Mercado, Massaya, and Mom

Mom and I looking out over the volcano.

Taking pictures of the lagoon

We found some traditional dancers in the street.   Mom and Kathya got a picture with them.

Singing for The Virgin

An Altar to the Virgin Mary, built outside this home 

Hundreds of people were dashing about in the street to get in lines. Statues of the Virgin were in the front rooms and patios of many houses surrounded by caroling children.December 7^th in the Catholic calendar marks the Conception of the Virgin Mary. In Nicaragua, homes open their doors to waves of singing families to honor the Holy Mother. If you’ve wanted to get a good example of how much Roman Catholics from Latin America venerate Mary, you’ll never find a bigger show than Purisima night.

Last year, I was living in a very Protestant town at the time of the celebrations, so I never really got the chance to see how big a party it was.

Kathya and her family went all out in
getting gifts to give away to the carolers.

Preparations began months in advance. My fiancé’s family home is one of about a dozen houses that host the events in her tiny Carazo town. Everywhere up until the date, her parents were buying huge amounts of small plastic containers and filling them with candy and small toys. An entire room in her house was being occupied by the volume of Purisima gifts.
The days before had little celebrations in some houses. One night we went to one and a traditional Fireworks Bull was lit. The game is that someone runs with the bull trying to get sparks on the others. Children, mainly boys, run up to try and get as close as possible before having to run away from the rampaging fire beast.
Finally the day came. My mom flew in from home the night before, so she was able to share in the big event. We spent the morning preparing the last bits of the decorations and adorning the Virgin’s altar in patio. By night fall, the children had come in from all over and outside of the town. They would come in in groups to sing in front of the statue and afterwards they would shout, “Quien causa tanta alegría?” To which all would yell, including my mom, “La Concepción de María!”

I thought it was odd that people were receiving tons of cups, so I asked Kathya why they use them. She explained that the tradition began in the city of Leon. There, the people used to hand out gifts in tiny colored baskets. Some places still hold onto this basket tradition.

“We buy the cups because it’s more economic.” Kathya said. “They are also very useful in the house. The people really like them.”

Finally, the night won over the festive singing and the people migrated back to their homes. I’ve heard a lot of volunteers refer to Purissima as the combination of Halloween and Christmas.
Personally, I saw something that deserves to be in a category on its own. It was much more about religion than Halloween and very ritualistic compared Christmas. Purisima is a purely Nica celebration, and not one to be missed.

ECO Camp - July 2012

English Creates Opportunities (ECO) Camp was created by the U.S. Embassy for rural Nicaraguan kids who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford a weeklong camp studying English. For several months we promoted the camp and designed classes.

Half of the counselors at the ECO Camp were Peace Corps Volunteers and the other half were Nicaraguan teachers. This made it more similar to the normal classes that I teach in my service.  

U.S. Embassy events are much more student-oriented, though, trying to give more opportunities to Nicaraguan youth as well as improve relations between the two countries.  So few Nicaraguan children have ever experienced a camp setting. So when their week was complete, there were so many tears.

The Counselors of ECO Camp 

July 2012

Classes were divided into a few categories:

• Environmental Studies - learning about the problems of pollution and littering. They learned about biodiversity and ecosystems.
• Cultural Studies - primarily talked about cultural diversity, comparing aspects of countries around the world with the U.S. and Nicaragua
• Civics - comparing the structures of American and Nicaraguan governments. 

Another favorite activity was the Reading Club. We sat in rocking chairs on the patio and took turns reading paragraphs from Tom Sawyer in English. Then, as a group, we discussed different aspects each evening.

I taught the American Civics class, We talked about elections and held one of our own! The students campaigned for the office of President, created platforms about real Nicaraguan issues, and then everyone voted. It was lots of fun for everyone! The kids loved it!

I got really good reviews, which leads me to believe I was on the right track!!

I loved being part of this camp and would really like to try to help create more camps like this for the Nicaraguan youth. They were so excited to learn and experience everything we had to offer. 

It was an enormously gratifying experience!