Journal Entry

Day #0
Except from the journal of Justin Halladay.
May 12, 2011. 11:57pm. Airplane in route to Managua.
We are on our way and everyone is very excited. This trip represents a big step forward for the organization by taking high school student volunteers to the region for the first time. I consider this responsibility a personal test as well. The students and their parents have entrusted me with their security in a third world country. That’s a big deal and I take it very seriously. In fact, it is the highest responsibility of my life and I am ready for it. These four volunteers have demonstrated extremely impressive character and determination over the past year and it is no surprise they are here with me. I wish the other dedicated volunteers could have joined us as well, perhaps on the next trip. Based on my own experience and that of others, this trip around Nicaragua has the potential to truly provide our volunteers with an intimate knowledge of the country – its culture and society, its problems and poverty, its diversity and beauty, and its love and need for baseball. For them to have the optimal experience, I must remain focused and strong even in the event that things do always go our way – like the timing of the release of our baseball supplies from Nicaraguan customs. I have intentionally brought half of our inventory of gloves and dozens of balls on the plane with us because I will not allow us to be slaves to the will of Nicaraguan customs as we were for most of the last trip – waiting in Managua or nearby everyday for the supposed release. We must stay the course and meet with the communities as scheduled. Furthermore, it is important that the Daniela’s can distribute at least some of the supplies since they are returning to the USA before the rest of us – they deserve to be part of that final phase.
There are many things I hope to achieve as an organization and personally on this trip, but there are a few high priorities which I am inclined to document.
Priorities: 2011 Nicaragua Trip
• Get everyone home safe and happy.
• Return to the USA a stronger team than when we left.
• Get the equipment to the kids and communities.
• Strengthen our community relationships.
• Further develop our international education and sponsorship programs.
I am sure we will achieve all these priorities. Looking forward to getting this show on the road tomorrow.
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Day #1
Excerpt from the journal of Daniela Moreno (Cypress Bay High School volunteer)
Managua & Santo Tomas
May 13, 2011
The whole trip came to be unexpected even from day one. Our first morning in Managua started off by counting all the baseball materials we had brought in suitcases as a back-up plan. We then drove to the Abandoned Children’s Foundation in Managua, where kids from the near communities spend their afternoons interacting in physical activates, lessons, and crafts. The minute we stepped into the foundation, you could see the little kids light up with curiosity to why we were there. Daniela Chaparro and I met two little girls coincidently named Daniela and Brenda; we made it a joke that we were the three Daniela’s. They were so amazed with our cameras and wanted to partake in every single picture; they modeled for us, and would not stop showering us with hugs and compliments. We then walked around the foundation and took around the classrooms, field, kitchen etc… Everything was impeccable, and the kids seemed to really enjoy spending their free time there. After meeting everyone, we gave the kids baseball equipment, took some pictures, and then went to see them play in the field. Throughout the whole trip, I was astonished to see that every kid had a natural talent for baseball, as if it’s in their blood. We drove out of Managua and into Santo Tomas, and the in the roads, teenage guys and men would be playing baseball in abandoned fields with torn gloves, sticks as bats, and rocks as balls. We stopped on the side of the road and handed them a couple gloves and balls, and their faces were completely shocked. It amazing how as little as a glove can make such an impact in a person’s life, all the time raising equipment seemed worth it when distributing the materials.

That night we arrived at Santo Tomas and met with the local community partners, and shared a very professional dinner with them. We were interviewed by the local news station, and were able to explain the leaders our mission and motto. They were so grateful to have someone from other extremes of the world be willing to help out a sport that needs attention in a country like Nicaragua. Knowing the influence that Project Beisbol makes in these communities really inspires me as a volunteer to keep working to make a difference in these people’s lives; even if it’s slight.

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Day #2
Excerpt from the journal of Ryan Feller (Cypress Bay High School volunteer)
May 14, 2011 – Santo Tomas & Rivas

We woke up in a hotel in Santo Tomas which our kind community partners had sponsored for us. After breakfast, we met up with Franklin Castillo Miranda, the gentleman who initiated our visit to Santo Tomas, along with the heads of the youth baseball league. They took us to visit their city’s major field, a dilapidated but beautiful concrete goliath on the outskirts of town. It was explained to us that
the stadium’s primary sponsor had abandoned the project, but that it was
occasionally used for some games despite its neglected state. We then visited a
smaller stadium, where a handful of local youth players were practicing.
They were just eight or nine years old, but I was shocked at how well
they played and how much they enjoyed it. Visiting both stadiums and
watching the local kids practice stood to me as a testament to the town’s
love for and dedication to baseball, in spite of limited access to
equipment, and was a shining example of the difference that access to
baseball equipment can make in the lives of the kids who play.

We said goodbye around two in the afternoon and began the four hour drive
to Rivas, a city of around 28,000 people on the shore of Lake Nicaragua.
We met with Maria Cecilia Delgado Gonzalez, one of the equipment coordinators for the nearby town of Belen. We had a meeting with the local coaches, determined their necessities, offered some gloves and balls from our road stash, and continued
on to San Juan del Sur. We had dinner in this cool surf town on the Pacific Ocean and slept in a hotel a few blocks away.

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Day #3
Excerpt from the journal of Daniela Chaparro (Cypress Bay High School volunteer)
May 15, 2011 – Nandaime (La Barranca) & Granada
After a few hours drive from San Juan del Sur, we arrived at Nandaime where a dirt road lined with modest homes led us to Mayerling Cruz Vega and Francisco Chico Cruz, our equipment coordinators in the rural neighborhood of La Barranca. Project Beisbol has been working with them for three years and seen great results. Being from another third world country (Colombia), I had already been witness to a certain degree of poverty. However, these mere shacks many people called home exhibited another extent of poverty and surprised me. We arrived at Mayerling’s house only to receive the bad news that the celebration and baseball and softball games she had spent weeks planning had to be canceled due to the weather. In this region of Nicaragua, a day of rain means no transportation. In other words, there was no school for the kids, no jobs for the adults, and in our case, no games and celebration with the community. We made the best of the situation though and settled down their home, whose walls were lined with photographs. The images of Mayerling’s winning teams holding the equipment Project Beisbol had given them on a previous visit gave me an unexpected sense of pride. And the many photos of her father’s (Francisco Chico Cruz) professional baseball history served me the reminder of the blood deep tradition that is baseball in Nicaragua. We took care of administrative details such as further equipment necessities and proceeded to throw some balls around while we waited for our meal. After eating a vegetable soup Mayerling’s kind family cooked, we got the chance to talk to a few girls from one of Mayerling’s softball teams who could make it despite the weather. These softball teams where created by Mayerling directly as a result of the Project Beisbol equipment donation in 2010. We learned of their dreams and aspirations, ranging from psychologist to architect and said our goodbyes with promises of returning to supply more support for their teams.

That night we arrived at the colonial town of Granada where we stayed in Hotel Con Corazon, a non-profit hotel which donates one hundred percent of its net revenues to supporting education for the underprivileged in Granada. We dined at a local pizza place where we met a special group of children. They had been performing for the shops and people nearby, accompanied by a drum set and a gigantic puppet head, something you would see only at a circus. When they finished performing for us, they approached us to collect their earnings. Justin, however, offered to purchase a pizza for them instead. They didn’t seem surprised and were more than ready to be specific and demanding when it came to the drinks and meal. This is something I figured was a result of their constant encounters with well-to-do tourists who prefer to provide food rather than cash as they presumed the kids may purchase drugs with this money – not an uncommon scenario in Nicaragua. Anyways, the waiter brought their pizza and what did surprise the three boys was that we had set a place for them at our table, something I’m sure casual tourists don’t commonly do. After they had finished their pizzas, we began to question more into their lives – the schools they attended or didn’t, their families and the nature of the late night work in the streets. We learned of the street performer’s job they had obtained and the more than generous percentage that they had to give away to their boss. Conversation carried on and Project Beisbol came up, at which point they shared their passion for baseball with us. We agreed to provide them with equipment and set up a time to meet them at our hotel the next morning. The next day the kids were considerably early and had brought friends. After each had received a glove, a baseball and a bat, we said our goodbyes and asked them to keep in contact. I found this a relatively futile arrangement as most of them had no home, and less probably a phone or computer. Surprisingly, we did receive a call from the boys a few days later and they simply stated that they had been practicing everyday and that we should bring shoes and uniforms for them on our next visit. Our minute gesture had such a large impact on these children’s lives and this is what inspires me and gives us all the greatest reward. The trip to Nicaragua was more than I could have expected and taught me above anything else that what matters is not simply giving, but sacrificing.

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Day #3
Excerpt from the journal of Joshua Pincus(Cypress Bay High School volunteer)
May 16, 2011 – Granada, Penitas & Leon
We woke up this morning at Hotel Con Corazon expecting our friends we met the night before in the streets of Granada. We got them their gloves, a few bats, and some baseballs and smiles were on their faces. We then took pictures together and played with them a little bit in the streets. After finished with that in the morning, we packed up and headed to Leon, the college town! Of course, we took the wrong road and it was bumpy for hours as we made our way there (Justin’s call). We made it to Penitas, where we had lunch with a person we are working with in this small beach town. We gave her some gloves and headed into Leon where we got settled at our hostel. We had a team meeting to prepare for the next day.

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Day #5
Excerpt from the journal of Thomas Lee (DHL Express rep and grand Project Beisbol collaborator)
May 17, 2011 – Managua
Arriving today at 3am, I knew it was going to be a long day. After a couple quick hours of sleep, Chrissy and I traveled to the Managua DHL facility to ensure the donation clearance process was moving along and the next steps related to the community distribution process. Quickly following was a meeting at the US Embassy with Ambassador Callahan and all of the Project Beisbol volunteers for a discussion on baseball, charities and the role of US non-profits in Nicaragua. What was so significant from that meeting was the statement of how important non-profit outreach from US organizations truly is for bridging the gap between people and countries in a way governments can’t. However, like every day this was also a community relations day so the next stop was to see the Papuchos. This colorful youth team from the Barrio of Lenin Grado in Managua treated us first to a baseball game and then to dinner. The Papuchos are deep with talent and recently even won an international tournament. Most impressive about the coaches was their sincere concern over the players and their commitment to not only continue to offer baseball opportunities to the children but to also ensure the players remain in school as a pre-requisite for playing on the team – opening up even more opportunities for the children down the road.

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Day #6
Excerpt from the journal of Ryan Feller (Project Beisbol Volunteer – University of North Florida) May 18, 2011 – Managua, La Barranca (Nandaime), Rivas, Belen, San Juan del Sur

When we woke up in Managua, something was clearly wrong. Justin had
contracted food poisoning and was lying in bed, sick as a dog and facing
difficulty moving. Thomas Lee pulled through, driving the bumpy, windy trails to La Barranca while Justin uneasily gave directions from the passenger seat. When we arrived in this remote village, my high school friend, Joshua Pincus, took charge in Spanish at our meeting.

Joshua, Thomas, Chrissy and I sat and talked with ex-professional ball player, Francisco Chico Cruz, Mayerling’s father, as we waited for Mayerling (our equipment coordinator for La Barranca) to arrive home from her college classes. I used the opportunity to ask all about life in Nicaragua and the challenges that Nicaraguans face – from education to finding employment. Mayerling and several softball players came and played a game with townspeople. Mayerling had invited a small marching band from town to show their appreciation. We listened, enjoyed thoroughly, said goodbye and darted for our second meeting of the day in Belen.

Upon arrival in Belen, we met with our equipment coordinator Cecilia and a dozen or so young players. Joshua did a great job taking charge again, and we met the players and
played catch for a short while. Joshua closed the meeting with a motivational speech and we headed off to San Juan Del Sur for a meeting with Ruth Cuadra, town collaborators and the coach of one of our recipient teams. We went over the necessities of the teams and operational considerations. After the meeting, we trucked down a dark, dirt road along the pacific coast to the amazing rural resort Mango Rosa. Owners Chad and Greg have kindly sponsored our stay at their place for the last two years, while at the same time collaborating with us and sponsoring their own youth baseball teams in the area.

Today was a great example of how much we can pack into a day, as well as
the commitment of our team to stay strong and work through obstacles (in
this case, Justin’s illness). I especially loved learning about real Nicaraguan
life from Francisco in La Barranca. This aspect of our mission and journey is as important to me as distributing the equipment, and imperative for us as an organization in understanding the lives, culture and needs of Nicaraguans – all of which facilitates our role in fulfilling those needs and improving lives.

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Day # 8 & 9
Excerpt from the journal of Ryan Feller (Project Beisbol Volunteer – University of North Florida) May 20 & 21, 2011 – Jinotega

Of every city we visited on the trip, I loved Jinotega the most. We drove
up from distributing the equipment in Managua at the DHL Express office after nightfall.
In the morning, we met with William, one of our community coordinators for the city, who took us out on a tour of the city by bicycle, stopping at the central market, the local baseball field, and a café. At the café, we met with Tito, our original community contact, who treated us to the delicious, locally produced coffee. On the way we also stopped at the beautiful cathedral in the center of town, where we climbed up the bell tower that housed the oldest bell in Nicaragua, carried over from Spain in the 17th century. The bell tower offered one-of-a-kind views of the city and surrounding mountains. That night Justin, Josh and I came across a nightclub of sorts on the university campus – a stage, lights and huge speakers set up in the courtyard of a university building with about a hundred students, dressed in their best nightclub attire, dancing to the music. Justin bet Josh $10 to go into the crowd and dance, and Josh agreed but backed down a few minutes later. It was a great experience showing us the real life of college students in this mountain town.

The next day, we woke up in our hotel in Jinotega and set out for the baseball field, where we met with Tito, William and four youth teams. The kids lined up in rows and sang the Nicaraguan national anthem. Tito, William and Justin all made speeches, giving thanks to each other and the community for their collaboration and love of baseball and the kids, and their belief in a better future for Nicaragua. We were each presented with a certificate of appreciation from the teams and a bag of the Jinotegan coffee we’d drank the morning prior. The teams then set out and started playing; we had some ice cream and watched a bit of each of the two games. We were even surprised with a horse, which Josh and I rode around the field, making for some pretty hilarious picture opportunities.

We said goodbye with hugs and thank yous and headed out to see Jinotega’s professional team play against the neighboring city of Esteli. I’d seen professional baseball games in the States before, but the atmosphere here was completely different, charged by the intense passion of fans shouting in the stands. As Josh and I watched the game progress, we talked to a few young boys made curious at the sight of a group of Gringos in their town. Justin took the opportunity to take some photos of this unique baseball setting.

After the game ended we drove to San Isidro to meet El Coro and Maravilla Jarquin, coordinators for the city and supporters of the cities’ two youth leagues, opponents in a baseball rivalry so impassioned that prior to this meeting, the teams weren’t even on speaking terms. It was clear that Project Beisbol had brought these baseball leagues together for the first time in a while – they knew it and we could see it. We met with close to a dozen coaches and team supporters over a delicious homemade dinner while discussing the necessities and potential of the community’s kids. We retired to our hoteI and I decided to stay in for the night, while Josh and Justin headed into town to walk around. They returned in a few hours to realize that they were locked out of the hotel. After exhausting all civilized measures including knocking and calling the number for 30 minutes, they honked the horn on our truck for thirty seconds straight, probably waking up the whole block in the process. The manager showed up half asleep and let them in. I managed to sleep through it all.