My Life is Awesome, But Not as Awesome as the Highway...

Can you hear that? That glorious sound… that mixture of screaming and laughing that invokes a variety of emotions deep in the pit of your… well, wherever it dwells, the point is that SCHOOL HAS BEGUN! While some of you readers might be groaning over the fact that you have been in school for the last few weeks, gracefully raising a certain hand extension at me, others might be more curious as to why I am so ecstatic, and thus resisting the urge to lift their middle finger (For those of you without a middle finger, I apologize. It was inconsiderate of me to make assumptions. Furthermore, might I suggest lifting the middle finger of your other hand? It’s just as effective). Due to the large amount of my personal work being conducted within the school walls, I have been counting the days, nay, the hours down to see my kiddies. I feel much more confident with my Spanish skills, and thus more competent in the classroom. Of course, the first day of class was actually a mandated fiesta…but that’s beside the point. On the 3rd day of class, it was straight-up, hard-core, knowledge-creating time (The hyphen is underestimated). The three communities I work in are all extremely unique, differing in classroom management to expectations in general. However, this year I hope to bring students from all three schools together, in an attempt to inspire imagination, increase insight, and ignite innovation at the Small Business Competition that I will be conducting. So cross your fingers and don’t spill the salt because this is my ultimate test. Updates will be included in future posts.

In my site, there is a giant construction process occurring, constituting of the seriously-needed repair of the highway. Workers are shredding boulders into pebbles, taking their prey from land above and sea below, in an effort to create suitable material to create a suitable highway. No, not suitable. This highway will be awesome. Other highways might erode upon hearing of the almighty awesomeness of this highway. Construction workers from all over Central America, nay, THE WORLD, will come to Nicaragua to revel at the beauty of the highway, wanting to walk, drive, sleep, and eat on only this highway. In thousands of years, when the sun has become a supernova, this highway will break off from the world, and continue to float in space because not even a giant-growing-about-to-explode-star could take away from the fantastic glory of this highway.

A really sweet second project that has arisen from the highway construction (unintentionally, but who cares?) is the creation of a dam/canal in the widest part of the river. The workers obtained permission from the mayor to take materials from the riverbed (not difficult during the dry season) in order to construct the highway. In an attempt to get permission, they also added that they will build a barrier to the river so that water would not flood habitants during the rainy season; by narrowing and deeperring?deepeffying?..uhm..oh! deepening the river, everybody wins. Or so I’m told. Pictures of these processes are above. Other pictures include my giant mangos, which I am still waiting to ripen... ok, they aren't that giant. Don't judge me. Also, the two banana trees in my backyard are making an impression; one is dying... please come back to life little guy!

Anyway...I’m off to explore. Hope you are having a wonderful day, and as always, smile. =)

Food, Candy, and Other Gift Ideas...

Alright all you care-package senders, after many a conversation with my fellow volunteer-mates in places including but not limited to late night medical stays, out of site hostel stays, 4 hour bus rides, and 2 hour phone conversations (thanks PC!), I have compiled a list of items that we groan, moan, and ache for, simply because it does not exist or is out of our price range in this country. If you want to send a package to a PCV in Nicaragua, follow this list and it will positively put a smile on that hippie you sent it to…
1. Peanut Butter (Don’t deny the magicalness that is PB and whatever)
2. Honey (Holy crap… it’s so good AND it’s a replacement for sugar when cooking)
3. Cooking Spices (Anything to get that fried taste out of our mouths)
4. Snacks (Get Creative. I like Stauffer’s Original Animal Crackers. Other Ideas include cheese-it’s, teddy grahams, candy that won’t melt, mixed nuts, granola bars, and Clif bars…hells yea)
5. Dried fruit (…. Sorry, I just drooled on my computer… I like dried mangos and craisins… *wink*)
6. Mac-n-Cheese (Yea, there’s a reason I’ve eaten this crap since I was a newborn… it’s frigen delicious)
7. Tea (Putting leaves in boiling water since the beginning of fire…)
8. Coffee… correction… good coffee (And if you want to gain crazy bonus points, send your volunteer a French press. I was lucky enough to have a RPCV visit a few weeks ago, and he brought me one, and now I’m going to put his name in my will. Thanks Greg!)
WE’RE TAKING A BREAK FROM FOOD NOW BECAUSE MY STOMACH IS GROWLING AND I THINK IT WOULD BE BEST TO MOVE ON FROM THIS TOPIC FOR HEALTH REASONS.
9. Cooking supplies (Dammit… I’m still on food. But seriously, whisks, ladels, wooden spoons, spatulas, vanilla extract, measuring cups, coffee mugs [sometimes I drink coffee from plastic cups, seriously], you name it and any volunteer would be happy to receive it)
10. School Supplies (Markers, pencils, pens, paper, etc… These things are easy enough to come by, but they get lost, stolen, borrowed indefinitely, and it adds up quick)
11. Books and Magazines (HOWEVER, 1 crossword puzzle book, 1 sudoku book, and/or 1 word search book is enough. I don’t need eleven…. What the hell am I gunna do with eleven word search books?)
12. Underwear, tanktops, flip flops, socks (This climate is brutal. And if the climate doesn’t destroy your crap, the bugs will. And if the bugs don’t destroy your crap, then a jagged piece of metal in the bus seat will. And if you are lucky enough to avoid scrap metal your whole service, then you will be so sick of your clothes that you will just rip them up yourselves)
13. Why is thirteen an unlucky number anyway?
14. Sheets and pillow cases, oh! And Towels!
15. CD’s or any music really and movies (Justin Beiber or Beaber or Beeber… sorry, Nicaragua made me hate your music)
16. Starbucks Instant Coffee (This does in fact deserve a number of its own)
17. Plastic bags (Ziplock, all sizes… throw in some Tupperware while you’re at it)
18. Pictures, Pictures, Pictures (We miss you. We love you. We want to see your pretty face)
19. Where my females at? Tampons (Can I say that on this blog? Well I did. Sorry family members who think I am still a small infant child, and all the men who read this, but this is a VITALLY important part of life and they just don’t have these, shall we say, utensils? in this country. In fact, if you are sending a care package to a female volunteer, just throw a pack in for good measure)

Just in case there are some of you care-package senders out there who think that the above list is bogus and that you would much rather send a gift from the heart or some other muscle, here is a list of What NOT to send… ever:
1. Pet cactus (I don’t even… I don’t even know)
2. Sunscreen, medicine, floss, bug spray (Don’t get me wrong, I love this stuff, but we get it for free from the PC. So if you want to send stuff along the safe and hygienic line, send stuff like tooth paste, deodorant, toothbrushes, and nail polish remover, just as some ideas)
3. Money, electronics, jewelry (Unless you want to see how cool it feels when someone jacks your stuff)
4. Eleven Sudoku/cross word puzzle/word search books (See number 11 above… p.s. that number 11 thing was totally on accident. Ha!)

You’re smart people, you know how to take ideas and roll with them, be creative, but don’t be dumb. If you know a PCV or just want to send a package to gain awesome status (there is an awesome scale by the way, in case you didn’t know), send it to the address on this blog (one of the first posts, labeled “address”) and hopefully it will get to your PCV within 2 to 6 weeks. I hope this information has been as helpful as it has been entertaining. Peace. Aleia.

(Pics:My house, shower area, washing board/dishwashing center, backyard, and a giant yuca which I fried and tastes just like a french fry...mmmm. I still can't really cook, dammit.)

You’re Fatter and Whiter...

I love being in a country where honesty flourishes like the butterflies. I recently took a vacation to Arizona to see my family for Christmas and New Years, and as predicted, I ate everything that was within reach. A warning to the wise, food poisoning is more probable when eating a variety of different foods at large quantity. I think you can imagine what happened. However, it appears that I, the fragile flower, can and will survive any storm. So bring it on life, cuz I’m gunna rock you like a hurricane.
Two weeks later, I got back to Nicaragua, and the first thing I thought was, “F**k it’s hot.” I mean, it was 30 degrees in AZ, THIRTY! Granted I am closer to the equator, and okay... it wasn’t too terribly caliente, but the shock factor was enough to confuse the hell out of my already delicate system. I walked with my 2 backpacks and one duffel suitcase from the airport to the highway, a staggering 50 feet, and waved my hand for a bus. This is the Nica signal for “stop, here I am, pick me up:” Put your right arm straight out in front of you, parallel to the ground (suck on that high school math class, I remember what parallel is, oh and perpendicular too… what’s up!). Lift your arm up so your elbow is near your head, keeping it erect (wink), with your hand extended. Next, wing your arm down to your right leg. Repeat over and over until bus, taxi, truck, mototaxi, tricycle, etc stops. For emergencies, do the arm-flap rapidly, like you’re trying to fly away (Note: Do NOT use 2 arms, you’ll look like a freak). This is what happened:
Bus 1: Finger shake, aka, “No no no little miss gringa.” –DAMN-
Bus 2: Not going to where I want... DAMN
Bus 3: UnFO…. No frigen way am I getting on that thing.
Bus 4: Success!!!
The bus ride was easy enough. I drove for 2 hours and 15 minutes, switched buses, waited for 20 minutes, and finished my journey another 45 minutes until I got to my site.
That night I visited my old host family. I was as content as one could be after leaving a life full of hot showers and Italian food restaurants. And that’s when it happened, when I realized what I had come back to. My host sister announces, “Look, she came back fatter and whiter.” Now, if you ever visit Nicaragua, you must realize beforehand that this is not an insult. Life here is much more black and white. Short or tall. Nice or mean. Bone-ass skinny or Fatty Mcfatfat. I am in the “gordita es bonita” category, and I’m pretty content. I responded, “Yea. I ate a lot there.” =)
So, what’s the moral of the story?  Don’t get food poisoning? The Scorpions is one of the most rockin’ awesomest bands ever!? Curvy is scurvy? How the frick should I know? This isn’t a story, this is my life. I’m signing out, reminding everyone who reads this to smile, laugh, and karate-chop everything that life throws at you. Peace! ~Aleia~
(Pics: Adriana my neighbor helping me paint my mural in my house, me in my artistic frenzy, fun at home with my family and friends, and a toucan made out of a tire which was one of the winning products at the National Business Competition of 2010)

Nicaragua: The Ups and Downs

Below, please find a list of some "Ups and Downs" of life as a PCV in Nicaragua:
UP: No preservatives means you lose weight. DOWN: There are no brownies to reward yourself with for losing the weight.
UP: Living close to the equator guarantees for plenty of sunshiny days. DOWN: All those sunshiny days will probably lead to a skin fungus.
UP: Getting to learn Spanish. DOWN: Not understanding Spanish.
UP: Getting to see the array of scenery and wildlife in your front yard. DOWN: Getting to see the array of scenery and wildlife in your living room.
UP: Hammocks. DOWN: Fringed ropes tied to unstable bases.
UP: Cheap transportation. DOWN: Sharing your bus seat with 3 other people.
UP: Being recognized by all in your community. DOWN: Losing anonimity.
UP: Cell phone service. DOWN: Shitty cell phone service that's fracken expensive.
UP: Teaching at the local school. DOWN: Having school be cancelled on account of "International Wash Your Hands Day."
UP: Living with a host family that cooks for you. DOWN: Inventions like bologna-ketchup-honey sandwiches.
UP: Locals showing an interest in English. DOWN: Locals showing an interest in English during the Entrepreneurship course.
UP: Motorcycles. DOWN: Riding and Driving motorcycles being prohibited.
UP: Using toilet paper as opposed to leaves. DOWN: You CAN NOT throw that toilet paper in the toilet.
UP: Bragging rights by living in Nicaragua. DOWN: ???

Thongs (I meant to say Things, but the typo was to funny to erase) are improving here in good ol' Nicaragua. I'm in as much of a routine as I can be, making friends and meeting new people on a daily basis, so no complaints there. NEWS UPDATE: I move into my new place in one week. WOOHOO! Bad news: There are scorpions, bats, spiders, and snakes that also believe my house is their residence... damn. I'm sure we'll get along though =)
This week is my week long spanish workshop, followed by a Coctail Party Fundraiser to raise money for the National Business Competition that is sure to be a good time. I just realized that I mistook my ipod charger for my camera picture loader cord, so pictures to come soon! PAZ (Peace in Spanish)

Aleia

P.S. Pictures officially LOADED! Coctail party and the new house, plus gallo pinto a typical Nica dish.

Put the Lime in the Coconut and Mix it all up

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

Run chicken RUN!

I am officially a volunteer. Woohoo! My site is a small town of less than 2,000 people, and currently I am working in 3 schools, with 8 sections of classes throughout the week. Pretty exciting stuff eh? Currently, I am just adjusting to my new surroundings, so not much to report. Today I went to one of the major cities to go the the bank and have lunch with a friend... in an air conditioned environment. It was glorious! I will never underestimate air conditioning and toilets again. I have attached some pictures of my new place. There`s the chicken that tried to run away (silly chicken), my room and closet (rope running the length of my room), my shower and bathroom (bucket with water and latrine), and a little artsy goodness. Enjoy and I will fill you in on the details when they happen. Love and miss you all. Remember to smile, always. aleia

Look what I can do!

Hola amigos!
Sorry it´s been so long since my last post. Apparently my memory has not improved since moving to Nicaragua... sad. Anyway, recent news! I am officially going to become a PC volunteer in 2 weeks! After which I will be moving to my new site to live for the next 2 years. Exciting right!? I think so! I cannot leave the name of my new site for security reasons, but feel free to email me if you´re curious. The site has 2,000 people (but I don´t know where the other 1,800 are hiding), a river, no toilets, no showers, no bank, no panaderia (bread store), and I´m basically going to be camping for 2 years. How´s THAT for extreme? But, if you want to visit, don´t worry. There´s a big city an hour and a half away by bus (the only form of transportation here really) so I´ll put you up there. I will also be commuting to 2 nearby towns (30 away by bus and rough terrain) to teach the entrepreneurship course to high school students, and probably English courses too. Should be a good time!
We recently had to make an American-style dish for our host families. Luis, the guy with the sweet goggles above, prepared spaghetti for about 15 people, and the pictures prove it. It was delicious! These cool cats are only going to be my site-mates for another 2 weeks so we are bound to have some more fun times in a compact amount of time. Hopefully I will have my camara with me during said times. I will make sure to post pictures of my new site and try to remember to bring it to the swearing in ceremony. Until next time, miss you all and remember to smile.
-aleia