Not sure if you've heard this, since Nicaragua doesn't exactly grab front-page headlines in the U.S., but there's been quite a mess going on; the U.S. State Department even put a travel warning on the country because of political violence.

Here's the quick summary: the ruling Sandinista party won a majority of mayoral seats in early November, but ( Read more... )

The famous Nicaraguan musician who wrote the Sandinista hymn has just announced that Daniel Ortega and the rest of his cronies have one week to stop using his recording of it during government events ( Read more... )

Kenya feels like Nicaragua but in English and with darker skin. It doesn't feel exotic; it feels familiar, safe, like one of my many versions of home ( Read more... )

Nicaragua to decriminalize gay sex.

(Abortion still illegal in all cases, even when the life of the mother is at risk.)

Because of my hand problems, I have a very nice Good Grips can opener, which I brought with me when I lived in Nicaragua. This last break, Lorena asked me if I could buy her one like it in the states; the handles of hers keep breaking off. She's been through several can openers and she says she can't find anything but the same cheap junk anywhere ( Read more... )

My cab driver to the airport yesterday was part of a taxi cooperative named after the date that Violeta Chamorro took power from Daniel Ortega after the 1990 elections, thus ending the Sandinista era and the Contra war. "We called it that so we could get support from Chamorra. We were one of the first taxi cooperatives, and she helped us out with ( Read more... )

I get on the bus to Managua and the driver greets me in English, "Hey, how ya doin'? You can sit right here." He indicates the seat directly behind him and finds a place for my bag ( Read more... )

Luis convinced me to sign up for tomorrow's hike to Telica, an active volcano. My last reason for not going was that I had no shoes; I brought with me only my sandals and a pair of high-heeled boots for dancing. Turns out Quetzaltrekkers, the organization that plans the hikes, had an extra pair of tennis shoes that fit me. I've been wearing them ( Read more... )

ONE ( Read more... )

It was a busy morning in Matagalpa. The electricity would be out from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., we'd been told, and everyone wanted to be ready ( Read more... )