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!