I joined the ranks of La Vida because I am an idealist. I believe that, in one way or another, it is our duty to give back what we can. I believe in the right to energy, clean drinking water and education. I believe that idealists who volunteer can make a direct impact and pay [...][...]
Author Archive
April 26th, 2010 - 6:08 pm § in In the Field, Nicaragua
Water is What Water Does
Last Thursday, Earth Day celebrated all methods to conserve our natural resources and how we as citizens of the world can help do so. One of the surprising facts I’ve learned while volunteering with blueEnergy is how desperate developing nations have become for clean, filtered and pure sources of [...]
Productive Uses Create Sustainable Energy
There are many steps to help create energy independence within blueEnergy’s mission. One of the final stages is to create ways in which our communities can use the wind turbines, solar panels and other energy systems we provide for productive uses. Broadly speaking, productive uses refer to projec[...]
Pan Doesn’t Only Mean Bread
Recently, I read “At Some Point I Became Lorena” by fellow blogger Lauren Foukes, and her post brought my adopted nickname to my attention. I thought her post was very clever, and an example of how names are not always easily translatable. I was always under the impression that I had an [...]
March 5th, 2010 - 2:33 pm § in Around Town, Nicaragua
I’m on a Boat: Joys and Sorrows of Pangas
A panga boat ride is similar to when your best friend takes dad’s Porsche out for a spin: fast, unnerving, uproariously fun with fist-clenching close calls. This is the Caribbean Coast’s main mode of transportation, and how blueEnergy can access our communities. Our two-hour panga ride on a rece[...]
When Microenergy and Microfinance Meet
Part of my role at blueEnergy is to manage our two loans through our local microfinance institution. Who would have thought a portfolio of a little over $1,200 would be so challenging? Earlier in 2009, blueEnergy received funds to subsidize individual solar systems for two communities: Set Net Point[...]
February 4th, 2010 - 12:05 pm § in In the Field, Looking for Opportunity, Nicaragua, Nonprofit Spotlight, Tips & Resources, Volunteer
The Experience: Enjoying Your Time as a Volunteer
When I made the decision to leave everything that was familiar at home and work abroad, I knew that having a strong, supportive and exciting group of volunteers to work with would help ease the unfamiliar surroundings. Some people look to be alone, others want a base and the rest want something in b[...]
Nica is Cash Only
Foreigners who are accustomed to traveling abroad know that developing countries are cash-based societies. Even European vendors frequently reject plastic in favor of paper. As the Controller for blueEnergy Group, a renewable energy NGO based on the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua, I’ve come to reali[...]
