Category: Nicaragua 2013

Caroline Bach4 Comments

Poison

Poison

Sorry body, just today.

I have been trying to convince a friend to eat cleaner and better until I finally managed to get him on board for a detox challenge. No sugar, no gluten, no dairy products, no alcohol, no nasties. A lot of water, a lot of green stuff, a lot of natural niceness. I’m doing this for moral support more than anything else, as dairy products, gluten and sugar mostly are excluded from my diet already. Anyway, I’m looking forward to haing a good excuse to not drink that cup of coffee – which I suddenly have started to get used to, not have that sweet, perfect cookie, and just eat a lot of greens – I’m supporting a friend!

Starting tomorrow, that is – this can of pure evil is still okay tonight.

Perfectly off-topic: Here’s some dreamy Kokeshi Doll for you from LA based Mark Redito, the genius calls himself Spazzkid.


Spazzkid – Kokeshi Doll
(2013)

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¿Será que llueve?

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I think the rainy season might have arrived to Managua..

My mind and body are starting to complain as I obviously need a break from work. A weekend would be nice, for example – let’s see if I can find some time to squeeze one in somewhere in the near future.

Watched the 1995 movie La Haine yesterday, a very good one. Realized I used to know that kind of angry kids and the very clear and well presented connection to how the lack of inspiring, entertaining and protective environments and activities puts the social and emotional development of children and youth at very high risk. There were many scenes in the movie where the lead characters would just sit, for hours, being bored.

Which is exactly what I am working on right now, by the way. And the reason to why weekends often feel less urgent than getting things done.


La Haine (1995)
Directed by Matthieu Kassovitz

Caroline Bach1 Comment

Learning Spanish: Tenazas

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Talking to my security guard at home:
“So, I need this thing.. it’s a tool.. that you grab and twist things with.
*making the movement*
I need it to close a leaking water tap in my patio. You know, you usually ise it to grab, turn, and tighten, or open, things.”
“Hmmmm.. grab, twist.. tenazas!”
“Maybe!”
“Let me get them for you.”

Today, my dear friends, I’ve learnt the word for pliers in Spanish. It’s tenazas.

No more leaks within my hearing range!

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Formalities in Orange

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Holland got a new king today so the Dutch embassy is throwing a big reception. As the Dutch are moving out of Nicaragua in a couple of months and closing the embassy, this evening is a particularly special one, packed with speeches, buffet, wine, tulips, networking and formal wear. All according to protocol.
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And orange. So much orange.

Update: Forget what I said about protocol. Karaoke. Embassy staff rapping and singing in Dutch. And there’s no more wine. Oh, dear…

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Exitoso Carnaval de Nicaragua 2013

So I just got an email from Erick Ruiz José from the Canal 8 TV channel here in Nicaragua, they were one of the TV teams who surprised me while I was taking photos of the carnival by putting a big camera in my face and asking “What do you think of Nicaragua?!” There were so many things I could have said about the context, about the athmosphere, about the country or even about the objectification of bodies – but I just couldn’t find a way to put it into the surprise moment and I didn’t have the heart to start criticizing anything in the midst of the great vibe of the event – so I just went with the least creative but most easy answer: “The people are very good, very beautiful, I LIKE IT!“

Maybe not the best performance right there, but hey – Look mom, I’m on TV in Nicaragua! haha

Caroline Bach1 Comment

Alegría por la vida!

Yesterday I was at the 4th yearly carnival in Nicaragua, “Alegría por la vida!” was it’s catchy slogan that the MC was screaming through the microphone more than often, Joy for life.

In proper Rio de Janeiro style, dancers from different dance groups, cultural associations and districts of Nicaragua showed off their tranditional dances, glittery little outfits and, strangely, a lot of coloured contact lenses. The athmosphere was great, the audience was cheering and clapping, and the dancers seemed to enjoy despite those sky-high heels. To my surprise, about half of the artists were actually men in women’s outfits with full-on make up and often socks for breasts, and I was very schocked when the group from the Caribbean coast didn’t only do their traditional “African dance” with an extemely sexist touch, but also had a sequence where an old man screams and bites the shell of a coconut off with his teeth, cracks the coconut open against the ground and eats it like a wild beast before pouring the coconut water over himself and throwing the rest at the audience..

But apart from what I think of these kind of extremely objectifying events, children in high heels, and rather disgusting reinforcements of old stereotypes, I was having a really good time.

The whole event is run by the government and was supported by hundreds of youth from the political movement Juventud Sandinista. They were responsible for keeping people off the main street where the dancers were passing and basically wanted me to take their picture all the time, awesomely, I got access to walk into the street and get very close to the dancers instead of in the seats of spectators or behind the row of people.

So, here’s what I got:

Caroline Bach4 Comments

We don’t usually do this but..

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..it’s just one of those days.

After a couple of very intense days in the office I eventually got the feeling that my work was accumulating, hours becoming shorter and energy levels dropping.

Recognizing what my body and mind were annoyed about, I left the office at 7pm and took the evening off yesterday. Went out for dinner with a friend, had a good talk with a beautiful view, and didn’t even glance at my computer when I got home. Ha!

Today my body and I woke up with enough energy to wash clothes and prepare a proper breakfast, so I think we are in agreement again – however, we just decided to have a cup of coffee.

We don’t usually do this but.. those deadlines won’t move no matter how we feel about them.