Matagalpa and other bits of news

So I went to Matagalpa on Friday. It was quite an interesting trip. I think my favorite part was getting to the bus station (which is just a big parking lot) at 6:45 am and watching all the activity. Buses here are old school buses that I´m sure come from the US becuase it has a list of ´riding priviledges´ on the front which is written in english and reminiscent of many field trips as a child. Keep you hands to yourself, and keep your head inside the bus etc. Now, on top of these old school buses are men without shirts on who are lifting huge baskets full of fruits or vegetables or whatever else on top of the bus. They pack them on there so they don´t fall off during the trip. I didn´t see any ropes or anything, so it looks like one big balencing act. And the most interesting part of this whole phenomenon is that they don´t get down before the bus starts to move. Actually, they don´t get down until the bus is going about 30 miles an hour. I didn´t realize this until I saw a foot outside my window. The guy who was on top of my bus shimmied down the side of the bus into the open door. I think that he would have lost his riding priviledges in the US.

So anyway, my trip to Matagalpa took about 4 hours, in a seat that was clearly made for an 8 year old in respect to leg room. I also had the good luck of sitting on top of the tire...further eating into my leg space. But the views were pretty impressive...Matagalpa is more in the center of the country, getting into mountianous zones. Its also cooler in Matagalpa, the wind isn´t so hot. Once I arrived there I took another bus to San Ramon which is a little little town outside of Matagalpa. I think the whole town is 8 blocks, and there is no internet or telephone. But again, very pretty. Maria and I visited with the interns to see how they were doing and then hopped a ride back to town. The last bus for Masaya (where I live) was supposed to leave at 3:20. I was fretting the whole ride back to town that I would miss the bus. As it turned out we pulled up to the bus area just as my bus was pulling away, so I jumped out of the car and sprinted to the bus...everyone around me really thought it was funny, but I jumped on and happily squeezed into a seat for the ride back.

Saturday we had a meeting with the students in Managua, and then I stayed for a little North American moment, watched the Da Vinci code. We had some trouble finding a bus back to Masaya after the movie, but it all turned out ok and I got home with no problems.

Monday I went to Ciudad Sandino with one of the interns. We toured the hospital there which was very interesting. FYI, giving birth in Nicaragua is without any drugs, unless you have a C-section. Also, a nurse there offered to teach me how to stitch up a wound, a little boy had a cut over his eyebrow. I said maybe next time. Then we went to the only mental institution in Nicaragua. It was terribly depressing...it scared me and made me so thankful that I have my mental health I can´t even express. People who are labeled agressive are locked up...its terrible. Those who have chronic mental health issues are left there...they are totally abandoned by their families.

And today, I´ve been running around Masaya checking in on people and helping with problems and the usual camp counselor antics.