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.

10 Months! WHAT?!

Happy 10 months to me!  Crazy how these months fly by so quickly!  Here's to a happy July :)  I'm off this weekend to celebrate the 4th of July with other Americans (Peace Corps volunteers).  Can't wait!  Hope there's hamburgers and hotdogs...