Dia de las madres and la epica

Here are more pictures!! Can not beileve it has already been three weeks!! Just finished a three week Spanish interview check-in with the professor we have had. He was aces!! Going to really miss him! Need to work on reflexive verbs and need to get that preterite and imperfect straight! The garden is looking great with a nice strong line of rabanos and a little almacigo of baby tomates and peppers. The sqush have already started showing their first leaves and the drip irrigation system is up and ready to go. We have our first charla with our youth coming this Tuesday and I{m a little nervous. Not the easiest thing to talk in front of a bunch of teenagers in English for 30-40 mins but now in Spanish. Vamos a ver! The pics are a mix of the past weekend and the last couple of days. The epica, a big patron saint festvial, was Sunday, and as far as I can figure, it seemed like everyone who has a horse in Masatepe came in full regalia. The horses prance and do tricks up and down all the streets of Massatepe. The park is turned into an amusement park (like the State Fair) and there are a bunchy of tent parties sponsored by the big beer and cellphone componies. My family and I were certainly out of our country element and only stayed for a brief time. Lots of noise but also lots of fun pics of cowboys with cellphones and Tonas (the local beer). The other pictures are of the boys in my family (tallest one is my brother Wilmer and the shortest is Manuelito) along with my cousins walking up the backroads of Jardin Botanico. And last, but certainly not least, we have several pics of Wilmer, me, and Lindsey. Lindsey is the volunteer who stayed with my host family two years ago during her training. She is AWESOME!!!It was like having a big sister for 3 days and it was great to see how receptive the whole commuinty was when she came to town. Definitely shades of Grace Thanksgivings and Nawn X-mas. We made Dona Lysett an improved oven for Mothers Day (I also gave her a box of maple candies which have held up surprisingly well). It was so much fun and it{s the 2nd oven I{ve made while here. Practice makes perfect. We are going to be baking with the ovens tomorrow during charlas. Our youth decided on Coconut cake for their oven product for the competition at the end of training, and the rest of my group is trying to see if we can decorate the cake with the community map of Jardin Botanico. Talking with Lindsey about her experience as she is about to COS reenergized me and remotivated me at just the right time. That and being able to get onto the Peace Corps sharepoint to find even more recipies and arts and crafts ideas which brings me to the final funny moment. I brought all the bracelets that I{ve made in the past (at Kewaydin and care rides, etc) and I thought I might try to sell them to raise money for the youth to go to the beach or for the ingredients for the cake. The big bracelets in the stores and markets here go for about 30 cords and I did not fee comfortable asking that of my community, so we went with 5. I currently only have 4 bracelets left. Once word got out around my family, people have been coming up to the door and asking to see which ones are left. Wilmer, Yaijaira and Lindsey all gather around to watch. It really is one of those moments we talk about in Training where you think it{s a simple thing that doesn{t mean much but it winds up opening so many doors and being such a connection. Big hugs to everyone and hope to write more soon!

Moms and Fleas

Happy Nicaraguan Mothers Day! Will keep you posted on the ipod. Not much to report besides More charlas (including a 2 hours long talk about rape and sexual assaulr-in case you wondered if the 20/20 interview had an effect) Got to build an improved oven on Saturday so hope to put a picture up of that soon. Seem to be fizzling out a bit as the cultural adrenaline wears off and it{s only 3 weeks into training. There is kind of a tight-rope walk between wanting to integrate more into this community, but not wanting to overextend my energy early in the term for a community I will only be with for 3 months. It{s also hard for me not to talk to or scold the two children when they misbehave (which has been increasing recently- i think its mostly for attention). Peace Corps thinks I got some mild flea bites or have a reaction to the mosquitoes, so lathered up in the good calagel and hydrocortizone cream. Yummy! Community garden looks great with radishes coming up in a nice little row and tomatoes following in the little greenhouse (pics to come). Youth meetings also going relatively well, but again the tightrope of wanting to engage more but having to follow the Peace Corps training schedule to practice various experiences that may happen in site. Will find a balance between experience and evaluation somewhere. 

Week 2 and finally pictures

Week #2

Have been so tired from being involved 100% every day that I usually fall asleep while writing in my journal at night.  Friday was an early morning (4!!) to get on the bus back to the Conference Center in Managua, followed by a day of charlas, or lectures, on everything from Project Objectives to Common Illnesses and Diarrhea to Community Banks. Each group has a bank and I’m the secretary of the Aggie group. Saturday was a training day in the field. It started humid, then rained, then humidity kicked in again, then it was just hot. Lots of water. It was very informative. Traveled down the main road to a small farm that is being supported by a research and development agency for agriculture. The farmer allowed us to use his land to practice examples of community gardens, drip irrigation systems, and compost piles. Nothing like hacking pieces of platano with a machete in the morning. It was fun to see all the other training groups again too. Everyone compares and contrasts their family and Spanish experiences.

My training group had our first youth meeting last Wednesday, where we introduced ourselves in broken Spanish and talked briefly about the various projects we will be completing in the community during training. The youth decided they wanted to meet on Tuesdays and Sundays. Unfortunately, found out this Sunday that most of the older youth play soccer during the same time. Fortunately, the group that came was about 15 youth and they have since come back on Tuesday too, so here’s hoping they will stay interested. Spent about an hour straight playing ultimate Frisbee with the boys and makeshift volleyball with the girls. LOTS of fun!! Nice reprieve for us as trainees too, since most of us haven’t exercised since arriving. Worked to prepare the community garden at my host house after the youth meeting, which was also a reboot for the group. I think that’s what we imagined we would be doing as Agriculture Volunteers so it’s a bit more tangible or stereotypically agricultural. My host mother reminded me that we were headed to a girl’s night out at the Masatepe ferria, so I finished preparing the soil and quickly changed. Everyone but my brother-in-law and my host father took a mototaxi to Masatepe park where there was a big stage set up with lights and dancers and a huge crowd. Lots of street vendors with food and trinkets (bracelets or pulseras and wooden figurines, hamocks and traditional clothing). Meli and I danced in the street like no one was watching. Went to church too- nice building with beautiful lighting and statues. Also showed pictures of my states family to the local kids before it started raining. They really like the pictures of the cousins playing football in the snow and of the moose in Vermont.

Monday body felt good sore after having worked in the garden.  My host mother laughs every time I turn down coffee. It is now the family jokes that everyone but me has coffee on their way to bed. They also tell me that the volunteer before me called and says that she has coffee everyday at her site, so need to start getting my stomach accustomed to it now I guess. We’ll start with just Fridays. Got some more bug spray, but my legs still look like they’ve been hit with buckshot. At least I’m a little used to it from all the Keewaydin and Maine summers. Nephew has an ear infection and my host family was worried he was keeping me up, but I’m just that tired at night. Especially Monday night, when the malaria meds are kicking in. You get enhanced dreams as a side effect- oh boy! The Agriculture Specialist came today to check on our garden progress and help us out a little bit. He is great, really positive and supportive for everything related to Peace Corps. We worked for 5 hours and the garden doubled in size. We also planted tomatoes, peppers, radishes, spinach, and squash. We have a little greenhouse and a chicken wire fence to ward off all the livestock my family has. The radishes are already starting to show their first leaves!! It’ s really exciting to see even one little row of leaves. The Training Specialist says that Training is like Finals Week for 3 months- that sounds about right, with a few breaks in between.

One break is every weekday, my host family and I sit down to watch Fureza del Destina, a telenovella that is absolutely incredible. I could take up a whole page with the rather crazy plot, but the context clues are really easy for me to pick-up and my host family gets a big kick out of my parsing phrases together to check my understanding during commercial breaks. It’s rather addicting to the point where I actually run home so I don’t miss it.

Wednesday took a walk after class with one of community leaders and 2 youth from our group. They were distributing abate, a powder they put in any container with standing water. It makes it impossible for mosquitoes to lay eggs for a few weeks at least, thereby reducing some of the malaria and dengue hatching holes. The Ministry of Health distributes the material and there is a big push right now with the start of rainy season. This directly related to the Malaria and Dengue charla we received that afternoon. The Computer and Cell Phone talk followed, with us receiving our chips. Basically, all of Peace Corps is on a family plan, so we can call each other for free. Any incoming calls and texts are free from anywhere and it’s about .17/min to call the states. I do not have service everywhere though. It’s a lot like Vermont in that there are several windows I can stand next to or just outside my house and get service, so emailing ahead of time might be the better plan at first. Vale la pena (We’ll make it work).

This weekend is a 2 week point so the bimonthly training report is due. We are also meeting on Saturday to make an improved oven at one of our host houses and we need to decide on a  baked good for the youth to bake for the end of training competition (they really like chocolate and bananas and coconut).  And this Sunday is one of the biggest Patriarch Festivals, so more dancing with the family. Yay!!

One week part 3

The head Spanish teacher came today and challenged all of us to reach an  Intermediate High or Advanced level by speaking Spanish all the time, including to each other and limiting our english to only what is necessary. Worked no another project today. There are four big projects that each training group has to complete as examples of projects you might do individually on site. Make an improved oven, establish a community garden, start a youth group and create a product to sell with the youth at the end-of-training competition. My host mother is a represetative for the women of jardin botanico and she went to a meeting today in Masatepe to ask the directive to investigate working on the road to our house so it does not flood as much during rainy season. My training group invited all the youth we could find to the meeting on Wednesday. There were about 12 or 15 young people there. We introduced ourselves and gave a biref description of the projects and PC then decided on meeting times for in the future and called it a night. Every time I come home I get to play Slamwhich and color Disney princess pictures with Dianna and Melissa. It{s a great stress reliever and a great way to learn little kid Spanish sayings. People might say that bucket baths or army showers are really rural, but when its more than 80 degrees everyday with humidity you really appreciate that brief splash of refreshing water!! There are movies on late every night and on the weekends during the day that are dubbed from the states. Yesterday was the Flinstones and this weekend was Valentine}s Day. This coming weekend there is Collateral and My Best Friends Wedding. And then there are telenovellas. I dont quite watch one or two with frequency yet and my family tends to talk over them, but I hope to eventually get into them. Melissa usually asks me questions about how my eyes got so light and things like that. Its really helpful to have had a volunteer in the house before me so there is a base of information to use from prior experience with the projects and whatnot. Hope to catch up with everyone next week. This weekend it is back to Managua for more rabies shots and security and technical talks. Nos vemos!

One week later part 2

More than 12 hours straight of Spanish and it is slowly coming back, like little bits of rust chipping off a bike. By the way, everyone gets around by bike or mototaxi. There are also big schoolbuses that have been decorated various ways to differentiate the routes. Unfortunately, we have to take malaria meds weekly and I didn{t read until this morning that possible side-effects include loss of appetite and fatigue. that is probably why i did not feel awake until the middle of the day. Good to know! Funny story- my host family has a DVD with different music videos and the one they listen to every morning is LMFAO "I{m Sexy and I Know It." It is awesome to wake up to seriously! My host mother says I have to wake up much earlier than 6 to get a seat in church on Sunday, but she walked me by the church when I shadowed her into Masatepe for her regular shopping. Her shopping is a lot like the Farmers Markets. Picture when we got back from Masatepe I pulled out Slamwhich and the tube of bubbles I brought- BIG hit with Melissa, Dianna and Manuelito!! Also did friendship bracelets with the girls, and even my older sister and host mother were really interested. Maybe a gift for Mothers Day- it is the 30th here.Everyone watches different tv shows here. My aunt watches American baseball, my family watches Fear Factor and a kid version of American Idol, Pequenos Gigantes. The boys play soccer every weekend, but they say the league in Masatepe is not as good, so they travel to San Jose and Grenada for games. Went through a whole day without seeing another trainee. Dona Lixeth gave me a tour of the garden- there is extra space where we are going to do one of the trainee projects of starting a community garden. She also introduced me to the rest of the family including my great grandmother! Successfully drew a family tree for studying. Barely making it to 9PM before my brain literally shuts down. Literally fell asleep while writing one night. I did not know that was possible. WE have also been assigned a tree and plant album to create as agriculture trainees. My host siblings loved following me around and explaining all the different uses of the different plants. They seem to know all of them and I can[t think of many children in the states that know this much about plants. The grandmother of one of the other trainees invited us to a wake for the host family of one of the business trainees. It was a lot like the Nawn family wakes- family gathering to reminisce and talk and just come together followed by drnks and food.used my laptop quickly  when I got back, but Meli and Manuel wanted to push all the buttons. My brother-in-law is studying system engineering and has a computer too so he and I talk technical stuff in Spanglish. Rainy season is definitely coming. There are spots of rain or thunderstorms almost every day.

One week later part1

Apologies ahead of time for any typos on this Spanglish keyboard. There will also be a lack of contractions for the same reason. haha. Ok so almost a week under my belt and feeling pretty ok. Still feels a lot like a more intense study abroad in Costa Rica. And thank God I for Costa Rica first. And also thanks to Route 7 for providing me with the training to sleep through barking dogs, fighting roosters and Nica radio. It is not that bad at all thanks to the Route 7 trucks. Peace Corps gives us mosquito nets for our beds, big huge green nets and just after one night I can definitely see the difference. Mosquitos are just part of life here, so thanks to Keewaydin for the practice udring those humid summer months. About a week with my host family now and they are awesome. The voluteer before me, Lindsey, apparently spoke little to no Spanish, so the whole family has been really impressed with anything that comes out of my mouth, Unfortunately, I have to step up my game then since they do not slow down, but it is a welcome challendge. My host mom, Dona Lizeth, and host father, Don Manuel, have a relatively big house and a farm with 2 mazanas or acres. It is a lot of land! My older host sister, Yajaira and her husband, Pedro, live with us and their son is Manuel (or Manuelito-little Manuel). The Agriculture specialist told me that the walk to the house is longer, but the loving feeling in the house more than makes up for it and he is so right!! They are subsistence farmers and then some. Technically, it is a compound because the rest of the related family lives on the same land but in different houses. Don Manuel is also an woodworker and he built the entire house! There are 4 dogs, but they are not pets like we have in the US. they are working dogs, not allowed to come inside. This week has been Spanish 24/7. Wake up sometime between 6 and 7 (although been dozing since 4 or 5 when my host father wakes up to start working in the campo (field) and the dogs and chickens wak up too). Breakfast is usually beans and rice of some form although I{ve also gotten 2 oranges every morning too. Then it is 4 hours of Spanish with our facilitator, Edwin. I{m in a group of 3 other trainees in the same village. We are all at the Intermediate-low level and all trainees must be at Int. Medium or higher to "pass" Peace Corps training. Jardin Botanico is the best!! After our first class the whole village gathered for a welcoming party for us with folk dances and a pinata. It was such a warm expression of welcome! There are a lot of little kids, including my younger host sister, Melissa, who is 4 and my nephew. I also have 4, 5 and 6 year old William, Dianna and Leonardo, all cousins. Found a couple cafes with Internet so will try to update often but PC is serious about making a commitment to immersion.

Managua almost 24 hours later

Currently showered after having done a few go-arounds in the pool at the Hotel Campo Real where we are staying until Sunday when Pre-Service training finishes up. Big ups to both of Mom and Dad for all the times we traveled in or with a big group, because it made this mornings' organization that much easier. I was the airport group leader and in charge of making sure all 29 volunteers made it through baggage, security, etc. Already the rest of the group has started calling me "Momma Duck" and "Group Mom." Some things never change. Started at 2AM this morning checking out of the Holiday Inn. Didn't get much sleep because was way too nervous. Got to Regan so early that we waited 2 hours before baggage. Actually dozed on the first plane I was that tired, but not before take-off with the capitol dome through the window on my right. There was a little 2 yr old nica boy on the 2nd flight, which was just the right tonic at the time.Needless to say, my Towson High hoodie was no longer necessary by the time I got off in Managua. And, best part, there were several current volunteers who met us at the Managua gate with homemade posters and cheers. After a quick meet and greet, we went to the IPADE training center and spent another powerpoint and Q&A time in one of the conference centers before going to the hotel. Super rusty on the my conversational Spanish already, but I can literally feel the rust getting chipped away as I force myself to engage in conversation with anyone I can find. Also, as the volunteers explained in great detail and humor, there are hand gestures that can help even the most deficient of language abilities (Some are really quite funny). Next up is a couple of days of vaccines, more forms, personal interviews, more Q&As and more forms along with the Spanish interview and assessment to place us in a level with potential site-mates. Saturday afternoon we head out to out training sites and host families.Poor little cellphone from the US tried so hard to get a signal, but no Verizon in Nicaragua. To end, not to sound too cheesy, but it felt a little like coming home landing in Managua, seeing the birds of paradise flowers, the horse and wagons mix with painted schoolbuses in traffic and the tropical paint schemes on the houses. It didn't feel foreign because Costa Rica was such an enjoyable experience. However, I do remember how daunting Costa Rica and the whole culture, language, everything shock was at first, but I was thoroughly proud and excited enjoy chicken and rice with papaya/mango juice like it was the most natural thing in the world, like I had only just left Costa Rica or Nicaragua for a quick break. Little nervous about the language interview, but also feel a little more prepared against the overall culture shock and adaptation. Now if I could just remember all the verb tenses. Got to go because despite the fact rainy season hasn't started yet, the mosquitoes could still carry malaria and we haven't been given the nets yet :) Will try to post a picture soon, but they are also pushing pretty hard that we already try to limit Internet use to embrace the immersion, which I get.Big hugs to all (even the dog)!

ONE WEEK TO GO!

Apologies ahead of time for the rough nature of this blog. New to this whole thing. Anyway, ONE WEEK TO GO!! Running around like a chicken with my head cut off to pack, then rearrange and make cuts to the pack list, then repack, then repeat. Good news: I'm finding all sorts of things in my room and it seems to be getting cleaner. The plan is to head down to New York with the whole family, then Mom and Sean and I will head to Maryland and then drop me off at the Holiday Inn Hotel Tuesday at noon. And then let the presentations and powerpoints of Pre-Staging Orientation begin! To end this first attempt at a blog, please send or post a comment with your snail-mail address if you would like postcards from Nicaragua. Please email me with your Skype name if you want to chat, although from the other blogs I've read we barely have time to sit or breathe during Pre-Service Training. Will try to add pictures along the way.