Well, it’s been an eventful few weeks back in Nicaragua. I am definitely happy to be back in my town, but it has been an adjustment. It was nothing less than a shock landing in the Managua airport and feeling the overwhelming heat slam into my face as I walked out of customs. Despite have friendly faces waiting for me and eagerly asking how my trip went, I could do nothing but slump into the backseat of the car and chug my water bottle. The heat was killer.
Once back in town, I was a hermit for my first day or two, camping out in front of the fan and taking it slow. I used to make fun of Latinos for their slow pace of life and get to it when I get to it attitude, but frankly the heat and conditions of life in Nicaragua make you slow down or your body just can’t keep up (at least mine can’t). I visited my close friends, got my house back in order, and handed out some of the goodies I had brought back (LOTS of chocolates). That first weekend of taking it slow has come and gone now though, and I am fully back into the swing of life here x100. Since I had been fairly sick before leaving for vacation I felt behind and therefore came back ready to jump into my projects 110%. That being said, here are some updates:
Huertos (Gardens):
I am happy to report that I have at least broken ground on all three of my school gardens. Phew. With much begging and pleading on my part for parent help, after realizing that I can only force young children to do manual labor in the hot sun for so long, each school has at least cleared the land for the gardens and put of fences. We even planted already in one school!!! Yay! The kids all seem thoroughly excited to be working with my on these projects, as do the teachers and parents. As far as keeping up with the work throughout this year and in future years, only time will tell...On a personal note, I have a lovely lime tree in my backyard which the street drunks love to take advantage of for their 24/7 cocktails...I also just planted spinach, which is growning like wildfire.
Volleyball:
Still one of my favorite parts of my community life. My team obviously still rocks and the girls I play with keep getting better and better. Unfortunately, as is always the case when you put teenage girls together, there tends to be some bickering, generally revolving around blame when a ball drops...but this hasn’t seemed to cause too many hurt feelings, and if anything, just makes us look silly on the court. Considering most everyone on the team is playing volleyball for the first time and I am the only one who knows where anyone actually should be on the court...I think we’re doing OK....
English Classes:
After being gone for so long, english classes have turned more into previous students stopping by my house when they need help with a homework or things of that nature. So, I am trying to get a new group going. As of yesterday and today, I headed over to the highschool, which is always daunting, and presented the two uppermost grades with a new group idea. I offered them English classes twice a week in exchange for help on my environmental projects. They can also recieve the crucial environmental volunteer hours they need to graduate. A lot of kids were very interested in the idea and over 100 signed up. Who knows who will actually show up for the first meeting, but even having around 20-25 would be perfect. I already know a lot of the highschool kids from around town and hanging at the park, so I am excited to work with them and see where the group leads.
Life:
Well, as far as life goes. I still feel like I am getting over Mono. I am on my bike a lot going to my two far away schools (crossing rivers, long dirt/rock paths) and frankly, by the end of the day I am spent. I love my work and love the schools I am working in, but the heat, sun and travel definitely get to me by the end of the day. It is hard to drink enough water because if I finish my water bottle when I am outside of town, I cannot refill it in the smaller communities. This means I often come back feeling way dehydrated. I don’t mean to complain here because when I wear myself out it is my own doing. I agree to go to too many meetings in one day, or plan to work in the garden in one school the same day I am going to work in the garden in another and end up traveling and in the sun all day. I just have trouble saying no without feeling like I am being a bad volunteer. The balance is often very hard to find in my day to day life. I find that I sometimes don’t get work reports of papers handed in on the exact due dates for the Peace Corps, not because I am not an efficient person, but because my day is so full and other people demand so much of my attention, that I simply don’t have minutes alone in the day to sit down and do anything. Even though I may seem like I am just hanging out at someone’s house, that person would be very much offended if I told them I had a report to do and couldn’t come over that night. My job is as much about sitting on people’s front porch as it is about writing reports, and this is one of the many things that I am still learning to balance.
So enough whining, how about another short latrine horror story? I will keep it brief and you can let your imaginations run wild. So, I’m taking a shower. Remember: the shower is connected to the latrine all under one roof. A bat flies in. OK, I think. It will stay on one side, I will finish my shower, no big deal. Take my shower, no problem, get dressed, come back later to use the latrine. Bat is gone. Where did it go, I wonder? Must have flown away. No chance. I am going to the bathroom worry free....I’m sure you all see where this is going and knew just what flew out from the depths....needless to say, it was terrifying.
Llorona, my cat, is growning nice and fat...expensive cat food seems like agree with her just fine...the neighborhood cats also seem to like it as I tend to find them in there feasting at all hours of the day and night....great....I think they are pretty interested in her, as well...seems I have the only female animals on the street, hence why every male animal comes to my house...again, great. I must not inspire much fear in animals because they don’t run very fast when I yell at them and they always come back...
So since we (youth group) are hosting a Nica-style birthday party tomorrow night in celebration of all the May birthdays, as well as one lucky girls trip off to study at the university in Manangua, I am going to let you all in on the secrets to throwing a Nica party...because it is a science...
- There must be balloons and some type of party decoration
- If it is a child’s party their MUST be a pinata and a special birthday rice
- There must be oversized speakers blasting music so that no one can speak or hear anything
- Chairs must be arranged against the wall so that you sit around in a circle staring akwardly at one another waiting for things to get going
- No one can dance or do anything fun until after food and drinks are served
- Drinks are served first followed by food and are served by the hostess of the party...You can’t have fun until you eat.
- It may seem awkward at first, but there will be musical chairs and dancing...all age groups included.
- If men come, offer them liquour.
That’s all for now, folks. Love you all!
