Hola todos! Mi nombre es Angela Merrill y estoy en Nicaragua trabajando con los jovenes de Formaccion Fenix para crear un plan de negocio de joya que es sostenible. Me encanta Nicaragua para la gente, las playas, la comida – no escogería otro lugar para pasar mi segundo semestre con Carpe Diem.
Hello everyone! My name is Angela Merrill and I’m in Nicaragua working with the youth of Formaccion Fenix to create a sustainable jewelry-making business plan. I’m in love with Nicaragua for the people, the beaches, the food – I wouldn’t choose another place to spend my second semester with Carpe Diem.
A little background info about me: I graduated high school last spring from small-town Montana, traipsed across Northern India in the Fall with Carpe Diem, spent one month playing in the snow and now I’m here in paradise.
Where is paradise exactly? I’ve found it in the small community of El Limon 2 in South Pacific Nicaragua –skipping out on winter blues and soaking in the rays to flex my entrepreneurship muscles with an organization called Casa Verde. Their guiding principles are global citizenship, sustainable living, experiential education and community collaboration – much like Carpe Diem itself! The infrastructure of the program depends on its collaboration with Formaccion Fenix, which is a community-born youth leadership club. My job – being a “Project Coordinator” –is to be a mentor and an extended hand to help build a sustainable jewelry-making business plan. I’m here with five other interns who each have their own projects and who are all amazing individuals.
To be honest, when I read the description of the placement, I couldn’t tell you what made me so excited. I think it was the fact that this is their mission:
Casa Verde provides youth, from all backgrounds, the experiences, sustainable resources and skills necessary to reach their highest potential in globalized society. We believe education is the foundation for all true innovation and social change. We teach young people how to work in new groups, thrive in new environments, and imagine creative solutions to new challenges.
My heart and soul lies within “creative solutions” and discovering our “highest potential” not to mention my desire to become the brains behind a social business. It truly feeds my fire (thanks Simone, you doll!).
Almost immediately on arrival home, I was instructed by the Casa Verde program director, Amie, to build a comprehensive work plan complete with goals, objectives and measurable evaluation methods. In just one month, I would be talking business (something I had only dipped my toes in), in Spanish (terrifyingly exciting) to teenagers of a different culture (tricky). Chills quivered down my spine; it was veritable excitement..
Soon enough, I was on a plane to Managua with passport in hand and a goofy grin plastered on my face. Within eight hours, I’d be in-country – a musical phrase to a world-traveler’s ears. Finally, I walked through the customs doors singing:
JUBILATION, I’M IN-COUNTRY AGAIN.
( to the tune of Cecilia by Simon and Garfinkel )
As soon as I stepped foot on Nicaraguan soil and began to be whisked past pulperias, people and palm trees, I knew it was the right fit. The next twelve weeks were going to disappear into the mist of time and I couldn’t wait to seize as much from this experience as I could.
To “mejorar” our Spanish, the intern cohort’s first two weeks in the program were spent at La Mariposa Spanish School – a brilliant jungle filled with monkeys, parakeets and… chickens. Our typical schedule was to wake up at our homestays to a breakfast of homegrown fruit and coffee, head to a volunteer placement with loads of energetic, kickball-loving children, and head to the school for four hours of Spanish lessons. Oi! Needless to say, we certainly “mejorar-ed” our Spanish, but our thoughts were soon directed to dreams of El Limon 2.
One long Sunday bus trip later and we began our journey in El Limon 2.
It has been two weeks since then, and I have already been able to do so many amazing things. My work plan has changed about a million times but the plan as of now is to go through three or four phases:
1. Ideas (create a mission statement and inspiration journals)
2. Research (trip to learn new skills from artisans and hold informational interviews with vendors) and
3. Implementation/Product Evaluation (make new product and earn a profit to fund our dreams!).
Hitting every objective above would be ideal, but an integral aspect of community development is to design tight and facilitate loose. Actually, I’m excited to see where my group of students takes it: perhaps beyond where I’m expecting, perhaps not. The uncertainty is delicious.
My experience thus far has been brimming to the top with serendipity and a brilliance that I haven’t known. I’ve watched the sun set over the beach almost every day. One of my eight host sisters cleaned my horrendously filthy feet and gave me a mani/pedi (instantaneous loyalty). Yesterday, I taught my student leader how to use Pinterest to “get inspired.” My Nica life is filled with hammocks, big lunches and the faith that we will make an impact – even if we don’t see it fully blossom. Amie says that the two most important things we can remember and learn are “patience and flexibility.” I can only imagine the depth and impact this project will have.
Sending love and cool Nica vibes,
Angie