First Impressions

     Changing money at the airport really underlined the economic disparity between Nicaragua and the states, and the route of the bus ride from the airport to the restaurant we ate at for lunch on the first day passed through some very poor areas around Managua. Stray dogs are commonplace, and the livestock we saw from the bus were very thin. The restaurant, however, was awesome, and had a wonderful view and great food.

The place was tucked away from the road and seemed to come out of nowhere. Traveling in this country definitely requires a guide who knows where things are and how to get around, as well as a driver who's used to the Nicarauguan way of driving and the roads here. The hotel, too, was great (and would have also been impossible for me to have found on my own). It was on the lake, and the water was an unreal shade of greenish blue.
     The people here are incredibly humble and kind, and it makes me wish I could give money to everyone who asks for it, but that would be an impossible task due to the sheer amount of impoverished people in Nicaragua. Hopefully through our work with our partners in Vimau in Esteli and in Limay, we can affect some sustainable change, even if it is only bit by bit. I'm excited to get to work, and looking forward to pick up more Spanish as we go along.
   
That's all for now. More to follow.

-William

First Impressions

            Nicaragua’s a poor but beautiful country.  I feel like an outsider, observing the world through the bus window. Even when I’m interacting with Nicaraguans the linguistic and cultural differences form a sheet a glass between us. Nevertheless, everyone is friendly and I can communicate just as well with a smile as with rudimentary Spanish skills. The buildings are crumbling and horses and dogs wander through the countryside and city streets; hand-painted buses blare dance music as they pass; storms can explode in a matter of minutes. The United States seems ridiculously sanitary in comparison.

First Impressions

“If you’d smile at me, i would understand because that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language.” - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

After only being in Nicaragua for five days, I feel like I’ve been here for quite sometime.  It’s interesting to me that I feel strangely connected to this culture in a way that has not yet manifested into a conscious understanding.  It’s almost as though there is a secret here to reveal, or some kind of revelation to be uncovered.  I’m sure there is, and I am sure I will make the discovery in due time.  I am so excited by the interactions that I am having with the Nicaraguan people.  Even though I don't speak Spanish, I have found that a smile goes a long way here and is always returned.  This is a lovely country and I feel very fortunate to be learning about its history and culture from other artists.

Todos los Videos

¡Amigos, por fin llego el momento que hemos arreglado todos los videos de nuestras colaboraciones en un lugar fijo! Aquí los pueden compartir para presentaciones, distribución, exposiciones o por cualquier motivo. Gracias por combinar nuestras habilidades para crear proyectos que nos han hechos amigos inolvidables. ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Hey everybody, the moment is finally here when we've organized all of our video work under one link! Here, you've got access to present, exhibit, and distribute our work for whatever reason. When we come together, our skill sets made these projects a reality and for unforgettable friendships. Happy New Year!

Por favor noten que los sitios previo de "vimeo" ya no funcionan.

Please note that all "vimeo" links prior will no longer work.

http://vimeo.com/channels/artofsolidaritymica

Pan Dulce

Yesterday I made rosquias and Pan Dulce with Isabell and Heydi in San Juan de Limay!
I got to the kitchen and was put to work right away, without a moment to wash my hands... but dont worry I washed them. Something I noticed is missing alot in most if not all places is soap.
So the dough was already made and mixed, it consisted of ground corn (I had seen the whole grains in the morning, and was staying in a house across the street from where they have this loud machine that grinds the grains, which they have no qualms about starting to use it around 5am) quajada (their cheese) and some crisco type oil. We pressed the dough into flat circles ontop of thin plastic circles (to help move the cookie around while shaping it), pinching the edges and then let them sit out, later raw dark sugar is ground up and put on top. Rosquias (sp??) are good, but pretty hard and I really can only eat them with coffee. I tend to eat all of the edges of the cookie and save the sugar covered part for the end.
We then took some of that dough mix and added cinnamon, clove and sweet pepper, egg white and a bit of cream and sugar, and used this mixture to make empenadas. With the original dough pressed out into larger flatter circles, we filled the centers with the mixture and then folded the cookie in half and sealed the edges. I have yet to try the finished product.
I cannot tell you how much dough there was, because after filling over 5 trays, there was still enough dough left over to make a ton of sweet bread (pan dulce) which is one of my favorite things down here. You take the dough and add: Cinnamon, Clove and sweet pepper (a mixture which I think I may need to add to the collection) and then a TON of sugar, as well as a TON of cream. All of this was measured by eye, and mixed by hand in large plastic buckets. I mixed this one up, and was coverd up to my wrist with batter.
I left Limay today with a large bag of sweets!

Enchiladas Nicas

So upon arriving in Nicaragua, I regained my recently lost appitite.(I apologize ahead of time for spelling errors) I got to Esteli Saturday morning and met up with Maria. I had a bit of breakfast in Managua with Wilfredo, then again with Maria after arriving in Esteli.We then proceded, over the course of the day, to eat candy apples, nacatamales, yogurt, ice-cream, enchiladas, yucca chips and a ton of other really great stuff.
We were walking around the park and I was asking Maria what this one food was, its served on what appears to be a tortilla, but a fried tortilla, its got cabbage and tomatoes and cream, and after alot of attempted divination we gave up and walked around to find it. The first lady we found who had it, we had passed hours earlier and it apperared that the food I desired (covered in cheese and all) had been sitting out in the open, to flies, passerbys hands and who knows what else, for a few hours. I was still going to get it, but Maria convinced me not to. We continuted to walk, and I had given up all hope on getting my desired food, which we had figured out were inface enchiladas. Then at the North East corner of the park we came across a woman who was making them to order! WONDERFUL! I´ll have one. She finished making the two she was working on for a couple of girls infront of me, then proceded to lick and slobber on everyone of her fingers and ask me how many I wanted. Without wiping her hands at all, she proceded to spread pureed beans ontop of a hard and fried tortilla, toped with repocheta (a cabbage mixture) tomatoes and a couple of freshly grated cheeses. I pretended not to see her slobber on her hands and enjoyed every last bit of my enchillada, that I topped with a bit of hot sauce. It was delicious.
We also had purchased a candy apple earlier and stood underneath an over hang near by to block ourselves from the rain and enjoy our treat. These came with a couple of choclate M&M like candies on it. While we were standing there, the boy now maning the stand sneezed without covering his mouth or nose.
So is life. Maria actually has gotten very sick recently from something she ate down here. She thinks it was from some Fish tacos she had while in Leon. Everyone in our group gets sick every year. I think it is unavoidable. The way everything is done down here is quite different. We happened to be sharing our stories with our friend Julio last night over dinner (His wife made delicious pasta with oregano, cream and hard grated cheese, Julio put ketchup on his) and he was telling us that he never eats out for fear of falling ill.
I would like to keep from getting sick, but I cannot keep away from all of the greasy delicious street food.
More later on how long things have been and should not have been sitting out! As well as a delicious italian meal I made for Marias Aunt and 2 cousins.

Food!

I recently took a food saftey management course in Maryland state. I arrived in Nicarauga Friday. I want to explore the differences in what is and isn´t ok with food between our two countries, as well as post recipies I learn. Stay tuned...