Post date: Mar 8, 2013 1:13:28 PM
This is my last week at Jubilee House Community in Ciudad Sandino, a densely populated suburb of Managua, Nicaragua. I have spent over two months improving the computer network here, using equipment donated by Bucknell University, as well as related tasks. The community designed a custom T-shirt for my 'thanks'. A photo is available on my Facebook page.
Today I will present my first draft of an inventory application for the supplies and pharmaceuticals at Nueva Vida clinic. The new director there is well organized, but like many people, wants to use a spreadsheet for what is really a database application. She also wants a simple accounting program to track income.
[They charge a minimal fee (around US$1, or a day's income) for an office visit. This is the most densely populated area of Central America and one of the poorest - having taken refugees from earthquakes and flooding since its inception. They only got some paved streets when the Pope's entourage came through.]
This weekend I travel to Granada to look into renting a house for next winter. It seems that North America has caught on to Nicaragua as a destination for retirees, and Granada is the target city. (The other target is San Juan del Sur - a beach town.) That, of course, pushes the prices up but also provides incentive for remodeling old properties to make them more attractive to gringos. There seems to be quite an array of houses for rent. I'll see how many of them meet our criteria! I am making a map to show the location of the houses I visit and nearby landmarks.
The group of visiting nursing students from Boston College is still working at the clinic. Bucknell University sends another delegation starting tomorrow (while I'm gone - I'll meet them Sunday evening.) Jubilee House is very busy this time of year.