Month: April 2013
Post-Makengue: What did I learn?
The Makengue Project was a big influence over my second semester of college, and although there were times when I could be very confused, stressed, or very overwhelmed, the end results of this project far outweigh what I imagined. Not only was I able to make new friends, experience an entirely different culture, and travel to one of the most beautiful areas I’ve ever seen, I also gained the experience of an entrepreneur. When it seemed our project could leave us empty handed, we brainstormed to the point where it was exhausting just to think, but we finally came down to a solid strategy with funding options, a website, documentary, future plans, and all of these things are documented so to be handed down to future generation Makengue travelers. I am thankful for the relationships that we developed with the landowners of Makengue, Becki and Rito, and will be happy to travel back at any time! Being an alumnus of the Makengue Project is something I will wear with pride.
Makengue & Nicaragua
If you were to tell me in my senior year of high school that in a year I would be traveling through the rainforests of Nicaragua exactly one year later, I would have laughed and shook my head. But here I was about two weeks ago doing exactly that. Another part of the whole project and process is that the whole “I’m going to Nicaragua” did not really register with me until I was on the plane headed to Managua.
The warm air I breathed in posed a stark contrast from the wintry DC air
And the sunlight positively welcomed us and laden luggage behind us.
We had finally arrived in Nicaragua and the long-awaited journey had begun.
The first boat ride felt everlasting but the sights were worth my tired eyes,
Along the river we saw wild cows, people in self-built houses, and a different kind of life,
I eagerly filmed and photographed everything as to their voice.
Makengue is a land one of its kind,
One of the most striking events was the 5 hour hike through the rainforest,
The feeling of my rubber boots as they sunk deep into the Nicaraguan mud.
The landscape was beautiful and so were the people.
A plethora of life experiences combined into one March week,
Where Spanish seeped into my brain as much as the sights and people of Nicaragua did.
I also am grateful for the opportunity to experience this with my colleagues from AU,
They made this adventure more than enjoyable.
And soon, it was time to board the boat that had brought us to the preserve,
Perhaps we were going home, but we were also leaving a new home.
Adios,
Lisa
Back but not home
Here we are back in DC thrown into crazy projects, papers, and midterms. Our lives are dictated by the clock, constantly ticking in our ears always running, always late. Makes you only appreciate the beauty of Makengue just that much more. In college we live together packed tight into dorms. You can hear music down the hall, slamming doors, voices shouting at all hours. But then I think back to Makengue, the isolation brought us closer. We gathered in circles to talk willingly and sat together just listening to calls and cries of nature. Here we hit the ground running: we have classes, clubs, jobs, family, and friends, yet we are slow to raise from sleep and struggle to stay awake in this so called “exciting life”. But in Makengue…. Makengue. I wanted to get up early and start the day. Every new day was a new adventure even if it was just staying at the house or going to “work” on interviews, it was all new and exciting.
I would love to relive each blessed day into eternity, but life moves on and all we can do is cling to the memories that it left us. The seemingly still and silent world that stole us away from civilization for such a short time, gave us nothing but paradise teaming with a new type of life. Tiny frogs dressed in their Sunday best, and turtles eager to be on their way. In Makengue every meal was a dinner party full of laughter and stories. Friendships formed quickly, binded by the engulfing and overwhelming feeling that Makengue’s 5 hour hike impressed upon us.
To live in that part of Nicaragua was to live in a living organism. The river was the heart and soul pumping the life water to towns. The water from which all of nature draws its strength. The jungle was the body – living, breathing, changing constantly, the trees were its cells – live, die and replace themselves. The animals were the breath, singing their songs all hours of the day, moving in and out of view like the frozen breath we had left behind in DC. However, the people were the soul of Makengue – open, friendly and sharing – indulgent to our American ways of stumbling around loudly and incoherently. Makengue will forever leave a special memory and mark on all of us.
Check Us Out!
Follow our Progress by checking out our website http://makengue.wix.com/reserve! Also you can keep us with us by following us on Twitter @MakengueReserve and by Liking the Makengue Project on Facebook!
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Looking Back
When I first sat down to write this blog post I realized that it was going to be the last one that I write for the Makengue Project. As we are preparing for the symposium I looked back over the project and I realized that this project is the most important thing that I have done this semester. I have grown so much through this project. I have learned so many new things. I have learned new ways of doing research; that talking to people can lead you to ideas that you never thought about, but turn out to be the most helpful. I have learned how to film and how to edit the film, both of which I am still in the process of learning, but hopefully, one day I will be good at them. I have also made mistakes, which I now know how to fix and avoid the next time I do a research project of this magnitude.
This project has also led me to realize even more my love of doing research projects. I learned so many interesting things from my research, especially since before this semester I knew almost nothing about Nicaragua. Everything I researched, even the parts that ultimately were not helpful, led to a greater understanding of Nicaragua and the amazing country it is.
On the one hand, I am excited for the symposium; we are going to share our final results of a semester’s worth of work with Becki and all who choose to come. On the other hand, I am sad that the project is ending. I know that we have to share our findings so that Becki and Rito can start making decisions, but after all of the research and falling in love with Makengue I am finding that to be very hard to come to terms with. My hope is that this is not the end of my involvement with Makengue; that even after I graduate I can look and Makengue will be thriving; it will be doing its part to save the rainforest and maybe I will get a chance to see Makengue thrive or if nothing else, I know that I was part of an amazing group, a group that I loved working and traveling to Nicaragua with, that was part of something bigger than themselves.
34 Observations
The Makengue Project in a nut shell:
- Task 11 students with proposing an NGO
- Drop them in the middle of the Nicaraguan rain forest with two professors and a graduate advisor
- Observe and take notes
As one of those students I am stunned that it was only two weeks ago since we returned from Nicaragua. Armed with deet, machetes, and a bag of tangerines, we set off into the wild green yonder to witness what had previously only existed to us in pictures. Here are my 34 observations from our experience:
1. It is possible to be so rural that you are out of internet contact and your only form of transportation is by boat
2. Digging out a pool would take me a lifetime
3. You never know who you are going to run into (aka a Peace Corp Member)
4. Being in the right place at the right time is a part of the equation, especially when it comes to seeing animals
5. Going without cell phones is hard for the first day or so, but then not having to constantly check it and respond to messages becomes a luxury.
6. Chiggers will get you when you least expect it
7. Putting aside arachnophobia is a requirement for jungle hikes
8. If you can’t see an actual sloth in the jungle, then become one
9. “You can’t fight destiny”—Angela Pinaglia
10. You can go a week without wearing make-up and still not feel self-conscious
11. Hammocks are one of mankind’s greatest gifts to itself
12. Baby deer make great pets
13. Don’t “yolo” when you go hiking; otherwise you can end up with scrapes and bruises up your legs from lack of protection
14. Living in Arizona does not provide you with enough Spanish to live in Nicaragua
15. Bats love to watch you while you are going to the bathroom, squeak at you, and then fly just over the top of your head
16. If there was a competition for making baby crocodile sounds, Rito would win
17. Forts are best built on the edge of a river with a library inside
18. If rain storms are going to happen, it will likely be at the most inconvenient of times, and it will bang on the roof so hard that you cannot hear the guests you invited over to ask questions about the presentation you gave.
19. Cargo boats are the best way to get around
20. Michelle Swiger is fantastic at gin rummy
21. Horror stories of people having to spend the night in an airport because of a missed flight can quickly become a reality
22. There is nothing that brings a group together faster than adversity i.e. squeezing 16 people in a van with luggage, hiking through the dense rainforest, or spending 13 hours in Miami International Airport with no guarantee on when you will be going home
23. The night sky in the middle of the rainforest is like a picture book that you can get lost in for hours
24. Rice and beans. Ery’ day all day!
25. The lack of sound from cars engines, emergency vehicle sirens, phone ringing, planes passing overhead, and computer fans is one of the most amazing things your ears can experience; it gives you a chance to hear your heart beat, the wind blow, and the nature that surrounds you.
26. Roosters do crow when the sun comes up, and whenever else they feel like it—especially when you are trying to sleep
27. Machetes are a common household item if you live in Nicaragua
28. “Individual Monetary Donations” doesn’t translate too well into Spanish
29. My greatest challenge of going to school is getting out of bed; for children in Nicaragua, their greatest challenge is catching a boat, hiking through the jungle, or having to crawl through barbed wire
30. Wiping bug carcasses off of your bed before going to sleep can quickly be a routine if you decide to sleep in a cabana.
31. We are a pretty attractive group of people
32. River water, after purifying it with Tetraglycine Hydroperiodide, is actually quite tolerable to drink
33. The rainforest is nothing like it is on TV; it so much more beautiful and humbling, and everything has thorns
34. There are many fantastic organizations in Nicaragua, such as Caritas and Fundacion del Rio that are making lasting change in their communities—giving hope to our prospects of spreading conservation.
I am proud to say at the end of our project, I completed just what I had said I would in my statement of interest and my initial blog post—I identified multiple ways to fund our operation. However, I accomplished so much more. I learned how to and developed an interest in film; I met and was inspired by amazing and dedicated people across Nicaragua, and was moved by their stories; I gained more experience in working with my peers as well as reaching out to other organizations for research purposes, I re-ignited my love for science and asking questions; I built up confidence in my ability to travel abroad; and I got to know 10 other talented students, one dedicated graduate assistant, two visionary landowners, and two charming professors. I am honored to have been selected for this project, and seeing tangible results from the work that I have done is one of the most satisfying feelings.
The Makengue Project 