it´s been forever!!!

Wow! Where to even start…it´s been a while since I´ve written anything! I guess I´ll start with school news. We are still talking about seed collection, ground preparation and garden management. We have a parent work day coming up so hopefully we can get everything ready and then after my training week we can plant so late
April or the beginning of May. So that will be quite exciting. I´m also going to start giving mini workshops every 2 weeks to the teachers on various topics…classroom management, participatory techniques, HIV/AIDS, math strategies, etc. And I´m teaching the 5/6th graders English twice a week after school. They are having lots of fun with that.

Family vacation!! My parents were here for a week – so great! I think the heat was a little bit difficult for them to get used to but they were troopers. And I´m pretty sure it has gotten hotter since they left. The first day they got here we just relaxed at the hotel, watched some bball and went swimming. I enjoyed the shower and mattress. The next day we went to Chinandega, picked up 2 of my friends and went to the beach – always a good time. We had a really awesome dinner and the next day we went to my house. They spent a few days with me…going to school and talking to people. The kids really enjoyed seeing my parents. One of the best parts…my dad and I built a showering area in my house…seriously the best thing ever. I can now shower in my house instead of in a public area and I can shower whenever I feel like it. However, no one knows that I shower at night because everyone here thinks that showering after noon makes you sick. So I secretly shower at night.  Some of my little neighbor boys helped us as well … following my dad around like puppies…it was adorable. Then he started teaching them the English words for his tools. It was super fun to watch. Unfortunately they both got a little sick while they were here so that was too bad. Then we were off to Leon for the night…another amazing meal…and then off to Granada…lots more good food. We walked around Granada and then took a tour including a mountain hike (beautiful) and a boat trip around all the little islands. It was great. We spent a day in Masaya going to the market – lots of fun things to buy. I´m so glad they decided to take a hammock back with them. Then it was back to Managua for our last night which was great except that I was vomiting most of the night. But I can´t complain considering that was the first time I´ve been sick since being in Nicaragua and I was in a nice air conditioned hotel room instead of my latrine. So no complaints. Overall I think they had a pretty good time – I had a blast.

The following week I was in Matagalpa (which is beautiful…in the mountains and much cooler, still hot obviously but not suffocating) at an HIV/AIDS committee meeting. It was very interesting and once again I was in a nice hotel. Afterward I went to visit another volunteer who has a really sweet site. She´s in a much bigger area – it was so nice to be able to walk around at night and see people out and about. We went hiking one day kind of in the mountains where there are these water holes. They were beautiful…waterfalls and everything. The water was freezing but we went swimming anyways. We attempted to fine where the water originated from but never could find it because we had to go back in order to catch the bus. Then we went on a river clean up which was very typical Nica style. Obviously we left late. There was a transportation issue…shocking. We get there and eat a bunch of food that was brought before we do anything. Then we walk around putting up signs that say do not swim – contaminated water. Walk around some more and then swim in an area that apparently wasn´t contaminated. Walked back and drove home. It was great hanging out with her – going home at 4am wasn´t exactly a blast but it works.

So I finally get home after being gone for 11 days which felt like forever. My house was a disaster zone, the power was out and it was incredibly hot. My mom had asked me earlier if it would be hard to go back after being in hotels and such for a while and I remember telling her no it´s not a problem at all. But when I got back super tired and hot without electricity or music which was a huge ordeal that I´m NOT getting into…just trust me that it was super frustrating but it´s fine now…I thought to myself…WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Seriously whose brilliant idea was this? But a few hours later after I rested and the power came back I was totally fine. I went out and played football with my sister…who can throw really well..better than the boys. I´m so proud of her.

Easter Eggs!! So my mom brought me an egg coloring kit which was awesome. The other day when all the boys went swimming in the river (at the border…and of course none of the girls in my family went) my sister and I colored eggs. She loved it. Then we walked around giving eggs to people. I wish I had a video of people´s reactions when they saw my basket of colored eggs. Everyone asked, “what are those and what do I do with them”. Haha. So I attempted to explain Easter eggs and why we do it…a fun little cultural exchange. And it was nice to have/do something from home.

Coming up…a week of normal class…then a week of in-service training and then May should be pretty normal…I don´t think I have anything special going on. I feel like I´ve been gone a lot lately. And there wasn´t any school during Holy Week…which obviously the kids loved. No one wants to go back to school…except for me! We have so much stuff to do.

Training town visit! My friend and I went back to the town that we trained in to see family and friends. It was great being back…and it´s cooler there as well. I had to sleep with a fleece blanket because it was cold at night! So funny story…the first thing out of my host mom´s mouth to my friend is, “wow you got fat” and to me, “wow you stayed fat.” Thanks mom! Gotta love culture. But it was really fun being back there and seeing everyone.

River swimming! So I finally got one of my cousins to take me to the river to go swimming – on horseback! That´s how I spent my Easter…swimming in the river that divides Nicaragua and Honduras. The water was kinda hot which was sad and there were tons of sardines that bite…but it was great. I love swimming. And unlike Thursday and Friday when it was packed with people, there was no one there…nice and peaceful.

so you know it´s an interesting day when you get a blister on your finger from writing on the board. one of the teachers all of a sudden had some really important thing to do for the misitry of education so she decided to have me give class. which consisted of me writing pages and pages from the textbook on the chalkboard so that the students could copy it. then they were told their homework...the end of class. and now i have a blister on my finger. rediculous!!!!!!

I´m sure I´m forgetting some things but I guess that´s enough for now. Hope you are all doing well. Love from Nicaragua!