These last few weeks have been filled with emotional highs and lows. I said all my goodbyes to my Nicaraguan family and friends, had my goodbye parties with volunteers and staff, and packed up my stuff and headed home to the US. I think these goodbyes were much harder than most because only some, not all, know how to use a computer and/or have regular internet access. It's obviously very difficult for them to come visit me because of visa and financial restrictions, and I don't plan on returning to Nicaragua for some years now.

Saying goodbye at my favorite school, Las Minitas

Receiving my Peace Corps Close of Service Certificate from our Country Director

Peace Corps Volunteer Goodbye party in Leon

Saying goodbye to my host family from training

But the positive side of things is that I'm now back with family and friends state-side and enjoying once again the comforts of being home. While taking some time to relax and adjust these next few weeks, I will also be applying to grad schools in international development for the fall and working on finding a job in the meantime (and of course eating plenty of delicious food and spending time with people I haven't seen in years).

Overall, it was an incredible experience that I would never take back. I have memories and pictures that I will take with me always. I want to thank everyone for all their support mail, emails, and phone calls throughout (particularly those packages including food and music ;)...you know who you are!!). It's been an intense and wonderful last two years.

As my Peace Corps service comes to a close (on November 11, to be exact), I've tried to spend as much time in-site as possible to finish up any previous projects and try to ensure sustainability with my work before I leave. I want to make these last couple of months as productive as possible so that I can finish up my service with a bang and really feel that I've had a worthwhile two years. However, for the past couple of months, I have made more visits to Managua, the capital, than I have in all of my previous two years combined, and it could not have started at a worse time.

On one early morning in June, before the sun had even fully risen, I woke up to take an ice-cold shower and get ready to go to school. As I was towel drying my hair, I pulled a muscle in my neck so badly that I couldn't move I was in such severe pain. With the help of a few phone calls to the PC Doctors and some medication, the pain subsided within a few days and I could at least get out of bed and go back to work. However, here I am three months later and I still can't completely twist my neck to one side.

Peace Corps is therefore sending me to physical therapy in Managua twice a week for what was originally just six sessions, but have now been extended to twelve and maybe even eighteen sessions, depending on my improvement, or lack thereof. I am losing two out of five work days a week for this therapy in addition to having to travel frequently in taxis - not exactly a pleasant experience after what happened to me. I am at least now taking more precautions when I travel and am using PC-approved drivers, but the anxiety of being in Managua hasn't fully faded away.

In terms of the police case, there really has been no progress made in all this time. Let's just say the issues I've been having throughout my entire service in regards to meeting with people, punctuality, etc. are not limited to just development work. But this has been an additional stressor I need to deal with on every visit to Managua.

So what am I doing the days I'm not in my "second site"? I continue to go to school every day and try to meet with the new environmental representative in the Mayor's Office to continue with eco-group work. I do have a good story for you, though. To get to one of my schools requires a 40 minute bus ride on an unpaved road, crossing through a river (that's right through, not over) because the bridge was damaged by a storm a few years ago. Since it's been raining so much, the buses aren't able to cross because the river's so deep, but one of my student's mothers has laid out a thick wooden plank for vehicles to cross the bridge and is charging 50 cordobas (about $2.50) to cross (which I find amazing how people completely take advantage of situations). So as I was coming back from school, one of the buses decided to brave it out (or not pay C$50) and cross the river. Well, we got stuck, and I witnessed gallons upon gallons of pure diesel just flow into the river as the driver slammed on the gas to try to get the bus out. If only I had a camera. Anyway, it's times like these that I wonder if I'll miss...

Home in a little over two months!

It's pretty cool to think that Carolyn and I have never lived too close to one another, but have still maintained a strong friendship based on visits and common travel adventures to ten countries, including our Peace Corps time that just so happened to begin within three weeks of each other's with a geographical distance that is not too much further than our geographical distance was back in the states (of course you're looking at an eight hour leisurely drive through the Adirondacks in the great state of New York versus a grueling sixteen hour bus ride through three Central American border crossings).

After spending a few days kicking it back on the beach with my two friends Robin and Marisha, I headed to my next destination: Nicaragua, to get a mere peek into what has been Carolyn's Nicaraguan life for almost two years.

After arriving almost three hours late from Tegucigalpa and spending the night in an over-priced (but Peace Corps-approved hotel), I was happy to finally see a familiar face after two grueling days of solo travel on bus. Carolyn had been waiting at the bus station for about two hours, since I was still able to text her to let her know I would be arriving a little late (originally just one hour, and of course leave it to Murphy's Law to have me arrive even later and not be able to text her since I no longer had service once we entered Nicaragua).

We spent the next day in the Peace Corps office in Managua for Carolyn to run some errands, and to kill the rest of the day. We had a very fachenta (fancy) lunch at a nice vegetarian restaurant, did a little bit of shopping in the nearby shopping center and even watched a movie in English, Kick-Ass, which, despite having Nicholas Cage in it, was surprisingly good. Posh Corps, anyone? Although that was my first impression of Nicaragua, it was not surprising in the least bit to see the wealth of a capital city in a developing country. Sometimes you feel like you're in a developed country until you see a cow in someone's front yard, which could be just a block or two away from a shopping center nicer than I have ever seen in the States or even Europe.

The next morning we finally started our trip: first stop, to visit Carolyn's host family from training, and then spend the night in the city of Masaya, a small city known for its artisan crafts. Unfortunately we got as far as the micro bus stop until we were left in the middle of nowhere after our "incident." I won't lie- my initial reaction was to return back to the US the following week. Carolyn and I both reacted very differently to the situation. She tried fighting back initially, I somehow remained calm, and it wasn't until after the incident that I "lost it" after arriving back to the Peace Corps office. I obviously made the decision to stay in Nicaragua, which is the best thing I could have done. I didn't want that to be my sole experience and memory of Nicaragua, because that would have just been stupid. Bad things happen everywhere- some places more than others, and if anything, this experience taught the both of us to trust our gut instincts, and that some people are just plain manipulative - but it shouldn't ruin what could be a wonderful experience.

We spent the next few days in Managua, mainly at the Peace Corps office. We had some useless trips to the police station, only to have them tell us that they would not be able to meet us again until Wednesday, since Monday was a revolutionary holiday, and Tuesday was a rest day from the holiday on Monday. Not surprising. We decided to get out of the city and go to Carolyn's town, about a four hour bus ride from Managua.

We spent the next four days in her town relaxing, processing everything that had happened and just tried to keep ourselves busy by meeting her friends, teachers that she works with, and of course her Nicaraguan boyfriend, Norvin. I really enjoyed spending time there, not only because it gave us a safe atmosphere to relax and unwind in, but also because it has been where Carolyn has been tirelessly working for almost two years with teachers in many different schools to try to alter the way people think about the environment. As an Environmental Education volunteer, Carolyn has worked relentlessly to train teachers to teach more of an environment-based curricula in the classroom, and of course trying to make it fun for the students.

It was very apparent in the concern expressed and hospitality shown by Carolyn's colleagues that she has built close relationships with them during her time in site- earning confianza, or trust, is a very important thing to get things going in Latin America, and beyond building confianza, Carolyn has also built strong friendships with her teachers.

On Wednesday morning we headed back to the Peace Corps office in Managua- neither of us slept very well that night, but luckily we didn't have any problems, as we were now being extra cautious with everything. We had originally went in to Managua to continue with the police report, but unsurprisingly, the investigator who was handling our case was not ready.

Instead of waiting around for more disappointment, we decided to try out our plan once again- and so we headed to Carolyn's training town and spent the afternoon with her awesome host family. She has spoken so much to me about them, and how she really feels that they are her second family, and after spending just an afternoon with them, I could easily see why. If Olympic-style seed-spitting wasn't good enough, I don't know what would be.

During my visit, my mom called and we spoke for a few minutes (my mom is Hungarian). Afterwards, Carolyn told me that she had told her host family that I was speaking in Hungarian to my mom, and her host grandmother said that she could understand some of what I was saying! It turns out that Carolyn's host grandmother had worked for a Hungarian family in Managua back in the 1930s and had learnt some Hungarian from them. I have traveled to nearly thirty countries and have met at least one Hungarian in almost every country- not an easy feat. Her host grandmother may have not been Hungarian, but hey... that was much cooler than actually meeting just a regular old Hungarian!

After a wonderful afternoon with her host family, it was hard to leave their endless hospitality after spending such a good afternoon with them, but Masaya awaited us. We arrived there after a thirty minute bus ride and easily found our hostel and went out for a cheap, but delicious meal of gallo pinto (red beans and rice), tacos and some other goodies. The next day we took a short trip to the artisan market where we made rounds and I picked up some pretty cool artisan pieces without going overboard (not as easy as it may sound). That afternoon we headed to Leon, through Managua, but we managed to get a bus that took us directly to the bus station that left to Leon, so we avoided having to taxi through Managua, easing our anxiety and stress.

After arriving in Leon, we set out to find the volcano boarding place we had heard so much about, only to find out that it had been booked for the next day. I didn't feel overly disappointed at first, as I wasn't sure if uncontrollably hurling myself down an active volcano was what I needed in a time of uneasiness and anxiety. Well, it turned out to be exactly what we both needed, because we ended up finding a smaller, non-profit organization, Quetzaltrekkers (www.quetzaltrekkers.com), (originally based out of Guatemala, but now with a location and tours from Leon, Nicaragua. I highly recommend this organization since the profits go to children in Nicaragua, and the staff work there on a volunteer-basis).

During the hour-long truck ride to the base of Cerro Negro, the active volcano we were to climb, we overheard the guy sitting next to me talking about being an editor for Survivor: Nicaragua that was being filmed in San Juan del Sur, one of Nicaragua's finest tourist venues. Carolyn had already been bashing it the night before, and continued to do so until two other guys, who had been intently listening, mentioned that they also worked for the show, one of whom was a producer. That shut Carolyn up for the rest of hike. ;-)

Little did they know that we did in fact have very tough nuts (see hat)...

A walk down into the crater.

The volcano boarding was nothing short of exactly what I needed. It really comes to show that being physically active reduces stress and anxiety in ways I never understood before now, and it was a good self-esteem booster in terms of getting ourselves out there and not locking ourselves in our hotel room for the remainder of our vacation, not to mention it was incredible - so incredible that we did it twice.

Despite experiencing an awful situation just days after my arrival, I could not be happier that I decided to stay and enjoy Nicaragua and get to know some important and wonderful people who have been such a big part of Carolyn's life. I would also like to thank the Peace Corps Nicaragua staff for being extremely supportive and helpful, especially to another volunteer from a different country. It really put things into perspective in terms of how supportive Peace Corps is, no matter where you are (so long as you are in the States or another Peace Corps country :-) ).

If you are interested in visiting Nicaragua, doing it with Carolyn is pretty much impossible at this point, since she is ending her service in three months - but our experience in Managua should in no way deter anyone from visiting. Nicaraguans are extremely hospitable and wonderful people, but just like anywhere, always have your guard up- even at home, where we often feel a false sense of comfort, that nothing can happen to us, whether that be your home town, or a place you have learnt to call home.

My friend Barbara who is a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala came to visit me for what was going to be a fun, relaxing 2-week vacation for the both of us. The first couple of days started out fine but on our way out of Managua to Masaya everything took a turn for the worst.

Barbara and I were waiting on a fairly busy road at 10 AM for a microbus headed towards Masaya to do some shopping in the artisan markets and have lunch with my host family. A friendly Nica woman approached us and started asking about our travels, if we like Nicaragua, etc. She knew we were tourists not only because we're pasty white but we were carrying huge backpackers backpacks.

After waiting for about 10 minutes with no micros passing, a taxi pulled up and the woman offered to share a cab with us to Masaya with her and two other men. It's not uncommon to fill up a taxi to get a better rate so we did just that. The woman was seated in front, a man on one side in the backseat, Barbara in the middle, and me on the other side. The other man tried to enter on my side of the car to sandwich the two of us in the backseat and I told him no. Peace Corps had warned us about these kidnappings, identifying just that as a way to get the victims trapped in the car in a vulnerable position.

I immediately felt uncomfortable and told the driver to let us out at the nearest bus stop instead of taking us all the way to Masaya. As he slowed down to pull over, he made a quick right, slammed on the gas, and sped down a less-traveled road. The man who I wouldn't let in on my side was seated in front with the woman who had befriended us and jumped into the backseat on top of me to lock the doors. I tried to kick him away and escape and received numerous punches and was threatened with a knife, while Barbara kept surprisingly calm and did exactly what they told us.

From there we were told to keep our eyes shut for the entire time as we gave them directions as to where exactly we kept our valuables. We needed to give away pin #s to our ATM cards or else they threatened to harm us. We were told they would leave us with all our clothes, passports, and IDs, and that they only wanted money.

After about 20 minutes the woman was dropped off at a bank and we were kept hostage in the car. I remember sweating and being squished uncomfortably in the backseat, wondering if this was reality or if I was having a nightmare. We continued driving as she took money out of the machines (about $600 worth from my accounts) and made sure we weren't lying about our pins.

Thirty minutes later the three men finally let us off with our stuff in what seemed like the middle of nowhere on a dirt road in a very isolated location. They left Barb with 200 cordobas (about $10) to get a taxi and were told to get out of town (decency?). We took our stuff, hysterical, and walked for about ten minutes until we found a hotel and went inside to use the phone, despite having reservations that maybe the thieves were connected with the hotel owners.

In the end, money was stolen, our cameras, our cell phones, Barb's mp3 player, sunglasses, and a few smaller items. I'm not really so much concerned about the stolen items as I am with the hassle of not having a camera here to take pictures the rest of my service, for example. But more than anything the emotional scars this leaves me makes it scary every time I need to go into Managua for work or medical appointments. But such is life and I will be taking extra precautions to take secure taxis and remain safe.

Barbara and I are healing, slowly but surely. Peace Corps staff has been wonderful with taking care of us. We both have less than four months left in our service so we want to try to remain in-country and make the best of the rest of our time in Central America. We both have had so many positive experiences and relationships here as well and don't want this one event to ruin all the good we've built up. I still think Nicaragua is a great place with such genuinely kind and warm people, and I don't think this experience should change anyone else's opinions either.

Thanks to those of you who have been supporting me through this. You've all been great.

Nacatamales are corncakes, similar to Mexican tamales, stuffed with rice, vegetables and meats. The dough is then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. (A vegetarian version can also be made with oil instead of lard and soymeat or no meat)

2 cups Cornmeal

1/4 cup Lard

1 Onion, chopped

2 teaspoons of Sour Orange Juice or Lime

2 cups Chicken Broth (or other broth you prefer)

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 Green Pepper, chopped

1 Red Pepper, chopped

1 teaspoon Fresh Parsley

Fresh Mint to taste

Paprika to taste

1 pound Pork, cooked and cubed

2 Tomatoes, cubed

2 cups Potatoes, mashed

1/2 cup Rice, cooked

Ground pepper to taste

Salt to taste

10 Banana Leaves

Just cover the cornmeal with water, adding the orange juice and then cooking it at a low heat so that the hulls begin to separate. Then rinse with cold water, placing it in a pot and again covering it with water. Allow it to sit for 3 days, being sure to change the water every day. Once it has stood for 3 days, drain the corn and mash it. Now add half of the lard, plus some salt. Knead the mixture whilst slowly adding the broth until the dough is soft.

In a pan, place the rest of the lard, along with the peppers, onion, garlic, tomatoes, paprika, salt, pepper, mint and parsley. Then add the pork and other ingredients. Wash the banana leave and cut into 16 inch squares. Place a spoonful of dough in the center of each leaf square, then top with pork mixture. Carefully wrap and tie with string. Place the nacatamales in boiling water for about 30 minutes. Enjoy! (www.nicaragua.com/recipes)

First of all, Carolina left NO stone unturned. She received and answered my million and a half questions prior to my arrival. Between her responsiveness and her regular blogging which included pictures, I felt very comfortable with her Peace Corps country from the moment I saw her beautiful face. She is an extraordinary travel planner and tourist guide!

My intention from the beginning was simply to be with her and share in her current life. Of course, we did that and more. The "sharing" of life part included: (no particular order intended)

1. meeting some of those closest to her (Norvin and others) as well as several school colleagues (Profesoras Mariela and Elizabeth);

2. living in her home and taking advantage of her hammock along with enjoying her own special homemade breakfasts (hot oatmeal and craisins/raisins) and, lest I forget, learning there how to dance the "bachata";

3. going to class with her (Profesora Carolina) and encountering the children she teaches in one of her schools along with observing her co-teaching a lesson on the balance of nature;

4.enjoying the children singing (for me) as well as the sharing in the "fruits of the earth" like sugar cane (cana), mangoes, and lovely flowers from the children and teachers in school;

5. experiencing with her the regular long bus rides she takes (and even one minibus breakdown);

6. enjoying some of her diet of pitahaya (dragon fruit), melocoton (star fruit with and without salt), gallo pinto, avocado, plantains, mango, and papaya (to name a few);

7. knowing "intimately" the long soaking rain walks she encounters;

8. meeting lizards, special birds, mosquitoes, a scorpion, cattle, dogs and their puppies, chickens and roosters with hourly night wake-up calls, hummingbirds, cows, goats, horses, geese, pigs, and ducks on a regular basis;

9. appreciating with her the affectionate and gracious nature of the Nica people; and

10. witnessing her sincere and loving commitment as she lives out one of her many dreams.

Remember "we did that and more?" The "more" part included: (order intended by dates of travel)

1.6/30-7/1 -- Touring her site and getting to know that area along with her friends there and at the nearby school (that is, after a short ("un poco") walk and a 4 hour bus ride from the airport on Wednesday. Thursday night we enjoyed a supper with one of her Peace Corps volunteers (Jocelyn) and her father (John). (And I won't mention how happy I was to see a taxi show up at her home on 7/1 afternoon with - guess what?- my bright green duffle bag). I must admit that I was prepared to pick it up in Managua on 7/7, and simply "do without." Did I forget to mention the night choruses that made me get the giggles every so often? The night concerts consisted of the following: lizards croaking; roosters crowing all through the night (which triggered my giggles and poor Carolyn getting less sleep); which woke up the dogs who started barking (and fighting or whatever) - not to mention waking up the next door puppies who decided to tell their mother they were hungry as only puppies can; which made the happy baby next door start crying - and all of this simultaneously accompanied by certified (as in real) local music. And, by the way, cold showers never felt so good as after a hot night with musical accompaniment and no change of clothes (except for the underwear I was grateful to find in my carry-on). It's amazing how "little things" really "mean a lot." Is that how that old song goes?

2. 7/2 - Off to Esteli for a 6am bus, (2 of which and about 5 hours later) we found ourselves roaming around after we traveled through Matagalpa. We stayed at Hotel La Meson; hungrily ate at a vegetarian eatery (my first soy hamburger with freshly squeezed orange juice - scrumptious!). In between our roaming we encountered a fascinating parade with a band and some special music. We were informed that this was the funeral procession of an important local official. Great sendoff, says me! In between, we luckily found a stop for a soda during a deluge of rain. As luck would have it, we got to see the end of the Uruguay/Ghana game, with Carolyn cheering for Ghana, and with my help, unfortunately, they lost. We were both in bed by 9PM anticipating a 4:45am wake-up which (is a frog croaking phone). A super bowl of wanton soup that night was "just what the doctor ordered!"

3. 7/3 - A bumpy, lengthy bus ride (are there other kinds?) took us all the way to the Miraflor Natural Reserve in Esteli. The incredibly magnificent nature along the route made me wonder how much more beauty there was still ahead for us. The hospitable guide and family provided us with a breakfast and lunch "to die for." I had pancakes and bananas in the morning and soymeat, beans, plantains, and vegetables for a late lunch. Here we hiked through the high and intermediate forest and eventually delighted in a waterfall swim area - (so, so, so refreshing that I can still feel it). The guide almost had to drag us both out because of time (walk back, lunch, bus departure - none of which I had any sense of). And before I forget, it was wonderful spending the week without a watch!!!

Anyhow, our host family, Luis, Martha, Luisa, and Carla were more than gracious - even providing hammocks for us to rest in while waiting for our planned bus ride that was not. We wound up receiving an invite to sit on the back of a truck instead; said "yes," and because of my age, Carolyn got the back and all the rain when it decided to fall. But, prior to our return to lunch and the uphill roads here and there, a person whom I thought was an "angel on a motorbike" came along. Rodolfo proved not to be the angel I thought he was though I was sincerely grateful for his ride. He asked me to take his picture after he dropped me off. The "more to tell" of this story is for another time. Anyhow, Carolyn and I sort of agreed that "whatever happens in Nicaragua, stays in Nicaragua." If there is interest in more detail, either of us would be happy to share.

4. On Sunday, the 4th of July, we left Esteli for Granada. Up at 5:45am, and 2 buses and a cab ride later, we found ourselves (after a bit of a walk) at the Oasis Hostel where there was free internet service, a free 10 minute call, and a lovely little pool. There we toured, visited a few churches, one primitive history museum, and attended Mass at the cathedral with Bishop Perez himself presiding. Of course, we called and talked with my Mom and my sister-in-law, Lorraine, and my brother, Jim. How wonderfully refreshing to hear the voices of loved ones! That night, too, we decided to make it our special supper at a fusion cuisine restaurant called "The Third Eye." It will be long remembered.

5. The morning of the 5th, we encountered several of Carolyn's Peace Corps colleagues, and what a treat to hear them from a distance talking about their shared excitement as I was using the internet nearby. Another pancake breakfast suited me fine (Blue Moon). Oh, and by the way, the best Nica coffee I had the entire week was made for me by Carolyn at her home, lest I forget - Selva Negra, I believe!

We left Granada for Laguna de Apoyo after boarding the minivan "that couldn't." Luckily, we were able to find a nearby cab after the first group got dropped off. Neither of us could wait to enjoy our swim in a volcanic lake (lowest point in Central America). There was such grandiose beauty there with the mountains surrounding the lake at Hotel La Orquidea. We saw more diversity of the birds and butterflies and hummingbirds there, too, on this "private" section where we swam. Had a lovely supper at La Abuela and I lost a 500 rummy game to my niece (definitely not a nice way to treat a guest, don't you think?)

5. After another giant Nica breakfast, we "trucked" with Mike (who owned La Orquidea) to Masaya as he headed off to register his 2 month old baby girl's birth there. We visited the local artisan markets most of the morning, and got a "hands on" feel for the market life there. Luckily we decided to return to the Laguna since the "monsoons" came upon us. The walk from the place where the bus left us off and our "home" is another very long story (for another time). It would be difficult for me to "get to the point" with this one, but know I had fun!

Holland wins; Carolyn lost this 500 rummy game (while it rained); and then we re-visited the laguna before the rains continued. Carolyn "made my evening" when SHE said she would like to play "MONOPOLIO" with me. Actually, I think this is really the 75th anniversary of Monopoly. And, yes, Aunt Frances won this one. !Que bueno!

6. Left Laguna de Apoyo after an all-night rain and some short loss of electricity. Another great Nica breakfast, a 9am departure, and many tears as I said goodbye at the airport.

In summary, I slept well, ate well, exercised much everyday, and cried a lot as I said goodbye to Carolyn. (Mom says it is good to cry.) If anyone has any questions, be sure to ask Carolyn about "her side of the story." I can never thank her enough for her infinite patience with my repeated questions; her exquisite travel plans created for me; her gift of helping me make my golden jubilee year one I'll never forget.

This is my first installment of Nicaraguan recipes that I will be posting regularly on my blog. I figured I'd start with Gallo Pinto since it is the most popular dish found in Nicaragua. These recipes are meant to serve more as an educational experience regarding what typical Nicaraguan dishes are like, rather than something that's always feasible to prepare (unless you're really up for the challenge! Some of these recipes can be pretty time-consuming). I hope you enjoy!

Gallo Pinto

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 large onions – thinly sliced

2 cups cooked red beans

¼ cup water

1 cup cooked white rice

Beans: cook 1 cup of dry red beans with 6 crushed cloves of garlic and water in a pressure cooker for 15 to 20 minutes. Sauté the onion in a pot. Add in the cooked beans and water. Cook for 5 minutes at a low heat whilst stirring. The beans must remain whole. Now add the cooked rice and simmer for a further 10 minutes, still stirring.

(recipe taken from www.nicaragua.com/recipes)

In Spanish, the word "confianza" means trust, and during our first three months in-country, also known as Peace Corps training, we are taught incessantly about the importance of gaining confianza and building relationships within the community before diving right in and attempting to start a project. In the U.S., diving right in with a business associate may roll, but in a developing nation where you may not share the same political, religious, cultural, educational, and/or socioeconomic background as those with whom you work, if you have no confianza, you'll have limited success.

Now that I have over a year and a half in my site, I feel I've developed enough confianza with certain people to make our work together worthwhile. With some people, it came easily because of their relationships with the previous environmental education volunteer, or because of an inherent openness or fondness towards Americans and American culture. However, this was certainly not the case with everybody.

People generally view all "gringos" the same - rich, right-wing, and basically there to give away hand-outs. To try to teach people the reality in that not all Americans are alike, just as not all Nicas are alike, and that we are working voluntarily for only a modest living stipend, is very difficult.

However, one thing that certainly helps level the playing field is our living allowance, or better said, stipend. In the U.S., we are considered volunteers, but here, we make just about the same amount of money as any teacher, which is not considered a salary for us but rather a stipend for basic living expenses. As much as this can frustrate any volunteer who's used to going out on a weekly basis, traveling, and saving up money back home, it can actually be a blessing.

Why? It puts us more on the same playing field with our counterparts who are making about the same amount of money as we are. We live in similarly-sized houses under the same living conditions and are therefore no longer seen as "rich gringos" (well, at least that is the goal). It gives two people raised under entirely different circumstances more things to share in common.

The rest of the confianza-building process depends on how much you're willing to put yourself out there and step out of your comfort zone during your first few months of service to visit people you hardly even know at their houses and try to carry on a conversation in a language which you barely dominate. As awkward as this was, I now realize how much closer I am with these teachers than with the teachers with whom I started working mid-service because we've gotten to know each other personally rather than on just a professional basis. We cook together, they invite me to family and school functions, they come to my house with their kids, and they paint my toenails (I'm telling you, pedicure-quality toenail paintings).

But not only are we close personally, I have much more success with them work-wise because they show more interest in my projects. They truly understand what it is I'm doing in Nicaragua for two years. So is it really worth having all that free time in your first two months of service and sitting through all those awkward silences when you're first getting to know each other? Absolutely.

It may not have been apparent when I first got here why I had so much time off, why I wasn't just placed in-site right at the beginning of the school year instead of at the very end, or why "confianza" is so important and why we are forced to live on such small means. It's made me get to know and understand better the people with whom I work on a regular basis. I'm more respected. And I often feel more like a part of the community than a complete outsider. So even though my work can often frustrate me, I can at least feel some sense of accomplishment because of the relationships I've built along the way.

Thank you for those of you who made suggestions for my next blog entry. I will be writing several to try to take into account all of them, since I know there's still a lot you'd like to know. This entry is about a typical day in Nicaragua...

I wake up between 5:30 and 6:30 to the sun rising brightly, illuminating the starfruit tree I have outside of my window. I take a refreshing, or sometimes less refreshing and more frigid, cold water shower, and if there's no water, a bucket bath from the water I have saved in my pila (large water storage area). I'll usually prepare myself a cold oatmeal drink of oatmeal, sugar, and water, but if it's a weekend and I have rice and beans on hand, I'll make gallo pinto (fried rice and beans) with a warm corn tortilla from one of the tortilla ladies down the street and a fresh avocado. To die for.

After I've gotten myself ready, I'll leave for school, umbrella in hand (for both sun and rain), and wait for the bus. The ride is between 20 and 40 minutes on either a paved or dirt road, depending on the school, and if reggaeton is blasting, the ride usually seems quicker. At the school, I'll co-teach the class to 3rd-6th grade collectively (multigrade) on a science-related topic that the teacher and I have already planned earlier that week using lots of fun, hands-on activities.

After spending a few hours at the school, I'll take the bus back into the "city" (sometimes standing), go home to relax, and heat up my lunch on the gas stove. This is usually something that I've already prepared a day or two before and continually heat up throughout the day so it doesn't spoil (since I have no refrigerator...I like to try to stay within the living allowance that PC gives us and since I was never able to save up enough to buy a mini-fridge, well, I don't have one).

The food I'll prepare is usually one of the following: rice and beans with malanga, quequisque (both in the potato family), or chayote (a type of squash) and fried green plantains; curried lentil stew with potatoes, chayote, and carrots served over rice; pasta with homemade tomato sauce, soymeat, and chayote; soymeat prepared with potatoes, carrots, and chayote served over rice; chickpeas cooked with Indian spices, carrots, and tomatoes served over rice; and if I'm lucky enough to be in Managua or another big city that day, I'll bring back some fresh eggplant, broccoli, or spinach to cook with garlic and oil over pasta.

Although this may (or may not) sound appetizing, it gets tiring eating the same things all the time, especially after almost two years. So if you have any simple recipes using any of the ingredients mentioned above, please, send them my way!!!

My afternoons are usually spent napping/relaxing, at the Mayor's Office planning, carrying out an environmental activity or eco-group session, and/or co-planning with one of my six teachers. The teachers with whom I've developed more "confianza" (trust) will usually have me over for a while longer to chat, offering me a drink or sometimes a meal. I feel like I've had much more success working with those teachers (more on that in a later blog).

I mostly get around by bicycle, but if it's raining or looks like it's about to rain, I'll walk. On the days that I go to my afternoon school in town, I'll spend the mornings sleeping in a little bit, hand-washing clothes for about two hours, sweeping and mopping the floors, and cooking one of the above-mentioned recipes. After lunch, I'll walk 25 minutes or ride my bike to the poorest neighborhood in town and spend my afternoon in class there. One night a week I give science classes there to enrolled adults, too.

Upon returning home at night, I'll eat dinner and relax, preparing materials for the next day's class, or watch DVDs of "Sex and the City" or the "Office" until I go to bed around 9 (I know, lame). My days of nightly English classes are over now that we have a new TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) volunteer in town, Jocelyn!

On weekends or days that I don't have class, I'll visit friends, have eco-group meetings, travel to a community to plant trees, catch up on household duties and chores, travel two hours to the closest city to get my mail and do some grocery shopping for some difficult-to-find items, watch local soccer games, use the internet, or just relax.

Really, no day is ever the same here because my schedule pretty much varies on a week-to-week, season-to-season basis, but now you've got the gist of what I generally do. If it seems like teaching for only half the day, three to four days a week is nothing, take into account all the wasted time spent making numerous trips to co-plan, meet with someone at the Mayor's Office or an NGO, or even school when I find that they are not there or are in a meeting, which makes planning things really fun for me. But what's great is that I always have the flexibility to move things around if I need to take an afternoon or day off, which is not so easy with a 9-5 job.

Overall, I try to keep myself fairly busy and avoid spending too much time alone in my house to prevent boredom and loneliness. I also want to be able to look back at my two years here and feel like I really did something positive for the community. I've got less than five months left, and time is moving quickly. Hello, U-S-A!

Hi everyone, I'd like to leave my next blog post open to suggestions. Is there anything I haven't written about or that you'd like to hear more about? Nica culture, a typical day, food, Peace Corps, etc? Please, leave a comment or send me an email...I'm looking for suggestions!!!! Thanks!

You know the saying, "April showers bring May flowers"? Of course you do. Well in Nicaragua, the saying should be, "April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and (if you live in the northern regions) December showers bring mangoes and avocadoes." Yes, I love mangoes and avocadoes. I think they are some of the most delicious things that could be produced on this earth. However, I would be willing to sacrifice them if I didn't have to deal with 8-9 months of daily rain.

Does my job depend on the rain? Yes. Without it, we wouldn't be able to have school gardens and plant trees, since two out of three of my schools don't even have running water. But I absolutely cannot stand the rain, and the rainy season's only just beginning. Sure, I wouldn't mind the rain every once in a while, but when it's every day for 8 months and you have to walk/ride your bike everywhere on dirt, or better said, mud roads, and wash by hand the resultant filthy clothing (that will never dry) in an area where every five seconds your feet are bitten by fire ants, you start to abhore the rain.

The rain here as it relates to my life in Nicaragua means constantly dirty floors and mounds of dirty laundry. Why don't I just wash them, you might ask? Well, all chores and manual labor are pretty much left to the mornings. If you decide to so much as life a pencil in the afternoon, you have so much sweat pouring out of you you're practically swimming in it. So that cuts out half my day. Then, factor in that I spend most mornings at school, in meetings, or cooking, and that limits me to about 1-2 free mornings a week. Now, understand that in the rainy season, the water schedule is very unpredictable. Water can go out for days at a time (for some areas, weeks) due to flooded rivers, and that means the chances of having running water on those one or two free mornings I have are slim to none. Therefore, in my mind, I am living in a constant world of filth.

Another problem that I am facing which has been 100x worse this year because last year was a fairly dry year, is ants. Billions upon billions of them living in and under my house. And these ants aren't the gentle, lovable ants that you get to know in the movie Antz, these ants have attitude. They will bite you any second they get and it stings and itches for days. I look like I have some kind of disease on my feet. So, I being the environmentalist and all have tried all sorts of natural remedies to get rid of them - chili powder, soapy water - you name it, but nothing has resulted. I've really reached my tolerance level, and at this point, Raid or any other kind of fast-acting poison is looking like an excellent solution.

I could go on and on about how much I hate the rain, but really I don't think it's something you want to read about. Besides, there were many farmers who got hit really hard last year because it was so dry and farming is their only source of income. So who am I to complain? I've only got less than six months left here. Maybe I'll just buy a pair of rubber boots in the meantime and move to Arizona when I get back?

As my time in Nicaragua has wound down to about seven months left of service and I'm seeing off those volunteers in the groups before me, I've been getting into the mindset of life back home. So I decided to make a list of the top 20 things I can't wait to go home to, you know, just for fun ;). Yes, feel free to call me a dork, but these are the things I daydream about. The further down the list you get, the more excited I am about going back to it...

20. Going to the movies.

19. 24/7 internet access

18. Weddings

17. Waking up to find the NY Times in my inbox.

16. Driving

15. A clean, unlittered environment and an environmentally conscious public.

14. Bravo Reality TV, The Daily Show, WB11 late night tv, Travel Channel's "No Reservations"

13. Live music

12. Going shopping for an entirely new wardrobe (and I used to hate shopping!)

11. Spending the holidays with family

10. Inexpensive monthly phone plans

9. Snowboarding

8. No mosquitoes or sleeping with a mosquito net

7. Using a machine to wash clothes

6. Grocery stores and food shopping

5. Always having running water

4. Hot showers and soft towels

3. Dinners at nice restaurants with close friends

2. FOOD! Veggie burgers, Thai food, Chinese takeout, mesclun salads, bagels with tofu cream cheese or Earth Balance margarine, fresh berries, bok choy and other leafy greens, vegan grilled cheese, vegan waffles, Tropicana orange juice (some pulp), Silk Soymilk, Green Cactus mexican food, sandwiches and toast with multigrain bread, and a REFRIGERATOR to keep it all in!

And the #1 thing I can't wait to go home to...

1. Sitting on the couch in sweatpants eating soy ice cream and watching Oprah.

Since it's been a while, I figured I'd give an update on what I've been up to the past few months...

February marked the official start of the new school year. At this time I still had plans to work with most of the same teachers from the previous year. However, over the past month, many changes have taken place. Already weeks into the new school year, one of my multi-grade teachers got switched from teaching 1st and 3rd grade, to 1st and 2nd, leaving me to work with only one teacher in that school. I am also only working with one teacher in my other multigrade school, with grades 3-6. So that leaves me with having to work with four teachers in my not-so-favorite urban school.

At the beginning of the year, I was solidly working with one of my teachers from all of last year and two with whom I began at the end of the year. One of the new teachers worked out, while the other, after countless visits to his house, finally admitted that he didn't want to work with me. Many teachers, despite constant discussions about the point of my work and how we need to work together, co-planning and co-teaching for our work to be sustainable, still seem to miss that memo and think that my sole purpose here is to give their science classes for them so that they can leave the classroom and hang out. So when this teacher finally realized that this was not the way I roll, he suddenly didn't want to work with me anymore. Go figure.

Then one of my teachers with whom I worked all of last year got moved to teaching adult elementary classes at night, leaving all 50 (or is it 60? I lose track) of her 4th graders with a teacher who's just getting back from sick-leave. This, please note, was already a month into the new school year. So I may or may not be working with this 4th grade teacher, with whom I worked last year and didn't have too much success. Luckily, though, I will start giving night classes for adults which I'm really excited about. It'll be quite a change to teaching kids and I'm looking forward to being able to do more disciplined activities that some of my kids can't handle.

So that leaves me with four to five teachers, and as we're required to work with six, I need to pick up two brand new ones from my urban school (the only two with whom I haven't worked) and start from scratch. This is incredibly frustrating because I spent all of last year developing "confianza", or trust, with these teachers, so that this year would be a breeze. But now starting all over again with two new teachers and rushing the two-year process into one will be a challenge. I'm going to explain really well what my work is all about and my expectations to avoid some of the confusion I most recently dealt with.

Besides teacher frustrations and getting backtracked with my work in the schools, I've had some notable successes or hopefully soon-to-be successes that are still in progress. In March, my sitemate and I held a billiards tournament to promote HIV/AIDS education and prevention. Since men who frequent the billiards halls are considered high-risk individuals, this is the perfect place to hold this type of event. I'd like to take credit for thinking of such a brilliant idea, but these tournaments are actually pretty popular among health volunteers not only in Nicaragua, but in other parts of Latin America too. Neither one of us is a health volunteer, but Peace Corps encourages any kind of work we do in the HIV/AIDS field, and this seemed like a pretty cool event. Although only eight people participated in the tournament, we had about 60 people in attendance who heard the info sessions and received the information. We had some PC Health Volunteers, a representative from the mayor's office, and doctors from the Health Center come to the event to give info sessions and do free HIV testing. Condoms were distributed and the top two players in the tournament received a monetary prize. Overall, I think the tournament went well, especially as it was the first tournament of its kind that was held in town and that my sitemate and I really worked on involving local community members so that it can be done again once we're gone.

Lastly, luck must be on my side because the environmental representative in the mayor's office, Yaquelin, was able to stay and we've got a number of things we've been working on. First, the formation of ecological groups in each school who will eventually receive info sessions from us and will decide among themselves what kind of environmental projects they'd like to independently take on. Also, the anti-trash burning campaign continues, and now that it's been banned in the schools, we'd like to incorporate the eco-groups and get a community awareness campaign going. Yaquelin and I will also be attending a 4-day workshop together (which just so happens to be at the beach) for learning about project design and management so that we can hopefully get a trash management project going at least before I leave in November.

Seven and a half months until the end of service and I can really feel the clock ticking. I hope to have at least one main accomplishment that I can always look back on and really feel like my service was worthwhile.

This is a guest entry by my friend, Sonia Ajwani, visiting from New York.

Kipling once said “The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it” …It is March and I am in Nicaragua, the first thing I remember smelling is burning garbage. But this smell is not the “first condition” to understanding Nicaragua. The first condition is to go in with an open mind. Nicaragua is a poor, polluted and developing country but also a very interesting one. Aside from reading up on its political history, I tried to go in without any expectations and only had my brief trip to Costa Rica several years ago for any Central American travel context. I wanted the experience to just wash over me and let Carolyn lead the way. She is a great navigator of the country so if you are planning to visit, please go.

Transitioning so quickly from 45 degrees Fahrenheit in late winter NY to a steamy 95 in Managua was almost unbearable for me. Why am I wearing jeans? Why did I bring a small rolling suitcase instead of my backpack (more on that later)? Will I ever feel clean on this trip (no)? These were my initial thoughts...but getting too caught up on the heat, the bumpy roads, the dirt and grime of traveling cheaply in Nica etc. will only detract from what was ultimately a worthwhile travel experience.

After a night in the capitol, Managua, Carolyn and I took a questionable old schoolbus to her site, Matiguas. We spent a little over two days and I got to see how she lives and the work she does. The highlights of my time in her town were:

-Norvin’s mother's very tasty veg lunch she cooked for us, old-school over a wooden fire

-Getting to meet Carolyn’s friends, boyfriend and colleagues

-Visiting a pretty waterfall with Spanish moss and monkeys

-Observing Carolyn teaching at one of her schools

The heat, the insects, my watch being stolen, the stares I got from locals, and my lack of Spanish were not exactly pleasant but I think if you do visit Carolyn, it is important to see her site and see how she lives. I am so impressed by the comforts she willingly lives without. She has no water and power during the day, no hot water, nosy neighbors, no internet, a small stipend she has to stretch for the whole month etc. I am also very impressed by Carolyn’s amazing Spanish and by the work she does; micro-change and micro-development is so important and she is part of that process, right in the thick of it.

Another miserable bus ride to the capitol and then a micro-bus ride, and we are in Carolyn’s training town, Masatepe. I was able to meet her very hospitable host family and a very different region of the country. It is a larger, greener and more bustling town than Matiguas. The following day, more buses and dirt, we went to the artisan market in Masaya. The market was nice and I bought a few woven scarves, local chocolate, coffee etc. My rolling bag couldn’t make it to the less touristy, cheaper market but I was trying to do a favor and take a Gautemalan blanket back to the states for Carolyn ;) Note to self and other future visitors to Nica: bring a backpack, these roads are not made for rolling! I did appreciate that the men always helped me with my bag so there is at least one positive thing to be said for the machismo culture in Nica.

After Masaya, we made it to San Juan del Sur. It is a beachy party town, with some higher prices, expat community, surfers and so on but it was the off-season so it actually did not feel too touristy. The first night we stayed at a $5 hostel and the next night at a slightly more upscale hotel/hostel. At this point in the trip, I was a getting a little sick. In general, the trip took a real toll on my body and I recommend you spend a little money on cabs, avoid wearing jeans, slather on the sunscreen and bug spray, and definitely watch what water/food you consume to avoid feeling like I did at the end. I was able to make it to the beach at least and to a villa of Peace Corps Volunteers; the group started before Carolyn’s and was having its end of service party. San Juan del Sur is worth visiting and is a good place to relax if you need to.

On the way back to the capitol, Carolyn and I visited Volcan Masaya. You can’t see the lava but there are some great views to be had here. Also, the cave tour is great! Then, it was time to fly home after one last plate of gallo pinto and plantains. Nicaraguans might stare, invade personal space and the men might harass you, but in general the people are very warm, welcoming and kind. The food is heavy and oily but a vegetarian can get by. The country is polluted at parts but very beautiful in others. Yes it can feel unsafe to walk around alone and yes you might get something stolen, but it is seriously worth visiting. With Carolyn as your guide, you will get to see the real Nicaragua. Also, for a traveler on a budget, it is a great place to visit. Go without too many expectations, and you will not be disappointed.

This entry can be originally found at: http://beveres.blogspot.com/

Guatemala has enough things going for it that my visit there almost made me feel like I was visiting home. Between the heavy tourism and plethora of American comfort food, I was finally able to have what I felt was a real vacation from my Peace Corps service in Nicaragua. But I wasn’t just there to see the beautiful mountains and freeze my ass off (yes, contrary to popular belief, Guatemala is COLD), I was there to spend time with my wonderful and close friend, Barbara Veres.

Upon arriving in Comitancillo, San Marcos, after a windy and very uncomfortable eight-hour bus ride from Antigua, I felt like I was entering into a fairy tale. The clouds enveloped the bus as we scaled the mountain filled with a serene forest of pine trees. Entering into Barb’s primarily indigenous community up on a hillside reminded me of what I always thought typical Peace Corps service would be like before I came to Nicaragua. A toilet, hot water, and wireless internet, on the other hand, were not. ;)

I appreciated having the opportunity to meet Barb’s famous counterpart, Isa, as well as many of her other well-liked, and not-so-well-liked, coworkers. We sat with the artisans of one community as each of them, with their quiet babies strapped to their backs, crocheted yamacas, 250 of which Barbara would later schlep half-way across the country. I learned about the different types of weaving techniques and all of the hard work that goes into each and every product. It was an experience that later persuaded me into buying two bags, two scarves, and a bed cover in the towns along Lake Atitlan (or maybe the fact that I was “on vacation” had a little to do with my happy-go-lucky spending).

Overall, the experience of being in Barbara’s town gave me a better sense of her day-to-day life and the stresses and successes of her work in Guatemala. Much of it is relatable as I also live and work in Latin America, but the additional challenges of language barriers and a generally conservative indigenous culture make adjusting and integrating into her community that much harder.

After visiting Comitancillo, the real Guatemalan vacation, for the both of us, finally began. We spent days in Antigua and Xela gorging ourselves on typical Guatemalan cuisine such as bagels, falafel, curry, and an all-expenses-paid candlelit dinner (with wine) financed by Mr. Ron Veres for Barbara’s 25th birthday (thanks, Barb’s dad!). The locally-grown coffee, too, was excellent, and we treated ourselves to some Guatemalan music at a cute gringo café. Yeah…ex-pats have it real hard.

The highlight of our trip, though, was by far Semuc Champey. Translated as, “the river that hides under the Earth”, this hidden gem, which took two full days of roundtrip travel, was more beautiful than we had imagined. Barb and I started off our day (after a not so great sleep at a slightly more rustic hostel than we had expected) on a cave tour, illuminated only by the candles with which we held on for dear life in the palms of our hands as we swam through the murky depths. At one point on the tour, we got what we thought would be an exhilarating opportunity to climb up a tall rock and jump down. After all, Carlos, our guide, had been working there for months and had never had any accidents, so what was the danger in that? Well, Carlos had apparently never met Barbara. Being the accident-prone person that she is, Barb slipped off the rock, pulling a ligament in her index finger and falling on top of me, leaving a hideous (but pretty bad-ass) bruise on my shin. Looking back now, it was actually pretty damn funny.

The rest of the day Barb and I spent taking pictures of every twig and bush from all possible angles. We swam in the turquoise, crystal-clear ponds, and hiked up the mountain to get a sweet view of the waterfall and ponds below, fully prepared and decked out in our official hiking gear of flip flops with string tied around the ankles (left over from the caves…maybe that’s why we’re so accident prone?). Although light-years away, Semuc Champey was well worth the trip.

Overall, what can I say? Guatemala’s a pretty freakin’ cool place, and Barbara, as always, was a wonderful guide. If you haven’t yet gotten the chance to visit her, go (and stop by Nicaragua while you’re at it)! I’m looking forward to future travels around Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, and other off-the-beaten-path locals with the now crunchier than you’ve ever seen Posh Corps Volunteer Barbara Veres.

In Nicaragua, trash burning is a common sight and smell. Although it is illegal according to Nicaraguan law, I've never seen it enforced and few people are aware of its consequences on personal and environmental health. In many cases, people burn their trash in rural areas because there is no garbage pick-up. However, even in more urban areas where there is a weekly trash pick-up organized by the municipality, many people will still burn because, as a society that's obsessive about cleanliness, having trash lying around for a week is not what your average household will tolerate.

Ever since I've come to my site, one of the things I've wanted to work on was eliminating trash burning. I thought, how could I, as an environmental education volunteer, leave Nicaragua after two years and allow trash burning to continue in my community? Well, as it turns out, it's really not that simple. It takes a lot of coordination with people who are willing to fight for this cause, and I'm not quite sure environmental health is among what the community feels as one of its top needs. It's one of my personal "reach" goals, but something I feel would really leave a powerful mark.

So, throughout my time working in the schools, I figured I could at least leave my mark at these three locations and eliminate trash burning there. In my rural schools, I promoted burying or making compost over burning trash, since there is no trash pick-up. In the urban school, I talked to the school principal and recommended that he collect sacks from the students to deposit the week's garbage instead of burning it right on school grounds where kids are running and playing (literally). The immediate responses I received were, "Yes", "Absolutely", "We'll start right away", among other promising remarks. But with the potent smell of carcinogenic burning plastic in the air, I quickly learned that these things were still going on behind my back.

Fast forward towards the end of the school year, around September. I've been making countless trips to the local mayor's office, trying to coordinate some kind of action with the environmental representative, Jaqueline. She agrees with me 100%, but putting words into action has always been a difficult task. So when early October rolled around and I got a visit from a new environmental ed trainee, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and come up with some activities for us that would make her visit a little more worthwhile. We made a trip to the Mayor's Office and after waiting around and twiddling our thumbs for an hour until the electricity came back, we finally sat down with Jaqueline to write a letter.

The letter was addressed to the Director of the Ministry of Education (MINED) in my municipality. In summary, it talked about how trash burning is illegal, how it is a huge environmental health problem, and how fines are between $5,000-$10,000 (believe it or not). We also mentioned that schools, as centers of learning, should act as role models to its students and be setting a good example by depositing garbage in a legal and safe manner. We both signed the letter, and most importantly, got the John Hancock of the Mayor. High fives were given all around, the letter was dropped off at MINED, and we hoped for a positive response.

Well, October came and went. So did November. And December. The smell of burning trash continued to greet me day after day at dusk as I made my way back home from class. By the time January came, I had pretty much given up hope. I hadn't heard from the MINED Director and had become so frustrated with trying to meet with him to talk about it because he virtually could never be found in his office.

Finally, after literally trying to track him down for days with Jaqueline, because, being almost the beginning of the new school year it was the perfect opportunity to bring up the issue again, I finally found him at a meeting and pulled him aside. He told me he never got the letter and wanted to see a new copy. I'm not quite sure if this was the truth or if he was too embarrassed that nothing was done about it, but another copy was promptly delivered and we hoped for a response.

The last week of January finally came and end-of-the-month teacher meetings were taking place. Despite the complete boredom and uselessness I feel at these meetings, I went just in case anything important was discussed. Well, something important was discussed. The section-head of our meeting started to read, word for word, my letter, quoting the law about trash burning having up to a $10,000 fine and how the educational community can do better than that. We couldn't have worded it more perfectly. Hearing those words literally brought tears to my eyes. Could it be that something I had started months ago and had virtually been pushed aside really be happening?

The answer was yes. And since that meeting, teachers have been mentioning the letter to me, unaware that I had a hand in writing it, and how they need to look for alternatives to burning trash at the schools. The Director is mandating that teachers look for a better option. Right now, we are dealing with all of the logistics of trash pick-up and burying vs. burning, but overall, I can smell the progress, instead of trash, in the air.

Very few times in my service have I actually felt something this rewarding that makes me feel like, wow, maybe I can and really am making a difference. We, as education volunteers, are only exposed to the frustrations of daily classroom interactions, whether it be student behavioral issues or vegetables getting robbed from our school gardens, and rarely will see the fruits of our labor. So to have something like this happen is a very big deal, and just motivates me even more to see if I can make this a city-wide policy (that's actually enforced). I may be losing Jaqueline from the Mayor's Office due to budget cuts, but if I can get a solid and passionate eco-group together from one of the local high schools, and we can go door-to-door doing an awareness campaign and take it all the way back up to the Mayor, I think we can make this happen.

The following entries are guest entries submitted by my parents, sister, and brother-in-law after their 8-day visit to Nicaragua. I wanted to have the opportunity to present Nicaragua from a tourist's eyes, to give you all a little bit of a different perspective. And keep in mind if you decide to visit me, I'll let you have your own entry, too ;).

Entry by Matt Klentak

How we ultimately remember our trip to Nicaragua will vary dramatically depending on the lens through which we choose to remember it. For me, that lens changed right in front of my eyes on several occasions. When we first landed, the lens revealed a hot and humid climate, a few too many strangers who didn’t seem to respect the idea of “personal space,” a lot of bumpy roads, the smell of burning garbage and the unsettled feeling that resulted from so many people at home telling us to “be careful” because they had heard about all of the dangers associated with the country. Suffice to say, that first lens was the same lens with which I had left New York City on Christmas Day, thinking about work, traffic and why our flight wasn’t equipped with WiFi.

But as our trip progressed and we ultimately left the hustle and bustle of Managua, the lens in front of my eyes began to shift. The views out the window of our van as we traveled through the country revealed a gorgeous landscape, countless workers busting their tails on the coffee plantations, kids excitedly playing baseball in empty fields with broomsticks and balls made of duct tape and the occasional traffic delay as we (slowly) passed herds of cattle that were entitled to the right side of the road just as much as we were. The organized simplicity with which the folks at Selva Negra lived their lives demonstrated to all of us the limitless potential of people when they are driven and have a well defined plan.

The lens that produced the greatest memories from our trip, however, was the lens through which we saw Matiguas (the town in which Carolyn lives) and met so many of Carolyn’s wonderful friends. The extreme poverty that was evident at every corner was overshadowed only by the love, hospitality and welcoming nature of Carolyn’s many friends and neighbors, many of whom rescheduled their days for the chance to meet us, show us their homes, prepare a meal for us and welcome us into their lives. To play with their kids, share their smiles and see the hope and pride in the way that these people all regard Carolyn was by far the most rewarding and memorable part of our trip, as it revealed to us the profound impact that Carolyn has had on this community. And while she remains humble, what Carolyn is doing for the village of Matiguas is having a dramatic impact on people’s lives – an impact that I have no doubt will extend well beyond her departure date in November.

After departing Matiguas and enjoying a few days of swimming, volleyball, relaxing and seeing life through our UV-protected lenses on the Pacific coast, we headed back into the country for further exploration. Seeing the world through our adventurous lenses, we hiked up a volcano, soared through the jungle on zip lines and snapped photos at a beautiful lagoon – solidifying the images of one of the greenest and most beautiful terrains I have ever seen.

The final lens through which we saw Nicaragua – and yes, I am consciously avoiding the details of the “toilet lens” through which I stared down the bottom of the bowl on our final night in Managua after Montezuma exacted his revenge on me and my adventurous eating habits – was the rich historical lens through which our terrific tour guide, Fernando, provided us with a detailed history of this remarkable country. To see the lone remains of the 1972 earthquake or to hear the history of how the Panama Canal almost became the Nicaragua Canal were reminders of not only how interesting history can be, but also of just how powerful history can be when it is learned in a hands-on way as opposed to through heavy, hollow textbooks.

Before we left for this trip, I remember telling people back home that I didn’t know what to expect but that I was certain it would be interesting. As it turned out, it wasn’t just interesting… it was fascinating. And humbling. And inspiring. And through my Gringo lenses I was reminded for nine straight days of just how caring and giving and thoughtful and patient my sister-in-law is and how lucky both she and the people of Nicaragua are that the Peace Corps played matchmaker and produced this wonderful combination for all of us to see through our own personal lenses.

"Gringo in Nicaragua", By Jim Smalkowski

I think that the best thing about Nicaragua is the people. Their warmth comes across loud and clear. I was impressed with their kindness and friendliness to us "gringoes."

The country itself is beautiful and has much diversity. Rain forests, volcanoes, lakes, an ocean and a sea coast, cattle ranches galore, coffee plantations, many different fruits and animals, cocoa plants, sugar cane, many small towns all make up the character of Nicaragua and its people.

You put together a fantastic itinerary for us and I'm glad that Fernando accommodated all our changes and adjustments. I was happy to see Matiguas and get a feel for it through walking its streets and through your narrative pointing out its different sights. I was glad to meet your many friends in the town and it seemed that all of them cared for you very much. Human relationships, the psychiatrists say, are what make us happy.

I was happy to meet Norvin and was glad to see the affection that you share with him. He has a nice family and the land that we saw was beautiful. Our visit to the farm was a good learning experience.

Meeting Matt's family again was also enjoyable since they are warm and friendly. Denise and Daniel went out of their way to make us feel a part of the "clan." I felt very relaxed and at home with them.

The travel arrangements that we had made all turned out beautifully. This, without a doubt, added to my enjoyment of our time there because I can look back at the days there and see nothing but good times.

And, lastly, but most importantly, the reason that we made the trip - you. I am very proud of you and it makes my heart feel good to see how you've grown up and matured. I'm happy to see that you've adjusted very well although it has not been all roses for you. You've dealt with the ups and downs and that will make you stronger. I hope that your remaining time in Nicaragua is a happy and fruitful experience. I know that you do your best.

"Nicaraguan Experience", by Lorraine Smalkowski

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to experience Nicaragua! I probably wouldn’t have chosen to go there otherwise. I can’t really pick a favorite place, but the whole cultural experience is my favorite thing:

Seeing all the different markets – the creative Masaya craft market, the hammock “factory,” the man weaving bamboo baskets in front of his house, the wooden furniture workshops lining both sides of the street; stopping at the many fruit and vegetable markets and sampling all the delicious fruits -

Staying at Selva Negra - the organic coffee farm tour and the amazing sustainable agriculture techniques -

Experiencing the farm at Matiguas, meeting all the different families and friends at Matiguas and Masatepe and everyone’s warm hospitality –

Seeing the breathtaking views at the Masaya volcano and the different lagunas, especially the Laguna De Apoyo -

Enjoying the warm, clean water of the beach, and also seeing the newly hatched turtles making their way to the ocean –

Having an unbelievable driver/guide, Fernando, who not only drove us around, but provided some history and introduced us to some amazing foods -

Just driving around observing the people, all the animals on the sides of the road, the “cattle drives,” and the beautiful views of the mountains in the background –

The only thing that was a little disappointing was the zip line, because the road to and from it was too long and much too bumpy, and the zip lines were too short – not measuring up to the great ones in Costa Rica. But nevertheless, I still had fun!

So all in all, the culture - the people, their way of living, the land – all the new things I saw and experienced, was rewarding and memorable, and I will look back at my pictures and remember an amazing time.

"The roads are bumpy…but coffee, chocolate, and rum make life much sweeter", By Lauren Klentak

Its been 3 days since returning to the states following our incredible trip to Nicaragua. When I look back on all we saw and did during our 8 day stay, I am amazed. I believe we covered more ground in that time than most tourists (and natives!) ever get to see – all to the credit of Carolyn and our guide Fernando. Oddly enough, most of the cities and towns seem to start with “M” but for the first time since Carolyn started her service, I believe I have Managua, Matiguas, Masatepe, and Masaya all straight.

So what did I think? Well, for one thing the roads are indeed quite bumpy. I mean this both literally and figuratively. Much of the country’s infrastructure is either underdeveloped or in terribly rough shape, which made for some challenging car rides, both on actual roads and off-roading through the woods, countryside, etc. It gave us the opportunity to take in a lot of the landscape, and to be honest some of it was hard to look at. There is poverty, garbage strewn about, and people sitting around with seemingly nothing to do. And lets not forget the frequent cow crossings that held us up more than once along our journey. As an outsider, I got the sense that life was difficult and motivation to change was severely lacking.

But to focus on these obvious, negative first impressions is to miss out some of the true beauty and joy within the country. Objectively, the country is beautiful with its abundant mountains, forests, lakes, and beaches. And who couldn’t love a country with some of the best coffee, chocolate, and rum in the world?! There is obviously a great sense of pride in not only Nicaragua as a whole, but also individual towns and regions, as well as their chief products and exports. There is a way of life that is revered and fiercely protected, including strong ties to family and tradition. I was amazed by the warmth and hospitality of so many people that have been touched by Carolyn’s work and friendship. No matter how little they had, we were welcomed into their homes and charmed with smiles and conversation (at least attempts at the Spanish / English crossover)! One lesson I will take with me is a reminder to take pleasure in the simpler things in life…like being with family and friends, drinking good coffee (and rum!) and treating yourself with some quality chocolate. A sunset swim in the warm Pacific ocean, an invigorating zipline through the forest, and shaking your hips to some lively music won’t hurt either :)

I am also extremely impressed with the work that Carolyn is doing and the obvious impact she is making on her community. As someone who has a background in organizational development and change management, I know how difficult it is to transform the undesirable aspects of a group’s behavior or culture from a corporate perspective. Carolyn’s challenges are no different. Environmental awareness is a relatively new concept for Nicaragua, and change is not going to happen overnight. However, the ability to influence even a small handful of children and townspeople will make an impact for generations to come. And amazingly enough, communities like Selva Negra are gold-star examples of the sustainable development and food production that even the most advanced countries are recognizing the need to emulate.

Overall, I am grateful to Carolyn for the opportunity to experience a country that I probably wouldn’t have sought out on my own. It was a fabulous trip and I hope she continues to feel the progress that she is making…and doesn’t forget to have some fun along the way :).

Every other year, Peace Corps puts on an All Volunteer Conference (AVC) for all of the volunteers in the country (between 150 and 200 of us) to attend (used to be every year but was changed due to budget cuts). The conference gives volunteers an opportunity to attend different crosssectoral information sessions to help them in their service, including learning about biodigestors, community English classes, current events, HIV/AIDS projects, gardening, and starting a business, among many others. This year’s theme for the 2-day conference was “A Crosssectoral Approach to Food Security”. Just to give a quick background, the standard definition of food security is when all people have sustainable access to sufficient food to lead a healthy and productive life. Personally, I feel that “food security” is the new “green”. It’s becoming a hot topic all over the world and especially in Nicaragua because of its importance in helping Nicaraguans have better access to, availability to, and healthy utilization of food, thus helping to alleviate poverty. The purpose of AVC, thus, was to get a dialogue going about where we as volunteers fit into the picture. As an environmental education volunteer, for example, making composts to improve soils and vegetable gardens have a clear connection to food security. Also, planting trees to protect the soil and water table help with food security. Agriculture volunteers clearly have a direct connection. Health volunteers help to promote a healthy lifestyle with locally available products. And so on… Also, there were tables with beautiful local products, recycled art and jewelry being sold that were made by different women’s and youth groups. Overall, I felt it was a really interesting and productive conference. It made me see how important my work is here and got me motivated to do some crosssectoral exchanges with other volunteers. For Thanksgiving, volunteers had the opportunity to have dinner with an embassy family or with one of the Peace Corps staff members. I was put with a group of 30 that ate at the ridiculously expensive and beautiful house of a Foreign Service agent in Managua. For the exception of the turkey, the food was vegetarian and vegan, which I was really excited about since it’s not the typical Thanksgiving I’m used to. It was so nice to eat such a variety of vegetables and other foods that can really only be found at major supermarkets in Managua. We played “Apples to Apples” and chatted among good food and wine. Overall, it was an excellent night. This past week, I spent a few days relaxing on a farm in my town. I rode horses (which I wasn’t very good at because I don’t like kicking the horse), did a little bit of hiking, swam in a river, ate some oranges and nectarines fresh off the tree, learned how to make cuajada, a type of cheese (ironically), and played some baseball. It’s such a different life out in the “campo”; it was a nice change to the somewhat faster-paced life in the “city”. I went to sleep at 7 PM and woke up at 5 or 6 AM. It got pretty chilly at night and I was cold for one of the very few times in Nicaragua. I wouldn’t say it was exactly a comfortable vacation since I still needed to use a latrine and was constantly covered in mud and smelled like a cow, but definitely a different experience. This week my family comes to visit and stays until after New Years which I’m super excited about! My first visitors! It’ll be a nice change to last year around the holidays when I had just come to site and was feeling kind of lonely and not yet like a part of my community. It should be a relaxing and fun time visiting different parts of the country, and finally getting the opportunity to show my family where I’ve been living for the past year. That’s all to report for now! Hope everybody has a happy holiday and new year! Will write again in 2010! ~Peace and Love~

I fixed the website listed on my previous post. The site is: http://www.tourismatiguas.com/. It's still in its infancy but definitely has some nice pictures and information. Check it out!

Now that I’ve got a year of Peace Corps service officially under my belt, I’d like to take the time to reflect on what I’ve accomplished and what has gone wrong, so that I can learn from the good and the bad and do things better in my second year of service. We, as volunteers, are told over and over again that Peace Corps lasts for two years precisely for that reason. Here’s hoping for a productive and eventful year that will make a lasting impact for years to come…

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Successful compost production and vegetable harvest in two school gardens. Since making composts and vegetable gardens in the schools is one of my primary jobs here, I’m pretty satisfied with the results. The students in the rural areas were super excited to bring trash into school and make composts, and when all of our hard work gardening finally paid off (with the help of the rainy season), the kids were able to eat the delicious squash, tomatoes, and cucumbers they produced.

Establishing myself in my community, my neighborhood, and my house. I’m happy to say I feel safe and comfortable where I’m living. My house is cozy and inviting, and I’ve learned to accept what it lacks as part of its character. I trust my neighbors and feel welcome anytime in any one of their houses. I can now walk down the street and be identified by name and not just by “gringa” (although that, I’m sure, will never go away since the population size is about 25,000). Just being comfortable where you are and not feeling the need to escape in order to feel free or accepted in such a foreign place, I feel, is a major accomplishment.

Building lasting personal and professional relationships. Having lived in-site for a year now, I have made a substantial number of friends and professional contacts which will serve as great networks for future projects and ensuring their sustainability.

Not getting dengue (knock on wood). Recently there has been an outbreak of dengue in Nicaragua, a sickness with horrible flu-like symptoms transmitted by mosquitoes, hitting many of my fellow volunteers and even Nica friends in-site. With the help of my mosquito net, frequent town fumigations (though not the healthiest nor the most environmentally-friendly option), and nightly applications of (DEET-free) bug repellent, I have luckily remained dengue-free. Now that the rainy season is ending, it appears I *may* be safe…that is, until next year.

Making an environmentally conscious “campesino” contact for tree planting and gardening. I have been working regularly with a farmer in an outside community who produces all of his own food organically and plants new trees every year. Although I’m not really teaching him many new techniques since this is what he’s already been doing for years, I find him as a reliable resource to successfully carry out reforestation projects.

Fewer ducks killed on Dia de San Juan and Dia de San Pedro. You may recall my work with petitioning, talking on the local radio, and preaching in church about promoting an animal-friendly alternative to the cruel treatment and decapitation of what probably amounts to hundreds of ducks on these two holidays. Unfortunately, the tradition has not been altogether banned because, well, it’s tradition, and people are not receptive to such a drastic change. There were, however, significantly fewer ducks sacrificed as the awareness campaign had awakened people to the suffering that could easily be curtailed. The tradition, I had been told, had slowly been dying out anyway, so hopefully in a few years a more animal-friendly approach will be taken as a form of celebration.

Waking up in the morning and thinking in Spanish. Mi mejor logro!

SETBACKS

Having to start from scratch with new teachers. Our work as environmental education volunteers is just that: the environmental aspect + the education aspect. At the beginning of the school year, I had selected six teachers with whom I would be working, completing a two-year cycle of observation, demonstration, co-teaching, and observation again. However, every year the Ministry of Education makes changes, moving teachers to different grades and sometimes even different schools. These changes are inevitable and unpredictable, but they make it so that much of my work remains rushed and/or incomplete. However, I also see it as an opportunity to improve my teacher selection process in the following year so that I am only working with those who truly want to learn from and share their knowledge with me.

Secondary projects falling through. Among my English classes, eco group, youth group, and work with the women’s soccer teams, all of them have fallen through. The English classes had lasted a good nine months or so, but despite widespread interest in learning English, fewer and fewer people were coming to class on time, doing the homework, and even coming to class altogether. So I unfortunately decided to end the class when two weeks in a row not even one person had showed up. However, now I am giving private nightly classes to one person at my house and they seem to be much more promising. As far as my eco group, youth group, and women’s soccer teams, there was an overall lack of interest and people were not showing up to meetings/practices. The women’s soccer teams still exist, but I have resigned myself to just playing with them rather than coaching them. I lost the patience of getting up at 5 AM every morning to find only three people at practice who didn’t even want to exert any physical effort.

Low tree survival rates. I’ve successfully planted some trees, both in the schools and in different communities, but not as many of them as I had hoped had survived either their 3-month period in the nursery or their post-transplantation time. In one of the schools, they decided to fumigate the school grounds just weeks after we planted trees, killing virtually all of them. Unfortunately, many of those losses were beyond my control.

The environmental representative from the Mayor’s Office getting laid-off. Yup. And after all we were hoping to accomplish in the following year with eco-groups, starting a recycling program, ending trash burning, and working together with the Tourism Commission, the federal government decided to cut the Municipality’s funding, and so all recent hires and projects will be terminated by the end of this month. It’s going to be difficult starting from scratch and losing one of my most important contacts and collaborators.

FUTURE ASPIRATIONS

Ending trash burning a) in the schools, and b) (slightly more ambitious) in my site. Just shortly before I had learned that our Mayor’s Office would be losing its one and only environmental representative, we had written a letter together and delivered it to the Delegate of the Ministry of Education about how it is illegal in Nicaragua to burn trash (of course it isn’t enforced) and that schools are centers for learning that should be setting a positive example for future generations to follow. Many of the schools not just in the rural areas where there is no trash collection, but in the urban center, as well, where a truck passes by every week, continue to burn their trash right on school grounds where children run and play. If this practice could only be eliminated in the schools, when these students grow up and have their own kids, they’re going to remember what they practiced as children and do the same. Unfortunately I will be losing my main collaborator in getting this accomplished, but since the letter has already been written and delivered, the only thing left to do is to continually follow-up and wait. And as far as eliminating trash burning in-site, I know this is quite an ambitious task, but if it could first get eliminated in the schools, and perhaps be made into a pressing topic to be discussed on the local radio, much could get accomplished in just one year.

Collaboration with the Tourism Commission on making my town more ecotourist-friendly. Right now the Tourism Commission is working on promoting tourism in my town, starting with visits to a local organic coffee farm and day-hikes. A website has even been created, both in Spanish AND in English (because one of the main people in charge is originally from England), which shows great progress and a huge step in the right direction. I can only hope they see my willingness to get involved in the project and seek my help, even if it is just to get the project off the ground and running. Take a look at the progress they’ve made so far: http://www.toursmatiguas.com (for some reason the website isn´t working right now...I´ll work on verifying it with them).

Collaboration with my new site-mate on secondary projects. Starting the end of November, I will be joined by a Peace Corps TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Volunteer in my site. I am hoping that between the two of us we can come up with some new ideas and collaborate on project-planning and completion. Maybe she can even give me tips on how to maintain interest and motivation to come to class with my English students.

Doing things better the second time around. Keeping in mind all of the above, I want to change the way I went about doing some of the less-successful projects this year so that they will be easier the second time around!

I’d like to finish by saying that I am so proud of my fellow group of environmental education volunteers with whom I came to Nicaragua, who is still 18 volunteers and going strong 15 months in! They have survived bus accidents, deaths in the family, dengue, and countless unsolvable illnesses, and yet they are all still here, ready and welcoming the new year. We are now the “senior” environmental ed group, so let the countdown finally begin! Congratulations to Nica48 Environment and Nica45 for finishing up – you guys make it all possible.

I recently discovered that you can send me text messages from ANYWHERE in the world for FREE online! Just follow these steps carefully because the website is in Spanish:

1. Go to http://www.claro.com.ni/

2. Click the imagine on the right that says "Chatea con todos tus amigos"

3. Where it says "Destino" put in this number: 88304681

4. Where it says "Origen" write your name.

5. Where it says "Mensaje" type your message.

6. Where it says "Codigo" type in the secret code.

7. Click "Enviar" or send. If the message was successfully sent, you'll see a message that says "Su mensaje ha sido enviado". Then click "Aceptar".

Thanks!! I hope to hear from you!!

I'd like to take the time to write about a teacher who really makes me feel like my time here has been worthwhile. There are many days when I just feel completely frustrated with my work, when the students just aren't paying attention, and when it seems like none of my work with the teachers is getting through to them. For example, spending three months tending a tree nursery, finally transplanting the trees in the schools, and then having them fumigate the lawn just weeks after, killing almost every single one of the trees, is not something that motivates you to continue with your service, living in a foreign country, away from your family and friends, for over two years. And then there's Profesora Mariela, without whom I would feel completely deflated.

Just to give you a little bit of a background, Mariela is an independent 25 year old, has been teaching for 10 years (no this is not a typo), has a 7 year old son, is divorced, and is college educated. She is one of the few teachers with whom I work who tells me how appreciative she is for our work together and is really applying some of the techniques I've shared. In her school, the kids are already keeping and mantaining their own compost, and plan on continuing with the vegetable garden and reforestation campaigns year after year. They've stopped fumigating the lawn, and instead are adopting more environmentally friendly ways of maintaining the school (cutting the grass, by hand, with machetes...tedious but effective). She tells me, too, that her son takes my class so seriously. He goes up to people on the street who are burning their trash and tells them that they're polluting the environment haha. He carries his garbage with him in his backpack instead of tossing it out the bus window like oh so many Nicaraguans. And he started separating his organic and inorganic trash to start making a home compost. When you ask him questions about the class, he spits out the information like a dictionary, word for word, like it was presented in the class. It's really cute :).

So thank you Profe Mariela and her son, David. Because of you, my work here has been worthwhile.

Hello to all my followers. Nothing that new and exciting to report, but I know I have a few devout followers of my blog so just for you guys, here comes another entry.

At the beginning of September (Sept 3rd, to be exact), I hit my one-year mark of being in Nicaragua. It was pretty exciting to realize I've made it this far and am almost half-way through my service. The volunteers in my group and I celebrated the occasion at a nice hotel in Managua and treated ourselves to an all-you-can-eat brunch. So far, our entire group of environmental ed volunteers that came in since Day 1 is still in tact, which is quite the accomplishment since many people do not make it through their full 2 years of service. We're hoping to keep the momentum going strong until November of 2010!

I've been getting involved recently with some collaborative projects with the Mayor's Office and United Nations food security program by giving some talks in a rural community within my municipality (it sounds a lot more official than it really is). The goals of the food security program are pretty much in-line with the Peace Corps environmental education program, so so far we've given talks on how to make a compost and garden and are looking to possibly do more in the future about organic pesticides and fertilizers, fruit tree nurseries, and seed saving.

(My "how-to" compost poster)

(Making a compost with corn husks, manure, and leaves)I've really been enjoying them so far because I feel like as opposed to working in the schools where sometimes the students don't express interest in being there or don't understand the relevance of what you're teaching, the adults in the rural areas who are without jobs or have nutritional issues really value the information we're bringing to them.

(Making a seed bed for tomatoes and peppers out of an old tire) (My partner in crime demonstrating how to make an elevated seed bed to prevent animals from eating your harvest)

Besides the talks in the "campo", September hasn't been the most productive of months. The schools have been spending weeks preparing for the mid-September independence day activities (marches, bands, dancing), so I haven't been able to get much accomplished in terms of secondary activities. I've also been in and out of Managua giving talks about the Peace Corps approach to development to the new group of environmental ed trainees so it's been difficult right now trying to start up new and/or continue old projects. I'm hoping, though, that before the end of the year and vacations begin I can at least get one other solid project in, particularly related to HIV/AIDS since World AIDS Day is on December 1st.This weekend I will be having a PCT, or Peace Corps Trainee, come visit me in my site for a few days and shadow me in my job. This is something I did a year ago during training and it was really helpful to get an idea about what the volunteer lifestyle is like. So I'm looking forward to providing some insight and helpful suggestions so that someone else can benefit from my experiences.So, that's all, folks! Please continue to keep me updated with your own lives and new and exciting things going on in the US! Take care.

Please take note of my new mailing address:

Apartado Postal 13

Boaco, Boaco

Nicaragua

Central America

I'll still have the Matagalpa address but will be checking this one more often.

Been working your butt off lately? Tired of the same old routine? Thinking of finally taking that dream vacation? Then Nicaragua is just the place for you! Here you'll encounter beautiful, sunny weather and pleasant temperatures - guaranteed (disclaimer: months of February through November do not apply)! No need to pay any professionals - you'll have a free tour guide and translator who can meet you the second you arrive on Nicaraguan soil (I'll even throw in a free tour of my latrine)!

Still think you'll feel a little uncomfortable in a foreign land? Worried about losing your luggage? I can assure you that it will be safely guarded by someone who could easily be mistaken for spiderman on the roof of an old, American school bus moving at speeds close to 70 mph.

Upon your arrival, I can take you volcano surfing (just as long as the volcano doesn't erupt) and wildlife viewing, even inside my own home! Here in Nicaragua, you'll also be able to find cheap, delicious food on every street corner (stool test not included). But if you'd rather enjoy a safe, home cooked meal, I cook a mean gallo pinto (beans are good for the heart)! But if Nicaraguan food isn't your cup of oversweetened coffee, there's plenty of American food to be found - you'll even get your spaghetti with an extra side of ketchup!

And f you're single and got that special blond-haired, blue-eyed gringa charm, you could have the added benefit of leaving Nicaragua with a ring on your finger!

But if safety is still your #1 concern - tranquilo! God is big here - he's got your back.

No but seriously, though, Nicaragua is awesome. You can even refresh yourself with its awesomeness by referring to my "Top 10 Reasons Why Nicaragua is Awesome" blog post. Visitors are welcome anytime in my book! You can get to see all the beauty and culture Nicaragua has to offer, and if you're lucky enough, maybe live a day in the life of Carolina (if you dare, muhaha).

Hasta luego, muchachos!

As I approach my one year mark here in Nicaragua, I’ve begun to notice things that aren’t so apparent if you’re just passing through as a tourist. For example, it’s caught my attention recently how often people die in accidents here, mostly in cars and motorcycles. It seems like every weekend there’s a pickup truck with a loudspeaker passing through each neighborhood announcing the death of yet another person, usually under the age of 40. I think this is the case for a number of reasons: a) drunk driving, b) driving without a seatbelt, and c) riding a motorcycle without a helmet. I think there are laws against all of the above but rarely are they enforced. It’s just really sad to me how often young people die here. It makes it more apparent to me that someone I know here can die at any point in time. Granted, this happens anywhere, but it seems much more prevalent here. This observation is not meant to scare any of you, it’s just something I’ve realized is out of the norm.

I don’t know if the above is a problem of too few law enforcers, low budgets, or that the police are just preoccupied with other things, but this seems to be a theme with the environment, as well. Reading through a book of Nicaraguan environmental laws, I noticed that many things that have become common daily sights for me, like trash burning, are actually illegal here. But how can it be illegal if they’re even practicing it in the schools – a place that is supposed to set an example for future generations to follow? There are many species of plants and animals that are under protection by law also, but their numbers are still dwindling because nobody knows and hardly anything is enforced. Many people have a type of bird called a “chocoyo” in their houses that are kept as pets, and yet these birds are endangered in Nicaragua. My research group in Costa Rica found this to be the case, too, so it’s not just happening here.

Issues like these make it more and more apparent to me how important my job is here. Just improving the overall awareness of people about these laws and why they exist can make up for, in part, the lack of enforcement. Of course it’s hard to know if the kids I’m teaching today are going to remember as adults what it means to live sustainably, but I continue to treat my job as if they will. I came into the Peace Corps with big ideas and ambitions of wanting to save this environment and help its people, too. I’ve still held onto these ideas, but I know it’s something that will take many, many more years, with the help of not only outside organizations but also the Nicaraguan government and its own people. After all, how many years after scientists discovered global warming did it take for people to finally pay attention and actually do something about it? And we’ve STILL got a long way to go.

I highly suggest the book Collapse by Jared Diamond to anyone who’s interested in this topic. It’s not exactly beach reading since it’s about the size of a textbook, but definitely interesting nonetheless. And I want to remind you that we’re all in this same boat called “Earth”, and it’s sinking. And developing countries aren’t the only culprits – statistically, they’re actually less at fault. But keep positive – environmentalism is no longer all “gloom and doom” – it’s the new fad, baby! Anyway, I welcome, as always, any comments or feedback on my blog (I changed a setting so that now anyone can post – you don’t need to make an account first).

Today in one of my schools we were transplanting the trees from our tree nursery. This school had one of my most successful tree nurseries, and gardens (I think because the soil is really good), and about 50% of the seeds sprouted (58 trees) and were able to be transplanted after about 2 months at the school and at the kids’ houses. 50% may not sound like a great outcome, but tree nurseries usually don’t have a very high survival rate, probably because it’s difficult to obtain viable seeds. In my other schools, like I’ve said, there have been some problems with the tree nurseries (destruction, not growing for whatever reason), so there won’t be many more trees to plant there. At least through all of this I am learning what to do and not to do for the following year and have taken from the experience what I can. I’m hoping the following year will be much more of a success, with the teachers already having the skills and hopefully the motivation to do these types of projects on their own.

English class has been going well. It’s been full of ups and downs, we’ve gone through a lot of overturn in the class, and attendance has been sparse, but recently I’ve had a couple of my friends join and between them and the devoted few, the class has been more fun and enjoyable, and I think my students are actually learning something. I enjoy teaching the class because it’s mostly adults and mature high school students, so I don’t have to deal with disciplining problems like I do all day in the elementary schools. It’s hard to grasp how much English the students are learning because a lot of them had come into the class with previous knowledge, but those who actually study I think are learning a decent amount.

In other news, the Peace Corps is planning on putting a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) volunteer in my site. I’ve been thinking a TEFL volunteer would’ve been appropriate here for a long time, especially because so many people here move to the States at one point or another in their lives, and with the unemployment rate so high, it’s a really useful skill to put on a resume and can help people get high paying jobs. As far as having another volunteer in-site, I kind of got used to being the only “gringa” in town, but I think it’ll be nice to have a fellow American around here and there. I have no idea if or when he/she will ever get placed here, but I’m keeping my ears open for any more news.

Last Friday I went to Matagalpa for a meeting with the Nicaraguan Tourism Institute (INTUR) and a woman who works in the environmental sector at our mayor’s office to learn more about ecotourism opportunities in Matagalpa and my town. INTUR has a program right now called “La Ruta de Café”, where it’s organizing trips for tourists to different areas in the department to visit coffee farms and learn more about coffee. I met a woman from my town who has been very involved with this and is trying to get something started here with her husband, who happens to be British. They own an organic coffee farm up in the mountains in town and are trying to set up hiking trips and visits to their farm (not to mention I buy their coffee – quite tasty!). I’m really excited that I’ve finally made these contacts, because doing something related to ecotourism has been something I’ve had in mind since I first got here because of my study abroad experience in Costa Rica, but it didn’t really seem to be of much interest at the time (or maybe I just hadn’t met the right people). I’m looking forward to anything that happens with this in the future. Hopefully by the time some of you visit, this will be somewhat more organized and we can take a trip to experience the fruits of all our labor (and drink good coffee)!

Besides that, I think everyone is well aware that I’m not a huge fan of the rainy season. Granted, it doesn’t rain all day, every day, but it makes it very difficult to be able to get things done, start meetings on time, and the biggest headache of all, wash clothes and clean the house. It’s frequent that I won’t have water for 3 or 4 days at a time, so the clothes I need to wash by hand just keep piling up and my house is not as clean as I’d like it to be. And when I run out of my huge 10-gallon jugs of purified water, all of the pulperias, or little stores, are out of them because everyone is out buying water. So buying little bottles of water can get really, really expensive, if it must be done on a daily basis. Can you tell I’m looking forward to November when the rainy season is over? However, one positive is all the great produce that’s ripening now. First came the mangos, then the avocados, then the elote and guilila, or corn on the cob and tortilla made with fresh corn (very tasty), and fresh red beans. I take full advantage when people walk by my house selling these tasty treats, or when students from the campo bring me fresh produce from their farms. So in this respect, the rainy season does have its benefits!

Other than that, not much else is new. I’ve been enjoying going out dancing on the weekends as a nice break from my hectic work week. I’m hoping that as the school year winds down and we have some days off I can get to visit some new areas of Nicaragua that I don’t yet know. It’s really a beautiful country, and the fact that there are volunteers in almost every department makes it easy and cheap to visit new places! I’m also already looking forward to and planning a visit to Guatemala in January to visit a certain Barbara in the Peace Corps, so we’re already getting excited about that.Please keep in touch! I still like getting snail mail, email, phone calls - whatever floats your boat! And thank you for all of your continued support.

Hey all,

I apologize for not writing in such a long time. I recently returned from a 2 week visit to the States so Im just getting back into the groove of work and Nicaraguan life. I was working myself way too hard before vacation, trying to plant as many trees as possible and meet with all my groups, so the vacation back home was much needed. It was nice to visit Burlington and Boston, as well, and it made me sooo happy to see everyone!

Coming back to Nicaragua was definitely not easy. My first couple of days back I was wondering how much longer Id make it here and whether or not it was such a good idea to go home. I came back to Nicaragua and immediately had to get back into the daily headache of manual labor and cooking from scratch. I also went 4 days without water, and started to resort to collecting rain water to wash dishes and bucket shower. I was pretty much in a pretty desperate state when it finally came back and I was able to fill up all my barrels again and get at least a few clothes washed. But this happens way too often in the rainy season, so Im going to have to figure out some kind of way to better prepare myself for when it happens again. There may come a time when I have to resort to washing my clothes in the river, but lets hope Ill never need to pollute the river any more than it already is.

Now Im back from school vacations and getting into the routine of things. Everything is pretty much back to normal. Unfortunately, Im having some problems with some of the projects Ive completed. The schools have been having many issues with robberies and unfortunately that includes some of the vegetables my students and I have worked so hard to produce. Also, one of the tree nurseries with 120 trees planted was completely destroyed by what we originally thought were pigs, but then realized were some careless people who entered the school and felt like doing some damage. And in my urban school, the limited space we did have to do the gardens have been hard to prevent from being damaged, and with all of the rain we`ve been getting, Im not sure if the gardens will produce any vegetables. We shall see.

Another problem Ive been having lately is with attendance of my English classes and youth group meetings. My English class has gone through about 4 different groups of people, with only a select few who have stayed with it since the beginning. I was assured by my students that it wasnt me, but that things come up and people may not really have the motivation to study. I think with me not being here for 2 weeks people may also be confused about whether or not the classes are still going on. Its really not that uncommon for projects to fall through, but hopefully in time things will work themselves out and go back to normal, so Im doing everything I can to keep it going.

Even with all these difficulties, Ive managed to stay fairly positive and have learned to take everything that I do here with a grain of salt. Im hoping to get involved in an ecotourism project with the Mayors Office and an outside NGO, but that, like everything, Im sure will take time. Otherwise, Ive just been keeping busy with my work in the schools and have begun co-planning and co-teaching with the teachers. It takes a LOT more time to plan classes now since I have to sit down individually with every one of my 6 teachers to plan every week, but I think as a result our relationships will grow and I`ll get to see who`s really motivated to work with me.

Other than that, I have some future visits and trips in December and January to look forward to! I know thats a ways away, but its incredible how things like that will keep you motivated and pumped to keep going. Time is moving fast, and Ive only got a year and 4 months left here. I hope everyone continues to stay in touch - snail mail is always appreciated! Enjoy the summer weather!

Please see the pics I added to the previous post (sorry I´m a little slow).

The rainy season has started here in Nicaragua, which means it’s time for gardens and tree nurseries in the schools! The tree nurseries I’m hoping to get done this month, and I’ve successfully made a garden in each of my three schools (well, we’ll see if they’re successes if we’re able to get any produce out of them) where we’ve planted different varieties of squash, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and onions. We’ve also used the compost we’ve made in each of the schools in the gardens so I think that’s helped some of the plants grow. It’s really exciting because I only go to each of the schools once a week, so to see how much progress the gardens make every 8 days is pretty awesome. I’m also trying to help people with backyard gardens at their houses, one of which is the mother of one of my students. When I went to her house to see the space we were going to use, she showed me the seedbed her son had made with tomatoes and peppers after learning it in my class. Seeing that made me really happy because as an education volunteer, it’s often hard to see the fruits of your labor, or to know if anyone is really listening to what I’m teaching, whereas with agriculture or business there are usually hard products where you can say, “I did this.” So I’m glad my teaching is making a difference.

On May 30 of every year, Nicaraguans celebrate Mother’s Day, and every school celebrates and recognizes the students’ mothers in a different way. I was lucky enough to get invited to two Mother’s Day celebrations in the rural schools, both of which were celebrated with plenty of dancing, including traditional folkloric dances that the students have been learning in school as well as an open dance party for students, teachers, and parents (I of course participated). It was amusing how in one of the schools, this Mother’s Day party was considered to be this huge community dance party – the most happening thing on the block – so all these people started arriving on horseback and strutting their best Latin dance moves. It was pretty awesome. The students also read poems aloud and there were fun games for the mothers like balloon popping games, a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey-type game, and a piñata. Lots of good times.

Something else that’s been keeping me pretty busy has been a campaign I started regarding the celebration of “El Dia de San Juan” and “El Dia de San Pablo” the end of June here and in the surrounding communities. In order to reenact the decapitation of San Juan, it has been tradition to hang ducks by their feet, ride by on horseback, and try to pull their heads off. This is obviously no easy feat, so the ducks are, what I consider to be, tortured, for hours, one after the next. Apparently the tradition has been fading out, and most people I’ve talked to don’t agree with it or like it. So I’ve been collecting signatures from people in the community (it’s good that I’ve gotten to know a lot of people in high places) to promote an alternative to the use and mistreatment of these ducks. The purpose is not to get rid of the holiday, but to celebrate it in another way that doesn’t mistreat animals. I’ve brought the signatures I’ve obtained to a meeting with the municipal heads, and to my surprise, was commended and able to receive the signatures of 9 of the 11 members present. They suggested that my next steps are to continue collecting signatures before the next meeting, raising awareness about the issue, and then it will be up for discussion again. I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback regarding the issue and the insistence on providing an alternative, and managed to land a spot speaking at one of the radio stations here during the slot for the mayor’s office. It’s not like I have a regular show or anything (although that could be something to think about for the future – to talk about different environmental issues on a weekly basis), but I talked a couple of times and the people who called in were receptive and seemed to agree with me. So we will see what happens in the upcoming weeks.

Next week my women’s high school soccer team was supposed to be competing in Matagalpa for the title of Department champions. It seems like a really big deal, but there honestly isn’t a whole lot of competition in women’s sports, and the other coaches are pretty active in pursuing these kinds of opportunities. I’ve taken more of a backseat with the coaching because I’ve been super busy and haven’t been able to go to practices, but it’s actually part of my job here to slowly phase myself out of projects so that they’re sustainable and can continue long after I’m gone. Nevertheless, the date for the match was never finalized until last minute, and despite my endless phone calls to find out, no one told me that they competed on Friday. I always was more of an assistant coach/trainer, but for a while I was running the majority of the practices on my own, so Im annoyed that no one told me when they were going and I feel kind of sad it never really was “my” team, and that they felt that they could go to Matagalpa without me. I’ve also really wanted to start playing again, but the men over 30 league that plays at night that I’m planning on joining hasn’t started yet. Every so often I need to remind myself I’m on “Nica time” here, and that if I dont endlessly follow up on things I will miss out because no one will inform me.

Lastly, these past couple of days I went to my old training town to give a talk to the new trainees about sustainable and gender development with this new Peace Corps “Guia” committee I joined. I was happy to be there again and visited my host family. I’m looking forward to giving future talks to the new environmental group that comes in in September.

The more time I spend here, the more comfortable I’m becoming and falling into being myself again. It was a huge step for me to take action on the Dia de San Juan issue because it seems like every holiday is celebrated with some form of animal activity, whether it be horse parades, bull riding, or duck decapitation, and I felt it would be hard as an American trying to raise awareness about something that’s so commonplace here. But after spending 6 months in my community already, I feel I’ve gotten to know enough people and been involved in a variety of things that people respect my opinion and are more than willing to help me. It’s a really good feeling, and I’m thinking my service can only go up from here.

I want to first preface this entry by clarifying that what I write is not meant to be offensive, but represent the realities and “My Cousin Vinny”-type moments (hence this entry’s title) that I face on a daily basis in Nicaragua. With that being said, let me tell you a little story about what a “typical” meeting is like for me here…

On Wednesday, I am invited to a meeting/training with two of the forestry governmental organizations here in town regarding an important Nicaraguan environmental law. The invitation states that the meeting will begin at 9 AM, but having now been here for almost 9 months, I know that “9 AM” really means “whenever you feel like showing up”. Let it be said that this meeting was originally scheduled two weeks prior, and when I arrived right on time and no one was there, I soon realized after talking to the kind (and slightly sketchy) police officer that works around the library that the meeting was probably changed and I failed to be notified. Awesome.

So, this time, in typical Nica fashion, I show up to the meeting at 9:30 (instead of 9) and only one other person is there, who isn’t even one of the people running the meeting. At about 9:45, some people start arriving and the powerpoint presentation (atypical for Nicaraguan meetings) is being set up. It is quickly realized that the projection can’t be seen due to all the light coming through the windows. So we close all the windows in what is an already suffocating-ly hot room, but the projection still cannot be seen. We then rearrange all of the furniture – a huge table, 15 or so chairs, some benches, and a whiteboard – so that the projector is facing a different wall. In the midst of all this rearranging, like clockwork, the rest of the group arrives exactly at 10 AM (I suppose we can call this “Nica punctuality”). The computer’s projection still can’t be seen, despite all of our manual labor. After I suggest we get some kind of sheet to cover the windows, a woman who works at the Mayor’s office finally runs off to look for something. In the meantime, people are still fiddling around with the projector, trying every different display setting.

So we finally decide, over an hour after the meeting is supposed to begin, to maybe try a different location. We move down to the 2nd flood of the library, find a place to set up, move some tables, then realize there’s no outlet. There’s no outlet on the entire floor. So we get up and move down to the first floor. Everything gets set up again (this time with an outlet nearby). The woman from the Mayor’s office finally returns with the sheets but we’ve already moved locations.

It’s about 10:20. We’re all ready to go, and suddenly the computer doesn’t work. The projector works fine, but the computer screen is blank and won’t turn on. After a few minutes of struggling to find out what the problem is, they ask for my help and I point out in about 3 seconds that the computer ran out of battery and needs to be plugged in. I state this in about 5 different ways (and my Spanish isn’t THAT bad) before it finally registers. So it’s determined that we’re going to plug in the computer. But where’s the cord to plug it in? It’s in their office in another building, of course. So we wait some more (at this point I’m actually quite amused and am having a good laugh with one of the other people at the meeting).

FINALLY, at 10:40, the meeting starts. Let me remind you that we have now wasted an hour and 40 minutes due to a lack of punctuality and preparation. And pretty soon, 12:00 rolls around and people are hungry, have to go to class (some teachers were there who only start work in the afternoon), and/or are falling asleep (me). So the rest of the presentation, which should have taken 4 hours, is rushed through and ends at 12:30.

The point of this story is that what seems like common sense to me (maybe preparing all of the technology before hand and trying out the room to make sure everything works well, bringing the essential parts of the computer with you to the meeting, having a hard copy of the presentation on-hand) may not be common sense to everyone (and these are directors with college degrees). I’m SURE there are things that seem like common sense to Nicas that are difficult for me to grasp (for example, if you can fit 10 people in a 5-person car, why bother taking 2 cars?), but the point is to demonstrate the frustrations inherent in getting things done here. This is not only the case with punctuality and preparedness, but also with having to return somewhere to meet with someone 4-5 times until you can finally get done what should’ve taken 5 minutes instead of 5 weeks (I’m not exaggerating). And this is exactly why I’m here for 2 years instead of 1.

So there you have it – a little taste of what meetings, classes, and practices have generally been like for me here. Is it frustrating? Yes. Does it sometimes feel like a waste of time? Yup. But these are the realities of working in a developing country, and I signed up for the Peace Corps with the expectation of having to be flexible and ready to deal with them. So here I am, with 1 ½ years to go, with the anticipation of hopefully getting at least one major thing accomplished in my time here…even if it does take the whole 2 years.

(Completely random side-note: While writing this entry lying in my hammock at home, a couple of cows decided to mosey on up to my front door, peek in, and say hello.)

1. Its not a party if there isnt dancing.

2. La comida tipica (typical Nica food) is almost always vegetarian.

3. Love handles are cool.

4. If youre stranded without a car or missed the last bus, hitchhiking is always a non-sketchy, acceptable option.

5. Avocados, mangos, and all sorts of interesting tropical fruits, sometimes even right in your own backyard.

6. Hammocks.

7. If youre ever lost, hungry, or thirsty, just knock on any random persons door and youll be treated like one of their own.

8. Volcanoes, mountains, lakes, ocean, tropical forest...what else could you ask for?

9. Fun music blasting all the time.

10. Where else is it acceptable for a 7 yr old to walk around with a machete? (My personal favorite)

Hope you enjoyed that ;)

These past few weeks have been pretty eventful and fun. For a few days a couple of weeks ago I had in-service Peace Corps training (IST) with my fellow environmental ed volunteers and our counterparts, or local school directors or community leaders that assist us with projects. Unfortunately, my counterpart was busy working on the literacy program that we have in the municipality and decided the last minute that he wouldnt be able to come. Regardless, it was a very useful training where we were able to brush up on gardening techniques and learned some useful new project ideas like using trash (particularly plastic bottles and bags of chips which are the most common) to make crafts. We also got to stay at a beautiful nature reserve in my very own department of Matagalpa.

Last week we had Friday off for Nicaraguan Labor Day, so I took the opportunity to go back to visit my training town for the weekend. Some fellow volunteers from my training town were also in the area so we had a mini-reunion with some local friends which was fun. I really enjoyed my visit and stayed with my former host family, who I feel is like a second family to me. I also went to Masaya for a few hours and spent some time in one of the 2 big markets, filled with vegetables, crafts, hammocks - you name it - and bought some exciting things that I have yet to find in my site (like black beans and ginger). It really felt like a vacation being back there, now that I feel like Masatepe is like Long Island compared to my town, which at times can feel like the rural south. So Im looking forward to future visits!

The rainy season has started in the area, which means its rainy, then its sunny, then its rainy, then its sunny, on and off all day everyday for the next 8 or so months (fun, right?). But one advantage to all this rain is that its time to start gardening in the schools. I am in the process of coordinating with the Mayors office and MAGFOR, a government agroforestry organization, too, to try to get ornamental plants and fruit tree seeds to be planted at each of the schools. Soccer practices, English classes, and eco-youth group meetings have been slow due to classes being cancelled, people not showing up, PC training, etc., but Im hoping they will pick up again. Sometimes its hard to get people motivated to come to meetings, which can be incredibly frustrating, but we will see how things go in the upcoming weeks. This weekend I have a retreat for a new Peace Corps committee I joined, called Guia, which is a gender and development committee that works on projects and talks to try to promote gender equality in Nicaragua. So I look forward to that, and hopefully getting back into gear in my site after all these trips and trainings!

Thanks, as always, for reading! And to all you phantom blog readers out there (you know who you are - you regularly follow my blog but I never hear from you), send me an email - let me know whats up (carolyn.smalkowski@gmail.com)!!

This past week was Semana Santa, or Easter Week, here in Nicaragua. Instead of just celebrating one day, we make a week out of it. I had the entire week off from school so I decided to celebrate like 99% of Nicaraguans and go to the beach (or in my case, the riverside). My site has dozens of rivers and I was lucky enough to visit a different one everyday with some of my local Nica friends. I posted some pictures on my photo site so if you’d like to see them, let me know. Overall it was a fun and relaxing week, and I’m glad I got to see more of my site! It’s really quite beautiful the amount of nature we have left here. You can see in some of my pictures on the drive up to one of the rivers (Agua Fria) we saw some monkeys in the trees and were surrounded by shade-grown coffee farms. Unfortunately this area, like many others, is threatened by deforestation and my town is already starting to face water shortages as a result.

I’m hoping in the next couple of months to start making some tree nurseries in the schools (once the rainy season starts) so that in a few months we can plant the trees. My eco-youth group is also really adamant about planting trees so reforestation will be one of our main activities. Also, this month is “health month” in the schools so we are learning about the importance of gardens and will be starting one in each of the schools next month. Each of the schools has a compost in process so hopefully it will be ready for use in the garden. I’m looking forward to doing the gardens in the 2 rural multi-grade schools, but the urban school will be a bit of a challenge because the kids haven’t grown up in an agricultural environment and are showing less interest. We will see how it works out! In the meantime, I’m practicing making a garden in my yard, so hopefully I will have some lovely produce in a couple of months!

In the meantime, I’ve been getting up bright and early three times a week for my 5:30 AM soccer practices with my new women’s soccer team (if I didn’t enjoy coaching and soccer so much, you couldn’t pay me to get up this early)! I’d like to take all the credit for forming and starting the team, but really most of the work can be accredited to the Soccer Federation here in my town. The team is made up of students from one of the high schools, and eventually we’re hoping to have a women’s league with all of the high schools involved. Practices have been a challenge because we have minimal resources (few soccer balls, no cones, no pinnies, etc.), but even though many of the girls haven’t played before, they have a good attitude and there’s definite potential for improvement. In the meantime, I’m trying to coordinate with volunteers in neighboring towns to hopefully have some competition with teams from other towns (once they’re formed). I’m enjoying coaching (with the help of another coach who basically coaches all of the teams) and playing again. I’ve been dying to get out and compete myself and it looks like the Men’s Over 30 league that’s going to start up again 2 nights a week in the park may make an exception for a 23 yr old gringa ;). So I’m hoping that works out!

That’s about all that’s been new. Next week I will be spending a few days at a Nature Reserve in Matagalpa for In-Service Training with my fellow group of environmental ed. volunteers that came in September. I also may take a weekend trip to my training town in a couple of weeks to spend time with my host family and friends from training, as well as some fellow volunteers. I am enjoying all that my site has to offer, but it’s also nice to get out every once and a while and visit other parts of Nicaragua, as well as old friends.

Keep the mail, emails, and blog comments coming! I appreciate every little bit of correspondence I receive from anyone, because as much as I’m enjoying my time here, I do continue to miss you all! Looking forward to my 2-week visit home the end of June/beginning of July, but in the meantime, keep in touch and keep reading!

Since I know the Top 10 Lists have been such a hit and are in such high demand, here comes yet another Top 10 list…

1. A Refrigerator

I know, you’re probably thinking, “How does a person live without a refrigerator?”, or for those of you still in college-mode, “Where does she keep the beer?” Well, let me assure you, it can be done. I’ve learned from my fellow Nicas that you can keep food for several days just by reheating/boiling it 2-3 times a day. So I don’t have to cook everyday – I’ll usually make something that’ll last me a few days and just reheat it every few hours (ie: my favorite, rice and beans ;) ). The only downfall is that I can’t keep juice or vegetables for days, and if I want a cold drink, I need to buy ice (but I’ve grown accustomed to luke-warm beverages). But luckily, I have a market here so I can do my vegetable shopping daily if I want to. (As for the beer, well, that’s what bars are for).

2. 24/7 Water Access

I usually only have water access before 8 or 9 AM and in the late afternoon and evening. This isn’t so bad, as long as I get up in time to wash all my clothes and shower. Otherwise, I have water stored in large garbage cans and bucket showers are always an option!

3. Hot Water

This was an amenity I learned to live without in Costa Rica, so not having hot water here wasn’t as much of a challenge. Taking cold water showers here is pretty refreshing because it’s so hot during the day, but at 5 AM before I go to school, the temperature drops pretty low and taking an ice-cold shower…not so much fun.

4. A Toilet

I managed to get through all of training and my first 3 months in-site (living with a host family) with a toilet, and the idea of having to live without one was not something I was not looking forward to. But, eventually, I have grown accustomed to my latrine, or outhouse, and have even developed the “ganas” to sit down! It’s not so bad, except when I get up 1-3 times in the middle of the night and need to go (for some reason this only happens to me in Latin America). However, a small plastic pan does the trick ;) (TMI?).

5. A TV

Not having a TV was never really a big deal for me, since I don’t really have the time to watch it and would rather spend my free time reading or talking with friends than watching Brazilian soap operas dubbed in Spanish that I can barely understand anyway! I do miss my Oprah, though.

6. An Oven

I do all of my cooking on a two-burner gas stove that was handed down to me by the previous volunteer in my town. It does the job! And besides, I don’t think I ever used the ovens in my apartments in Burlington, either. Who says women need to bake pies (Sex & the City reference for all you fans out there)?

7. A Washer and Dryer

Yes, I wash all of my clothes by hand and dry them outside on a clothesline. It’s not so bad, as long as I have time to do it and it’s not the rainy season. I learned the hard way during training that too much rain = moldy clothes. Not fun. I only have until May to enjoy the sunny weather!

8. Regular News Access

This is something I deeply miss – waking up every morning to the crisp New York Times in my email inbox. But now, with internet access limited to my time at the internet cafe, and not a whole lot of money, I barely have this luxury anymore. Yes, there are local newspapers here, but they’re impossible to find because they’re only sold by people walking by on the street (and for some reason never in my neighborhood). Occasionally, though, I’ll get a glimpse of CNN in Spanish from the states at someone’s house who is lucky enough to have cable (like when my teacher-friend, Marisol, paints my toenails every couple of weeks).

9. A Couch

Just plastic, but still somehow expensive, chairs, a very cool-looking chair from the artisans in Masaya (how I miss Masaya) that I bought in Matagalpa, and a pretty awesome hot-yellow hammock that hangs right in the middle of my kitchen/living room!

10. A Pet

This, I know, doesn’t seem like an essential item. But for an animal lover like me, it kills me not to have an animal in my home, especially with all of the stray dogs that wander starving in the streets. Well, for me a pet is a huge responsibility, so if I got one, I would want to take it home with me to the states, and it’s doubtful I’ll be staying in one place and not traveling for the next 12+ years of my life (or roughly the animal’s lifespan). And I wouldn’t want to leave the animal with someone here, either, because frankly, people just don’t pamper their pets the way Americans do. However, I am happy to say that I do have plenty of visitors in my yard, including cows, horses, and the occasional chicken. So that pretty much does the trick.

I’m sure there are other things that I’ve grown accustomed to not having that I’ve just forgotten about. I guess you’ll just have to come and visit me and find out (although I’m sure after this Top 10 list, my chances of getting a visitor have diminished)! Other things that I think would be a given that I don’t have at home: internet access, a microwave, a DVD/VHS player (although I luckily have my laptop for that). For the entire 6 months that I lived with host families, the only time I could listen to my own music was on the headphones to my iPod. I know, I have an iPod and a laptop and I’m in the Peace Corps, I shouldn’t complain. But for me this was a big deal – not being able to blast my music at maximum volume on a stereo system with amazing sound quality. Up until last week, I managed to get by in my house with these teeny tiny speakers to which I could connect my iPod. However, I finally had enough and decided to splurge beyond my Peace Corps living stipend and get a decent stereo. It was well worth it, and now my neighbors will have exposure to American music beyond Celine Dion’s “My Heart will Go On” and cheesy 80s love songs.

That’s all folks! Hope you enjoyed this week’s Installment of “Carolyn’s Ridiculous, Yet Humorous, Nicaraguan Life”. Keep an eye out for new pics coming soon!

Last week started the beginning of a 2-week party here in town called the Fiestas Patronales, or parties for the Patron Saint. This basically takes place in every major town/municipality throughout the country, and is celebrated with bullriding, horse parades, dancing, loud music, and lots of alcohol. Needless to say, not really my thing, but I did take the opportunity to go out dancing, since the fiestas are only going on a short walk from my house. In two weeks Semana Santa starts, which is Easter week. Pretty much everyone here goes to the nearby rivers to celebrate, usually with lots of food and alcohol (like every other holiday here). Ill probably end up going with some friends at some point during the week, and maybe taking a couple of days to travel and spend time with other volunteers since we have a couple of days off. Other than that, Ive started giving environmental classes and theyve been going well...the kids have been very receptive and well-behaved. We are trying to start making composts in the schools, and Im in the process of doing one in my own yard, as well as a garden, with some neighbors for practice (and hopefully some veggies to show for our labor!). Im also holding ecological youth group meetings twice a week with the high school in my neighborhood. The kids seem educated about environmental issues and motivated to plant trees and clean up the school, so Im glad that its something theyre passionate about. English classes continue to be going well. I have about 12 students who come to every class, maybe 15ish in total, but new people continue to tell me theyre interested so hopefully the class will grow a bit. A neighbor of mine told me she has a friend who is interested, but that she needed to ask her husband first for permission. This, surprisingly, is not uncommon here, and really infuriated me. The fact that the women here are basically condemned to a life at home while their husbands go out partying almost every night is no exaggeration. Im hoping to do something with the women, like have a womens group or cook together or something, ANYTHING. I just need to find a block of time, and a group of women, first. Hopefully itll be another future project in the making...stay tuned.

Monday was my 23rd birthday, making it the second birthday I’ve spent in Latin America! The day started off in one of the rural multigrade schools where the kids sang me a variety of birthday songs and all greeted me with a hug and kiss. After a couple of hours of class, the teachers decided to make enchiladas with the students, which was exciting for me because I got to learn how they are made and enjoy their deliciousness. The school has a small concrete area separate from the classrooms where we cooked everything on a wood-burning stove. To make the enchiladas, first the tortilla is made with a combination of corn flour, water, and spices, flattened and shaped into a circle, then fried. The tortilla is then topped with refried beans and a cabbage and tomato salad = extremely tasty. The enchiladas were accompanied by fresh tajadas, or fried plantains, grown right on the school’s property – doesn’t get any fresher than that! I even got the added bonus of bringing home the plantain peels for the compost I’m making in my yard…very exciting stuff! After an exciting morning, I came home and relaxed/cleaned up a bit and went to my friend Griselda’s comedor, or small restaurant, for special birthday tacos with soy meat. I guess you could call it a romantic meal since I ate by candlelight, thanks to losing the electricity for a few hours (doesn’t happen too often but it’s not that uncommon). Luckily, it came back in time for me to go out with another friend of mine, Norvin, and celebrate with some local beverages ;). Overall, it was a fun day! I also celebrated the weekend before in the neighboring city of Matagalpa with some fellow Peace Corps volunteers at a laid-back bar with a hippie vibe. Matagalpa is fairly touristy/has lots of Europeans living there, so places like these and cafes with locally-grown coffee are plentiful.

Work-wise things have been going well. I am starting to plan with the teachers and give my own environmental classes this week and next. I’m not TOO nervous, since I already have a little bit of experience from training, and my trusty environmental teaching guide with pre-planned activities. Some of the challenges will be to figure out a secure place to put the tree nursery and garden at the school without interference from farm animals, robbers (some of the trees we’ll be planting are endangered and therefore incredibly valuable), and children playing. I’ve been in the process of getting materials to enclose my yard so random cows and horses don’t enter my yard (no joke), although the free manure they’ve provided me will make a great addition to my compost! I’m going to use tree branches, barbed wire, and plastic sacks (all locally available) and hopefully that will be sufficient! We’ll see…

Other activities that have been going on: On Sunday, I was cordially invited to participate in a parade for the beginning of the soccer league in town, so all of the teams (by neighborhood), plus the people involved in the soccer federation, the mayor, and other important people got to march (I felt pretty important, too :) ). My role is going to be working with the women’s soccer teams that I am working with the soccer federation to form (4 teams organized by neighborhood). We are lucky enough to already have a “select” women’s team in my town, since women’s sports aren’t really prevalent in Nicaragua, but hopefully now we will be able to have an actual women’s league, like the men’s, within town. Uniforms are apparently the big gimmick for getting players motivated to play, but we’ve been unsuccessful so far trying to get a local NGO from Spain to donate them. So we are searching for plan B…whatever that may be.

This week I will be having my first meeting with the high school ecological youth group I’ve helped organize. The school director wants me to have a discussion about not throwing garbage on the ground, since this is a huge problem here, and to propose some ideas about future projects with the kids (similar to what I’ll be doing in the elementary schools). Also, English classes continue, two nights a week. It seems that in the two weeks that I’ve had the classes, word has spread like wildfire and random people are coming up to me on the street asking me if they can join the class. Unfortunately, I am starting to turn people down because the class has reached about 20 people and if it gets any larger, I won’t be able to give each individual enough attention and people aren’t going to get as much out of it. But I’m enjoying the classes and am really glad that my students are motivated to study and continue with the class.

Overall, things have been picking up and going well. I am starting to really appreciate the little bit of free time I have to myself in the house, and have decorated it and made it a cozy little space I can call home (will post pictures as soon as I have everything hanging up). Although I’ve been busy with meetings and classes, I am enjoying being busy a whole lot more than the absolute boredom I experienced in my first two months. I am happy that things are starting to form, slowly but surely, and am excited to see what comes of it in these upcoming months.

I´m happy to say that 6 months into my time here in Nicaragua, I am finally starting to really enjoy my service. Somehow everything has been starting to fall into place and some of my side projects are coming together. I started English classes this week and each class keeps growing in size as people hear about the free English classes with the gringa. In all honestly, teaching English was the last thing I wanted to do before coming here, but after seeing that it´s something that people really want in the community and could really use, since many end up living in the states at some point in their lives, I figured it would be a rewarding and productive thing to do. People seem to be enjoying the classes, both young and old. The previous mayor of my town is one of many enrolled, which makes me feel pretty important ha. I am also going to take the opportunity to teach this group a little about environmental ethics, just little tips here and there about conserving plastic bags, not burning trash, not throwing trash on the ground, etc., since this is the primary reason why I´m in Nicaragua. Other things that are coming together - the soccer commission here has been trying to form 4 women´s soccer teams by neighborhood and I´ve been kept somewhat in the loop until last night when I ran into them in a meeting. We are going to try to meet with the directors of each high school to recruit the women from there. Apparently the directors aren´t too fond of sports, I´ve been told, so we´re trying to meet with the mayor´s office, a local NGO from Spain who works with schools in a variety of extra curricular activities (and to see if they can donate uniforms too), and the main director for the entire municipality at the ministry of education. My role is to pretty much act as an assistant coach/trainer for all the teams, and also I´m going to try to take the opportunity to have discussions/talks with the players about life skills, HIV/AIDS, health, etc. This, I think, would be an additional incentive for the school directors to be more supportive of our efforts. Also, I´m trying to coordinate with a high school in my neighborhood to form a student ecological brigade to help with environmental projects in the community. With all this going on, and with more interest among the community, now that I´ve made the connections I need to get things done, I´m feeling a lot better about my service and am excited for things to finally materialize.

Not much new to report, but wanted to continue with the Top 10 List theme, since people seem to enjoy that....so here we go....

12 Random Things You Should Know About Nicaragua

1. When someone dies, a truck with loudspeakers drives around the town announcing the death and the details of the wake.

2. Getting up to catch a 5 AM bus is commonplace.

3. Blasting your reggaeton, ranchera, or Celine Dion´s ¨My Heart Will Go On¨at any hour doesn´t seem to bother the neighbors.

4. It´s not considered offensive to tell someone they look fat.

5. It´s okay to randomly show up unannounced at a friend/neighbor´s house around mealtime and expect to be fed.

6. It´s common to hitchhike for rides in the back of pickup trucks.

7. Women are expected to learn to ¨share¨their men, even when married, due to the enormously high rate of infidelity.

8. Wearing shorts signifies you haven´t showered yet.

9. It is a common belief that one will get sick if they a) walk around the house barefoot, or b) take showers at night.

10. People´s dogs, chickens, horses, and even cows randomly wander the street, and sometimes, your backyard.

11. Instead of being sold in bulk, most things are sold in small quantities: travel-size toothpaste, cigarettes sold by the half-pack and individually, cell phone minutes by the dollar (equivalent to about 4 minutes for a local call). But you can´t order a mixed drink or a shot at a local bar - you need to buy the entire bottle of rum (can you tell alcoholism is common here?).

12. Things that every Nica has in his/her house, no matter how rich or poor: a stereo (to blast your pirated music at maximum volume), a TV (to watch your soap operas), plastic chairs, and pictures of your kids with fake backgrounds of sunsets, beaches, and churches.

Now that I´ve moved into my new house and have been living there for a few days, I am so grateful for all the new comforts I have that I´ve gone without for so long. I´ve gotten so used to living with families, having to live by their schedules, not being able to cook my own food, and being cramped into small living spaces, now I feel like I´m living such a posh life (even without a toilet, ha). It´s just really nice to finally have my own space, and it makes being here a whole lot more comfortable. I´ve incorporated some of my own additions to the house and am trying some new recipes with what local food is available...so it´s been fun. I spend most of my day just doing little things around the house like cooking, cleaning, buying what I still need, and observing in the schools. I´ve also had some friends visit me which has made me really happy and kept me busy. Overall, it´s been a very positive experience, and with the new living situation plus beginning my work in the schools, I feel like my real service is now beginning.

With that being said, with just a week of observations in 3 different schools, I´ve noticed many challenges to the Nicaraguan schools system. There are constant interruptions in the classroom, it´s hard to hear with all of the outside noise, curious kids from the neighborhood are constantly peeking in the windows/hanging out outside the door or on the floor of the classroom, teachers are unprepared because they find out just days before class begins what grade they will be teaching, and for this reason are often unmotivated, teachers and students don´t always have the books they need, classes end early/start late all the time, students lack discipline, attendance is low because students have to help out on their farms/selling food to earn extra income for their families...the list goes on and on. Fortunately, though, the students will hopefully begin to get more support from home once the new adult literacy program begins on Monday. With the changes to the curriculum, teachers now are giving an extra hour of class each day to adults, specifically parents, in the community who don´t know how to read and write. It´s hard, however, to get them interested in the classes because for people who spend all of their time on the farm or cooking and cleaning at home, to them reading and writing isn´t necessary. With all of these challenges, I´m excited to begin my work in the schools and will hopefully be able to make an impact to improve these people´s lives.

Hellllooooo! I´m so sorry I haven´t written in such a long time. There´s definitely new things to report/reflect on. Where do I start?

New house - As of last night, I´ve moved into my new house - woohooo! Now I can finally cook my own food and live on my own schedule...really excited for that. I´ve been so busy I haven´t had time to breathe, let alone buy everything I need for the house. So it´s still missing a bit but it´s cozy and VERY bright (the owner painted the living room orange and my room pink haha...at least it´s not gray!). I´ve been one of the luckier enviro ed volunteers who´s gone, until now, without having to regularly use a latrine (basically an outhouse). I´m still trying to adapt to life without a toilet, especially at night when I don´t want to go outside in the dark. Some interesting adaptations haha, is all I´m going to say. Feel free to inquire for details ;)

Work in the schools - Classes started today and I went and observed the teachers at one of my schools in the outskirts of town (just a short bus ride away). It should be interesting trying to teach the multigrades because one of the classes is 1st and 3rd grade, and the other 2nd, 4th, and 5th (because of enrollment numbers). Being that I am only supposed to be teaching 3rd-6th grade, I´m going to have to figure out how to address the other 2 grades. But, at this point, Peace Corps has thrown me in so many different directions with so much that is new and unfamiliar, I´m almost unphased and feeling confident that it shouldn´t be too much of a problem. I´m excited for this new part of my job to begin so I can finally feel like I´m doing something productive.

Random cultural experiences - Here are some random things that I may or may not have commented on in my blog over time, but thought you´d find interesting. I´m going to try to focus on something different every post, so you get a nice well-rounded description of some of the ridiculousness, YET amazingness, that has been my life for the past 5 months...

The Top 10 Things You Are Most Likely to Encounter on Nicaraguan Buses

1. Evangelical Christians preaching to bus riders

2. Riders packed like sardines in the seats and aisles. Just when you think you can´t possibly fit another person on the bus, you are proven wrong, my friend

3. Chickens pecking at your feet

4. People bombarding the buses at every major stop to sell everything from water in a bag, to tortillas and cheese, to flashlights and watches and corn on the cob

5. Seats designed for 3 school-age children (they are old American school buses) packed with 3, usually very large, overweight males...all deciding that they have the right to sit spread-eagle, only to leave you half of a butt cheek of space

6. Bus workers climbing all over the roof while the bus is moving at full-speed to pack freight (including sacks of grain and chickens, just to name a couple) on top. I swear, Superman must have been Latino.

7. People throwing all of their trash out the window

8. Stops every 30 minutes to check under the hood of the bus, just to make sure we don´t blow up or anything.

9. When traveling to Matagalpa, or any region where the road isn´t paved (very common), you often find yourself covered in a thick layer of dust upon your arrival.

10. Random stops so drivers and/or regular riders can urinate on the side of the road.

Hope you enjoyed this week´s Top 10 List! Feel free to comment, or add to the list if you´ve experienced something similar in Latin America. Stay tuned for next week´s Top 10!

If you´d like to read more about the overall Peace Corps experience, I think you should check out the following blog. My good friend Barbara is a Small Business Volunteer in Guatemala, is only 3 weeks ahead of me in her service, and is basically experiencing very similar things as me. I highly recommend you check out her post, ¨Enjoying It,¨posted on January 23. Her blog site is: http://beveres.blogspot.com/

I posted some new pictures on my KodakGallery site. If you´d like an email invite and I haven´t sent you one already, let me know!

Hello all! I figured it´s been a while since I´ve written so I will try to remember back to all I´ve been up to in the meantime. Fortunately, I was able to fix a potentially awful housing situation. I was trying to be flexible with my housing options because not much has been available that falls within my budget, and I almost settled on a house that I really wasn´t that thrilled about. I did like the neighborhood, though, and was luckily able to set something up with the owner of a house right across the street. This landlord is much nicer and more willing to fix up the house before I move in - she even let me pick out what color to paint the inside of the house (I told her I wanted something very bright!). She´s going to lend me some furniture, dishes, and a lot of other stuff I´ll need which is going to be SUPER helpful since I won´t have to buy everything. So I´m very excited to FINALLY be living on my own in a house that I actually like and with really great neighbors - just need to wait until the end of the month when the current occupants move out.

The next couple of weeks I will be involved in teachers meetings/trainings before school officially starts the first week of February. I am trying to do an environmental survey with the teachers before the school year starts so I can assess what they know about environmental problems in Nicaragua and what their opinions are about how we can incorporate environmental themes into the curriculum with the students. I also found someone to do a tree nursery with, and a good spot to do it. My coordination with the mayor´s office in doing a youth group has been pretty frustrating so I´m trying to go ahead and do the tree nursery on my own. I know the youth group will get formed eventually, and once school starts it will be a lot easier to find people to participate.

So once February roles around, I will (hopefully) be living in a new place and officially starting my job. I now have enough connections with important people and friends to feel like I actually live here and can get something accomplished. It´s taken me a while, but I feel like I´m finally here. I´ve taken some pictures of my site, finally, for your viewing pleasure. However, I didn´t anticipate coming to the internet cafe today, so I will bring them with me the next time I stop by. Thanks for your patience...I will try not to disappoint!

I want to eventually put all my photos on KodakGallery, but since the website is giving me problems right now, here are a few to appease those of you anxious to see who Im with and where Im living!

Street market in my town

My walk to Spanish class

Two of my fellow trainees

(from left: Kendall, Steph)

Making an organic fertilizer

(From left: Steph, Lara, my grandfather)

With the youth group making the garden

My street

My host brother, Douglas (pronounced doog-la ha)

More of my host family (the woman is my sister, Marcela, and the little girl is my other sisters daughter, Ellen Camila...I still have to get a photo of her. The boys are extended family)

My host sister, Teresita (little Teresa)

My host brother, Luis

Douglas & Ellen Camila

Luis & Ellen Camila

My host mom, Oralia, w/ her granddaughter and niece My grandparents (who live with us)

A group of friends This is what goes on in the middle of Spanish class (aka LOTS of noise)

Hey all! Nothing new to report, just wanted to do a quick post with some pertinent mailing info. If you ever want to send me a package in the future (in a padded envelope), write either or both of the following sayings on the outside:

"Jesus vive"

"Dios te bendiga"

and if youre feeling really ambitious, you can even put religious cards on the inside. Apparently this increases the probability of getting the contents of the package into my hands :)

Much love!

So its week 2 here in Nicaragua and it already feels like Ive been here for months. Independence Day weekend was fun. There were lots of festivities - a parade with kids from all the schools marching and dancing, a traditional folkloric dance, and of course, spending time with my host family. There basically isn´t much to do here besides spend a lot of time with my family. Ive been actively seeking out places to go dancing but they basically dont exist anywhere nearby.

Lets see what else is new...I went to a soccer game (my third one so far including 2 of my town vs another in Nicaragua - professional games, and one of my brothers games). The games are fun and people are really intense...the fans can get really roudy. I went out the other night to a bar with my host brother and his friends, and one of the other trainees, which was fun. Since theres not much to do here, going out to a bar becomes the highlight of your week!

Today we had an interview with the director/manager of the environmental program, basically just to go over our resumes and assess our strengths. Thinking about my future site continues to make me nervous, but I try to take each day one day at a time and not get too worried. Im sure with all the training we´re getting things will work out (I hope!).

My days have been continuing with Spanish classes and technical/medical talks on Wed, Fri, and Sat morning. Im not really sure if my Spanish has improved much but I feel more comfortable speaking and I think Im able to understand more.

We met with our youth groups yesterday (as practice for what we will actually have to do at our sites). We´ll be starting our garden on Saturday, growing probably tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, and maybe squash and/or watermelon. Its nice that we have this as a sort of practice for the ¨real thing¨, since I dont really know what Im doing (we had about a 2 hr talk which is supposed to be sufficient for successfully growing veggies). But hopefully the kids/young adults (most of them are actually in their 20s) will get something useful out of it since Nicaraguans dont really incorporate many veggies into their diets, and it can serve as an additional income source. The youth group will be meeting 2 times per week and we´ll be coming up with an additional project initiated by the group members (could be something to benefit the community, sports, art, etc), besides the daily or weekly maintenance of the garden.

That´s pretty much all that´s been going on! Not too exciting, but life here is muy tranquilo (calm), so most of the time is spent sitting in a rocking chair relaxing and conversing (in Spanish, of course). I hope my actual site is as good as this one, in terms of my family, food situation, and access to transportation, internet, etc. But I guess everything takes time to get used to and I´ll have to wait 2 1/2 more months to find out! Hopefully I´ll be much more patient when I return to the states, since the key theme here with pretty much everything is patience. So we shall see.

Keep the updates coming and thanks for the comments, as well! I will try to start taking pictures this week and post them. I don´t have a thumb drive but I can see if I can borrow one from someone or buy one. Patience, everyone! ;) Much love.

Hi all,

I have 8 minutes left on the computer so Im just going to write fast. All is going well here. My host family is really great and I truly enjoy their company (and can practice my Spanish)! Sunday is a national holiday here (Independence Day) so Im sure therell be lots of fun festivities going on. In the coming weeks, we need to prepare for service by getting together a group of 15-20 yr olds and starting a community vegetable garden with them. In the meantime, theres just been lots of reading and Spanish classes - nothing too exciting. Ill try to update more early next week!

Thanks for reading! :)

Hello all! Lots of updates. Today is my second day with my host family. Im living with a host family about an hour south of Managua, the capital. There are 3 other trainees in my training town. My host brothers and sisters are all in their 20s so theyre fun to hang out with. Last night one of my host sisters and her boyfriend took me out to dinner at a restaurant nearby, which was fun. Tomorrow I start official training, which is 3 days of Spanish classes in the mornings and afternoons, and 2-3 days of technical and health and safety talks. It seems like Ill be super busy with classes, reading up, and practicing mi español! Its amazing how tiring it is spending an entire day trying to speak and understand another language, especially when youre not in class and have to try to decipher the different accents, etc. Hopefully Ill get more comfortable with my Spanish!

The situation with my host family - much better than I had anticipated! Im living with what appears to be an upper-middle class family. We have electricity, running water, a toilet inside (which is really exciting), tv, dvd player. My vegan diet isnt a problem which is SUCH a relief (the family had hosted a vegetarian before so this wasnt much different). I dont even know how many people are living in the house haha because yesterday I met my host mom, 3 sisters, 2 brothers, grandfather, grandmother, aunt, uncle, husband of my sister, 2 dogs, cat (named Meow hehe)...the list goes on. But I have my own room, at least.

Some amusing/strange things Ive encountered so far (which I think youll also enjoy):

The addresses - For example, my address is something like "where the train station used to be, 2 and a half blocks north, on the left". There are no street names (some have hypothesized that Nicaragua was the inspiration for one of the band U2s hit songs, however I think they were trying to be a little deeper than that).

Running water - Last night around 8 pm when I went to brush my teeth, I discovered that no water was coming out of the sink. I inquired with my host family about what had happened and, after laughing, had told me that between 7 pm and 4 am the water is turned off (most likely to conserve what little water the country has), and so I have to use the water from a bucket.

Oil, oil, and more oil - pretty much everything here is fried in oil. Rice and beans, plantains, french fries, vegetables. Dont expect me to be a reasonable weight upon my return.

Im sure therell be many more things Ill come across in the future and Ill be sure to fill you all in.

Overall, Ive learned a lot more about the Peace Corps and feel that its really a great program. Not only do they really try to make the community projects sustainable, but they take good care of us. Through 3 months of Spanish classes, plenty of technical training, health care, and a huge support network, I feel much more confident about my decision and coming months.

Hi everyone!

So I made it here to Nicaragua after a loooong day of flights and orientation. I'm currently at a hotel in Managua until Friday, then I'll be off to my training site where I'll be living for the next 3 months. I'm excited about taking Spanish classes (I'm a dork)! However, right now I'm incredibly exhausted and very overwhelmed by all the information that is being thrown at us. It definitely doesn't sound like it'll be an easy 2 years and 3 months...

Keep the emails, etc. coming!!! I really appreciate hearing from everyone and the encouragement and love is what is getting me through the rest of the day. I was feeling pretty down until I came online and saw all the wonderful messages I've been getting from people.

Feel free to comment on my blog as well (just click the "comments" button below).

Hearing from volunteers who are currently serving, I will most likely have an internet cafe in or near my training site, so I'll try to come online at least once a week. I'll be living with a family and 3-4 other environmental education volunteers will be in my community. I'll keep you all updated as I learn more about what's going on.

Miss you all and please stay in touch!

Hello everyone and thanks for visiting my blog! I will update when I can once I get to Nicaragua since internet access will probably be limited. For now, you can read all about my assignment!

Nicaragua

Environmental Education Promoter

September 1, 2008 - November 20, 2010

Preparing for and holding environmental education classes at elementary schools regarding trash management, composting, and tree nursery and vegetable garden establishment; aiding local community organizations to increase their capacity to lead community-level sustainable environmental activities, such as reforestation projects in public areas and establishing family gardens.