver some lectures at an optometry seminar at the local university - she insisted on feeding me before dropping me at my hostel (I didn't resist).

One of the few upsides to not being able to speak Spanish in a Spanish speaking country is that every so often you get assigned a charming and talented interpreter – such as Dr Alejandra’s daughter Danessa.

Both mother & daughter were gracious enough to spend one of their few days off showing me two of the local sites: Volcano Masaya & Catarina (Lago Apoyo).

The morning after arriving I had the good fortune to take breakfast at the same time as Jamie and Julie in the hostel.

They are both working with a local NGO that is seeking to better the lives of the kids who work on the streets of their local area, I was midway through describing a similar place I has seen earlier in my travels, when Julie interrupted and guessed that I was talking about Jamnesia in Jamaica, it turns out they had stayed there for several months last year - and so we became friends for life.

The girls introduced me to the rest of the crew, all of whom live at the hostel and work in the attached café & juice bar which raise funds for the youth program (which I got to see in action).

San Juan del Sur

I had a week before the optometry seminar began, which I spent in the south of Nicaragua, beginning with San Juan del Sur, a popular beach location for travellers with limited funds.

The setting sun at San Jaun never ever failed to impress.

I got a bit stuck in San Juan (meaning I stayed a few extra days) on account of the number new-found friends and interesting conversations I kept discovering around the place.

These two guys from Israel were particularly good conversation partners (and they knew where to find the best food in town at the best price).

Turns out the local boys needed someone large like me to toss them over the local waves (they were at their most entertaining when pulling Michael Jackson dance moves on the sand).

What are the chances of four people sitting down to dinner together and finding out that they are from four different families all of which have four children .?.?. (We doubled up on the third child and lacked a second eldest.)

The fourth member of the dinner party is pictured below - surfing - as the three girls spent the following day in lessons.

That was the same day I reconnected with the abovementioned Managua crew, who just happened to be in town for a long overdue team retreat.

A few of us rode bikes along the bumpy muddy road to reach the surf beach where the lessons and the rest of the team were.

We timed the bike ride home perfectly, arriving at the main beach to see the sun fizzle into the ocean below.

I developed the healthy habit of walking the length of the local beach each morning at San Juan ...

... so as to sit at the feet of Jesus (who stood a top the headlands) where it was easy to meditate and pray.

Ometepe

Ometepe is an island in the middle of a large lake (the only one in the world with fresh water sharks) that was formed by a couple of volcanoes.

Ometepe can also turn on a sunset.

The bright colours of the hostel that me and my friends-for-the-day (Matt and Shelbi) stayed in seemed to attract the local crazies.

Our marathon game of cards was briefly interrupted by a deer that wandered by the table .?.!.?.

The next morning, almost after the overnight rain had stopped, we scaled Volcano Concepcion (the larger of the two volcanoes) to where the vegetation stops and the vultures soar.

I spent the remainder of that day making my way to the Totoco Eco-Lodge on the other side of the Island- where I reconnected with my ecological & vegetarian tendencies in place that was just like heaven.

The journey to Totoco ended in darkness, ascending an unlit rocky path for more than a kilometre in the pouring rain while wrapped in plastic and with all my belongings strapped to my person.

The dorm room, which I had all to myself for two nights, was well worth the uphill struggle.

This was the view I had from the top bunk in the middle of the night, and then again upon waking.

I needed to spend the day that I was at Totoco prepping lessons for the upcoming seminar, so I set up some ‘office space’ in the restaurant and did my best to concentrate on the little screen in front of me rather than the big volcano above it.

Granada

I paused in Granada (another colonial town) on my way back to Managua, where I enjoyed the company of a large crew of fun loving Southern bound travelers for a night.

Most people travel South through Central America; as one travelling in a Northern direction I found myself swimming against a constant stream of travellers, needing to say farewell to too many interesting people after a single night of contact – which is never enough.

The following morning I was all on my lonesome again; You definitely take more photos when you're on your own, especially when the city is pretty.

My favourite shirt (acquired at a second hand store in Guatemala) had sustained a nasty stain which the local laundry service had made worse; it required some loving scrubbing (which successfully removed stain and the design surrounding it).

Lesson learnt: Don’t remove stains in dim lighting (regardless of how cool and atmospheric the scene you're in may seem).

Managua (again)

I delivered two days of lectures to the optometry students from all four years at UNICIT (the only university that that trains optometrists in Nicaragua).

It was the first time that I have taught through a translator, which is certainly not without its' difficulties.

Leon

I was joined in Nicaragua by Dr Nelson Rivera (who delivered the last day of lectures at the seminar in Managua) the ICEE representative who has co-ordinated most of my volunteering efforts this year.

We had opportunity to visit Leon (another colonial town) with an ex-local, Dr Narvaez, on our way to Chinandega.

Chinandega

Nelson and I were headed to Chinandega to join a team of eye specialists (& some others who will soon be described) from the States who were in the area to provide five days of eye care for the local townsfolk.

The team included plenty of Christians (of all flavours), Muslims, a Jew or two, a Unitarian, and an out-and-out atheist (who was definitely one of my better conversation partners and friends), as well as a handful of undecided folk …

We were welcomed with a welcomed ceremony held in one of the poorest neighbourhoods of the town.

Most of our work was conducted in church buildings, one was overly bright, the rest were rather dark (and noisy when the rain was falling hard on the iron roof).

Nelson and I were responsible for the students in Team A, which included all the boy students and all the Asians; Nelson’s schedule only allow him to stay a couple of days after which, the team was all mine.

My Spanish was really no better than the week before; as such, I was assigned another sparkly translator, Petra from Canada.

I found I got more respect from the students if I carried a clip board and furrowed my brow (mostly because it concealed the fact that I wasn’t doing much most of the time).

It was enormously satisfying to see the students grow in confidence and clinic skills over the course of the week - they really made me proud - they're a great bunch.

Team A: (Back row, left to right) Jaison, Luca (aka, Me), Donald, Mark; (Middle row, left to right) Christine, Jessica, Nancy, Deanna, Salli, Petra, Doug, local interpreter; (Front row, left to right) Sadia, Vera, Karen; (Hiding behind the camera) Renee (mother of Deanna).

I was a little uncomfortable being referred to as Dr Luke - the students' insisted on the title as they believed it to be disrespectful to call me Luke or Lucas (as I repeatedly requested) - which just goes to show how much a victim to the tall poppy syndrome I am as a result of living all my life in Australia and New Zealand.

We were helped enormously by a number of church members (and a parent) who assisted us in the less technical aspects of our service.

The evenings were full of fun: riding on the back of trucks & motor bikes, eating out, and interacting with a big bunch of interesting and lively people (which led to many a late night conversation over a night cap) was super enjoyable.

Nicole (third from the left) had the best birthday of her life.

Mark, the nearest smile to my smile in the photo above, who was making his second trip to Chinandega this year so as to spend time with his dad who was also present, became a good friend in next to no time at all.

Below is Suzy - mastermind of the mission - who somehow remained totally likable while simultaneously keeping the forty of us totally organised.

A night (or two) 'at home' playing murder winks (aka marfia wars) reminded me just how good I am at being evil and lying to people who trust me.

Because Suzy is a member of a church she was also able to organise a small number of church members with building skills (or just a willingness to help out) to join the expedition so as to aid in the construction of a few houses over the week that we were in town.

Her church has been fostering a relationship with Santa Patricia - a refugee camp established in aftermath of Hurricane Mitch some ten years ago - for many years, members of the church pay for the uniforms necessary for the children to attend the public schools and also provide the funds necessary to build a concrete brick house for their chosen family (thereby replacing a tin shack).

I chose to spend our rest day helping out on a couple of the building sites, I was glad to be mostly useless on the sites as a local mason and labourers had been hired to do the real work.

I did manage to dirty up my soft professional hands just a little – even got me a blister .!.!.

This little guy attached himself to me early on and so became my apprentice for the day – which meant that when I saw him making the same mistakes I was making just five minutes before, I would give him that same advice that I was given (five minutes earlier).

Josh, the clergyman in the touring party, set up a gym for the local boys on one of the worksites.

Josh was less proud and more willing to get dirty on the dusty streets while playing with the local kids.

Mark's dad inherited a class of truants who preferred to be taught how to work with wood than how to read and write.

The students were given the opportunity to visit Saint Patricia on one of the slower afternoons.

This yielded the opportunity to witness first hand the basic living conditions of those we were serving with our professional skills in the clinics - it was a moving experience for all who took the time to visit the camp.

There was a farewell ceremony, complete with cultural performances and a procession to each of the houses built in the area (the local priest blessed each new home).

This was also our last chance to say goodbye to the people of Saint Patricia.

I really felt like I was living my ideal life that week: working side by side with wonderful people doing humanitarian work (in a teaching role) in the daytime, and talking through the issues that trying to help people (with or without the assistance of a loving & gracious God) raises with the same good folk in the evenings.

Managua (again & again)

I had grown far too attached to everyone to choose against travelling back to Managua with them so as to have two more days in their excellent company. (It must be noted that their interest in me was certainly feeding my narcissist tendencies.)

Our last day of activity included zip-lining down the side of a volcano.

Granada (again)

I chalked up a few extra hours in Granada - this time with friends.

Their were lots of last meals together.

At the point at which the goodbyes couldn't be put off any longer I found myself at the airport.

It was easily one of the best weeks of my life, I felt like all my previous life had been preparing me for the role I found myself in; In other words, I was able to the knowledge I have accumulated through my two degrees, and the skills I have developed in the professional world of optometry and in the church as a volunteer leader, as the young "doctor" with the sexy Australian accent (their words not mine).

A week of constant stimulation left me a lot exhausted, a little bit fragile, and overwhelmingly aware of the goodness of God, who keeps gifting to me wonderful experience after wonderful experience. (It was a bit hard to explain all that had happened and all that I was feeling to my parents on my over-sized skype phone.)

Having just experienced that total collapse of my social world again, and finding myself in the emotional wringer, it was good to be able to return to one of my homes away from home (wherever that is?) after saying goodbye to the team - the Managua backpackers inn ...