October...the last full month we have in Nicalandia. Wow! Things are definitely gonna start moving fast now.
Today also marks 1 1/2 years for Frank & me so happy half anniversary to us! haha
Upcoming events this month:
My friend Melissa's birthday is this weekend so I might go out to her small rural town for a night which will be neat to experience a more rural life out there. Also, Frank's mom's (Lisa) birthday is this weekend too--so much love & celebration this weekend! After we finish up community classes, we will have a party & I'll give out certificates. Then, soon after that is the big party with Nica 54 (our TEFL & environment groups), which will be held here in Boaco :) We're looking at around 50 people so it's sure to be a good time! And, my service isn't quite over yet because I'll be giving a charla to the new group--the coping with stress one--I love doing that charla. After that it will be time for our Close of Service (COS) medical exams in order to get clearance to leave the country. While I'm in Managua for those I'll be meeting with my APCD (TEFL boss) to have an exit interview as well as with the Country Director, to discuss my service, my resume, and future plans. Fun, fun! Then we will have our COS presentation (with both groups) to all PC staff in Managua & a dinner at the Country Director's house after. Since we'll all be together then, some environment peeps were planning on a little rendezvous at the Laguna de Apoyo, so we'll see how that pans out. Then it will be back to site for me and hanging out getting things packed up while the elections take place...we'll most likely be on Standfast again at least for a couple days to make sure we're in our sites & safe. Election time can be a little crazy, but hopefully not too bad this year!
Ok, here's to the last full month of service! Let's make it a good one!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Last day of September...
Wow! I really can't believe how quickly time is going by. I keep finding myself at another weekend, another chain to remove from the link, another month to mark off the list. It's crazy, but I'm glad the end of my service is almost here. I'm excited for our post-PC travel & then getting home to see family & friends :)
This time two years ago I was already missing home, but looking forward to the new adventures and thinking about where my possible site might be. Never would I have imagined becoming a godmother of my little "nephew". It's been so incredible being a part of this family and seeing Ruth through her pregnancy and watching Dyland grow. My family seems sad that I'm leaving but I always tell them that I will be back to visit sometime. They don't believe me. I think that's how it goes though since visitors don't usually find the time to come back. Well, I want to make it my goal to come back and visit my family here. They've been a big part of my life here and I think it would be great to come back and visit some day. It will be interesting to see if Dyland will remember me.
Well, tomorrow starts a new week, a new month, in fact the last whole month I will have here in Nicaragua. Ok, it's starting to feel real now. I wonder how I will feel when it gets closer to saying goodbye. It's always hard to say goodbye, but harder when you know it's going to be a long time until you see each other again. I remember saying goodbye to my parents in the airport and I started to tear up when we got to security. I felt fine before, a little anxious, but when we got to the security line I thought "This is it. I'm leaving and I don't know when I'll see my parents again." It hit me suddenly that my life was going to be changing drastically and I was moving into the unknown--something very scary for me. But, I pulled myself together and tried to rest in the comfort of knowing that this would be an incredible experience for me and that I would be meeting new people and learning new things. It's difficult to describe all that I've gone through so far, but it has definitely been life changing and I'm thankful for the new perspectives I've gained and the new people I've met (especially Frank!). I feel truly blessed to have had this experience and to be with the people here. Things have certainly been difficult at times, but these circumstances only help me to become a better person and more able to overcome difficulties in the future. I'm so thankful for my family visiting me and coming to see what life is like here in Nicaragua--it was really neat having them here to experience things with me and see a little into my life as a PCV.
It will be very difficult to go home and answer everyone's questions about my service here & the culture in Nicaragua. There are many stories I can tell, but to make them understand what it's really like here & to help them see what I experienced is impossible. There are so many special things I've shared with fellow PCVs and Nicaraguans that will certainly remain in my heart, and I'm really glad that I've had Frank by my side through all of this.
Before I get too sentimental, I'll wrap things up and save the emotions for later on. Oh I know it's going to be hard.
Something to make you smile:
This time two years ago I was already missing home, but looking forward to the new adventures and thinking about where my possible site might be. Never would I have imagined becoming a godmother of my little "nephew". It's been so incredible being a part of this family and seeing Ruth through her pregnancy and watching Dyland grow. My family seems sad that I'm leaving but I always tell them that I will be back to visit sometime. They don't believe me. I think that's how it goes though since visitors don't usually find the time to come back. Well, I want to make it my goal to come back and visit my family here. They've been a big part of my life here and I think it would be great to come back and visit some day. It will be interesting to see if Dyland will remember me.
Well, tomorrow starts a new week, a new month, in fact the last whole month I will have here in Nicaragua. Ok, it's starting to feel real now. I wonder how I will feel when it gets closer to saying goodbye. It's always hard to say goodbye, but harder when you know it's going to be a long time until you see each other again. I remember saying goodbye to my parents in the airport and I started to tear up when we got to security. I felt fine before, a little anxious, but when we got to the security line I thought "This is it. I'm leaving and I don't know when I'll see my parents again." It hit me suddenly that my life was going to be changing drastically and I was moving into the unknown--something very scary for me. But, I pulled myself together and tried to rest in the comfort of knowing that this would be an incredible experience for me and that I would be meeting new people and learning new things. It's difficult to describe all that I've gone through so far, but it has definitely been life changing and I'm thankful for the new perspectives I've gained and the new people I've met (especially Frank!). I feel truly blessed to have had this experience and to be with the people here. Things have certainly been difficult at times, but these circumstances only help me to become a better person and more able to overcome difficulties in the future. I'm so thankful for my family visiting me and coming to see what life is like here in Nicaragua--it was really neat having them here to experience things with me and see a little into my life as a PCV.
It will be very difficult to go home and answer everyone's questions about my service here & the culture in Nicaragua. There are many stories I can tell, but to make them understand what it's really like here & to help them see what I experienced is impossible. There are so many special things I've shared with fellow PCVs and Nicaraguans that will certainly remain in my heart, and I'm really glad that I've had Frank by my side through all of this.
Before I get too sentimental, I'll wrap things up and save the emotions for later on. Oh I know it's going to be hard.
Something to make you smile:
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Party!
Ok, so we might have had a little too much fun at a high school anniversary party tonight. And by a little too much fun, I'll let the pictures explain below. Basically, it was the anniversary of the Colegio (secondary school) where I teach Access class, and they were doing presentations of the candidates for king & queen for each grade and such. Edwin of course decorated & he wanted us there for the special event. So, we left after dinner (& a few drinks to prepare ourselves) & he even gave me a t-shirt to wear for the ones we were to vote for & some fun party hats. We didn't actually make it to the voting part since when we got there the primary school part wasn't even over & then about an hour and a half later the secondary school part started. We left after being there about 2 1/2 hours & eating 3 free desserts haha We did get permission from Edwin, but sorta raided the dessert table on the way out haha I have great connections ;) Well, here we go.....
Friday, September 28, 2012
+Romance!
Ok, this is the way it was supposed to be! Frank came over & here is our romantic candlelit dinner. The kitchen light bulb still has not been replaced...
Candlelit dinner without the romance
So last night the power went out around 6:15pm, just before my community class... Bummer! I didn't think it would come back on, but sent out a text message anyway telling my students to come after the power came back on, if it did. I went and grabbed some dinner and set up some candles on the table, then sat by myself to enjoy my nice little candlelit dinner. Not so romantic, but it was peaceful. Unfortunately, the power came back on a little too late & my students couldn't come. Also, our kitchen light bulb was out and since that's where I give class, it wouldn't have really worked. *It's one of those long tube light bulbs, so we have to buy one from the hardware store--they don't usually keep extras around the house.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Poop
Don't worry, it's not as bad as you might be thinking. Ok, so I visited Frank this week to check out his biodigestor project which does involve lots of poop, from farm animals that is. He's been working hard on this project for quite awhile in a community way out in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone service and water is scarce. But, he managed to get out there and complete 14 biodigestors, providing families with "free" gas for about 10 years or more. So, the way it works is that these families have to first dig a big rectangular hole where the biodigestor will be placed. On one end there is an entrance and the other side has a bucket underground with a tube. Once the bag is in place and the tubes connected, the families need to collect the poop from their animals (preferably cows & pigs). They mix the poop with water in a large bucket, then pour the poop into the "entrance" which flows into the giant biodigestor bag. The poop mixture has to sit for a bit and then the bag will begin filling with gas. There is a tube attached to the top of the bag, which goes all the way into the kitchen and connects to burners that have their own valves. Also, in the "exit" part of the bag, as the days go on, it pushes the
extra mixture out into the bucket and the families can use that as
fertilizer. The bacteria has already been removed, so it's safe to use!
The idea is super cool because the families have to get rid of the animal poop anyway, so might as well use it to get free gas & fertilizer! I was excited to see Frank's presentation and see some of the biodigestors in action. Two of our PC bosses were there to check things out which was great too. The people who already have the biodigestors set up were very thankful and explaining all the benefits they have seen so far to those who are interested in putting in a biodigestor at their home. Frank is done with the project now, but hopefully more people will be able to continue helping these communities to be more resourceful. Before biodigestors, the families pay (on average) $25-$30 a month on firewood (that's chopping down a lot of trees, hauling them back to the house, and inhaling lots of smoke usually indoors). Then, they also pay about that much for a tank of gas every 3 months. But getting tanks of gas isn't that easy, since the nearest town (where Frank lives) is quite a drive on a bumpy dirt road that floods in the rainy season. So...investing in a biodigestor really helps these families. They just had to contribute $40 per family and dig their hole & help with the set up. Frank applied for extra funds and received them, and was able to purchase the materials from an NGO that helps install these. It was great to see the final product after hearing about everything for so long & to see the happy families showing off their flames.
Here are some pictures of the presentation--30+ people came from the community!
Since I was staying at Frank's place another night, I decided to go with him to his elementary school to help paint (well I actually had already planned to do that). Progress is being made & it looks like things will be wrapping up soon.
The idea is super cool because the families have to get rid of the animal poop anyway, so might as well use it to get free gas & fertilizer! I was excited to see Frank's presentation and see some of the biodigestors in action. Two of our PC bosses were there to check things out which was great too. The people who already have the biodigestors set up were very thankful and explaining all the benefits they have seen so far to those who are interested in putting in a biodigestor at their home. Frank is done with the project now, but hopefully more people will be able to continue helping these communities to be more resourceful. Before biodigestors, the families pay (on average) $25-$30 a month on firewood (that's chopping down a lot of trees, hauling them back to the house, and inhaling lots of smoke usually indoors). Then, they also pay about that much for a tank of gas every 3 months. But getting tanks of gas isn't that easy, since the nearest town (where Frank lives) is quite a drive on a bumpy dirt road that floods in the rainy season. So...investing in a biodigestor really helps these families. They just had to contribute $40 per family and dig their hole & help with the set up. Frank applied for extra funds and received them, and was able to purchase the materials from an NGO that helps install these. It was great to see the final product after hearing about everything for so long & to see the happy families showing off their flames.
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| Here's a lady showing off her flames. It was crazy when she turned it up all the way, the flame reached about a foot and a half high! |
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| Setting up the PowerPoint presentation |
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| Frank & one of the guys who helped with the project |
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| Explaining things |
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| Lots of people in attendance |
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| One of the community members thanking Frank, Peace Corps, the other organizations, etc. |
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| This lady was really sweet & wanted a picture with me even though I had nothing to do with the project |
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| One of the full biodigestors |
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| Gas is brewing |
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| Pig in a puddle |
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| The new stove! |
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| Saw this momma on the side of the road & she sure looked exhausted with her 9 little piggies squealing for food |
Since I was staying at Frank's place another night, I decided to go with him to his elementary school to help paint (well I actually had already planned to do that). Progress is being made & it looks like things will be wrapping up soon.
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| This was the progress made before we started today |
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| Some students getting in on the action |
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| Frank directing students--that was stressful for me to watch! |
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| I even painted :) |
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| I was in charge of the oceans |
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| I found my inner artist |
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| After all our hard work--more to do later! |
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