First, a closer look at the word "footnotes":
Foot - the body part that most frequently touches the ground (making it, therefore, the most "grounded" and "down to earth" part of the body). Also, the article that transports a traveler on his or her way.
Notes - small slips of paper with handwriting on them that grocery shoppers or lovers sometimes absentmindedly drop on the ground and that people with names like Sarah and David enjoy picking up and saving. These often serve as tiny windows into the lives of other people.
Foo - the first three letters of the word "food," which is a material that Sarah and David both love eating. (Example: Nicaraguan cuisine, which will be much documented in the notes that follow).
Footnotes - observations about or explanations of the main text, often elaborating on the little-know subjects of everyday life that might otherwise be skipped over or taken for granted. Especially when used to delve into the experience of two Americans working in a small community in the mountains of Nicaragua, footnotes shed light on the main narrative (in that community) from a particular perspective (that of the two Americans).
In the notes to come, we two Americans living and working in the small Nicaraguan community of San Nicolas hope to learn from our Nicaraguan friends and coworkers. We hope to answer these questions: What is it like to live in San Nicolas, Nicaragua? And in what ways can we share our lives with the people of San Nicolas?
As we go about our life in San Nicolas, we will jot down our footnotes, or observations, as they come to us. And when our two-year
term in Nicaragua is over, we hope that we will have at least some answers to these two big questions that face us in the months ahead.
If you would like to help us with our work, please visit us on our mission website.
Thank you so much!
