A la Laguna!

Yesterday, I went swimming in a lake here. It is actually the crater of a dormant volcano that is now a lake. It was BEAUTIFUL! Seriously, it was so pretty, the water is this deep blue and the trees so green, it was a nice little getaway. Unfortunately there was some drama involved in getting everyone there and back. But lesson learned, when I want to go relax I´m not taking the students with me. Ever.

In other news, today there is no running water in Masaya. Awesome. It´s all good though, becuase I´ve gotten used to being sweaty all the time so no worries. I told my host mom that I love mangos, so they got some for me at the market. Mangos really make everything better.

Work is coming along...there are lots of little things that I took for granted in the US that are becoming apparent here. Like having accessible internet whenever I want, or being able to print things, or make phone calls or have a face to face conversation with the people I am working with. So, if you are reading this from the US be thankful that you have those things available. But, no pristine volcanic lakes there...hahaha.

I think that tomorrow I will be going to Matagalpa. Its a three hour trip, up to the country. Everyone says its very pretty there, and thats where the coffee co-ops are, so I´m going to try to see if I can get a tour.

Also, I´m considering seeing the Da Vinci Code this weekend...is it worth the trip to Managua?

Do they have Starbucks here?

No, they do not. But that was one of the many questions that I was asked this weekend. I think it was my favorite. But I´m getting ahead of myself.

The first exciting part of orientation was actually arriving at the hotel in Managua. Students have been protesting this week due to increased prices of buses. And let me clarify that by protesting I mean that they burned two buses on Wednesday. So we went to Managua on Thursday for orientation, and after a mixed up way of getting there, we were dropped off at the mall...close to where the hotel was. I was still a bit turned around, being that I´ve never really been to Managua so we walked to the mall to get some directions. However, on our short little walk we pass by about thirty policemen in full riot gear. Rifles and all. And the scary looking riot police all look at the silly gringas who are clearly lost. And they kept calling us to come over. Now, at this point I wasn´t sure if they were calling us to come over because they wanted to hit on us, in which case I wanted to ignore them, or if they were calling us to come over because they needed to tell us not to keep going the way we were going, in which case I thought maybe they should be spoken to. So, I bravely walked up to this man, who I will call Goliath, because he is the biggest man I´ve ever seen. Seriously. Standing next to me I think he was almost a full foot taller. Maybe thats an exaggeration, but I think whenever anyone is holding a gun it makes them look taller. I asked him for directions, and he told me that I should go another way to the hotel, because they were throwing ¨bombas¨ ahead on the road I was walking on. Now, bombas are actually tear gas...not real exploding bombs. And I looked down the road, and saw the smoke. So then, I decided that taking a taxi would be a better choice than walking to the hotel. But not to worry, I took a picture with Goliath...it will be posted soon.

So, after the exciting arrival scenario, we got to the hotel, which has air conditioning and HBO in English (amazing). Maria and I gave the orientation to the students who arrived...it was interesting to hear what they thought about what they were seeing, as well as to be on the other side of the coin. Very different perspective, but I am getting used to being in that role. I got to listen to the history of Nicaragua, which was also quite illuminating. I am such a nerd, but really, it was good to hear the story.

We also went on a tour around Managua, the most interesting part for me was the Plaza de la Paz, which means Peace Plaza. In 1998 (I think) the President of Nicaragua called for everyone who had fought in the 10 year civil war to turn in their arms. So all the guns were placed in the plaza, and then they poured concrete over everything. Its pretty cool actually.

Today I returned to Masaya, very happy to be home and have my own room and some time to not be in charge of people. But tonight I will be going back to the airport to pick up another late arrival. I´m getting to know the airport very well...

Thats all the updates for now, I will post the picture of me and the policeman soon. Until then...

Do they have Starbucks here?

No, they do not. But that was one of the many questions that I was asked this weekend. I think it was my favorite. But I´m getting ahead of myself.

The first exciting part of orientation was actually arriving at the hotel in Managua. Students have been protesting this week due to increased prices of buses. And let me clarify that by protesting I mean that they burned two buses on Wednesday. So we went to Managua on Thursday for orientation, and after a mixed up way of getting there, we were dropped off at the mall...close to where the hotel was. I was still a bit turned around, being that I´ve never really been to Managua so we walked to the mall to get some directions. However, on our short little walk we pass by about thirty policemen in full riot gear. Rifles and all. And the scary looking riot police all look at the silly gringas who are clearly lost. And they kept calling us to come over. Now, at this point I wasn´t sure if they were calling us to come over because they wanted to hit on us, in which case I wanted to ignore them, or if they were calling us to come over because they needed to tell us not to keep going the way we were going, in which case I thought maybe they should be spoken to. So, I bravely walked up to this man, who I will call Goliath, because he is the biggest man I´ve ever seen. Seriously. Standing next to me I think he was almost a full foot taller. Maybe thats an exaggeration, but I think whenever anyone is holding a gun it makes them look taller. I asked him for directions, and he told me that I should go another way to the hotel, because they were throwing ¨bombas¨ ahead on the road I was walking on. Now, bombas are actually tear gas...not real exploding bombs. And I looked down the road, and saw the smoke. So then, I decided that taking a taxi would be a better choice than walking to the hotel. But not to worry, I took a picture with Goliath...it will be posted soon.

So, after the exciting arrival scenario, we got to the hotel, which has air conditioning and HBO in English (amazing). Maria and I gave the orientation to the students who arrived...it was interesting to hear what they thought about what they were seeing, as well as to be on the other side of the coin. Very different perspective, but I am getting used to being in that role. I got to listen to the history of Nicaragua, which was also quite illuminating. I am such a nerd, but really, it was good to hear the story.

We also went on a tour around Managua, the most interesting part for me was the Plaza de la Paz, which means Peace Plaza. In 1998 (I think) the President of Nicaragua called for everyone who had fought in the 10 year civil war to turn in their arms. So all the guns were placed in the plaza, and then they poured concrete over everything. Its pretty cool actually.

Today I returned to Masaya, very happy to be home and have my own room and some time to not be in charge of people. But tonight I will be going back to the airport to pick up another late arrival. I´m getting to know the airport very well...

Thats all the updates for now, I will post the picture of me and the policeman soon. Until then...

Perezosos!

That means sloth. And I saw one yesterday. It was hilarious, I was sitting on the porch of a restaurant, just hanging out with one of the participants in the program, and in the tree across the street we saw a sloth. They really don`t move much at all, first we weren`t sure if it was an animal or not. I thought it was a sloth, due to many games of Amazon Trail in my youth. And we asked the waiter, and he confirmed. A little excitement in the afternoon.

Yesterday there was also a lot of rain, but today it is sunny and hot hot hot. I`m proud of myself though, I`m wearing pants in true Nica fashion. Well, not really, because they all wear jeans and I just can`t bring myself to jeans status...I have to wear those really breathable might as well be shorts pants. But it`s an effort. The day I wear jeans in Central America will monumental.

The participants arrive tomorrow, and we have orientation for a few days. It will be interesting to finally meet all these people that I have read about in applications and reports. So today I`m spending getting everything ready, reports and research that I need to present at some point to the participants. Fun fun.

Zinc rooftops

The rooftops here are made of zinc. Zinc has some very interesting characteristics. First, when the cats from the neighboring rooftop jump onto my rooftop, it makes a very very loud noise. As some of you well know, I am a sound sleeper. The cats, however, are breaking my concentration! Also, when it rains, that gentle thud of rain on the roof that we are used to in the US, is replaced by a loud pattering of rain on metal. It`s quite an experience. And though roosters are only supposed to crow in the morning, this is a misconception. They actually crow all night. I know because I hear them all night. I haven`t seen any roosters yet, but I have no doubt as to their existence.

The students that I will be supervising arrive on Thursday, and we will be giving them orientation Thursday, Friday, and part of Saturday. It should be pretty interesting, I am excited to meet some of them. One participant ran her own hostel in Spain for a year, I`m sure she has some cool stories. I`ll be sure to keep everyone posted, don`t worry.

I think it is going to rain here this afternoon. Its good when it rains because it cools things down a bit. Big news, I put on a long sleeve shirt the other night because I was a bit chilly. My host mom found that to be quite funny. I think it was because I got sunburned however. The sun here is very strong. So me and the sunblock have become good friends.

Plunge and Scrub

Yesterday, I learned how to wash clothes by hand. Now, I actually did know how to do it before due to some bathtub washing in Cuba, however this was a new experience. Beatriz, who works in the house that I´m staying at, showed me how to used the ribbed part of the sink to wash my clothes. Hilarious really, she and I laughed the whole time. I think she was laughing because it was funny that I didn´t know what I was doing. I was laughing because I felt like Nicole Kidman. (It happens every now and then...hahaha). But really, there is a scene in Far and Away where she learns how to wash clothes by hand and Tom Cruise keeps telling her to ¨plunge and scrub¨.
It´s been a quiet weekend, I´ve been doing lots of translating for work. It´s a very different experience to be working abroad than to be studying abroad. I´m sure it will get even more hectic when the interns arrive later this week. Other than that I´ve been walking around town and getting used to life here in Masaya. It´s a good pace, no one is in a hurry to do anything. I am trying to learn from them. I learned a new phrase for life in the US, its ¨mordiendo la leña¨ which literally means chewing the kindling. What is really means is that someone is working too hard and not enjoying life. A little tidbit to remember.
Tomorrow will be a full day, we´re going to all the host organizationes to make sure that they´re ready for the interns. It´s interesting to see all the programs that exist here.
Anyway, I better get going back home before the mosquitos come out!

From the Land of Lakes and Volcanos

I had a lovely trip here. Lets see...where to start. I flew into Miami and it was rainy. Never a good sign for air travel. So I sat in the airport for a while and was secretly pleased at the first delay of my next flight because it gave me time to eat something. And then the delays continued...as did the rain. And then, the voice on the loudspeaker...the flight to Managua has been cancelled. Awesome. Please find your own accomodations for the night, its not our fault it rained. Also, don´t worry about your baggage it will be sent along to its final destination. So, I stayed one more night in the states and got to watch the 2 hour Grey´s Anatomy Season finale. Not to shabby. Took a shower with the hotel shampoo and used a complementary tooth brush. I woke up bright and early in the morning to hop on the flight to Managua.

Now, when I got off the plane and was standing by the baggage claim...I had that sinking feeling. You know that sixth sense that something is not right? My mochila did not arrive. Very very sad day. So I filed for missing bag and went to meet my ride in clothes I had been wearing for two days. And from there we went to give NGO orientations. I felt less than pretty.

But things have made quite a turnaround. Yesterday I had the pleasure of walking around town in mens clothes that my host brother lent to me. That was a good humbling experience. But then I recieved the BLESSED call that my bag had arrived and I had to go get it. So I convinced someone to drive me to the airport (kind soul who works with the program) and today I got my bag. And my shampoo and my hairbrush and my toothbrush and all these other lovely things that I had missed so much. When you put on deodorant in the morning...think of me...I now have deoderant as well.

Nicaragua is very pretty. I am living in a town that is close to a volcano. People seem to be very nice, and help me when I ask for it. I didn´t realize that my spanish was rusty, but it is. It´s getting better...learning lots of new Nicaraguan words.

I think tomorrow I´m going to play tourist and take some pictures. Its embarassing, but must be done. I´ll post them when I can.

I miss you all, hope everyone is well...

ABRAZOS!

Back in Virginia

So I left San Francisco on Thursday...very very early in the morning. It was quite sad to leave that spectacular city and I miss it very much. But I don't have too much time to be sad now, because I'm going to Nicaragua tomorrow. I'm excited about the trip, I'll be gone for 3 months (don't worry I'll have email access). I'll let you all know how its going when I'm there.

Otherwise, it's nice to actually be home for Mother's Day...that hasn't happened in quite a while. I had a lovely breakfast this morning with my mom and my grandmother.

I have a killer cold that has decided to take control of my body. The timing is really not ok with me...international travel while being sick just isn't on my list of favorite things to do. But alas, thats the way it goes sometimes. So I'm pounding the anti-biotics and thinking good thoughts, and maybe I'll be cured by tomorrow. Lets hope.