Lots of things

A lot of things have happened since last week...some good and some bad.  I'll start off with the good, which came first anyway. 

This past Saturday was Frank's birthday so I went to Dario to surprise him early which was fun.  I really did surprise him and he jumped and shouted a little when I popped out from behind his door :)  It was nice to spend some time together before celebrating with everybody else and we had some time to go shopping to get all the supplies. 

Early Saturday morning we headed out to Masaya to meet up with some other PCVs to catch a bus to the Laguna de Apoyo (the lagoon in the middle of a volcano near my training town).  We got down there and took a dip in the water and started getting things ready.  Jasser even joined us which was cool.  We had a good group of people, including 2 Nica boyfriends of some PCVs and had a BBQ down by the lake before the rain started.  I made Frank a special "cake" that he really wanted, which we even brought ingredients from the States for.  Silly boy...can I say high maintenance??  Anyway, it was a delicious graham cracker pudding cake.  Make vanilla pudding, mix with cool whip, layer graham crackers and the pudding mix in a baking dish, then on the last layer of graham crackers, spread chocolate frosting and put in fridge for 24 hours...  Well, we didn't exactly have 24 hours, but it still turned out delicious and everybody licked their plates clean.

We got a lot of swimming in and relaxing lakeside which was nice.  It was exactly what Frank wanted--something chill by the lake hanging out with friends. 

After the celebrations we headed back up the crater wall and to Masaya where we grabbed some lunch before parting ways.  The park in Masaya has some delicious pizza and smoothies! 

We all made it home safe and sound, despite some rain.  Now, on to the not so good news…

I came home and found that my floors looked a little muddy, sort of like someone had been in my room.  Nope.  No one had been in my room, but it did get flooded.  Ugh!  I then began to scan the room and see all of the things that were on my floor.  Fortunately, I don’t leave too much stuff on my floor, and the things that were on the floor were organized in cardboard boxes.  Unfortunately, cardboard boxes are not waterproof and the things inside definitely got wet :(

I ended up taking pretty much everything out of my room, including my bed since it was dirty underneath from water and dust mixing, and had to sweep and mop the whole room.  I designated the kitchen table as the drying station and set up my fan.  I told myself I wasn’t going to cry as tears pressed toward the surface each time I discovered something else sopping in the rain water.  I held it together fairly well until I called Frank and I just broke down.  It was just the most frustrating thing to come home to, especially because my family knew the water had come into the house and they didn’t go into my room to mop it out or even put a towel down in front of my door to prevent water from entering.  Apparently, this happened to them before I was living here and it ruined several of their things.  Gee, wouldn’t it have been a good idea to take care of that?  Ugh :(  So, Frank calmed me down and of course said loving words which helped and I tried to take slow breaths and not get too upset.  My sister Ruth did help me, as well as her husband, which was super nice.  They helped take my bed out and mop up all the water and then Ruth brought some empty cardboard boxes that she had to help me organize the dry stuff that I had after I threw away all the ruined boxes.  All I had wanted to do when I got home was take a shower and maybe a nap, but that did not happen.  I reminded myself though that they were just things and things can be replaced (or dried in this case). 

Things are still drying as we speak…books and notebooks which take awhile.  And, my room is a little messy as I’m trying to reorganize things and decide where to put things that don’t have a cardboard home anymore.  I’m going to utilize the top of my dressed for more things to keep them out of reach.  

So, the really bad news.  Well, I found out the other day from Jasser that my host uncle/counterpart was arrested after being accused of "being" with a young girl.  I'm not sure if the accusation is true or not, but unfortunately, he is in jail and the system here is a little different, more like guilty until proven innocent.  I guess today there was a meeting and my host dad was at the police station trying to talk to somebody, but what I found out was they have to wait until the next Monday to have another meeting.  I'm not entirely sure what all is going on, but I know that my aunts here are upset about the situation, the one in Managua even came in to Boaco today.  I hope that things will get resolved quickly, but I have no idea what's going to happen.  Please pray for this situation.  Like I said, I really don't know if it's true or not what happened, but he is in jail and he's had a lot of health problems recently so I'm sure he's not doing well.  

I don't want to end on that, so I'll share some other things.  Tomorrow I have a presentation with the Ministry of Education and Peace Corps here in Boaco.  I will be presenting about the English program here, along with my Access counterpart, Edwin.  I'm excited about it, but also kind of nervous because the whole presentation is in Spanish and Edwin was having me practice with him and correcting my pronunciation and everything.  It's very humbling since I correct his English and now the tables have turned :)  Definitely could also use some prayer for that too!

Well, I can't believe we're over half way through May, only a week and a half left!  I'm actually really excited for June to be here because Frank & I will be going to Maryland :)  Also, it's my Dad's birthday month!  But, I gotta keep my mind in the now because there are still lots of things to do before all of that.  Glad I could update you and I hope that you aren't too worried about me.  I have a good support system here too :)

Sneaky

Dyland is such a cute little boy (as we all know of course), but he can be pretty sneaky.  He loves to come visit me in my room and today has been no different.  He usually cruises right in, looks around, comes over to me, goes to the mirror and laughs, looks for things to grab, plays a little, and then here comes mom to take him away.  Yes, all of that before she knows he's in here.  I usually just laugh and try to redirect him before he takes everything off my desk.  It's not that big of a deal to me and I love that he enjoys visiting me :)  Today cracked me up though.  He came in a few times and each time Ruth came in, picked him up, took the things out of his hands, and took him out of the room.  I only close my door all the way when I really want privacy and it's been so hot lately that I like to keep my door open whenever possible. Ruth usually suggests closing the door so Dyland can't get in, but I left it slightly cracked.  This last time he walked in my room without anyone knowing and closed the door behind him, and even spent a few seconds pushing hard on the door to close it.  He walked around a little and I heard his dad calling his name and I opened the door laughing.  He's learned that someone will come in and find him if the door is open, but he can close it and hide now haha  What a funny little guy.  I love him. 

Cool

Got a little rain today which didn't help my laundry dry (it was half dry already though and now under cover) but it was a nice little cool off.  It has been super hot lately and today I was feeling pretty whiny about it.  But then the rains came for short time and I stood outside on the back patio and smelled the rain :)

Love's got ahold of me

After mine & Frank's little anniversary trip got postponed because Frank was sick, we finally got to go to the beach and enjoy some time away and leave all our worries behind.  Unfortunately though, Frank got sick again during our trip :(  Poor guy just can't get better!  He's lucky he has a great nurse to tend to his every need :)  He did get to enjoy the first day and a half, but after that it was not so much fun for him as his stomach fought with him on and off throughout the day and then the night.  He experienced what sounded like what I had last July.  A sudden stomach pain set in and a little nausea.  Then stomach cramping and bloating, weakness.  Ugh :(  Not fun at all.  I unfortunately had to ride a bus at the beginning of my sickness to meetings with Peace Corps.  I ultimately stayed in my room and slept for the most of the time.  I let Frank rest this weekend too since I knew how miserable he felt.  I made him call the PC doctors and I went to the pharmacy to get the right meds, I took his temperature, encouraged & comforted him, made him eat and drink to keep his energy.  I really felt for him and it just made me sad to not be able to help him more.  That's just what happens when you love someone. 

There were plenty of happy moments during this trip.  We did some of our usual activities: play cards, watch movies (or TV in this case), read... But we also got to just relax by the pool, jump in the waves at the beach, share some great meals that we didn't have to prepare, and just be.  It was nice to just be a couple and kinda forget about all the complicated stuff like we live two buses (3 hours) away from each other and we only get to see each other on (most) weekends, what are we gonna do when we get back to the States, etc.  Sometimes I feel like our relationship is backwards from the norm, but really, is there a norm is this day?  I guess long-distance relationships are becoming more common and I would say that ours isn't too bad.  There are some PCVs here that have to travel almost a whole day just to reach their sweetie, so that means they only get to see them once a month or less often :(  I consider myself lucky here, but I'm still selfish and want more.  That's what happens when you love someone. 

Way too hot

I've definitely been wishing that I was 7 months in the future where I will be shivering to the cold weather in Oregon, but that's only a dream right now.  It's seriously hot here.  Today I feel a little woozy from the heat.  I really hate it when it's this hot--it makes me just want to lie down and not do anything, which I know I shouldn't do.  Maybe a little nap, but only with the fan pointed directly at me.  The rainy season is supposed to start soon so hopefully it will cool down a little.  It will probably be pretty muggy for awhile though.  Anyone wanna visit?? ;)

P.S. I haven't been working out lately which I feel bad about, but honestly, when it's 98 degrees is it really safe to work out?  I almost feel like I'm gonna pass out just walking around my house.  Blah.

Running around like crazy

Wow! This past week flew by and I'm exhausted!  I've been super busy running around Nicaragua for various things.  Let's get started...

Well, last week I didn't go to school for a couple reasons.  Monday there were no classes because Tuesday was Labor Day and then there weren't any classes Tuesday either.  Of course.  Then Wednesday I left for Leon to visit Monica and attend the Peace Corps security meeting there because I won't be able to attend the one near my department this week.  I went the day before the meeting because it was starting at 9:30am and it takes approximately 4 hours to get there...So, I got to have some time to hang out with Monica and celebrate her birthday, which was Tuesday.  I got to see some other PCVs and I got to participate in "Ladies Night" at the movie theater; yes, Leon has a movie theater--totally NOT fair!  Anyway, Ladies Night just means that girls get in free.  Wahoo!  Apparently they've been doing this for a couple months now--every Wednesday is Ladies Night so all we paid for is popcorn :)  After the movie, we went out with some friends and met up with my host cousin Benito, who lives in Leon, at a bar to listen to live music.  There was a cover, but they also had a special for a free drink.  Man, I love Leon! haha

Thursday was the meeting and it was dreadfully long, but we got cookies, coffee, coffeecake, and a lunch :)  They try to keep us happy at those things!  After my sugar high, we hung out with some other PCVs at a new-er bar type place and just had a couple drinks (I stuck with water since the coffee and coca cola was way more than I needed that morning/afternoon).  We hung around town and I got a smoothie later.  Really, was that necessary?  I never get smoothies so it was special :)  We met up with some girls later that night for pizza.  I felt so American.

Friday morning I left Leon, which actually was nice because it is so incredibly HOT there!  I had been sweating so much so that trip to the movie theater in the AC for 2 hours was absolutely wonderful!  I was supposed to go back to Boaco for the English Talent Show that Edwin was planning, but he had to reschedule it so I planned on going to Frank's Friday instead of Saturday morning.  BUT, I didn't have the things I needed for the birthday party and my clothes were all super sweaty, so I had to go back to Boaco anyway before Dario.  Since I didn't want to get up super early Saturday morning to get there before the birthday lunch, I decided to make a long trip out of the day.  I left Leon at 8am, got into Managua around 9:30am, waited for a taxi, got to the other bus terminal, took a bus at 10:30am and arrived in Boaco around 12:15pm.  I took a taxi home and cleaned up, repacked, and grabbed a quick cab back up to the bus terminal to leave on the 1pm bus.  Am I crazy?  You bet!  I headed out and arrived in Dario just before 4pm, completely exhausted.  Then, Frank asks me if I want to go watch him play ping pong.  Well, actually I would like to just sleep here and you can go play...but, I went anyway so he could show off his mad ping pong skills to his girlfriend.  It was pretty entertaining, but I didn't last long.  He did buy me a frozen chocolate covered banana though :)

That night I was pleasantly surprised that Frank had already gone grocery shopping...he's picking up on some things :)  I love that guy!  We had a nice dinner at home and couldn't stay awake to watch a movie (our usual tradition).

Saturday was the fiesta filled day.  We stayed at the house for the first party, which was for little Maia, the girl who lives in the house where Frank lives.  She turned 2 on Saturday and she was so precious!  It was a neat little party and not too many people since it was mostly family.  It was really hot that day though so we were sweating throughout the day, but managed to squeeze in a few trips to Frank's room to stand in front of the fan.

This one's gonna get a frame :)

How cute is she?!  AND, check out that Dora the Explorer cake :)

We met up with some other PCVs that afternoon who were in town for one of Frank's site-mates' birthday.  Then we headed over to that party later.  He cooked chicken and tortillas for everyone (with the help of the senora in his house) and we had some drinks and danced--my favorite!  I'll take credit for keeping the dance party going the whole night.  I like love to dance so this was great!  Frank even danced with me some :)  

I had to leave my boy Sunday, which I hate to do.  For some reason this time I felt it more.  Ugh.  Hate those moments.  At least we don’t live too far away from each other I guess…

I had time to meet with my counterpart teacher that night which was good so we could plan for the week.  It was nice catching up with my host aunt too :)

Today was again full of craziness.  I went to the Colegio where I teach the Access class and the new teacher was there—I actually met him at an Embassy camp for Nica English teachers.  He’s teaching the next level of Access and Edwin will teach the new group of students.  I really like Edwin and so do the students, but I think it will be a good experience for the students to work with a different teacher, at least for one level.  Anyway, I saw Edwin and German (the new teacher) and we chatted for awhile.  I found out that the director of the Access program was coming to Boaco to do interviews with the students for the new group, so I decided to stay after class to meet with him since I haven’t been there the other times he came to the school—I was always at the instituto.  So, I met with him and his colleagues and I told him I would help him if he needed.  I got myself into way more than I bargained for, but I enjoyed it.  I ended up staying there until 2pm, when I only intended to be there 7:30-9:30am.  I got to meet the students who were preselected for the new group and chat with them a little about why they want to learn English so that was neat.  Then, the director and his colleagues took me out to lunch which was very nice.  However, I didn’t get home until 3pm and I still had to make some materials for a class I had to be at by 4:30pm.  Yikes! I got things together pretty quickly, but unfortunately I didn't have time to take a shower and that was bad because it was really hot today!  Oh well.  

I grabbed a cab to head out to the other school because it's pretty far away.  I met with the teacher and we got a ride out to the seminary where I was going to give a class.  It was kind of weird because the teacher had asked me to come and practice pronunciation and such, but the teacher just hung out outside the classroom the whole time.  He would have benefited from the lesson and could have helped me with things, but oh well.  I finished the lesson at 6pm, like planned and the teacher told me that someone was coming to pick me up to take me back to the first school since we were so far out of town and it was dark.  I waited and when it got to 6:45pm and the teacher couldn't get ahold of the other guy, I called my cousin who has a taxi to come pick me up.  He got there a few minutes after the other guy finally showed up but I took the taxi because I felt bad having him come all the way out there.  So, he took me to class, which I arrived late to, so I didn't have any time for dinner... blah!  Class went well and thanks to Edwin, it started on time and it was a fun class.  Lucky for me, Edwin usually doesn't have time for dinner before class either so we went out and grabbed some delicious food after.  He's a really fun person to hang out with.

I finally got home at 9:30pm.  Yuck!  I have to get up early tomorrow to go to the instituto which I'm not super excited about since I'm totally exhausted, but oh well.  I can take a nap tomorrow I guess.  

Peace.

May Day!

Happy May!!  Can't believe it's already the 5th month and we're almost half way through the year!  It sure is crazy how fast time goes by. 

We ended April with a birthday celebration for a friend in another community in the department of Boaco.  It was nice to go somewhere else for a change and fun to celebrate for another PCV.  We even went out dancing :)

After that, Frank and I went to his place and I decided it was time for a big clean.  He agreed once we found out that a mouse had been there...Yuck. and then a giant spider appeared...Double yuck.  Oh and then a cockroach was living in his drawer.  Triple yuck!  The mouse ran away up into the roof but Frank told me he killed the spider which was up high on a wall above his closet.  He left for a meeting and I continued cleaning some things.  His clothes were in his closet but not very well organized.  They looked like a mountain of mixed clothes so I decided to take everything out, sort them, and then let him decided if there was anything he wanted to get rid of and then put away.  While I was taking some things out, I found the spider that he promised me he killed.  Big fat liar.  Those were the exact words I used in the text message I sent him.  After I cleared out all the clothes, I enlisted some help to kill and remove the spider from the room. 

I made sure Frank knew that the spider scared me and that he was a big fat liar haha  His punishment: keep cleaning! hahaha  No, we organized the clothes and such and made a yummy dinner and watched a movie together :) 

The next morning though, we found that the mouse must have returned because a few bags of food items on his shelves had small holes chewed in them.  Quadruple yuck!  He's never had a problem with rodents before, but he had been gone for about a week and it's starting to rain a little so maybe it drew the little thing inside.  Well, Frank is setting up a trap tonight.  I'm so glad I'm not there to hear that thing snap in the middle of the night.

However, I'm back in Boaco and Jasser informed me that he saw a large mouse run behind the TV.  Seriously?!  We both are scared of those things so finally a cousin came over and pushed the couch back and got the thing out and hit it with the broomstick.  Ugh.  Thousand times YUCK!  I gagged.  Can we please stop all of this?  Now.

Ok, I don't want to end this blog entry on something gross.  So, I'm going to tell you a really happy story from today.  I was on my bus ride home to Boaco and the bus turned down this little rode and stopped and there was a group of people outside.  One boy set off a firecracker right by the bus.  Well that was weird.  I guess today is Labor Day but I didn't think they did firecrackers for that.  Well, another one went off and then I saw the people had balloons and they started cheering and one had an empty wheelchair.  Then, a young boy appeared out my window as he was being lowered from the bus and into the wheelchair.  The group (his family) was cheering and setting off firecrackers to welcome him home from Managua.  It brought tears to my eyes how sweet everything was.  He must have been gone for a little while and they were so excited to have him home.  I wish I could have made a video of it, but it's definitely stamped in my memory.  Happy thoughts to you all too!