More on Climate in Nicaragua

For anyone interested, here's a 2007 article from The Guardian which focuses on the Miskito indigenous folks who live near the Río Coco on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, and how their way of life is already changing:

When the first white cranes started appearing on the banks of the Rio Coco, deep in the Nicaraguan rainforest, Marciano Washington told his sons to start preparing the family's three hectares of land for planting.

A month later, the weather-beaten Miskito elder from the town of San Carlos shades his eyes from the baking sun and surveys his cracked and barren land. His seed is rotting or has been eaten by rats. The few rice seeds that have sprouted are only inches high, yellow and discoloured.

The tone of the article strikes me as a little disempowering, and I'm curious to know how things have gone in the years since.  Still it's worth a read.

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Para las personas interesadas, aquí está un artículo de 2007 de The Guardian que se centra en la gente indígenas miskitos que viven cerca del Río Coco en la Costa Atlántica de Nicaragua, y cómo su forma de vida ya está cambiando:

Cuando las grullas blancas primero comenzó a aparecer en las orillas del Río Coco, en lo profundo de la selva nicaragüense, Marciano Washington dijo a sus hijos para iniciar la preparación de la familia de tres hectáreas de tierra para la siembra.

Un mes más tarde, el Miskito anciano de la ciudad de San Carlos sombra sus ojos del sol y revisa su tierra agrietada y árida. Su semilla se pudre o se ha comido por las ratas. Las semillas de arroz pocas que han surgido son sólo unos centímetros de alto, amarillo y descolorido.

El tono del artículo me parece un poco desempoderamiento, y tengo curiosidad por saber cómo han ido las cosas en los años posteriores. Aún así vale la pena leer.

To the North!

I've been remiss in posting pictures! ¡He sido negligente en la publicación de fotos! (Español sigue abajo.)
The northern and eastern regions of Nicaragua are enormous and extremely difficult to visit. Heading eastward from Matagalpa by bus it will take you probably 36-48 hours (or a week in the rainy season) over extraordinarily rough roads to reach Puerto Cabezas on the Caribbean coast. This region is home to the vast untracked rain forest that is the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve, the largest protected area in Central America, but it is also home to a great many people farming the land much the way their grandparents did. Electricity is advancing slowly outward from the major population centers, thanks to a number of hydro-electric projects, but for the most part life there is pretty basic.

Las regiones norte y este de Nicaragua son enormes y extremadamente difícil de visitar. En un autobus, el sendero hacia el este de Matagalpa le llevaría probablemente 36 a 48 horas (o una semana en la temporada de lluvias) en las carreteras malas para llegar a Puerto Cabezas en la costa del Caribe. En esta región se ubica la selva inmensa que es la Reserva de la Biosfera de Bosawas, el área protegida más grande de Centroamérica, pero también es el hogar de un gran número de personas que cultivan la tierra mucho la forma en que sus abuelos. La electricidad está avanzando lentamente hacia fuera de los centros de población importantes, gracias a una serie de proyectos hidroeléctricos, pero en gran parte la vida allí es bastante básico.


The road to Puerto Cabezas is also strung with numerous Misión Cristiana churches, like this one with the forest rising behind it, and twice now we've driven approximately a third of this road with church folks. The first time, in November, we all went to visit a farm owned by the church that is located a few hours past the town of Waslala. In January we drove even further, to Naranjo, for a church regional meeting.

El camino a Puerto Cabezas, también encadenan con numerosas iglesias de la Misión Cristiana, como esta con los bosques a sus espaldas, y dos veces hemos viajado aproximadamente una tercera parte de esta distancia con gente de la iglesia. La primera vez, en noviembre, fuimos a visitar una granja propiedad de la iglesia que se encuentra pocas horas más alla de la ciudad de Waslala. En enero se llevó aún más lejos, a Naranjo, para una reunión regional de la iglesia.



These two photos are from the balcony of the (very rustic) hospedaje where we stayed in Waslala -- the first major town, 3 hours past where the asphalt gives gives way to dirt. The jungle seemed to loom over the town's shoulder. Every morning we were woken by the 4 a.m. bus back to Managua starting its engines, and a screeching, cackling, cock-la-doodling symphony of every form of avian life a jungle can supply.

Estas dos fotos son de el balcón del hospedaje (muy rústica) donde nos quedamos en Waslala - la primera gran ciudad, tres horas más alla donde el asfalto da paso a la tierra. La selva se parecía asomer encima del hombro de la ciudad. Cada mañana nos despertaron por el motor del 4 a.m. autobús regresando a Managua, y por el chillando, cacareando, qui-qui-ri-qui sinfonía de todo tipo de aves de la selva.

The local church folks were extremely kind and welcoming. We hung out at the local church closest to the farm, and chatted a bit. Quinn was very happy to run around with the other kids after being cooped up in the car for too long. Here she is hiding in a hammock. You can see the typical style of house construction -- wood boards, dirt floors, tin roofs, latrines out back.

La gente de las iglesias locales eran amables y acogedores. Pasamos tiempo en la iglesia cerca de la finca, y charlamos un poco. Quinn estaba feliz correr con los otros niños después de muchas horas en el carro. Aquí ella está escondiendo en una hamaca. Se puede ver el estilo tipico de las casas - hecho de madera con pisos de tierra, techos metales y latrines.

The reason for the trip was a visit from Nick and Santiago, representing churches from the Disciples' Northern Idaho region, who have had a long relationship with la Misión. (Nick is also currently a Global Ministries intern in El Salvador.) Santiago is bringing a group down in March to help la Misión start up a dairy cow project at the farm. He came down in November to scout out what could be accomplished in that time period. The main projects will be getting water from the nearby spring to the farm and constructing a milking building with a good quality concrete floor. This picture shows (l-r): Nick (with camera), Orlando (the local pastor), Santiago and Hector (an agricultural engineer who is helping out with the farm projects).

El razón para el viaje era la visita de Nick y Santiago, que pertenecen a la región de Idaho Norte de los Discipulos, quienes tienen una historia larga con la Misión. (Nick también es un intern de Ministerios Globales en El Salvador.) Santiago va a venir con un grupo en Marzo para trabajar con la Misión en empezar una lechera en la finca. Él vino en Noviembre para ver lo que podría hacer durante la visita. Los proyectos principales serán conseguir agua de la fuente cerca de la finca y construir la lechera con un piso concreto. Este foto muestra (iz-der): Nick (con camera), Orlando (el pastor local), Santiago y Hector (un ingeniero que esta ayudando con los proyectos de la finca).

The farm also has a few manzanas of cacao trees, which might become a future project. Here Don Hector explains to Carlos and me how to properly manage cacao trees.

La finca también tiene pocas manzanas de árboles de cacao, las cuales puede ser un proyecto futuro. Aquí Don Hector nos explica a mi y Carlos cómo manejar árboles de cacao.

Here's Sonia -- who is a big fan of horses. Aquí está Sonia -- a quien le encantan los caballos.

Our second voyage in January took us further down the road for a meeting of pastors and lay representatives from all the churches in this enormous region. I met a lot people who had traveled for more than a day to be there -- some all the way from Puerto Cabezas itself. Quite a lot of the participants ended up sleeping in hammocks in back of the church for the two nights of the meeting.

Para el segundo viaje en Enero, viajamos más lejos para una reunion de pastores y representantes de todas de las iglesias en esta región enorme. Conocí muchas personas que habían viajado por más de un día para llegar alla -- algunos de Puerto Cabezas. Muchos de las participantes durmieron en hamacas detras de la iglesia para los dos noches de la reunion.

Our group relaxing after our journey: Doña Pilar and Claudina (seated) and Cindy (standing).

Nuestro grupo relajando después del viaje: Doña Pilar y Claudina (sentadas) y Cindy (de pie).

Sonia and Carlos (relaxing in the hammock). The "Hammock Under the Stars" was initially our sleeping plan as well, but when we arrived we found out that the regional minister had already secretly (so we couldn't object) purchased rooms for us in a hospedaje in nearby Naranjo.

Sonia y Carlos (en la hamaca). Al principio, "La Hamaca debajo de Las Estrellas" era nuestro plan de dormir, pero cuando habíamos llegado descubrimos que el pastor regional ya había comprado habitaciónes para nosotros en un hospedaje en Naranjo.


For each trip we packed our SUV with 9-10 people (we have seats in the back) and bounced around together for the 12 hour trip. Once we got there we ended up giving as many people rides as we could, since even a 15 minute drive could cut out hours of walking for them. One thing I noticed was that once we got beyond Waslala, almost every vehicle we saw was used for public transportation of people, produce or livestock. Trucks are made to work hard in this place.

Por cada viaje empacamos la camioneta con 9-10 personas (tenemos asientos atras) y rebotamos juntos para 12 horas. Cuando llegamos, resultó que dimos rides a muchas personas. Yo noté que más alla de Waslala, casi cada vehiculo que vimos es usó para el transporte de personas, productos o animales. Las camionetas trabajan dura alla.

While the assembly was going on we managed to sneak away for a swim in the nearby river. This is me trying to convince myself that the water's not that cold (I did, eventually.)

Durante la asamblea, fuimos a nadar en un río cerca. Aqui, me estoy tratando de convencer a mi mismo que el agua no esta frio (al final, lo hice).

A parting glimpse of the road as we drove back to Managua. Una mirada de despedida de la carretera durante el regreso a Managua.

Coffee and Climate (Café y Clima)

I was pretty psyched to see my first coffee plant during our November trip to the north of Nicaragua. I was a little embarrassed by my ignorance of how coffee (an important cash crop in Nicaragua) is cultivated, especially given how much I drink the stuff. I had some vague understanding that coffee comes from a smallish bush (shade grown, that's a thing, right?) but I don't think I knew that coffee grains start out as bright red berries. Cool, eh? (Photo via.)
Anyway, I am also gearing up to teach a class (or series of classes) on climate change and I have been looking around for good Nicaragua-specific research into climate impacts. I came across some research from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) that attempts to use regional climate predictions for the year 2050 to predict which parts of Nicaragua will remain suitable for coffee production. It ain't pretty.
The two maps show the suitability (yellow-green regions) of different areas for coffee cultivation. Currently, coffee is largely produced in the mountainous northern districts of Nicaragua and on the upper slopes of the coastal volcanoes (like Mombacho). Coffee (especially the arabica variety grown here) needs a fairly specific temperature range to thrive, which is why it is found in the cooler mountain regions. Apparently the timing of the rainfall is also crucial to good yields and high quality.

Suffice it to say temperature and the amount and timing of rainfall are all projected to change in a warmer world. While climate prediction of global measures are relatively robust, regional predictions can get trickier because they depend not just on the macro-physics of the planet's energy balance but also on the myriad small details of how the climate interacts with the biosphere. Still, as the resolution and sophistication of the global climate models improves a few general predictions can be made.

In Central America it seems probable that over the next century or so: (1) average temperatures will continue to climb, and (2) total rainfall will be reduced (with the first prediction being far more certain than the second, according to the 2007 IPCC report). Both those changes contribute to the dramatic shrinkage of coffee-suitable lands by 2050, as coffee farmers migrate slowly to ever-higher altitudes to avoid the heat.

And of course, these types of changes affect not just coffee, but every part of human agriculture. More worrying are changes to staple foods that people need to survive (after all, we can all survive without coffee, right?). A 2008 paper by Lobell et al. took a look at the most important crops in 12 food-insecure regions across the globe and made rough predictions on how regional climate change will affect crop yields. They found that every crop reacted differently, but that in certain regions--particularly South Asia and Southern Africa--important staple crops are threatened by future changes to temperature and rainfall. (A good presentation on Lobell's work can be found here.)

These findings highlight the central (and under-appreciated) danger of climate change for us humans: changes like these will be painful because we are already heavily invested in our current climate. In all likelihood the coffee plant will not go extinct [*], it will just shift its range northward in response to the warming, expanding into previously un-suitable regions and leaving behind parts of its previous habitat. But taking the long-view doesn't bring much solace to actual coffee farmers.

Anyway, if you're interested in more details about CIAT's research on coffee and climate in Nicaragua (and elsewhere) you should check out their blog. They've started up a project called CUP (Coffee Under Pressure) and provide likes to some interesting presentations and videos.

[*] Which is not to minimize the very real threat of climate change to many less-adaptable species and to biodiversity in general.

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Yo estaba emocionado a ver mi primera planta de café durante nuestro viaje de Noviembre al norte de Nicaragua. Me dio pena que no sabía mejor cómo se cultiva café (un cultivo comercial importante en Nicaragua), sobre todo por lo mucho café que yo lo bebo. Había una comprensión vaga de que el café proviene de un arbusto pequeño (a la sombra, que es una cosa, verdad?), sin embargo no creo que supiera que los granos de café comienzan como bayas rojas brillantes. Cool, eh?

De todos modos, estoy preparando para dar un clase (o un serie de clases) sobre cambio climático y he estado buscando por investigaciones en el impacto de cambio climático aqui en Nicaragua. Encontré una investigación del Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) que intenta utilizar las predicciones climaticas regionales para el año 2050 para predecir cuál partes de Nicaragua seguirá siendo apto para la producción de café. Es bastante feo.

Los dos mapas muestran la viabilidad (zonas amarillo-verde) de las diferentes areas para el cultivo de cafe. Actualmente, el café se produce en gran medida en las zonas montañosas del norte de Nicaragua y en las regiones altas de los volcanes del region pacifico (como Mombacho). Café (especialmente la variedad arabica cultivada aqui) necesita un rango de temperaturas especifico, por lo que se encuentran en las zonas más frescas y montañosa. Al parecer el momento de las lluvias también es muy fundamental para obtener buenos rendimientos y alta calidad.

Es decir que la temperatura y la cantidad y momento de las lluvias están predicho a cambiar en un mundo más caliente. Aunque la predición de datos globales son bastante seguros, prediciones de un nivel regional son un poco menos seguros porque dependen no solo en el fisico de la balanza de energía de la planeta sino las detalles pequeñas de como el clima interactua con la biosfera. Sin embargo, la resolución y sofisticación de los modelos globales climáticos están mejorando y podemos hacer algunas prediciones.

En América Central, parece probable que durante el próximo siglo o así: (1) la temperatura media va a continuar subiendo, y (2) la precipitación total se reduce (con la primera predicción es mucho más seguro que el segundo, según el 2007 informe del IPCC). Ambos los cambios contribuyen a la reducción dramática de las tierras de café adecuada para el año 2050, como los productores de café migrar lentamente hacia mayor altura para evitar el calor.

Y, por supuesto, estos tipos de cambios afectan no sólo el café, sino que cada parte de la agricultura humana. Más preocupantes son los cambios a los alimentos básicos que la gente necesita para sobrevivir (claro podemos vivir sin el café, ¿no?). Un informe de 2008 por Lobell et al. investigó a los cultivos más importantes en 12 regiones del mundo que padecen inseguridad alimentaria e hizo predicciones aproximadas sobre cómo el cambio climático regional afectarán a las cosechas. Ellos encontraron que todos los cultivos reaccionaron de manera diferente, pero que en ciertas regiones - sobre todo el sur de Asia y de África - importantes cultivos básicos son amenazados por los cambios futuros en temperatura y precipitación. (Una buena presentación de trabajo Lobell se puede encontrar aquí.)

Estos resultados destacan el peligro central (y subestimada) del cambio climático para los seres humanos: cambios como estos serán dolorosos porque ya estamos invertido en nuestro clima actual. Con toda probabilidad, la planta del café no extinguirá [*], solo va a cambiar su rango hacia el norte en respuesta al calentamiento, expandiendo hacia regiones anteriormente no apropriado y dejando atrás parte de su habitat anterior. Sin embargo, la perspectiva de largo plazo no trae mucho consuelo para los productores de café actuales.

De todos modos, si están interesados en la investigación del CIAT sobre café y clima en Nicaragua (y otros lugares) deben ver su blog. Se han puesto en marcha un proyecto llamado CUP (café bajo presión) y brindan algunas presentaciones y videos interesantes.

[*] No es para minimizar la amenaza real del cambio climático para las especies menos adaptable y la biodiversidad en general.

Coming Home

I think we've reached another landmark in our time here in Nicaragua. We visited Tim's family in California, leaving the day after Christmas and returning on January 4th. It felt a little early to be going back to the U.S. -- it was almost exactly 4 months after our arrival -- but being with family for Christmas felt more important than waiting a little longer. We were wondering if we were going to feel reverse culture shock, and I think it actually wasn't too bad for us. We thoroughly enjoyed hot showers, cooking with molasses, and a more luxurious style of life during our vacation. And most importantly, we got to spend time with family.

I did, however, have moments of feeling strange. We were at Tim's parents' house for this visit, and that was the place that we spent the 3 weeks just before we left the U.S. to come to Nicaragua in August. Also, we spent most of our first 4 months doing intensive language training. So, we found ourselves talking about our work mostly in the future tense (still!). At times I had a strange feeling that maybe we hadn't really left -- that we were still getting ready to go for the first time, and the last 4 months had been a dream.

But then, when the vacation was over, we came home.

And it really felt like coming home. Some of the same people came to get us at the airport, but now they are our friends. And our house is not just an almost empty place we can stay for 3 months (even that first night, we had a bed to sleep on, for which we were incredibly grateful), but the place we think we will stay for these three years, a place we are starting to make our own.

It's a good feeling.

Four Month Check-In

On Sunday we're heading home to the U.S. to spend a week with my parents in California.  The plan is to spend Christmas here with the church, and then fly on the 26th to see family.  At any rate, we've been in Nicaragua for four months and it seems to us that we've reached the end of the beginning.  Our plan was to concentrate on language learning for the first few months and when we return in January our official jobs will swing to motion.

So now seems like a pretty good time to take stock of our situation (ps I stole this post idea from Kristine).

• We've all improved radically in our ability to speak and understand Spanish.  But of course no matter how much we've improved it is a little daunting to think of how much more there is to learn.  It's like we've climbed a long way up the side of a mountain and can see a beautiful view, but the top of the mountain is still lost in the clouds.  One thing about me is that I tend to be a hard on myself when I make a mistake (even though making mistakes is how you learn), so in addition to Spanish I am learning a little bit of patience and resiliency.
  
• I have entirely lost any squeamishness I once had about smashing giant cockroaches.
  
• We have traveled around a big chunk of the country, visited dozens of churches and met some really amazing people.  The hospitality and friendliness of the church members has been tremendous and humbling.  We still feel a little overmuch like 'honored guests' when we visit churches and we're looking forward to actually beginning the work and being a little bit more useful.
  
• The culture shock we felt for the first few weeks has gradually faded into normalcy.  Different foods, different furniture, different music, different modes of interaction, the constant stream of street vendors by our door, trash dumped in the streets and later burned, broken sewage pipes, the lack of hot water, crazy taxi drivers, the churn and chaos of Managua -- these are all little things by themselves, but when we first arrived they added up to a lot.  Little by little all these things have come to seem (sort of) normal.  (Although I'm still amazed when I see an entire family of 4 or 5 perched on a motorcycle, often with a small infant wedged in there somehow.)
  
  It also helps that our house is now mostly set up.  We have tables and stuff to sit on and bookshelves and a TV that gets 3 fuzzy channels and reliable internet.  We have a car (a tremendous privilege in a poor country, and hence also a responsibility) so we don't have to rely on taxis for all our chores.  Supposedly a big burst of reverse culture shock is awaiting us when we get back to the states... we shall see!
  
• Fresh tortillas brought daily to our door are pretty awesome.  Also fresh produce, fireworks, pirated videos, shoe and electronics repairmen, and almost anything you might want seems to pass by at least weekly.
  
• We are very thankful that Quinn seems to be thriving and happy and well-adjusted.  Just this week she seemed to take a big jump forward in her Spanish skills which is exciting to watch take hold.
  
• Nicaragua is a beautiful country -- the land of lakes and volcanoes -- and we've been lucky enough to see some of it.  We've visited at least part of the neo-tropical rain forests of the north and east, as well as the dryer parts of the west (which reminded me strongly of central California).  We've driven to the lip of an active volcano and hung out in the colonial cities of Granada and León.  And we've hit the beach!

All in all, it has been an amazing 4 months.  Some parts have been difficult, but they have been more than made up for by everything else that has been beautiful, enlightening, exciting, surprising.  We're looking forward to a relaxing time in California and also to coming back for more in the new year.  ¡Que tengan una Feliz Navidad y un prospero año nuevo!

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El domingo vamos a los EE.UU para pasar una semana con mis padres en California.  El plan es celebrar la Navidad aqui con la Misión y luego volar el 26 a visitar la familia.  De todas maneras, hemos estado en Nicaragua por cuatro meses y nos parece llegamos el final del principio.  Nuestro plan era concentrarnos en aprender la lengua por los primeros meses y cuando regresemos en Enero nuestros trabajos oficiales van a comenzar.

Así que, ahora es un buen momento para reflexionar en nuestra situación (ps le robé esta idea de Kristine).

• Todos de nosotros hemos mejorado mucho en nuestra habilidad de hablar y entender Español.  Por supuesto la cantidad de Español que todavía tenemos que aprender es inmensa.  Es como hemos subido un gran distancia hacia el pico de la montaña y podemos mirar una vista linda, pero el pico todavía esta arriba en las nubes.  Una cosa sobre yo es que estoy duro a mi mismo cuando cometa un error (aunque cometiendo errores es la manera de aprender), así ademas de aprender Español estoy aprendiendo un poco de paciencia y resistencia.
• He perdido cualquier remilgo que tuve sobre aplastar cucarachas gigantes
• Hemos viajado por gran parte del país, visitado docenas de iglesias y conocido mucha gente maravillosa.  La hospitalidad y amistad de la gente ha sido enorme y humillante.  Todavía nos sentimos un poco demasiado como "invitados de honor" y esperamos a empezar el trabajo y estar un poco más útil.
• El "choque cultural" que sentíamos durante las primeras semanas se ha desvanecido, poco a poco, a la normalidad.  Comidas diferentes, muebles diferentes, música diferente, diferentes modos de interacción, el flujo constante de vendedores por la puerta, la basura botada en la calle y luego quemada, rotos tubos de aguas residuales, la falta de agua caliente, taxistas locos, la circulación y el caos de Managua -- en isolación cada uno era pequeño, pero cuando llegamos aqui, estas cosas sumaron a mucho.  Poco a poco todo de estas cosas han llegado a parecer (casi) normal.  (Aunque, todavía me sorprende cuando vea una familia entera de 4 o 5 encima de una motocicleta, a veces con un bebe pequeña.)
  
  También es bueno que nuestra casa está preparada ahora.  Contamos con mesas y sillas y libreros y un TV que recibe 3 canales borrosos y internet confiable.  Tenemos un carro por lo no tenemos usar taxis por todo de los quehaceres.  Supuestadamente, un "choque cultural inverso" nos espera cuando vayamos a los Estados... vamos a ver!
• Las tortillas frescas que pasan diariamente frente de nuestra puerta son asombrosos. También los vegetales frescos, fuegos artificiales, videos piratas, reparadores de calzado y electrónica, y casi cualquier cosa es posible que desee va a pasar por lo menos una vez por semana.
• Agradecemos mucho que Quinn parece ser prospera, feliz y bien ajustado.  Esta semana ella adelantó en su nivel de español, cual es emociante a ver.
• Nicaragua es un país hermoso -- la tierra de lagos y volcánes -- y hemos tenido suerte de ver algo de ella.  Hemos visitado un poquito de los bosques humedos del norte y este, y también los partes secos del oeste (que me recordaba del centro de California).  Hemos manejado a la orilla de un volcán activo y pasado tiempo en las ciudades coloniales de Granada y León.  ¡Y también visitamos a la playa!

En todo, los cuatro meses eran maravilloso.  Algunos partes han sido dificiles, pero las cosas hermosos, emociantes sorprendentes han compensado.  Esperamos a descansar en California y también regresar por más en el año que viene.

Favorite "New" Christmas Song

As you might imagine, the most popular Christmas songs on the radio here in Nicaragua are not exactly the English language classics I'm accustomed to. Actually, a lot of them *are*, which is pretty funny. But, there's one with a super catchy tune that I finally looked up on the Internet, called Campanas de Belén, Bells of Bethlehem. It seems to be one of the songs that's always playing on the radio.



It really caught my notice when a group of kids started singing it at the end of a mini-presentation in church on Sunday -- I think before that, I hadn't paid any attention to what the words were. The lyrics are here if you read Spanish (there's one more verse in the lyrics than in the version I posted above). I'm not actually 100% sure of the translation, but there are some nice lines.

The refrain means "Bethlehem, bells of Bethlehem, which the angels ring, what news do you bring us?"

The first verse says "Little shepherd, herding your flock, where are you going?" And the response is "I'm going to bring cheese, butter, and wine (to Jesus)." The closing verse (rough translation) says "walking at midnight the path that the little shepherd walked to bring [gifts] to the child, just like I bring my heart to God." The original is more poetic, but you get the idea.

So, it's lovely in content and not only in style, it turns out. Hooray for new Christmas songs.

Baby Santas

Yesterday was the Pastorela at Quinn's school. We didn't know exactly what this would entail, but it turns out it's basically a traditional Christmas pageant. With some extra things. The older kids did the pageant roles (Mary, Joseph, 3 Kings, shepherds, angels, etc.), but the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes combined forces to sing a Spanish version of "Jingle Bells" (same tune, but as far as I could tell the words did not involve bells). And they did this all wearing teeny tiny Santa suits. It was overwhelmingly cute!



Here's our girl backstage -- she was very interested in the shepherds in the row behind.

And the grand moment when she took the stage:

Yeah, she's in the front row, on the left, with her face obscured by the microphone.

I went around the side to get a better angle.


I know she looks tiny here, but they had her standing next to a kindergartener. Some of the other front row kids are almost as small (but she is the youngest student in the school).

She was pretty pleased with herself.



The more traditional Christmas pageant was next.

And I think the name "Pastorela" comes from the tradition of having little kids dress up as shepherds (pastores in Spanish). This is also really cute, it turns out. The pageant had a few unexpected twists, including a troupe of belly dancers in Pharaoh's court.

There was a singing number and a dance after the pageant finished. I think these were 3rd or 4th graders.

I thought this was so cute, because the first half of the dance, the girls were on one side, and the boys on the other, and they were all groovin', pretty confident in their moves. But then when the part came where they couple up, they all hesitated -- they knew what they had to do but were pretty embarrassed to actually take the hands of the child of the opposite gender.

It was a very fun cultural experience -- we heard a lot of nice Nicaraguan Christmas music and it definitely helped us get in the Christmas spirit.