Time flies by when it`s going so slow. Here`s an update on my life in Nicaragua. Hope it satisfies your liking:
1) I wake up at 5:30 am (even though the roosters have started crowing 2 hours prior). Everyone is already up by then because days end at 8:00 and start at 5:00. If there`s a holiday then the days don`t end, but rather pile into one. There`s a lot of holidays. I can`t keep them straight. When I wake up, the radio is blaring, and recently it`s been blaring American music, probably for my benefit. I`ve heard such songs as "Disco Inferno," to "Do you really want to hurt me," to " You put the lime in the coconut and mix it all up," the latter of which is my personal favorite, and consequently probably not the correct title of the song at all, but that`s neither here nor there.
2) I work in three different schools, and go to them each twice a week. One is in the town I live in, the other 2 are about a 1/2 hour bus ride in the opposite directions. However, a trend is evolving. I wait for the bus from anywhere from 15 - 60 minutes. After walking to the schools, I wait in the "faculty lounge," for my counterparts to come in so we can go over the plan for class. After waiting, someone comes in and informs me that my class will be cancelled because a)the students have to practice marching for Independence Day b)the students have to clean an abandoned house to sell food out of during the fiestas in order to raise funds for graduation c)it`s Friday. So then I smile,depart, and wait for the bus again. I have been fortunate enough to have met some nice people in each of the towns I work in. For example, one lady is Angelica, who gives me 2 free bananas just because I come visit and kiss her elderly mother who calls me a doll (muñeca) at their store.
3)When I get home to my host family, I usually help the 6 year-old (Ezequiel) with his math homework, and play with the 2-year old (Fransisco) who likes to pull my hair and scream so loud that it makes all other sounds inaudible. But he`s got such a cute face and a charming smile, that one can`t help but love him. Later my host-mom (Estela-shown above with Fran) makes me a delicious dinner (see picture of stove above) of gallo pinto (fried rice and beans), platanos (see above), and a fresco which is a fruit drink. Afterwords we all gather around the television set to watch our favorite tele-novelas, Nicarauga soap-operas if you will. I am particularly obssessed with "Dónde está Elisa?" a tele-novela that has me on the edge of my seat every night from the hours of 7:00 until 8:00 pm, regardless of the fact that I don`t understand all the words.
4) Sometimes I go on walks either before or after dinner with my 17-year old host brother Negro (a nick name I might add). He`s a funny kid who loves to talk, which fits well since I love to listen. He talks a lot about Gregorio, a volunteer who consequently is his best friend who lived with them 4 years ago.
5) I see a lot of animals here. Cows and pigs roam the streets, dogs are always around (the poor things aren`t exactly treated as man`s best friend here either), frogs can be heard at all hours of the night and like to make an appearance in our house often as well. Luckily they`re easy to sweep out with a broom. Other animals include spiders, mosquitos, snakes, scorpions, ants, dragonflies, flies, etc...
6) Everyone has a cell phone here. The main cell phone company (Claro) is basically a monopoly. You have to pay by the minute, and minutes go by quick. Needless to say with my "salary," calling people in the states gets a little tricky. But that`s the life of a volunteer and I`m happy to live it.
7) There are 2 seasons in Nicaragua. The rainy-humid season is from May to November, and consists of frequent power and water outages. For this reason, you have to store water. It`s important to have a best friend in Nicaragua, and I recommend it being your fan (see picture above). However, perhaps it should be the electricity, since without this the fan is uselss. The dry season is from November to May, and I have yet to witness it.
8) When I have free time, as I often do, I read books, draw, go for walks, or sit in the rocking chair and wonder. I have read about 6 books so far, and am currently reading "The Idiot," a russion classic written in the 1800`s, which I surprisingly am enjoying very much.
9) I will be moving into a house (the size of a room) in November, and am very excited about this. The volunteer who currently lives there will be selling me her stuff (a mini-fridge, thick mattress, bike, clothes, books, movies, dvd player, dishes, stove, etc...) for $100, so it`s a good deal on my end. I`ll post pictures when I move in, seeing as someone lives there already =)
10) I live on a different planet. That`s as close as I can come to describing the differences between Nicaragua and the States. But I`m beginning to love this new world.
I hope you all are happy and smiling. I miss you and I will be home this Christmas to have a beer and tell you stories of the gringa who lives in Nicaragua. Off to have a new adventure.
Love,
Aleia