Connections and Divergences

by Justin, Tufts 1+4 Participant

Holy cow it has already been seven months! Time has flown by and I cannot believe this incredible experience is almost over. Eight countries, a spanish accent, and one million paellas later I am still here in Madrid loving where I work and hating the idea of leaving. I am not looking forward to saying goodbye to the educators and my boys whom I’ve watched (and helped) develop and grow these past months. I have definitely grown as well and I’m not just talking about my hair. After this experience, I will definitely have a more worldly and humble perspective as I continue my life post 1+4. I will appreciate everything I have at home and continue to desire travelling the world. In fact, being here has done the opposite of satisfy my travel bug- I have come to accept the “bug” as a pet that will not run away anytime soon.

justin 1Looking into the future I am excited for the last two months here in Europe, but honestly I suppose I am also excited to go home. I miss my family and friends and would do anything to give my little brother a manly bear hug with manly tears of joy. My mom sends me pictures of herself and my brother regularly to make sure I don’t forget what they look like. My dad has been keeping me updated by sending me videos of my sister’s progression from first steps to adorable dance moves. Therefore, I am happy here in Spain and will be happy when I get back home to the States. Life is pretty good.

So how does my experience compare to my peers? Well, honestly I cannot say for sure. Literally all fifteen of us are having completely different experiences and I guess I can find some similarities between us too. I know Gabriel is working with monkeys. While I do have some doubts I’m pretty sure the kids I work with are in fact human children, so there’s one difference. Aberdeen spent the beginning of her time in Brazil whale watching. Besides a few tourists, I don’t think I’ve spotted any whales here in Madrid, so there’s another pretty big difference.

In all seriousness, through communication with my peer connection group, I do have some insights from my fellow fellows in Nicaragua and Brazil. Abigail says her time in Nicaragua “doesn’t feel like real life,” like she is separated from the rest of the world. I think this is a really interesting thought because I can relate but at the same time feel the opposite way. We are away from our “normal” lives back in the States doing our respective volunteer work, basically living another life from what we are used to. However, here in Europe, life feels more real to me.

justin 2I’ve done lots of traveling and places that were just fairy tales in my head have become reality in front my eyes. I’ve visited so many amazing cities and feel less blind to the world around me. On a darker note, I am physically much closer to all these unfortunate events happening in Europe and the Middle East, which does have an influence on my experience here.

Elaine feels like she is finally in the rhythm at her placement after 6 months. What is interesting is that even though we are working completely different jobs, I also feel like I just got into the rhythm very recently. I am finally at the point where me, my co-workers, and the children are on the same page at the home. We have an efficient working schedule to get through the day as smoothly as possible which is in clear contrast to when I first arrived. Additionally, my bond with the children is much stronger by now, so it makes things a lot easier. Daniel says he is “going to cry a lot.” He is referring to the bond he has with his host family and the sadness of leaving them when the time comes. While I will definitely miss my boys from work, I don’t think I will feel the same way Daniel does with his host family. I am actually envious of that.

Furthermore, one would think the fellows living in the same countries would have very similar experiences. While this logic is not completely false, I can tell you that the fellows here in Madrid are living very distinct day to day lives. While Madeline, Daniela, Gongga and I work under the same foundation, we are responsible for different homes. For example, my home is all boys in their teens while Gongga’s home is a mixture of younger boys and girls. Therefore, being in separate homes, working different schedules with different educators, and caring for different children has shaped each of our experiences very uniquely. Furthermore, our lives outside of work are also very different. While I’m at the gym, Daniela is volunteering with Clowns Without Borders. While I’m skating or reading at the park, Madeline is helping promote an awesome volunteering app. While I’m volunteering at a marathon, Gongga is probably running it.

Moreover, we don’t even travel to the same places and when we do we have different experiences. I hiked the hills around Toledo to get a view from outside the city walls, while Daniela was exploring the shops within them. While Gongga and I became knights in Medieval cities like Bruges and Prague, Daniela and Maddie turned into vikings in Copenhagen and Oslo. Thus, even us four in one flat live in very different worlds.

justin 3So yes, the fifteen different experiences do connect and diverge in many ways. But as a whole, I believe these adventures are the same for they will have a long standing impact on everyone involved. The diversity in experiences will make for fun storytelling and interesting blog posts. My favorite part of this year is that I can go home prepared and excited to face what I was once afraid of: growing up. So I am looking forward to that and of course – all of us agree that we are excited for college!

My Younger Sister

by Aberdeen, Tufts 1+4 Participant

Growing up in a family of six, with three siblings, I thought I was accustomed to being a sister.  What I couldn’t have known was that Brazil would bring me a younger sister.  I knew it was a possibility but I hadn’t contemplated it that much.  Biologically I have an older sister, an older brother, and a younger brother.  Now, experientially and host-family wise I have a younger sister.

The experience of having a younger sister is entirely new and I’ve entirely loved it.  She’s weird, funny, supportive, smart, annoying (if I hear the song “Dear future husband” sung one more time at top pitch I might pull my hair out), fifteen, beautiful, and one of my best friends.  She’s all that I could hope for a younger sister to be.

Upon first arriving to my homestay we were strangers, now I find it strange that she was ever not my sister.  In fact, I’m sitting on her bed writing this post.  Having a younger sister is much different than having a younger brother.  From my new position I’m seeing lots of my past self appearing in her actions, her worries, her every day high school experiences.  I never expected our sisterhood to be such a reflective period of my life.  I now have a better understanding of perhaps what my older sister has experienced watching me grow up.  Sometimes you can give the best boy advice in the world, knowing that it won’t be heeded, watching as the situation goes up in flames, and all you can do is just shake your head and be ready with open arms.

Every day I am astounded by how mature my younger sister is and how much wisdom she already has.  She is often the one giving me advice.  She helps me with Portuguese, we terribly sing Abba at the top of our lungs, we have movie nights with popcorn, we walk to town, we’ve done a lot.  I can’t tell you how many dishes I’ve washed by her side this year followed consequently with fights to the death by flicking wet dish towels at each others’ legs.  There is no way  I can express my gratitude at having a younger sister.  All I can say is that she’s been an integral piece of my experience in Brazil and that even though we aren’t connected by blood, we are just as close.

15 signs you’re becoming culturally Nicaraguan

by Isabel, Tufts 1+4 Participant

1. When an 80 degree morning feels like a warm fall day to you…

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2. …And when when wearing jeans in 95 degree heat is so normal you don’t even feel hot anymore. Almost.

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3. You practically set your alarm by the cats walking on your roof in the morning.

We woke up like this (at 7:00 because of the cats!)
We woke up like this (at 7:00 because of the cats!)

4. When your neighbors and family blast music at all hours of the day/night, but you’re so long past being annoyed you just dance along.

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5. You walk in the shade even if it means going out of your way to cross the street. The sun is no joke here, so if you don’t want to fry, you’d better find some sombra. Fast.

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6. Eating everything from bags (snacks, fruit salad, milk, entire meals…) is normal.

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7. You see volcanoes on your way to work in the morning.

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Ok, you’re right. This isn’t on my way to work. But I can see those same volcanos on my walk, so that counts, right?

8. You know and love Rubèn Darío, the famous poet who lived in León. Everyone here knows his biography and at least one of his poems, so if you want to fit in you’d better get researching.

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9. Crowded busses/camionetas don’t faze you. And by crowded I mean so full that people are hanging off the outside. If you like your personal space this mode of transportation is not for you.

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10. You can only get around if the directions are something like “two blocks west of the cathedral”. There are no individual house addresses like we’re used to in the US, and if you try to use street directions with me I will have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.

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I live 12 blocks west and 4 blocks south of here (La Catedral)! Just kidding, my actual address is 1 1/2 blocks west of Lobito bar, but still.

11. Cold showers are your jam.
…Ok, maybe not. I’ll always prefer warm showers. But I have gotten used to them, and after exercise or a hot day they can feel alright.

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12. If you’re making a schedule you actually plan a half hour “waiting for people who will be late.”
… And then you expect a few will show up after that anyways.

13. Stop lights? What are those?
Maybe this is just a León thing, but in this city of 210,000 people there are maybe 4 stop lights.

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14. …But that’s ok because you’re an expert at crossing the street without them. Even when that means a near death experience by speeding bus, taxi or Motorcycle.

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15. And finally, you know you’re becoming culturally Nicaraguan when you can joke about diseases like chikungunya, dengue, or Zika.

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Nicaragua brings you the latest summer fashion. Because if they’re going to fumigate like they did for Chikungunya, we’re fried!

A Visit to León

As the Tufts 1+4 Program Administrator, I have the amazing privilege of working with our fabulous Fellows throughout their Bridge-Year, as well as over their four years at Tufts. I skype and email frequently with all of our Fellows who are in the field to hear stories and see photos of their lives overseas. Last month, it was a real treat to get to see some of this in person when I visited our Tufts 1+4 Fellows in León, Nicaragua.

At the risk of embarrassing our wonderful students, I have to say that from the moment we met up on my first evening in town, I noticed that our Fellows seemed different from when I last saw them in August. Throughout my visit I was honestly in awe of their confidence, maturity, and adaptability as they showed me around León, introduced me to their placements and host families in Spanish, and gave me a glimpse into their lives. They all seemed so well-integrated into their community, and each of them has approached this year with such patience, thoughtfulness, and care.

Placements

After hearing for months about their service, it was great to see our Fellows’ placements first-hand! They are all contributing to some incredible community agencies.

2Elaine is working at the beautiful Casa de Cultura. Among other projects, she is teaching voice and music theory, assisting with translation and publications for the Spanish school, and helping organize an educational program that celebrates the most celebrated Nicaraguan poet, Rubén Darío.

3Abigail works at Las Tías with older children and teens. She spends her days helping with homework and teaching English, and led a huge project to both paint and create a mural from recycled materials at the community center where she works.4

Isabel is also at Las Tías but working with younger children, so her service is more focused on playing games and assisting children with activities, including creating a juegoteca at her placement to give children a quiet, clean, and colorful place to play games.

David is doing energy controls at La Salle University, carefully tracking the campus’ energy consumption and working towards making the University self-sustainable. He is preparing to implement similar energy consumption reporting and management at a school in León, and is also assisting with other renewable energy research projects at CIDTEA.

Emerson supports English classes for high school students at La Salle, as where he also teaches English to a group of university faculty. He is also working with La Salle staff and students to create a community garden on the university grounds.

Life in León

 

5I loved getting to know the city of León during my brief stay. It’s a beautiful city with a fascinating history. Though navigating the city can be challenging for first-time visitors (your host family’s actual address might be “200 meters from where the gas station used to be”), the city is small enough that it didn’t take me long to get my bearings. It was wonderful walking around the busy streets with brightly colored houses, seeing the Plaza Mayor and far off volcanos from the brilliant white rooftop of the León Cathedral, and sampling delicious rice and beans and other Nicaraguan and international food in meals with Fellows and my colleagues.

6Coming from a big city, León feels more like a large town – the central area is quite compact, and Fellows said it is not uncommon to run into people they know when walking around the main area of town. At the same time, León is large enough that there is a wealth of things for Fellows to do in their free time. I got to check out some of their favorite open air cafes, the gorgeous art museum where they sometimes head for a respite from the busy city, and the markets where they get their wonderful fresh fruit smoothies. In their free time, Fellows are taking guitar lessons, teaching English classes, enrolling in online MOOCs, taking exercise classes or going to the gym, riding bikes around the city, volunteering with a local Boy Scout troop, relaxing in rocking chairs with their host families, and, occasionally, hiking up, or boarding down, a volcano. There are so many wonderful opportunities to take advantage of in this city, and I am immensely impressed with the many ways that our Fellows are learning about, and engaging with, their host community.

I also had the distinct pleasure of meeting each of our Fellows’ host families, who were incredibly welcoming. Fellows live across the city, and families range in size (both in number of people and pets!), but all were so kind, and talked about what a positive experience it has been to host our Fellows.

Brazil Animal Release Video

1+4 Brazil fellow Gabriel is spending his Bridge-Year at R3 Animal caring for rescued and rehabilitated animals in Brazil. He recently helped release 20 toucans, over 100 small birds, a jungle cat, a cuchia, an anteater and more back into the wild! Check out this great video of the release (and the cameo of Gabriel carrying the cages)!

What is Love?

painting the canon w 1+4 fingers

by Daniela, Tufts 1+4 Participant

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. I love a lot, so each year it is nice to have a sweet holiday to celebrate who or what you love.

We are over halfway through our bridge year adventure, and I have many new things to love. First, I love the girls at Montoya. Ana, Yaiza, Carmen, Lucia, Leyre and Eva each hold a special place in my heart. I love the way Ana says goodnight to Madeline and I every night. I love the way Yaiza creates customs out of whatever is in the house. I love the faces Carmen makes at me after she makes a basket at her basketball class. I love the way Lucia blows grand kisses to us almost everyday. I love how Leyre wants to play make believe every time we are walking together. I love the way Eva gently corrects my Spanish. The educators at Montoya are also lovable. I love the fact that Juan Carlos asks for help with his English homework. I love the way Inma makes merienda. I love, love, LOVE Maria Jose, I love her food, her jokes, and I love that fact that during the first few weeks she was shouting Spanish absurdities to a boy who was making me cry.

I love Madrid and its mix of beautiful balconies and Franco style apartments. I love the buses here. I love Retiro and the Palacio Cristal. I love Celicioso, my gluten free bakery. I love not being able to understand Hector, my Cuban crush who works there. I love Toma Jamon and the fact that every time I go in, they know my order. Un cola cao, caliente. I love the Reina Sofia and the scary Buñuel movie that plays there. I love the fruit shops on every corner, and I love the neighborhood mercados. I love that it still smells like Roscone in front of some of the bakeries. I love our house and Miguel the portero. I love the gangs of elderly women talking and rolling around their little carts. I love when the Metro announces the wrong stop and everyone in the car laughs. I love it when I recognize the local street performers and their acts.

I love being able to travel. I love seeing different parts of Spain, and Europe. I love wandering around each city I visit and stopping at the local stores and coffee shops. I love making new friends, like Juan and Nathalia, who I ended up visiting last weekend in England. I love seeing old friends in unexpected places. I love seeing things in real life that I have only seen in books and pictures, like the Cliffs of Moher and the Nobel Peace Prize Center. I love that students enter museums free or at a discounted rate. I love mastering public transportation in a foreign language. And I love coming back home to Los Mesejo again.

Like I said, I love a lot. And while all of the things listed above (along with a couple of others) were contenders to be my Valentine, none of them stole my heart like my fellow Fellows! Daniel, Zoe, Eve, Gabriel, Aberdeen, Steven, Emerson, Abigail, Isabel, David, Elaine, Gongga, Justin and Madeline are the true MVPs this Valentine’s Day. Ellos son super guay! I am constantly inspired by them, via blog posts, Instagram, snapchat, homework assignments, and correspondence. Being able to relate to one another across projects and continents has been one of the highlights of the year. Whether talking about work, or just joking around, the 1+4 fellows are the absolute best. I love them. Hands down, they are my Valentine this year.

*Honorary MVP titles are also awarded to Isaac, Lydia and Nellie our peer leaders.