Just Go.

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.” -Jack Kerouac, On the Road

You know, books like On the Road have inspired me. Before I had even the vaguest idea of what I want out of life I read books like this and Into the Wild and decided that this was the life I wanted, a life where I could see the world and meet people from diverse backgrounds with diverse stories. Thankfully for my family and friends, I’ve toned down my dreams a bit. I no longer want to pick up and leave everything behind but one thing has remained the same, I do still want to travel. Unfortunately, I haven’t really gotten the opportunities to travel as much as I want to so when the opportunity came to go to Nicaragua I took it.

Everyone I met along the way certainly fit this quote. First there was the group I traveled with, everyone was so enthusiastic. Whether it be to go on a five hour hike or do research, everyone was constantly ready for adventure. This enthusiasm includes Claudia and my constant prep for the Peace Corps (and by prep I mean putting up mosquito nets, drinking juice made from local water, and eating a whole fish). There was truly a general consensus among our group that traveling for a purpose, like we were, was so much better than traveling for fun.

Then there were the people in Nicaragua. I have never met a more passionate or friendly group of people. Where shall I start with them? First there was the farmer who was passionate not only about organic techniques but also his music. Then there was the school official who truly believed in the power of education and the potential in Nicaragua. We also met the children who would go to great lengths to get to school in order to get an education that might not extend beyond sixth grade and the MARENA worker who brought the Makengue landowners an orphaned baby deer. However, the story that has stuck with me the most is the story of a woman who worked in the kitchen of the house we stayed in. She was a single mother who was trying to work her way through school so that she may become a doctor and better the lives of her and her son. Everyone we met had a story to share but the most inspiring fact about every single person we met was the fact that although no one had much materially, they were so happy and lively. It forced me to evaluate the fact that we base our lives so much around our material goods and how absurd that is.

Finally, there were our fearless leaders, Becki and Rito the landowners, Professor Kiho Kim, Professor Lyn Stallings and our Graduate Assistant Angela. Without the dreams of Becki and Rito there would be no Makengue, without their generosity there would be no Makengue Project or attempts to build Makengue into an educational hotspot. Without Professor Kim and Professor Stallings’ guidance we would be a group of eleven college freshmen with no idea of how to translate any dreams into reality (as opposed to eleven college freshmen with vague ideas of how to translate dreams into plans). And without Angela, we would never have even had a dream to put into plans (and we would still be sleeping in the Miami airport).

I guess what I’m trying to say is that it really isn’t the location or the materials that make life worthwhile, rather it is the people, the ones who are “mad to live” that make any adventure worthwhile (although the other aspects are pretty great too!).

“They should tell you when you’re born to have a suitcase heart, be ready to travel.” Gabrielle Zevin

For over a week now, I have avoided writing this overdue post. It wasn’t because I was too busy (even though I was), and it wasn’t because I thought it was boring (I love to blog), but it was for a couple of reasons. When Angela (our Graduate Assistant) reminded us our first class back that we should be submitting our last posts to her, I immediately began to freak out. How was I supposed to sum up eight indescribable days – a million rich experiences – in just one post? Even for the amount of time that we’ve been back, I still haven’t figured out how to explain the trip in a succinct way that successfully captures my enthusiasm for what we said, saw, and did. Mostly, I just end up rambling about anything and everything as fast as I can in hopes that I’ll be able to explain why I love the Makengue Project as much as I do. However, I have limited space, and we both have limited time, so for a blog post, that won’t do. For the past week, I’ve wondered what everyone else wrote about, and I’ve wondered what unique contribution I could make to our blog. To begin with, I’ve decided I’d like to share a quote that I’ve always enjoyed:

“I beg young people to travel. If you don’t have a passport, get one. Take a summer, get a backpack and go to Delhi, go to Saigon, go to Bangkok, go to Kenya. Have your mind blown, eat interesting food, dig some interesting people, have an adventure, be careful. Come back and you’re going to see your country differently, you’re going to see your president differently, no matter who it is. Music, culture, food, water. Your showers will become shorter. You’re going to get a sense of what globalization looks like. It’s not what Tom Friedman writes about, I’m sorry. You’re going to see that global climate change is very real. And that for some people, their day consists of walking 12 miles for four buckets of water. And so there are lessons that you can’t get out of a book that are waiting for you at the other end of that flight. A lot of people – American and Europeans – come back and go, “Ohhhhh.” And the light bulb goes on.” – Henry Rollins

To me, this quote wraps up the essence of our trip, because one way or another, the “light bulb” went on for all of us. We certainly experienced many of the things Henry Rollins mentioned – new music, food, culture, and people! We witnessed for ourselves how differently Nicaraguans live, and by participating in their lives, we understood the country on a deeper level than we ever could have by reading Stephen Kinzer’s accounts (for example).

One particular “a-HA” (or “Ohhhhh”) moment happened while we were having lunch in Sabalos. We all simultaneously freaked out when we found out our waitress was stationed there with the Peace Corps. (I’ll call her S.) Before S even knew what she was getting into, we had a seat under her butt and a camera in her face. She patiently answered all of our questions, and I learned so much from listening to her stories. I took her advice about embracing your stationed location to heart, because as S put it, more likely than not it will be nothing like what you imagined, but it will be perfect for you (much like Makengue). I call this encounter with S an “a-HA” moment because more than anything it fueled my determination to join the Peace Corps in the future. Jennie and I kept joking that with its mosquito nets and fish straight from the river, the Makengue Project was an introduction to the Peace Corps, but in all seriousness, this project proved to me my passion for traveling with a purpose and a project (opposed to traveling for leisure). By the end of the week, I was incredibly proud of what our team had accomplished, and I cannot wait to start another project in the future with the Peace Corps!

Here’s to the Makengue Project – two dreamers (the landowners of Makengue), two encyclopedias of knowledge and wisdom (our professors), the glue that held us together (our one-of-a-kind GA), one adorable baby deer (Bambi!), and eleven ambitious students!

Questioning the Criteria of Happiness

There is nothing quite like waking up with the sun, to a rooster’s crowing, and the rainforest right beyond the window. It is so natural; so real, devoid of the synthetic conditions normally placed upon the usual American life- the Internet, perfect cleanliness, exotic and large amounts of food, the stressful workday, the social pressures of not being perfect, of not getting the grade. There is something to be said for hard work under the sun, for regular portions of food, the same food, eaten every day. There is something to be said for face-to-face communication with the people around the table, not to be sucked into the technology normally present in our pockets. There is something to be said for the sounds of nature, surrounding from all sides, for the loud caws of birds and the rough barks of the monkeys swinging in the trees, for the insects’ buzz, and the toad’s moan, and in the background the water’s soft brush on the shore. There is something to be said for being grimy with dirt and sweat, feeling satisfied and physically exhausted from the work done before, then sitting on the porch, contemplating the existential qualities of human nature or just being in the moment, mutual friends on either side, cheap coffee in hand. There is something to be said for the stars, so many, shining so bright it seems the dome of heaven had recently fallen closer to earth.

There is more than one way to be happy.

We’re Back!

Wow, we’re back! The trip was so much more than I had expected it to be. After five hours in the air, five hours in an eight-seated van (with my crew of about fifteen), and four more hours floating down the Rio San Juan, I was relieved just to stop moving once we arrived in Makengue. I expected the trees, the wooden house and the cold showers, the mosquito nets and mud, but what I didn’t expect was the beauty, the warm sun with a cool breeze, the marvels of being completely consumed by nature and the constellations on a cloudless night. Oh, and of course, the wrap-around porch of hammocks! If anything, that porch was our real home this whole trip.

Like all trips, there are the things you do not miss. I for one will never voluntarily fill my plate with rice and beans for a long time from now, and my hot showers back home are now twice as long as they were before I left. But everything on my trip to Makengue was what I would like to call a necessary experience. The cold water after a five-hour hike in the humid jungle, my feet sinking into the depths of the Rio San Juan when my flip-flops floated up to the top, the multiple species of frogs I tried to chase down on the forest floor, and that damn rooster. The people who I could not understand through language I understood by living in their world. For example, on one of my last nights, when the smell was beginning to reside permanently in my suitcase, I washed my clothes. The cooks taught us to use soap, a washboard and a sink of water. There was no other way, they said, and the way we held the soap was ridiculous. It took ten minutes to wash a pair of jeans, and by then the idea of dirty clothes for life doesn’t sound that bad. Watching the people of Nicaragua work twice, triple or five times as hard to do the things I take advantage of back home stuck out in my mind. You hear about how much harder it is in places that are less progressive or not as economically sufficient as America, but you rarely experience it. However, these people knew their land, they could work their land, and they knew how to survive and how to work together. I envy their ability to feel so connected to their environments, their communities and their alliance with those surrounding them in the same, better or worse off conditions. That kind of conscientiousness had a foreign feeling as well.

In the end, the best part of my trip was the people I experienced it with. It takes living in the jungle, five hour hikes, alligator hunting, step dancing, communicating with deaf Hispanic farmers, observing an entirely different culture, eating foreign foods and getting used to a lot of big bugs to really know a group of people. When you spend your nights waking up to your neighbor using the bathroom, you grow a new level of comfort. When the only form of entertainment you’re left with is conversation, you develop better and better ones. And when you’re silently swinging in a bundle of cool fabric surrounded by green against a light breeze on a hot day, there is no need for conversation to feel the beauty of the life that surrounds you. It’s an invisible force that hits you in the face and is swallowed by the soul. Makengue is a home to numerous plants, animals, Nicaraguans, and now American University students.

A Rainforest Haven

I can’t believe that the trip to Makengue is already over.  Earlier this semester it seemed so distant, as though it was never going to happen.  I remember the first week of class in which we brainstormed the ideas of what Makengue could be.  It is amazing how we have taken those very broad ideas and made them more focused, narrow and achievable.   I think that just seeing the land and spending time there allowed us to understand the realities behind the ideas that we came up with.

Overall, I am at a loss for words to describe my time at Makengue and in Nicaragua in general.  During the time I was there, I saw so many things and learned so much about Nicaragua, the culture and the rainforest.   There is nothing like waking up early in the morning and wandering around Makengue.  The world is so quiet there. There was only the sound of birds and monkeys to fill the otherwise still world.

During the day, the birds and other animals may have quieted down, but there were still the sounds of us to fill the forest.  On Sunday, we took a five-hour hike through the pristine rainforest.  It was amazing to see a part of the natural world that has hardly been touched by humans.

On Monday and Tuesday we went into Sabalos and El Castillo.  Through these trips we got the opportunity to speak with many different people to get an understanding of what is going on within that area of Nicaragua.  From a policy perspective, we learned more about what was required to set-up a preserve.  We learned about the environmental impact study that will need to be conducted so that the least amount of environmental damage will occur as we continue with the project.   We learned a little bit more about licensing and while we don’t know specifically about costs, we do know that there will be some.  From MARENA we learned more about private reserves and what the government is doing to encourage people to protect the land.  From Fundación del Río we learned about the organizational structure that we may want to use and replicate for Makengue.  These are just some of the many things that we learned, which enhanced our understanding of the project as a whole.

On Wednesday, we spent the whole day on Makengue working on our presentations and further exploring the land.  Through this exploration I gained a sense of awe about Makengue.  Being surrounded by the environment and just wandering around really gave me a sense of appreciation for the rainforest.

At nights, since there wasn’t any TV or Internet, we all spent time together. We played pool and cards and got to know one another.   It was these times together, along with the long bus and boat rides, that brought the group closer, I feel, and was a part of making the trip special.  We got a chance to talk, share stories, and work on our projects without any distractions, which is rare when there are Internet connections or phones always going off.

I don’t feel as though this post adequately reflects the extraordinary trip to Nicaragua; I am not sure if words alone can capture the beauty and awesomeness of Makengue and the people who were there with me.   There are many people who this made this trip remarkable and it couldn’t have been done without their help; Becki and Rito, for opening up their home to us and giving us the opportunity to see Makengue and experience it as they have; Angela, for making sure that we had everything we needed to be successful both before and on the trip; Professor Kim, for his knowledge of the rainforest and helping to make our goals realistic; Vice-Provost Stallings, for advocating for the project; and the other students who went on the trip and made it unforgettable. Together we all played a part and made the trip more amazing and successful than I could have ever imagined.

What Do They Want?

We are leaving for Nicaragua in about a day and half. Therefore, I find it essential to reflect back on my journey with my ten classmates and now friends. I stepped into our first class meeting on January 16^th without knowing where this path would take me. My brain was as plain as a piece of paper in regards to this project with just a couple words as such: Nicaragua, Makengue, 190 acre private preserve, rain forest, and adventure. However, I knew that our goal was to use this incredibly huge land to serve the community and connect it with American University. Having to work with ten other students, I sometimes struggled to connect my ideas with theirs. Our mission was the same but our paths toward it seemed different.

Coming from a third-world country like Afghanistan, I decided to focus on bringing sustainable water to Makengue, Nicaragua. Although over 71% of the Earth’s surface is water, only 2.5% of it is fresh. This shortage mainly impacts poor countries due to their inability to obtain clean water. After reading Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua by Stephen Kinzer, I realized how Nicaragua is still struggling to overcome its past. Due to its history with the Somoza dynasty, Sandinistas and earthquakes, this volcanic land strives to have the tiniest basic things such as clean water. Therefore, I believe that we must focus on basic human needs, which is water. Sicknesses, caused by unclean water, are easy to cure in countries like the United States, however not every Nicaraguan has the ability to figure out or pay for their medication. Hence, before we explore other aspects of Makengue, we must aim to guarantee clean water.

Throughout my two months of research, interviews, and group meetings, I will go to Makengue, Nicaragua to explore the possibilities of having safe water and come up with ways to involve the community in this process. As a group of eleven students, we have to ask ourselves, “what do they want”, not us. We have to educate the Nicaraguan communities by making Makengue an example for sustainable freshwater.

Leaving Soon…

I don’t know about the rest of my class but I am super excited for this trip.  I am looking forward to meeting all of you on a new level, I mean we are going to be spending a lot of time together after all!!  And to top all things off WE LEAVE ON MY BIRTHDAY!!! Its going to be a long, exhausting, trip in crazy places, with strange new people, and that is just the Airport!

I can’t speak for all of you but I know I have enjoyed every step of this process!  I have spent a lot of time going over Nicaraguan policy in both English and Spanish, and while it has been difficult to translate everything it has been an amazing experience.  I don’t know about you, but I feel like everything I have done these past 2 months has been like working a dream job!

In all seriousness I am very nervous since this is only my second time outside of the country, but I can’t wait to get to Makengue.  The wildlife is my childhood; I am excited to see the exotic flora and fauna as well as the beautiful river! (Who’s going swiming with me??)

Anyway Safe Travels And See You on the Other Side!!

Packed Up and (Almost) Ready to Go

15 Essentials for Nicaragua…

1. Five bottles of bug spray
2. Granola bars and Ramen noodles
3. Hiking boots
4. Extra blanket
5. Decomposable toilet paper (you never know)
6. Band aids, first aid kid, and more band aids
7. All weather notepads and pens
8. Clothes, the kind I’m willing to get dirty!
9. Books, books, books
10. Flashlight
11. IPhone
12. Swiss Army Knife
13. Camera equipment
14. My Team!
15. An open mind

It’s almost that time…the plane leaves this Friday at 3:30am! My second plane ride ever, and it’s only miles away from the last place I landed. I’m excited to feel that warm air again, to expect the rain at any moment of the day, to see the extent of the stars in the night sky (minus the light pollution), and to begin to really research with the rest of my team, brainstorming nonstop because we will be inspired constantly. My vision of Makengue is one of adventure, hot days and cool nights, lots of mud, sweat and tree roots, and the occasional wild animal that will turn my walk into a run. I have packed up my bag and am physically ready to go! But am I mentally prepared? Is the rest of the team equipped for a complete 180-degree flip from our daily lives in DC?

I can’t speak for the rest of the team, but I feel the most unexpected journeys are the greatest. Those explorations that change your perspective in ways you never thought possible. I am going into Makengue with no expectations, therefore every experience can be met at its full potential. Do I feel mentally prepared? No, if we’re being honest. I feel nervous, giddy and overall overwhelmed. But if I were prepared, if I knew what I was getting myself into, if all of my anticipations were correct and Makengue was not a surprise at all, then what would I learn from going? With not only an open mind, but also an empty mind, I can experience the land with fresh, eager eyes and see things that Google or Wikipedia could have never shown me. Makengue, here we come!

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Last Wednesday our class took a trip to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland, where we were able to meet with two helpful and knowledgeable staff members. I wanted to provide a few photos of our visit, as well as some highlights about what we learned.

To begin with, a concept that we were all fascinated with is a research method known as the “bioblitz.” A bioblitz is utilized when you are first surveying an area, and you want to learn about all the specimens that are there. Essentially, you pull together scientists and citizens during a specific time frame, usually lasting six to twenty-four hours, and you ask them to collect data, take photographs, fill out data sheets, etc… It is best to provide training sessions beforehand, and it is best to do this in a grid-like system for the sake of organization.

We later discussed how the concept of a “bioblitz” could be combined with our idea for an alternative break to Makengue. Not only would it be a great hands-on learning experience for the students that went, but also it would be a great way to begin our scientific research at Makengue.

Another useful concept for our project that we learned about is “citizen science.” Citizen science is scientific research done by regular citizens, not professional scientists. There are three different ways to approach this. First of all, you can provide individuals with the materials to collect specific data on their own. You can also do crowd-sourcing, which is when you broadcast a request to the public, through social media, for instance, and you ask for the people to report X, if they see Y. Lastly, you can simply have volunteers work with professional researchers.

Citizen science is a program that the Smithsonian uses to get the public involved and interested in their work, and it would a perfect way to get locals in Nicaragua involved long-term with the Makengue project. (The question now is how we will generate interest – this is something to keep in mind while we are visiting local towns.) If we were able to generate enough interest, citizen science could spread the word about Makengue, provide us with volunteers, inform the public about environmental issues in their area, cause people to become more environmentally conscious, and much more!

Last of all, a critical thing for us to consider is the importance of finding a partner organization in Nicaragua. The staff members who spoke to us warned us that setting up an international non-profit ourselves would be difficult, which is why it’s best to partner with an organization that is already established. If we were to find one in the future, and they did agree to partner with us, we would have to come up with a memorandum of understanding, so that we each knew what we would be getting out of the partnership.

Preparing to leave for Nicaragua

As the trip to Makengue gets closer I have been getting excited as I start buying the things I need and tightening the area of focus for my research.  This past Saturday morning, my group met at 9am in one of the collaborative workrooms at the library.  (The night before, when I reserved the room, the library staffer told me it was the first time she ever filled out the form to reserve a room that early on a Saturday.) There we discussed our research leading up to the trip and sent out emails to various organizations to see if they could offer any assistance regarding NGOs.   It was a very successful Saturday morning.

Specifically, I have been looking into what Nicaragua is doing to protect the environment. A very interesting program I learned about is the Green Battalion.  The program is entitled Operation Green Gold and, according to Tim Rogers, “It is Central America’s first concerted effort to seek a military-backed solution to the threats of climate change” (Rogers, Tim). This effort consists of 580 environmental soldiers who just recently won their first victory against illegal loggers.  Here’s a link to The Nicaragua Dispatch’s story about the Green Battalion.  (Photo courtesy from The Nicaragua Dispatch)

This reminded me of a story that I had read in New York Times about Africans essentially militarizing to save the elephants from poachers.  It seems that all around the world people are beginning to see the importance of their environment and are going to what seems like extremes to do what they can to protect it.  In countries where people only want to take from the environment, such as trees from the rainforest, it is necessary to find a means that has people on the ground, instead of just issuing warnings from an office building.   In my research I hope to see more successes from Nicaragua’s Green Battalion because I think that the work they are doing has the potential for continued success.

As I continue to work on my research, I am also starting to think about the actual experience.  I am so excited to be in the rainforest; to hear its sounds and wander around in its beauty.