opps it´s been a while

wow! is it really august already! it can´t be. well, i haven´t been doing a very good job of writing recently...and so much has been going on. so here goes in my totally normal, completely random way...

Lynn came to visit! and it was amazing. it was so great to have someone come see what my life is really like. and it was refreshing to have someone who really knows and understands me around for a while. we hung out at my house for quite a few days, went to school and all that...everyone in my town loves her...obviously...and the students had a blast with her. it was super amazing. then we decided to take a trip to the island of ometepe which was beautiful! nice black sand and 2 volcanoes. we rented bikes and went swimming and then decided it would be a blast to hike a volcano. now...we were informed that the hike up concepción is hard...but we are 2 tough girls so no big deal. what we were not told was that hard really means you may not come back alive...i mean you could...or you could be like those little rocks that go flying and bouncing all the way back down the volcano...in which case you would be a little dead at the bottom. well, luckily we somehow made it down the volcano in 1 piece and with only a little lost blood. i think some of my favorite comments were... wow i mean i know you told me there are a lot of animals but i never imagined having to step over the pig, simón, while walking past your parent´s house, and those chickens really never stop making noise. yes, it´s true, they have no idea what time it is. also...i apparently am way too used to throwing whatever on the floor since it´s made of cement...apparently you can´t do that in the states...but one day in the hostal i dumped my contact solution on the floor and she just laughed and said it´s going to be hard when you go back and can´t throw stuff on the floor. yes, possibly so. anyways...the trip was amazing...i can´t wait for her to come back...and for everyone else to come. what a trooper she is...a dizzy spell at site and a trip to the hospital and she still loves nicaragua...awesome.

site news...i have 2 new groups started - my english class started over and there are now around 15 students...they are really fun...all girls ages 13-23. also, i started an art/craft group...also all girls. they love it...i love it. they are making some really cool stuff and are planning to sell it so that they can continue to buy more materials...although we are also making things out of recycled trash...and they want to buy a whiteboard for classes and studying purposes. they are so cute. also, i love watching them get so excited to have an excuse to leave the house and see other people. that honestly makes me the most happy. the other day we decided to play volleyball and i can´t even describe how happy that made me. finally the girls getting out and playing sports! amazing! i was in heaven.

speaking of sports...i told the boys at school that the girls were using the field that day...boy were they unhappy with me! haha. so the 5th grade girls played the 6th grade girls in soccer one day. i was in heaven yet again. they had so much fun it was priceless. all these girls running around in their uniforms smiling and laughing. i told the boys that if they wanted to use the new soccer ball the following day, they would not touch the ball or interfere with the game. and if they ever didn´t give the ball or the field to the girls when it was their day, the ball was going to be strictly for the girls. unfortunately i´m not at school each day to inforce this and the principal and teachers and not very helpful...they probably don´t want the girls to be playing at all. well too bad...girls can play too. and they will

gardens at school are going well. of course some of the fruits disappear but what can you do. we have so many tomatoes - the kids love it. of course they are starting to slack on the watering now that it has stopped raining for a bit but im trying to convince them that if you don´t water there will be no more tomatoes. let´s hope they believe me.

speaking of school...so the first grade teacher has been gone for months...she had an operation and is now recovering. well the ministry of education paid for a sub for a month but that was it. so the first graders haven´t had a teacher for months. so the fifth grade teacher is teaching both classes because 5th is the smallest class. so that means that part of the time the 5th graders are alone and part of the time the 1st graders are alone. now...is there anyone...anyone at all who thinks leaving a group of 30 first graders alone in a classroom is a good idea. yeah didn´t think so. so while the principal sits in her office doing whatever, there are lots of little bodies alone. REDICULOUS

my 5/6th grade english class is also going really well. they love singing head shoulders knees and toes. it´s adorable. this week they were really mad we couldn´t have class because it is the fiestas patronales in somotillo which means all the little towns that make up the municipality don´t have school until wednesday and our english classes are mondays and tuesdays. so sad.

so one day i was in a very odd mood...and i decided to clean the walls of my house...inside and out. now for whatever reason...i dont really mind living in a spiderweb house...i mean when else will i ever have that chance. so anyway i finally decided i would sweep the walls. well, my host dad saw this and said... well finally it looks like a woman lives in that house. i died laughing

madrina! yeah i´m the godmother of one of the soccer teams in my town. on presentation day i had to walk out in front of the team holding their soccer ball..very entertaining...got a special shout out to the gringa as they announced our team...only a little embarassing. some of the guys think they are pretty cool because the gringa is their madrina. oh yes so cool. so i go to all their games...i take my job very seriously. at least it gives me something to do on sundays.

11 months. i have been in nicaragua for over 11 months! that´s incredible. i can´t believe have fast the time goes. i still have so much stuff to do. i´m really enjoying most things. the gossip of living in a small town could be toned down and i wouldn´t mind at all...but besides that i´m really liking it. and i just recently got a new burst of motivation to do more projects so that´s good. a friend of mine told me that they have a saying here...the smaller the town the bigger the hell...made in reference to me being annoyed but all the gossip. it´s wierd...some days it really bothers me and other days i could care less. all part of life in nicaragua i guess.

fiestas patronales...awesome. so much fun. i´m glad i have cool friends in somotillo. and i´ve definately been taking advantage of all the fun since i live with 300 people and 800 cows. i think i deserve it. and i love dancing so it´s great. right now my friend and i are off the watch people ride bulls. luckily, unlike in spain, they don´t hurt the bulls. should be interesting.

well i guess that is it for now. lots of love from nicaragua!!!!!!!