HIV, sequins, and guns...how do these all fit together?

They are all mentioned in this post, that´s how.

First of all, I´m going to be whiny. Do you ever have those times when you turn in a paper that you can´t believe you wrote because you feel so terrible about it? Well, that´s how I feel right now. We had to write a 4-6 page comparative essay on Nicaragua and El Salvador, and I had absolutely no idea what to write about - there was so much information about the two countries yet so little detail to use. We also had the option to write in English or Spanish, and I was ridiculous enough to decide to challenge myself to write in español. OY. Take my advice - never write a paper that you wouldn´t feel comfortable writing in English in another language as it will just make you feel more useless!

Now that we are done with that rant, let´s get down to business.

On Tuesday, I finally met with my advisor for my ISP at Xochiquetzal to discuss my project, and I am SO EXCITED. Her name is Patricia González, and she is a psychologist who has been working with the organization for 12 years. She also told me about another organization that she helped develop called the Asociación de Nicaragüenses de Personas Positivas Luchando por la Vida (ANICP+VIDA) that focuses all their work on support for people living with HIV. She said that I will be spending most of my time shadowing her while she visits and helps individuals, couples, and families affected by HIV. In addition, I will probably be attending the Thursday afternoon support groups at ANICP+VIDA, visiting hospitals to see the government programs provided, developing support protocol for other psychologists, and maybe even help build ANICP+VIDA. It is kind of crazy because all Patricia knows about me is that I am a psychology student from a university in the United States and she is already giving me so much responsibility. It is such a new feeling - in the United States, I feel like I am valued for what I can´t do because I don´t yet have my B.A. or a masters or whatever other experience an organization may require, but here I am cherished for my interest and what I can and will do. This coming month is going to be intense, but I am too excited for words.


A shout out to my dear Pirate Club that I miss with the fire of ten kagillion suns:

On Monday morning, my mom and I went to the Mercado Oriental to buy fabric to make traditional folkloric dance costumes so that we can perform together in the closing ceremony of our program. I was extremely skeptical about this little adventure especially because my sewing skills are not yet up to par for this kind of project. I can say this considering that my sewing resume consists solely of a t-shirt and shorts I made in 3rd grade, a flower bouquet for the fall play (note: there was no real sewing involved in this project), a hat for the winter play, and two quilts that I made during short term...but I went to the market anyways, thinking that I might as well try, laugh at myself when I completely failed, then come crawling back to the Bates costume shop in January to beg Kathy to reteach me everything I learned last year.

When we arrived at the market I couldn´t believe my eyes...my darling pirates, you would have fainted. There were rows and rows of fabric stores down the street of the outdoor market with rows and rows and rooms and rooms of fabrics and adornments and everything shiny and colorful that you could possibly want to make absolutely anything. I left the mall of fabrics with 18 dollars worth of supplies to create my own traditional costume...but that was the easy part. Then I actually had to do it.

That night, my mom and I made the blouse for the costume, the Nicaraguan way. I am a disgrace to the costume shop for what I did, but I had to do it because it was the only way. We took t-shirts and placed them on our satin without pins, then traced them with blackboard chalk. After, we cut the "pattern" using dull scissors that couldn´t even cut paper, then did the other side in a similar fashion. Next, we brought out the sewing machine and I surprised myself by successfully threading the bobbin on a machine I had no clue how to use. Finally, I did the sketchiest part - I attempted to sew my fraying, asymmetrical satin on the machine I didn´t understand. Fearfully, I took the shirt off the machine, cut all the loose thread (just for you Kathy!), and put it on, hoping that I didn´t look like a complete idiot. Much to my surprise, my mom screamed, "¡Que linda!" (How beautiful!) because it actually fit. Wow. Luckiest day of my life.

Since then, I have been sewing sequins and adornments on the shirt which is supposed to sparkle to the point of blindness, and I am pleased to say that under the circumstances, I successfully sewed a shirt. Now on to the skirt and hat!


Last bit of news for this update:

Yesterday afternoon, as a part of the Culture of Peace module of our history class, we visited the Parque de la Paz that Violeta Barrios de Chamorro built at the end of the war in Nicaragua. This is what we saw there. Can you tell what the things are that are sticking out of this wall?


Answer: GUNS. Doña Violeta had all the weapons of the war dumped into a pit covered in cement to bury them, signifying the end of the armed war. It was an incredible sight. Below is a tank that was also covered with cement at the park.


Isn´t that nuts?

Anyways, I have about four minutes left at the internet café, so I am going to sign off before I get into trouble. I hope everyone is having a wonderful day, and I am missing you all SO much!

Love,
Nicole