blog schmog

Isla de Ometepe

2009-07-19T16:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from our weekend in Ometepe, an island in Lake Nicaragua.

Playa Santa Domingo

Kayaking on Lake Nicaragua, near Charco Verde. Volcan Concepcion in background (1,600m)

Bananas!

A lancha and Concepcion

View of the lake and Charco Verde (the Green Lagoon)

Beautiful view of Concepcion in the clouds

Alden, Coby, and Jennie getting ready to board!

Vacation week...

2009-07-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

I finished my official work here last week and launched into my vacation week! It has been a great mix of activity and relaxation.

One of the things I really wanted to do is take more surf lessons. I found out about an all girls surf camp called Chica Brava, run by an American woman who has been living here for about 5 years. I originally intended to take private lessons but was invited to join the camp that they had scheduled this week. There were 5 girls including me, from LA to DC and all in their late 20s to early 30s.

All were super mellow girls, very nice and happy to have me join in. Our instructors were Missy, from Florida and Maite, from Guadalajara, Mexico. The instructors were awesome; they were encouraging and pushed us, yet made sure to not push us outside our comfort zones. It was great being with all women too. I'd taken surf lessons before, but I don't think, having had this experience, that I would choose again to take lessons from a male instructor. Anyway, the camp lasted 6 days but I only participated in 3 days' sessions.

The first 2 days we went to Remanzo, the beach I mentioned in an earlier post, known as a good beginner beach. By day 2 we were all paddling out, learning to turtle roll (on a long board you use the turtle roll when you're paddling out and a big wave breaks right in front of you. If you can't get up and over it, you will get pushed backwards or tossed so what you do is grab your board, flip over so you are under water and your board and the wave passes over you/your board and then once it passes you flip back over and climb up and keep paddling out), popping up (standing up on the board), and we started working on choosing and paddling for our own waves. When we needed their help, the instructors would push us into waves allowing us not to have to paddle and limiting the steps we had to think about.

Surfing is exhausting at first. When sets of waves are coming in towards shore and you are trying to get past them, it feels like a battle -- and that's before you've even tried to paddle for a wave! But it also feels incredibly satisfying to successfully stand up on the board and feel the wave underneath you.

The first 2 mornings we had to be up at 530am to be at the beach around the high tide. We generally surfed for a few hours, took a break and then would go out in the water for another 30 min. or so, before being ready to call it a day. On day two, I realized it was time to quit when I had ingested a gallon of salt water, I felt my shoulder sublux (a mini-dislocation) and sprained my foot on the ocean floor after getting tossed!!!

The 3rd day we went to another beach, called Hermosa. We took a boat there. The boat anchored off shore and we all got a bit nervous when the instructors told us that we would have to paddle IN to shore, behind the huge waves we saw crashing into the beach. It was a bit scary but we followed instructions and kept an eye out for each other and made it... The waves were a lot bigger at this beach and we all had a pretty frustrating morning, but it was good to see a different beach, different wave behavior etc. There were no subluxed shoulders but we all did get stung by jellyfish so that made the day exciting! Paddling back out to the boat after surfing for 2 hours was so tiring!! Overall, I was really pleased with my progress. I am excited to keep surfing (though a little bummed out that if I surf in the Pacific Northwest it will most likely be in a wetsuit and not a bikini). Most of all though, having this experience with a group of awesome women, was empowering as well as fun.

Yesterday, I went on a horseback tour around the finca with the resident cowboy, Jonny. For about 2 hours he toured me around all the parts of the finca that aren't accessible on foot. It was a beautiful ride; a windy but fairly clear day.. I was able to see some amazing views of the finca.. We also saw howler monkeys and a sloth!!

My classmate and friend, Coby Jansen, arrived this week as well! It has really nice having her here! She is setting up a project related to water contamination and will either be working here in San Juan or in Leon with a University of North Carolina project. Alden, Coby and I met up in town yesterday to observe the Virgen del Carmen celebration. A statue of the 'virgen' is sent out on a boat while other boats follow, people set off fireworks, and celebrate with food and drink. The ceremony is about the 'virgen' blessing the fishermen for a good catch. The rainy season has really set in and we got caught in a serious downpour in town. It is amazing to watch the sky turn black and open up. And equally amazing to be warm while you are running through pouring, pounding rain!

Tomorrow Alden, Coby and I are heading to Isla de Ometepe, an island in Lake Nicaragua. I visited the island when I was traveling through Nicaragua in 2006 and am excited to return. We hope to visit a nature preserve, do some kayaking, and hike to a waterfall. We will return Sunday and then I'll head to Managua on Monday to catch my flight back to the States.

This has been a wonderful week and a great way to end my trip to Nicaragua. I am going to be sad to leave the amazing finca, and my very gracious hosts, Alden and Federico, as well as many of the other people here on the farm, who have become friends. I am sure that I will be back!

Miscellaneous Photos

2009-07-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

Safety is in the Eye of the Beholder (or, 6 year olds with Machetes)

2009-07-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

It's interesting to be in Nicaragua as a Public Health student. At home we take for granted the kinds of safety measures that are part of our daily lives; that are part of health promotion and prevention efforts --- wearing bike & motorcycle helmets, using lights on our bikes when we ride at night, the list goes on and on. Regularly here we see people riding motorcycles without helmets, often with small children riding along with a parent. Cars pass other cars at high speeds on corners and people walk along and into the street as cars speed by, seeming not to be concerned at all about traffic.

Today, as Alden was treating someone with a run-of-the-mill cold in the living area of the house, we noticed Robert, one of the farm workers, carrying his 6 year old son up the hill towards our house. I immediately thought it strange that he would be carrying the boy up hill in the heat and figured he must be sick and be coming to see Alden.

When they arrived at the house we noticed the blood. Roberto's 6 year old son had been helping him cut grass, which is commonly done here using a machete. He was wearing a flip flops and sliced through his big toe. Luckily, his wound was not deep enough to even require stitches, and Alden expertly cleaned and dressed the brave little guy's toe and sent him and his grateful Father off with instructions on how to care for the wound. From the perspective of someone like me who's been raised to follow certain safety precautions (some might argue TOO many safety precautions - ha) this event was thought provoking, if not surprising. From my educated, health -care worker perspective I could ask "Why the hell would you let a 6-year old who doesn't have fully developed muscle control hold a machete, much less work beside you cutting grass with it, in flip flops??".. Well, of course its very common for kids to work at a young age, his Dad probably learned in much the same way, and this is how things are done on the farm (No fancy lawn mowers here). But it got me thinking -- I thought about SCHOOL.

This quarter in school we talked about the time orientation of people's beliefs about health and their own lives. Communities where there is a lot of poverty or where disease prevalence is high and life expectancy is low, may have a more present-oriented view of health versus one oriented towards the future, which then guides their health decisions and behaviors. Life is quite simply focused on getting through the day to day stuff, not about leading a long life into the future. In addition, where there is poverty (or lack of education or racism), there is a decreased sense of control over one's own life. If you don't have a strong sense of the future being yours to live and something you have some degree of control over, the idea is that this effects your everyday health behaviors and choices. I don't know if this is at play here; there are many reasons people do what they do, and it's not to make a black and white statement, like developed countries are one way and developing countries are another (we need only watch the daily news at home to see numerous examples of people making choices we would consider unsafe where their health in concerned); at least this theory would assert, it has more to do with the characteristics of your specific community, than what country you're from - in developing countries there is simply more poverty and less education.

The ideas of prevention in health sort of assume that people have a future-oriented view and a sense of control about their lives. I wonder how this effects public health work in these areas and how we can change messages to take that into account. With the diabetes program that Federico and Alden hope to promote, how many people in this area will actually buy into the idea that by controlling your diet and exercising you can have an effect on the health of your future?

Just a thought...

Sunset over the Finca

2009-07-10T17:25:00.000-07:00

Ups and Downs ....

2009-07-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

In the last few weeks, I've really gotten a taste for Nicaraguan Bureaucracy. We have hit some roadblocks, which we are hoping are temporary, along the way to getting the clinic up and running! We had two meetings last week, one with MINSA (Health Ministry) in Rivas (the municipality) and the other with the big guns at MINSA in Managua.

In Rivas we met with Dr. Venegas, whose first words to us were "No somos conejitos de indio".. In English the equivalent phrase would be "We are not guinea pigs".. Ah, nice way to start out. So, though we are proposing a center which would primarily be used for prevention activities including education on diet and exercise, we spent a good deal of energy trying to convince the good Dr. that we were not planning on carrying out any crude medical experimentation on the locals. There is, understandably, suspicion against Gringos, who, let's face it, don't have the best record in Latin America, but at the same, some of the claims he made were just ridiculous (e.g. there was a clinic here run by Americans, where they were selling medications to the Nicas to "try to get rich"; the people running the clinic apparently made over $25,000.00 doing this activity). First, you gotta sell a lot of medications here to make that kind of money, and second, as if rich Americans would leave high paying jobs at home, come to Nica to fight with the bureaucracy to build a clinic, pay to have the clinic built, so that in the end they could take in a whopping 25K!!! Needless to say our meeting with MINSA in Rivas was more than a bit demoralizing.

Instead of Dr. Venegas approving our center at that meeting (as was in his power to do) he made us an appointment to go to Managua the next morning and meet with HIS boss, Dr. Juana Ortega. More hoops to jump through!! We left the farm at 7am to make it to our meeting in the capital. We had a 'strategy' meeting in the car on the drive, to organize how we would introduce the project, who would say what, etc. in an attempt to remedy any mistakes made in previous meetings. The head of MINSA Managua, Dr. Ortega, was a very kind and professional woman, who seemed to "get" our program and appreciate that its goal is to be a complement to the (however lacking) medical services that exist here, to use education and support to help improve the health of the local people, not to sell drugs or do medical experimentation. Just when we thought we had finally made some headway, another doctor (Dr. Ortega's pit bull of a sub director) started ripping apart our plan (which she hadn't read until that moment despite the fact we'd sent it to her the week prior) and asking us questions about minutia (challenging us as to whether each exam room is to exact building standards is just one example - which is completely ridiculous when you consider the quality of buildings in the area). We left the meeting with more hoops we had to jump through (complete list of required equipment for the center, make some small adjustments to make our plan more clear on certain points, etc.) and a promise that once we have the center completed, we can call for a building inspection.(Oh, but it might "take a year after the inspection to get approved")

It is quite clear from our experiences here that the gov't will do whatever it can to slow or halt the process of getting things done. Everything is made more difficult than it has to be; from getting permits, to having an inspection, to sending documents to the right people. Every time you fulfill one requirement they inform you of another one, which you were unaware of before. I know I sound jaded, but it is very frustrating and sad to know that all these blockades are thrown up in the way of people who truly want to help the health situation here. There is such a lack of resources it is baffling as to why the bureaucrats would not want to accept all the help they can get. I believe it is due to a mix of distrust and pride, but it seems senseless nonetheless and the local people suffer.

Unfortunately, the bureaucratic hurdles were not are only setbacks last week. Our doctor, Carmen, who we all love, left for the weekend in Managua, and then abruptly called us to quit. It was not totally unexpected, because we were aware of worsening family issues. Unfortunately, her husband could not accept her working so far from Managua and was becoming increasingly depressed, controlling and threatening.(never mind that he doesn't have a job and they have 2 kids to feed.. but don't get me started on the status of Machismo here in Nicaragua). It was very hard for us to see her go since she is a very good doctor and was very committed to the project here. Fortunately, after the abrupt phone conversation, she was able to bring her 2 boys to the finca for lunch this week so we were able to have a proper goodbye!

On a happier note -- we had a BBQ on the 4th of July. The party was at Chris's house (the owner of the finca) and was complete with hamburgers, hotdogs, brownies, beer, and fireworks!! One of the other homeowners here was at the party with his family, including 2 young kids. It was very fun to play in the pool with them and watch the fireflies after sunset.

This week, Alden and I continued to work on education materials development and curriculum development for the group classes that they hope to hold at the center. I really hope that they make it through the certification process so that all this work we've done can be of some use! :( But, regardless, It's been a good learning experience for me and I think my time here has been appreciated by Alden and Federico.

This is my last official week of "work" here with the program. I start 3 days of surf lessons on Sunday, which I am very excited about! Coby, one of my classmates who will be working on a project here as well, arrives Sunday too! I am really looking forward to seeing her and having a girlfriend here. After surfing, I'm hoping to do some horseback riding around the finca, and then spend my last few days relaxing by the pool :) before heading home on 7/20.

List of books I've read since arriving here 4 weeks ago:
Nicaragua (a history book)
The Country Under my Skin - Gioconda Bello
Pride and Prejudice - Austen
Saturday - Ian McEwan
The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri
The Road -Cormac McCarthy
A Quaker Book of Wisdom
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Mary Smith

Geez, I've certainly made up for not having time to read during the school year!!!!! No homework at night--- yippee!

I hope this post finds you all well. I'm looking forward to my last week here and then looking forward to Summer in Seattle!!

xo.
jennie
photos from top to bottom:
1) Insect of unknown name
2) Architechture - San Juan del Sur
3) Camilo by the pool
4) Federico, Alden, Carmen, Carlos, Camilo
5) My Feet with Basil
6) Me by the pool, posing

Adventures at la Finca and beyond

2009-06-24T18:50:00.000-07:00

This week has been more relaxed regarding my "work schedule" but has provided some adventure nonetheless. Last weekend I spent Saturday on my own touring around San Juan. There is not much to see as it's a pretty small town (15,000 people) but I enjoyed walking up and down the beach, visiting the local English book store (I've read 4 books since I arrived here!) and sitting outside near the water to enjoy one of the local beers, La Victoria. I was reminded of how different this trip is for me, when I took a taxi back to the finca and had to negotiate the price etc. I've been traveling in style this time around, so while it felt good to be on my own visiting town, I was aware of the sense of being on my own (a gringa) in a strange town once again! Needless to say I made it back to the finca safely (I haven't totally lost my ability to travel!)..

On Saturday I also did some weeding for Federico. And by "some" weeding I mean that I lasted a few hours. Using a stick in one hand to warn any snakes or insects that might be crawling in the plants I used the other hand to pull grass up from the roots in a bed of flowers. The activity was surprisingly satisfying for someone who is not what you would call a 'green thumb' and gave me an increased appreciation for what the farm workers do every day. I was incredibly sore the next day and sunburned as well.

Sunday Federico, Alden and I set out for a hike (to what seems to be a ubiquitous site in Latin America -- a Jesus statue on top of a hill), but were turned away by a serious looking guard who told us that since the hike goes through private land, he was under order to prohibit people from hiking up. I guess the rich people of San Juan want to keep the riff raff at bay. We enjoyed our day though, walking along the beach, having lunch overlooking the ocean, and visiting the market for items to supplement our food at the farm.

The Finca continues to amaze me. I'm trying to learn about fruits and veggies here and I'm learning from Dtra. Carmen (who is trained in naturopathic medicine) about the uses of many of the plants grown on the Finca. I've had Calala (passionfruit), Zapote (a custard like, VERY sweet fruit) and of course Platanos since I've been here. There is a tree called Marango, the leaves of which are full of nutrients; Alden gathers the leaves and then goes through the process of drying them and grinding them up so they can be spread onto food. It is filled with micro nutrients, protein and other good stuff! I need to bring some back for Dad - I can see him spreading the stuff over all his food! The Malinche tree is my favorite so far; it has gorgeous orange/red flowers..

While the flowers and trees are beautiful the bugs are another story.. I swear, I've tried to be nice, but they are out of control. I am trying to keep a curious attitude about them, rather than let fear take over, but it's a constant challenge! We (and by "we" I mean Alden or Rosibel) kill a few scorpions daily. I think it must have been the movie "Clash of the Titans" that gave me nightmares about scorpions (any fellow children of the 70s remember that movie scene where Medusa's head bleeds scorpions?!) but to this day I think they are the scariest creatures on the planet! Anyway, I digress. Today we had an ant infestation after a big rain and I got bit between two of my fingers as I reached for my water bottle. I'm telling you, the pain did not last long, but it was intense, and my hand was numb for a good 15 minutes! Oh, and it BLED!!! The ants have a scissors like pincher so they literally cut you; the cut on my hand looked like a paper cut... I was a total baby about it too! But the ants and even the scorpions are not the worst of it.. As I've told some of you, I had the pleasure of coming into contact with a mite somewhere on the farm! (I blame it on Federico for "making" me do weeding).. You might have heard of "scabies"?! Well, yes, I got em! GROSS GROSS GROSS. But in Spanish scabies is called "sarna".. Doesn't that sound romantic??

Luckily, I'm living with a nurse and a doctor and I was quickly diagnosed and given the treatment: covering myself in toxic cream from head to toe before bedtime, and then washing my sheets, pillow cases, and clothes (that I'd worn x the last 3 days) in HOT HOT water... The good news is I'm feeling much less itchy and I won't be bringing any mites home to the US with me (hear that, Mike?)..

One of the things I've enjoyed most about being here in Nicaragua and on the farm is the weather. Since it is the beginning of the rainy season, we get a good rain daily; sometimes during the day, and sometimes at night. We have had stunning lightning and thunder storms as well. A few nights ago, we all sat outside on the patio and watched the sky light up for hours and then listened to the heavy rains come. Lightening bugs were also lighting up the sky between the flashes of electricity and all the while the frogs were calling. It is really a magical thing to experience.

I've also enjoyed my many interactions with the workers on the farm. The are an extremely friendly bunch of super hard working individuals. Today, Alden, Carmen and I walked up to the finca from the main road (about 3km) because after it rains the road is too muddy to be passable by car.. As we walked we came across many of the workers who we stopped and chatting with. The gringos that work here have a great relationship with the workers because everyone works -- Federico and Alden are not just sitting here being served-- they are working on the farm and really giving to the community.. So, its nice to see that kind of relationship develop.

As far as work goes, we have a nice routine. I usually get up between 7:30 and 8 (I'm the last one up of course) and we work until lunch and then work some between lunch and dinner. Often I'll work on things in the evening as well. There really is no set schedule. The last few days I've been working with Federico to revise an article he is writing for the journal of the Pierce County Medical Society of which he is a member, to describe he and Alden's journey to and work in Nicaragua. I created a flyer (see previous blog about computer genius) for an insert in the monthly journal that will hopefully raise interest and funds for the Community Nutrition Center. We are also discussing educational materials development for diabetes education. Once goal of the center is to educate young Brigadistas (community health volunteers) about Diabetes, so we are working on a curriculum for that. Hopefully the Brigadistas will not only be able to have more knowledge when they go into communities, but can be involved in helping Carmen lead classes at the Center. Group classes are going to be an important aspect of the Center's work, so we've also been working on coming up with a plan for class topics and finding information to support this effort. I have to constantly remind myself to relax and not be anxious to get everything done in one sitting. I'm not a particularly bossy person, but I can get annoyed when it seems like its "all talk and no action"; I am having to learn to sit back, listen, and gently help guide (but not force) the process.

Today we met a wonderful man, Mr. Gonzales. He is a community leader(known to be quite an eccentric we had heard) who runs a group called the Chronic Club (reminded me of Dr. Dre and Snoop, but I digress). The group provides support for people with chronic conditions in the community. He is also a very interesting example of someone who found out he had diabetes and with the proper education, support and insistence of his Doctor, was able to turn the course of his disease around. In Nicaragua, there are many challenges to making an impact on Diabetes, including taboo around the disease, myths (for example, if you marry someone or sleep with someone who has the disease you will 'catch' it), difficulty changing ideas about food and diets (rice, platanos, potatos, gaseosas (sodas)) that are very high in sugar etc. It will be interesting to see if and how the education and support provided by the center can change attitudes and behaviors.

I went surfing again yesterday. I was very intimidating because the water was quite rough, but with some encouragement, I got out there and was able to catch a few (baby) waves. (Sorry no pics to prove my prowess!).. I plan to work for a few more weeks here and then have the last week to relax and do my own thing.. The plan definitely includes more surfing. I'm excited to take some 1:1 lessons!

I hope everyone who reads this is well. I am having a wonderful time here and learning tons, but will look forward to seeing all of you when I return to Seattle, or at some point during the Summer!

Love,
j

Photos top to bottom:
1) Alden and Carmen walk up the road to the finca
2) Federico in the hammock
3) Rosibel at the casa
4) A bus in SJDS
5) Noelle, Bree, and Jennie (surf/beach friends!).
6) Augusto Sandino, hero of the Sandinistas; "Jamas Nos Venceron" They will Never Beat Us.

Bureaucracy and Surfing (not at the same time..)

2009-06-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

This week Alden, Dr. Garcia and I worked hard on gathering all the information necessary to present our program plan to the government folks in Managua. In order to get the center approved, they have to have a plan (like a strategic plan), copies of Alden and Federico’s medical licenses, building plans for the center, disaster plans, photos, and many other documents. We spent many hours huddled around my computer so we could work on draft after draft of the ‘strategic’ plan.

On Wednesday we traveled to Rivas (one hour away) for an appointment with a director at the local MINSA office (MINSA = Ministerio de Salud, or Ministry of Health). There are different levels of MINSA offices, just like we have county and state health departments in the U.S. The Rivas MINSA office is a non-descript looking building in the middle of town. We were ushered into a small room where the 3 of us sat around a table while the director - a chubby man who seems to wear a permanent scowl on his face - looked over our paperwork, without saying a word to us for nearly 5 MINUTES! I swear, I almost started making faces at Alden and Carmen, but I thought better of it. Finally, he spoke, and he was mostly pleased with our work! He gave us some feedback and a few suggestions and we were off, ready to make some corrections and bring our plan to MINSA in Managua! One thing about the visit that I found especially funny was that during the visit, I had to use the bathroom, so I was directed to a dirty, cramped room with a toilet in it. When I went to the sink (outside the bathroom, in the hallway) to wash my hands (like a good PT and public health student) I realized there was no WATER! Here was this dude scowling at us who had the power to deny our plan for a center delivering health services and he worked in a building without running water… At least it wasn’t a clinic I suppose. On a serious note, Nicaragua is a resource poor country, so this experience was not totally surprising. But, I had to smile at the situation anyway.

I’ve really enjoyed working with Alden and Carmen. The 3 of us work well together. Alden is just learning Spanish, so I am a big help to her since Carmen does not speak any English. We all have different skills and strengths. I find myself using a lot of my communication skills learned in PBL during this process. I'm also finding that I am a good editor; something I hadn't recognized in myself before.
Carmen went to deliver our plan to Managua today. Now, Alden and I are going to start working on preparation for meetings with community leaders and creation of clinic documents and educational materials.

On Thursday I got to enjoy some of the surf that San Juan del Sur is known for. A few days ago, Alden introduced me to Jessica, an American girl who has been living here for a few months teaching at a women’s surf camp. She has some time off and is staying here at the Finca with her family, who just came to visit for a few weeks from the Lake Tahoe area. We went to a beach called Remanzo, a short drive from SJDS, with her Mom, sister, and a friend. I hadn’t been surfing since 2 years ago when I was in Panama. Boy, is surfing hard work. Jessica helped me and her friend Noel and gave us lots of good reminders and tips. But over the course of 2 hours, I only was able to stand up twice! It is a ton of work to paddle out through waves crashing over you, just to try unsuccessfully to catch a wave! It was super fun just to be out there in the water, to get some sun and meet some new people though!... And the experience made me want to take some real lessons, where I can learn more about the dynamics of the waves (like that, Mike?) because besides the physicality of the sport, it is all about being able to read what the water is doing.

Photos:
Top; Remanzo
Bottom;
Alden, Federico, and Carmen at dinner
Me (not) catching a wave
Truck with surfboards

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Nicaragua - San Juan Del Sur and Gettin' to Work

2009-06-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Federico and Alden took me to see "town"; San Juan Del Sur. SJDS is about a 15 minute drive from the Finca. We had a yummy lunch at a beach side restaurant and then walked along the water and through town. It is very noticeably hotter and more humid in SJ then at the Finca. We also visited the newly built center, which is being called "Centro de Nutricion Comunitario" (Center of Community Nutrition). The intent is to have a niche population of Diabetics and those at risk for diabetes (not a small group in this community!) and to provide basic consultation services as well as group education classes. As well, the Center will serve the employees of Finca Las Nubes (FLN) with basic health needs and education.

On Monday I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Rufina Carmen Garcia (Carmen) who is a Nicaraguan trained doctor that was just hired by Federico and Alden to be the main Dr. at the center. She is wonderful -- very knowledgeable, friendly, community-oriented, and patient (especially with my Spanish!). Most of Monday, Alden, Carmen and I worked on the center's strategic plan; including goals and objectives. They have already done quite a bit of work on this but I was able to help out. It was fun to use what I've learned in school without a deadline looming over my head!! Shockingly, Alden and Carmen were totally impressed with my computer skills! (I know what many of you are thinking!). All I did was work on some formatting, play around with shading and bulleting and they think I'm a genius! I couldn't help but imagine how hard Mike would have been laughing had he been in the room.

It gets dark here around 7 pm so it has been strange to change my cycle a bit; I'm going to bed early and trying to get up early (around 7:30am). It's sort of like I'm camping.

Lest you all think I've gone soft and am living in the lap of luxury, I must inform you that today we had an ant infestation, and I saw 3 scorpions!! Apparently the scorpions are not deadly but it's still a bit unnerving! I am obsessed with making sure the bed is clean of all creepy crawlers and then making sure my mosquitero (mosquito net) is super tight around the bed before I am able to sleep! Some nights it is hard to fall asleep even with a powerful fan, since the doors have to be shut to keep the insects out, which makes it a bit hot.

Today we continued work on the strategic plan, which has to be ready by week's end to present to MINSA (the Ministry of Health) in Rivas for approval and then go on to Managua. We also met with a former colleague of Carmen's, Dr. Beyo who works with the Clinca Comunical in SJDS. She reviewed our plan and discussed the proposed activities of the center.

Our routine is to work until lunch, have a little siesta and then work again until dinner. It's a quite relaxed yet productive way to work (are you listening US of A??!!). Alden is encouraging me to go surfing soon. I have been invited to go by an American girl who lives in SJDS and teaches at a womens surf camp. She is currently staying on the Finca with her family. So, I hope to do that sometime soon!!!

Ok, off to bed. It's after my bedtime (8pm). :)

To learn more about the Finca: http://fincalasnubes.com/

Love, Jennie

Fotos:
Church in SJDS, SJDS beach, Inside the Centro, Federico standing next to Centro building

Nicaragua - Finca Las Nubes

2009-06-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

I decided to spend 4 weeks in Nicaragua this Summer, helping two American public health practitioners on a project here. I will be staying at Finca Las Nubes, an organic farm just inland from the Pacific coast town of San Juan del Sur. My hosts are Dr. Federico Cruz-Uribe and his lovely wife, Alden, who is a nurse practitioner. Federico and Alden moved to Nicaragua last year to live on the farm and decided to build a small health center to serve the finca employees (about 80) and their families. The clinic is in the process of being built and are in the process of hiring staff.

I will be helping with whatever start up tasks I can assist with, as well as helping Alden to do some community research related to Diabetes. We will be meeting with members of MINSA (the National Health ministry) as well as community organization leaders, and community members to find out about local attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge on the topic of Diabetes, which is a growing problem in Latin America. We will also be planning some prevention interventions. I am excited to meet the newly hired Dr. who we will have a meeting with tomorrow.

I arrived Friday and my hosts have been incredibly kind and generous. I am staying in a room in their large and beautiful house, where I have my own bathroom and a patio overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It is stunning here- we are at about 1,500 ft. elevation, with an amazing view, and as I type this I am listening to the sounds of frogs, howler monkeys, and various insects and creatures! I have been trying to do some background research (which I didn't have time for at the end of the quarter!) on Nicaragua's health status, the health care system, and the issue of Diabetes. But so far, no real work has started and my hosts have treated me to wonderful food (mostly fresh from the grounds) and lots of relaxation.

The Finca has 4 houses on it, each with its own garden. The houses are rented out by a very selective process (usually people who want to come and learn and work). So many fruits and veggies are grown here it is hard to name them all. Federico and Alden are learning all about farming as they go, and their knowledge so far is really quite impressive! They are very committed to sustainable farming. The guy who runs the whole place is named Chris. I have yet to meet him but he is an aging hippie from San Francisco who sounds very interesting! Federico gave me the tour today and I also went on a compost run with Marcelino, one of the farm workers (and a big surfer I'm told-- hope he takes me for a lesson!!).

Last night after dinner I enjoyed the sight of lightening storms in the skies and listened to the sounds of monkeys, frogs, and various insects.. I'm trying to make friends with the insects that share my room with me. I am oh so slightly squeamish about them. It's like that book Goodnight Moon.. Me: "Good night spiders, good night preying mantis, good night beetles and mosquitoes.. You stay in your part of the room and I'll sleep over here on my bed and we'll all get along just fine...".. Ha Ha.

Here are some photos of the Finca. More to follow!

Pictures, top to bottom: "Our" house, Casa Liliana; Pool at Casa; Sunset over the Pacific; View of part of Finca from the patio; My room.

The Chilkoot Trail- June 2008

2008-09-18T16:43:00.001-07:00

Well, this is a bit late in coming, but Im not stressed (see previous mail about not getting stressed over NOT blogging!).

This June, I finally accomplished something Ive been wanting to do for years. Myself, along with Mike, and 4 other friends, hiked the 33 mile, 4 day Chilkoot trail, in S.E. Alaska. The trail starts near Skagway AK and ends in Bennett, British Columbia. The trail traces the same route the gold seekers took during the famous Klondike Gold Rush at the turn of the Century. To give a bit of history:

In 1897, the steamship Portland steamed into Seattle carrying a ton of gold from the Klondike. This sparked the Yukon gold rush. Over the next 3 years 100,000 gold seekers would make there way from Dyea in southeast Alaska into the Yukon Territory via one of two mountain passes. Of those, only 1000 would ever make any money... only 200 would strike it rich. Ironically, those 200 who struck it rich had already done so upon the arrival of the Portland's news in Seattle in 1897.

Today, Alaskan locals and tourists alike, still make the journey by foot.

Kristin named us the "Chill-Kooters" because, of course, every great team must have a name.

We did the 33 miles in 4 days, 3 nights. The trail was incredibly well maintained and set up for backpackers, from beautiful campsites complete with wooden tent platforms, to bear boxes & poles. All the campsites had a covered area for cooking and one had a little cabin for communal cooking/hanging out. I believe there were only 2 other groups on the trail at the same time as us, but you would really only encounter folks at the campsites; we could hike many hours without seeing anyone.

To see the trail profile, check out this link
And here is a map

The 1st leg of the trip was Juneau to Skagway via small (too small for my taste) plane. We spent the night in Skagway, where we watched the requisite bear safety video at the trail center and then enjoyed a pub crawl.

Day 1 was a long 12 mile trek, without much elevation gain. We stayed at Sheep camp, where there was a nice ranger to tell us about what to expect for the next day (considered the hardest leg) and settled in, looking forward to climbing the Pass.

Day 2 (8 miles) started bright an early at 6:30 am, in order to assure that everyone was up and over the Chilkoot Pass before there was significant warming of the snow (read avalanche danger). It was amazing to think about the gold miners hauling all their supplies over the Pass (they did use pack animals and sleds w/ a winch system of course, but they carried a lot of weight on their backs as well) Just below the Summit there is an area called the Scales; anyone going over the pass would have to stop here and weigh their gear to make sure that they had the requisite 1-year supply of 1000 pounds (they made 20 to 30 trips) They were forced to leave some behind if loads got too heavy. Next was the "Golden Staircase" to climb over the Pass; not a staircase at all, mind you, but a huge chute of boulders. At the top we were treated to gorgeous views, the Canadian flag at the Ranger station and some very cold temps!

We trekked for a few more hours through some gorgeous scenery; a wide bowl with snow-covered peaks all around. We had lunch in the most perfect setting, and then trekked on to finish at Happy Camp. At Happy Camp we met some Canadian hikers who had done the trail 4 times and said we lucked out with the weather. They had encountered rain every time they had done the trip. We were very grateful.

Day 3 we hiked 8.5 miles to Bare Loon Lake, despite Ranger warnings of a Brown bear having been spotted. On the way we visited Lindeman City which had been the end of the hike for most of the stampeders. The tent city was transient "home" to 4000 prospectors who would camp here long enough to build boats which would haul their goods across Lake Lindeman to Lake Bennett and into the Yukon River.

Day 4: A very leisurely 4 mile walk to our trail end at Bennett, B.C. to catch the Yukon/White Pass train back to Skagway. We got rained on a bit on the last day, but I dont think any of us minded much. In fact, I dont think we were ready for the trip to end. The train took us over the Yukon Pass. It was a stunning train ride despite the low clouds we encountered for most of the journey.

Once back in Skagway, we congratulated ourselves on completing the trek by drinking many beer at the local brewery! Zoltan, Kristin, Amy and Tara headed back to Juneau by plane and Mike and I stayed another night in Skagway, choosing to head back to Juneau by ferry the next day. We enjoyed the V.I.P. treatment only given to daughters of favorite retired ferry captains (thanks, Dad) and Mike was thrilled to spend time on the bridge with Captain Acter and the crew.

Overall, an amazing backpacking experience. I think we would all agree that we would do it again!

I heart Bartells

2008-08-11T20:48:00.001-07:00

Today I was reminded that it really is the small things in life that can sometimes make me happy. The perfect example is my love for Bartells Drug store. I cant explain the phenomenon, but when I enter one of the many Seattle locations of "your friendly neighborhood drug store since 1890", it is impossible for me to feel sad, angry or irritable at the world outside. Maybe its the friendly red vest-clad clerks who always greet me kindly, or the sparkling clean & organized shelves, that aren't too high as to make a short person feel claustrophobic. Perhaps it is the attentive, though not too attentive staff (they exhibit the perfect degree of helpfulness; they ask if they can help you, and even walk you to the aisle in which your desired item can be found, but don't hover), or the fact that they ALWAYS call an extra clerk if there are more than 2 people waiting in any one line.

When Bartells opened a new store in my neighborhood I was there on opening day (ok, I did not actually plan that, it was serendipitous), and I was one of the first to enter the store. The new employees all seemed so happy to be there, I can only imagine that the Bartells family treats all their employees well, which makes me love the store even more. I think the clerk might have thought me a bit strange when I told her how thrilled I was that they had moved into this, my, neighborhood! But if she thought I was a freak, she hid her feelings, asked my name and told me to come back soon.

This blog is not the first avenue for the declaration of my love for Bartells. I've told numerous friends over the years and my confession always gets a giggle. But I know Im part of something bigger- Ive heard the commercials of the other Fans O Bartells, the spots where they find a happy shopper in an aisle and ask them to describe why they love shopping at Bartells. I dream that someday, I can join the ranks of my radio comrades. Who will be laughing then?

Blogging = Yoga?

2008-08-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

Had i known that this blogging thing was going to stress me out so much, I might not have started it. But, I thought, "I have interesting observations to write about, right?".. Surely a blog will be a great way to keep in touch with family, friends and just have the experience of writing, which in my past has been quite enjoyable. Here's the thing: Blogging has started to turn into a "should" that I put pressure on myself to do(hence, the referral to Yoga, another thing in my life that I feel I should do but cant quite commit to; a thing that should be fun and relaxing but becomes stressful!).

So, instead of waiting until I have some important life philosophy to share, or some exciting event to report on, Im just going to start writing about random daily things. Of course when that brilliant life observation needs to be shared, Ill be sure to do that too!

So, as proof of my new, relaxed, blogging self, I give you the above Blog.

Sasquatch 2008

2008-06-02T18:24:00.001-07:00

Aaah, Memorial Day weekend. Time to reflect on the sacrifices of our veterans who died in battle... Or, for so many of us, a time to get drunk over a 3-day weekend! This year, Laura and I traveled to the Columbia River Gorge in George, Washington to attend the Sasquatch Music Festival, a 3-day event featuring 100's of bands.

As we've both had the experience of staying at the Gorge "campgrounds" in previous years (think camping in a huge open yard, with rows of cars/RVs/tents and over-flowing Port-a-potties) we decided that in our old age and wisdom we would forego the party-all-night scene and instead stay in Vantage, a little "town" across the Columbia River from the concert site, about 10 miles away.

We stayed in the Riverside "Resort", which proved to be quite an interesting camping experience. It was much quieter than the Gorge, but still afforded some of the interesting people watching experiences... visiting the facilities full of high school girls getting ready for a day on the river complete with full faces of makeup and using curling and flat irons to perfect their hairdos.. Seeing some of America's finest families stock up at the General Store on all the essentials (Pork Rinds, all other manner of processed foods known to Man) while decked out in their American flag tee shirts.. mingling with those fine Americans not at all concerned with rising gas prices or the Environment- cruising around in their big gas-guzzlers -- Hummers, jacked-up F150s -- hauling their kick ass speed boats and Sea Dos.. YEE HAW!! (see license plate below)

We spent Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday enjoying the beauty of the Gorge and some great bands. Their were 3 stages with bands playing most of the day. The main stage is in the most stunning setting, overlooking the river.

We hung out with friends Jean and her friend MJ visiting from Jersey, Glenn & Stacia and Amanda & Paul. People just literally hung out all day on the huge lawns in front of all the stages, eating all manner of Country-fair type food and drinking $12 beers!!

Some fantastic people watching ensued- people of all ages and styles, and on all manner of mind-altering substances. Sunsets were beautiful and the company was great. I saw a bunch of bands I had not seen before and then got to see some that I've always wanted to see. Sunday night ended with The Cure, a band I've loved since high school. Robert Smith, though a bit bloated, still has an amazing voice- it was quite an experience. Some other highlights of the weekend were Canadian sister act Tegan and Sara, The Seattle Hip Hop group Blue Scholars, and the politically charged Michael Franti & Spearhead.
Thanks, Laura, for making the trip up to the NW, and thanks for being part of a very memorable weekend.

Happy Mother's Day?

2008-05-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

I know its a day late but I have a Mothers Day story to share. This is how my sister Lisa's Mothers Day started: She was woken up at about 9am yesterday by the sounds of her 2-year old son, Lucas (aka cutest-nephew-in-the-world), rustling around upstairs in his room. She also heard some distinct words coming from his mouth; "Eew, dirty. Icky. Dirty". So, Lisa walked upstairs to see what was up, only to find her son rubbing his hands all over the carpet. She flipped on the light and found out what "dirty" and "eew" had been referring to: the poop he had pulled out of his diaper! He discovered that it was actually kind of gross and so was trying, naturally, to get it off his hands and onto the carpet!

I know its hard to believe such a cute kid could do such a thing, but his Mom was cute too, and that didnt stop her from feeding poop to our Dad when she was her son's age...Ha Ha, I guess it runs in our family (though you wont hear me telling any of my own poop stories). Happy Mothers Day to All!!

Juneau Girls Reunion

2008-05-10T21:55:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends since childhood is moving back to the States from Europe, where she has been living and raising her family for several years. A few weeks ago she came out for a visit and the rest of us (3 living here in Seattle and one in Montana) took the opportunity to turn it into a reunion.

Katie arrived on a Sunday and the following night we had a wonderful dinner with her family, the rest of the Girls + S.O.’s along with Katie’s mom, Karma (visiting from Bozeman) and Sarah’s parents, Karen and Dave, at the very family friendly Tutta Bella. Of course when we’re together, talk goes to all our memories of growing up in Juneau, and with the parents there it added to the reminiscing (ok, so perhaps some things we did as teenagers might be better forgotten, but there are parents to remind you of where you came from!)

Wednesday night, our dear Danielle arrived and the 5 Girls had to take the opportunity to go out for drinks. Oh, wait, did I say go OUT for drinks? Well, yes, there was that, but this party got started with Kristin passing around a KEG cup full of beer as we all drove to the airport to surprise Danielle. Then we were joined again by some of the S.O.s and Chris Anderson, another dear old friend from the AK, for drinks downtown. Man, was I cursing Katie all day the next day when I had to pretend to be sick (cough cough, sniffle sniffle) lest my co-workers discover that the real reason I slept during a morning break AND through my lunch was because my head felt like it was in a VICE. Thanks for encouraging me to drink that glass of champagne, Kate!!

A very special part of the week was having a slumber party at Sarah’s house on Friday night—Take out food, lounging in the PJs (no, boys, no naked pillow fights this time—but as I recall, very drunk Kristin and Katie DID do some air mattress wrestling, much to Sarah’s chagrin), and of course lots of talking, laughing, and crying late into the night!!! Sarah even arranged for her Dad to act as surprise Chef the next day and make us pancakes for breakfast, just like Old Times… what a treat!

The rest of our time together, we were able to go on some nice walks and hikes around town, and were able to check out Katie’s new hood (she will be moving to Queen Anne this Summer, only a 10 minute walk from ME!!!!).

Oh, I have to mention a special highlight for me (and I hope this earns me some points in the ‘favorite Auntie’ contest! Yes, Girls, of course there’s a contest!!!)……
Earlier in the week I called in sick (cough cough.. I know, I know, would’ve been better to call in Hungover after that Champagne, but who can predict when those nights are gonna happen?). Anyway, after enjoying my coffee-er-TheraFlu on the sofa Tuesday morning, I called Kate over at her hotel. My thought was that I would try to coordinate for a lunch date with Katie and Seth in between their morning and afternoon appointments. Instead, I was invited to go to the Seattle Center with Grandma Karma and Jackson (5) and Kari (2). Seemed harmless enough. As Ive told Katie several times, it really was my pleasure, but WOW did I get a taste of just how difficult it must be to have 2 little ones (Kristin, are you reading this??). We took 2 modes of transport to get to the Center. With little ones that’s no easy task (on the upside, we did get to ride the SLUT (South Lake Union Trolley—not its official name), and the Monorail. Then we had fun at the Center House at Seattle Center (Auntie Jennie, luckily having met the height requirements, got to ride lots of rides with the kids. One made me want to vomit, but I kept a brave face). In order to leave the rides, I believe I told Jackson that we could come back this Summer “anytime you want to”! (but he didn’t get anything in writing, so we’ll see). We followed up the Center House with the Children’s Museum, where I had to let go of my planning nature (“Let’s try to see all the exhibits, Kids!”) and allow things to flow (which meant spending nearly an hour in one exhibit where wiffle balls are blown through tubes using air.. Pretty cool). One of the highlights was feeding Katie’s kids ice cream for Lunch. Yah, being an Auntie is GREAT!

When Katie came to meet us at Westlake Mall I was about ready for my nap, with a much better appreciation for parenthood! I think the experience earned me some babysitting street cred and apparently Jackson did talk about me the rest of the week, which is good. (Favorite Auntie points, remember?) It’s a good thing that Kari is too young to remember that I put her shoes on the wrong feet and caused her to repeatedly fall while running down the hotel hallways- maybe we’ll tell her when she is a bit older).

Saying goodbye to both Kate and Danielle after the week was difficult, but we are all excited that Katie will be here in Seattle this Summer and hopefully now with 4 of us here, Danielle will make more frequent trips this way!

As the years go by, I feel more and more fortunate that I have these 4 women in my life; to support me in hard times, celebrate with me in good ones, and of course to remind me how really horrible my bangs were ‘back then’!! Most importantly, when Im with my friends I feel true unconditional love. Thanks, Ladies, for reminding me how lucky I am.

Spring in the San Juans

2008-04-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

Mike and I went to visit the San Juans over the last weekend in March. We left Seattle on a Friday night and drove through the snow (and Everett traffic!) to get to Anacortes; a 90 mile journey that took us over 3 hours! We were relieved to make the 620pm ferry to the islands.

I am fortunate enough to have friends who own a cabin on Lopez island, so we were able to use that as our base for the weekend. We arrived at Michael and Bret's cabin with a bit of daylight left and were greeted by two deer, whose dinner we interrupted, and caught a glimpse of the Olympics in the distance from the cabin window. A lovely night of sitting by the fire, sipping beers and reading books followed.

In the morning, we rose early (by our standards) to head to Orcas, to do a bit of hiking. Skies were partly cloudy when we started the hike up Mt. Constitution from Moran State Park. About an hour into our 3 hour hike we hit show; about 5 inches of it.. We turned around before reaching the summit, due to having to make the ferry back to Lopez (one drawback of the San Juans before Summertime is fewer ferry options for inter-island travel), and realized later we were a very short and mostly flat hike from the top!! We only saw 2 hikers on the trek, and up at the top it was just us. The snow made everything so beautiful and peaceful. Mike really loves his new camera, and got some great snow shots! On the way back to the ferry we went to a few little shops on Orcas, including a cool bookstore and a bike shop.

That night back at the cabin, I made... drum roll please... dinner! Nothing fancy, but we had a lovely dinner (+ more beer) and enjoyed the quiet of the cabin.

On Sunday we slept in and then woke up to a hail storm.. We made a big breakfast and stayed in our PJs until well after noon! We did lots of reading and relaxing (Jennie reading, Mike relaxing- read napping-) Then we headed down to a park where we sipped our coffees while enjoying the beach, before heading to the ferry, bound for Anacortes.

The weekend reminded me how important it is to get away. I read an entire book, and Mike and I spent quality time together without the distractions of school, work, TV, the computer etc. Sometimes packing and planning for time away can be a pain, but it is so worth it to be far from the hurried pace of the city, and forget about lists of 'things to do' that sometimes turn weekends into just an extension of the work week.. I came back feeling truly refreshed.

East of the Mountains

2008-03-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

My cousin Anje and I headed east of the mountains this weekend to visit our Aunt Barb and Uncle Rich, who live in Carlton, a little town (think post office, church, not much else) in the Methow Valley near Twisp and Winthrop. We headed out Saturday morning after a nice breakfast in Seattle, for what should have been a 4 hour scenic drive. Thinking "Ive been East of the mountains many times before, I know the way", I neglected to take one more look at my Google Map directions, and Anje and I (between me talking on the phone and her taking a much needed snooze) managed to drive 80 extra miles on I-90-- all the way to Moses Lake. I believe it was Anj who noticed that we were at mile 185 when the directions said we should have made the turn northward at mile 85! OOPS. The gas station attendant was kind enough in asking me if I needed assistance, as I shamefully gazed at the WA State map (the map I had to purchase from the store, not having one in the car of course-- OOPS again). He showed us a 'short cut' which basically just meant we didnt have to backtrack 80 miles so we were relieved, though I stayed embarrassed for another hour or so.

While we waited to purchase the map and some Pringles a nice man with an even nicer mullet asked the attendant "They lost? Where they going?". The attendant replied "Carlton", to which mullet man replied "By choice??".. We were undeterred... and on the Road Again.

We finally made it to Barb and Rich's house at around 3:30 (5.5 hours on the road!) and felt relaxed immediately. They have a beautiful house in a perfect spot right on the Methow river. The house has big picture windows and a deck and sits just above the river-- Perfect.

Rich had just returned from fly fishing in Argentina and didnt seem annoyed at all that his wife had invited house guests for the Easter weekend :) as they both greeted us warmly and Rich started making Martinis. For the rest of our short stay the hospitality continued-- with drinks, wonderful food (oh, sure, I eat steak and homemade cherry pie at home all the time!!), and touring Twisp and Winthrop (including visits to Cinnamon Twisp -a well-known bakery- and the humble Catholic church in Twisp for Easter Sunday). We went on a snowy hike, saw cows and horses and even watched a deer swim down the river.

This little piece of Eastern Wa. is a different world, and I was really happy to be in it. No traffic, no pretension, and people seem to be relaxed and really enjoying life at a slower pace than we seem to believe is so necessary in the city. Of course the best part was being with family and having time to reminisce about the past and share hopes for the future.

Barb and Rich kept apologizing that we came to visit during a 'bad' time; after most of the snow is gone (but not all of it!) and before flowers start to bloom; when its still too cold to do much hiking or enjoy a swim in the river.... But, I assured them that Ill be back soon, armed with my hiking boots or my bike.... Or.... perhaps just ready to sit on the porch swing or sip a martini in the hottub!!! I cant wait.

Joining the 21st Century

2008-03-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

I was just thinking how 10 years ago I could never have imagined that I would be "blogging". When I graduated from college in 1995 I didnt even have an EMAIL account! (I am old).. So, now its time to start getting up to speed. Next goal: get some photos on here!! Enjoy, Mom and Dad (and anyone else who cares)..

This weekend Anje is coming to visit from S.F. and we'll be heading to Eastern Washington to see our Auntie Barb in Carlton. Cant wait to get out of the Seattle rain and enjoy the Spring weather East of the Mtns..

First Post

2007-07-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is all new for me. im pretty low tech. my friends would all agree that im the most technologically impaired person they know :) i decided to start this blog so i could have a profile attached to my name when i comment on other peoples' stuff! maybe at some point, ill feel that i have something important to share here- stay tuned.

i do actually have a website (should be linked to this page already!?): http://jennie.autarken.net/ it is travel diaries and photos from my 2006 6-month trip through Latin America. If you are interested in travel in that part of the world, check it out!! Im happy to answer any questions and would also love to hear from others who have experiences of Latin America to share!

thanks! js