Trip Preparation -
If you haven't traveled to a third world country before (like me) you might not know that the CDC recommends that you get immunized to protect against a number of diseases. The CDC has a website (http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/nicaragua.aspx) which contains their recommendations. Since I just had gotten a tetanus booster, I could skip that but I had to get immunized for Measles/Mumps/Rubella (MMR), Hepatitis A, Typhoid and also get malaria pills. Interestingly, the MMR and Hepatitis A are two part vaccinations. You get the second MMR about a month after the first vaccination. (In fact, I am due for that this week) The second Hepatitis A vaccination needs to be administered 6 months after the first one. Additionally, my doctor was only able to get the pill version of the Typhoid vaccination. So, I had to take a pill every other day for 8 days. Did I mention that it had to be taken 1 hour before food and also needed to be refrigerated? Couple that with the malaria pill requirements (taken weekly 2 weeks before possible exposure and three weeks after) and you can see why I had to employ the use of a calendar to keep track of all my required actions. It feels like I have made more trips to my doctor in the last 6 months then the rest of my life combined.
Another aspect of preparation was telling my family and friends what I was going to do. Many expressed concern about my exposure to various diseases, only some of which vaccinations would prevent. Others were also concerned that I might get kidnapped, robbed or be threatened in some other fashion. After reading the material on the Bridges website, (http://www.bridgestocommunity.org) I became comfortable that the infrastructure in place (20 staff members located in country) the history of the organization (working in Nicaragua - exclusively- since 1992) in addition to an experienced trip leader (6 previous trips) afforded me a level of security that was acceptable.
So, where are we going? I mentioned Ticuantepe in my first blog entry. There a
re 15 departments and 2 self governing regions in Nicaragua. Ticuantepe is part of the Managua Department but is considered a municipality (there are 153 in the country) Ticuantepe has thirteen small communities under it and combined they make up one of the poorest populations in and around the capital city. The Ticuantepe municipality is split up into two sections: the urban zone and the rural zone. The Urban zone contains 37% of the population - just over nine thousand people - and the rural zone is made up of 63% of all inhabitants, which amounts to about twenty-five thousand people. Today Ticuantepe is the largest supplier of pineapples to the whole of Nicaragua and the local land and environment is perfect for the growth of these delicious fruits.
re 15 departments and 2 self governing regions in Nicaragua. Ticuantepe is part of the Managua Department but is considered a municipality (there are 153 in the country) Ticuantepe has thirteen small communities under it and combined they make up one of the poorest populations in and around the capital city. The Ticuantepe municipality is split up into two sections: the urban zone and the rural zone. The Urban zone contains 37% of the population - just over nine thousand people - and the rural zone is made up of 63% of all inhabitants, which amounts to about twenty-five thousand people. Today Ticuantepe is the largest supplier of pineapples to the whole of Nicaragua and the local land and environment is perfect for the growth of these delicious fruits. 
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