Drought

We wrote a post last year about el Niño and its effects on the climate in Nicaragua, in particular the lack of rain. Our teammates, Seth and Sarah Hays, are working in a region most gravely affected by the drought. Here's a post that gives more information about consequences of drought in rural Nicaragua.

Saturday outings

The last 2 weekends we've taken some day trips, taking advantage of the few Saturdays a year when Alan doesn't have class. Last week we went to a private nature reserve with our friends Martin and Lily. Simon loved riding on our backs in the sling. He also enjoyed walking around in the dirt. We saw an owl, some monkeys, and a really great view from Managua to Masaya. This past weekend we went to Granada for the day, visiting with a young guy who will likely spend next year volunteering in the US. We met his family and ate a yummy lunch of chicken and rice. We then dropped by a few other friends' houses, as we don't get to Granada very often.

This next Saturday starts the academic year for Alan, which means that he's got class pretty much every weekend from now until the end of November. We're glad for a chance to have some Saturday getaways!

Simon's presents

Things Simon received for his 1^st birthday:

-A puzzle whose packaging advertises (in English): “Surprised piece, stimulate, like to play, be full of your brain cell all the time and all!”

-A little plastic cement truck with another English promotional slogan: “Safety and Environmental: They are the most popular styles”

-A tank top reading “Soy el consentido de mi popito RIMD WONO Run Run!” ?????

-Another tank top, blue and white with silver glittery stars that says “Fashion”

-This isn’t a birthday gift, but these gifts go nicely with a washcloth we have for Simon that says, “Boo Boo Boy: Hubbaboo always gives. Boo Boo Boy a hard time but they are best friends.”

-At least a dozen bottles of some kind of baby shampoo or cologne (to add to our store of the dozen or so we received before he was born). Are people trying to tell us that he smells bad?

-A ceramic decorative bowl

-A couple things wrapped in gift bags that say: “Delta—fly with a snack”

-A purple iridescent wall hanging of the cross/crown of thorns with a sentimental Christian poem

Simon's Nicaraguan birthday bash

We threw a big birthday bash for Simon's first birthday this past Sunday. It was pretty much expected of us - folks have been asking us if we would have a piñata for Simon since he was about 3 months old. There was pretty much no way around having a big celebration and inviting a bunch of kids. And we figured the sooner it was over, the better!

So we made a list of all the neighborhood kids, church kids, and MCC friend kids who would want/expect an invitation. The number approached 50, and we certainly hoped that not all 50 kids would show up. We then set to work planning. Nicaraguan birthday parties must include a piñata filled with candy - fortunately our neighbors volunteered to provide this. Then there's the food - people expect a good birthday food like pork rinds w/ yucca or a special rice/chicken combo, served with juice. And of course there's cake & soda to top it off. Oh, and don't forget the party games and favors. :-) The only thing we planned on skipping was the loud music. Nicaraguan parties are notorious for their bone-jarring music, something we thought we could go without.

Another neighbor drew us a poster for the pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey game (see photo below). We hired a local restaurant to make the food, and we purchased 2 cakes at a local big box retailer (the best store-made cakes in town, in our opinion).

Then we set about having a party. A number of kids attended the pre-party party, coloring a big banner that read "Happy Birthday Simon!" They also drew special pictures for Simon to decorate the walls (see the first photo below). We rented chairs and decorated our garage with the kids' art and balloons. Oh, and our plans about a music-free party? Not a chance. Our neighbors felt sorry for us and set up their speakers in our garage. We ended up with some pretty inappropriate reaggaton dance music shaking the walls of the house.

Then the kids came. Some kids that we invited didn't show up, while some kids who didn't receive an invitation did. We estimate that about 40 kids attended, as well as about 40 adults. Yes, 80 people for Simon's birthday! We played Simon Says, Pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, hot potato, and musical chairs. Before the piñata, we had a chance to share Simon's testimony - that we nearly lost the pregnancy but that we believe God heard our prayers for healing and protection. The name Simon means "God hears," and we shared with the kids that every time they say Simon's name, it's a reminder that God does hear us. After this we prayed a special blessing for Simon.

Then pandemonium with the piñata. Simon didn't want to touch it, but the other kids happily beat the bunny-shaped piñata into an unrecognizable mass of newspaper and streamers. Of course some kids cried because the didn't get any candy or got barreled over in the rush.

We had just enough food, juice, cake, and soda. Everyone went home feeling pretty good (we think) that the gringos didn't do too bad a job with the party after all. And perhaps the best thing - Beth had written and printed a little coloring book as a party favor for all the kids. It was a big hit. Simon had a relatively good time, although he slept through half the party. And we've decided that we're not throwing a birthday party for 80 people for a very long time. :-)

Back in Nicaragua

To all of our blog-reading faithful, we wanted to let you know that we are back in Nicaragua and will start up our blog postings again. We spent 2 wonderful months in the US visiting friends and family and chose not to blog during those weeks. We returned last week for our fourth year of service with Mennonite Central Committee. Check back regularly for updates!

Thanks for reading,

Alan, Beth, and Simon

La Purisima

Once again our street was alive with celebration on the night of Dec. 7. La Purisima is the celebration of Mary's mother's conception of Mary, which according to Catholic doctrine was also by the Holy Spirit. Some people set up altars to Mary and invite people to come and sing. They then give away gifts such as oranges, rice, cups, bowls, sugar, toys, etc. to the singers. Other people go from street to street carrying sacks and little song books, collecting as much free stuff as they can. Fireworks add sporadic excitement, with particular pyrotechnic displays at 6 p.m. and again at midnight. The following videos show our neighbors' altar and the festivities, as well as part of the midnight fireworks. Simon slept through the whole thing...we're not quite sure how.

pre-dawn parade

We wrote last year about the Purisima, the biggest holiday celebration in Nicaragua. The Purisima celebrates Mary's conception (when her mother conceived her). The Purisima is on Dec. 7-8, but the nine days leading up to it are filled with pre-dawn celebrations that involve statues of the Virgin parading through neighborhoods, accompanied by crowds, brass bands, fireworks, and other assundry loud things. Sleep is impossible, so you might as well get up and see what all the racket is about.

Yesterday the Virgin passed by our house. The music started at 4:45 a.m., and our neighbors mingled and lit a few fireworks for about 45 minutes before the real action started. Around 5:30 several kids ran down the street shouting, "The Virgin is coming! The Virgin is coming!" Sure enough, several hundred people rounded the corner escorting a statue of the Virgin on a litter. Our next door neighbors brought out a huge painting of Mary so that the parading Mary could stop in and say hello. The videos capture a little bit of the fun on our street yesterday morning.