Nicaragua

La Mariposa

I had a wonderful experience at La Mariposa while I volunteered and took one-on-one Spanish classes. Paulette and the 3 interns, Ruth, Yuki and Sage, took me in as a "pre-intern", showing me all the projects that are fully running and others that are still in development. Here's a list of current projects:

• Santiago Town: grows organic veggies for La Mariposa and the community
• Ruben Dario: reading tutor program and library for community children
• Panama Escuela: funding and constructing new roof panels and broken down parts of school (due to sulfar from volcano Masaya); supply seeds to grow a farm on the property, building a playground and other projects that arise. 
• Study Center: developed from natural resources to house more La Mariposa students, planted 500 trees and garden so to attract butterflies. The horse farm is located here as well. 
• Community Center: if they find the owner of the abandoned building then La Mariposa will repair it (as per request of the locals) and will include "Casa Basica" (medical clinic, bakery, etc). 
• Santiago Reading Center: pays local tutors to go into homes and schools to read to children as an after-school program
• All Female/Locally Run Panaderia (Bakery): in the construction stages VIDEO
• Wildlife and Animal Rescue: rescued almost smuggled monkeys and birds on their way to the North. In Addition, La Mariposa and the farms are sheltering rescued dogs, cats, many species of birds, squirrels, rabbits, chickens, turkeys and horses. Shakira (the dog I spotted malnourished and starving at Panama Escuela) was rescued just recently.
• Local projects that pop up.

The faces of La Mariposa (I somehow managed to get in there too)

Every local in the communities near by La Mariposa know about the wonderful opportunities and projects that La Mariposa have done to support their community. The only persons who are paid at La Mariposa are locals (to work in the kitchen, transportation, housing students, construction, taking care of the animals, Spanish teachers, etc.). VIDEO 2 

I would like to personally thank Paulette for her dedication to the local communities of Nicaragua and to providing this opportunity for students from all over the world to come stay in an eco-friendly paradise to study Spanish. I want to thank the young professional interns, Ruth, Yuki and Sage, for their hard-work at La Mariposa - all three of them do an exceptionally fantastic job and have bright futures ahead! I also wish to thank my teacher, Marvin, for his amazing teaching skills, Gonzalo's family who took me in as their hija (daughter) and my pal, Oscar, who takes care of the animals at La Mariposa! It's hard work taking care of a small "zoo" but well worth every effort. Last but definitely not least, a huge thank you to my mentor and friend, Susan, for introducing me to La Mariposa! 

The day we rescued Shakira

My Family

Donate to Educate

For the Panama School, $55 went to school supplies (notebooks, paper, pencils, sharpeners and padlocks for classroom doors) and $117 went to repairing the school roof (4 roof panels, 40 screws, 2 quarts of sealant). In addition, $100 was donated to La Mariposa to help assist in their educational programs and wildlife rescue project. :)

Nicaraguan Spanish Slang Lesson

“No hay filla” (There are no problems)

“Vale la pena” (It is worth the pain)

Cultural Differences to bring into my Counseling Practice in the Future

·    -It is acceptable in some cultures for young children to sleep in the same bed with their parents (for safety and limited space purposes).

     -Some families find it acceptable to slap their children in public .

·    -Littering is still considered fine to do for some cultures.

I still find it quite difficult to have meaningful conversations in Spanish with others. I taught and practiced deep breathing with a man to help him with his recent episode of insomnia after his surgery. Then I had a conversation with a psychology student from Nica and I tried to explain possible family solutions for children with symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder...I failed at explaining because of my limited language abilities.

Saying “Gracias”

For all cultures that I have had the pleasure to live in and to explore – it is kosher to say “thank you / gracias” when someone gives or shares. No one is owed anything in life so appreciate others’ kindness when they show it (this goes for locals and travelers). Let’s all not forget our manners. :) 

Photos of Nicaragua Travel

Granada

Isla de Ometepe

Ojo de Agua

Cave bats in Isla de Solentiname

Isla de Solentiname

Free and delicious tamales

Saint holiday in San Juan de Oriente

Laguna de Apoyo

Playa Madera

San Juan del Sur

Salvadorian travel buddies

Travel Update

Almost 2 months on the road now. I love Central America so much that I’ve changed my plans to continue to explore its natural and cultural wonders. After this month of Costa Rica and Panama I'll head north to see places that were missed and others that have been recommended to me (including Honduras).   

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“I hope the world brings us together again one day...” Passing traveler.