First week in Masaya!!

Hello again! Well, I have gone through the change! No not THAT change you weirdos, the change from trainee to volunteer. It really feels nice to finally have the training wheels off. My biggest worry was how I was going to get everything to Masaya. I had all of my possessions staring me in the face at the hotel in Managua, and I was thinking about leaving half of everything at the PC office, then coming back in a few days to get the rest of my stuff but in the end I decided to take my chances and bring everything. I had my big backpack, two gym size bags full of clothes, my laptop bag, and a big “saco” (sack) full of books. Well I got safely to the bus station and successfully got onto the microbus and spent an uneventful 40 minutes on the bus. Now the fun begins. I got off the microbus and started loading everything onto my bag, and carrying everything in my arms. HA HA I would have loved to have been one of the people in the park watching me try to walk the 3 blocks to my house, having to stop every 15 steps to gather my breath and switch hands. After a half an hour I got to the house where I will be living for the next 6 weeks.
The first couple of days I went to the school and observed classes and talked to the teachers and gathered their schedules so I could create my schedule with the teachers. I asked them which classes they would like me to assist with so I could offer the assistance and they let me know. Turns out I have Mondays and Fridays off, which will be nice but that also gives me a lot of free time. In a few weeks I will also be starting my secondary project working at a telecentro, (a place where they offer different classes to children and adults) so maybe I can work there on Mondays and Fridays. I am also thinking about starting an English club with the students but have yet to figure out the logistics of it all. I have never started an English club before so I'm not really sure what we should do; I know we can play a few games but other than that I'm not really sure what to do, so I guess I'll have to ask other volunteers what I can do. There are also a few NGO's in Masaya that I could work with so that should also take up some of my free time. There is world vision and Masaya Volcano which were listed in my booklet as NGO's that I could work with, now I just have to find them.
I am also looking for an apartment to live in after the 6 weeks. The problem is that not everyone advertises that they are renting a place, you have to pretty much ask everyone you know or meet. I decided to ask the landlord of Paul and Holly if she knew anyone that is renting out a place, and she said that she didn't but she would be willing to rent the place to me if Paul and Holly move out. I think it would be a nice place to live, but she told me that the place is about 100 dollars a month, which takes up a good portion of my monthly allowance the PC gives me, so I think Ill continue looking. I also asked one of the men that owns a pulperia (a little “ma and pa store” where they sell random things one would need) and he said he would be willing to rent me a room for 90 dollars a month which includes water and electricity. That seems a little high to me, but if there is nothing else I know I always have a place to live, but I'm really looking for a place to live on my own and nothing against the family I live with now, but I cant wait for the 6 weeks to be done with. I will feel so much more integrated when I have my own place to live, it'll be nice to buy my own bed, my own refrigerator, my own everything... ahhhhhh the clock is ticking I better end this here and get my butt out there and look for a place.
I have been reading a lot lately, and I have started reading “The Hobbit” but I'm just not getting into it. I think one of the reasons is that it is written in British English and for the most part, I can understand almost everything but a few things are a bit difficult. The last two nights I have been watching the Harry Potter movies, and I think I'm going to try and get my hands on the books, because I think they would be great reads. Ohhhh I just saw on TV while typing this that there is another Harry Potter movie coming out: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.... cant wait till it comes out, I think I'll have to go to Managua to see it!!!
So I finally got the chance to wash my own clothes, and let me tell you, it was an experience! In the states, we have our washing machines. I guess you can say I had a washing machine in Dolores as well, her name was Isolina. My host mom refused to let me wash my own clothes, I'm not exactly sure why, but my best guess would be that it is the woman's job to do the laundry. I don't really agree with that but thats how the galleta crumbles. So I asked my new mom if I could wash them and she agreed. I started out with my undies, lathering them up and scrubbing them on the lavadero (little scrub basin, see photo) when it came to my white undershirts, I wasnt exactly sure how to wash them because I knew that if you scrub them too hard or too much they will stretch out, so I asked for a little help. She was explaining to me (in Spanish of course) how to do this, and I just was not understanding. Its one thing to talk about everyday things like what I did on vacation, or what my life was like at home, but when you start getting into concrete things where I don't have the vocab for, it makes it a bit difficult. As for my understanding now, you just wet the shirts, and rub a bar of soap on the necks of the shirt and in the armpits, then you transfer the soaking wet shirts into a little bucket with some other soap in it, then you put a plastic bag over everything and let the sun do the work. Not really sure what the sun does, but then after you let the shirts sit in the soapy water under the sun, you rinse the shirts and I guess they are clean. While I was doing this, not only was my host mom out watching me, but my two sisters were out there watching as well...talk about stage fright, I just couldn't perform. I got a little frustrated because my mom kept spouting out directions, and then shaking her head so I let her know maybe a little too bitchy that it was my first time every having to wash my own clothes here. But I think it all turned out well, as I have to wash them again tomorrow.
I start teaching on Monday, and the last few days I have been co-planning with 2 of the 3 teachers I will be working with. The third teacher, I don't think he understands what co planning means, but well see what happens. I feel really bad for the students as well as the teachers here in Nicaragua because none of the students have books, only the teachers do, and the English books they DO have are from the 1970-1980's and they are rugged, ripped and VERY out of date. So if the teachers want the kids to read something from the book, they have to write the dialog on the board and then the students copy that into their notebooks, which wastes a LOT of class time! They do not have the resources for photocopies for students to have, but they do have some photocopies for exams, and those who cannot get photocopies for exams, have to write the exams on the board, and then the students complete the exams in their notebooks! I thought that some resources were lacking in Spain last year, but now I realize I was very spoiled over there teaching!
Last night around 2 AM I went out for a cig, (as I just got done watching Harry Potter) and I heard someone in the grass around the corner and I got a little freaked out, because there are a LOT of drunks around here that drink all night and then pass out WHEREVER, so I sat down and continued and then I herd this crazy noise and came to find out there was a couple of horses eating in the grass and then they came over to me and stared at me for a while and continued on their journey.
Well I need to get done with this entry here so I can watch the third Harry Potter... you know I got to set my priorities!! See you all later. I will get more pictures up once I take them.

Here are a few pics I have taken from swearing in and a few others


Elizabeth and I before swearing in... DONT WE LOOK JUST HOT


Pic with my host mother from Dolores, Isolina, and my ¨nephew¨Alexander after swearing in.


Everyone from TEFL Nica 47... what a great group!!


George Baldino the country director, Naiomi Till our training lady, and of course the focus of the picture...ME!


In the jeep back to the hotel after swearing in.


Elizabeth looking sexy while packing before heading to Chinandega! Hope the scorpion situation turned out for ya!

A fruit that I was given by my host mom. Mamones Chinos. They are a little sour but still good.