Feliz Navidad

It’s definitely strange spending Christmas in another country. First of all it was hot and sunny and that really threw me off. Of course I am not with my family and I am eating different foods. Also in Nicaragua they celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December so that’s different as well. But at the end of the day Christmas is about spending time with people that you care about. I did that this Christmas. Before Christmas, I got together with a bunch of my Peace Corps friends and we had a little party to celebrate Christmas and one of the volunteers birthday. We made pasta and salad for dinner. Later on we made popcorn on the stove and played games and talked. It was really good. It was really fun to get together with friends during the holidays because it makes it feel a little like home. We were all saying that it is so cool that we have made such good friends from Peace Corps and that we will be friends for a long time.

For Christmas I went to my old host families house in San Juan de Oriente. My new host family was sad that I wasn’t with them for Christmas but the understood that I promised my old family before I met them. So when I got to my old training town, my family was happy to see me and wanted to know how I like my new town. I was worried it was going to be strange to be back since I don’t live there but I felt comfortable right away. Megan, who was also in my training town was back for Christmas as well so we walked around San Juan and said hi to our old friends. Everyone I have met in San Juan is so nice and friendly and welcoming. So in Nicaragua it’s tradition that you have Christmas dinner around midnight on the 24th. So you have to wait the entire day to eat. My family ate around 11 and by that time I was starving. We had a big dinner just like at home, there were about 15 people at the table and we had chicken, and beef and salad and rice of course haha. It was really good. I really felt like part of the family. Then at midnight we all hugged and said Merry Christmas, and then the fireworks started. They celebrate Christmas the way we celebrate new years. There was champagne and wine and fireworks and some dancing lol. It was interesting. Then I gave my family their gift, which was a framed picture of the whole family that I took. I think they really liked it. I was so exhausted by 1 am so I went to bed.

Then on the 25th, I was feeling a little sick, I think it was because I ate close to midnight and then went to bed soon after. I felt better later in the day. My host mom was really worried about me because I didn’t want to eat the whole day haha. I also got to skype with my mom and sister and pearly in the afternoon. I also called some of my other family members to say Merry Christmas. That made me feel really connected as well. I so thankful for technology! Megan and Sam (another volunteer) and I watched a Christmas Story at her house to get into the Christmas spirit. It was really fun. Overall I had a good Christmas and I am looking forward to new years. I am going to spend new years with my new family so that should be fun. Ok well hasta pronto ☺


Pictures
The Christmas tree and all the rocking chairs
The table with the coke-a-cola center piece haha
My host mom, her husbasnd, Alejandra and Isaura.
Alfredo and Tito being silly and dancing
The adults had wine and were toasting so the kids decided to toast with the coke
The candle on the table

Holiday Time

Hello All,
So I have been in my site and things are going well so far. I am slowly but surely getting to know my community. I have learned where the Internet cafes are, the pharmacies, the fruits and vegetables stands, there’s a gym and there is a pizza place too. I usually get lost about once a day but not for long because it's really not that big ha.

I started my service at a fun time in Nicaragua. Since it is close to Christmas there are a lot of celebrations going on. I have realized that I feel the most out of place here when I am at a social event. I never realized how comfortable socializing in the at home is to me. I know exactly what to do when I go to a party, how to greet people, where to site, what to say. But when I am here in Nicaragua, all that goes out of the window. For example I went to a baptism here at the Catholic Church, which was very nice and very similar to baptism I have been to in the us. It was for my host mom’s niece. My host mom and dad are the godparents. After the baptism we went to the family’s house for a little party. When we first got there I didn’t know where to sit. Everyone was looking at me like who is this girl? I ended up sitting in an area where no one else was sitting. Then we all sat down and I was thirsty, but unlike parties in the U.S. you can’t service yourself. They bring out pre-made drinks on tray with ice in them for you to take. After the one drink you get your eat your food. (Which is also pre-made on a tray) Then there is cake, which here in Nicaragua, they usually eat in napkins. I haven’t found out why yet but the cakes here are really good. Then of course I am just sitting there like a mute because I am having trouble understanding what people are saying and then I usually answer “si” to something that didn’t need a yes or no answer. Or I am being asked if I like the food in Nicaragua and if I am going to get married here haha. It doesn't bother me though. So it’s just very interesting learning different ways of doing things in another country. Cultural norms are so familiar and comfortable and to get use to new cultural norms is not easy! I am excited to go to more events here in Nicaragua and see how things are done and try to fit in better.


Well that’s all I have for now. Sometimes when I watch tv, I turn to the few American channels here and see all the Christmas commercials. It really makes me miss home! I am sad that I won’t be home for the holidays, but hopefully I will enjoy myself here and have some unique memories of Christmas in Nicaragua. Oh also I have a new address. If you want to my new address just email me, but it’s also on my facebook page. Later gators!!

Pictures:
I hate how it organizes the pictures when I upload them :(

The first two pictures of of the baby and my host parents at the baptism.
The next few pictures are of my host brother and sister before my host brother’s first communion (Communion here is a really big deal and everyone dresses up and attends the mass).
Also a pictures of the inside of the church.

First Few Days in Site

So I have almost completed my first full week in my site as a full time volunteer. This isn’t exactly the most exciting time for us. Or should I say this isn't the busiest time. Since school is out and there are no classes, I find myself having a lot of free time. This is the point when I am supposed to be getting to know the community. This may seem fairly easy but for me it is kind of a challenge. I am not the most outgoing person in the world, so putting myself out there and introducing myself is something I am not use to. I think it will be good for me though, because it forces me to come out of my shell.

Yesterday I went to the finca or the farm with my family. It was pretty cool. At the farm they grow a lot of different things such as bananas, mangos, plantains, avocados. We packed up the family truck and headed over to the finca. My host mom’s mom made pollo asado which is grilled chicken. Also I tried sheep’s meat, which was really good on the grill. We also had a salad and plantains. We stayed there for about four hours and just talked. It was fun, and I got to know my family a little better. I am supposed to go to another lagoon with them on Tuesday, which should be fun.
I am also glad that we have a phone plan now where we can call and email anyone for Peace Corps for free. I have a feeling I am going to need a lot of support and will be giving a lot of support to people over the next few months.

Also sadly one of my friends from my group has decided to go home. I am really sad to see her go because we were really good friends. I support her decision and I know her number one priority is her health and happiness. I am hoping we will keep in touch! She said she would send me packages! A part of me is a little jealous because she gets to see her family and friends and sleep in her own bed! I wish we could take mini breaks every three months. I know it doesn’t work like that but it would be nice. Haha Ok well until next time….

Pictures:
These are all pictures of the farm.

On to the Next Step

So I am happy to say that I am officially a peace corps volunteer! I made it through training! Today we had our swearing in ceremony. So it's official, I am going to be here awhile. Only 27 months to go! lol. It was a really nice ceremony with all of our host families. The U.S. ambassador here in Nicargua came and gave a speech as well. It was a really exciting day. We sang the Nicaragua national anthem as well as the U.S. one. I think I messed up the Nicaragua one but no one knew. Funny story when the ambassador came into the room, we all stood up. My friend Megan who was sitting next to me, by mistake knocked the table with her knee and my glass of water spilled all over me!! It was right at the beginning of the ceremony. I was wet and freezing cold lol. Luckily I was wearing a silky dress so it didn't really show. It was pretty funny.

It's been a crazy two weeks, having our last minute meetings and sessions before swearing in. It was fun spending time in my training town. It was sad to leave my family from my training town. We also said goodbye to our youth group. They danced for us and made us dinner, it was very cute. I am also sad that my training group (Nica 54) is going to be moving around to all different parts of the country. I made some good friends in the last three months so I am really going to miss being with them all the time. But now we have cell phones where we can call and text each other for free! So I am pretty excited about that.

I guess now the "real peace corps" experience is starting. We are actually starting our service and doing what we came here to do. It's exciting but also scary at the same time. I am nervous that I won't do a good job! There is a lot to be done and a lot to live up to. The next two months we are supposed to get to know our new community and our new families. That should be fun and a little challenging as well.

Tonight we are having Thanksgiving dinner at the country directors house! It should be a lot of fun!I am happy that we won't completely miss the comforts of home. Apparently it isn't hard at all to find turkey here. There is going to be pie as well which I am excited about

Hmm I am not sure what else to say. I am excited to start my service. I am proud of myself and I hope I do a good job.

Pictures:

Picture of the youth group
Picture of my family the night a made them a spaghetti dinner
Pictures of the swearing in ceremony with my host mom and sister and then some of my friends.

Site Visit

Hi All,
This past week I have been visiting my site where I will be for the next two years. It was a good experience and I think I am going to like my town. Something that I wasn{t planning on feeling was completely lost in my new community. I am only about a 20 minute bus ride from my training town but it seemed like hundreds of miles away. I guess I am so use to my training town and most first host family that it has kind of become a comfort for me!

My site is a lot bigger than my training town. There is a bank, and a central park (that is being re-done) and two grocery stores! My new host family is really nice. The first three days were really akward though for both parties. This family is a lot smaller ( four people) and a lot quieter than my training family. So lets just say there were a lot of awkard silences. Mainly my fault because I wasnt sure what to say. Also they talk a little bit faster and quieter in my new family so it was hard for me to understand what they were saying in the beginning. It will take some times but I know I will grow to love them!The food was really good too! My room is nice and there is a really nice bathroom which I love! In the family there is the mom and the dad and then a nine year old named Oscar and a 2 year old Alejandra. Another Alejandra that is two years old lol. She is really cute and seems to like me. I also met the extended family and they are all very nice!

I also was able to go to the school where I will be working and observe some classes. I am going to be working with 4 different teachers at the school. I will definetly have my hands full but it will be fun! The school has three different shift, morning, afternoon and evening. I will probably be working morning and afternoon. Al the teachers seem really excited to work with Peace Corps. I cant remember how many times random people asked me to teach them english in the past week lol. So I am sure I will be very busy. One awesome thing about the school is that it has a computer lab. That is going to be very helpful for me for looking things up and just general internet stuff. So over all my site is pretty cool and I think I am going to really like it. Its very close to the Managua and the Peace Corps office so that is great too. As my family kept saying its bien tranquilo, very calm and laid back so I like that. Only a few weeks left of training I cant believe it. The next few months will be interesting because school is out so I have two full months with nothing to do... I am not sure how I will fill my time. But I am sure I will figure it out.

Until Next time

Pictures:
The first few of of my new house where I will be living, it{s pretty nice. Notice the High School Musical Pillows
There is a picture of a volcano in the distant
My site has a minor league baseball stadium
Oscar and Alejandra

Wow

I just wanted to write a short post about what I experienced today. With all of the activities we have coming up, today was my last class with the students in my training town. I only taught about 5 or six classes in my training town. But today some of the students stood up and thanked me for coming. They were saying such genuine and heart felt things. They said that I made the class more fun and more "dinamic", and they learned a lot. One of the girls in the class started to cry. I couldn't believe it. It really suprised me because I didn't think that I could have an affect on the kids in such a short time. With teenagers you never really know if they are paying attention to you at all or if they even care. It was just really cool to experience that. It's makes me excited to go to my site and work more consistently with a group of kids. Today made me realize why the Peace Corps exists and why we are here in Nicaragua teaching english. I feel really lucky to be a part of this!

Nos Vemos

Site Assignment and Aguizotes

On Friday we found out about our site assignments and the cities we will be living in for the next two years. After talking to some people I don’t think that I am allowed to say the exact name of the town for safety reasons, but I am allowed to say the region. I am actually going to be in the same department that I am in now (Masaya), but just in another town. A department here is what we would call a state. So for example I am staying in my “state” but just moving to another city in the state. I think the town is bigger than the one I am in now which is cool. I know there is a bank so it can’t be too small haha.

I am going to be closer to the city of Masaya which is really big and has everything I would need. There two other girls from my group who are also staying in Masaya so I am excited to work with them and hang out with them. I hear it’s a little cooler in my new city. But I also heard it’s hotter so who knows haha. I am still going to be close to the capital city and the Peace Corps office, which is also nice. Jessica and Megan the other girls from my training town are going to be living north of me for the next two years. I am excited to go visit them! It’s up in the mountains. We are all going on a site visit this coming Tuesday and we will be there for a whole week. I am excited to see what my new town is like. It’s weird to think that I will be starting this process all over again with a new host family. My new family is a lot smaller than my family now. There are only two kids and the parents. It will be like culture shock all over again.


Well I have been in Nicaragua for two months now and this past weekend was the first time I went out for a night on the town. In the states we have Halloween. Here in Nicaragua some people celebrate Halloween but there is also a similar celebration called Aguizotes. The people basically dress up in costumes, but they are usually witches and goblins ect. They dress up in scary masks and stuff like that. It was very interesting. Megan and I went to a parade on Friday night to watch all the people in costumes. We went with our counterpart teacher's cousin and one of Megans host family friends. We felt a lot safer because we were going out at night with two Nicaraguan guys who know the area a lot better than we do. It was fun to watch everyone dancing all around. There was a lot of fire involved in the parade and tubas and drums. In the capital there was a protest against Halloween because it’s an American holiday but they basically have the same holiday here, so it’s kind of funny. After the parade we went to a club that had kareoke and dancing and pool. It was really fun. We wanted to sing kareoke but they only have three songs in English and they could only remember the names of two of them(dust in the wind was one). So after that we went to the dance floor. It was very intimadating because I am a horrible Salsa, Merengue ect. dancer. I was dancing with our counterpart's cousin Mario who is an awesome dancer. He taught me the steps and we had so much fun! I like how people here aren't afarid to just get out there and dance. You can kind of do your own thing and no one cares! I had a lot of fun that night and it's cool to have some Nicaragua friends now!

Well next week I am off to my sight visit. I will let everyone know how that goes.

Later friends!

Pictures
1. Me on top of some mountain I don't know the name of haha
2 and 3. All of us after site assignemts being silly and serious

Practicum Week

Wow,
I am not even sure where to start! This week has been one of the hardest and and also one of the best learning experiences I could have had. This training has been really intense and really hard for me, but I have learned a lot.

This past week we have all been up in the Northern part of Nicaragua doing a practicum week. Half of the group was in one city and the other half was in a different city. I was in a city called Jinotega. It's a really beautiful mountainous city. It's so much cooler in Jinotega. I found my self going the whole day without sweating and scratching mosquito bites!I even went to a coffee shop and drinking a hot drink didn't make me want to pass out! I wouldn't mind living in this area for the next two years!

So for practicum week we were each assigned a school and we had to teach a minimum of three hours of class in three days. We had to teach 90 minute classes and 45 minute classes. We all had a partner to observe us and give us feedback about the class. We were thrown into this crazy situation and we didn’t know what to expect. At times I felt like I was in the library for finals week, trying to cram in last minute studying. Instead I was trying to come up with a creative lesson plans for a class that I knew nothing about. It was very hard and challenging. It was also very exciting when the lesson succeeded and you knew that you did a good job. It was also really awesome to have all of the other trainees help in the process. We all supported each other.

For the most part all of my classes went well. I worked at a private school and the students were a lot different from what I was use to. I had one really really tough class, the 11th graders. They are in their last year of school and they were just over it! I tried to start the class off really friendly and excited, but it was dead silent. No one participated, everyone just stared at me and I think some students laughed. The normal teacher for that class was in the back talking to another student and totally oblivious to what was going on. It was one of the most awkward moments of my life. The class was 90 minutes and it went on like that for 90 minutes!
But I survived it and I lived to tell the tale.

The practicum week was a really great learning experience for me. Now I know what I am good at and what I need to work on. Also we got to hang out with people in our group that we don’t normally hang out with. It was fun to get to know different people. This coming Friday we will find out what city we will be in for the next two years. I am really excited and really nervous about where they are going to place me. I am sure I will like it but I am very anxious about it! Well I will report back when I find out my permanent site.

Pictures:
1. A picture of the mountains on the way to Jinotega
2. The mist over the mountains in the morning in Jinotega
3. The kids outside playing while the school is being fumigated
4. Me getting my teach on
5. The whole Jinotega group at the thank you dinner for the teachers

A Day in the Big City

So on Sunday Megan and I went to Masaya which compared to San Juan de Oriente it is a big bustling city. My other friend in my town Jessica, is really sick so we were really missing her while we were in Masaya. The teacher that we have been working with in our town invited us to her house to eat lunch and watch some of the parades and dancing in Masaya. Her name is Leticia. She had her cousin, who is a taxi driver pick us up and take us to her house. We got to meet her family. She has a little 18 month old daughter who is adorable. She took us to the market is Masaya which is awesome. There is the old market which is really pretty but is for tourists. We went to the new market where all the Nicaraguans go. The new market is a lot cheaper. I bought some new Nicaragua sandals. They are so comfortable. Then Leticia bought us a bracelet. She said she wanted to buy us something! It was so nice!

Oh side note: before we left her house for the market we were talking about how much we like cake. So Leticia called her aunt and when she came back over to us she said that her aunt was making us a cake and it would be ready at 2 pm lol. Megan and I were happy that we were getting cake that day! After the market we went to lunch with Leticia and her husband and her daughter. It was a really nice meal at a really nice restaurant. We enjoyed ourselves and Leticia paid for everything. After lunch we went to Pali (owned by Wal-mart I believe) which is a "big supermarket". By big I mean they have frozen foods and milk and eggs and cereal and hand sanitizer. It's so exciting to go there because I feel like I can buy anything I want! After shopping we went back to Leticia's house to eat cake. On the way we encountered some kids dancing. They are dancing the traditional dance of Masaya, it is a throwback to the indigenous people of Masaya. They are so cute and they are really good!

It was a great day in the big city! This coming week we are preparing for what is called practicum week. We will be traveling to another part of the country to teach three classes by ourselves. For the next two years we will be co-teaching but for the practicum week we have to teach a class all alone! I a little nervous about that... Hopefully it will go well. It will be exciting to get out of my town for a week and see something different. Then after practicum week w will be finding out about our permanent sites. We are all really excited about that. Well I better get back to work. Peace Corps keeps us very busy!

Pictures
1. I tried to upload a video of the dancers but it didn't work booo
2. Leticia, Megan and I at lunch in Masaya
3. A picture of the outside of the old Market
4. The central park in Masaya
5. The dancers dancing in one of the houses and
6. Leticia's daughter Lucia Natalia

5 weeks In...

Hola Amigos

I am back again for a little blog action. Things have been pretty busy this week. We have been attending a lot of charlas or workshops and a lot of training sessions. I taught my second class last week. It went pretty well, even though sometimes the teacher I work with is a little apathetic at times. I am trying hard to make the classes that I am teaching fun and hopefully the kids will learn something. I am looking forward to having a consistent class to work with in the future.

We also got a packet with the different choices for sites. So basically we get a list of places around the country where we will be placed. Based on the information they gave use we pick our top three choices and we will more than likely get one of our top three choices. We only have the information about the places but not the names so we kind of have to make a decision based on what they gave us. We are all really excited to find out where we will be for the next two years. Most of the sites for the TEFL program are in larger cities, but there are a few rural sites. I would definitely prefer to be in a larger city. We are finding out where we are going October 29th, so that's something to look forward to!

Today we went to the Volcano in Masaya. We have a diversity session and then after that we drove to the top of the volcano to take pictures and have some snacks. It was pretty fun although it was a bummer that we couldn't climb all the way to the top. Recently one man committed suicide at the volcano and two people got struck by lightening. So now they don't let anyone hike to the top. It was still cool to look inside of the volcano. It didn't explode don't worry lol.

Side note... I haven't taken a hot shower in almost a month and a half. I also have only take a real shower about 4 times since I have been here. The rest of the time I have been taking bucket baths... so you basically have a bucket with cold water in it. When there is no running water which is most of the time, you dump the water on yourself, lather up and then dump the water on you to wash off the soap. It's pretty interesting... it's not as awful as it sounds... lol but it's definitely an experience. Since it's so hot the cold water isn't that unpleasant. I just thought I would point that out. OK that's all I have for now. Tomorrow I am going to Masaya (bigger city), to have lunch with the person I teach with and see her house and have lunch. This whole week the city of Masaya has had parties and celebrations for their patron saint. I am going to try and take some photos of that and then post them on my blog. I hope all is well in The USA. I am sad to be missing the fall season.

Pictures
1. A picture of my nails that my host sister did for me (she did my toes too)
2-5- Pictures of the volcano
The rest of my photos are on facebook