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.