Felicidades

So big news all, I'm officially a volunteer now. We swore in yesterday and it has been an exciting couple of days. Thursday we went to the US embassy and met with Robert Downes the ambassador currently in place until the new one is found. A nice Texan man. Felt pretty official. I'll admit I experienced a touch of culture shock in the bathroom, it felt like we were back in the states.. an automatic flushing toilet?! The building looks and feels just like you are in DC.

Coming into the Peace Corps I knew of the legacy and that the program had been around for 50 years. In addition to Peace Corps being active for 50 years, the program in Nicaragua has been around for 30 years. This year has been an especially interesting year to swear in as a volunteer. I had no idea that we would be the ones that would actually be associated with the anniversary. My training class (Nica 56) was able to be a part the 50 year celebration. Looking back at all that has been accomplished is really motivating as I start my service.

After the ceremony, we were invited to the house of Daniel Ortega, the president! We had no idea what to expect, but we did have a discussion among the group guessing what types of food would be served. I mean come on, does the president of Nicaragua really eat gallo pinto three times a day? The guys hoped for ranchitos (the nica version of doritos). It turns out that he came in with his wife and proceeded to shake the hands of each and every one of us. I thought, impressive. He spoke with the project directors and head of the country program as well as returned volunteers and those that had extended their service beyond the 2 years. However, I almost lost it when I realized he called the name of the first volunteer that swore in. He was really going to go down the list of all 43 of our names! I'd expected a short stop in and chat but for him to talk one on one to each of us? Four hours later, Daniel Ortega called on me asked me where I'd be heading, my background, etc. Daniel's wife, Rosario, is known for her "style" with jewelry. I plugged Beads by Noelle just in case he needed an upcoming gift.

Eventful couple of days. Expect updates soon, I know I've slacked. I'm heading to the island tomorrow!

All the articles in Spanish but that is the beauty of google translator.

http://www.canal2.com.ni/verarticulos.php?idArticulo=7906&idArticulo1=Juramentan%20a%20voluntarios%20del%20Cuerpo%20de%20Paz&idArticulo2=29%20de%20Julio,%202011

My lady Vieve giving a speech on the program.

http://www.canal15.com.ni/noticia/30077

They filmed the whole meeting between us and somehow the article ended up about the ambassador issue.

http://www.canal15.com.ni/videos/29871

History of Peace Corps and Nicaragua as well as our swearing in.

Presto!

I came to Nicaragua with great expectations of coffee. I thought I’d leave an expert in the art of drinking black coffee.  My activity of choice in Charleston was to go to one of my two favorite coffee shops, Hope & Union or Kudu. As I was getting ready for my trip, I would head to Hope & Union and my mouth would water over the tasting notes for the 5 or 6 fresh grinds of the day. I’ll go ahead and admit I was pretty “fachenta” (the local word for snobby) about my coffee back at home.

As nerdy as it sounds, my favorite thing to do in a new Nica city is browse the grocery store. I don’t even want to admit how much time I spent in La Colonia in Chinandega just dreaming for the days I’d be able to cook for myself and trying to think of ways to get creative with such a limited selection. Fast forward to my third day in Nicaragua. I was really excited to go and check out the grocery store in Managua. It is called  La Union, is one of the nicest grocery stores in the country, and just happens to be owned by Wal-Mart. Of course.

After perusing the produce section and checking out the spices or lack there of, I got to the coffee aisle. Instead of finding a variety of shade grown, fresh coffee I was blinded by the mustard yellow, okay we’ll call it gold, “Presto” bottles. So, that’s what they’ve got here- instant coffee. I was crushed. All of the good stuff is usually exported.

Apparently, Nicaraguans are very proud of Presto. They even sometimes send it back with returned volunteers. In a culture that prides itself in the amount of care that goes into making their products by hand, this was pretty surprising to me (think of the past post when I described what goes into making juices). Everyone makes their tortillas and bread from scratch.

Given this, why on earth would Nicaraguans be obsessed with instant coffee? I don’t think it is a matter of cost, because I honestly do think the coffee would be available if sought out. Maybe it is a matter of supply?

I think back to the emergence of TV dinners in the 1950’s. While the meatloaf might have tasted horrible and there were many kinks to sort out (I know I always hated that my chocolate pudding had to be hot in my Kid’s Cuisine), people loved them because they were a novelty. I think the “newness” of instant coffee is probably where the obsession comes from. However, this is only speculation and there might be a much better answer.

Many of you know that coffee is a necessity for me, but don’t worry about me just yet. I found out that the island of Ometepe (the island where I’ll be living) there is a coffee coop made up of 25 different families. If all goes well and I can do some side work with them, I’ll be happily caffeinated.