Los cambios

I see change as an opportunity to break with the old way of doing things and discover something better. Currently my life is defined by change, and I am optimistic. For 10 months as a teacher and tutor at Proyecto Generando Vida in Barrio El Recreo I have struggled daily to be a quality educator and role model and to inspire and love my students. Considering the circumstances of your average classroom in this neighborhood, I think I’ve done a fairly good job. But the struggle has been overwhelming. Ten hour work days packed with stress and gut-wrenching emotions, with little spare time to process, reflect, and rest has caused me to run a physical and emotional deficit. This deficit eventually came to a head in the form of crisis (I’m in solidarity with the U.S. economy), and I missed the better part of a week of work due to various illnesses. As a result, my director and I decided that, for my own health, I ought to take a little time off from teaching. I decided to take it a step further and consider a career change within the Project.

As of now I am a sort of intern in the microlending banks at Proyecto Generando Vida. I view the microlending banks as a much less stressful option than teaching (I would deal with rational adult women), very meaningful (empowering women), and enjoyable (there is a lot of dealing with numbers and visiting women in their homes, both of which I love to do). For the next few weeks I will be working half time, learning about the banks while leaving time for much needed rest and reflection. If all goes well, my hope is to insert myself into the bank team full time in November and continue in that role for my final year in JVI.

There are roughly 170 women of El Recreo involved in the banks, and they are divided into groups of about 25. Each group of 25 or so is called a bank. So there are 7 ‘banks’. The women are obviously poor, and the loans are quite small. The idea is to give women loans that they can invest in a small business and make enough money to pay back the loan and make some extra income for basic needs and maybe even for savings. The small businesses are generally tortilla selling on the street and small ‘ventas’ that sell junk food and juice. The banks do not lift the women out of poverty or give them enough extra income to build a house, but the loans do help the women keep their small businesses afloat and provide them with enough income to keep their children clothed and fed. The banks are called “bancos de confianza”, or banks of trust. Solidarity is encouraged among the women. If one woman in a bank cannot pay back her loan, the burden lies on the rest of the women to help her pay it. The sense of friendship and community that is built among the women is pretty impressive.

I just completed my first week in the banks, and I love it. The women gave me an unexpectedly warm welcome, and I work closely with a team of 3 coworkers who are wise, loving, and funny. The job is diverse- in the same day I can be in a bank meeting with a group of women (giving them the loans or charging them their weekly payments), doing paperwork in the office, or walking all over El Recreo visiting women in their homes. I have a lot of hopes for my time in the banks. Empowering impoverished and often abused women with a sense of community and with money to invest in a small business is important work. I loved the workers on the bank team back when I was teaching, and I am thrilled to spend my days with them. As a teacher I very much worked alone, but in the banks I am constantly in conversation with the other team members, so friendships and Spanish proficiency ought to improve dramatically. I also love playing with numbers and money, and I feel more gifted at that than classroom management.

I very much believe that working for a more just and loving world ought to be a struggle, as there are powerful forces of greed, selfishness, and violence that need to be overcome. Yet the struggle that I have fought for the last 10 months in the classroom was a little too much of a struggle, to the point that it was unhealthy. I felt as if I was working against the grain, fighting off one obstacle after another just to hold my class together. I hope and believe that the struggle for justice on behalf of the women of El Recreo is one for which I am more naturally suited.

Aside from work, a lot of fun things have happened in the last few months here. Community life and excursions are also a big part of my life. Instead of writing about those things right now I will include some pictures, somewhat randomly, to help depict my life here in Nicaragua. Thanks for reading and for all the support (verbal, written, or moral support) you have given me!



My community, on a week long retreat at the beach.


This was my morning class in the comedor. I tried to catch them in a moment of diligent in-class work the best I could. While the class was so tough that it caused me unimaginable stress and exhaustion, I feel that in the last few months with these students my love for them grew remarkably, as did their respect and affection for me.


Every day I took the kids out to the ´cancha´ (a crumbling cement basketball court) to play soccer for 15 minutes, or for 1 hour on Fridays. This is Juan. He prefers his sandals on his hands.


Josh, James, and I posing as Nicaraguan males.


July 19 was revolution day...free Sandinista hats for everyone...I couldn´t resist.


Mariela Reyes and Myrna Lopez Rizo. Mariela teaches computer classes at the Project, Myrna is the coordinator of the Library. Mariela blows me away with her strength and the respect she earns and deserves. I would consider her the spark at Proyecto Generando Vida. She encourages, fires people up, loves unconditionally, organizes women in the community, and stands up for other people´s rights. Myrna is my closest friend at the Project.


Silvio Sanchez and Doña Aura. Silvio is the coordinator of the Banks (now my supervisor and coworker) and has been at the Project for 14 years. He is the only other male at the project besides me, and is a mentor in a sense. Doña Aura is the elderly, wise woman that everyone respects, even the kids. She has been around since day 1, and she cooks for 120 kids every day. She has a story about everything from child psychology to what life was like during the war 25 years ago.


James and I climbed Volcán Telica, a beautiful hike with a surreal crater and beautiful views of the countryside.


The volcano is very active and the steam unpleasant to inhale. Upon approaching the crater one could hear the steam shooting out of a vent deep in the crater. We threw rocks in the crater and timed the fall to see how deep and steap it was...very deep and steap.


Grety, a fighter of a woman and a member of the bank team, with Doña Aura.


Jeffry, my best student, and unrivaled soccer champion in my class. He dropped out of school after repeating 4th grade multiple times. His brilliance astounds me...he is more advanced than my 6th graders and can solve a Sudoku puzzle almost as quick as I can.


Mary and I rocking out at home.


July 19, the day that everyone celebrates the liberation of Nicaragua from a repressive dictatorship. Unfortunately, the celebration was somewhat hijacked by the ruling party who used it as a campaign rally. The colors black and red are meant to symbolize the revolutionary victory...the pink is the FSLN´s new color, and in a sense symbolic of revolutionary politics being replaced with corruption and power hoarding.


In the classroom doing some warm up activities with three gems: Jose Daniel, Junieth, and Valeria.



Fellow Jesuit Volunteers from Belize stopped in for a visit!


My youngest and cutest student, Darling, preferring the swing over soccer.