Meeting inspiring people

So the United States does not necessarily have a history of youth respecting their elders. It’s not part of our culture, or lack there of. I have always admired my grandparents. My grandma Pearl was the most elegant woman I’ve known. Grandma Skip, she’s a spitfire, the matriarch, and at almost 90 years old she might be more active than me. Grandpa Harry is quite the character; he’s got strong opinions and a strong will. Even with these influences in my life, I can’t say I’ve been put too much thought into respecting my elders.
This Peace Corps experience is certainly expanding my outlook. There are four older volunteers in my group of 33 that arrived in May. And as some of the young folks have left for a variety of reasons, these four are holding strong. And they amaze me. One left behind his wife, his life, to follow his dream. Their courage and motivation are immense.
In this past week, I have connected with 3 older (older than me that is, not retirees just yet, I’m thinking late 50s early 60s in age, I just can’t think of a less loaded word than “old”) people. One woman just came on vacation with a Nicaraguan friend of hers. And she fell in love with the place. And road in the bed of a pickup truck. Her exact quote is that coming to Nicaragua is “better than Disney.” And no offense Allie and Pam, but I agree :P She also introduced me to someone who she was helping with English. As she left, I have taken over. He’s really bright, and we’re working on pronunciation, because that seems like the hardest part for most people studying English here. Many times even if people speak some English, I can’t understand a word they say because of pronunciation problems. So that’s a new side project I’ve started. I enjoy working one on one with someone, it’s a nice break from working with classes of 30-40 students.
I also had the pleasure of meeting a couple who has been coming to Jinotega every summer for the past few years working with an NGO called Círculo de Amigas. They are so motivated, and have done a ton for the community this NGO works in. Though from California, I must say I’d have pegged them for Midwesterners, maybe from Minnesota. Pretty unsuspecting. People who I could definitely see sponsoring a child in a foreign country, but maybe have never and will never leave the U.S. And I would be WRONG. They wore fanny packs and spoke broken Spanish, but the love and caring that they have for this organization and the people it supports is just incredible. They are definitely not in it for the tax write-off. One of their projects that I found particularly interesting is the films they make about the projects Círculo de Amigos is involved with. Starting as a video to give to donors showing where their money was going, the project has grown. They train kids (~10yrs to 17) to use all of the equipment they have, cameras, lighting, etc. And the kids help write the scripts. And they are of course the stars. These short films have won awards at film festivals and have been shown on Nicaraguan television. Can you imagine the excitement of a 12 year old Nicaraguan (and they work with children in a very very poor area), being trusted with expensive equipment, seeing themselves on TV?
And they completely welcomed me into their enthusiasm. Through them I will be starting two new and exciting projects. This organization works with a group of women who crochet recycled plastic bags into beautiful purses (they really are great, I just bought one, and not just because I’m a hippy peace corps volunteer, the stylish New Yorker in me took the lead on that decision). Right now their processes are a little sluggish and expensive, and hopefully I can provide some help by bringing some ideas to make it more efficient.
Now, this next project I am the most excited about. Just the most. The details haven’t been worked out yet, but hopefully by the end of September, maybe October I will start to teach a ballet class to the young girls in the organization! EEEEP! I’m kvelling. I need to start investigating the possibilities of getting a ballet barre made. But in reality, one of the best aspects of this is that no additional resources are needed. The girls can take the class in socks, or barefoot. And most of the names of positions and moves are in French anyway, so the pressure of translating shouldn’t be too heavy. I have the entire nutcracker soundtrack on my computer, so that is a place to start, but here is a:
***CALL TO ACTION*** If you have some time and would like to download or purchase a CD of ballet class music to send to me, that would be AWESOME. Sending it in a padded envelop shouldn’t be too expensive. I have a new address, a PO box here, check the side bar →.
So anyway. I’m feeling rejuvenated by the energy these older people, (guh, people with more life experience? Professionals? If you asked me to describe them, I wouldn’t say old.) have brought to Jinotega.