This happens almost every day; you see the bus coming toward you and you can tell by the way that people are standing in both of the doors that it’s standing-room-only. You sigh and brace yourself for the pressing, the squeezing, and the discomfort. You step up and, shifting your backpack to one shoulder to [...]

My first visit back to the states in 16 months went off without a hitch and I’m currently working on settling back into my life here in Nicaragua. It was two weeks filled with family, food, holidays, dates with Amanda, and fun. I spent about half of my time with family and half with Amanda [...]

It feels cliché to say that the Nicaraguans I have encountered have been extremely generous and warm people. I and many fellow Peace Corps volunteers often comment on how Nicaraguans would likely not be as welcomed in the US as we feel here. Since moving into my own house I have been lent dishes, furniture, [...]

I had heard about purísimas, but I had only the vaguest idea of what they consisted of. In general I knew that they’re religious-inspired events put on by families where people sing and pray and then pass out food, candy, and drinks. I imagined it to be a kind of hybrid between a prayer session [...]

The last few weeks have been unusual because the school year is stuttering to a stop and there was a patron saint festival in a nearby city. The festival went on for a couple of weeks, but I went with the family of a friend of mine to see the big day of celebration on [...]

On November 22nd, 2010 I attended the swearing-in ceremony in a fancy hotel in Managua and changed my job title from ‘Peace Corps Trainee’ to ‘Peace Corps Volunteer.’ The change felt small and mammoth at the same time and I believed in what I was swearing to do. I still do believe it. I am [...]

The Cloud “The interesting thing about cloud computing is that we’ve redefined cloud computing to include everything that we already do. I can’t think of anything that isn’t cloud computing with all of these announcements.” Larry Ellison CEO – Oracle Corporation, 2008 Are you tired of living your life tied down to reality? Do you [...]

Everything was quiet and pleasant in my neck of the woods through the elections. President Ortega won re-election with an impressive majority. I haven’t heard any serious reports of fraud or widespread voting problems. Life goes back to normal.

Here are a few pictures of some of the improvements I’ve made since uploading the youtube video tour of my place:

(Remember: the views expressed here are my own and do not reflect the position of the Peace Corps in any way, shape, or form. Okay, on to the post.) Sunday November 6th is election day here in Nicaragua. There is a great deal of uncertainty about what this will mean for the country and for [...]

Hey Al! Thanks! I watched that video and it cracked me up. Shared it with my bro Jon. :-) Hope you're well!

Yeah, we've got it pretty easy, all things considered. They give us cell phone chips that have free calls to all PCVs in Nicaragua and unlimited texts. I'm actually one of the least connected volunteers in Nicaragua because my phone service is patchy and there is only one (expensive) internet cafe in town. I see my Parents and Amanda every week. Being in the Peace Corps has definitely changed. And yes, all my bulbs are CFs! They were put in before I got here! Might be leftover from the last volunteer who lived here... Thanks for the comment!

Yay! I'm so happy you put up the video - it's great to get a full house tour from so far away. :) It's amazing how a small change in setting like this can help other areas of your life so much. Thanks for sharing! P.S. You should upload House Tour V.2 and V.3, except speak/act as if you are first on an episode of MTV Cribs and then the guy from my favorite Youtube sensation, Keeping Your Refrigerator Stocked Will Get You Many Women.

Andrew, Congrats on your new place! Glad to hear that your life is falling into place so nicely. You did a great job of describing, and then filming, your new house. Thanks for mentioned the "kitchen window ledge." I've seen those, but they never registered before. Of course! Teeth-brushing and dish-washing. Is that a CF bulb on the ceiling in the main room? Other PC house/hut videos popped up after yours, which, of course I had to watch. Wow: electricity, running water, kitchens, computers, fans... I really did serve in the Dark Ages. Hard to imagine.

I’m rocking back and forth in my new gray hammock that feels like a stretchy polartec blanket. With each swing to my left my foot and leg pass through a gentle sunbeam and I look past my other foot across the street and see the wild and beautiful trees and vines of the tropical forest. [...]

Don't worry mom, you haven't done any damage. If anything you've helped me identify a potential problem and allowed me to work to improve my life balance to make sure my physical health is being taken care of.

Leave it to this mom (any mom?) to touch a hidden raw spot on a son's psyche! Sorry, sweetie. I like Krista's response: "don't even give a second thought to trying to alter your body. Trust your instincts that as long as your energy level is good, you're good!" As Mom, I will always wish for some "reserve source" of health to protect you from whatever life may bring to challenge you and worry if I think your body isn't carrying any reserve. I wish for protective bubbles over each of my sons, but I don't really want them to take on my worries (or live in a bubble)! I just try to conjure up the bubbles in my head and send them to each of you via my thoughts of love. It reminds me of when, with you as a new born, I cried over whether to protect you from the heat of summer by uncovering you or protect you from mosquitoes by covering you up! (Crying didn't help with either and I just looked insane to my friends.) Worry without result or benefit--I do that too well. I love you the way you are at every given moment! And you are BEAUTIFUL. Love, Mom

"what if my lifestyle back in the US was the unsustainable and wasteful one" - i can't even tell you how many times this thought has crossed my mind these past few months. it's amazing how much we've come to learn being here for a year...about ourselves, our lives at home, the lives we've become a part of here. i say don't even give a second thought to trying to alter your body. trust your instincts that as long as your energy level is good, you're good! relish in the good that's coming from your new use of energy here, and realize that that's way more important than putting on some muscle.

whether or not they're true, i'm all about using the superstitions here for my benefit whenever possible! yesterday when i knew the rain would mean that no kids would show up to class and the teachers would just be there waiting the 2 hours before they could clock out, i called in and said that since i had a touch of "gripe" i couldn't "mojarme." they responded with "claro que no! quedate ahi! ni quiere dios!! vas a hacer dano con esta lluvia!"

I’m not sure I would have noticed had not my mom begun mentioning how thin I looked. I just don’t see myself any more. Literally. There are virtually no mirrors larger than my face to be found. Still, from time to time I would see a picture of myself and a disturbing dissonance would arise [...]

Insightful as always. :) Also, this post just made me really want chocolate milk. Hope things are well!

As I get older I find that science doesn't always have the only explanation. "Superstitions" are rooted in knowledge from centuries ago. It may not make sense when they tell you not to walk far after drinking chocolate milk but you never know. Maybe they know something that scientists don't. It certainly makes the world a more interesting place.

One of the first cultural novelties that we encountered upon arriving in Nicaragua was the superstitions that our host families had. They mostly amused us and we politely nodded and pretended to take seriously the admonishment not to ever shower after exercising (because if you’re hot, cold water can make you sick). If we came [...]

Nicaragua celebrates two days of independence. The first day, on the 14th of September, is to commemorate the defeat of the imperialist American filibusters under the command of William Walker at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1856. The second day is to celebrate the earlier declaration of independence of Central America from Spanish colonial [...]

Last Thursday marked one year since I touched down in the Agusto Cesar Sandino International Airport in Managua and walked out into the thick, exciting Nicaraguan air. I remember very clearly meeting my fellow trainees and pressing my nose to … Continue reading →

You know how I feel about "change" in general...but I love this! Great changes in the room! :-)

Dearest Andrew, It all looks really nice! Seems more spacious and comfortable. I can't help still wishing for some paint, though I don't know if white walls, and thus being able to better spot any critter-visitors, would add to your "comfort." (I do think sweeping the walls of the spider egg balls might chase some of them away.) I'm impressed, as always, with your swift response to feedback on your housing! Good luck with the discipline stuff; hope you got and maybe found useful some of the info I documented to you. Love, Mom

It has been a busy couple of weeks since my parents headed home. I’ve been working hard to help find some solutions for a wave of disciplinary problems in my main school, including drinking at school, drugs, absenteeism, lack of … Continue reading →

Awesome pictures! Thanks for sharing your adventure that you had with your family. Your mom is a brave soul.

The last couple of weeks have gone by both slowly and quickly and been a crazy mix of the title of this post. My parents and brother visited me for eight days and we had excellent adventures. Around the same … Continue reading →

I so understand what you are talking about after being in Nicaragua two times. That was a cultural shock to my Nordic roots. I look forward to going back, yet again at some point. I could feel the sweat and the bugs as you described them. Rice and beans have become a treat in Minnesota! I miss the pitaya juice! You are a living testimony that humans can adapt to anything. I am proud to tell people how well you are doing in the Peace Corps in Nicaragua. What a life changing, awesome experience you are getting! I'm proud of you!

Love the picture of Kenneth! I would have a hard time with the scorpions though... Thanks for the update (and for reminding me that A/C is definitely a luxury). Hope all is well!

My parents and one of my brothers will be arriving in two days for their first visit to Nicaragua and I’m thrilled. They’re coming at a time when I’m really feeling steady in my site. I bounced back from Amanda … Continue reading →

Andrew--Thank you. Like emily.anne, I'm in the Aug. 30 ESL group. I have a kindle and was hoping it would deliver all the books I'm storing on it. Sounds like you don't have a problem getting more books in Nicaragua. This is the first time I've read a post of yours. I'll try more because I want to know more about the teaching/teacher training part. Thank you for the assurance about Spanish, my major focus in the last 3 months. Looking forward to meeting you. Carol Lindsay

Hi Andrew, I'm a former teacher (states) and currently working on doc in ed. I seriously considering PC when done with coursework. I have enjoyed reading about you experiences there so far. I have traveled to Nica twice already and would hope to be placed there with PC. I would like to hear about your observations of schools and ed. there. Please send the email! I admire your work and commitment. Mucha suerte! Jeff jtb823@gmail.com

Yes, definitely. I am in a rural area and I am probably in one of the only sites that DOESN´T get 3G service and it´s still the most useful thing I own (besides my laptop). When I do travel I can check email and use wikipedia as well as buy books and when I am in my site I can either read the classics that I have stored on there OR go to the kindle website and download content and transfer it over USB. I do this when I can´t get signal and still want to read the New Yorker. Also, I would recommend getting one of the cases with a built in reading light. They´re really useful, though a bit pricey. Anyways, these are my thoughts and geek-outs. Glad the post was helpful! Also - Yay for Wisconsin! I´m from Adams-Friendship, which is halfway in between the Dells and the Rapids. Andrew

Thank you so much for this post! I've been following your blog for a few weeks (you mentioned obsessively reading PCV blogs... that's totally me!). Anyway, I'm scheduled to leave for training on August 30th and this information was GREAT! I'm a big reader and had been debating about bringing a Kindle... do you think it would be worth it, even if I end up being somewhere pretty rural?

It’s funny how quickly things seem to come full circle. It was about a year ago that I was spending hours online reading volunteer blogs, trying to piece together what life was going to be like and how I should … Continue reading →

Three weeks ago I was counting the days until Amanda arrived, trying to stay on task in my site, and looking forward to my first real vacation since arriving in the country. Two weeks ago was that vacation. On Friday … Continue reading →

I want to take a moment to reflect on all that my dad has meant to me and what place he has in my current efforts in the Peace Corps. Both my parents are the biggest influences in who I … Continue reading →

One benefit of feeling comfortable and organized in my work and personal life here is that I can go on more weekend adventures. I’m just getting a sense of the opportunities that are here for me on this fascinating island. … Continue reading →

Writing in this blog is becoming less and less frequent which may be inevitable, but I hope not. I think factors like an increasingly busy schedule, an increasingly busy social life, and a decreasingly new environment all make for less … Continue reading →

I track my time in country pretty closely, not because I’m counting the days, but because I’m asked so frequently how long I’ve been here and how long I’ll be staying. I always have two answers because I the three … Continue reading →

My social and work lives are really starting to feel stable these days. In the last two weeks I’ve felt like answering the question ‘What work do you do?’ has become clearer and more satisfying. In addition to the planning … Continue reading →

It’s been a while. Too long, I know. I think I’ve been a little bit off-balance for the last couple of weeks and this has meant that I haven’t felt organized or focused. I had a busy week, followed by … Continue reading →

Reading The Social Animal by David Brooks was an interesting experience for me. The first half of the book made such a strong impression on me that I felt I had found THE book that encapsulated and clarified the viewpoint … Continue reading →

I love this picture of my nephew Kenneth. He’s my sister Bianca’s 1-year-old son. He is often one of the top three best parts of my day. Just wanted to share him a little bit…  

To eat ants or not to eat ants... THAT is the question. The answer is yes. Continue reading →

My trip to Managua and back to get my nose looked at after a soccer collision. Continue reading →