Monday, April 13, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Mellow Pong Masters
Hey there, it's been a while since I wrote my last blog, but I figured it's time for another one! Let's see. Paul came to Nicaragua for a visit, and it went really well, we did a lot of things that my parents couldn't do because of time constraints and weather conditions. One thing we got to do was go to the isletas “islands” in Granada. Many people go to the main street in Granada and pay about 10 bucks a person, but they might not know that if you walk or take a taxi to the water edge and go into the park (it costs 5 cords to get in, but only Americans pay the entrance) you can negotiate your own price from the men that try to get you to buy tours. They will start out an a CRAZY price, but if you can negotiate, you'll do fine. A suggestion for people thinking about coming to Granada to go to the isletas is make sure that you verify that the boat will drop you off where they picked you up! What happened to us, was that we said we would go with the first person that solicited us, and we hopped on the boat. After the tour, they brought us to the main “hub” where the boats dock, and told us the tour was over and we had to get off of the boat. But they made sure that we knew that their friends (the taxi drivers waiting for us) would give us a good price on a taxi ride, instead of having to walk 30-40 mins to walk back where we boarded the boat. SCAM!!
I'm really excited, as this visit provided me with the opportunity for my first try at the infamous “Beer Pong” weeeeeellll we have dubbed it “Mallow Pong”. You see, ping pong balls, are not really a hot commodity with high demand down here in Nicaragua, so the only thing that Lara and Adam found that could work, were :::drum roll:::: MARSHMELLOWS!! “What a crazy substitution” you must be asking yourself, but I tell you when you have Liz and her extraordinary “drying assembly line” (These ones are almost dry, these ones are mostly beer soaked, and these ones are completely wet) I had a great time, and I've decided that when I get home, I am going to masterize the “Jai Ho Jam”. That song from Slumdog Millionaire is really popular with some of the cooler Peace Corps volunteers down here (A.K.A. Me and Liz). So after taking it easy on me, Lara and Adam have made me...... a mallow pong man! Thanks guys! When finding a place to quench our recently developed thirsts, we found a great place offering a free sandwich with the purchase of your first beer, which was overly diplayed all over the bar. We though what a great idea, not only do we get a free sandwich, there is karaoke going on, (as I may have mentioned before, Liz and I, recently got Facebook posts and twitter tweets from the “Man upstairs” asking us to join His team and sing to the “new arrivals” at the Pearly Gates.) So after being swept into the bar to spend money, we order our first beers, and upon receiving our beers, we inquired what kind of sandwiches they had, we were informed that not only that they do not have that offer, but there was no karaoke. We then asked for the bill, and the waiter got pissy and and brought the bill. On our way out, I walked up to the manager, and let him know that we were leaving because they lied to us at the door about karaoke, and that there were no sandwiches although it is displayed all over the place, so I called them dishonest, and were going to let the other tourists know about this place. So the manager assured us that when we sat down and got another beer, they would bring us the sandwiches, but we know what upset cooks do to food. We decided to move on.
The next morning when we were getting ready to leave, we stopped in the park for a few things we had to do. We were then approached by a lady who asked for some money to buy milk for her children. I was in a helping mood, so I usually don't give out money, so I decided that I would go to a pulperia and buy her some milk. After leading me to a certain seller in the market, she points to a big container of Nido powder. Nido power is baby formula, and it was 350 Cordobas (17 dollars). I told her that I agreed to buy her milk and not expensive powder. So I bought her a bag of milk, and she took it and walked away leaving me to pay for the milk, without a thanks. When I got outside, Liz and Paul were waiting for me, and I had to walk by the women to say “You're welcome”. We walked around for a little longer and when walking back through the park, we saw the woman that I bought milk for had given it to one of the sellers who sell soda, and water. She only used it to sell it to make money. This is why I do not give money to people asking for money.
This year, the Ministry of education decided to change the curriculum for 1st-3rd year, and all of the teachers are in an uproar. I can admit that it isnt the greatest, but it makes our job easier when it comes to co-planning because they give some ideas on things to use. They include a lot of activities that would make great handouts, but that is not possible because the teachers cannot afford to make photocopies of all the handouts for all of the students, and because they made public school completely free, the teachers cannot ask the students for the money. Teachers have been used to the old curriculum and the way they used to teach the classes because once you made the lesson plan, you can reuse it for many years to come. Now they have to plan every class again for the first time. One more thing that has changed at my school is that because too many kids are failing, there are no more exams, but we will evaluate the students on 8 different homework assignments worth 100 points each. This is to help more students pass. I find this makes class much more difficult when you have 65 students in a class (when the Ministry of Education says there can only be 35 students in each class) who don't have to listen or want to listen, because they know that 1 student in the class understands whats going on, and they will copy their homework. But the best thing I can do is go to school with a smile, and do my best.
Chunche is doing well, she has kind of stopped peeing wherever she wants, but now she likes to climb up my mosquito net, and when she does, the dust from the top falls on my face, and I am woken up. She has also begun some stage in life where she is “playing” by biting me and scratching me and becoming aggressive. I'm not sure if this will ever end, but I have recently been told by Liz that she may be suffering from multiple sclerosis or may have slight kitty retardation. Either way, I love her the way she is. She is doing great as a cockroach killing machine, I guess she gets them during the night, because I wake up and find them peppered all over the floor. Watching her play with them is great, she really messes with their heads before killing them. She will walk up and slap it really hard, and once the cockroach recovers from the initial shock, the then grabs it in her mouth and lays it on top of her blanket, and watches it get out, then runs ahead of it to ambush it, and brings it it back to the towel right after slapping it again. Then she pretends like she wants nothing to do with it, while it desperately searches for any crack it can escape into, then at the last second she runs and grabs it, and starts the process over. Then she kills it.
Lets see, what else. I went down to Granada to do karaoke but when I got there, I was denied entrance into the bar because I was wearing shorts, and it was formal nights, although when I went the first time, I was wearing the same shorts...hmmmmm..... so we went somewhere else, and I watched Avi and Liz glide across the floor dancing the Bachata with their own little Gringo touch.
I was supposed to get internet installed 2 Wednesdays ago, but they never came. They said they were going to come between 10-11AM, and we waited until 7PM and they never came, BIG SUPRISE! So I called them back, and left a message yelling at them telling them that no one there had any respect to call me and tell me that they couldn't come. I said that their company and customers service is an embarrassment to Nicaragua. So I am looking to a different company to get it. I know some of you think that I am very spoiled by getting it, but when your family and friends call each month, they spend a lot of money on phone cards, but if they all pitched in, they could spend less than a quarter they would normally and we could talk for free WHENEVER, so it just makes sense. Not to mention that if I ever need ideas in class, I can go to www.daveseslcafe.com and find great activities for class.
I have one quick question here before I depart. I bought a rice cooker when I moved into my house (a spending splurge gone wrong) and when I try and cook the rice, it never turns out right, its either too wet, or way too dry. I have tried experimenting with different amounts of water, but to no avail. I also heard from many people that you need to brown the rice in hot oil for a few minutes before cooking the rice. I tried that. It didn't work. So now, I'm wondering if I should not put the rice in until the rice cooker pops over from warming to cooking. Maybe that will work. It really sucks, because I like rice, but if I don't cook it myself, the only other option is to go to a comedor, but that gets expensive and old really quick.
OK really last thing.. I recently got matched with with a teacher in the States through a correspondence match program. He is a teacher in Albert Lee, Minnesota, which is really nice to be matched with a teacher close to my hometown. I will correspond with the teacher and his students about life in Nicaragua, and answer any questions they have for me about living abroad. I'm really looking forward to it! I'll keep you informed!
Well I have got to get to bed, I have a lot of fake smiling to do tomorrow for class, and it really takes a lot out of a person. Below are a few pics from Paul's visit.
Me tackling Diane on the beach after a wonderful LOBSTER dinner!!
The awesome view from the hostel we stayed at!!
Me taking a quick minute to pose for a pic, before ordering another beer.
Liz and Paul finding songs to sing at karaoke in Granada
Me and Liz after we sang.
Liz's response to a nun asking for donations....what a horrible person!
I thought if I cross my eyes and look at the camera, it might turn out better? Im not so aure about that!
Diane using the public restrooms which drain into the Cocibolca Lake!
I'm really excited, as this visit provided me with the opportunity for my first try at the infamous “Beer Pong” weeeeeellll we have dubbed it “Mallow Pong”. You see, ping pong balls, are not really a hot commodity with high demand down here in Nicaragua, so the only thing that Lara and Adam found that could work, were :::drum roll:::: MARSHMELLOWS!! “What a crazy substitution” you must be asking yourself, but I tell you when you have Liz and her extraordinary “drying assembly line” (These ones are almost dry, these ones are mostly beer soaked, and these ones are completely wet) I had a great time, and I've decided that when I get home, I am going to masterize the “Jai Ho Jam”. That song from Slumdog Millionaire is really popular with some of the cooler Peace Corps volunteers down here (A.K.A. Me and Liz). So after taking it easy on me, Lara and Adam have made me...... a mallow pong man! Thanks guys! When finding a place to quench our recently developed thirsts, we found a great place offering a free sandwich with the purchase of your first beer, which was overly diplayed all over the bar. We though what a great idea, not only do we get a free sandwich, there is karaoke going on, (as I may have mentioned before, Liz and I, recently got Facebook posts and twitter tweets from the “Man upstairs” asking us to join His team and sing to the “new arrivals” at the Pearly Gates.) So after being swept into the bar to spend money, we order our first beers, and upon receiving our beers, we inquired what kind of sandwiches they had, we were informed that not only that they do not have that offer, but there was no karaoke. We then asked for the bill, and the waiter got pissy and and brought the bill. On our way out, I walked up to the manager, and let him know that we were leaving because they lied to us at the door about karaoke, and that there were no sandwiches although it is displayed all over the place, so I called them dishonest, and were going to let the other tourists know about this place. So the manager assured us that when we sat down and got another beer, they would bring us the sandwiches, but we know what upset cooks do to food. We decided to move on.
The next morning when we were getting ready to leave, we stopped in the park for a few things we had to do. We were then approached by a lady who asked for some money to buy milk for her children. I was in a helping mood, so I usually don't give out money, so I decided that I would go to a pulperia and buy her some milk. After leading me to a certain seller in the market, she points to a big container of Nido powder. Nido power is baby formula, and it was 350 Cordobas (17 dollars). I told her that I agreed to buy her milk and not expensive powder. So I bought her a bag of milk, and she took it and walked away leaving me to pay for the milk, without a thanks. When I got outside, Liz and Paul were waiting for me, and I had to walk by the women to say “You're welcome”. We walked around for a little longer and when walking back through the park, we saw the woman that I bought milk for had given it to one of the sellers who sell soda, and water. She only used it to sell it to make money. This is why I do not give money to people asking for money.
This year, the Ministry of education decided to change the curriculum for 1st-3rd year, and all of the teachers are in an uproar. I can admit that it isnt the greatest, but it makes our job easier when it comes to co-planning because they give some ideas on things to use. They include a lot of activities that would make great handouts, but that is not possible because the teachers cannot afford to make photocopies of all the handouts for all of the students, and because they made public school completely free, the teachers cannot ask the students for the money. Teachers have been used to the old curriculum and the way they used to teach the classes because once you made the lesson plan, you can reuse it for many years to come. Now they have to plan every class again for the first time. One more thing that has changed at my school is that because too many kids are failing, there are no more exams, but we will evaluate the students on 8 different homework assignments worth 100 points each. This is to help more students pass. I find this makes class much more difficult when you have 65 students in a class (when the Ministry of Education says there can only be 35 students in each class) who don't have to listen or want to listen, because they know that 1 student in the class understands whats going on, and they will copy their homework. But the best thing I can do is go to school with a smile, and do my best.
Chunche is doing well, she has kind of stopped peeing wherever she wants, but now she likes to climb up my mosquito net, and when she does, the dust from the top falls on my face, and I am woken up. She has also begun some stage in life where she is “playing” by biting me and scratching me and becoming aggressive. I'm not sure if this will ever end, but I have recently been told by Liz that she may be suffering from multiple sclerosis or may have slight kitty retardation. Either way, I love her the way she is. She is doing great as a cockroach killing machine, I guess she gets them during the night, because I wake up and find them peppered all over the floor. Watching her play with them is great, she really messes with their heads before killing them. She will walk up and slap it really hard, and once the cockroach recovers from the initial shock, the then grabs it in her mouth and lays it on top of her blanket, and watches it get out, then runs ahead of it to ambush it, and brings it it back to the towel right after slapping it again. Then she pretends like she wants nothing to do with it, while it desperately searches for any crack it can escape into, then at the last second she runs and grabs it, and starts the process over. Then she kills it.
Lets see, what else. I went down to Granada to do karaoke but when I got there, I was denied entrance into the bar because I was wearing shorts, and it was formal nights, although when I went the first time, I was wearing the same shorts...hmmmmm..... so we went somewhere else, and I watched Avi and Liz glide across the floor dancing the Bachata with their own little Gringo touch.
I was supposed to get internet installed 2 Wednesdays ago, but they never came. They said they were going to come between 10-11AM, and we waited until 7PM and they never came, BIG SUPRISE! So I called them back, and left a message yelling at them telling them that no one there had any respect to call me and tell me that they couldn't come. I said that their company and customers service is an embarrassment to Nicaragua. So I am looking to a different company to get it. I know some of you think that I am very spoiled by getting it, but when your family and friends call each month, they spend a lot of money on phone cards, but if they all pitched in, they could spend less than a quarter they would normally and we could talk for free WHENEVER, so it just makes sense. Not to mention that if I ever need ideas in class, I can go to www.daveseslcafe.com and find great activities for class.
I have one quick question here before I depart. I bought a rice cooker when I moved into my house (a spending splurge gone wrong) and when I try and cook the rice, it never turns out right, its either too wet, or way too dry. I have tried experimenting with different amounts of water, but to no avail. I also heard from many people that you need to brown the rice in hot oil for a few minutes before cooking the rice. I tried that. It didn't work. So now, I'm wondering if I should not put the rice in until the rice cooker pops over from warming to cooking. Maybe that will work. It really sucks, because I like rice, but if I don't cook it myself, the only other option is to go to a comedor, but that gets expensive and old really quick.
OK really last thing.. I recently got matched with with a teacher in the States through a correspondence match program. He is a teacher in Albert Lee, Minnesota, which is really nice to be matched with a teacher close to my hometown. I will correspond with the teacher and his students about life in Nicaragua, and answer any questions they have for me about living abroad. I'm really looking forward to it! I'll keep you informed!
Well I have got to get to bed, I have a lot of fake smiling to do tomorrow for class, and it really takes a lot out of a person. Below are a few pics from Paul's visit.
Me tackling Diane on the beach after a wonderful LOBSTER dinner!!
The awesome view from the hostel we stayed at!!
Me taking a quick minute to pose for a pic, before ordering another beer.
Liz and Paul finding songs to sing at karaoke in Granada
Me and Liz after we sang.
Liz's response to a nun asking for donations....what a horrible person!
I thought if I cross my eyes and look at the camera, it might turn out better? Im not so aure about that!
Diane using the public restrooms which drain into the Cocibolca Lake!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
I'm going F-ing Batty
Hey there, I'm back again with another installment of the Days of My Life. Lets see what has happened lately... Oh yeah, the other day, I came home from School and decided to take a little nap, and when I sat on my bed, under the mosquito net, I laid my head on the pillow and pulled the covers over me, and was given a great whiff of cat poop, and a little a small hint of cat piss. After a few seconds, I spotted a rather large chunk of poop :( Had it been gold, I probably could have quit the Peace Corps, and retired. So, I took the cat and threw it against the wall, and kicked it a lot... you know, you gotts teach them right? I mean come on, my parents did the same to me, and I learned not to defecate and urinate in bed, so it should work for cats right? OK so maybe I'm kidding...or am I?? Things have been a lit better with the cat, she comes up to me now, and wants her belly scratched and always meows when she wants me to know she is out of food or water, even if it's at 4 AM. I came home from class today and she was passed out on the chair, so of course I had to take a picture.
Classes are really going great! We are having a lot of fun, and I think the students are as well. One of my counterparts, is just great; she really wants to improve her English and is always asking questions, and asking my opinions about activities we do. The other counterpart I work with cannot co-plan, so I tend to go to class and find out what we are teaching that day. This is a little more difficult for me, as I like to know what we are teaching in advance so I can look in my books to make sure I can explain everything in the easiest way. Today the teachers were given their supplies for the entire semester, and what did they get? They each got 1 ream of white printer paper, and 1 black white board marker. I asked if I would be able to get a ream of the paper, because I could really use the paper for teaching materials in class. I was told because I'm not “really” a teacher, I am unable to receive the ream of paper. What I think is funny, is that a lot of the teachers don't even use the paper, but rather sell it to students to take exams, or just pack it away on top of the other reams of paper they received but never used. Oh well what can ya do, eh? I have decided that many of my students were “given” a passing grade in last year's English classes because in my third year classes we are reviewing the conjugation of the verb “to be” ( I am, you are, (s)he is...) and out of 47 students in one of my classes, not ONE student answered a question correctly on their homework!! I have to laugh though, one of the pictures I put on the board was a picture of bottles of perfumes and I wrote the question, “What are these?” LOL and her answer was (and I am not joking) “Yes, sister had are these” Ahhhh English, isn't it fun!
The other night Matt (another volunteer) came over, and we were watching a movie when I saw this quick flash of something fly near my face, and I came to find out it was a bat. And anyone who knows me, knows that I absolutely f-ing HATE bats, they freak me out; I always feel like they are going to jump on my neck and bite me. And really, being a vampire isn't my thing. So I began to throw random shit I found at it, and swinging my broom, and it disappeared. I knew it was still in the house, but didn't know where. When we were making dinner in the kitchen(al) area, when I turned around and BAM there it was hanging onto the wall. I just wanted to get it out of my house, and while I was thinking of ways to get it out alive, Matt grabs my broom and like a steroid infused A-Rod, swings the broom and smacks it onto the floor. Now a normal person would wait to make sure it wasnt moving, but no, he continues to hit the thing while it's on my table and when it falls onto the floor, continues to repeatedly whack it. Watching him do that cannot be described by anything less than a mixture of Lizzie borden, and a young Jeffrey Dahmer. He completely kills the S.O.B., he never saw it coming. Sooooo I'm friends with a killer. I think I even saw a slight smile. But I cannot say anything because as of an hour ago, I too have joined the ranks of bat killers. I was watching Biggest Loser (love that show!!) and another bat flew by my head, needless to say, I followed in Matt's footsteps and used the good ol' broom on it! But because I either wanted to show everyone the bat, or because I am a sick freak, I decided to take a picture of it. I'm not sure how big these pictures go (try clicking on the picture) but you can see the teeth that thing had. I'm glad I got it before it got me.
So I went back to the women's place to find out whether or not I can use a room to teach English to market vendors. She told me that there would be no problem, but then followed that up by asking me how much money I am going to be donating to them. I told her that I cannot donate any money myself, because what I am offering is worth a lot of money, but I will ask the students on the first day to donate what they can. While she tells me how I have to donate some amount of money, I noticed the wall was scattered with plaques saying “This building was donated by the loving citizens of Luxembourg” next to it “Large portion of this building was donated my Japan” and there were about 10 others showing the many other countries that have donated money to their building. So I told her once again that I myself will not be donating money but will ask the students.
Another fun fact I found out: Every three months your body replaces it's eye lashes. In your lifetime you will have had 600 pairs of them.
Well I have to go, my neighbor brought her daughter over for a little help with her English homework. Talk to you later.
Classes are really going great! We are having a lot of fun, and I think the students are as well. One of my counterparts, is just great; she really wants to improve her English and is always asking questions, and asking my opinions about activities we do. The other counterpart I work with cannot co-plan, so I tend to go to class and find out what we are teaching that day. This is a little more difficult for me, as I like to know what we are teaching in advance so I can look in my books to make sure I can explain everything in the easiest way. Today the teachers were given their supplies for the entire semester, and what did they get? They each got 1 ream of white printer paper, and 1 black white board marker. I asked if I would be able to get a ream of the paper, because I could really use the paper for teaching materials in class. I was told because I'm not “really” a teacher, I am unable to receive the ream of paper. What I think is funny, is that a lot of the teachers don't even use the paper, but rather sell it to students to take exams, or just pack it away on top of the other reams of paper they received but never used. Oh well what can ya do, eh? I have decided that many of my students were “given” a passing grade in last year's English classes because in my third year classes we are reviewing the conjugation of the verb “to be” ( I am, you are, (s)he is...) and out of 47 students in one of my classes, not ONE student answered a question correctly on their homework!! I have to laugh though, one of the pictures I put on the board was a picture of bottles of perfumes and I wrote the question, “What are these?” LOL and her answer was (and I am not joking) “Yes, sister had are these” Ahhhh English, isn't it fun!
The other night Matt (another volunteer) came over, and we were watching a movie when I saw this quick flash of something fly near my face, and I came to find out it was a bat. And anyone who knows me, knows that I absolutely f-ing HATE bats, they freak me out; I always feel like they are going to jump on my neck and bite me. And really, being a vampire isn't my thing. So I began to throw random shit I found at it, and swinging my broom, and it disappeared. I knew it was still in the house, but didn't know where. When we were making dinner in the kitchen(al) area, when I turned around and BAM there it was hanging onto the wall. I just wanted to get it out of my house, and while I was thinking of ways to get it out alive, Matt grabs my broom and like a steroid infused A-Rod, swings the broom and smacks it onto the floor. Now a normal person would wait to make sure it wasnt moving, but no, he continues to hit the thing while it's on my table and when it falls onto the floor, continues to repeatedly whack it. Watching him do that cannot be described by anything less than a mixture of Lizzie borden, and a young Jeffrey Dahmer. He completely kills the S.O.B., he never saw it coming. Sooooo I'm friends with a killer. I think I even saw a slight smile. But I cannot say anything because as of an hour ago, I too have joined the ranks of bat killers. I was watching Biggest Loser (love that show!!) and another bat flew by my head, needless to say, I followed in Matt's footsteps and used the good ol' broom on it! But because I either wanted to show everyone the bat, or because I am a sick freak, I decided to take a picture of it. I'm not sure how big these pictures go (try clicking on the picture) but you can see the teeth that thing had. I'm glad I got it before it got me.
So I went back to the women's place to find out whether or not I can use a room to teach English to market vendors. She told me that there would be no problem, but then followed that up by asking me how much money I am going to be donating to them. I told her that I cannot donate any money myself, because what I am offering is worth a lot of money, but I will ask the students on the first day to donate what they can. While she tells me how I have to donate some amount of money, I noticed the wall was scattered with plaques saying “This building was donated by the loving citizens of Luxembourg” next to it “Large portion of this building was donated my Japan” and there were about 10 others showing the many other countries that have donated money to their building. So I told her once again that I myself will not be donating money but will ask the students.
Another fun fact I found out: Every three months your body replaces it's eye lashes. In your lifetime you will have had 600 pairs of them.
Well I have to go, my neighbor brought her daughter over for a little help with her English homework. Talk to you later.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Que sera, sera
As someone (probably a teacher) once said, “All good things must come to an end.” By good things , I am lead to believe, mean vacations, and here too good things have ended. I am now back to school, which means dreams of new back packs, pens and the smell of new notebooks bouncing in my head. The government has recently changed the curriculum for schools, and also the content of English classes around the country. The week before school started, all teachers had to take part in a week long seminar on the new curriculum. The first entire day was nothing more than Sandanista propaganda, and what it means to be a good Sandanista, and what values we must have to be one. From then on, we all spoke about the new curriculum, but the only problem was that no one has a copy of said curriculum, and we were more or less told to “just trust” that it was better. So to celebrate surviving the week of boredom, Liz and Diane ever-so lovingly opened their doors to other volunteers and threw a dance party. Volunteers from around Nicaragua came to their house and we went out to dinner and went back to their house and, well, danced the whole night. It was another flawless party they threw, and a great way to end our vacation. I am still working with one counterpart from last year, and also a new one who I think is going to work out very well. The first class, one counterpart and I decided to give a pretest to the students to see what they remember from last year. No no one's surprise, they didn't remember much. There were a total of 54 questions, and the average score was about 7 correct answers, although I had one student who achieved the highest score with 39.
This week, we are going over the exam, mostly having to conjugate the verb “to be” and also playing different games to try and instill the different forms. One game we played was called “El pingüino” (The Penguin) What the students had to do, was put a 5 Cordoba coin in between their knees, and walk across the classroom while saying the conjugated forms of the verb “be” (I am, you are, he is etc.) Once they got to the other side of the room, they had to drop the coin into a container. If at any time, the coin hits the floor during the walk or when they drop it to try to get it into the container, they must start all over. I find that this exercise helps the students lose “pena” to speak English in front of me and the other students, because by the end of the year, each and every student will have “walked like a penguin” in front of each other; and not to mention, it makes class a lot less boring.
Today I went with my counterpart to a local women's building to ask them if they can donate a classroom they have so I can start my English classes for the workers in the tourist markets. I didn't know what I wanted to do for my secondary project until I was walking in the market and saw a vendor reading a book titled, “Learning English Without a Teacher” so I asked her if she was learning anything and she said she was learning a little, but the only problem was, was that she didn't know how the words are pronounced. So I told her I would look into finding a place to hold the classes, and would start classes for her and a few of the other vendors in the market. I hope everything turns out, because I think this would help a lot of vendors to better communicate with the tourists that peruse their goods for sale.
Oh yeah I forgot, I got another cat!! This one, I decided, would not be left in the hands of Diane, as kittens turn out to disappear when left in her care. (Oops, think you got a little meat in your teeth there, Diane ;) ) Its a 5 week old kitten, that was abandoned by it's mother. It's tan with stripes, and has tiger looking stripes on her stomach. The first couple of nights she stayed under my bed, too afraid to come out, but after a while she started exploring the house, and is less afraid. Unfortunately, she has not really learned where to go to the bathroom, for one morning I found a little present left in my t-shirt, she'll learn!
So it's been really windy here lately, and during a night's deep slumber I was awoken by the sound of my roof being ripped off my house. Clearly, first thing that came to mind was that I was getting robbed, and these guys just didn't care how loud they were; so I jumped up, and reached for my machete when I realized it was a random 4AM strong gust of wind, so since that night, every time the wind comes around it sounds like my roof is coming off my house.........I better go ask they landlord to fix that.
The other day, I was coming home from Granada, and once I got home, I realized that I had left the keys to my house on Liz's TV stand. LOL I was soooo pissed, I really didn't have any other option, as since the break in, my landlord provided me with new locks, and gave me all the keys, but returning to Granada and getting the keys. I knew that right inside the door, hanging on a hook, was the other set of keys to my door. Knowing that I couldn't reach them, I took out the long pieces of glass in my “persian” window, and tried to figure out how I was going to get those keys. Next thing I knew, my neighbor lady had shown her creativeness, and was walking towards me with 2 broom handles nailed together, and THAT pole was stuck into a little tube thing with a hook on it. Right behind me were about 6 other neighbors shouting at her telling her how to get the keys, and they all had 6 different ideas. It was F-ing crazy. She was fishing my keys off the wall with this contraption, when she knocked them off the hook onto the floor, everyone gasped in unison. After a little more fishing around, she got them!!! So in return, I gave her a little gift, and the extra set of keys. Don't worry, this is the neighbor I really trust, shes the one that every once in a while, cooks some extra food and brings it over for me, and when I make an American meal I will bring her some.
I finished the Harry Potter series, I'm a little sad it's all over.
Liz recently got bit by a dog, and it's a little gross, but when the dog released his grip and pulled it's teeth out, it ripped a little chunk of fat to the outside of her arm. No worries, she did a little “Peace Corps home surgery” and cut it off. (By the way Liz: I read on web MD, and that green ooze coming out, and the patch of green fur, you either have a staph infection, manic depression, or cancer. I'm not sure, but you should really look into that!) I heard a fun little quote, “Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana”. I thought it was clever .
So I was teaching class right before I came to the internet café to post my blog, and all of a sudden these crazy loud sounds started coming from the doorway, and after a few minutes students started running all over the place, and SMOKE started coming in the classroom from all over the place. The school administration thought that today would be a good day to FUMIGATE the school. Now one with half a brain cell would realize that men coming in with fumigating tools, and gas masks should mean that the students need to get out of the school first, but no. Students were trying to fan the smoke out of the way so they could see where they were going, and even one girl started gagging. I went directly to the principal and asked why they would do this while there were students, because this is toxic smoke and can really cause damage. His response, “The Ministry of Health doesn’t work on the weekends”. How wonderful!!
Well thats it for now folks, I'll see you around.
This week, we are going over the exam, mostly having to conjugate the verb “to be” and also playing different games to try and instill the different forms. One game we played was called “El pingüino” (The Penguin) What the students had to do, was put a 5 Cordoba coin in between their knees, and walk across the classroom while saying the conjugated forms of the verb “be” (I am, you are, he is etc.) Once they got to the other side of the room, they had to drop the coin into a container. If at any time, the coin hits the floor during the walk or when they drop it to try to get it into the container, they must start all over. I find that this exercise helps the students lose “pena” to speak English in front of me and the other students, because by the end of the year, each and every student will have “walked like a penguin” in front of each other; and not to mention, it makes class a lot less boring.
Today I went with my counterpart to a local women's building to ask them if they can donate a classroom they have so I can start my English classes for the workers in the tourist markets. I didn't know what I wanted to do for my secondary project until I was walking in the market and saw a vendor reading a book titled, “Learning English Without a Teacher” so I asked her if she was learning anything and she said she was learning a little, but the only problem was, was that she didn't know how the words are pronounced. So I told her I would look into finding a place to hold the classes, and would start classes for her and a few of the other vendors in the market. I hope everything turns out, because I think this would help a lot of vendors to better communicate with the tourists that peruse their goods for sale.
Oh yeah I forgot, I got another cat!! This one, I decided, would not be left in the hands of Diane, as kittens turn out to disappear when left in her care. (Oops, think you got a little meat in your teeth there, Diane ;) ) Its a 5 week old kitten, that was abandoned by it's mother. It's tan with stripes, and has tiger looking stripes on her stomach. The first couple of nights she stayed under my bed, too afraid to come out, but after a while she started exploring the house, and is less afraid. Unfortunately, she has not really learned where to go to the bathroom, for one morning I found a little present left in my t-shirt, she'll learn!
So it's been really windy here lately, and during a night's deep slumber I was awoken by the sound of my roof being ripped off my house. Clearly, first thing that came to mind was that I was getting robbed, and these guys just didn't care how loud they were; so I jumped up, and reached for my machete when I realized it was a random 4AM strong gust of wind, so since that night, every time the wind comes around it sounds like my roof is coming off my house.........I better go ask they landlord to fix that.
The other day, I was coming home from Granada, and once I got home, I realized that I had left the keys to my house on Liz's TV stand. LOL I was soooo pissed, I really didn't have any other option, as since the break in, my landlord provided me with new locks, and gave me all the keys, but returning to Granada and getting the keys. I knew that right inside the door, hanging on a hook, was the other set of keys to my door. Knowing that I couldn't reach them, I took out the long pieces of glass in my “persian” window, and tried to figure out how I was going to get those keys. Next thing I knew, my neighbor lady had shown her creativeness, and was walking towards me with 2 broom handles nailed together, and THAT pole was stuck into a little tube thing with a hook on it. Right behind me were about 6 other neighbors shouting at her telling her how to get the keys, and they all had 6 different ideas. It was F-ing crazy. She was fishing my keys off the wall with this contraption, when she knocked them off the hook onto the floor, everyone gasped in unison. After a little more fishing around, she got them!!! So in return, I gave her a little gift, and the extra set of keys. Don't worry, this is the neighbor I really trust, shes the one that every once in a while, cooks some extra food and brings it over for me, and when I make an American meal I will bring her some.
I finished the Harry Potter series, I'm a little sad it's all over.
Liz recently got bit by a dog, and it's a little gross, but when the dog released his grip and pulled it's teeth out, it ripped a little chunk of fat to the outside of her arm. No worries, she did a little “Peace Corps home surgery” and cut it off. (By the way Liz: I read on web MD, and that green ooze coming out, and the patch of green fur, you either have a staph infection, manic depression, or cancer. I'm not sure, but you should really look into that!) I heard a fun little quote, “Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana”. I thought it was clever .
So I was teaching class right before I came to the internet café to post my blog, and all of a sudden these crazy loud sounds started coming from the doorway, and after a few minutes students started running all over the place, and SMOKE started coming in the classroom from all over the place. The school administration thought that today would be a good day to FUMIGATE the school. Now one with half a brain cell would realize that men coming in with fumigating tools, and gas masks should mean that the students need to get out of the school first, but no. Students were trying to fan the smoke out of the way so they could see where they were going, and even one girl started gagging. I went directly to the principal and asked why they would do this while there were students, because this is toxic smoke and can really cause damage. His response, “The Ministry of Health doesn’t work on the weekends”. How wonderful!!
Well thats it for now folks, I'll see you around.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Parents Cont.
We also decided that we would wake up at the butt crack of dawn and take a day trip to Selva Negra in Matagalpa. We were told that we could also find a coffee tour when we got there. Once we got up there we decided that we would do a little hiking first. Before you actually DO the hiking, there is a map of the hiking paths on the wall of a building, of which I am very glad we took a picture because without the map, you see, we would probably still be hiking in the hills of Matagalpa. Although we heard many of the howler monkeys “howling” in the hills, we didn't see any, but we did have the opportunity to see an animal which was a mix between a rabbit and a squirrel, so all in all the hike was much more pleasant than I thought it was going to be once we had arrived. Upon getting back to Masaya, we decided to invest a little time and go to the market and go shopping for souvenirs for the family. We walked all over the market for a good couple of hours and we saw everything from the bread vendors and the fish market to hammock and key chain vendors. One little note for those of you that might find yourself in the markets in Masaya. There are many people that walk around and come up to Americans or White people and begin to talk to them and tell you that they know all of the vendors and they will help you get better deals on the items. Now whether or not you speak Spanish, I would strongly suggest that you let them know you do not need their help. The will ask you every from what you are looking to buy, and how much money you have on you. In the end, these people really do not help you get any lower prices, in fact you may even pay more with these guys on your side. We allowed one of the guys to talk to us, and try to “help” us, and all they really did was translate for us (even though he told me that my Spanish was “very good”) and tell us the prices that they said, and then told us, “Dis iz a berry chip price” when I already knew that the price was not very good. Then of course the real reason came out why he helped us. He let us know that with his help he saved us a lot of money, and we should give him a tip, so I threw him 5 cords; he then followed that up with, “...you should give me all the coins in your pocket.” I let him know that that was not going to happen. Another last note when trying to negotiate prices. When you find something that you like, don't walk up really excited about it (because they know you want it, so they'll charge you more) but rather ask with a kind of disgusted face how much it costs and then act like it's not worth it and you'll find the prices fall faster than the Dow Jones ticker.
Something funny happened to us while we were in Leon. We had decided to pay 2 dollars and go to the top of the main church, and on our way up we were helping my mom, as she is afraid of heights. While we were on the top of the church, we saw great views of the city, and even better views when we walked on top of the domes that were protruding from the top of the church. While getting weird looks, we were trying to figure out why everyone was looking at us with such disgust. Well, needless to say when we were walking to the bottom of the church, we noticed a sign on one of the doors (which we had missed because we were walking backwards to help my mom up the stairs) that proclaimed, “DO NOT WALK ON THE TOP OF THE DOMES”. It wasnt written only in Spanish, but in English as well. Man, did we feel dumb, so we decided to pull the “stupid American” card.
Once getting back to Masaya, I had mentioned that I found it weird while walking through the not-so-monetarily-fortunate neighborhoods that they have casinos all over the place. Once the word casino left my lips, my mom's ears perked up like a dog's when hearing the opening of the Beggin' Bits bag open. So after a few ours of asking, and a couple life threats, we meandered over to the casino to try our luck. We all cashed in 100 cords ($5) and sat down to see what we could do. Well in 30 mins, I was 400 cords in the whole, and thought I would cash in another 100 cords and call it quits. Down to a few coins I won 200 cords, then another 150 and then 200 more, so I decided to quit while I was even. My dad won 400 cords, and then my mom hit the JACKPOT!! 900 smackaroos; well cords that is, so she won about 45 bucks. The casino bit was pretty fun, so we ate a great dinner on the casino, thanks casino!!
We decided to end their trip in Granada. We met up with Liz and Diane and walked around for a while and decided to go down to the Lake (Cocibolca) and take a boat trip to the islands that are found in the lake. On the islands are homes of the rich and famous, and one islands even has monkeys on it (wonder how they got there? Can we say tourist trap?!) When we got down to the lake, it was super polluted with plastic bags, chip bags, and any other trash you can think of. It looked like it was going to rain and the the wind had picked up producing good sized waves, so in the end we decided that we didnt want to have to swim back to the shore. That night, we decided to be really American and take part in KARAOKE!! We went out for dinner, and a few drinks and made our way to “Quijote” bar, owned by 2 American women. We knew that we wanted to sing but we didnt know what songs. After a little liquid inspiration, we decided it was time to sing. Liz and I went to the front of the bar to show off our choral abilities and sang “Come together” a wonderful song from the past. After we were done, and everyone stopped applauding and wiping tears from their eyes, we sat down. Now if they want peace in the Middle East, just send Liz and I over there and I give us 3 songs and well have everyone “come together”, because that girl can harmonize like nobody's business. If you find yourself in Granada or are planning a trip to Granada, I would strongly suggest staying at the Bohemian Paradise Hotel. It is a few short blocks off the main street (Las Calzadas) but a lot less in price. We stayed in the Deluxe room and were pleasantly surprised with the jacuzzi and the AWESOME bathroom. The shower area (which consists of two shower heads, a bench and some local plants) does not have a roof, so you can shower under the stars; and best of all for a Peace Corps volunteer... REAL HOT WATER!!! The cost of this room is $80.50 a night which is a lot less than the $140 La Alhambra or Colon hotel.
The trip back to the airport came and went without problems, and I was a little sad to see my parents (mom) leave. It was nice showing them where I have been living for the last 8 months and things I experience everyday, and not to mention everything we did was funded by my parents' bank accounts and not mine :) Hope you two had fun mom and dad, and I'll see you again for Christmas.
P.S. My cat, Lupin, is still missing, so I will be getting a new cat very soon.
Something funny happened to us while we were in Leon. We had decided to pay 2 dollars and go to the top of the main church, and on our way up we were helping my mom, as she is afraid of heights. While we were on the top of the church, we saw great views of the city, and even better views when we walked on top of the domes that were protruding from the top of the church. While getting weird looks, we were trying to figure out why everyone was looking at us with such disgust. Well, needless to say when we were walking to the bottom of the church, we noticed a sign on one of the doors (which we had missed because we were walking backwards to help my mom up the stairs) that proclaimed, “DO NOT WALK ON THE TOP OF THE DOMES”. It wasnt written only in Spanish, but in English as well. Man, did we feel dumb, so we decided to pull the “stupid American” card.
Once getting back to Masaya, I had mentioned that I found it weird while walking through the not-so-monetarily-fortunate neighborhoods that they have casinos all over the place. Once the word casino left my lips, my mom's ears perked up like a dog's when hearing the opening of the Beggin' Bits bag open. So after a few ours of asking, and a couple life threats, we meandered over to the casino to try our luck. We all cashed in 100 cords ($5) and sat down to see what we could do. Well in 30 mins, I was 400 cords in the whole, and thought I would cash in another 100 cords and call it quits. Down to a few coins I won 200 cords, then another 150 and then 200 more, so I decided to quit while I was even. My dad won 400 cords, and then my mom hit the JACKPOT!! 900 smackaroos; well cords that is, so she won about 45 bucks. The casino bit was pretty fun, so we ate a great dinner on the casino, thanks casino!!
We decided to end their trip in Granada. We met up with Liz and Diane and walked around for a while and decided to go down to the Lake (Cocibolca) and take a boat trip to the islands that are found in the lake. On the islands are homes of the rich and famous, and one islands even has monkeys on it (wonder how they got there? Can we say tourist trap?!) When we got down to the lake, it was super polluted with plastic bags, chip bags, and any other trash you can think of. It looked like it was going to rain and the the wind had picked up producing good sized waves, so in the end we decided that we didnt want to have to swim back to the shore. That night, we decided to be really American and take part in KARAOKE!! We went out for dinner, and a few drinks and made our way to “Quijote” bar, owned by 2 American women. We knew that we wanted to sing but we didnt know what songs. After a little liquid inspiration, we decided it was time to sing. Liz and I went to the front of the bar to show off our choral abilities and sang “Come together” a wonderful song from the past. After we were done, and everyone stopped applauding and wiping tears from their eyes, we sat down. Now if they want peace in the Middle East, just send Liz and I over there and I give us 3 songs and well have everyone “come together”, because that girl can harmonize like nobody's business. If you find yourself in Granada or are planning a trip to Granada, I would strongly suggest staying at the Bohemian Paradise Hotel. It is a few short blocks off the main street (Las Calzadas) but a lot less in price. We stayed in the Deluxe room and were pleasantly surprised with the jacuzzi and the AWESOME bathroom. The shower area (which consists of two shower heads, a bench and some local plants) does not have a roof, so you can shower under the stars; and best of all for a Peace Corps volunteer... REAL HOT WATER!!! The cost of this room is $80.50 a night which is a lot less than the $140 La Alhambra or Colon hotel.
The trip back to the airport came and went without problems, and I was a little sad to see my parents (mom) leave. It was nice showing them where I have been living for the last 8 months and things I experience everyday, and not to mention everything we did was funded by my parents' bank accounts and not mine :) Hope you two had fun mom and dad, and I'll see you again for Christmas.
P.S. My cat, Lupin, is still missing, so I will be getting a new cat very soon.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Parents Vacation
Well my parents are finally here, and their trip in Nicaragua began with a bang! Well more like a loud boom, and a long scratching noise. You see, I didn't understand why the taxi driver was driving so slow to go to the airport, but after we picked my parents up I realized why. To preface the story, one must have a visual idea of this car. First, a small green Toyota Atoz which appeared to have suffered through 3 world wars, a 2 nuclear holocausts, and a rabid partridge from a pear tree. The inside looks like it was left unlocked in Detroit with a steal-everything-inside-of-me sign. There was a tape player, mind you, but the face had been torn off, and only 2 pieces of tetanus bearing metal was visible. I will go out on a limb here and say that in about 5 years the floor boards will go out, and we'll have a genuine “Flinstone” vehicle. Anyhow back to the story... Every time he turned the steering wheel, a loud noise was made from under the car, and we went over a speed bump (which was also followed by a loud scratching noise) We turned onto the highway, we drove no more than 100 yards when all of a sudden we heard a loud BOOM and then the car began to swerve. Once we pulled over we got out of the car to figure out what the hell had happened. We were soon scratching our heads asking ourselves how all 4 lug nuts were able to come off allowing the tire to completely fall off of the axle. Needless to say we waited for our taxi driver's friend to come and pick us up to bring us back to Masaya. In the meantime a whole bunch of organized chaotic driving was occurring on the side of the vehicle...Big fiasco I say. We decided that it would be in everyone's safety that my mom got out of the car, just in case someone wasn't paying attention while driving (just in case, of course) and shit ended the back of the car. We did however have a lot of cultural experiences during our wait; we saw a wonderful display of Nicaraguan fireworks, haphazardly flying every which way; we also met a good portion of the sweatshop workers walking home after their shift ended. (They make 40 bucks a month by the way) To boot, we even got to watch the sun set while standing on the side of the highway. Very romantical!There's more, oh yes my friends there's more. So once our taxi drivers friend quickly drove to pick us up (an hour later (Masaya is 15 minutes away)) we transferred the luggage into the new taxi. While waiting in the taxi, our new and old taxi drivers took a lug nut off of each of the NEW taxi's wheels, and put them on the OLD taxi so they could drive home. I am told that a car can really be drivable with three lug nuts on at normal speeds, but did the new taxi driver drive slow and cautiously? NAY! He was driving as is he were driving to hit up Walmart's “After Thanksgiving day” sale. As soon as we took off, the car was not only shaking left and right, but his shocks needed some work as well, so we were bouncing up and down. Wonderful taxi ride I say, just wonderful!
But the best part of the night...CHRISTMAS PRESENTS! We decided that instead of having presents sent through the mail, that they would just fill a suitcase with stuff and pay the 25 bucks for an extra suitcase and save on the shipping. So I opened my gifts and it was wonderful! I got clothing, a new laptop (which works AWESOME and thanks to everyone involved!!), a lot of randoms and enough dulces to make the insulin of each and every worker at the Diabetes Center of America rise a good 100 points. I'm excited to share the candy with the neighborhood kids, because I'm sure they've never had good old Farm and Fleet angel food candy. BOO YEAH! Well thats it for day 1, and I'll keep you all abreast on the upcoming days of the trip.
But the best part of the night...CHRISTMAS PRESENTS! We decided that instead of having presents sent through the mail, that they would just fill a suitcase with stuff and pay the 25 bucks for an extra suitcase and save on the shipping. So I opened my gifts and it was wonderful! I got clothing, a new laptop (which works AWESOME and thanks to everyone involved!!), a lot of randoms and enough dulces to make the insulin of each and every worker at the Diabetes Center of America rise a good 100 points. I'm excited to share the candy with the neighborhood kids, because I'm sure they've never had good old Farm and Fleet angel food candy. BOO YEAH! Well thats it for day 1, and I'll keep you all abreast on the upcoming days of the trip.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Dancing our faces off with a little liquid inspiration
-Old blog entry-
So I just got done watching The Biggest Loser, and I am so excited that Michelle just won! She had been my favorite since the first episode and I knew that she was going to win. Then came on Momma’s Boy, BLAH so I decided to write on my blog.
Last week, I went to visit Liz in Granada while her site-mate and everyone’s favorite “chinita” was in the states on vacation. He had a lot of fun doing absolutely nothing. We did do a little walking around the city, and we came back to the house and enjoyed singing along to the Beatles and random music from our MP3 players…she is one hell of a singer… in a group of mutes, SHE would defiantly win in a singing contest! Therefore, in our singing mood, we decided to go out to Karaoke and watch the local singers. Some were better than others, and others made our ears bleed. Liz and I decided that next weekend we are going to do a little singing of our own. I don’t want to toot our own horns, but when we sing together, people cry; it’s almost like two angelic cherubs singing to greet the “man” for his second coming. OK well, there is no second coming, and people do not really cry, but we can harmonize like nobody’s business. I think we will probably sing something from the Beatles, or something fun, but it will be a blast, and something you should not miss.
I have recently been trying to organize my parents’ visit here to Nicaragua, and I am FINALLY done with the hotel reservations and everything… AHHH feels so good to have everything done; now I can’t wait for them to come down here and see where I have been living the last eight months. I’m pretty excited not only to see them, but I’m getting another laptop to replace the one that I ever-so-unselfishly donated to a fellow Nicaraguan (AKA I got robbed). Matagalpa should be fun, we are going on a coffee plant tour, and are going to the Selva Negra which I have heard mixed feelings on, but we’ll see. I already know that they are going to like Granada, because they liked Granada in Spain, and this is very similar…well kind of.
A few other volunteers and I were talking about how this Christmas just does not really feel like Christmas. I know for me, a Wisconsinite, 10 feet of snow on the ground makes it Christmas and maybe that’s why it doesn’t feel so. Also we are so used to being around our family and friends during the holidays, and now we are with our new family and friends here yet still it doesn’t seem the same.
On a brighter note, I have decided to go to Granada with a few of the other volunteers for Christmas, and then after Christmas we are going to Chinandega for a little time on the beach. I am not sure what I am going to do for New Years but I’m sure I will have a great time.
Well nothing else really to report so I’m going to get back to my Harry Potter book, and jump back into the wizarding world; check you “muggles” later!
So I hope everyone had a good Christmas. Because mine here was great! We had a huge feast with homemade mashed potatoes, stuffing from good old America (thanks mom!) chicken…oh my. We decided that we were going to marinade the chicken with a little of this, and a little of that and then cook it in the oven, but after two failed attempts of trying to light the ghetto style oven, and almost 6 (would have been) accidental deaths (due to exploding ovens) we decided to pan cook the chicken. After the Christmas feast we headed down to San Juan Del Sur. In three words to describe San Juan, I would throw out: Overpriced, mediocre, and not-worth-it! Blah I say, Blah. Although we did splurge and get a wonderful lobster meal in a restaurant on the beach, spending a good portion of our monthly allowance, we decided to blow the old proverbial Popsicle stand, and made our way to Granada. Being alone in the house alone, Stephanie, Patrick and I, we noticed there was music playing and a bottle of rum. Unopened. LIQUID INSPIRATION. With 3 light bulbs going off at the same time, we took care of that and decided to have our own “Dance Party America Extravaganza 2000” and we literally danced our faces off. After taking a quick minute to find our faces, we called it an early night. 3:30AM. Once we fell asleep, and sugar plums began dancing in our heads, what night would be complete without the neighborhood band playing music while parading down the street. Waking up, with our heads pounding, (must have somehow drank some tainted Coke) we continued to enjoy our New Years Eve morning. During the night, we headed over to a house that was being rented by the parents a fellow volunteer (hello Richman family) we listened to the music of a Nicaraguan band. After the New Year came, we headed downtown to see if Karaoke was still going, but it wasn’t. we headed home and stayed up for a while longer and reminisced about our wonderful night. The next morning, Andaring with Goma, I headed back home.
Now I am waiting for my parents to begin their journey to Nicaragua, getting my house settled, and cleaning it. Which really reminds me, I should really get back to that. Here are a few pictured below of what’s been happening. Oh yeah I got a cat. I named him Lupin.
WHILE DANCING OUR FACES OFF
ONCE PUTTING OUR FALLEN FACES BACK ON...some of us had problems
YAY STOVE TOP, AND I HELPED!
SELF PERFORMED RHINOPLASTY. IVE SEEN BETTER, BUT IT WORKED
ME AND MY GATO
So I just got done watching The Biggest Loser, and I am so excited that Michelle just won! She had been my favorite since the first episode and I knew that she was going to win. Then came on Momma’s Boy, BLAH so I decided to write on my blog.
Last week, I went to visit Liz in Granada while her site-mate and everyone’s favorite “chinita” was in the states on vacation. He had a lot of fun doing absolutely nothing. We did do a little walking around the city, and we came back to the house and enjoyed singing along to the Beatles and random music from our MP3 players…she is one hell of a singer… in a group of mutes, SHE would defiantly win in a singing contest! Therefore, in our singing mood, we decided to go out to Karaoke and watch the local singers. Some were better than others, and others made our ears bleed. Liz and I decided that next weekend we are going to do a little singing of our own. I don’t want to toot our own horns, but when we sing together, people cry; it’s almost like two angelic cherubs singing to greet the “man” for his second coming. OK well, there is no second coming, and people do not really cry, but we can harmonize like nobody’s business. I think we will probably sing something from the Beatles, or something fun, but it will be a blast, and something you should not miss.
I have recently been trying to organize my parents’ visit here to Nicaragua, and I am FINALLY done with the hotel reservations and everything… AHHH feels so good to have everything done; now I can’t wait for them to come down here and see where I have been living the last eight months. I’m pretty excited not only to see them, but I’m getting another laptop to replace the one that I ever-so-unselfishly donated to a fellow Nicaraguan (AKA I got robbed). Matagalpa should be fun, we are going on a coffee plant tour, and are going to the Selva Negra which I have heard mixed feelings on, but we’ll see. I already know that they are going to like Granada, because they liked Granada in Spain, and this is very similar…well kind of.
A few other volunteers and I were talking about how this Christmas just does not really feel like Christmas. I know for me, a Wisconsinite, 10 feet of snow on the ground makes it Christmas and maybe that’s why it doesn’t feel so. Also we are so used to being around our family and friends during the holidays, and now we are with our new family and friends here yet still it doesn’t seem the same.
On a brighter note, I have decided to go to Granada with a few of the other volunteers for Christmas, and then after Christmas we are going to Chinandega for a little time on the beach. I am not sure what I am going to do for New Years but I’m sure I will have a great time.
Well nothing else really to report so I’m going to get back to my Harry Potter book, and jump back into the wizarding world; check you “muggles” later!
So I hope everyone had a good Christmas. Because mine here was great! We had a huge feast with homemade mashed potatoes, stuffing from good old America (thanks mom!) chicken…oh my. We decided that we were going to marinade the chicken with a little of this, and a little of that and then cook it in the oven, but after two failed attempts of trying to light the ghetto style oven, and almost 6 (would have been) accidental deaths (due to exploding ovens) we decided to pan cook the chicken. After the Christmas feast we headed down to San Juan Del Sur. In three words to describe San Juan, I would throw out: Overpriced, mediocre, and not-worth-it! Blah I say, Blah. Although we did splurge and get a wonderful lobster meal in a restaurant on the beach, spending a good portion of our monthly allowance, we decided to blow the old proverbial Popsicle stand, and made our way to Granada. Being alone in the house alone, Stephanie, Patrick and I, we noticed there was music playing and a bottle of rum. Unopened. LIQUID INSPIRATION. With 3 light bulbs going off at the same time, we took care of that and decided to have our own “Dance Party America Extravaganza 2000” and we literally danced our faces off. After taking a quick minute to find our faces, we called it an early night. 3:30AM. Once we fell asleep, and sugar plums began dancing in our heads, what night would be complete without the neighborhood band playing music while parading down the street. Waking up, with our heads pounding, (must have somehow drank some tainted Coke) we continued to enjoy our New Years Eve morning. During the night, we headed over to a house that was being rented by the parents a fellow volunteer (hello Richman family) we listened to the music of a Nicaraguan band. After the New Year came, we headed downtown to see if Karaoke was still going, but it wasn’t. we headed home and stayed up for a while longer and reminisced about our wonderful night. The next morning, Andaring with Goma, I headed back home.
Now I am waiting for my parents to begin their journey to Nicaragua, getting my house settled, and cleaning it. Which really reminds me, I should really get back to that. Here are a few pictured below of what’s been happening. Oh yeah I got a cat. I named him Lupin.
WHILE DANCING OUR FACES OFF
ONCE PUTTING OUR FALLEN FACES BACK ON...some of us had problems
YAY STOVE TOP, AND I HELPED!
SELF PERFORMED RHINOPLASTY. IVE SEEN BETTER, BUT IT WORKED
ME AND MY GATO
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