Mandy’s El Sauce Experience

Even though my six-week experience in El Sauce, Nicaragua in the summer of 2009 happened almost two years ago, it feels like it were yesterday that I was sitting in our oficina for the first time, being handed a list of possible projects to work on, and deciding what I wanted to be involved in while there.  The programs I worked on, the people I got to know, my host family, and excursions to other parts of Nicaragua all amounted to one of the greatest experience in my life.  My time in El Sauce taught me so much about the people and culture of the area, but it also taught me a lot about myself and has helped me to focus in on what is really important in life.

Below are some highlights of programs I was involved in.

Ecotourism project:

            One program I was involved in was an ecotourism project.  I worked with the ecotourism cooperative Los Altos de Ocotal-El Sauce, which is comprised of members from Ocotal’s mountain communities of Las Minitas and Cerro Colorado.  It had recently been given a $10,000 grant in early May, 2009, from the Millennium Challenge Corporation which allowed it to have the means to really get started.

            One of the main projects I was involved in was the planting of a garden around the newly-built restaurant for the use of the ecotourism cooperative.  Before planting the garden, I met with a Peace Corps volunteer who taught me basics about plants and gardening techniques for the type of climate I would be working with.  When I attended my first cooperative meeting, we created a “garden group” of about 8 people that would be involved in designing and planting the garden.  In order to get a good idea of what to aim for with the garden, we took a trip to the city of Estelí to a restaurant called La Casita which has a beautiful, large garden surrounding it.  We got great ideas of what kinds of plants would work well and the style that would be good around our restaurant.  Then we proceeded to a nearby nursery where we purchased beautiful flowers and trees which we planted in our garden the following week.  The trip was a huge success, and afterwards, the planting process really made me close with the members of the garden group.   I felt my time with them was worthwhile and that my opinions on what plants to buy and where to plant them were definitely taken into consideration- so much so that at times the members formed an idea and proposed it to me asking specifically if I thought it was a good plan.  By the time the garden was finished being planted, the members were calling me “Amandita,” which made me feel like my opinions were truly valued and that I had been accepted into their community.

Another major part of the project that I worked on was evaluations of potential host families.  Kellan, Irene (a Peace Corps volunteer involved with the cooperative) and I walked around to potential host family houses and evaluated them based on how ready their houses were to have guests stay there.  These evaluations were not only informative for the cooperative, but they also taught me a lot about life in the mountains.  I got an up-close-and-personal view of the real living conditions of these people and was amazed by the generosity they showed despite their lack of many things which Americans consider essential to everyday life.  We then reported our findings to the cooperative at the next meeting so they could make an informed decision on which houses were most ready for tourists and would therefore be given new mattresses, pillows, blankets, and other supplies necessary for a tourist to stay comfortably.

            After about four weeks of involvement in the program, the other 7 volunteers from New York and I stayed in Ocotal with the potential host families that I had interviewed, and we basically acted as guinea pigs of a weekend stay that the cooperative planned for tourists.  We did everything a tourist would be able to do: we took a guided hike up to a great look-out point where a mariachi band serenaded us, we took a tour of a coffee farm on horse-back, we learned how to make tortillas, and we stayed with a host family.  It was one of the most amazing experiences I had in Nicaragua because I was able to see what I had been working on be put into action, not to mention getting to know the amazing host family I stayed with and their day-to-day routines. 

Yo Sí Puedo:

            Another program I was involved in was an adult literacy program called “Yo Sí Puedo.”  The “Yo Sí Puedo” program is designed for Nicaraguan adults that never had the opportunity to attend school as children because they had to work in order to help sustain their families.  It is a chance for them to become literate and learn what they would have learned in school.  For this program, I traveled every afternoon to a nearby village called San José to work in a classroom of level 2 “Yo Sí Puedo” students, which are adults learning the equivalent of about second or third grade materials.  I helped the teacher go over materials in a book provided by MinEd, the Ministry of Education, which included reading, science, and math.

Before and after class, I also had the opportunity of tutoring three different students in their homes who couldn’t make it to class because they had to watch their children or because they had to work during class time.  One of the women I tutored constantly told me how thankful she was that she was given the chance to learn and to have somebody like me to help her achieve her goals.  Her passion for learning was truly amazing, especially given her circumstances- she was a mother of three whose husband had gone to a different country to find work and would hopefully return with money to help better their family.  I really felt like I was making a difference in her life, and her thankfulness and drive made a difference in mine, teaching me to appreciate things that I often took for granted.

English Class:

            The last project that I regularly participated in was the advanced English class taught by Yacarely and Kellan.  English class was a perfect end to every day- a group of adults ages 17 and up gathered to learn English by doing fun activities, hands-on games, and singing songs that really made them practice their speaking, reading, and writing skills.  English class was so fun because of the games and funny things that were said, but also because the students were there because they truly wanted to be, and helping them to learn was very fulfilling.  They wanted nothing more than to learn English so that they could be exposed to greater opportunities in their lives, and I wanted nothing more than to see them be successful in their goals.  After 6 weeks I could really see a difference in certain students, and I also grew very close to the people in my class.  They are the people that I still keep in touch with today, even after almost two years, and I can’t wait to see them again someday.

My six weeks in El Sauce was one of the most amazing experiences in my life, and I am proud to see what has been happening since I’ve left.  I love telling people about my time there, and I can’t wait until I return some day.  I know that everyone who visits El Sauce will feel the same overwhelming sense of welcome and adventure that I did, and will leave knowing that they have found a new family in a little village in Central America.

-Amanda Sopchak

May 17, 2009 - June 27, 2009

My Experience in El Sauce - Thomas Seeger, January - February 2011

            I arrived in El Sauce on the 7^th of January, 2011. I came with a group called “Four Walls,” a small non-profit that builds houses for El Sauce’s poorest families. The people I met in Four Walls were some of the best people I have ever met. It was truly a pleasure to have gotten to know them and worked with them. We spent four days building houses and then went in a pick-up truck to Ocotal, a nearby village community situated on a mountain overlooking the coastal plane. As the pick-up truck struggled to make its way up the mountain you could notice the change in temperature and the transition from deciduous trees to pine needle forests. We spent the afternoon staring out over the distance from the top of Ocotal to Lake Managua, two volcanoes, and El Sauce down below and relaxing at the Ocotal visitors’ center. After a couple more days working on houses we went down to Las Penitas, a beach not far from Léon. On the 18^th of January I said goodbye to the four walls people and returned to El Sauce to start my work with Enlace. 

            Enlace is a not-for-profit economic development organization in El Sauce, Nicaragua. At night they teach English classes for adults, and during the day they promote some businesses and tourism to El Sauce. As an Enlace volunteer I taught an English class for kids, aged 7-11. They were great kids, very eager and enthusiastic and always wanting to play a game. They learned a lot in the short time I was there, as did I. I finished my work with Enlace on the fifteenth of January and headed back home on the 16^th.

            I’d say that some of the best times I had in El Sauce were working with Kellan and Yacarely, the directors of Enlace and teaching the children English. I also really enjoyed working with the Four Walls people. Building houses was really fun and rewarding and the new owners were extremely helpful and grateful for our work. I also enjoyed spending time after-hours at El Sauce’s bars and restaurants with the Four Walls people. Another highlight of my trip was going to Las Penitas, but the nearby towns of Léon and Matagalpa also offered exciting weekend excursions. Probably my worst experience in El Sauce was drinking a glass of unpasteurized milk and spending the whole day vomiting. But generally speaking everything else you eat is fine and at 30 cordobas ($1.50) an entrée the prices are good, and with 42 days of continuous sunshine, the weather is even better.

            I would highly recommend El Sauce. It is cheap, but not destitute. It is out of the way enough to be a genuine Nicaraguan experience, yet close enough to the other cities to offer easy access. It is not mobbed with tourists, yet there are always at least a few visitors there to meet. It’s friendly, welcoming, and very safe. I will be going there again soon.
 

 Singing the ABC Song to the Children's English Class:

  

At Cerro Negro Volcano:

Bennett Marano's Experience - Summer 2010

          We drove through what felt like a monsoon to arrive in El Sauce around midnight on May 23^rd. I remember hopping out of the van with my luggage, and walking to the door of my host family’s home with Kellan- all in a failed attempt to not get wet. My host mother, Sara, greeted me- it was clear she had been awoken from the knocking. She handed me an umbrella and walked me back to my room. She asked me a few questions, and that’s when she and I both had a similar realization: the language barrier was going to be extreme.

          I knew ZERO Spanish upon arriving in Nicaragua. After three days there I found myself constantly wondering, “What was I thinking?” I left my air-conditioned house in upstate New York for the muggy, rainy season of rural Nicaragua. I was uncomfortable, I was sweaty, and I had practically been debarked by this language barrier. In short, I realized very quickly that I was in over my head. On the fifth night I emailed home to my parents. What began as a quick “hello from Nicaragua” soon turned into a panicked letter requesting a plane ticket home. Before I could send it, however, I was interrupted by my young host siblings and their friends from across the street. I will be forever grateful for that interruption.

          Instead of sending that desperate plea of an email, I closed the Internet window and joined the kids for a game of kickball out in the street. My mood and perspective was forever impacted on that night. I have a handful of kids between the ages of four and eight to thank for that.

          My work in Nicaragua included creating promotional materials for Enlace’s “Sauce Tours”, fixing up the patio behind the office, and working to build hiking trails for the “Los Altos De Ocotal” initiative. Of these tasks, I learned the most from my time in Ocotal. Living in the mountains of Nicaragua was unlike anything I could’ve ever imagined. My photos document the beautiful sunrises, and my journal remains littered in dirt from the blind puppy who was all too excited by my offer of a granola bar. It’s those memories that made Ocotal such an amazing experience. It was tough- I’m in no way an “outdoorsy” person, but when I look back on it, I appreciate those days so much. It was a break from reality, a time to live off the grid, and reflect on my life- where I had been, and where I was going.

          Working in the English class was truly a great opportunity, as well. I’ve never interacted with such a genuinely kind group of people. Regardless of whether or not I knew their language, they welcomed myself and the other volunteers with open arms. They wanted to learn more than just our language; they wanted to know about our lifestyles, our families, and where we came from. On June 17^th, the night before my birthday, the English class surprised me with a party complete with cake, ice cream, and all the fixings. That night I remember thinking, “What lead me here?” I would’ve never expected to celebrate my 20^th birthday in a small Nicaraguan town, but I had, and I am so grateful for it.

          Our final two weeks in El Sauce flew by. Before I knew it, I was loading my luggage into the van for our trip back to the capital city. As we pulled out of town, I kept turning to face out the rear window- as if trying to get that last image of El Sauce engrained in my memory.

           It’s rare that a day goes by where I don’t find myself thinking of my six weeks in Central America. Nicaragua has taught me how small we truly are in the scheme of things, and just how much the world has to offer. I’ll be forever grateful for the people I met, and all that they have taught me.

In Front of Enlace Office:

- Bennett Morano, Summer 2010

Ernie Hinman's Experiences in El Sauce - Summer 2006

From July 6, 2006 to August 10, 2006, my colleague Kellan Morgan and I studied abroad in the city of El Sauce, Nicaragua for graduate credit through SUNY Geneseo.  However, “study” abroad cannot properly explain what we did. Our stay was part of a larger continuing project at Geneseo with one main goal in mind: the sustainable modern economic development of the city of El Sauce.  Our first role at the initial stage of the project was to improve education in the city by teaching free courses in English and Business Administration.  I taught two business courses to forty students, ranging from age fifteen to forty, for four weeks with the help of an interpreter.  When teaching, I applied my four years of business management and economics education at Geneseo into the curriculum.   

Our second more important role was to institutionalize the study abroad program to make it as easy as possible to bring more Geneseo students to teach in the future.  This involved locating a classroom, interested students, lodging, supplies, transportation, networking contacts, meal plans, and establishing a physical office for the program.  Our tasks were daunting considering that we were the first Geneseo students sent to El Sauce.  Meanwhile, living in a tropical climate where electricity and running water were available half of the time was humbling.  Teaching my students was the most fulfilling work I have done in my life thus far.  When I first arrived in Nicaragua I wondered if I had made the right decision in coming.  However, by the time I left El Sauce I was sad to leave and I wished that I could have stayed longer.

In the week before departing for law school in fall of 2006, I co-authored a fifty page paper which explained our research findings, suggested solutions for economic and social improvement, and made recommendations for establishing an externship/study abroad program at Geneseo.  The day before my first law school class, Kellan Morgan and I presented our findings to the President of Geneseo, the provost, the dean of the business school, the director of study abroad programs, several professors from different departments, and members of the local community.  The future of the program rested squarely on our shoulders.  We stressed, first and foremost, how important the program was to the well-being of El Sauce, and secondly, how important it was for future Geneseo students to experience international “service learning” before entering the workplace.  Then we urged the administration to fund the project long into the future.  My trip to Nicaragua solidified my interest in studying law. 

The experience of juggling so many tasks in a foreign environment made me an attractive candidate to law school.  In addition, the experience bolstered my confidence in taking on new tasks in law school and assists in my career as an attorney today.

Highlights:

·      Playing soccer and baseball with the local niños:

    

·      Establishing Geneseo’s first office at the Governor’s building, and interacting with the Governor of El Sauce:

    

·      Awards assembly for students:

    

·      Visiting one of Nicaragua’s beautiful sites, Laguna De Apoyo: