Pictures to come!!

For the past two days we have had Independence Day celebrations. It started yesterday with a parade of the 5 high school bands in Ocotal. They varied from courtesy clap ability to stand up and holler ability. Each of the bands was mostly made up of percussion, but some came with a bit of brass. In addition, there were scantily clad girls in high heels shaking their tooshies to the beat. The girls, of course, got the most attention- not only for their moves, but also their outfits. Each girl was decked out in knee high boots, a little dress-like thingy, a hat, and cane. On average, the costume set back each family a whopping $50-150. Thinking about how much the family had to sacrifice to scrape that together, kinda took some of the joy out of watching… oh well, we were the only ones that seemed to mind. Everyone was having a great time watching, dancing, whistling, and hoopin’ and hollerin’. All in all, it was quite the event.

Today we went to the stadium to watch a 20 minute performance of each band. Of course, being where I am, things weren’t that simple. First we had to sing the National Anthem of ALL the Latin American Countries. Then, EVERY band had to elaborately ask permission from the MC to perform. Weren’t they already invited to perform? New vocab word for the day: Permiso considido- permission granted. After all that, the real show began. Much like any good town, we have a rivalry!! It’s between the Instituto where I teach and the semi-private Colegio where Douglas went to school. They both brought their A game, but it was pretty clear that the Colegio snagged it this year. They probably won it with they brought out the big floats… or when they played YMCA! The Instituto did battle back with a great rendition of “This is Africa” by Shakira, and the band’s moves were far superior.

While we were at the stadium, a man fell/got pushed/tried to crowd surf. It got the crowd all riled up, and he left the scene amid many people still wondering “Who was that guy? What happened?” I was just wondering who he fell on. This place was packed, and I could just see him hitting a baby. It amazed me that mothers were bringing their newborns to this event. It was an industrial engineers worst nightmare- a stadium that could easily hold 7,000 people… with one entrance/exit. People were pushing and shoving, knocking each other down, babies were being held in the air so they wouldn’t get smushed… really? Why did you bring your baby here? If this country wants an inventive idea for a new business, here it is. DAYCARE PROGRAM!

I haven’t been to class in 3 weeks now. Classes were one by one cancelled the week of August 30-September 3, Last week, I did a Tech Exchange in Leon, and this ENTIRE week there are celebrations for Independence Day. By the first week my house was spotless, all the clothes were washed, dried, and ironed, and I had visited all my friends in town.

Thank goodness I had the Tech Exchange. Leon is a WONDERFUL city, definitely one of my favorites in Nicaragua. You name it and they have it: colonial architecture, lots of people, two fully stocked grocery stores, a movie theatre, sports bars, FREE INTERNET, ritzy restaurants, night clubs, beautiful parks and churches, great universities. While I was there I saw the Sorcerer’s Apprentice with Nic Cage. It wasn’t the best movie in the world, but the AC and popcorn improved it ten-fold. Did I also mention that I had apple pie in Leon? YUMMY!

I went there to start my curriculum project. The first step was to observe the methods of one of the best English programs in the nation, UNAN. Then I talked about my university (MLU) and its curriculum with another PCV that has done a lot of curriculum building work. Next, I will meet with the dean of MLU to see what changes we want to make. Once this happens, I can form a committee to do methods and curriculum research, make a book with our findings, train the students and staff on it, and create a student teaching program. I am definitely at the beginning stages, but I hope to finish the project before I leave in November. We shall see. Did I mention that I have to write a grant in Spanish to get the project funded? EEEEEEEEKKKKK!!!!

Another one of my projects is to standardize the local English Department, which spans throughout the 5 high schools in Ocotal. We are well on our way, with all the teachers meeting once a month to choose the standards that we should cover, create the vocabulary lists and plan the activities. With this group of teachers, I’m also doing mini trainings on what makes a good lesson plan, new activities to use in class, and different methods they can implement to teach grammar, speaking and listening. I’m so glad that I see success in at least one area of my work.

Well, it’s been raining quite a bit here. So much so that the crops are dying, the roads are flooding, and the bridges are washing away. A friend of mine traveling last week had to get off the bus, cross a river on foot, and then board another bus on the other side. There have been a few mudslides, but nothing too big from what I have seen. The buses just roll over the debris and continue. It seems like no one is very surprised by the rainy season and the mess it causes. A few weeks ago it rained pretty hard while we were out. Walking back to the house, the water was up almost to our knees. Everyone was acting normal except for the shrieking white people.

The Circus Came to Ocotal

Mom and Dad's Visit

It seems like forever ago that Mom and Dad left on July 14th. The two weeks they spent here were wonderful. We ended up renting a small Toyota and driving south for about a week. Our first stop was in Masaya to eat pizza with three local volunteers in my group. As we left, we gave each a bag of brownies baked by Mom. You should have seen their eyes… it was like we had handed them pure gold. What are the top two things PCVs miss? Good chocolate and good chocolate baked goods.

We then headed down to Ometepe Island, where we met Hector, an amazing tour guide that helped us piece together our 2 day adventure. The first night on the island, we relaxed, watched the sunset and had a nice fish dinner at the hotel. The next morning we got up raring to go on our “moderate” hike up to the beautiful San Ramon Waterfall. Apparently the fruit drink the previous night didn’t agree with Dad and during the hike he had some difficulties. Fortunately, he was able to get a ride back down from the waterfall. And do you know who gave him that ride? Daniel Ortega’s step-daughter! No matter the politics of her father, she is a very nice young lady. That night we followed a recommendation and went to this little restaurant. As luck will have it, they forgot Dad’s dinner. Are you starting to feel sorry for my Dad? Just wait… his luck with food didn’t improve the rest of the trip. (Including the time I ordered him a plain cheeseburger- just cheese, bread and meat, and they brought him cheese and bread but no meat!)

Coming back from Ometepe, we stopped near San Juan del Sur for the night. The area is known for its beautiful Pacific beaches, great surfing waves and impressive sunsets. We enjoyed the location immensely and had delicious food to boot. When we were getting ready to leave, however, we momentarily thought we might be stuck. The night before it rained ferociously and the hilly, dirt road leading to the hotel was all but impassable. We were expecting the worst and Mom and I had our running shoes in case we had to help push the car. But wouldn’t you know it, SUPERDAD got us out with only a few heart stopping moments, one occurrence of screaming pedestrians, and mud up to the roof of the car. Needless to say he was very proud of himself.

The road from San Juan del Sur took us through Rivas where we stopped for mouth watering pastries and watched the Argentina Semi-Final game in the World Cup. That night we arrived in Granada and stayed in the Intercontinental Hotel. IT WAS OUTRAGOUSLY FECHANTA!! We had a lofted room with three beds, a living room area, a bar, and a bathroom bigger than my bedroom! Throw in the scrumptious breakfast in the morning and dips in the pool at night, and it was hands down the best place we stayed. While in Granada we took a horse-drawn city tour (not quite worth the $10/person it cost), saw the exquisite main cathedral, and found an amazing restaurant. Our family fell in love with “The Zaguan” where we savored quality steaks, ceviche, sangria, and typical Nicaraguan dishes two nights in a row. Dad said that had we been there a third night, we would have gone back. Neither Mom nor I would have complained.

Finally we left the south of Nicaragua and arrived in my site, Ocotal. Our first project we had to accomplish was to get Mom and Dad a bed. I had a few possiblities, but everything fell through. In the end, we ended up moving Douglas' double bed to my house while we held it down on the Toyota roof. Douglas slept on two cots pushed together for about a week. He later told me that one night they had collapsed, waking him up with the air knocked out of him. What a sweetheart. Friday night we went to La Yunta (the first of 4 or 5 visits) and met my site mates for Nikki's going away party. Mom and Dad went home early, but we continued the party til bright and early. The next day they came and watched me teach at the University. They seemed to like it, and I even used them in my lesson (comparisons- Mom is shorter than Dad. Mom is prettier than Dad. hehe). While I taught my last class, they headed back to La Yunta to watch the Germany Semi Final Game.

That night was the end of Cycle celebration for my community class. They all brought over food, and we chatted the night away. I gave out certificates and thanked them for being so diligent. One of my students recited a poem for Mom and Dad (she later learned that they do NOT know Spanish). It was a very successful night and I was my parents go to meet the class.

During the remainder of their visit in Ocotal, we just kinda hung out. We watched the World Cup Final and rooted Spain on. Dad played 3 hours of pool with Douglas while Mom and I painted each others nails and watched the nieghborhood kids color at my house. The night before they left, Mom and Dad met Douglas's parents. It was a nice evening of fried chicken, lots of coffee, a trip up to their restaurant in Dipilto and me translating every sentence. I went home and slept like a baby.

On the last day, my parents, Douglas and I headed back down to Managua. On the way, we stopped by my host family's house from training. It was wonderful to get to see them, and everyone enjoyed chatting. It reminded me house much I miss them, and I vowed to visit more frequently than twice a year. That night, we all said our goodbyes and hugged for a long time.

June 2010

Internet café guy: You are constantly walking around town, right?
Me: Yeah.
Internet café guy: But you aren’t getting any skinnier.
Me: Hmmm... true. Well, that’s because I like to eat!

So it might be true that I’m not getting any skinnier, but I’m not getting fatter either! And with all the fried food, sugary drinks, and people shoving food at me… that’s a small miracle. I’ve been cooking a lot more at my house. Nothing fancy: beef stir-fry, chicken pesto pasta with broccoli, breakfast burritos, yogurt and granola with pineapple, lots of peanut butter and bananas on toast, pancakes and Aunt Jemima’s syrup (is it bad when you start drinking syrup from the bottle?), beef tacos with homemade guacamole, and tuna Mac & Cheese with vegetables. It’s a lot of rice and pasta, but I’m happy to get so much protein and vegetables. When I’m not cooking at the house, I usually end up at Douglas’s family restaurant (Coma Rico). Sometimes we cook whatever we feel like for ourselves, other times the staff serves us what there is that day. Occasionally, I’ll go to a local bar/restaurant (La Yunta) with other PCVs or Douglas and the group for a beef dish and beer. It’s always a good night at La Yunta, especially when there’s Karaoke! Nicas have no qualms about singing… ever!

This past month I’ve had a few Peace Corps visitors. There’s a new health group that finished training at the end of May and is now in their sites. Nueva Segovia received 5 volunteers, and 3 of them have spent the night at my place. It’s the party house! Actually, it’s usually pretty mellow, but always fun. This past weekend, a volunteer from my group spent the night. He and I are trying to organize some teacher trainings in August and a summer camp in December. We recently (FINALLY) got the go ahead from our superintendants to do some training. Because there are two of us, we are hoping to take advantage of each other and do a traveling show, hitting four different cities. The Summer Camp will be a bit more difficult to plan, but we are considering applying for a SPA grant with Peace Corps. That would take the pressure off getting locally funded, something much like pulling hen’s teeth.

It was nice to discuss the latest and greatest with my buddy over a delicious vegetarian pizza at Julito’s. That night he surprised me with some books: the first Harry Potter book in Spanish and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. The volunteers have an informal system for book exchange. Anytime someone travels, they bring whatever books they have already read or those that they can part with. Everyone fully expects not to see the books again, and in that way multitudes of people get to read “new” books. It’s amazing how delightful it is to get hand-me-downs!

A few good books have come my way lately. First was “Replay” by Ken Grimwood, which I highly recommend to anyone that will listen. Of the 24 books I have read in 10 months here, it is on my top 5 list. Next were “I Heard that Song Before” by Mary Higgins Clark and “The Brethren” by John Grisham. It had been a while since I read either of those authors, so it was nice to fall into their fast paced rhythm again. The most recent book I have read is “The Blind Side” by Michael Lewis. I have to admit, I liked the movie better. Kudos to the screen writer; s/he got the best parts out of the book and put them together well. I did find one quote that I liked in the book though: “Moses stuttered.” Did anyone else know that? My first thought was that in another lifetime he and I could have gone to speech therapy together!

On May 16th, I moved into a new house. And, incredibly, it happened on the planned date! After my stuff was packed up, Douglas and I went out to find a guy he knows with a truck. After driving around for a bit, we found him (that is the truck we are going to put ALL my stuff in!?!). I had my doubts that everything would fit, but silly me, I obviously don’t know how to pack Nica style. It felt like a bad episode of the Beverly Hillbillies. There were four people in the cab (me sitting on Douglas’s lap and falling out the window), the truck bed was stacked dangerously high with my belongings and held down with rope. To add insult to the situation, it was raining. Slowly, we wound our way through the one way streets in town. By the time we made it to the new house, as Douglas said, “everyone in town now knows that you have moved.” That night I slept beautifully with no barking dogs, no wandering cows, and no screeching desks to wake me in the morning.

Before I signed the 6 month lease, I asked the landlord about painting the house and he agreed to paint the walls whatever color I wanted. However, when I was trying to explain the concept of an accent wall, he looked at me like I had two heads (which coincidentally is how many people look at me on a regular basis). After the paint dried, however, he half-heartedly said it didn’t look that bad. I think he was humoring me; he still didn’t look too pleased. Maybe it was the fact that I chose orange, green and yellow for the three main rooms. I still haven’t picked the colors for the bedrooms, but I’m thinking blue, purple and pink. Why not go for the whole rainbow, right?

While I’ve been writing this blog, I thought I would try to multitask (you’re already cringing aren’t you?). Earlier in the week I burnt some rice. You know, it is way harder than you think it is to cook rice well. Anyway, after scrubbing the scorched pot forever, I decided to boil some soap and water in the pot to loosen things up. What better time to do that than while I’m writing my blog? Apparently I was pretty absorbed in what I was doing until it smelled a little funny in the house. Guess I’m going uptown to buy a new pot today. :)

Yesterday I picked up a package that my mom and dad sent down. In the package, I was delighted to find coloring books. Coupled with the crayons that my aunt sent me for Christmas, it is the perfect entertainment for the neighborhood boys. The supplies are now sitting on the “special shelf” and the boys know that anytime my door is open, they can come and color. As soon as they saw the books, they started right away! It was so cute to see their little hands holding the crayons and their tongues stuck out in concentration. We already have a few pirates hanging on the wall, but I fully expect to see soccer players, space ships, airplanes, and sharks to be added pretty soon. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Long Overdue for Pictures

My house got flooded in April. Everything was fine, after a bit of clean up...

My clothes on the line drying.

Little Gustavo in the house next door. The boy is two and can already bathe himself!

Douglas, me, and a few others went out for his birthday. He ended up singing a song for me... so sweet.

My visit to the US in March was wonderful! I really enjoyed getting to see my family and friends, eating all the foods I was craving, and ... playing pool with my dad!

With my Papaw and Betty

The whole family together... my sister came and surprised me at the airport... such a sweetie!!!

The ladies in our old stompin' grounds. We had a fabulous time eating and chatting and catching up.

My sis and me at her new campus... she recently got a new job teaching.

In this picture I am trying on my sister's roller derby gear. Don't I look fierce?

Monday morning assembly with the 7th and 8th graders. This is when the sing the national anthem and also the educational hymn.

Gas prices by the liter in March 2010.

Donna and me exchanging music at the hotel on Ometepe Island. This is where TEFL 51 reconnect was held in March 2010. It was nice and relaxing and great to see everyone.

Douglas playing with his dog, Cypres.

I finally made my back porch into a real classroom. One of my students brought over the board. Each of the students brought a chair and I had the table made out of a door and scrap wood in the back yard.

May flowers

One of the hardest things about Peace Corps is that I am here, and my family and friends are in the US. Time doesn’t pass as it does in the US. There are no flowers blooming, snow falling, or leaves changing colors. Seasons are much more subtle (is is raining or not). So I find myself puzzled when I hear that there are only 10 more days of school or that my dad is opening up the pool. It seems like they should be doing the same thing as when I left. I’m still doing the same thing, so why not them?

The hardest news is the life changing kind: engagements, pregnancies, graduations, illnesses (so far no deaths). These are the phone calls where I have to fight the urge to hang up and call the airlines to book the first flight home. It brings me back to what some family friends said after living abroad for 10 years: They didn’t come home because they couldn’t hack it abroad, but because of all the milestones they were missing in their loved ones’ lives. I can see where they are coming from. I always imagined if my sister got deployed again I might come home. One daughter abroad is enough for my parents to worry about.

After 8 solid months in country, the first person in our group is taking some time off to see if Early Termination is the right option. This hit my inner circle of PC friends hard as we tried to advise the person the best way possible. But will this open the flood gates? Is this the beginning of our group breaking up? We try to be there for each other, but let’s be realistic, I see my fellow PCVs (from my group) one weekend every 2 or 3 months. We text each other on a daily basis, but there is a lot you can’t share with texts… like hugs!

Did you know that for good mental health, you need 8 hugs a day? How many does the average PCV get? Remember, I’m not average because I have a boyfriend. But still, there are times when I could really use a day long hug. “I know you need to go to the bathroom, honey, but you can’t let me go.” Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huggy person. I swear I wasn’t born with the US mentality of personal space. It’s not uncommon that I’m holding hands with my sister, linking arms with my girlfriends, tackling my mom for a full body hug, and generally giving everyone I know lots of hugs. I have become even touchier down here. Part of it is not my fault; Nicaraguans are touchy people, too. You see people in the street talking with acquaintances while holding their hand or arm. People kiss and hug each other as greetings and goodbyes. On a bus, a random child might sit on your lap if there is no place to stand. God only knows how I’ll be when I come back to the US.

Speaking of God, he is laughing right now. I, being the touchiest white person in probably the entire country of Nicaragua, have fallen head over heels for probably the LEAST touchy Latino on the entire continent. Don’t laugh… it’s not funny. Actually, I have to be bit more truthful; he is a bit touchy. As we walk down the street, he almost always holds my hand (unless he’s really hungry and in a hurry to get to the restaurant). He kisses and hugs me goodbye. Okay… before we get into too many examples, maybe he is touchier than I give him credit for.

Another thing is that the man eats like an elephant! A pound of rice is NOT okay to eat in one meal. He has been eating at my house a few times a week for the past month or so. Recently he went to the doctor, who told him he has lost 7 pounds during this time. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE? He says it’s my cooking, but no. He always eats seconds, is full and says it’s delicious. My thought is that he has a parasite. Maybe he missed that day at the clinic when they passed out anti-parasite pills to EVERYONE. They also did that at the school. You might be asking yourself how they could do that… are some people not allergic? Not important here. I’m pretty sure there are no laws in Nicaragua, unless you steal someone’s cow.

Well, the favorite cow has not revisited my neck of the woods to scare me at 2am. However, the dog next door has been barking SO MUCH! I don’t know how the thing is still living. It literally did not breathe for an entire 8 hour period one night. I had ear plugs in, a pillow over my head, and still could hear him. Finally, I made a little noise myself and blessed the damn thing up and down. Too bad that didn’t make a difference. Hopefully in my new house there won’t be too many neighborhood dogs.

Supposedly I will be moving this Sunday to a new house. We shall see. It’s pretty pointless to make a plan that involves other people. The whole thing just takes too much energy and then it’s really disappointing when it inevitably falls through. However, if I do move, I will be living in a FOUR bedroom house with a kitchen, bathroom, and backyard with papaya, lime, and nancite trees. This is a big change from my current 2 room house (the bedroom/living room, and the kitchen/ storage room) with the bathroom outside. In Ocotal it is hard to find the perfect sized house. You either get a very small, run down house, or a very large and expensive house. I have tried the first, so I figure it’s time to try to latter of the two.

In my new house, I will be neighbors with my site mates. One leaves in July, but the other should be sticking around for another year or so. It would be kind of neat to be so close to them. Currently we are about a 30 minute walk from each other, but that doesn’t stop us from seeing each other at least once a week. Usually we grab a bite to eat, or help each other with a project. This week I helped move dirt at the Casa Materna, and we got together for a welcoming party for the new Health group. There are 5 newbies in Nueva Segovia. Fun times in Ocotal!
This week I also went to the Mr. Nicaraguan contest. Half naked guys + ladies night = a wonderful time! They first came out in their all white wardrobe, then in their swimming shorts (although I’ll bet not ONE of them can swim), jeans with no t-shirt, and finally formal wear. In between rounds, there was folkloric dance and folk singing. All in all, I felt culturally educated afterward. I would have taken pictures, but we were having a little too much fun keeping score on who we thought should win. I must say, the North has some pretty good “talent”. :)

Since I came back from the US, a couple of interesting things have happened. One, I had an infected cyst and two, my house flooded. The best part is that they happened in the same weekend! I had started to notice that my cyst was really sensitive and then it got big, red, and hot to the touch. Obviously it was infected. I started to take antibiotics, but after 5 days, not much was changing. I decided to go to Managua to see the doctor. They first gave me a local anesthetic and then cut it open to drain it. I’ll spare you the details, but just say it was a big show. Tired and bandaged, I came back to Ocotal the next day… TO FIND MY HOUSE FLOODED! Apparently, it had rained a bit. Before I left for Managua I figured that this might be the case, so I moved everything to a higher spot… except the suitcase that I brought back from the States. I have no clue why I thought it was waterproof, but neglected to move it. All the clothes I had brought back were floating in water. My emergency passport was buried in the bottom. Ha! That makes two passports. I wonder what the max in one year is that they will issue to a person. Anyway, I washed all the clothes and most of them were okay. The passport will work itself out… hopefully.

So why did I agree to do Peace Corps? Quality hair growing time.

If I’m being serious, there were many culminating factors that finally made up my mind. When I first applied, I was sitting at my sister’s going away party. She was being deployed for a year in Iraq to transport supplies and soldiers in Baghdad. I viewed this as her contribution to the United States. We have family members in every branch of the military (the Army, Marines, Navy, and Air Force) who have given years of their lives to serve their country. Looking at this sacrifice, I felt compelled to serve. However, I wanted to participate in a service of Peace that would help those most in need. I was naturally drawn to Peace Corps.

Other reasons are more selfish. I love to travel and experience new countries and cultures. To spend two years in a culture, practicing my second language, and truly getting to know the people, customs and traditions, was a dream opportunity. What better way to improve my Spanish, gain some experience teaching, and get to travel!

April showers- aka, floods!

Did you know that Chips Ahoy cookies and peanut butter are amazing? I love them separately, but I think it might be time to join them together. Hold on… oh, yeah…. That’s heaven on earth!

So, I’ve been without a stove now for a week. It is the second time that my electric one has gone on the blink, so I decided to buy a gas stove. I got it for fairly cheap, and then my bf Douglas was going to give me the gas tank and tube. But bless his heart; he has just been so busy lately (Marcia that was for you). Although it has cut down drastically on the amount of dishes I wash each day, it would be nice to cook up some of the good food I brought back from the States.


I HAD A WONDERFUL TIME IN THE US!!!! It was so nice to see so many of my friends and family. If I didn’t get to see you this time, I’ll try my hardest on the next trip. The 10 days seemed to fly by, but I did get to do some cool stuff. I first visited my aunt and uncle in Atlanta, and then we went to Cracker Barrel (what I was craving most!) on the way to Knoxville. In Knoxville, we watched Alice in Wonderland in 3D IMAX. Pretty snazzy, huh? We ate lots of my favorite foods, played cards, played pool in the amazing new basement and just hung out with the family. I went back up to JC for a few days to meet up with the ladies, give a few presentations, and hang out with some very lovely people.

Finally, I went to Arkansas to visit Katie. It was actually the second time I saw her during the trip because she surprised me in the Atlanta airport. What a sweetie! She, mom and dad were pretty sneaky to keep it a secret for more than a week (even when we “conference” called each other- they were in the same room!). In Arkansas, we went shopping, had pizza, went to church and saw her university. The highlight was going to Hot Springs, Arkansas to do the mineral baths. I never knew there were so many ways to take a bath. The most intriguing must have been the hot butt bath- good for hemorrhoids. Katie and I walked away from there with more than a few funny stories.

So here are a few of my thoughts about my visit:

- The portions were huge! I split most of my meals… thanks Lindsey :)
- Everything was very clean… amazing how we don’t just through our garbage everywhere.
- There is only one person in each car! I’m used to an average of 4 here. Max is 10 in a 4 door.
- Refills? What are those?
- Everything is so easy there… you don’t even have to think about what you are going to say… you just say it and it happens. There is rarely any confusion or repetition of conversations.
- I got to wear WHATEVER I wanted and no one stared at me!
- I could drink the water, but I never did. Why would I when I could down a gallon of chocolate milk?
- It was very quiet. Are there noise laws or something? How do you know what’s happening in town if they don’t announce it by loudspeakers mounted on trucks? (haha, one is going down my street right now) You mean you discipline your dogs if they bark for more than 10 minutes? What?
- It was cold! One night I wore two jackets, gloves, and a scarf while mom and dad chilled in a long sleeve. So maybe I’m just not used to it anymore. Kinda makes me rethink coming back in December. Yikes!


Although I could see so many differences between my current situation and my old home, it felt like I had never left. It was very easy to get used to all the conveniences. So I figured it would be really difficult coming back to Nicaragua, but it wasn’t either. Douglas made it a lot easier by meeting me at the airport. He carried my suitcase (while grunting and joking about its weight) as I carried my big backpack. We made it back up to Ocotal and I settled back into my house. I wasn’t overly happy about sleeping under a mosquito net again, nor seeing that I still have SO MUCH work to do on the house. After a week of running down my landlord, the work is finally beginning. It will take quite a bit of time and effort, but hopefully by the time Mom and Dad come in July it will be done.

Speaking of, I’m going to finish painting my house. I have all the blue done, which covers the top ¾ of the wall. Now, I just have to complete the brown at the bottom. Wish me luck. I hope all is well with you all. Write me some letters if you like (Thank you Tera, Katie and Maher, Pat and Cliff, and Steve and Sherry for the letters!):

Laura Sanders
Apartado Postal 25
Ocotal, Nueva Segovia
Nicaragua
Centroamérica

I also enjoy emails with updates about what YOU are doing: pcnic09@yahoo.com

Do you know what they call pool cues here? Tacos… hahaHAHAhaHAhaha… I love it!