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A perfect ThanksgivingLynette Jenkins – Toronto, ON Murray Dryden always used to say: "There is no such thing as a perfect distribution!" Well, he was right (yet again) but this first-time distribution in Managua, Nicaragua was almost perfect. However, here are some of the daily challenges the team had to face: A first-time distribution: I have had the privilege of travelling to other countries with SCAW, but since most of these countries have been long-time recipients, a tradition and pattern of behaviour had been established. In Managua, everything was new, not only for our team but also for the Managuan Rotarians and young Rotaract members who worked with them. Clarence, our team leader, had established contact with our OVO in the fall of 2007 and everyone worked so hard to make this all work. Fine in theory, but what happens when that gets to become a practical reality? Magic happens. The Climate: Monsoon rains almost every day could have made the event a fiasco; however, we worked around the downpours with minimal inconvenience apart from the second day, when most of the the team and the children got soaked. Unlike the climactic conditions back home, the temperature here reached 37° C by 8 am and the high humidity meant we lost litres of fluid and needed constant hydration.
The Language: We were very fortunate that several of our hosts spoke impeccable English which helped to make communication so easy. Prior to leaving home, I had taken some Spanish lessons (Muchas gracias, Jeanette y Ivan) at the Spanish Centre, and my basic skills helped to ease some of the confusion with relaying our needs and wants to our hosts and that helped to make this distribution a successful one for all of us. When that failed, my monkey-puppet, Wally II (Wally I decided to retire in Sri Lanka last year on a SCAW distribution), spoke the language of love and laughter to the children and the parents and helped to make this a fun event for everyone. The SCAW Team: You assemble a bunch of strangers about a month before the distribution and expect them to work together as a cohesive team giving out 4,000 bedkits in challenging conditions. It can be done. We did it! It was such a joy to be with kindred spirits, sharing the generosity of our donors with these kind, appreciative, deserving children, and their families. Our Accomodation: On some SCAW trips you travel every day, staying in a different hotel every night you are away from home. Some of you may not know, but SCAW team members also have to pay for their own lodgings on these trips. In Managua we were so fortunate that a Rotarian, Franz, his wife, Marta and their housekeeper, Migda, put us up at their bed and breakfast. The B & B was a joy, and as I am writing my report at 10 pm on a warm Saturday night, I am sitting on the porch listening to the thunder thundering, watching the most incredible sheet lightening I have ever seen and watching and hearing the rain pouring down. The comfort of our rooms; the safety of being in a home, and being treated as family, has been such a highlight for all of us. If the team can sleep well, we function so much better the next day. Just think how this could translate into the children sleeping well with their new bedkits, and what they can do the next day.
Working with so many people: It has been said: "It is amazing what you can achieve when you don't mind who gets the credit." Our donors; the staff at 28 Pinehurst who collate the labels and sort the photographs; our photo lab; editors and proofreaders who prepare this newsletter; the Nicaraguan Rotarians and Rotaract members; the teachers and nuns who care for the children; the Mums, Dads and Grandparents; the caretakers of the schools and the police who gave us crowd and traffic control; and finally, my teammates: Clarence, Ted, Marianne , Liz, and Dave. Without all of you, none of this would have been possible. My heartfelt thanks and felices suenos (sweet dreams). What a way to celebrate Thanksgiving! Es perfecto. |
