Will you be my Valentine?

I visited Frank over the weekend to celebrate Valentine’s Day early since we have classes this week (yes, school finally started).  It was a nice little weekend visit before getting back in the grind…

We went to one of our favorite places up near Esteli for brunch on Saturday called “La Casita” where they make fresh wheat bread, delicious yogurts, cheeses, jams, teas, honey, hummus, and other yummies.  Everything is fairly inexpensive so we like to get a lot of small things and have a picnic.  It’s a really beautiful place with lots of plants and flowers where you can walk around and enjoy nature.   Then there’s the outdoor “dining area” with table and benches made from slabs of wood.  It’s really a neat place to visit—wish it was closer to us, but then again, maybe it would lose its “specialness” if that was the case.

After our brunch, we took the bus back to Frank’s site and bought some things to make a delicious dinner later.  I helped him with dinner (even though he was going to surprise me haha) and we made grilled chicken (his family had this thing to make grilled chicken, go figure), garlic mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli (they had a steamer too), and caramelized onions.  It was all very delicious.  To top it off, while I was putting together some things in the kitchen, Frank set up a table and chairs in his room, lit some candles, and put on some romantic music for our dinner.  So sweet :) 

This is "Peace Corps romantic" ;)

Ready to eat a delicious meal with my honey :)

Today, the actual Valentine's day, I celebrated with my ACCESS English class.  Yesterday I went to class to give them instructions on how to make an envelope to put on their desk and to make little Valentine's cards for everyone in class.  I told them they could bring treats too.

Well, they did well with the treats.  I got them started with making envelopes first so the glue could dry and they were so excited to use my special paper that Frank's grandparents gave me for Christmas--it was construction paper but some had glitter in the pages and some had a marble effect.  They are really neat and the students thought they were awesome too since they had never seen anything like those before.  I don't want to say that they were fighting over the paper, but they were pretty excited haha  Thankfully there was plenty to go around :)

Then the teacher had someone deliver these little heart shaped cakes covered in chocolate for all the students and me.  It was so nice.  Also, one of the students had her mom bring ice cream and another brought coca cola.  It turned into quite a party.  Nicas really do know how to party :)  Since we had cups of ice cream as well as cups of soda, I of course had to teach my students what a float was and poured my soda into the cup of ice cream.  They laughed, but tried it anyway—some were a little hesitant at first, but they loved it. 

Teacher Edwin--he's very enthusiastic and I enjoy working with him

Yummy treats :)

My envelope

Some Valentine's cards I received :)

 

Ok, and last, but not least... Peace Corps sent out a funny list of reasons why you should date a Peace Corps volunteer which I thought were definitely share worthy (I didn't write these, but I wish I had):

12 reasons to date a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer:

1. We can woo you in multiple languages. Who else is going to whisper sweet nothings to you in everything from Albanian to Hausa to Quechua to Xhosa? That’s right. Only a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.
2. We’re pretty good dancers. Yeah, we don’t like to brag, but after 27 months in Latin America or Africa we know how to move it.
3. We’ll eat anything. Seriously. No matter how bad your cooking, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers have had worse and will eat it with nary a blink. Sheep’s eyeball? Water buffalo gall bladder? Grasshoppers? Bush rat? Bring it.
4. We know all about safe sex, thanks to our very thorough Peace Corps health training. In fact, there’s a chance that we’ve stood unblushingly in front of hundreds of villagers and demonstrated good condom technique with a large wooden phallus.
5. We’ll kill spiders for you. Well, actually, we’ll nonchalantly scoop them up and put them out of sight.  Same goes for mice, geckos, frogs, snakes. Critters don’t faze Returned Volunteers.
6. We have great date ideas: wandering a street market, checking out a foreign film, taking in a world music concert, volunteering…. Romantic getaway? Our passport is updated and our suitcase is packed. With us, life is always an adventure.
7. We like you for “you”… not your paycheck. Especially if we are freshly back from service, a local joint with “character” will win out over a pretentious eatery.  Living in a group house? No problem. Does it have running hot water? What luxury!
8. You won’t get lost when you’re with a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. Navigating local markets on four continents, we’ve honed an uncanny sense of direction. Or else we’ll ask for directions. We’re not afraid to talk to “strangers.”
9. Waiting for a late train or bus? Don’t worry, we’ve been there, done that. We can share lots of funny stories about “the bus ride from hell” that will make the time go quickly and put it all into perspective.
10. Our low-maintenance fashion style. Returned Peace Corps Volunteer guys are secure in their manhood and don’t mind rocking a sarong. Women often prefer flip flops to high heels. We don’t spend hours in front of a mirror getting ready to go out.
11. Marry us, and you won’t just get one family — you’ll get two! When we refer to our “brother” or “mom,” you’ll want to be certain we’re talking about our American one or our Peace Corps one. You might even get two wedding ceremonies, one in the U.S. and one back in our Peace Corps country.
12. And last but not least, we aren’t afraid to get dirty.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!!!   

Share the L♥VE :)

First Day of School

Today I got up early (6am) to get ready for the "first day of school" which basically just means a welcome and performances (no actual classes).  Well the school bus normally is at the corner around 6:45am and leaves at 7am to the school (on normal school days) so I got there around 6:45am.  It was there, but we didn't leave until 7:15am.  I found out then that the acto (event) wasn't going to begin until 8am.  Hmmm, so I sat and read my book for awhile and greeted teachers and students as they passed.  It was rainy and all the students and parents hovered together underneath the overhangs by the classrooms waiting for the acto to begin.  I saw one of my counterparts and he told me that he heard the acto wasn't going to start until 9am.  Yikes! He said, "remember, this is Nicaragua".  Funny--his words, not mine :) 

Anyway, the acto started around 8:30am with a Catholic priest welcoming everyone and opening in prayer.  Well, this turned into an hour long mass.  They sang songs, prayed, passed the collection plates, and lit candles.  No separation of church and state here (this is the main public high school in Boaco).  After the priest left, they announced the teachers' names and forgot Kelli (other PCV) and me... Then they announced a dance performance.  I had to leave because I was supposed to be at my other school around 9:30am before the students left at 9:45am to give them some instructions for tomorrow's class.  I stood out on the corner on the highway and a few taxis passed by completely full and then one finally picked me up and another guy.  He drove all around town before taking me to the school, so I felt really bad making all the students wait.  Oh well.  I showed them an example Valentine's Day envelope and a valentine in English and announced that we were going to have a Valentine's Day party tomorrow :)  I had talked to the teacher about this idea and we got excited so we went with it.  I'm looking forward to it!

So I was texting Kelli later and found out that they eventually announced our names at the acto around 10:30am.  Well, I was long gone by then.  Oops!  I couldn't have stayed though--I remember last year's went til noon...

"Welcome to the 2012 school year--Education is not only a right, but a responsibility"

Students and some parents waiting

Teachers

Something Sweet

I was in Managua this past week giving a charla to the new group of trainees--this group is the new health group.  Why you might ask am I, an English PCV, giving a charla (training session) to health PCVs?  Well, it wasn't exactly an official "charla" per say, but more of a chat session.  I'm part of the Peer Support Network (PSN) in Peace Corps and we give charlas to all the groups on various topics, such as the one I did on "coping with stress".  Training is stressful because it encompasses a myriad of things from culture issues, body reacting weirdly to new and different foods/climate (aka health issues), language learning, working with people you don't know (Americans and Nicaraguans), among other things.  So, there is a charla for that (just like the iPod apps, right?).  This session involves current PCVs, one or two of the PC medical doctors, and trainees split into smaller groups (5 or 6).  We explain to them that this isn't a session where they will learn new material, etc., but it's something that gives them a little break from the routine and allows them to vent, discuss, and ask questions. 

I really enjoy this charla because I can relate to the trainees because I remember being in their place and I love being able to help and give encouragement, and to LISTEN.  My favorite part of the session is where the trainees talk about expectations they have for their service and all that entails.  During this part, I like to tell the trainees to feel free to ask me anything they want and I'll answer it.  They aren't always open at first, but then questions start firing away.  I tell them to ask me whatever they want to know about Peace Corps, or my life as a PCV, etc.  I always enjoy this time and I think it's good for them to ask those questions they really want to know but are afraid to ask, or don't know who to ask. 

It was really fun chatting with the TEFL group back in October, and fun with the health group too.  I hope that I can do this charla again--I love meeting the newbies and it actually helped me to connect with the new TEFL group too.

Whenever I'm in Managua I always look forward to eating "American" food which usually means going to a restaurant nearby the hotel for nachos or quesadillas and a happy hour drink, or going to the food court in the mall.  This time I went to the mall and was reminded of the lovely little gelato place they have in there.  Two of my friends were enjoying their gelato treat while I was eating dinner and it persuaded me to cruise on over and check things out.  I saw that they added a lot of new flavors since the last time I had indulged, so I decided to sample a few before pulling out the big bucks.  I settled on two flavors to make it a double--go big or go home, right? ;)  This thing was awesome.  Ugh, I'm starting to drool just remembering the delicious chocolate and peanut butter mix and the cool Bailey's cream.  Are you drooling too?  This was a perfect treat to end the night.  Well, I went back the next night too, but that one's a secret hehehe

Granada

I got to visit Ruth this past weekend with Jasser and we got to see little Dyland :)  It was so special!!  He is the sweetest little boy and he's beginning to walk which is oh so exciting!  I love him.  It's so nice that Granada is not too far away, and even though it isn't too far away, I still don't get over there enough.  The thing is about Granada is that I absolutely love going there for a ton of reasons, but I always end up spending way too much money on all the amazing food there, which is dangerous...  This last time I stayed with Ruth at her house so we ate there and I wasn't doing the whole "touristy" thing.  I desperately wanted to slip over to the main street and soak up some American-ness, but I was enjoying time with my little nephew too much :)

Trickery

Ruth & Jasser tricked me into eating something the other night that I definitely wouldn't have eaten had I known what it was.  It didn't taste terrible, just different.  They were looking at me with smirks on their faces after telling me "oh it's just mixed meat and rice that's been charred over the fire".  Hmmm, well I ran over to Ruth's sister-in-law's house next door to ask her and she revealed the ingredients: sausage made from pig's blood that's boiled in the intestines.  I felt like I was going to throw up after that and I lost a little trust in my "siblings" ;)  I ate a little more after that, but couldn't do much more.  It's funny how your mind can trick you too.  Well, there's my weird Nica food story...glad that's over with :)

Birds

I've had a general dislike of birds ever since sophomore year of college when a bird decided to come in through our stove vent and take up residence in our rented house.  She then built a nest, and her babies hatched, scratched, and chirped inside our walls.  This was annoying in itself, and then some fell down the stove vent over our stove and pooped on our stove.  How to get a whole family of birds out of your overhead stove vent?  Well, a couple fell out after we detached the fan (yes, they had fallen down the vent onto the fan blades right above our stove), and well the others, they had built their next about 10 feet in from the external vent, just far enough not to be able to reach it with a broom or something like that.  To make a long story short, our landlord's son came and had to hose them out.  Not quite the happy ending, but we couldn't have birds living in our vents and pooping on our stove...

Anyway, why am I talking about birds and bringing back such horrific memories from the past??  Well, I'm visiting Frank because he's sick and I decided to wash his clothes since there was a rather large pile of dirty clothes (as there usually is...).  Yesterday, Frank came home and met me in the back where I was washing and I handed him jeans to hang up and as he reached for them, a bird pooped on him.  It was pretty funny, but then he didn't help me hang up the wet clothes :(  Well later today I returned to find that the bird (or another one) had pooped in the lavandero (washboard area). That's annoying.  I cleaned it out and then washed one of Frank's towels.  He was talking to me and I was just about done washing the towel and the bird pooped on my arm and part of the towel.  Frank was about to laugh at me, but then hit his head on the tin roof, which was hilarious.  But then I had to re-wash part of the towel and my arm.  Dang birds!

Needless to say, I still dislike birds.

Prayer

Prayer means different things for different people.  Prayers can be spoken or written, drawn or painter, sang or thought.  It's an expression of gratitude and humility.  It's beautiful and unique.

This morning I went to the private school where the Embassy scholarship class takes place.  I walked in as the teacher was speaking to the students about how he wants them to grow this year and improve in their English skills.  He wanted to begin this new semester with a prayer.  He asked the students if any of them wanted to say a prayer.  (Nicas are very open about religious).  A students said my name, which caught me off guard.  Since I had walked in while they were talking about it, I didn't quite catch what I had been volunteered to do, so the teacher told me.  Even though I might have been volunteered because the students didn't want to (I think they wanted to hear me say something), I felt honored to pray for the students and their class for the year.

I'm excited for this group of students.  They're special to me.  I've enjoyed working with them and I'm looking forward to working with them this year.  When I was in the States over vacation, I bought some postcards from Washington DC for them because I had taught them about Washington DC in a culture lesson.  I gave them the postcards today and told them to look up the places online if they didn't recognize any of the buildings.  They were very thankful for them.

I'm feeling a little more optimistic about this school year.  Prayer does help :)  (not that I didn't know that before...)