Why the Heck Not...

Might as well throw in another update while I'm here in Managua and have the internet...Went to the ear doc today and have been officially been given the thumbs up...looks like my ear is getting better and I don't need to be making the tedious trip into the capitol city every few days anymore...Whoa good news!

This is definitely grounds for celebrating, which I will be doing tomorrow night after a reunion with a few other volunteers in Chinandega tomorrow at lunch time. We plan on doing some dancing, and perhaps even introducing Jello (cough shots cough) into Nica culture. This will be very tame and on the DL, however, as I am not known for drinking in site and plan to keep it that way. The Jello is more of a flashback to the college days really.

On that note, with my one year in site coming up, I have noticed that quite a few volunteers have started looking into their post-PC lives. What?! I have somewhat thought about what I would like to do or where I would like to live, but for the most part I still feel insanely accomplished for have gotten as far as I have up unto this point. The idea of begin the application process all over again and thinking about new  jobs is overwhelming...so point being, help me out! If you can think of an interesting job for me let me know!! Thanks!!

Ok don't have many other updates for now, but as usual, keep me updated on your lives! Love love love!

Photo Update

Teacher Training on Gardens with Paula!!

Outside of my house with the gate open...

Aunt Jeanne, Mom, and I on the top of Volcan Masaya

Aunt Jeanne at Volcan Masaya

Scrambled eggs, tomatoes and fresh spinach from my garden! Yumm

In front of the school garden in Trianon

Squash!! 

So Much To Tell You All!!

As usual sorry for taking so long to update!!! I'm just going to get it all out there because I don't even know where to begin...

First off, had my first visitors!! Thanks Mom and Aunt Jeanne for making the trip down! We had an incredible time (at least I think so haha) hanging out in my house and traveling around in a Rent-a-Car (whoa big time). I'm sure they were a little overwhelmed at first by the attack of Spanish speakers and lack of indoor plumbing, but in the end I had them pumping out cakes and rice crispy treats and going to parties...Mom even learned how to dance! I'll get Aunt Jeanne the next time...Hopefully the went home with glowing reports of Nicaragua so that everyone else will now come and visit...hint hint...

Unfortunately, one of our excursions leads me to the second most eventful thing that has happened to me since we last talked...blew out my eardrum! Ouch is an understatement...I think this was a result of a bat cave tour that I went on with Mom and Aunt Jeanne, where there was definitely some unsanitary water dripping from the ceiling of the cave, but really could have been from any water that got into my ear...The doc told me the bacteria/infection got so strong it just went and blew out my eardrum...simple as that...yea right...month and a half later and here I am in Managua still going to ENT docs getting new meds because this dang bacteria just won't go away...luckily my eardrum has healed and I have full hearing once again (was deaf there for awhile in my left ear which made speaking Spanish all the more exciting)...so I shall keep everyone posted, but for now just hoping this next dose of antibiotics does the trick...

Gardens are mostly up and running...officially planted two types of squash, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and green beans in the largest of my three schools (finally, phew)....I am about to replant all of the squash in my smaller rural school, Trianon, as they have given all the fruit they shall give and are ready to be replanted, as well as tomatoes, peppers and plantains....and still need to get my final garden in my third rural school going...struggle.

My personal garden is looking awesome (no thanks to me; rain, Aunt Jeanne and my mother are behind it really). I've got tomatoes flowering, spinach with leaves the size of my head (no joke) which has taken over my laundry line (spinach is a climber in Nicaragua, who knew), sunflowers about waist high at this point, and plantain about shoulder high...I hope that rainy season never goes away as daily watering of plants was truly the vane of my existence...

Volleyball is also going...we are waiting for the finals to happen...there is a current turf war as the ref wants the hold the final tournament on his court in his neighborhood and the playing teams want to hold the tourney on the court where we have been currently playing...it should be held where we have been playing and where there will be no problems, but because someone decided to steal one of the metal poles that holds up the net we have this current dilemma. However, no one is willing to move to the proposed court as the gang-ish boys/men who hang out there will inevitably cause problems with the gente from another neighborhood...ridiculous. We'll see what happens.

Soo some cRaZy things that I just can't get out of my head:
1. My one year anniversary of being in this country is coming up any day now!!!! I flew into Washington DC on August 31st and landed in Nicaragua on September 1st...HOLY CRAP! Getting close and the festivities are being planned...looking forward to it and can't quite believe it...this time last year I was packing!
2. It's almost Christmas time again! I mean not really almost...but kind of almost...woohoo!
3. Puchona, but dog, is pregnant! I'm not really that excited because that means there will be tons of little puppies running around and they are going to make a mess, but it's still exciting kind of...
4. I hope everyone celebrated Peace Corps' 50th Anniversary...Congrats PC
5. Election time is coming up...Who's everyone voting for? What are the options? I'm so out of the loop...someone fill me in...

Ok that's all I can think of...love you all!! Start planning trips! I've only got a year left! You're time is running out people! xox