Coming to a close

Today was my last day of work at Proyecto Generando Vida in Barrio El Recreo. In five days, I will be well on my way back home. I have not had much time to stop and reflect. For weeks now, I have been saying goodbye to bank women and casual acquaintances, but today was the first time that the reality of it all set in. I worked my butt off (“me puse a las pilas”) until 3pm, leaving two hours at the end of the day to say goodbye to the Project, the Bank program, El Recreo, and my coworkers. After finishing at 3pm, I sat in the garden under some trees blowing in the wind, and contemplated my conclusion of two years working at this community center. I felt happy and proud for the work that I’ve accomplished, the struggles I’ve overcome, and the relationships I’ve built. At the same time, I felt like the Project had become a part of me, and I would feel a sense of loss to leave it behind.

Anyway, I took a few deep breaths in the garden, and made my way through the Casa de la Mujer (the house in which I worked), saying goodbye to the office, the beautiful mural, and the room that twelve times a week is filled with 30 loving and hard-working women. I walked across the street to the Project itself, where I knew some sort of going away party awaited me. I entered the open-air auditorium, filled by my coworkers and favorite bank women, and was admittedly emotionally overwhelmed with the knowledge that “this is it, I actually have to say goodbye”. The party was better than I could have ever imagined. There were icebreakers, prayers and poems, games, dancing, kind words, gifts, crying, laughing, songs, hugs, and food. The best part was joking around with the bank women one last time and finding any excuse to dance (particularly solo while playing pin the tail on the donkey). I was showered with gifts; cologne, shirts, food, underwear, and soap, among others. They’re very practical and in to hygiene here. All in all it was a wonderful way to say goodbye to the place and the people that have defined two years of my life. I went home with tears in my eyes but a smile on my face!

My last few days in Nicaragua will hold; a well known and respected annual raging party at our house, goodbyes to neighborhood friends, a dinner out with a few close coworkers, and some time with my community (which is currently 10 with the arrival of four new Jesuit Volunteers). I hope to have more time to reflect and to recap what my time as a JV has meant to me. I suppose blog entries are a good way to do that. From what I’ve heard, the most important questions one can ask while transitioning out of a host culture and into a home culture are twofold: What will I take with me, and what will I leave behind? My responses to these questions are extensive, and they will no doubt develop over time. But for now I hope to take with me (or to never forget): the love and support of community, the inspiration of people working to improve the lives of their neighbors (as seen in the Project), the hospitality to strangers and friends alike, the spirit of revolution and resistance to oppression, the music (on CD), the music (on my guitar), the mind-opening experience of seeing the world through the eyes of another culture, memories and phone numbers of my friends, and pictures. I hope to leave behind the turmoil of culture shock, stress, dengue, and the smell of burning trash.

As I begin my transition back into the United States, I hope to rest, see friends and family, share pictures and stories from my time here, and find a job. I’m just now starting to catch my breath as I finish the marathon of work at the Project. I have a lot of thinking, writing, catching up, and sharing of my experience ahead of me.
Specifically, I plan to share about my time in Nicaragua in the form of a presentation/potluck sometime in January in Seattle. If you will be in the Seattle area at any point in January and might be interested in coming, please email me at michael.marchesini@gmail.com with a message as short as “I’m interested”. That way I can email those interested with information on time and place.

Thanks for reading and accompanying me in my Jesuit Volunteer experience in Nicaragua. Enjoy a few pictures from my going away party below.


Silvio (my coworker and supervisor) giving some opening words at the going away party


Bank women in a folkloric dance competition


Silvio cracking up


My response to bank women and coworkers chanting "dance! dance! dance!" while trying to pin the tail on the donkey


Singing a song called "Amigo"


The bank team! Silvia (the newest member) reading a poem