Heading home

As winter break comes to an end I am filled with excitement to head back to Managua. I am ready to get back and see my friends, enjoy the warm weather, and get back to work. Unfortunately, the start of this semester reminds me that I only have four more months in Nicaragua. I have…

Kindred Spirits

Well here it is almost the end of my first semester in Nicaragua. Amongst all the stress of writing papers and studying for finals there is one experience that I did not account for, saying goodbye to great friends. If someone would have told me three months ago that I was going to make some…

Esteli: Cigars, Murals, and Nightlife

This past weekend I headed north to Esteli for a weekend of preliminary research. Esteli is a tobacco producing region in Nicaragua’s northern highlands. I was there to research tobacco but found so much more. After finishing some work I walked around the city to get my bearings. The city felt strangely familiar, I think…

Amazing Nicaragua

       While on exchange at La UAM (Universidad Americana), I am living in Managua. People describe Managua as hot and unorganized, but what many fail to realize is that the city is the perfect home-base for the weekend traveler. There are so many amazing places to go that are close and affordable to get to…

A Brief Thought

After living in Nicaragua for just a short time my perspective of my field (Latin American/Environmental History) has changed dramatically. I am almost embarrassed to say that I have written about Latin America before I had the chance to live here and learn about the culture. For example, I reviewed a book that had a…

A Little Advice

As a graduate student studying abroad I think I have had a very different experience than I would have as an undergraduate. Study abroad for nontraditional students is just not that common, especially at my school. I have to say that there were a lot of unknowns before I left. Even after I arrived there…