La Chureca (blogging on Nica Time…aka: 5 days later…)
Hola! Although we’re currently in San Juan del Sur enjoying the beach, great coffee, and amazing espresso brownies at Gato Negro, I just wanted to leave a few thoughts and pictures from our experiences at NicaHOPE in Managua last week. Though many have posted about the dump and the experience of seeing people live there amidst all the trash, there is still a community and a feeling of life and hope in La Chureca. Manual, an employee of NicaHOPE as well as Mary and Luis, two other employees who lived in the dump, accompanied us through the dump and helped us find plants to take back to the Acahualica school. Even in all the trash, medical wastes, fires, plastics, and tires, seeds are still able to sprout. There were mango trees, small “olive trees” (not really olive trees in the America/European sense but trees nonetheless), and a variety of other indigenous plants that end up growing there after their seeds were brought in with the garbage. Digging with pieces of bone and putting the small plants in rusted paint cans and old cardboard boxes, we ended up with about 30 plants that we then planted around the sidewalk we built at the school as well in the school yard. While we were working at the school, we also hung white boards donated by our group. At the beginning of the week, the principal explained that it was difficult to teach classes of 40+ students without any way to present information visually on a blackboard. Though these improvements may seem small, it represents the hope and optimism for change that exists within the Nicaraguan people, especially those living and working in La Chureca.
Hope all is well back home. I know many are looking forward to returning in just 3 days…but it’s hard to believe our time in Nicaragua is just about over.
PS: Mom and Dad, still healthy and well…so no need for more gray hairs Mommy! Much love. -L
