Sweat!

No, I'm not crying and no, I didn't pour water over my head.  It's SWEAT!  Yes, I've just completed week 6 of my exercise routine and I'm still sweating TONS but feeling better and super motivated.  I said I completed this week because we're leaving early tomorrow morning to go on vacation and I probably won't have time to squeeze in a formal workout, but I have already worked out 5 times this week so I feel great!

I found some workout programs on the internet that are so fun and make me sweat so much, partially because it's about 95 degrees here, but they're also awesome workouts!  If you wanna check them out, go on youtube and type "Tiffany Rothe workouts".  She has a bunch of different ones to choose from.  A lot of them are about 10 minutes long and you can repeat them or mix and match with others to build a 20, 30 or 40 minute work out, whatever you want to do.  I've been enjoying them so far and I found out that she speaks Spanish too and has some videos in Spanish so I did some of those too for fun.  Exercising can be fun and I definitely feel stronger and fitter.

I challenge YOU to get to it.  Go SWEAT!

Volunteerism

Yesterday I found out something neat about the Access teacher (Edwin) whom I work with (who also helps me with my community class).  He was talking to the students about some vocabulary words, one of which was "volunteer".  He shared with the students that he used to not like to work for free because he knew that his time and energy was valuable, but after working with me and knowing that there are approximately 200 PCVs in country, as well as other U.S. organizations that send volunteers, he has "changed [his] views".  As I have mentioned before, he has been volunteering in my community class that I teach in the evenings  (co-teaching with me and helping students) and he told his Access students that he does this because he realized that he wanted to be a part of the students' learning/education and he was excited to help other people and see them improve. 

I was so glad to hear this after writing that other blog post before about what a great help he was and how I was so surprised that he was volunteering to help me without pay when he was so busy with so many other things.  I was impressed by his willingness to volunteer and support me in this.  I hadn't asked him to do it, but I had mentioned it in class and he asked me if he could participate, which was awesome! 

Also, one of our Access students came to the community class Monday night to help out & I was very impressed by her.  She was eager to help the students with the exercises and even taught a part of the class.  She also talked to them about the importance of English and how they need to take responsibility for their own learning--this is our star student (I wish I could take credit for her haha). 

Anyway, I was happy to hear what Edwin had to share in class and it made me realize that just my job of being a volunteer really means a lot.  

Sick baby swimming

**Warning to those who have weak stomachs**

Today was quite boring in the morning.  My counterparts were both out of school so I didn't have class, but being at home wasn't much fun either because the power went out and we didn't have any water!  Double ugh!  I remember about this time last year when we were lacking water and it is not fun.  Well, this afternoon, Ruth suggested that we go to the hot springs place that has pools with warm water and we finally convinced my host mom to go after getting our cousin to agree to take us in his taxi.  Well, right before the cousin showed up, Dyland had a little diaper explosion that smelled real bad, and then he threw up his lunch.  Apparently Ruth gave him too much food, which really doesn't surprise me--have you noticed how big that child is?!  Well, we still decided to go even though Dyland looked a little weary.  He sat on my lap and was pretty sleepy the whole ride.  Ruth had him because he got a little fussy and he threw up a little more.  Bummer.  We continued on to the hot springs and got all ready. 

Dyland looked excited to see water and was eager to get in.  I took him around in the pool a little and then Ruth joined in too.  He was completely fine in the pool and flapped his arms around slapping the water.  It was pretty cute.  After we had played for about an hour and a half or so, they took him out to change him and my host mom sat with him and gave him a bottle of milk--mistake!  He pretty much drank it all, then pretty much threw it all up--not all of it though, he saved the rest for the car ride home.  Yep, more throwing up in the car, a lot of throwing up in the car.  Thankfully for our cousin, he just threw up all over Ruth and we had a large towel from swimming to catch the rest.  I did not get any of the shrapnel, but I did help catch some in the towel and clean up as much as I could.  Poor little guy.  Hope he feels better!

We got home and I checked the faucets for water but there wasn't any, and then I remembered the spigot in the kitchen and checked that for water.  YES!  Water!  So we quickly filled up some buckets and then let the rest rise up to the roof to fill our pila.  Hopefully we'll be back to washing hands and dishes like normal by tomorrow :)

Here are some pictures of the little guy enjoying the water in between sick fits.

 

P.S.  I was holding Dyland this evening while Ruth got some things ready and we gave him a bottle of rehydration salts in water and he was really calm and almost fell asleep.  He almost finished the bottle, then he threw it all up on me, then all over the floor next.  It's a good thing it was just water, sugar, and salt, and then also that they have tile floors :)

Perfect Timing

Today I had to leave Frank's, something I really hate doing especially because of the dreaded 3 (or more) hour bus ride.  Well today I decided to leave a little earlier than normal because the buses in the afternoon tend to get a little sporadic.  I hopped on a bus that was heading to Managua and enjoyed the nice breeze and semi-cooler weather as we left the mountains and headed south.  The ride didn't seemed like it was going pretty quickly, but I was caught off guard when I looked at a roadsign to see where we were and realized that we'd be arriving at the Boaco junction in a couple minutes.  It took just about 50 minutes to get there and this trip usually takes an hour and 15 minutes! 

I got off the bus I waited a couple minutes there and hoped that I would be able to catch an earlier bus than anticipated now that I was there about 30 minutes before the one I had hoped to catch.  Well, sure enough, a Boaco bus pulled up and I got on that one.  Unfortunately I didn't get a seat right away like the previous one, but I squeezed through the crowd and a man offered to hold my flowers (that were in a nalgene water bottle) while I put my backpack in the overhead rack. 

Not more than 20 minutes passed by of me holding onto a bar and balancing my bottle of flowers before an older man offered me his seat as he was going to get off soon.  I was very thankful for that and I could also then enjoy the bag of mango strips that I had just bought.  This bus also got us back to Boaco on time and my total trip time was 2 hours and 15 minutes.  This is extremely unusual because of the inconsistent schedule of Boaco buses, especially in the afternoons, and even more on Sundays.

From Boaco to the junction to go north, the bus ride is 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Then once I'm there, I have to wait for a bus going north to Esteli or Matagalpa (both pass through Frank's site) and those pass by about every 15 minutes (lucky for him!).  Then from the junction to Frank's site, it's about an hour and 15 minutes again.  So, if you hit it right and don't have to wait for a bus, you can make it there in 2 1/2 hours.  Getting back to Boaco is usually a little longer because I usually have to wait at the junction for about 30 minutes (and sometimes an hour!).  I usually give myself 3 hours for the trip so today was a miracle.  I called Frank at the junction to tell him I was already there and he was surprised and then I called him when I got home to share the record-breaking news.  Incredible!  I guess I'll have to try catching that bus more often!

Passing the time

Frank is so lucky.  About twice a month or so, this girl cleans his room, his bathroom, sweeps, and even does his laundry!  She's so great!  It's a good thing too because he lets his room get pretty dirty...  This girl is awesome!  She even cleaned the toilet today and washed all of his dirty clothes (even the ones that were just lying around on the floor).  Wow, she is amazing.  Ok, have you found out that "this girl" is me, yet, or should I throw in a couple more sweet adjectives?  So, Frank has been in Managua today for appointments (I hope this is almost over for his sanity and mine) and he promised me he wouldn't have to stay overnight and would be back to Dario tonight.  He's on his way, just late.

When I was on my way over I was thinking, what am I going to do with my time while I'm there.  Well, I did plan to Skype with a friend in the late afternoon so then he would probably get home shortly after that.  Hmmm, when I opened the door to Frank's room and saw a fairly dirty floor, books strewn about, and clothing lying where he must have changed, I knew my time would not be wasted.  I cleaned up the clothes and books, then asked his family for the broom and cleared out all the dust--these tile floors sure get dusty! As I was finishing sweeping, Frank's host mom comes to the door with a small bag of bleach and hands it to me.  She said she'd be back with a toilet brush so I could clean the toilet too, since she has back problems now and can't clean it--wait, his host mom has been cleaning his toilet?  Yeah, she sneaks in and cleans his room when he's gone for the weekend sometimes too.  So, I took the supplies and got to work.  While I was in the bathroom I realized that his dirty clothes basket was almost full.  Really?  Didn't I just wash all your clothes in my laundry machine last weekend??  I decided to take those out and let them soak while I tried taking a short nap in the hammock.

I was startled awake by Skype ringing, but it was too early for my Skype date, so I was confused.  It was another friend whom I had called earlier today and had left her a message.  So, we chatted for about a half an hour which was nice to catch up and then my stomach was growling since a pb&j doesn't quite fill the belly, so I had to get going.  Also, my Skype date was quickly approaching and I realized I still had laundry to do.  I did a couple clothing items and then it was time to chat with my bestie from home--Laura.  I was really excited to see her and her baby who is a little over 2 months old.  So sad I can't be there with them and play, but it sure is nice to have Skype. We got some good chatting in and then it was time for the baby to nap and for me to finish laundry (hand-washing of course).

Frank was not having much luck in Managua between taxis and waiting for people everywhere he went.  Poor guy.  So, he called me at about 5:45pm and told me he finally got on a bus, which means he wouldn't be here until 7:30pm or so.  Yikes!  Well, I had all the laundry done and I was starving again.  I don't know why those two spoonfuls of peanut butter didn't curb my hunger for long.  I had to get something to eat, but I wanted to wait for Frank because I knew he'd be so hungry by the time he got back.  Considering he is not supposed to be eating anything wild right now, only simple foods, I just decided to buy some things from the local eatery instead of whipping up something fancy (since I'm so good at that anyway).  I bought some plates of food so we definitely had something to eat when he finally got home and stored them in the fridge awaiting his arrival.

Oh, I can't wait for Frank to get better and to be able to eat whatever he wants, which means I then can eat anything I want around him and then we'll be so happy again! haha Really I just want him to get better because he's pretty sick and frustrated with it all and who likes to be around a grumpy person all day anyhow?  Ok, I'm just kidding.  I love him, even though sometimes he's a bit whiny, but hey, aren't we all sometimes?  :)

So, I had dinner hot and ready when Frank came home and just look at what he picked up for me in Managua!  What a sweetheart :)

With a little help from my friend

I just got back from my 2nd community night class and it went really well.  The students are catching on quickly and they are doing a good job of getting up and practicing dialogues and such.  I was very impressed.  Also, the teacher who works for the Access program here in Boaco, Edwin, came to my class and co-taught with me.  He really livened things up--he always has so much energy and is so fun to work with.  It kinda made me realize that I was probably putting the students to sleep :(  BUT, it's a good thing he was there because we got to work together and I appreciated the help and I'm sure the students enjoy the different perspectives.  I think it's also great for them to see a Nica speaking English fluently.  He still makes errors and such, but he is confident and so positive.  It's great!  That really brightened my evening and I'm so thankful for him.

Edwin was already talking about plans for Monday so I'm looking forward to working with him more in this class.  I'm surprised he wants to do the class with me because it's completely voluntary and he already works all day teaching elementary students in the morning and high school students in the afternoon (til 6pm), so he's got to be exhausted.  He sure doesn't ever look like it though!  He is only 24 though so maybe that's why.  It's pretty fun having a counterpart teacher my age and he's so open to new things and he's excited to learn.  I'm glad that he teaches me things too and that he's a good friend--where would we be without our friends (and family, of course)?

Money Money Money Money

Apparently the bus fares rose in price this past Saturday, but I just found out today because 1: it's Nicaragua and news often travels slowly and there's a lot of misinformation, and 2: because I haven't been on a bus this week (besides the school bus but that's free for teachers).  Anyway, the ministry of transportation approved a 10% increase, but the bus drivers and their associations took it upon themselves to make that 15%+.  Well, isn't that nice.  I do realize that gas prices are rising as well and that an increase in fares is a fair thing to do, but they are increasing the prices way too much to support clientele.  Buses are cheap here, BUT, if you take them everyday for work, buying food, etc. AND if you have a very lowing pay job (if you have a job), then it gets expensive.  The price that I usually pay to go to Managua is c$30 (approximately $1.30), which is not too bad, but the price was just raised to c$40 (approx. $1.74).  That extra c$10 can buy someone many things that they will now miss out on, such as: a pound of beans/rice, a taxi ride anywhere in town, 3 eggs, 10 tortillas...you get the point.  It seems very small at first, but in reality, that's huge for a family (or a single) here. 

I'm certainly glad I walked to and from school this morning instead of spending c$10 to get there and c$10 to get home.  I didn't even know about the price change this morning though, but I'm sure glad I decided to not be lazy today!  It's unfortunate though because some days I actually have to take a taxi in order to get from one school to the other on time.  Well, I'm going to try my best to walk to and from school when I can and take the free bus if possible (I usually do in the mornings when I have class). 

Can I get you some stamps for that?

I was a little frustrated with the mail lady today.  I'm not sure what happened to the one lady that I like, but this new one is there (with one of the other original ladies) and this new girl is really slow and not terribly smart (I hate to say it).  Anyway, I've had some issues with her before (nothing bad, just frustrating), and today was something that I just had to laugh at.  So Ruth & I were getting ready to go to the market to pick up some things for Dyland and while she was getting him ready I told her I was just going to run to the post office to mail 2 letters, which is 1/2 block away from our house.  I went there and the one older lady was there but on the computer and she doesn't like to be disturbed, so she told me she was coming, but didn't make it before the other girl (new girl) came back.  So, I told her I needed to send my 2 letters to the U.S. and put them on the counter.  She then asked me "2?"  Yes, there are only 2 letters there and they both say USA.  I just smiled and said yes.  She then got out her little receipt book and started writing out a receipt, even though I've told her every time before that I don't need a receipt for c$20 (less than a dollar).  Oh well.  Then she got out the box of stamps which is a disaster in itself and I've often felt led to step behind the desk and organize it.  So, she was looking through the stamps and apparently couldn't find any close to c$10 for each letter, so she gave me 2 c$1 stamps, and then, wait for it, this is the best part, 16 of the c$.50 stamps.  Are you kidding me?  No these aren't your normal smaller stamps, these guys are about double the size of a standard U.S. stamp.  And, of course my letter was in one of those small 3 1/2" x 6 1/2" envelopes.  I just looked at her and said, they won't fit, but she told me that I could just cover the entire envelope.  Um, okay...

I really wish I had taken a picture of the envelope after I put on all 18 stamps on totaling a whopping c$10, which is about 40 cents.  The entire back part of the envelope was covered and just about every centimeter of space on the front except the addresses were covered.  Seriously?  Seriously.  And yes, these are lick on your own stamps, but I only licked the first two before I started dipping them into the little sponge bowl as I shook my head in frustration.

Then came letter #2.  This was even smaller, which the girl noted out loud to me.  So, I took it upon myself to look through the box and point out some c$1.50 stamps that she overlooked before, and she gave me just 4 of those, then 4 more c$1 stamps.  I'm so thankful for our stamp situation in the U.S. and that they can just print you off stamps of any value.  Heck, you can even do it at home.  So next time you're in your post office, please think of me and buy 20 some, 2 cent stamps to send your next letter, just for the heck of it ;) 

First day of class

Do you remember those first days of school?  That nervous, stomach churning feeling?  Unsure of what it might be like, unsure if you'll fit in... Tonight I was nervous for the first class of my adult community class.  I'm not quite sure why I felt so nervous, but I tend to get that way with firsts.  I think it's anxiety--good and bad, anxious (looking forward) for the class to begin, but also feeling anxious (scared) about not knowing anyone.  I called my mom and Frank both for a little pep talk.  I had planned everything for the class and was actually looking forward to it and had talked about the new class with my Access students (and partner teacher) who all want to help out with the class at some point, so I'm not sure why I felt so nervous with so much preparation and support.  But, I guess it's just one of those firsts, one of the unknowns, change perhaps.  I'm a creature of habit, so change is hard. 

Anyway, things went pretty well.  It's always a little slow and quiet to being with but then we got a little more familiar with each other and were able to laugh.  I only knew one of the students--one who helped set up the class and everything--but all of the students knew each other.  I guess that's a good thing, but it totally ruined my "get to know you activity" I had planned for the first 15-20minutes.  Oops!  I didn't know that they were all from a group at their church, but at least they were all comfortable with each other and didn't have too much trouble practicing English pronunciation in front of each other (there were still a few giggles though). 

A few things could have gone better: I started writing in permanent marker on the board (because we had been using markers to make nametags), but quickly dropped that marker and cleaned up the mess (if you write over the permanent marks with a dry-erase pen, then erase, it removed the permanent ink too); then when I was using the dry-erase pens, they didn't want to erase either so I had black smudges all over the board...ugh!  Good thing I brought my water bottle.  So, I used crumpled up pieces of notebook paper and poured some water on them to dampen them, and then cleared off a portion of the board that I wanted to use.  Well, that was annoying, but nothing to cry over.

The students were all really nice and we had some good laughs.  I really enjoyed the first class and I hope that we can continue in this manner.  There were only 8 students tonight because 2 (or 3) of them had to work, but they asked one of the students to ask me if they could still come Thursday.  Hope they do :)

Alright, well now that it's already 9pm and I feel pretty exhausted, I gotta get some sleep because tomorrow is my early day.  Oh, there just went my alarm to tell me to get to bed--yes, I set an alarm to tell me to go to bed.  I'm that "organized".  You were probably thinking of different word, but I'm just going to stay positive and say it's a good quality ;) 

Finally!

I finally got a nice weekend with my man!  He had an appointment in Managua Thursday and was able to make it to my place that night and my class was canceled Friday morning so we got a lot of time to hang out and just be together.  We exercised and he taught me this circuit sort of thing with a deck of cards that you assign a different exercise to each suit (so 4 different exercises) and you draw one card at a time, and whatever the number, that's how many "reps" you do of the exercise that matches the suit.  Then jacks are supposed to be a 2 minute rest.  It as pretty fun, but Frank hasn't been working out in awhile since he's been sick, but since I'm a month in on my exercise regime, I was able to keep going.  Poor guy.  He's lost about 5 or so more pounds just from being sick and on meds.  He's on a strict diet right now so they can figure out what he might have been allergic to.  Good news though, his rash is completely gone and his sinuses are doing better.  He has another check up for his sinuses this week because they weren't able to fit it in this past week, so hopefully he can get that cleared up quickly.  I miss healthy Frank haha  This way of life does so serious work on your body.  Thankfully, I haven't been sick in awhile and I was able to take care of Frank.  He tested my patience, but I had to sympathize with him since he has been sick for so long and it's just wearing him down. 

We did get to enjoy our weekend together though.  We cooked some delicious meals with veggies, chicken, rice, and beans (pretty much all he can eat) and then oatmeal for breakfast every day.  I snuck in a yogurt here and there and maybe a piece of chocolate or two, but for the most part I stayed to his diet even though all of my other delicious food on my shelf was calling my name.  It's crazy what your body does to you when you "can't" eat certain things.  We both craved pizza and ice cream (not that we eat these very often anyway--ok I eat ice cream occasionally...), but we couldn't even look at the signs when we walked by the shops because we knew we'd fall into the temptation. 

I bought a little bag of popcorn and we shared that but we figured that was ok to eat because Frank had been eating corn tortillas.  That was a nice little treat.  I didn't suffer too much, but I was just bummed because I wanted to make all these special things for him, but we stuck to the basics.  It will just make the next time even more special I guess.

To keep ourselves busy and not thinking about food too much, we played some card games--found a new one for us, "Spite and Malice".  It was pretty fun--seems kinda confusing to set up, but once you get going, it's pretty interesting and competitive (something we both love).  Also, we played Speed this morning.  Frank taught me how to weave baskets with newspaper--something a Nica recycling organization taught the environment PCVs.  I'm not sure why we don't get any of those trainings just because we're English PCVs.  There's still environment units in our high school curriculum and we're leaders in our community.  I've been collecting plastic for a bottle classroom project that some other PCVs are doing up north and I've been having my family save their plastic (and bottles) too in order to help and teach them about waste and recycling/reusing. 

This weekend was very much needed and very much appreciated.  It was so nice to be with Frank and not have to worry about classes, planning things, etc.  It's hard being in a relationship here because there are so many other demands AND the 2 1/2-3 1/2 hour bus ride separating us doesn't make it any easier.  It's hard to believe that we've been together almost a year, but then at the same time, it feels so right.  We've been through a lot together (and apart), and there have been many challenges for us as a couple and as individuals.  This experience being here in Nicaragua has helped us to grow, open our eyes, and appreciate different things, and we've helped each other become better versions of ourselves.  Sorry if this post is a little too mushy gushy love stuff, but it's my blog so I can write what I want haha  Hope you enjoyed! ;)

!Fiesta!

Dyland's birthday party was Sunday afternoon and I'm still recovering.  It was pretty exhausting with all the kids running around and I was helping take food, drinks, etc. out to the guests and bringing things back into the kitchen.  I like to do things like that and keep busy.

There were about 20 kids and then their moms so quite a lot of people.  We had a pinata, musical chairs, photo slideshow of Dyland, cake, ice cream, dinner, & drinks.  It was quite an event!  Jasser went a little overboard as always, including the party favors.  He bought so many things for the kids and even gave them each a bag of candies on top of what they scored from the very full pinata.  He always wants things to look really nice & for people to feel that they went to a great party.  I was just happy I got to eat some ice cream :) 

Dyland looked pretty confused and in a daze pretty much the whole party, but he was enjoying all the balloons floating around.  He even popped a couple while trying to bite them, but didn't cry or anything.  It wasn't until after the party, after a nap (while we were all cleaning), that he decided to smile and laugh.  I think the party was just a little too overwhelming for him.  It was neat to see all the other little ones though and he did interact a little. 

Here's the birthday boy before the party--happy with his balloon :)

Here's the birthday boy during the party--a little confused and overwhelmed...

Dog pinata & some decorations

Decorations

Jasser actually reused this "sign" from Dyland's gift sleigh from the baptism (he cut it out and put stickers on it for the birthday party--good reusing of materials!)

Yummy cake!

All his presents

These are some girls that were in my English class for kids--they're sisters (but not twins)

A little cousin--so sweet :)

Ruth & me

Dyland meeting other little ones

I love this one.  Dyland is fascinated with the TV (a little too much), but it was so cute that he was watching his own slideshow of pics haha

Meeting his pinata friend

They tried to get him to hit it but he wasn't having it

This little boy wanted in on the action though!

Candy in her pockets from the pinata...

Ice cream time

I think he was a little overwhelmed

Looks a little confused.  This is right before his foot went in the cake...

Happy after everybody is gone and he had a nap

Metal glasses for a one year old??

He did look pretty cute though :)

I got him this Winnie the Pooh :)

And the beach ball.  He was pretty content with these toys :)

Change of Plans

I've been really craving Mexican food lately--Nica food is not even close to Mexican food (besides the rice and beans).  So, I decided I was going to make enchiladas (with the sauce my parents brought me), guacamole, and pico de gallo salsa.  Frank was supposed to be coming over this weekend so I was really looking forward to making him a delicious dinner (and mojitos for drinks and a mango dessert), but unfortunately, he had to go to Managua again because of his latest skin rash reappearing.  Bummer!  I was really sad not to be able to hang out with Frank and, I had already bought all the supplies for our delicious dinner :(  When he first called me, he told me he had to go to Managua (yesterday) for an appointment but he would come here today.  Well, another bummer...  He called me and the doctor apparently told him he has to stay until Monday.  Ugh!  Also, it's Dyland's birthday today, so we're getting things ready for the party tomorrow so I couldn't go visit him in Managua.  Definitely NOT the weekend I was expecting.  It's hard only seeing Frank on weekends, but then when other things happen and we don't get to see each other, it makes it even harder.  Wow! We don't live that far away from each other (2 1/2-3 hours by buses), but it really is like a long distance relationship and it's hard.  It especially sucks when my host family asks me why I'm here and Frank isn't, or why I'm not going to Dario to visit him.  Ugh.  I don't too well when all plans are pulled out from under me and I have to start from scratch with nothing.  I like to plan ahead and I like to do things fun for people and I get super excited about it.  I'd been planning this special Mexican dinner & such for Frank & me for about 2 weeks and then wham bam! it's all gone.  I know, I know, we can do it another time.  But, it's the fact that I had it in my mind that I was going to see my special someone and do something special for him and we were going to be together for the weekend and celebrate Dyland's birthday, and on and on and on...

Well, I thought I was learning to just go with what happens and figure it out from there, but this one suckered punched me and left me lying on the floor for awhile.

I did end up making guacamole and salsa today, which turned into a delicious layered dip where I added refried beans, grated cheese, and a makeshift sour cream.  It's just not as fun to sit there and eat a party food by yourself though.  I shared some with my host family because they love my famous "guacamole mexicana".  I'm glad I can share things with them and make them happy :)  They even want me to make guacamole for the party tomorrow.  We'll see...that's a pretty big undertaking, but I think I can do it.  I hope the others like it as much as my family does.  Nicas make something called guacamol (without the "e" sound), where they just chop up avocado and hardboiled eggs and mix it up.  For some reason that mix just doesn't gel with me and I'm not a big fan of it.  Glad I knew how to make guacamole!

Anyway, Frank is off in Managua chillin' in a hotel room for the weekend in the AC with internet, TV, and hot showers, but I'm sure it's not as glamorous as it sounds.  He hasn't been using the hot water because of the rash, but the AC does help him cool down--the rash gets worse in the heat which is a major bummer as we enter into the hot/dry season here.  I really hope he gets better soon, because he's just a sad little puppy when he's sick and I really miss him :(

Dyland is 1 today :)

Karaoke Party

Today we finally had our karaoke party after a few interruptions (class canceled, I was sick, miscommunication), but it turned out great & I think the students benefited from the extra practice.  They seemed pretty well rehearsed and we all had a great time.  Something that the Access teacher and I share is a love for music and singing so a karaoke party was a given ;)

Here is one of the songs which I thought was pretty cute.  To watch the video, you might need to press "pause" once it has started and then wait for it to load--you'll see a gray bar moving to the right.  Or, if your internet is much faster than mine (which it most likely is) you might not have to wait at all.  *Something to not take for granted, right?  ;)   Also, you can expand the video screen by clicking on the bracket symbol in the bottom right part of the video box.

We had about 10 different songs sung in groups from 2 to 7 students, then the last song all the students sang together.  It's a Portuguese song that's really popular here right now, but they sang the English version, then snuck in the Portuguese one at the end.   It wouldn't let me load that video though, so just one for today.  Also, since the teacher was using my camera to do videos, there are no pictures, but I do have some good videos :)

It's all about the ladies today...

Yes, it's International Women's Day so hug a lady & buy her some flowers--hint to Frank ;)  haha 

The kids at school all said "felicidades" to the female teachers (and even the girl students), but they were asking me how to say that in English.  It means "congratulations", but that isn't quite fitting, so I told them to say "Happy Day" or "Happy Women's Day".  It just seemed odd to say congratulations, I don't know...

Anyway, we had a little party for the women and ate ice cream and played music.  It was nice.  They also gave out little pink ribbons for all the ladies to wear.  It's funny because I don't remember ever celebrating Women's Day in the U.S., but I think it should be more popular :)

Healthy

Too many times I challenge myself to go bigger and better every day or set unrealistic or very high expectations and my workouts seem to taper off within a month.  When I started my new “exercise log”, I wrote down: “at least 30 minutes of exercise” as a requirement for me to be able to put an X on the day for a workout.  Things have been going well so far.  I’m in my third week and I’ve done 3 or more workouts of at least 30 minutes, each week.  I’m feeling much better and I’m not letting myself cheat out of workouts but I’m also doing what my body can handle and working out when I can.  Some days are just a little too packed to get in a good workout and that’s ok.  I’ve been playing a lot with Dyland lately, so that’s been keeping me active, especially now that he can walk by himself and wants to grab everything in sight.  I almost tried to count playing with Dyland as my workout one day since it was probably about an hour and I did sweat, and also one day when I walked home from the instituto (25-30 minutes up & down hills) but I told myself that wasn’t fair and if I counted it that time, I would slack off and just use those as an excuse to avoid focused exercise (using the elliptical, ab machine, jumping jacks, pilates dvd, etc.)

I surprised myself with holding myself accountable and I’m glad I’ve been following through.  Some days I’ve had to wait until the late afternoon to work out, but actually that’s been almost better since it cools down and my evenings are a little less crazy.  I will probably be starting an evening English class for adults soon though so that might have to change.  I would like to get workouts done earlier in the day to get them over with and not procrastinate later, but getting up at 5:45am to get ready for school and catch the 6:30am bus is early enough.  There’s no way I’m getting up any earlier than that!  And, most of my classes go until noon, so I guess I’ll just have to be doing afternoon workouts.  It does make me sweat more which good I guess :)  As long as I’m doing the exercise and I feel better (and healthier), then I’m ok with that.  

I do notice a change in my self-esteem and my overall view on exercise decisions.  For a short time, I was starting to feel pretty lazy and unmotivated.  It's still difficult to wake up super early for school (yes, 5:45am is super early--don't argue with me;) ...), but I'm not feeling lazy.  In fact, I feel like Wonder Woman at times since my host family thinks I'm amazing to be able to do these workouts since I'm sweating haha  Today my host mom walked by while I was on their elliptical machine from the 80's and said "ni quiera Dios", which is a common phrase used by Nicas to say "no way!" but literally means "not even God would want it".  I thought this was funny so I asked her why, and she said because it would make her tired. Ha!  I wanted to say the Nica equivalent to "duh", but I held my tongue and just chuckled.  I told her before that I didn't start out doing 45 minutes, or even 30 minutes, on the elliptical, but I started out with something shorter that I could do at that time and I've been slowly working my way up (and lowering it back down) to fit my feel for the day, yet still be a challenge.  She just doesn't want to do it, but I totally understand--I was right there a month ago!  For me, it just feels nice to sweat from a good workout and feel fit, instead of sweating profusely after my weekly trip to the grocery store :/ 

Well, that's all I gotta say for right now.  I hope I can keep it going and not let the excuses and laziness pull me down.  Here's to being (and staying) healthy!

P.S.  I drink TONS of water--something Nicaraguans do NOT do, which has gotta be bad since it's so hot here.  Many people during the hot part of the day say that they feel lightheaded and blame their blood pressure dropping.  Personally, I think they just need to drink more water and stay hydrated.  It also keeps you from snacking frequently throughout the day (which I LOVE to do hehehe).

Managua

I don't like traveling to Managua so I'm glad it's not too frequent of a trip for me.  It's just hot, dirty, and can be very dangerous.  I usually don't feel much danger on my visits because I go straight from the bus terminal to the office or another safe location (via safe taxi).  However, for many Nicaraguans, traveling in Managua is a safety risk.  You would think that the main targets would be gringos/backpackers/tourists, but because there usually aren't many of those walking around Managua, robbers target Nicaraguans.  My host brother, Jasser has been the victim of a few crimes.  After getting off a bus once in Managua, he was held up at knife-point and his pockets were emptied.  They took away his cell phone (which was probably valued at $30 or less?) and about c$200 (less than $10).  Just today, it was a little more extreme, when he and another girl were held up at gunpoint, losing another cell phone and pocket money.  I can't imagine how I would feel with a gun pointed at me, but I'm sure thankful that he's alright.  It's easy to get worried and never want to travel to "places like these" because of the potential danger, but things like this can happen in any country, in any big city really (or even smaller ones for that matter). 

Peace Corps does a really great job making sure that we have safe alternatives to the dangerous public transportation and I'm very thankful for that.  I try to travel with other PCVs whenever possible and take as little risks as possible involving my personal safety--not including the time I held the snake at the circus.  But in all seriousness, I generally feel safe living here and I do not encounter danger daily as some people do, thank God.  I think that experiences like these help us to realize that we need to be more proactive about our safety when traveling and not let our guard down.  It's not to say that we can't have fun and visit friends in other places, but it's important to take warnings seriously and take preventative action to avoid risky situations. 

I usually don't worry very much about my safety on a daily basis, but having my family here visiting certainly made me more aware of all the potential risks.  I remember feeling at times like I was herding my little ducklings around and being extra cautious about which streets we walked down and what time we were visiting certain places.  Whereas, when I'm with Frank, or some other PCVs, I don't worry so much, but I guess that's also because I know they're accustomed to Nicaragua and know what's going on in the different areas. 

I hope I didn't scare anyone too bad with this post, but it's just something to be aware of when you're traveling to an unfamiliar place.  Although we would like to believe that everyone is friendly and helpful, there are bad people out there that like to take advantage of others.  Fortunately though, many of the experiences that I've heard of in Managua involving guns and/or knives, the weapons were just used to scare and distract the people, and not actually used to harm anyone.  

Weekend Happenings

Frank and I did our own things the other weekend, but this past weekend we got to spend some time together which was nice :)  It was his host mom's birthday so I went over there to visit.  I got there Friday and then things changed a bit.  We found out that we needed to go to Managua for Frank to get a check up on his current medical situation--he has a rash from something (allergy or touched a plant--who knows?).  Anyway, so since it was late, we had to stay in Managua.  I wasn't too excited about hopping onto another bus to head into Managua just after arriving in Dario, but the AC and hot shower really made up for that ;)  Frank got some new medicine to add to the pile (still finishing up meds from his sinus infection--he's been a sick boy lately!), picked up his new glasses (since he lost his old ones), and then we headed back to Dario.

We finally just got to hang out a little and have some downtime, which I enjoyed.  Then, a little later, the family had a Purisima in the house, celebrating the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary.  Usually these things are in late November/early December, but apparently you are allowed to have them until Easter.  And, maybe because it was her birthday they were celebrating together?  I'm not sure, it was a little confusing, but we attended the "service", socialized after, and ate some yummy food :) 

I had made some brownies for Frank's host mom's birthday but I decided to give them to her the next day since there were about 50 or so people at the get together and I certainly did not make 50 brownies in my little "easy-bake" oven as my mom (real mom) likes to call it.

Even though Frank is still a little sick and trying to recover from his reaction, we still had a great time hanging out and I'm looking forward to seeing his this weekend in Boaco--it's been so long since he's been here for a weekend since he's been so sick.  And, it's Dyland's birthday this weekend so that should be fun.  Hope Frank feels better by then :)

Yesterday on my way home, which is always a little unpredictable trying to catch a bus back to Boaco on Sundays, I had to wait for a little over an hour at the bus stop in between mine & Frank's places, because the Boaco buses weren't leaving Managua on time.  I almost considered going back to Frank's since his buses pass by every 15 minutes.  How disappointing is that, seeing one of those pass by so frequently, and stepping up to the curb in hopes of a Boaco bus following it, but it's not there?  Ugh!  Well, one finally came and I pushed my way on.  But then I found out that there wasn't going to be any classes today because they're observing the 117th anniversary of Boaco (yes, I was right with the number).  So, no classes on Friday (they had a parade and then went to the circus) and no classes today (Monday).  Kinda silly I think.  Well, I still had to come back to Boaco because I had my Access class and we were going to have our Karaoke party, which had been canceled last Friday since the events taking place.  However, I woke up feeling not so good and had to call in sick :(  I was really looking forward to the Karaoke and felt bad about disappointing the students, but I was definitely not feeling well.  So, I'm here at the house trying to relax and take it easy.  I think I'll be fine, I was just really hot last night and this morning so I felt a little blah.  I'm feeling better already.