Student Testimonials: Kevin Àlvarez

State University of New York at Geneseo student Kevin Àlvarez, a Junior Pre-Physical Therapy and Spanish major, traveled to El Sauce, Nicaragua, in June 2013 to participate in the university's Service Learning class. Reflecting on his experience, Kevin wrote the following:

Kevin Àlvarez, center, working on Enlace Project's rural health care campaign.

It's hard to put into words the experience I had in Nicaragua and the amount of knowledge that I obtained within only a month. Nicaragua was life changing, eye-opening, and of course a lot fun. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet so many people and connect with them during my sojourn in this culturally and historically rich land. My experience consisted of staying with a host family and mutually sharing each other's culture. This sharing revolved around the topics of family, religion, politics, music, economy and a myriad of others. Aside from the cultural exchange, I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to get some hands-on experience volunteering in a rural health post and the local hospital with the very little knowledge I had about health care. I observed and shadowed nurses and doctors and was able to see what their responsibilities consisted of on an almost daily basis. Living in this amazing country for one month truly put my life into perspective by allowing me to step out of my bubble and visit what I considered "the unknown". Studying abroad, learning, and meeting new souls is an experience that will stay in your mind and soul for the rest of your life and for me, Nicaragua was that experience.

The Long Hike: Javier Rocha’s Weekly Trip to Ocotal

Javier Rocha, a 20-year old university student, English-language teacher, and Juventud Sandinista member, displays an unparalleled amount of effort and care in his everyday life. Despite his young age, Javier has excelled in the advanced New York English School classroom, and began assisting the first-level English class this past April. The following month, Javier became the teacher of a new English class in the mountains of Ocotal for members of the Enlace-supported tourism, coffee, and basket-weaving cooperatives and their family members.

Sean (left) and Javier (right) climbing up to Ocotal on horseback.

For those who have had the pleasure to visit Los Altos de Ocotal, the rural community about 15 kilometers from the center of El Sauce, the first thing that most will notice is the lack of a paved road. Most Enlace Project-sponsored trips to Ocotal consist of travel in the back of a pickup truck—complete with bumpy roads, breathtaking views, and the occasional addition of a fellow traveler or two during the journey. Others will travel by horse, or even by foot, for up to a four hour walk.

Every Sunday, Javier spends about two hours in the morning walking up the mountain, until he reaches a familiar house that provides him with a horse for the second half of the journey. Once at the top, members of community enthusiastically welcome him with food and friendly conversation.

The English class itself takes place Sunday afternoons and Monday mornings, and Javier often spends the night with a family. Students gather around the one-classroom school as early as an hour before class and start practicing their English. During the class, students receive grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation lessons, accompanied by games and activities to practice previous the previous week’s themes. While the class is scheduled for three hours both days, it often carries on because the students are enjoying themselves.

Students participating in a conversational activity.

Currently, there are 17 students enrolled in the class, and the students’ ages vary from less than 10-years old to over-40 years old, with many in their teens and twenties. When asked why they want to learn English, many replied that it would help them to communicate with visitors and that they believed learning languages was interesting and important for everyone.

Javier and Enlace Project’s efforts are not alone—the Ocotal English Classes are supported by long-time Enlace Project friend and founding board member, Kris Dreessen. Kris, who visited El Sauce for the first time in 2009, says that “(the) residents’ devotion to improving their community and their resourcefulness was a real inspiration to me.” Her grassroots effort, known as The Friends Project, was founded in 2006 with the idea that everyone, especially working together, can make real differences and changes.

Javier and his Ocotal class pose for a photo.

Through donations and charity events, Kris has provided assistance to a wide range of Enlace Project’s programs, including funding for Fuente de Pino artisan training, a coffee bean toaster and bag sealer for the coffee cooperative, and scholarships for 6 students in El Sauce and Las Minitas teens to attend high school. As a professional photographer and journalist, Kris also launched The Friends Photo Project in 2011 with the mission of “sharing the language of photography” with residents of El Sauce.

Most recently, Kris has been preparing for her upcoming photo exhibit about life in El Sauce and remote Amazonian communities. The event, which will take place Wednesday, August 21, from 6-9 PM and Friday, August 23, 6-9 PM, will include photography from Kris and the students from The Friends Photo Project. On August 21, the New York State English School will be joining the exhibition, including Javier Rocha. Proceeds of the photos from the Las Minitas teens will support scholarships for students Lester, Yercenia, and Sergio to be able to attend college!

--Written by Sean Conner, Enlace Project Intern

Visit The Friends Project Facebook Page

Event Page for the Photo Exhibition

Kris Dreessen (right) with Enrique Corrales (left),
and Doribel Martinez Murillo (center), and  in Las Minitas

“I think the most important aspect of The Friends Project for me is the idea — and realization — that you don’t have to be rich, powerful or a big entity to make a difference. We are just “normal” people who believe that we can collaborate with families in other communities and share our talents and resources to empower them to fulfill their goals.

"In the states, $50 will get you a dinner for two. Not even a movie anymore. In many places, like El Sauce, $50 is the difference of attending a year of school, or the start-up to create your own business to make a living.”
                                                                                                         -Kris Dreessen

New York English School Trip to the United States 2013

On Tuesday, August 13, nine students from the NYES advanced class will be visiting the United States. The students are: Juan Mairena, Milton Mejía, Juan Carlos Zelaya, Sara Aroztegui, Camilo Narvaez, Germán Ulloa, Javier Rocha, Luzvelia Sevilla, and Juniette Suarez.

Enlace is proud to announce the departure of our 2013 New York English School trip to New York State! This year, nine students from our advanced class, will be traveling from Managua to Newark Airport, beginning on Tuesday August 13th. After two days in New York City—visiting famous attractions such as the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, and a Yankees baseball game—the students will travel to Waterville and Geneseo to visit some of the many Enlace Project supporters, practice their English, and learn about United States’ history and culture. The trip will conclude in Geneseo on August 25th.

The students during an orientation session in the office.

The students chosen for the trip are those who have worked with Enlace Project’s NYES for an extended period of time and have shown initiative and commitment to the program. Only two of the students have previously visited the United States, on Enlace’s prior trip in February 2012. The last visit offered ten students a ten day stay in NYC and Geneseo, and was the only previous of its kind that Enlace Project has offered. Generally perceived as a success, the group hopes to have equally positive results with this visit.

Led by Enlace Project’s Co-Directors Kellan Morgan and Yacarely Mairena, this trip also brings Enlace employees Juan Mairena, Luzvelia Sevilla, and Javier Rocha to the United States. Prior to departure, Kellan led the group through orientation sessions on the schedule and expectations, culture, and history. Participants have also been asked to present something from Nicaraguan culture, including dances and poetry readings.

Enlace Project’s NYES trip has been a long time in the making, and has the potential to inspire future trips in the coming years. The basic itinerary for this trip is outlined below:

Milton and Luzvelia practicing

 a traditional Nicaraguan dance.

August 13-14: New York City

Visiting sites such as the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, Ground Zero, Central Park, Wall Street, and a Yankees Baseball game.

August 15-19: Utica/Waterville, NY

Visiting sites such as the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, local farms, a tour of the Utica Brewery and the Adirondacks/Enchanted Forest.

August 20-25: Geneseo, NY

Visiting sites such as Niagara Falls, Darien Lake Amusement Park, and the State University of New York at Geneseo campus.

*These dates are subject to change. There will likely be occasions for supporters/donors of Enlace Project to meet and speak with the students (keep looking for those dates!). 

--Written by: Sean Conner, Enlace Project Intern

Summer Successes!

Summers at Enlace Project are the busiest time of the year! During a 10-week period from May to July, twenty-nine students participated in three different study abroad classes facilitated by Enlace Project. The students and staff worked towards a greater understanding of Nicaragua in a local and global context, and applied these lessons to their specific studies—while having a great time, of course! Groups also spent time traveling, visiting sites such as Los Altos de Ocotal, León, Granada, and Masaya.

 The Humanities II Crew on top of the León Cathedral.

With the arrival of the enthusiastic and animated Humanities II students, from the State University of New York at Geneseo, the busy months began. Led by long-time Enlace Project friend Wes Kennison and Dr. Kristina Hannam (a Biology professor who is also creating a sustainability course in Nicaragua for 2014), the students studied influential Western texts from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries. Participants connect the themes of these  texts—from slave trade and colonialism, to the evolution of Catholic and Marxist ideology—to the historical and modern culture across Nicaragua. In the group of 16 students, Senior Topher Pike was sponsored by a Geneseo Student Ambassador grant which focused on increasing Enlace Project’s fundraising and sustainability efforts. Keep on the lookout for updates on Topher's work! Another student, Christian Perfas, created promotional materials for increased enrollment in the Humanities course. View Christian’s video here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V48qmW792GY) on Enlace’s new YouTube Page!

The Service Learning group gathers behind the office for a reflection session.

As the Humanities II students boarded their plane to return to the United States, three participants remained in Nicaragua to take part in SUNY Geneseo’s four-week Service Learning program. These students were met with four newcomers, all with the hope to grow personally and professionally through service. During their four weeks in El Sauce, students chose from Enlace Project’s service opportunities, which included: two students working with Enrique Corrales to create profiles for Micro-Loan participants; another two visiting schools in El Sauce and the surrounding “campos” to teach children about proper dental hygiene; and three students working in rural communities with local doctors. Through a series of short readings and reflection sessions, the students gained valuable context for their experience.

With the departure of the Service Learning crew, Enlace Project welcomed its final group for the summer—a collection of four medical students, a nurse practitioner, and an undergraduate respiratory therapy major from SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. The relatively new program is in its second year, yet it is developing a positive reputation at the school—all the participants had heard positive feedback from last year’s visitors! Similar to the medical campaign of the Service Learning students, Upstate Medical ventured to rural outposts. However, their work also included visiting local clinics and attended house visits in town. With translators to assist the group, the students received hands-on learning experience and learned about the medical system of Nicaragua.

Upstate Medical students board the truck after a weekend in Ocotal
For more information on trips, visit:
 http://www.enlaceproject.org/#!educators/c1pwr

In addition to working hard, students and Enlace Project staff alike spent the weekends traveling to some of Nicaragua’s most interesting locations. A weekend in Ocotal demonstrated rural life in Nicaragua—complete with coffee farm tours, a basket-making workshop, and tortilla-making tutorials. Groups took trips to León, Granada, and Selva Negra in Matagalpa, and activities varied from the extreme sport of volcano boarding, to hiking through a cloud forest, and touring the Isletas of Granada.

While the groups have since left and returned to their homes in the U.S., we know that they have left a mark on El Sauce, and hope that El Sauce has left a mark on them as well.

--Written by: Sean Conner, Enlace Project Intern

Student quotes:

“Nicaragua is an experience I will never forget. I met people I can now call my friends, saw places I never thought I would and made memories that will last forever. I drove up mountains, slid down a volcano, worked with people in rural areas who need help and overall feel changed as a person from being exposed to such a beautiful culture. I went for the service aspect of study abroad but came out with much more knowledge of the learning aspect.”

-Richelle Patricia, Service Learning participant.

“After two months of amazing adventures, new friends, and new members of my family I am leaving on a plane. This experience could not have been more exciting, eye-opening, and wonderful. Tomorrow I will instead of goodbye say see you later, because greatness deserves more than one moment.”

-Patrick McCormick, Humanities II and Service Learning participant.

The Service Learning students at the top of Cerro Negro, just before decending on "Volcano Boards."