The Past Three Months

Hello All,
So I haven’t done an entry in awhile! I need to get better at keeping up with this thing! I am been very busy the past couple of months! It is nice to be busy because now it’s December and I will be home in 6 days! SO many Nicaragua have asked me to bring them back a “recuerdo” or souvenir from the States. I am never quite sure how to answer them or if they are serious. This has caused some problems, and I am now bringing back a watch (with a black band) for someone I don’t know very well haha. She gave me an umbrella so apparently we are even. In October Alex, a Peace Corps friend of mine got married! She came to Nicaragua a year before me so she just finished her service. She married a Nicaragua whose name is also Alex. They are a really cute couple and the wedding was really nice! Then the following weekend was a Peace Corps event at the Holiday Inn in Managua. Everyone was dressed up and the theme was masquerade! It was fun to get together with a lot of the volunteers and stay in a hotel with hot showers! The weekend after that was Aguizotes in Masaya. Aguizotes is the Nica version of Halloween (kind of). Instead of people dressing up as nurses, famous people or cartoon characters people here dress up really scary and paint their faces. Last year it was really overwhelming to go to Aguizotes. This year it was so much fun. The people dressed up didn’t scare me or make me nervous. I joined in the fun. I painted my face and watch the parade.

The month of November basically consisted of preparing for the end of school. I was never quite sure when the actual last day of school was. The date seemed to change every week. For about two weeks the students were coming to school even though they had finished all their exams and the grades were in. So there was definitely a lack of motivation for the students to show up. It was exciting for the seniors of the school. I will be sad that they won’t be around next year. They were some of my favorite students. The last weekend in November we had a small Thanksgiving celebration with my friends. I was skeptical about how it was going to turn out but it was really good! We had rotisserie chicken instead of turkey, and stuffing (mom sent me stove top), mac and cheese (made in a toaster oven), green beans, potatoes, bread, carrots. It was so delish! I also enjoyed a few Nicaraguan holiday activities but now I am ready to head home on the 21st!

Pictures (bottom to top)
1. Food from Thanksgiving
2. Masquerade Ball in Managua
3. Out in the big city celebrating a friends 30th Bday (Geovannia in the Blue)
4. Picture from my schools graduation
5. Alex and Alex at their wedding

Round 2

Now that I have been here for a year, I am seeing things again for the second time. I must say that the same things I saw this time last year seem quite different this time around. I feel like I have a better grasp of what’s going on and why people do what they do and say what they say. I feel a lot more comfortable. I think that my second year here will be a lot less overwhelming. I am going to try to have fun and continue to do my best to help my counterparts and students.

Also I am finally starting to make friends! After 10 months in my site, I have to say that I have some friends. Which is nice. Even though our activities include hanging out at their store or pharmacy, talking and people watching. It’s a different kind of life style and I am getting use to it. My neighbor made food for me the other night! She just came over and asked me if I like pork. I said yes and next thing you know I am eating a delish meal. Sometimes she tries to speak English. As she is leaving she say “I wait to hope that you like”. Doesn’t make sense but I understand what she meant! I am sure that’s what I sound like sometimes in Spanish. I had a leak in my roof from a strong gust of wind. The water began to come inside. Now the “floors” of my house are pure concrete so a little water inside isn’t a big deal, but it started to rain really hard and the water was starting to rise. So I had to rig a little mechanism to keep it from coming in. I was proud of myself. My creation is pictured here as well.


I am trying to make an actual meal at least once a week. Often times I just eat a sandwich or something quick for lunch. In my opinion it’s way too hot to be cooking mid-day. I usually sweat to death from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. But I think I can manage to cook at least once a week. I have a few pictures of my creations.

That’s all for now. Year two is starting off great and I am sure there will be more stories and adventures to come.


Pictures

Food creations
My anti-leak mechanism
Pictures of a trip to Leon with some friends

My How Time Flies

I have been in Nicaragua for one full year now! I can´t believe it. So much has happened in the past year and also there is so much that could happen in the coming year. One year in Nicaragua means I still have 1 year and 3 months left because it´s 27 months of service. So when I get to November, it will be a real celebration because it´s exactly one more year until I come home.

I have things to look forward to. I am going to plan a trip with my friends to celebrate our one year of service in November. We are planning on renting a house on the beach for a few days. Also in December I will be coming home for two weeks! I am so excited. I can´t wait to see my family and my dog and sleep in my bed! I am also excited about buying some new clothes because my clothes are starting to get really torn! I must admit that I am also a little nervous about coming home. I know things will be different and I am little different so I am sure it will be strange. More importantly I am going to freeze to death! I will have to tell my mom to bring me a big coat or sweater to the airport. I have no warm clothes with me!

Overall I am really proud of myself! I was nervous that I wouldn't make it though this experience and here I am one year into it! I am confident that I will be able to do the last 15 months of service. OK well Below are some pictures of me and friends that i never posted and also some of my favorite quotes from past blogs...

Quotes:
"At the end of the day I feel really tired and mentally exhausted from speaking so much Spanish."

"At the lagoon, two of the boys were using four 2 liter coke bottles as floating devices"
"
I have realized that feel the most out of place here when I am at a social event."

"Then there is cake, which here in Nicaragua, they usually eat in napkins with their hands."

"I must say that teaching is hard! I give all the teachers that I had in the past a lot of credit because it’s not easy!"

"Today was my first time going to the gym with my host mom and her friends. It was really funny, because a lot of the Nicaraguans are really short, so here I am considered tall. There were several machines that I literally couldn’t use because they were made for people who were 5’3 and below. Well maybe I could have changed the height on them but I didn’t know how!"

"I am very excited because my mom and sister are coming in about 6 weeks! I can’t wait to seem them."

“Oh didn’t hear that man driving around in that truck with that megaphone announcing that it’s time to pay your energy bill.” Apparently I have to pay some man that drives around in a van."

Out on my Own

So moving out on my own has been quite an adventure. Let me start by saying that I am loving my independence with the new house. There have been some adjustments that I have had to make. One being getting use to the "nature” coming inside. I have had some scares with the spiders, lizards, mice and cockroaches. But I know by the end of this I will be fearless when it comes to little critters! I am already starting to have a thicker skin when it comes to that stuff. I am cooking for myself now! But I am finding myself having to be creative with what I am cooking. I have made some good/strange meals so far. I am finding myself eating soy meat, which I always hated (but never tried) in the states. Sometimes I feel like I am a vegetarian here. Which isn’t a bad thing.
I paid my first month's rent the other day. Everything went smoothly except for when I asked my landlord how much the electricity bill was. She said something like “oh didn’t hear that man driving around in that truck with that megaphone announcing that it’s time to pay your energy bill.” Apparently I have to pay some man that drives around in a van. I have to present my receipt, which I also didn’t have and pay my bill. Otherwise I have to go to the main office, which is a pricey cab ride. But on another note, the plantain tree in my front yard is now “bearing fruit” My neighbor cute them down and gave half to me and she took the rest. So I will be frying up some of those up soon. Those are just a few of my many adventures as a renter in Nicaragua. I bet there are many more stories to come! Almost a year in Nicaragua! I must say I am proud of myself!

Pictures:

1. I found that painting in my little backyard. It was pretty nice so I put it up on the wall
2. Some of the plantains from the tree. I am going to eat them
3. Two Gatorade bottles I filled with dirt and made into weights for when I exercise

Moving Out

Hello all!

So my big news is that I moved out into my own little casita about a week ago. For the past couple of months I had been thinking about moving out into a place of my own. Since I am a volunteer, I don’t get that much money a month. It took me awhile to find a place that I could afford! After asking a lot of people and a little searching I found a cute little palce. It’s pretty basic there is only one small room where my bed is and the rest is open. The walls and the floors are made of concrete the bathroom is outside. There is a small patio in the back where I wash dishes and wash my clothes. I don’t have all the comforts of home, but it’s my own little space and I like it a lot. I live on the same property as another family but the two houses are completely separate. I am still trying to set things up. Poco a poco, I will find things to add to the house. I still need something to hang my clothes on. I live really close to my host family, so I can visit them anytime. I do miss spending time with the kids but I plan on going to hang out with them often. I am excited to have my own space and have my own schedule. It's really great because a lot people here in my community let me borrow furniture from them. Someone let me borrow a bed and two tables. My school let me borrow a table and four plastic chairs! It was a big help, because it can add up.

As far as cooking goes I have a two-burner gas stove. Cooking if definitely different. I am so use to my host family making all my meals. But I plan on getting really creative and trying to make some different meals. My first meal I made on the stove was fried plantains with cheese and avocado. It was pretty good. I will definitely be eating more like a vegetarian while I am here haha. There are two banana trees in my yard also. The owner said I can eat them; I just have to cute the banana tree down with a machete so it will grow again. He said it like it was no big deal. I don’t really know how to use a machete so I am not sure if I will be eating those bananas! Well that’s all for now.


The picture is of my first meal and then there are also a few pictures of the house.

Bluefields and Palo de Mayo

This past weekend I went with a group of friends/ volunteers to Bluefields for Palo de Mayo. Bluefields is located on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. The people that live there speak English, Spanish and Creole. A lot of their ancestors came to Nicaragua as slaves from Africa for the British. The trip was so much fun! When I was there, it felt like I was in a different country. Since a lot of the people there are of African decent a lot of people mistook me for a Nicaraguan. A few times people came up to me and started speaking Creole. I had no idea what they were saying. While I was there I wasn’t sure if I should speak English or Spanish, it was confusing!

Getting there was an adventure in it’s self! We left Managua at 8:30 pm and arrived in a city called Rama at 2:30 in the morning. We waited in Rama until 5:30 am. and then took a little boat (panga) to Bluefields. That’s the primary way the people from Bluefields go back and forth to the capital. There is an airport in Bluefields but of course that is more expensive. On our way back to Managua it was raining and there was no roof on the boat so they covered us up with a tarp like luggage haha. It was very interesting. I stayed at another volunteer's house during the trip. His name is William. He lives in Bluefields with a family. His family is so nice; they have a really nice house and a huge family.

There was a parade to celebrate Palo de Mayo while we were there. Palo de Mayo means may pole in Spanish. Which is adopted from the May Pole that is celebrated in England. In Nicaragua, they are celebrating fertility. They dance around an actual tree with fruits tied to it. I didn’t get to see a May Pole dance, but I saw the decorated tree. At the parade there were people from the coast dancing traditional dances; it was really fun to watch and the little kids were so cute! I also ate seafood and sat by the water. I didn’t realize how much I miss living near water. It was very relaxing. I heard reggae music nonstop while I was there. It was a nice change from the music I hear normally in my site. There were a few bumpy moments during trip, which is inevitable when traveling, but overall a good trip! I want to go back and see all the beaches there, especially corn island and pearl lagoon!

Pictures: From Bottom to top
The Dock in Rama before we left for Bluefields
On the boat about to dock in Bluefields
A May Pole
A view if the parade from up above
Me with my friend Stephanie and Megan at a resturant by the water

I will put up the rest of the pictures on facebook.

Central Park Inauguration

This past weekend was the inauguration of the central park in my town. When I first got here in November it was under construction. I was told by many people that the park was really beautiful before. So I was really curious to see what they would do. The finished product is really great! There are beautiful trees and a little gazebo and benches and a basketball court and a stage. Last night they had a free concert for everyone. They had tradional folklore dances and some hip hop dances which was fun to see.

I also saw a band called the Nuvevo Panzers. One of the first songs they started singing was one of my favorite songs I hear on the radio here in Nica. At first I thought omg this is the same group that sings this song, yay! Then I heard another song I knew and that’s when I put it all together. Last night I heard my first Nicaraguan cover band. They played all the popular songs that are on the radio and it was a big dance party. It was fun to watch all the people dancing, and doing salsa, merengue, and bachata. All the dances I can’t do, but want to learn. It was a nice event, to get everything in the town together to celebrate. Because of this big dance party, we don’t have school today. The mayor decided that people will need some rest today after the bacanal aka big fiesta. I took some pictures but they aren’t very good. There is also a picture of the park during the daytime(also not very good_). There is also picture of my host brother with his project. He worked really hard on it and I was impressed. It’s all the rivers in Central America.

Adios Amigos

Mom and Britt Visit Nicaragua!

Hola a Todos!

I just had a wonderful week of fun with my mom and sister in Nicaragua. I knew it was going to be a good trip when I picked them up from the airport and my mom told me that she accidentally put the house phone in her purse and brought it to Nicaragua. If that isn't a sign for a good trip I don't know what is!

So the first day they arrived. We went to the hotel to drop our stuff off. We stayed in the city of Granada. We took a short nap and then we decided to go in the city to walk around and eat dinner. In many ways Nicaragua is my mom's shopping dream come true. There are so many booths with crafts and such. My mom's favorite. Even though I had to explain the Nicaraguan/American money conversion to her every time she bought something... haha The city of Granada has a lot of cool restaurants and places to walk around. It was fun for Mom and Britt to walk around.

The next two days we spend visiting my old host family and my new host family. On Monday along with another friend of mine, we took my first host mom and host sister out to lunch in Catarina. At the restaurant we could look out and see Laguna de Apoyo, it was really pretty. Then Tuesday we went to the Market in the city of Masaya to do more shopping. We ate some delicious fresh fruit drinks before going to my town to see my current host family and to walk around the city. My mom brought gifts for the family and they really seemed to like them. Later on a few of my students from my community English class came over to meet my mom and sister. They were supposed to introduce themselves in English but they ended up doing nothing more than giggling. They were cute though.

The next day we decided to go to Mombacho volcano. We went in a truck up a steep hill to go part of the way up the mountain. Then after that we went on about an hour long hike to see the different look out points on the volcano. It was really pretty. Although not what my mom and sis were looking for. I think they wanted to see some smoke and lava haha. We plan on going to an active volcano next time. After this trip to the volcano we re-named mom MOM-bacho after the volcano. She can erupt just like a volcano haha. (Not really but it was funny to us at the time) We felt very active and adventurous that day because we went on a hike!

On Thursday we went to visit the Isletas of Granada. They are little islands that were formed when the volcano erupted and the rock from the volcano formed hundreds of little islands. We took a boat out to the islands and we had a tour guide show us all the flowers and birds and beautiful houses on the islands. If you are interested in buying an island, they start at about $300,000. We also went to Monkey Island. We tried to feed them Mangos but they weren't having it.

The trip went by really fast. It was so much fun to spend time with my mom and sister. I didn't want them to leave. I think they had a really great time in Nicaragua. The trip brought out their adventurous sides. At he end of the trip they already told me that they wanted to come back! If anyone wants to come and visit me between now and Christmas time, let me know!!!

I had a really great time with my mom and sister. I just wanted to make sure they had a good time and I think I accomplished that!

I have one or two pictures from everyday of the trip. The rest of my pictures will be on facebook.

Hasta Luego

Language Taller and Matagalpa

Hello All,
Que Onda!? I have been really busy with school and planning with my teachers. Coordinating with all four of my teachers is a lot harder than I thought.

Anyway this past week I was at a spanish language workshop. Since I was at the intermediate level before the end of training I had to go back for a week long workshop to evaluate my spanish and to see if it had improved or not. So I was kind of dreading it at first, but in the end it was really good to review certain topics and learn new grammar. We were able to ask the teacher questions. I think that my spanish has improved a lot but I still have a loong way to go to have that perfect spanish that I want. Hopefully after two years I will get there.

So for the language workshop we had to stay with a family for a week in our old training town. I love my training town. It's really small and everyone there is super nice and they always remember me when I come back. Most people stayed with their same families they had during training. My host family didn't have a new volunteer so I had to stay with a completely new family. I was a little bit nervous about that because I would be staying with strangers again. Well I was worried for nothing! The family I stayed with were some of the nicest people ever! They made me feel right at home. Elba and Luis were the parents and then Emanuel and Orlando were the two boys. They were so sweet. They talked to me and they said they want to come visit me at my site. I am always amazed at how sweet and caring Nicaraguans are. So many times complete strangers have gone out of their way to help me or make me feel comfortable.

This past weekend a big group of us went to Matagalpa to see Sam's ( a volunteer from my group) new house. He has this great new house with two levels and a kitchen and it's awesome. He had a little house warming party. It was like a mini reunion. It was so much fun to see everyone! We also went into the city and I had a calzone, it was soo good. I haven´t had Italian food like that in a long time! We also went out for a little dancing that night too.

Well that´s all for now, I have to get to school.

Picture: The Group at Sam´s house. We have ¨finger mustaches on¨I realized that I am completely covering mine and defeating the purpose!

Life Update

Buenos Dias

I haven’t written an entry in awhile. I have been really busy with school and getting use to my schedule. Teaching is going pretty well so far. I am starting to get to know my teachers better which makes it easier to work with them. The other day one of the students asked me why all gringos (americans) have dreadlocks lol. I just started laughing. I explained to him that a lot of the gringos that come to Nicaragua do have dreadlocks but not all Americans have them. My community class is going well. It’s kind of nice to be the only person in charge of the class so you can do things the way you want to. Sometimes it can be intimidating also because you want to make sure they are learning and that the class is interesting. But I have a good group and they all seem really interested in learning English. We have had four classes now.

This past weekend I went to a jazz Concert in Masaya. It was really fun. The U.S. embassy brought bands from the United States, Germany and Nicaragua together for a four day festival. It was free and the bands were good. It was outside and there were tables and chairs set up for people to sit. It’s fun to get out and things like that. My friends and I felt so cultured lol.

I still haven’t made that many Nicaragua friends. I do have a few friends, but not that many. I really love hanging out with my Peace Corps friends but I also want to have a few Nica friends. But I guess my teachers are my friends and people in my host family are my friends. I guess I haven’t really made friends that are my age. But I met two different sets of people this week and they invited me to their house for a meal so maybe I will make more friends soon.

But I am very excited because my mom and sister are coming in about 6 weeks! I can’t wait to seem them. I am slowing trying to prepare them for the ridiculous heat! lol I am going to stay in the hotel with them and I am really excited about that. (Hot shower and air conditioning)

I guess I am a Teacher Now

Hi All,
I am glad to say that I have sucessful survived my first few days of teaching! It wasn´t too bad. I guess I am a teacher now because when the kids see me in the street they yell Hola Profe (Hi Teacher). Sometimes I look around and then realize they are talking to me! Its different here because the students call the teachers Profesora or Profesora instead of Miss Bland ect. So I am getting use to that.

Being in the school for the first few days, I already realize that this is going to be a challenge. All of the classrooms are full to the brim with students and some of them are standing up because their aren´t enough desks! There are anywhere between 35 to 51 students in one classroom. One of the classrooms didn´t even have a board. The limited resources make it hard to teach and learn. But we are going to work with what we have and try and make English class fun. The fact that I am from another country makes me cool! (I think...) I am working with four teachers, two that work in the morning and two that work in the afternoon. I am still trying to figure out my schedule, but I am going to try and alternate days between morning and afternoon. We are supposed to work about 16 hours a week. All the teachers at the school are really nice and they are trying to make me feel comfortable and welcome. I also start my community enlgish class on Monday. I already have 21 people interested. This is going to be a challenging year for me but I know it will be rewarding at the same time. I feel so productive in Nicaragua. I have been getting up early (5 am) to go to the gym. Then coming home and showering and going to school. Wow, only in Nicaragua lol.

In other news... I chopped off all my hair. Turns out my hair didn´t really handle this weather too well. So after six months I decided to go to the hair salon. My hair was a disaster. It was uneven and just a mess! So I told the woman to just cut it all off and start over. I am still geting use to it. Not sure that I like it. I look at myself in the mirror and I am like hmmmm who is that. But I think it was a good idea because my hair was damaged. I think it will grow back healthy now...

Thats all for now. I will hopefully get through the first week of school. I am sure I will have more stories to come

Pictures... the hair...

“Hey Now, You’re an All Star!”

For the past few days I have been attending workshops with the other English teachers before the start of the school year. I know it’s hard to believe but I have yet to start teaching in the classroom as a volunteer. School starts on Tuesday February 15th. I am pretty nervous about it. I have basically been waiting for School to start but now that it is finally here, I am nervous!

For our workshops, all the different disciplines are split into different classrooms. So I have workshops with only the English teachers. At the workshops, there are English teachers from all the surrounding schools, so I was meeting a lot of the teachers for the first time . So the first day of the workshop I was basically the most popular kid in school. Everyone wanted to know everything about me and ask me questions and the definitions of words. I would be talking to one person and then someone else across the room would interrupt and ask another question. Then another person would invite me to their house for lunch. It was pretty crazy, although I felt pretty special. It was like I was the most popular kid in school! The group of teachers that I will be working with are really nice and they all seem like they enjoy their jobs. I am looking forward to helping them in anyway that I can.

I am also in the process of starting a community English class. This will be a class for people who aren’t currently studying English but want to learn. This will be a more informal class in the evenings I think. This class will be a lot smaller than the other classes so that should be nice. I am nervous about that class too! I just want to do well! Needless to say I am going to be really busy!

Well that’s all for now, I know I will have many stories once school starts. Wish me luck!

Dale Pues

Pictures:
A photo of my wall with all my pictures
Alex and her new rocking chair ( I tried to tell her to sit like a lady!) haha

Working it Out

Hola

I decided to write a quick entry about my first trip to the gym in Nicaragua. My host mom started going to the gym about a month and a half ago with her friends. Every time they came back from the gym they would ask me when I was going to come. I would say oh soon, soon I am going to go. I finally gave in and thought it would be good for me to hit the gym!

Monday was my first time going to the gym with my host mom and her friends. They have a whole routine worked out and they very nicely showed me how to work the machines. It was really funny, because a lot Nicaraguans are short, so in Nicaragua I am considered tall. There were several machines that I literally couldn’t use because they were made for people who were 5’3 and below or no one knew how to adjust them because they never needed to. My host mom was like, we need to get you special machines because you are so tall. It was pretty funny but I made it work. After my first workout I felt good and I know it will make me feel more settled in here in Nicaragua and healthier. I think it will also we a great bonding experience for me and my host mom and her friends. I will feel like one of the girls and gossip haha. I successfully made a joke when we left the gym (I had to explain it twice).. We also went to the gym yesterday at 5 am! It was brutal but at the same time if felt good once I was finished. I am apart of a group now! Hahah That's what I told them when they were skeptical that I would get up at 5 am.


Nos Vemos

Pochomil

Hey There,

I don't really have much to say this week. The first three days of this week I was in a place called Pocomil. We had a training there. All the Peace Corps volunteers from my group invited all the teachers we will be working with to a conference. At the conference we talked about our cultural differences and how to work with that in a professional setting. We talked about different teaching methods and our goals for the coming school year. I was again impressed with the level of English that all of the teachers have. We were able to have in depth conversations with them in English. During the meeting we found out that school isn't going to start until February 15th when it was supposed to start at the end of January. So I still have about a month left of vacation haha. I think that the free time will start to get old soon. We also found out that because of the coming election, we will probably end school early. This should be a very interesting school year. I am going to be working with four different teachers so I am sure that will be a challenge but hopefully we can all work together. In the mean time I am just spending time with my host family and getting to know my community.

The hotel that we stayed in was called Vistamar. It was a pretty nice hotel. It was right on the beach and the food was really good. It was good to see all my friends that I hadn't seen in awhile. We all enjoyed spending time together!. Our next Peace Corps training isn't until March, so it will be awhile before I see most of them again. Well that's all I have for you. The pictures all speak for themselves! It was so beautiful and it was my first time in the pacific ocean. I took a sunrise and a sunset picture!

FACE CAMP

Hello All,
I just got back from helping out with an English fluency camp for teachers run by the US embassy. It was a really great experience. I learned a lot and met some really great teachers. The schedule was really tough. We were up at 5:30 am and didn't go to bed until 9 pm! every night we were exhausted. I help out at the came with two other peace corps volunteers from my group and then three Nicaragua teachers. The teacher that I helped, his name was Julio and he was great. He had really good ideas and knew exactly what activities to do to help the teachers. He was also really funny. In the afternoon, the PC volunteers, taught the teachers about American Culture. We taught them about our individual states (MD, AZ, MN), and different types of American music (Jazz, Country Hip-Hop), and a little bit about US government. We also had a lesson where we talked about any stereotypes or myths that had to do with US culture. Apparently people from other countries think we eat meat everyday and that our parents don't care about our relationships haha. There were some really funny things that they wrote down.

We also got to know the teachers really well. They talked with us about why we came to Nicaragua and wanted to know everything about us. It was really cool to see how passionate they are about their jobs and their students. They don't get paid much at all and yet they are willing to do everything they can to improve their English and in turn help their students have a chance at a positive future. Also I was super impressed with how much English they knew. There were different levels of English at the camp but they were all very competent. We also had a talent show and all the teachers worked really hard to create dances, and tell jokes and sing songs. even though I was tired every night, I had a great time. I was sad to leave when it was over. I am glad I was chosen to help with the camp. I have posted a few pictures from the camp.