Torches, Cards, and the ‘ship

So it’s been awhile since the last update, and I’ve managed to keep busy these past few weeks with Peace Corps projects, as well as small personal goals and personal fun. I’ll get to both of those in due time.

What was the big news this past weekend, was the despedida of the business group before mine, SBD 53. Despedida means farewell, and practically every single member of SBD 53, as well as their Aggie counterparts, made it from their sites scattered across the country to reunite one final time, before parting ways. Maybe for ever. Amongst taking advantage of our final days together and enjoying the occasional Tona, those of us from 56 who attended starting talking about what their departure meant. We came to the conclusion that this departure more than anything, that marks the end of an era, and the start of a new phase in our, in my peace corps experience. When I first got here a year ago, these were the guys that we all kind of looked up to in awe. There Spanish sounded flawless, they had adjusted to the culture (seemingly), and had a huge knowledge of the in’s and out’s of Nicaragua. They were experienced volunteers, and people to look up to as young, naive volunteers, and rightfully so. But now, those folks are about to suddenly and quickly leave us on our own, to fend for ourselves after going to them for the past year for help and advice. So at the end of the weekend, those final good byes and handshakes were more than just good byes and handshakes, they were a passing of the torch. No longer are we the young guns, unsure of our role here, with heads full of naive thoughts.  Unknowingly, we have transformed into the “wise”, older volunteers for better or for worse. Being on the other side of a year in country, it’s now us who are expected to give advice instead of take it, and be examples for the new group. Does the new group, who arrived three weeks ago think that? Are we ready for that sort of responsibility? Am I ready for that? I think so, but only time will tell.

We also got to talking about the impact we have had on our community in the past nine months of being in site. Remember that our first three months were spent in training towns in a different part of the country. It was interesting to hear that a lot of us independently arrived at the same conclusion, which is something I would never have guessed myself saying upon landing in Nicaragua. At the beginning of your service, everyone thinks they are about to change the world in varying degrees. I distinctly remember a conversation about this point exactly that I had with two of my male volunteer friends on night one in Paebanic. But it just isn’t that simple, changing the world and all. The reality is that you probably won’t see the full extent of the impact you make on your community, mainly because we’re not here long enough. It’s hard to tell and judge what you have done in one, or even two years time. There is something more important than time, however. The willingness of the community to change, and the willingness to want to work for that change is what are truly important. You may be the best, brightest and most outgoing volunteer in the world, but if you’re community doesn’t want change, or isn’t willing to work for it, it’s all for naught. You can push and push and push, but if those around don’t believe it, what chance do your initiatives have of sticking once you’re no longer there to push? If the community or individuals are not there to help you out, than ultimately our work is not sustainable, and will collapse. So when working within our community’s we’ve all sort of noticed the same thing: The name of the game is quality of the interactions, more so than the quantity and sheer numbers. Not everyone wants change or believes that there is a need for change, and although we may think otherwise, that’s not for us to decide. They need to decide on our own. So after a year, I’ve realized how much more important it is to focus on those who want to work for that change, to improve the situation of not just themselves, but also those around them. I still need to, and will continue to, make an effort to all those around me, but with a greater emphasis on those who want to work with me. You can only play the cards your dealt.

On a lighter note, two things of note have happened in the past week.

1. My futbol club has made it to the finals of the league which I helped to create down here. We play next week against our cross time rivals, in what should most definitely be an exciting game. And what’s more word has gotten out about the league, and there is supposedly interest from 5 more teams. If that’s true, next season, which would start in July, the number of teams would double in size. That’s 100% growth!
2. I decided to get my hands dirty, act like an Aggie, and sow a garden (huerto) in my backyard. I spent a few afternoons last week digging up a new garden bed, adding better soil from my own compost pile, and sowing seeds. I have no idea what I’m doing, so it’s essentially just one big experiment. I started off round one with tomato, asparagus, cilantro, basil, spinach, and watermelon. Although I’m starting to think I started a little too late in the rainy season. I walked out back today after a day full of rain, to find my little huerto practically underwater. At least I won’t have to water tomorrow.