Grease Lightning

Still on the house hunt. Unfortunately, the house I really like and want to repair isn’t coming along quite as quickly as I would like. The owner has gone quiet, but in good Nica fashion, my host family and I are calling constantly. We shall see. There are a few more options around the neighborhood, but nothing that I like quite as much. The houses in second and third place both have occupants at the moment who may or may not continue their contracts into 2012, so that would be a problem. Otherwise they are good finds.

As far as actually doing my job here in the community, I have started giving English classes!! After much pestering, I got the kids in my youth group to figure out a time that worked best, get a good group formed and get on over to my house. First class went really well. We (I) gave them all English names, which they had a lot of fun with, and taught them basic greetings (how are you, what’s up, hello). We also got started learning numbers. Like most of us in the US, the kids here received English all throughout school, but not much sticks in middle school English class, and even though they know the numbers, pronunciation is really difficult in English. So although many of the words were not new, we spent a lot of time going over pronunciation. Good stuff.

I also went to my first dance class with the “jovenes” (youth) of my town. I was, admittedly, really nervous to go to this. Not only because I assummed they can all dance, due to the fact that Latinos can naturally dance (yes, I’m being stereotypical here), but because I cannot dance (white man’s overbite and such). I mean in a crowded club when no one cares is one thing, but in a class where everyone is watching I definitely get nervous (maybe I’m just a little paranoid with the whole gringo thing). Anyway, class ended up being A LOT of fun. Even though the teacher never actually showed, the youth group leader was there and about 40 jovenes (jovenes = teens ages 14-25). They started by doing a routine to the Grease mix that they had learned in a previous class. Awesome! I definitely was the only one who knew the words, but it was a lot of fun to watch and got me excited to dance. Since there was no teacher, we didn’t do any routines (thank god), but we practiced the bachata and the salsa. They assigned me the best dancer to teach me, assumming off the bat I would probably be awful (good assumption), so it didn’t take too long to pick it up. I stepped on the poor guy’s feet a couple of times, but I think by the end I wasn’t a horrible partner...although anyone who has ever tried turns with me knows that that is just not a good idea...since we were speaking Spanish it was hard to warn him about my inability to be spun and such. Ohhh well. I plan on going back, but I think tonight’s class is reggatone, so I may just be watching this one...

Looking forward to going back to my original host family’s home for Christmas. They have a tree, lights, and have been raising a pig to roast (yum). Also just looking forward to being with my friends from training, both Peace Corps and Nica. After having been with me for three months, they always understand my broken version of Spanish and I understand them. Still working that out here in my new site. 

Anyway, that’s all for now. English class and dance tonight! Think graceful thoughts for me!! Much love!

My birthday, video style

Staying Busy

So how am I staying busy now that it is “summer” break here in Nicaragua?? Well that’s a really good question. I have already talked quite a bit about the youth group I am trying to get rolling, as well as my garden, but those only take up so much of my time...without formal classes to teach, it is up to me to get out of the house, meet people, and generally try to get to know the community. This is way harder than it sounds. Especially when my Spanish is only so-so, it is tricky to walk up to someone’s house, sit down, and actually engage in a meaniful conversation. So far my favorite strategy has been to always have a reason to go to someone’s house. I know this sounds like a no-brainer but sometime it is hard to think up reasons to go places...for example (just had to stop writing because my seriously dirty six year old host brother tried to jump into my bed...really like the kid but he is all kinds of sucio)...ok so anyway, I usually claim to have a question about a house, gardening, or something of the sort.

My current personal project is finding a house. As lovely as my new host family is, there is very little privacy (Example A: nosy host brother) and I really really really want to be able to cook my own food. While there are a decent amount of empty houses in Posoltega, very few are livable (at least what we think is livable, and I promise my standards are significantly lower). The ones that are nicer tend to be pretty expensive, as the families purposely designed them to accomodate Americans working with NGOs in the area. So my goal is a small house, preferably with indoor plumbing, and a decent yard where I can have a garden. I think I have found this house, but it needs quite a few repairs.

The house I am interested in is located in a neighborhood outside of town, but it is right next door to a teacher that I really like, so I would feel very safe and comfortable. She also does NOT have young children, which will be a nice break from the young children who have recently been invading all of my privacy. There are a lot of kids that hang out and play in the street though, which I really like. Other benefits of the house are that it has an awesome backyard. It is already walled in, big enough for a nice garden and to have a dog, and has 7 or 8 beautiful plantain trees. It is super shady and pretty so I can already see a hammock going there : ) ....The house is also very pretty from the outside and just needs some paint to make it look a bit newer. Likewise, it has a zinc roof, which may not sound great, but is significantly better than the other option here, which are shingles (I think that’s it in English...sort of pieces of clay)...they let in all sorts of animals and water. Also, the house already seems to have electric although I need to look into this more...

On the downside, the house does not have indoor plumbing...in fact, it doesn’t even have a latrine...it has a hole for one, but nothing is built...It doesn’t even have a shower that I can find. Luckily, my host father is a builder, and has offer to do the construction work, so doing the work isn’t the hard part, it’s figuring out the cost. The house also has a dirt floor, so I will most likely lay a concrete floor and just finish it with some sort of polish so it’s not too rough. I will also probably need to put some type of protective bars on the door, as right now it is just a wooden door...we shall see. Currently I am waiting for the owner, who is moving to Costa Rica, to give me permission to bust open the lock and get started. I also need to write a contract with her discussing who will be paying for the repairs and how that will work out with rent, lights, water, etc. So much to figure out!!! But, I really like the house, so I am hoping I can make it all happen. Not to mention furnishing the thing, but that can happen later...

So, that’s how I have been keeping busy. I’m also trying to get myself a puppy : ) ...they are all over the place, so I just need to gain confianza (become good friends) with someone whose dog is having puppies so they just give me one...I don’t really care what kind it is, but I think people are embarrassed to give me a mut because they think I deserve a better type of dog...I don’t care and actually prefer the muts here...they are much sweeter and not bred to be guard dogs. In the meantime, I just play with my host family’s dog a lot since they ignore it and tend to tie it up. Pobrecita. 

That’s all for now, think happy thoughs about my house!! Lots of love!

Pride

Despite how often I have told myself that I have the ability to laugh at my own mistakes and inevitably laugh alongside others while they laugh at my mistakes, my pride can only take so many beatings before I start to get frustrated, and often down right angry. 

As I suspect is the case in many small towns where foreigners are a rarity and any gringo becomes the token gringo, my every action is often analyzed and discussed at length. While it can definitely be fun and even an advantage to have everyone know who you are and look out for you, it also gets really (REALLY) old when you hear about the way you swept the front patio (and how they think you aren’t very good at sweeping patios) a couple hours after you did it...who knew you were being watched? And for the record, who the hell sweeps dirt?! Oh, and they water it! It is not only that I am being watched, but that my fellow community members tend to approach critiques in a, “so we hear you were sweeping earlier today...” sort of way. I then tell them that yes, I was sweeping, knowing that I am about to hear all the ways I was not doing it the way they do it or think it should be done. When they then demonstrate what I looked like while sweeping and tell me that here in Nicaragua they sweep much faster and in a more effective manner (all the while laughing and talking rapid Spanish) I can do nothing but feel silly and ineffectively try to defend myself in broken Spanish (in this case I was definitely not doing a bad job sweeping because sweeping too fast means you have dust in your face). 

I apologize for using “they” so often, as this instantly segregates me from the Nicas and creates a “me” versus “them” attitude. I do not at all mean to convey this, but at times it is hard not to feel very alone in a community where you are, in fact, very different from those around you. Undoubtedly, I have found a number of people with whom I can relate to, have deep (relatively given the language barrier) conversations with, and enjoy being around, but still there are days when I feel completely trapped in my head or unable to relate to a single person around me. Clearly I often think in extremes here in Nicaragua. As a fellow volunteer could not have said any better, when he’s not thinking about ETing (early termination of service) he’s thinking about extending. Meaning, most days are either incredible or kind of suck. One day I can be riding the bus, eating delicious bus food and thinking that this is the simple life. I can picture myself in a hammock, working for an NGO and never leaving. The next day there’s not enough water for a bucket bath, all I want for breakfast is some freakin cereal and my host mom is lecturing me on why mattresses are the cause of kidney failure. Who’s got the issues? Nicaragua or me?

The fact is, it can be easy to forget that I am living in a third world country. Not meaning that I don’t realize I’m using a latrine everyday and that my feet are always dirty, but that not everyone in the world is living this way. Haven’t I always brushed my teeth with a bottle of water and checked my bed for scorpions before climbing in? I sometimes forget that I am only here for two years, essentially just playing house, experimenting with a new lifestyle. No matter how much I hate the latrine out back or really wish I had enough money to buy a refrigerator, I know that this is all only a temporary situation. Unlike those around me, I can leave. This freedom to choose to live in a third world country is something which leaves my community members baffled and often sets me farther apart from them. Though they greatly appreciate my work, and feel the need to care for me even more since I seem to have some strange need to leave the comfort of my family and friends, they can’t quite grasp why I would leave a life they imagine is something like that of a telenovela (soap opera). 

On my first day in site, feeling completely out of my element and unable to speak a word of the Spanish I had learned over the past three months, one of the first women I was introduced to in my new school was the cleaning lady (she does much more than clean, but this is her basic role). For a little background, my area was hit the hardest back in the 80’s by Hurricane Mitch, killing thousands in floods, as well as a nearby volcanic explosion. Therefore, upon meeting me, this woman, like many Nicas takes my hands and begins asking me if I am sad to be away from home, don’t my parents miss me terribly, how could I possibly leave me good, kind parents, and what kind of a child am I? Of course I smile and explain that my parents appreciate the work I am doing and support me. I also explain that they will undoubtedly visit so she can see them and know that they are doing just fine. Unfortunately, (and this has happened more than once since) I remind our kind cleaning lady of the son she lost in the hurricane and his untimely death. This was clearly a tragic and completely unrelated event, however, she began to cry while holding my hands, weeping about how I had left my parents just as her son had left her. Well, not much to say to that (in any language).

Point being, I don’t really remember what my original point was. Perhaps, that everyone has an opinion and that these opinions are based deeply in how we are raised and where we come from (duh). Though my immediate reaction to being judged (and being told exactly what I am doing wrong or differently) is often frustration, I suppose if I can come in out of nowhere to assess their teaching abilities, they can critique my sweeping abilities (although I am going to have the freaking cleanest dirt patio in town). I’ll try to snap a picture of the dirt watering...it is funny.

P.S.

Garden update: second group of Nica teens did NOT show for garden work. I was somewhat expecting this, as my first group was filled with the older kids and older guys, who are not only more responsible but more accustomed to garden-type work. The second group was full of preteen girls who are truthfully more interested in bracelet making. I’m not too worried, as clearing the land is what I needed the machete labor for and that is done, so now we just need to get digging and planting. Hopefully I can recruit the first group again this weekend when they aren’t working. Also, started a volleyball team!! First practice last night was pretty ramshackle, but definitely going to be fun...hanging out with people my own age always makes me feel better. Nica youth definitely rock. 

Thanks for reading, lots of love, as always!

Gardening and Transportation

So a quick update on the garden. I officially have a rockin’ new youth group. At first I found myself sitting all alone at 8:00am thinking I was getting my first taste bit of bad luck, but thank goodness they pulled through. At about 8:45 (I should have known to be patient considering I am working with teenagers and Latinos) they showed up. Only about 6 teens pulled through, but they kicked some serious butt with the machetes. I only asked them to clear a small patch of land in an empty lot next door and they went machete crazy clearing out knee high weeds in way more land than was necessary. It is impressive how quickly a couple of Nicas can clear land as well or better than a lawnmower with only machetes. They laughed at me when I said that they had done plenty for one day and we could leave digging and planting up to the next group...I was tired just watching them! After laughing and calling me a silly gringa they made plans for what type of barrier they will create for the garden and what the next group will need to bring to plant. Essentially, they have taken over as all good Nicas do when they realize they can do it way better than I can. Ah well (I’ve still got English classes up my sleeve and I KNOW they need me for that...).

More importantly than gardening, is transportation in Nicaragua...I keep meaning to write about it, as I spend a great deal of time on the buses here and think they are pretty awesome. Not only are they way more reliable than the buses in the US, but they are cheaper, WAY more fun, and just a cool (not in the temperature sense) way to travel. For example, the buses in my area are all old school buses bought from the United States and brought down here. They are not, however, just plain ol’ yellow anymore. Since the buses are not owned by the government, each bus driver is able to pimp out his bus to the max. Crazy colors, stickers that read “Jesus is my boy”, stereo systems, TVs, and anything else that can be stuck, painted or hung on the bus for added distinction. Likewise, each bus is run by a driver and a “cobrador,” or the guy who yells out the window “CHINANDEGA, CHINANDEGA, CHINANDEGA” as the bus drives by to let you know which bus it is and to hopefully convince you to get on their bus. He also goes up and down the aisle collecting money. This may seem tricky as he has to remember exactly when everyone gets on and who owes money and who has already paid (and there are no tickets like on a train), but I promise, he never forgets. 

My favorite part of all, however, is the food. This is something that tourists can not enjoy right away, unless they want to spend the whole rest of the trip sick in the hotel, but after a few months it is definitely one of the added benefits of travelling via bus. Practically each time the bus stops, as well as in the bus terminals, ladies (and some men) board the buses for the sole purpose of selling delicious food. They walk up and down the aisles waving the incredible, and cheap, food in your face, so that it is impossible not to eat constantly on a bus trip. My favorite bus trip is from my site to the department capitol, Chinandega, where women board the bus halfway through selling warm Nica versions of doughnuts....They are covered in sugar, freshly baked and incredible. 

If I’m not travelling alone, I prefer to travel with someone who also enjoys eating large quantities of crap and isn’t afraid of trying bus food (it’s helpful to be with a Nica who can advise you away from sketchy foods that may have hidden animal parts, etc). Often if you sit next to someone friendly they will let you know what it is they are eating and whether or not it is safe/good....they may even let you try it (only with a snack food, gross if you had to bite it or something). 

Nicas also drink everything out of plastic bags (part of the huge trash issue). Imagine a bag the size of a ziplock sandwhich bag, except no zipper...they pour the drink in and knot the top closed. You then turn the bag sideways, bite off the corner of the bag and squeeze out the drink. All Nicas do this like pros, even teeny little kids. At first, any drink that arrived in a bag was bored into a cup for me, as they assummed I couldn’t do it, but know that I am in site, buying my own drinks from the corner stores, on buses, etc, I have had to learn the bag method. Unfortunately, figuring this out takes a couple of times spilling mango juice all down the front of shirt in front of the whole bus...I have since mastered the bag method which all drinks excpet hot drinks....yes, they put hot drinks in plastic bags too....it’s really ridiculous and when the hot drink burns my lips I lose all cool, stop holding the bag the right way, and it goes everywhere....something to work on for the next two years...

So I suppose my main point in all of this is that travelling in Nicaragua is way fun, as long as you have a strong stomach, can figure out how to drink out of bag, and can put your money in your bra (I forgot to mention this before, but it really is the safest place for your money...otherwise you will probs get pickpocketed). Come visit me!!!

Lots of love!

Starting Over

**I'm trying something new where I write ahead of time on my computer and then just use a flashdrive to upload these at the cyber, so my updates are a bit old**

So I finally have a bit of a break in my schedule and therefore some time to think, write, and just do nothing. Since arriving in Nicaragua we have barely had any unscheduled time, due to spanish classes, training, moving, etc, so I am both looking forward to, and terrified of the upcoming months before school starts where I basically have nothing to do. My current goals are: start a garden in my host family’s house, start a small tree nursery (just to practice for when I have to do this in the schools), get a youth group up and running (for the sake of child labor in the garden and tree nursery) and possibly start teaching some english classes. Luckily, I think some of these things are starting to come together pretty quickly.

Last night, after having hung out a night or two on the street corners near my house (in a non-prostitute sense), I was able to have my first official meeting with my youth group. So far they seem like a really eager, awesome group. The ages range from about 12 - 21 years old and they are almost evenly split between girls and boys (which is unusual). They are not only really excited to make bracelets from recycled materials (let’s be honest this is the only recycled thing I currently know how to teach them), but they actually want to help in the garden. I somewhat thought I would have to bribe them into helping, using the I’ll teach you bracelet making if you work in my garden method, but apparently teenagers like gardening here....so, I’m all set! They even split themselves into two groups! Twelve are going to arrive 8:00am saturday morning to clear the ground and get started and the rest are coming monday at 8:00am to finish...try getting kids in the states to voluntarily garden at 8:00am on their first saturday of summer vacation...no way! So far my biggest concern is figuring out a way to keep the chickens out of the garden, as there are a ton in my backyard. I may just have to eat them all.

So wish me luck!! Update soon.