¡Hola amigas y amigos!

Greetings from the sunny (as opposed to rainy!) cool breeze environment of Managua. I’m sitting in my office with all three windows wide open and enjoying the beautiful greenery in front of me! The last time I wrote it was our Fourth of July and yesterday we celebrated the big liberation day of Nicaragua. The 19th of July in 1979 was the triumph of the people over the dictatorship of Somoza. There were LONG speeches and lots of horn blowing and music. Everybody took a break and enjoyed the day so important to them.

Since I last ‘blogged’ I have had a variety of experiences which included a couple of days of vacation during which I actually saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time since I’ve arrived. I also came to know two representatives of our Spanish benefactors. The folks who generously support us with grants for projects usually come to visit to appreciate what’s being accomplished. This group has a Jesuit base and is called ALBOAN. This word is Basque (northern Spain) and means ‘walking at the side of’. Now that certainly fits! They indeed do walk at the side of sisters and brothers who are growing and developing their own future. I was particularly pleased by the way Fernando explained how spirituality fits into our entire program. That’s what I’ve been working with!!

Javier and Nora were delightful to be with, and last Sunday we made our way to a rural community, Las Parcelas, where we met in the one room school and the folks shared the projects they were pursuing. We had a very good “snack” which was more like a meal and then went to visit the seventeen beehives that several of our young people manage. We stayed at quite a distance!! These bees are African bees and get ‘irritated’ pretty readily!! Next month, we have fifteen folks from France coming to visit us. We’re very international!

One of the more ludicrous things that happened occurred when we picked up some of our folks as we were going to our monthly meeting of our community leaders. You’ll remember that I mentioned the pregnant cow, chicken and seed projects last time I wrote. Well,there’s another aspect to this program and it has to do with pigs.

They’ve worked at improving the breed of pigs and when mama pig has her litter, they are weaned, shared and/or sold to others in the community. The new owners in turn keep the project going when they have a litter. Well, it seems that the last of the eleven pigs, one named Muneco (Doll), of Mama Pig was being taken to our rural community to be shared with a young, single mom. Of course, Muneco traveled with the folks in the bed of the pick-up truck. He had been scrubbed to within an inch of his pink existence and the owner was not about to have him soiled upon arrival so she diapered him, put him squealing and screeching into a sturdy bag and then hoisted him into the truck. I felt bad for the little critter! Here he was being taken from his mother, tied up, embarrassingly diapered and then ‘sacked’! Well he arrived clean and quiet, and then proceeded to lay down refusing to move for most of our meeting. One never is quite sure what each day will bring!

It’s not at all boring and I’m enjoying the novelty of each day. There is no “usual” day! Well, enough for now. Will check in later. Feel free to comment or ask questions when you read the blog. I’ll be sure to answer!

Thanks for your support and interest.

Your sister,

Jeanne