monday mentions

* This past weekend I fled the suffocating heat of Managua for the gorgeous and cool mountains (long sleeves! yes!) of Esteli, where I spent time with a group of fun and thoughtful fellow ex-pats who were a source of great encouragement and inspiration during the weekend.

* Last night I watched a documentary on the young American engineer and clown Benjamin Linder, which aired on local TV--today is the 21st anniversary of his murder at the hands of the Contra forces in Nicaragua. Benjamin Linder, Presente!

* Rewinding just a bit further, Thursday night I celebrated Earth day (albeit slightly late) at a musical earth festival at a local joint called Ruta Maya (thinking of you, Paul!) with my roommates and some other friends. Performing that night were none other than my favorite Nica musicians, Katia and Salvador Cardenel, the duo whose music I quote often in this space, together with Moises Gadea (Katia's husband), an up and coming artist with a poetic soul and nimble fingers on the guitar strings, and Philip Montalban representing the Caribbean music of this country. They each played a range of beautiful songs dedicated to the beautiful planet we all inhabit, one of which (Dias de Amar, by Guardabarranco) says, "

Vienen ya dias de amar la casa que habitas, Dias de amar la tierra vegetal, flor y animal; Vienen ya rios con aguas sin envenenar Agua que beben los que tienen sed igual que usted. Vienen ya bosques pulmones de la gran ciudad, Selvas que aroman en la oscuridad, noches de paz. "

Days to love the house you inhabit are here; days to love the earth, vegetable, flower, and animal; Rivers with waters that do not poison are coming. Waters drunk by those who have thirst just like you. Forests, lungs of the big city, are coming; trees that give fragrance in the darkness, nights of peace."

Best of all, in the middle of the concert, after hearing on the songs sung by the talented joven Moises, I felt inspired enough to overcome my shyness and introduce myself to him and explain one of the video projects being done by our semester program students--and to ask if he might be willing for his music to be part of this video. It turns out Moises has a special heart for children and youth at risk (much of his music has a very social justice oriented tone), the topic of the documentary Daniel (the student) is working on, and he was more than willing to meet with us (today, in fact!) to discuss the possibilities. We had a great meeting today and I am really excited about the contribution he will make to this project. Not to mention that he is just an all around good guy that I am happy to now know personally.

* If you're not careful, the music of Rodrigo and Gabriela can really make you dizzy.