I'm moving to BLUEFIELDS! Its located on the southeastern Carribbean coast of Nicaragua and is the capital of the southern autonomous region, R.A.A.S. I'm super happy and excited! Its a really interesting place because the culture there is completely different from the Pacific side of Nicaragua. It was used by Dutch and English pirates in the 16th and 17th centuries, hence how it got its non-spanish name. There are two additional languages spoken, Miskito and Creole English, and there are also people of African descent. The culture is definitely creole and I'm really looking forward to experiencing it and seeing the differences and similarities of the creole culture that I know in New Orleans.
Bluefields is very foreign to most Nicaraguans because of its inaccessibility. In order to get there from Managua, I have to take a 7 or so hour bus ride to a city on the Escondido River called El Rama, and then take a boat down the river, the rest of the way to Bluefields another 3 or so hours. Sounds like an an adventure, right? You could also fly, but Peace Corps won't pay for that. Traveling by boat is more fun anyway!
There is a lot of public health work to be done in Bluefields,especially in my sector. It had the highest number of maternal deaths last year and all but one were preventable. Because of this, I will be doing A LOT of promoting for the casas maternas.
Stay tuned for pictures because I am headed to Bluefields tomorrow morning and will stay until next Wednesday! Today at, "Counterpart Day" in Managua, I met my Nicaraguan counterpart and we discussed how I will spend the week getting to know my site. I'm super excited!
Shout out to NOLA on Mardi Gras Day
I hope everyone is having a glorious day in beautiful New Orleans! Yall are in my heart and soul. As for news from Nica...yesterday we were assigned our sites and you´ll NEVER guess where I´m going to live for the next two years. Stay tuned, I can´t post it on my blog until I´ve told my mom first :)
Ahuevo!
Ahuevo!
first care package received!
This morning when the white Peace Corps truck showed up with mail and meds, I could have hardly thought there would be something for me besides chloroquine. But guess what?! I didn’t just get my first piece of mail, I got my first package! And it’s from my friend Sally Caneer! The best-est friend ever! It was filled with things like delicious chocolates and nuts and Starbucks mocha hot chocolate mix! Oh my! And best of all, a beautifully handmade blouse from Kiribati. Its hot pink and I can’t wait to wear it. It will totally be a hit among the Nica ladies, for sure.
In case you are wondering, Kiribati is an island nation in the central Pacific Ocean. Sally was in the Peace Corps there a few years ago. Afterward, she got her Master of Public Health at Tulane and has since returned to work for the Ministry of Health there. She kept a blog called “Return to the Islands” that you can reach from this page under “Blogs I follow” in the right hand column. Now she is back stateside and is able to send fabulous packages to her newly deployed Peace Corps friend. Having been a volunteer herself, she really knows how to fill a care package. Thanks for the splash n’ go and the special potpourri! Yeah, you right.
I just can’t thank you enough. I love ya Sal!
More from San Ramón
The next stop was the World Vision office, which in the photo above has a guard sitting out front. It was a quite average looking place from the outside. I can’t wait until my friend Heather sees this. She is working for World Vision in Angola, Africa right now. She also keeps a GREAT blog about her interesting life and often posts about Public Health. You can reach her blog from this page by clicking on the link, A Minha Vida, under “Blogs I follow” in the right hand column.
And the breathtaking beauty against the turquoise backdrop is Natalie.
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