The journey has begun...

1/4
It did not dawn on me that I am going to spend one month and 1 week in Granada, Nicaragua until I was knocked back into consciousness by the strong exotic smell, the warm tropical breeze, and the loud noise coming from crowds of smiling faces; noise unfamiliar but pleasant to the ears. Lester recognized me from far away, though he has never seen my face. He has been Opportunity's preferred taxi driver long enough to recognize a volunteer from a mile away as they exit customs with their large backpack on and their humble clothing, praying not to stick out more than they naturally do. Three women, a child, and some strong smelling containers of food entered the taxi as well, speaking unnaturally fast, sending some random remarks and easy smiles my way.

One hour passed as we swirled through extremely dark, narrow roads with sparse sights of people, bars, very small and worn out houses by the road, traffic animals, all the way from Managua to Granada. Leaping out of the car door, two steps forward, and I was already in the Hotel Bohemian Paradise. At my amazement, a consistent 1/2 foot of sidewalk extended before the connected walls and entry-ways of all colorful houses on the tightly packed street. Lucy, an American woman who owns the place greeted me with a confused look as I could not help but stare at what was in front of me: tiled floors, wooden pillars, curved artisan metal gates, calming music, bamboo decorations and a gorgeous open courtyard in the middle of the place with a jungle and a fountain glistening in the dark. Talk about colonial architectural influence. I felt as if I was in the 1500s entering una casa de un don muy importante, and not in the second poorest country in Latin America.

My room is small, humble, clean and colored with embroidery and bamboo baskets. I could not help but laugh out loud and jump on the bed, surprising myself. If Alex J was here, she would be on there with me with no look of judgment :)

1/5
I opened my eyes and it didn't hit me right away that the tall, wooden ceiling I was looking at was an indication that I was not in my red red room in Toronto, but at the doorstep of a wonderful journey I was about to embark on in a land I was so mesmerized by from last night's vague memories. After some good coffee and tropical fruit I met up with Geralyn, my supervisor at Oportunidad International who will be guiding me in my learning, my immersion, and my work with the organization. The next thing that happened was not a surprise as that is simply what happens when you put two talkative women with strong passion for community development and a strong draw to cultures and differences. Three hours later...

I visited a few guesthouses that I could stay in. Two were owned by North American women, while the third, Casa Capricho, was JUST as gorgeous, JUST as Granadian, but owned and operated by locals. I chose this red house that rents 10 rooms, has a small pool for dipping in during the scorching sunny hours of the afternoons, has gorgeous open space in the middle with lots of vegetation and hammocks, lots of colorful tiles and decorations, tall ceilings and the typical colonial bright colors on the walls. The room is small, humble, but very clean and cozy. Perfect. I will spend my time on the wooden chairs or the comfy hammocks out by the vegetation anyways.
The deal was too good to pass; I will be staying in the middle of Granada (quite a tourist spot these days due to its colonial history), walking distance from work, the main square, the lake and the market for only $15/night, all while I will be surrounded by the young Nicaraguan staff, interesting backpackers with unique stories, and volunteers my age.

The rest of the day I spent at work. "What is work?" one might ask. I should get to that part as that is the reason why I am here in the first place.
Opportunity International is an international NGO that provides microcredit for the poor in communities all around the world. Though independent for decades from Spanish colonial rule, Nicaragua still struggles with providing equal economic opportunities, simply shifting oppression from colonial rule to the 26 bureaucratic families owning 98% of all industries, all while the rest of the people rely on micro-enterprises (employing less than 3 people, and making less than $4 per day) for survival. As great as the need is for good ol' microfinancing, there is an even greater need to avoid getting into the commercialized microfinancing that is on the rise all around the world due to banking involvement. Now while the internationally lead Opportunity directs funding with little involvement besides oversight of its local microfinancing partners in their loan distribution, the case of Opportunity in Nicaragua is quite astray, a black sheep of hope as I see it. What Geralyn has started here is a 5 year pilot project where she is attempting a more asset-based approach to community development rather than a need-based one. This model relies on finding the gifts and capabilities of the entrepreneurs and funding and promoting their talents, rather than pointing out their needs and creating a dependency and inferiority-based relationship. Besides, this is the only place where Opportunity has an office as an established NGO, employing 11 locals who work beyond program implementation through its local partnering microfinance banks, as they do in every other place. This work includes empowering of local members who organize their neighborhoods in projects using every citizen's assets and talents, such as conducting the construction of clinics and schools, and even organizing training among community members as to improve the well being of the community as a whole, especially in income-generation and entrepreneurial skills. Geralyn is the only foreigner, working alongside of Nicaraguans to prove that there is no need to expand microfinancing into a 'banker' style system as to compete with the big commercial banks who now see great profit in lending to the poor. Microfinancing began and should remain simply a tool for empowering the poor to raise out of poverty individually as well as together as a community.

Now from what I understand, I will be working with the Ojala brand that a group of 30 women created. As more crafts and more talents were brought into the group of borrowers, the women decided to ask for promotion assistance. Their products are now labeled as the Ojala brand (Ohala meaning "a strong expression of hope that something will succeed") and sell in stores all around Nicaragua. To test the ability of such products to sell internationally, I will be aiding in constructing promotion materials and pictures for a web designer in California who will make this web page catalog come to life. To aid the process additionally, I will be writing an application to get this brand a Fair Trade Certification, as well as perform some basic market research by visiting stores around Nicaragua to examine what sells and what does not.

Though I am overwhelmed, I am genuinely excited and grateful to have this opportunity to be working on such a grassroots initiative that is so brave to be steering away from the commercializing trend microfinancing has begun to take in many places today.

Tomorrow I move into my permanent residence--Casa Capricho, and will continue my reading. my observing and my learning.