Update on Old Friends in Nicaragua

I recently sent this 'epistle' to some friends back in Toronto who like to stay in touch with developments in Nicaragua:


Hello everyone,

Some of you may know that I am spending this winter in Nicaragua. I have not visited the country in 18 years and had more or less lost contact with all of my friends here. Well.... I am happy to report that I have been able to meet up with some of them. You all probably know from your own reading etc. what the economic and political situation is here, and of course it is even more complicated 'on the ground' so to speak. However, I am happy to report that it is still a land with beauty in both it's landscape and it's people.

I had lunch with Ramon Meneses last week. Ramon has been working with Save The Children (Norwegian branch in Nicaragua) for the past 11 years or so. He is the Communications Director there. The last time I saw Ramon was in 1994. I was about 7 months pregnant with my daughter and volunteered to drive Ramon to various meetings he had with NGOs etc in Toronto. After his business was completed Ramon asked me to take him to Toys R Us so that he could buy birthday party supplies and gifts for his twin girls birthday. I believe they wanted an Aladdin theme. Well, those girls are 21 now. Both of them are studying business administration; one here in Nicaragua and the other one in Calgary Alberta (although she wants to transfer to a university somewhere in Ontario next year). Ramon also has an 8 year old son with his current wife. Last night a friend and I attended the Mercedes Sosa concert in Managua and went out for drinks and a light dinner afterward with Ramon and his wife Dignia after the concert. They seem happy and healthy and we look forward to seeing them again later this month - probably during Semana Santa when they will be down this way. (We are living in San Juan del Sur)

Last Tuesday I was chatting with a friend here who publishes the local newsletter (see http://www.san-juan-del-sur.com for the e-version) and we got to playing the "do you know so-and-so game". Turns out he knows Nick Cooke, as do most people in this region as Nick is a bit of a fixture here. He makes his living editing, translating and writing; is still married to the same lovely woman and has two children who are busily trying to decide which corner of the globe to attend University. One will be 18 this spring and the other is a little younger. Nick also owns a wack of land on the pacific coast here and apparently his beach barbeques are legendary. See http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/12/11 for a recent article that features Nick and other 'Sandalistas'.

We stayed in Managua overnight after the concert last night and were able to arrange to meet Rosa Chavez for breakfast this morning. Rosa has been working for American Airlines here in Nicaragua and is now the Director General for American here in Nicaragua. As luck would have it her youngest son, Allan, who is currently living in Toronto and studying dentistry arrived home for a vacation last night and so joined us this morning. The last time I saw Allan he was about 6 years old. He was dead cute then and he still is - very chatty and well spoken much like his parents. You may remember that Rosa was married to Walter Porras. Because Allan had just arrived, Walter was eager to see his youngest son so also joined us for breakfast. I had not been able to make contact with Walter, so it was a surprise for both of us to meet at breakfast this morning. After breakfast Rosa needed to get to the office, but Walter was eager to show both Allan and ourselves his office, so we had a quick tour of the place where Walter is the head of over 1600 employees! He is the Director General de Ingresos for the government of Nicaragua. Walter translates that as being the equivalent of the head of Revenue Canada! Rosa and Walter's other son is studying engineering at the University of Toronto, while their daughter remains here and is the mother of a 3 year old girl and is expecting her second child this summer. I am hoping to meet them all soon.

I have just sent an email off to Danilo Cedeno and hope to be able to see him too while we are here. Danilo runs a very successful furniture and cabinet making business. See the website at: http://lamuebleria.biz/in_index.htm

Aaste and I are happy and healthy and loving life in Nicaragua. Our Spanish is improving as well. You can find out more about our travels at our blog: http://travellingwithteen.blogspot.com (Note that you will likely find a copy of this letter on the blog soon, but I wanted to let you all know this information personally as I thought some of you may be particularly interested.)

Best regards,

Sandy Iverson