Whirlwind

This week was a little crazy.  I "planned" an oral exam for my embassy program class Tuesday night  for their Wednesday morning test.  That was a little stressful.  I figured that the test would take a little longer than the normal 2 hour class because we would be giving the oral exam to each of the 24 students individually and my counterpart wanted me to ask the questions and I wanted him to write down the students' responses.  Well, I got to the school at 7:30am, we started the exams at 8am, and didn't finish them until 12:30pm!  4 and 1/2 hours asking questions in English and listening to students respond, without a break...yikes!  I was exhausted!  Little did I know, I was not done.  I followed my counterpart into another classroom where all the students had gathered and yelled "Happy Birthday!" to me.  They had decorated the classroom, bought pizza, juice, a cake, and a pinata to celebrate my birthday.  What an awesome surprise!  I have never had a surprise party before and this was just great :) 

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, but my counterpart had his so I'll be getting those pictures soon and I'll attach the link to my Facebook page so you can see them.  The kids were so excited which made this event so much more enjoyable.  The pinata they picked out was a three foot Cinderella and they said they chose that one because it looked the most like me with light hair and blue eyes hahaha  They crack me up!  Anyway, this was so wonderful and they even sent me home with tons of extra pizza and cake :)

A couple hours before the party, in the middle of testing, I got a text from Frank telling me he was in the hospital in Dario on an IV and not to call him because he couldn't answer.  This freaked me out a bit and I tried calling, but of course he didn't answer.  This made it difficult to enjoy the party because of the mixed emotions and the unknown.  I tried calling other people and couldn't figure out how to get ahold of him so I texted him that I was going to Dario to see him.  I rushed home, packed in a flash, ran up to the bus terminal and got on the next bus headed his way.  I got a little teary eyed waiting for the bus as I kept thinking about him and what could be wrong and felt frustrated not being able to talk to him.  On the bus, one of his sitemates, Max, called me and asked me if I knew what was going on because his other sitemate, Gabe, had called him that morning telling him that he took Frank to the hospital and was worried about him but then Max couldn't get ahold of Frank.  I asked him to send me Gabe's number and I started getting teary eyed again just talking about things... I guess you could say I was a mess.  Not knowing what was going on and not being able to talk to Frank and then having to wait 2 1/2 hours to get there. Ugh!  I called Gabe and he was in Managua because he was leaving for the States but he did tell me he took Frank to the hospital/health center that morning and he wasn't really able to walk around or move him arms and had been really dehydrated so they put him on an IV.  He was still in the hospital when Gabe left.  It was good to hear something, but the news still wasn't comforting.  I called Max again and asked him to go to Frank's house to see if he was there or if his family knew anything.  Max called back 30 minutes later and said he wasn't home, but his family was planning on going to visit him.  Between then, I had called the PC office to get Frank's house number to call someone in his family to tell them I was coming, but the number I called was a family member who was at work, not at home :( 

When I was about half way to Frank's house, Frank finally called me.  He sounded alright, but said that he was exhausted and couldn't really move his arms and was lying down at home.  I told him I was on my way.  I was so relieved to finally hear from him but I was so anxious to see him. 

I finally reached Dario 7 hours after getting the original text message from Frank.  He was lying in bed and looked so sad.  He had gotten a lot of tests done and found out that on top of being dehydrated and having inflamed muscles, he had a bacteria infection and parasites.  Not fun. 

Needless to say, the sad little puppy dog look on his face convinced me to stay through the weekend.  I took care of my man and I think I should be well on my way to becoming a certified nurse ;)  Frank was feeling much better when I left today but was still taking his medicine to get rid of the bacteria and parasites.  Apparently there are a lot of these things going around right now.  Hope he gets back to feeling 100% soon!

So, this past week has been a whirlwind of events.  I don't know where July went, but I know there wasn't much school.  I'll be starting off August with a trip to the health center tomorrow because I have some, what I think is, swollen lymph nodes, which could be caused by an infection and/or stress.  I certainly have had enough stress this week so let's just hope it's that :) 

And a party unfolds...

I started decorating for Jasser’s birthday the night before his actual birthday and then Ruth told me we should talk to her mom about buying some food and drinks, and then later she suggested a cake.  What a novel idea for a birthday party haha  Anyway, as the decorating continued, the plans started rolling in slowly but surely.  Jasser came home Friday night (his birthday was Saturday) so he got to see the decorations I put up and he was definitely surprised. 

Since Jasser is my buddy here, I took him out to ice cream that night to celebrate a little early.  There was a concert in the park so we stayed awhile and listened, sang, and danced :)

The next day (his actual birthday) was a slow day as plans were sort of up in the air lingering just waiting to pulled down and put in place.  For me, being a planner and needing to know what’s going on, this was difficult, but I was patient.  Ruth’s husband Diner, and his family came from Granada to stay for the weekend and celebrate Jasser’s birthday.  It was nice to everyone in the house, but a little crazy too. 

Things finally started coming together in the evening as the food was cooking and wonderful smells began to fill the house.  The cake arrived and man do they love their cakes.

Jasser invited some friends over and we all hung out for awhile.  They also hired some people to come play the marimba (a traditional instrument like the xylophone that has a traditional dance as well—very popular in Masaya, so it was familiar to me).  We danced, sang, ate cake, and smashed some cake in Jasser’s face. 

After the party was wrapping up at the house, Jasser, some of his friends, and I went out to a club in Boaco and danced the night away.

I talked the bouncer into giving Jasser a free ticket into the club because it was his birthday :)

When we came home around 1am, we were a little hungry so we snacked on some leftover cake—there was a lot of cake left, but we managed to finish what was left in the Tupperware dish :)

Although I had quite a fun-filled weekend, the highlight for me was chatting with Frank last night.  I missed my man.  He even called me on Skype so we could see each other :)  He had been sick and didn’t have a great weekend so it was nice to talk to him and make him laugh.  I was being pretty silly so he took some snapshots of me.

I was doing the horse face/sound

Me with a mustache and beard.

Fiestas Patronales (Saints’ Festivals)

Each town in Nicaragua has its own fiestas patronales—a couple days, sometimes weeks, where they celebrated a certain saint.  They use this time to party it up cowboy style by having rodeos, horse parades, beer guzzling in the streets, and dancing to very loud music.  They also celebrate the saint somewhere in the middle of all that craziness.  There are usually a couple processions in there with elaborate displays for the saint.

Well, after our long journey from Granada (it took unusually longer this time for some reason), we arrived in Boaco and got into our cowboy gear to go watch the hipico (horse parade). 

That's right, I'm a cowgirl now :)

Jorge (friend), Hazzell, Jasser, me, and Frank

Me with some PCVs in Boaco (Jon lives in El Paraiso, Liz in Boaco with me, and Rita in Camoapa)

Sisters :)

Tiny little boy on a horse

This is one of the saint's celebration.  It's hard to see because of all the fireworks they were setting off

Frank & I trying to eat healthy and simple :)

We played crib too--this was one of my hands :)

Next came the feria (fair/festival) in the central park to increase tourism and celebrate Boaco (and the central region of Nicaragua as a whole).  It was actually really cool—I enjoyed it and bought a couple souvenirs :)

Wine tasting?

There’s plans to go to the rodeo this weekend, but it’s also Jasser’s birthday today so we’re working out the details…Hope we can give him a good party since he always works so hard to make good parties for others!  I decorated the house for him and I’ll post pics on my next blog entry about his birthday. 

Basically, it’s party central in Boaco the whole month of July.  I’ve only been to class one day this month.  Yikes!  Then, my birthday is in August—don’t worry I’m not taking off from school just to celebrate my birthday hehehe

Well, party on dudes! ;)

Busy

Ok, so it wasn't that I was necessarily unmotivated today...BUT, no "real" blog entry again, sorry!  The day was HOT HOT HOT so I moved SLOW SLOW SLOW! haha  There are some festivals going on in Boaco right now so of course no school and party party party in the park :)  More details to follow...

Lacking energy

I'm currently lacking energy (mostly motivation) to write a blog today. So, sorry blog followers, you must wait til tomorrow.  Hope I find some motivation then!  I did clean my room today and scrubbed my shower curtain so this day wasn't a total waste haha

MIA

Sorry I've been a little MIA lately...I left for a training and got sick during that so I've been slowing recovering.  Not quite sure exactly what I had, but it was something stomach/intestines related.  I had nausea, felt really hot at one point, then really cold, was bloated, couldn't eat much, had very little energy, and wanted to cry.  Well, let's be honest, I did cry.  Poor Frank had to take care of me since I was at his place before heading off for my training.  I took some tests, but the doctors didn't know exactly what was the diagnosis.  I didn't have diarrhea, but I'm not sure if that was a good thing or not because it didn't feel good all trapped inside me either.  The doctors gave me some probiotics and I felt a little better, but then the next day I was back to feeling miserable and not being able to eat much.  Then they gave me some other medicine to try to get things going again but I wasn't sure that was helping.  I decided today to not take my medicine and see how I felt since I had been able to eat a little more.  I'm glad I made that decision because I feel so much better.  Last night I had taken some medicine and I felt that it did more harm than good, so today's experiment was a successful one.  I ate A LOT of food and I felt great!  Since I'm here in Granada, I had super yummy blueberry french toast for breakfast--3 big slices of homemade bread! I also ate a cup of fresh fruit and drank tea :)  For lunch I split a panini with Frank and ate hummus with pita bread, olives, onions, tomatoes, and cheese.  This is why we come to Granada--to get the good stuff :)  Glad I could actually eat it!

Another reason for coming to Granada: to see my sister and my little nephew!

He's 4 months old now and 20 lbs, 4 oz!!

Dylan, me, Ruth

A little update about what else has been going on besides being sick, which the PC doctors reminded me that I get sick a lot, or have stomach problems a lot.  I wouldn't say A LOT, maybe every other month.  It's to be expected living in a 3rd world country, right?  Anyway, the weather is pretty rainy, but still warm.  However, in Esteli where we had our training, it was FREEZING!  I mean 68 degrees freezing!  Yes, that is FREEZING here in Nicaragua ;)  I'm gonna be a baby when I go back home after my service, yikes!  Well, it's not cold in Granada, but with the rain comes humidity and my hair has been crazy frizzy for awhile now, but I haven't brought myself to dump globs of gel in my hair, just cuz the Nicas do hehe  I'll try to make myself look presentable for school though.  

Our training went well--it was just us in the TEFL sector and our counterpart teachers.  Mine couldn't make it, but I had a good time seeing everybody else and meeting our new boss.  Our boss is leaving next month because her 2 year tour is over and she's getting married back in the States.  I'm excited to work with this new guy--he seems really cool.  Anyway, it was kinda unfortunate that I was sick during the training for couple reasons.  First, and probably most importantly, I missed out on a bunch of FREE food :(  Peace Corps puts us up in hotels for these trainings and all our meals are included, which means so buying food or making our own stuff.  Second, I missed out on some good hang out time with friends since I was zonked out in my bed.  Third, I missed some good sessions and learning opportunities.  It would have been nice if my counterpart had been there to catch some too, but that's a whole other story.  Oh well.  Now, I'm looking forward to a few more days off of school and being able to eat and feel normal :)  Our town's festivals are this weekend (and next) so get ready for some cowboy pictures coming up soon!  Well, ya'll come back now ya here?!

Quote of the day

I was reading a good book today and this quote caught my attention.  I think it's very relevant for my situation here.

"Sometimes we have to leave home in order to find out what we left there, and why it matters so much."
-Shauna Niequist

I also really liked her ideas on grace.

"If arithmetic is numbers, and if algebra is numbers and letters, then grace is numbers, letters, sounds, and tears, feelings and dreams. Grace is smashing the calculator, and using all the broken buttons and pieces to make a mosaic.
Grace isn't about having a second chance; grace is having so many chances that you could use them through all eternity and never come up empty.  It's when you finally realize that the other shoe isn't going to drop, ever.  It's the moment you feel as precious and handmade as every star, when you feel, finally, at home for the very first time.
Grace is when you finally stop keeping score and when you realize that God never was, that his game is a different one entirely.  Grace is when the silence is so complete that you can hear your own heartbeat, and right inside your ribs, God's beating heart, too."
-Shauna Niequist

Side saddle on a motorcycle

I'm amazed at how few accidents there are in Nicaragua (or at least that I don't hear about them) with what would be considered as hundreds of safety violations.  The buses behind full beyond capacity with standing passengers, people hanging out the doors, driving very fast down windy roads, passing on corners and while going up hills...yikes!  That's just the buses.  Then there's crazy taxis--no seat belts--that weave in and out of traffic, split lanes, pass whenever, ignore traffic lights, etc.  And don't get me started on the motorcycles--no helmets, families of four riding together with no protective gear/clothing, riding side saddle...oh wait, I got a story about that. 

I always scoff and/or laugh at the craziness I observe in the transportation here in Nicaragua, but motorcycles are a thing that sorta scares me with how reckless they seem.  I've ridden motorcycles before in the States with my grandpa and uncle, but always with a helmet and long pants/jeans, and usually a jacket.  Well, I took a ride back from my instituto with one of my cp's one time and there was not a spare helmet, but I took the ride anyway...I'm thinking I'm losing my good judgment haha  That was awhile back though and I've turned down my host cousin's many invitations to take me on a joy ride on his motorcycle (especially at night).  However, the other day I walked down to the corner to catch a taxi to the instituto and as I waited there, a motorcycle pulled up and it was one of the teachers from the school.  He asked me if I wanted "un ride", yep that's how they say it :)  I looked down at my skirt, thought for a second, and said, "si".  I had seen girls riding side saddle before on motorcycles and thought it was absolutely crazy, and then I found myself, so hypocritical, riding side saddle in a skirt on the back of a motorcycle.  Yikes!  At least he instructed me to sit with my legs on the left side so I didn't burn them on the exhaust pipe.  Thanks. 

I held onto the back bar, like I had seen all the other glamorous Nica girls do, and clutched his backpack for stability.  I didn't quite feel comfortable enough to wrap my arms around him.  Well, I made it safely to the instituto and he even commented on how I knew how to ride a motorcycle as I leaned with him on the curves and such.  I didn't tell him that I was terrified of slipping off, so I just smiled and said, yeah, I've ridden motorcycle with my grandpa and uncle in the states.  I bet I sounded so cool ;) 

P.S. I hope you have picked up on my sarcasm.  Sometimes it's hard to tell in writing...

Porch Sitting

Our new small business volunteers arrived today--we have one in Boaco, Boaco, but the others are in the smaller surrounding towns (4 in total).  It was fun to meet my new sitemate Kelli.  She seems cool and we had a good time walking around Boaco and chatting with some other PCVs in the area.  After showing her around a little, we hung out at Steven's house and sat on the porch for a couple hours as the sun went down, sharing stories and enjoying the nice breeze.  I do miss taking it slow and enjoying these simple moments.  I need to do that more often.

American in Nicaragua

So there weren't any hamburgers and hotdogs at our 4th of July celebration (although we did have hamburgers for lunch at a local restaurant) but a good time was had by all. 

First, we headed up to Esteli and stopped at one of our favorite places right outside of town, La Casita.  It has yummy homemade wheat bread, delicious cheeses (brie, swiss, and a yogurt one), veggies, fresh honey and jams, and a wonderful environment in the beautiful gardens.  We hung out there and waited for everyone to catch up as we snacked on breads, cheeses, teas, and hot chocolates.  They have some fun souvenirs there too.  I bought a neat decorative wooden puzzle.

After our late lunch, we grabbed a cab into town to find our hostel—we had reserved a large “dorm room” for our group of 9.  It’s nice being able to all be together.  We splurged a little on dinner, getting some good drinks and some comfort food—lasagna, cheese burgers and fries, etc.  

Man playing music for us at dinner

This is my friend Sam.  He's from Oregon and is a Ducks fan so I got him an OSU shirt to cover up his Ducks one :)  He was a good sport.

 The next day we casually made our way up to Ocotal, Nueva Segovia (the farthest north I’ve been in Nicaragua.  It’s only about 30 minutes away from the Nicaraguan-Honduran border.  A group of PCVs that live up there organized a party at a local bar that had several tables to set up a night of American fun for us. 

Before the party though, we toured the town and found it to be quite beautiful, with a nicely manicured central park.  

We also checked out some thrift stores as some of the PCVs hadn’t yet gotten their red, white, and blue garb for the party.  As it started to get dark, the flag colors came out and we are met up at the bar to start celebrating the great US of A :)

U.S.A.

After our celebration was over and it was time to go home, Sam and I stayed at Frank’s place because Sunday travel isn’t easy (usually slower and fewer buses).  It happened to be the fiestas patronales in Frank’s town so we got to see the last bit of that before day turned into night.