Hard to believe that I’ve been in Managua for nearly 2 weeks, time sure does fly in paradise. It seems like yesterday that I was re-packing for the 5th time, trying to figure out what I REALLY needed in Managua.
As much of the first week was about getting to know my co-workers and surroundings, the second week was all about work, work, work. I have been temporarily pulled off my post as a Microfinance Associate to assist the Director of Prodemur, Keith, in developing a proposal for the US Government. I was initially intimidated by the switch since I was leaving something I’m very comfortable doing (finance) to something I haven’t much experience in (crops and horticulture in Nicaragua). To my relief Keith is not only a great guy, but an awesome boss who gave us all the guidance we would need to kick start the process. So, last week Shannon (Keith’s intern) and I put in crazy hours searching site after site in order to put together a report summarizing cost/benefit analyses for a handful of different crops. I now know more than I ever thought I would need to know about the different characteristics of cassava, cotton, sesame and sorghum. The highlight of last week was when I led a 2hr meeting which involved about a dozen Nicaraguan agronomists with the goal of extracting from their minds as much information as possible. I swear my Spanish vocabulary double in those 2 hours.
Nicaraguan independence was celebrated this past Saturday (the 15th) so I assumed we were in store for local celebrations. Turns out my assumption was wrong. We learned, after the fact, the reason the normally packed streets near our place were silent was because all the locals flee to the beach to celebrate Independence Day. Normally a situation like this would be upsetting except for the fact that we have a great pool in our building. So, we decided that if we weren’t able to celebrate at the beach, we might as well take advantage of the beautiful weather in Managua by roasting in the sun, poolside (see top-left photo).
I’m really looking forward to this week for a number of reasons. The first is that tomorrow Shannon, Keith and I are off to Leon to attend a meeting/forum for the grant we’re writing . The second is that we’re beginning intensive Spanish lessons Monday afternoon. And finally, on Friday I’m off to the resort town of Montelimar with the microfinance crew for a weekend of teambuilding. I’m hoping to squeeze in a few hours of sunbathing and surf lessons at some point. (see below for photo of Montelimar)
As much of the first week was about getting to know my co-workers and surroundings, the second week was all about work, work, work. I have been temporarily pulled off my post as a Microfinance Associate to assist the Director of Prodemur, Keith, in developing a proposal for the US Government. I was initially intimidated by the switch since I was leaving something I’m very comfortable doing (finance) to something I haven’t much experience in (crops and horticulture in Nicaragua). To my relief Keith is not only a great guy, but an awesome boss who gave us all the guidance we would need to kick start the process. So, last week Shannon (Keith’s intern) and I put in crazy hours searching site after site in order to put together a report summarizing cost/benefit analyses for a handful of different crops. I now know more than I ever thought I would need to know about the different characteristics of cassava, cotton, sesame and sorghum. The highlight of last week was when I led a 2hr meeting which involved about a dozen Nicaraguan agronomists with the goal of extracting from their minds as much information as possible. I swear my Spanish vocabulary double in those 2 hours.
Nicaraguan independence was celebrated this past Saturday (the 15th) so I assumed we were in store for local celebrations. Turns out my assumption was wrong. We learned, after the fact, the reason the normally packed streets near our place were silent was because all the locals flee to the beach to celebrate Independence Day. Normally a situation like this would be upsetting except for the fact that we have a great pool in our building. So, we decided that if we weren’t able to celebrate at the beach, we might as well take advantage of the beautiful weather in Managua by roasting in the sun, poolside (see top-left photo).
I’m really looking forward to this week for a number of reasons. The first is that tomorrow Shannon, Keith and I are off to Leon to attend a meeting/forum for the grant we’re writing . The second is that we’re beginning intensive Spanish lessons Monday afternoon. And finally, on Friday I’m off to the resort town of Montelimar with the microfinance crew for a weekend of teambuilding. I’m hoping to squeeze in a few hours of sunbathing and surf lessons at some point. (see below for photo of Montelimar)
Until the next time….
Marsh
