This blog is for the friends and family of Kimberly Cook, RN who want to follow her adventures serving at Nueva Vida Clinic in Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua. Welcome!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

I'm here!

I wanted to post an update and inform you all that I am here safely and getting adjusted little by little. The flight and car ride to Ciudad Sandino went well. The volunteer coordinator, along with two of the organization founders' teenage son, picked me up at the airport. There were no issues getting through customs and my bags didn't even get searched! I was allowed two checked bags 50 lb. maximum each and one carry-on, and my bags were 49.5 and 50.0 pounds!) The drive from the airport to the Jubilee House Community in Ciudad Sandino was a cultural lesson in and of itself. Many stop signs are disregarded, there are cars swerving in and out of traffic, and street vendors sell trinkets, juice, and food at traffic lights as they stand in the middle of the street between lines of traffic. There are plenty of motorcycles and even some horse drawn carts. The highway that we take from Managua to Ciudad Sandino runs east-west along Lake Managua, then northeast from Managua (up a big hill- you are entering into mountainous territory) into Ciudad Sandino. Ciudad Sandino is located about 10km northeast of the city center of Managua.
Managua is very poor, Ciudad Sandino is a very poor part of the greater Managua area, and Nueva Vida is the poorest area within Ciudad Sandino. While Ciudad Sandino began as a resettlement community for Managuans after the major earthquake in 1972, Nueva Vida is the most recent resettlement community designated by the Nicaraguan government after Hurricane Mitch struck in 1998. The clinic where I am working is located in Nueva Vida. The streets of Nueva Vida are paved with cinderblock type pavement, but because it is the rainy season, the streets are covered in dirt and have huge potholes filled with mud puddles. The people's homes are sided with makeshift wood, which leaves huge gaps in the siding, and tin roofs. They usually have one sink, which is located outside on the porch, and the water is filled with bacteria due to the substandard plumbing.
Good news - I am living in a dorm type facility with a great system for purifying drinking water, indoor plumbing, and intact walls and ceilings. I have my own room with a queen sized bed (and a real mattress, although very old), cement floors and walls, a nightstand, a good fan, an overhead light and a lamp, and screened windows through which I can hear the rain, insects, birds, dogs, and monkeys (yes, we do have 2 monkeys here on the property!) The food is WONDERFUL. We ate black bean enchiladas last night complete with scallions, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, olives, and cheese. It was one of the other long term volunteers' birthdays yesterday, so we had chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting for dessert (AMAZING!)
Well, that's it for tonight...I'm really tired and am headed to bed soon. More to come soon!

5 comments:

  1. Yay Kim! I'm so glad to hear you're safe and sound and eating GOOD FOOD! Your room sounds wonderful, I would love to wake up to the sounds of the tropics of Central America! Keep posting updates! :)

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  2. WOW, I'm so glad for the update. Must be strange hearing monkeys outside. Glad you have a real bed and that you've made it feel like home(as much as you can) so quickly. Your detailed description makes me able to picture what things are like for you there, it sounds as poor as I imagined. I'm glad you have a good fan, are you able to sleep ok? How are the people you are living with? I'm so glad that they were there to meet you at the airport and that your travels went so smoothly. I'm still amazed that you were able to get your luggage weights so close to the limit...go girl!!! I recieved permission from Genesys yesterday to take a short leave to come work with you in March(1-2 weeks). I'll begin to work on my Spanish soon in prep!!! I'm anxious to hear more. Love you so much!!! Mom

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  3. Kim, We are so pleased you arrived safely! I appreciate your updating us so soon. It is such amazing and interesting work you are doing. Your aunt, uncle and cousins are so very proud of you!
    God Bless, Aunt Diane

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  4. So good to hear that you made it safely and without complication. Two monkeys! How fun. Let me know when your mom makes plans to visit you so I can work around that. Love you and so excited for you that you have taken this leap of faith. Remember talking about it at Zingerman's last winter...?! It happened! Like your mom said, GO GIRL. Love you and praying for you!

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  5. Thank you so much for sharing your adventures with us. I look forward to hearing how God is working through you and in you as your experience continues. You are in my prayers!

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