HOY Hear Out Yellow

Update From Day Four: Today the six of us enjoyed a walk through the streets of Managua to the encampment for our second day of filming the banana workers. After having felt uncomfortable and intrusive on their daily lives yesterday with our multiple cameras and microphones, today was a very different experience. From the moment we walked into the crowded neighborhood of tents, we were eagerly welcomed by the former banana workers and their families. They were excited to shake our hands, talk to the cameras, perform interviews, and welcome us into their homes of plastic, wood, and scrap metal. Their excitement fueled ours, as we were better able to grasp a sense of the purpose of our being there through their appreciation. We've been struggling with feeling as if immediate help (in terms of food, medical assistance, and clothing) is more necessary than our documentary; however, we are confident that our filming provides the banana workers with hope for the future. Because the situation is overwhelmingly complicated with layers of politics, history, and community dynamics, there is a lot of information to uncover. Fortunately, we have great resources and contacts to help us. In addition, we have been lucky to witness interesting events each day and capture them on camera. Today, we were able to see the chaos, excitement, and even distress that occur when food and money are distributed to the hungry men, women, and children. Grace and Muyambi were filming in the back of the pick up truck serving food, while Connie, Britt (Victoria), Bianca, and I took pictures of the shouting lines of people surrounding the truck. Afterwards, we meandered through the community to meet individuals and hear about their struggle. We had the opportunity to interview a father of three small boys who were directly and terribly affected by Nemagon. Today was full of emotion, delicious food, beautiful pictures, and serendipitous encounters. We look forward to tomorrow, as we plan to focus on the kids in the area and playing soccer with them.
So, we’re getting into a routine now. We’re acclimated to the area, weather, and customs... we´re essentially native Nicaraguans by now. We had our favorite $2 lunches at our favorite mall and it was awesome, but we still need Muyambi to hold our hands when we cross the street.

Love,
Lauren and your favorite cinematographers.