Today we went to another area with ruins and got to explore those--Frank was super excited to see everything :) Later, Carolina took us to the beach to walk around and see what the northern beaches looked like. We walked out on a pier and watched people fish and some take some kayak sorta things made from reeds out to tour the waters. It was a neat little area.
Carolina's parents came and picked us up at the beach and took us to another town where we got lunch. It's known for it's ceviche and various meats. Frank loved the ceviche, while I just picked around at the non-seafood things which was fine. I enjoyed a juice they call chicha morada, made from purple corn, pineapple, and cinnamon. Then they ordered the main dishes: goat with beans, and duck with rice. I got the goat, but couldn't quite get past the vision of a goat on my plate. Frank of course loved the duck, and even shared the neck with Carolina's dad. Well, at least he can be adventurous with food for me :) I did try the goat and some raw fish from the ceviche, so I was proud of myself for that. However, I don't think I'll be eating anymore of those the rest of the trip! I'm not really looking forward to trying guinea pig, but Frank sure is haha I'll dance or sing in front of a crowd, but don't give me fish, seafood, or any weird meats.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Arriving in Peru
We had quite a travel day on Monday--got up around 7am, caught a taxi to the airport, took 3 flights and finally ended up in Trujillo, Peru around 10:30pm. Long day. Highlights: the airline company Avianca serves great (free) meals on the flights; found a Starbucks in the Lima airport (a little bit of home); the taxi driver was outside of the (tiny) Trujillo airport waiting for us holding sign with my name :) Also, we got here safely!
Carolina wasn't in Trujillo when we got there, but was on her way. Her mom offered us coffee and bread to relax and then we got to bed since it was after midnight and it was a loooong day! Today we slept in a bit, but I still felt super tired. Lots of travel wears you down. Hope to gain more energy soon! Anyway, we had breakfast with the family after our hot showers and Carolina arrived.
Today we ventured out and visited some ruins just outside of the city. They were really neat to see and we even got to go inside of some old temples--unfortunately grave robbers destroyed a lot of it awhile back, but it was a neat experience.
In the afternoon we headed into Trujillo to see the city and get some lunch. We found a nice place and relaxed a bit after soaking up the morning sun. Frank tried his first Peruvian beer and really liked it--it was a malt beer, so much better than the light beer in Nicaragua. I got a slice of cake because I prefer dessert over alcohol/beer haha
After letting our bellies settle, we strolled around town, toured a museum, and got a cheap street dinner in the evening before heading back to Carolina's house. We then finally got to make some phone calls to our (worried and waiting) parents and all is good. We have plans to visit more ruins tomorrow and I'm not sure what else. It's kind of fun having someone else plan things and show you around :)
Carolina wasn't in Trujillo when we got there, but was on her way. Her mom offered us coffee and bread to relax and then we got to bed since it was after midnight and it was a loooong day! Today we slept in a bit, but I still felt super tired. Lots of travel wears you down. Hope to gain more energy soon! Anyway, we had breakfast with the family after our hot showers and Carolina arrived.
Today we ventured out and visited some ruins just outside of the city. They were really neat to see and we even got to go inside of some old temples--unfortunately grave robbers destroyed a lot of it awhile back, but it was a neat experience.
In the afternoon we headed into Trujillo to see the city and get some lunch. We found a nice place and relaxed a bit after soaking up the morning sun. Frank tried his first Peruvian beer and really liked it--it was a malt beer, so much better than the light beer in Nicaragua. I got a slice of cake because I prefer dessert over alcohol/beer haha
After letting our bellies settle, we strolled around town, toured a museum, and got a cheap street dinner in the evening before heading back to Carolina's house. We then finally got to make some phone calls to our (worried and waiting) parents and all is good. We have plans to visit more ruins tomorrow and I'm not sure what else. It's kind of fun having someone else plan things and show you around :)
Panama Canal
Well the last few days have been a little crazy, but I wanted to catch up a bit and share about our adventures in Panama. We discovered that it was a little more expensive than we had anticipated and we're still so used to Nica prices that, at least for me, the prices were a bit overwhelming. We made it through though and ventured over to the Panama Canal, which even had a $34 buffet (yes, per person), that we kindly refused, although Frank was close to caving when they showed us all the delicious food.
The Canal was a pretty awesome thing to see. Frank had been there before, but we still did all the touristy things there including the 4 story museum. It was all very interesting and I loved watching the giant ships pass through the locks. It really is an incredible thing to see! I'm glad we made the trip out there.
Apparently I have no more space to upload pictures on my blog for free, so the pictures will just show upon Facebook later. I might see about deleting some pictures from some old blogs or something. Until then, just words here :)
The Canal was a pretty awesome thing to see. Frank had been there before, but we still did all the touristy things there including the 4 story museum. It was all very interesting and I loved watching the giant ships pass through the locks. It really is an incredible thing to see! I'm glad we made the trip out there.
Apparently I have no more space to upload pictures on my blog for free, so the pictures will just show upon Facebook later. I might see about deleting some pictures from some old blogs or something. Until then, just words here :)
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Detour
The plan was to take a flight from Nicaragua to Panama, stopping in Costa Rica for a 1 hour layover. Well, apparently we weren't supposed to get to Panama that day. We got to Costa Rica just fine, but after boarding the plane in Costa Rica, which was headed to Panama, they made an announcement that the plane was originally supposed to be going a longer distance to another destination so it had too much gasoline for such a short trip. This meant that they needed passengers to get off the plane so it didn't weigh so much, 12 passengers to be exact, and I counted at least 12 empty rows in the back of the plane and there were several empty seats throughout the plane. We first said no to a flight attendant because we had hotel reservations in Panama and we didn't know what we'd do in Costa Rica without any plans for there. After they got desperate, we decided to say yes, and we were the last 2 off the plane and they closed the gate behind us after we got off. They offered us a pretty good deal for getting off the plane, so we weren't feeling too bad.
They put us up in the Best Western in San Jose which is a pretty nice hotel (hot water, pool, wifi, free international calls...), and gave us meal vouchers for dinner that night and breakfast the next morning at the Denny's restaurant attached to the hotel. Frank and I were feeling pretty classy in our swanky hotel and making international calls, but the hot water showers were the best! The food was also delicious, but our stomachs took a little while to adjust to such rich food.
The next morning after a bit of a hiccup waiting for the airport shuttle and lots of traffic, we got to the airport and then finally got on a flight to Panama. We landed in Panama City just under an hour later and one time zone difference. We gathered our bags and took a taxi to our hostel in the older area called Casco Viejo/Antiguo. It's a neat area, but a lot of it is under construction right now.
Yesterday was a low key day since we were pretty tired from all the traveling, so we just mainly hung out around the hostel and then grabbed a bite to eat. That's when we found out that this area is pretty fancy, which means expensive meals, small portions. Well, I think this will be our most expensive part of the trip, food-wise so I think we'll be ok.
Today we slept in, as the dorm rooms here are dark with dark curtains, and the lights were left off. It was nice to get a full night of sleep though. We took advantage of the hostel's free make-your-own pancake breakfast--bananas too! Then we explored the area. It really is a neat place and there are some beautiful buildings.
We walked near the bay tonight and enjoyed the cool breeze--it's been pretty warm and muggy here so far. Tomorrow we're planning on going to the Panama Canal & maybe do a little hiking :)
They put us up in the Best Western in San Jose which is a pretty nice hotel (hot water, pool, wifi, free international calls...), and gave us meal vouchers for dinner that night and breakfast the next morning at the Denny's restaurant attached to the hotel. Frank and I were feeling pretty classy in our swanky hotel and making international calls, but the hot water showers were the best! The food was also delicious, but our stomachs took a little while to adjust to such rich food.
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| View from our balcony |
The next morning after a bit of a hiccup waiting for the airport shuttle and lots of traffic, we got to the airport and then finally got on a flight to Panama. We landed in Panama City just under an hour later and one time zone difference. We gathered our bags and took a taxi to our hostel in the older area called Casco Viejo/Antiguo. It's a neat area, but a lot of it is under construction right now.
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| View of Panama Bay & Panama City from our hostel |
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| Some old abandoned buildings near our hostel |
Yesterday was a low key day since we were pretty tired from all the traveling, so we just mainly hung out around the hostel and then grabbed a bite to eat. That's when we found out that this area is pretty fancy, which means expensive meals, small portions. Well, I think this will be our most expensive part of the trip, food-wise so I think we'll be ok.
Today we slept in, as the dorm rooms here are dark with dark curtains, and the lights were left off. It was nice to get a full night of sleep though. We took advantage of the hostel's free make-your-own pancake breakfast--bananas too! Then we explored the area. It really is a neat place and there are some beautiful buildings.
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| Behind our hostel |
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| Panama Bay low tide |
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| Panama hats! |
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| Just cruising the town |
We walked near the bay tonight and enjoyed the cool breeze--it's been pretty warm and muggy here so far. Tomorrow we're planning on going to the Panama Canal & maybe do a little hiking :)
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The perfect end to my PC service
Yesterday I woke up at 5:30am thinking I would leave Boaco and take care of my PC duties in the office to prepare for my bell ringing today, but that's not how the story goes.
I did really wake up at 5:30am and I got all the last minute things in my room packed up. I went over to my sitemate's house to drop off a few things and say goodbye and then waited for our ride. My host mom said the truck was coming at 6:30am, but I knew better after living in Nicaragua for 2 years...we didn't leave Boaco until 7:20am, but it certainly wasn't my fault. I didn't really mind anyway because I didn't need to be in Managua until 11am, well until they changed my appointment to the afternoon so it didn't really matter. Well, we finally got to Managua and I hugged my host mom and grandma goodbye and we parted ways. It sure was awesome getting a free ride to Managua in a personal vehicle :)
So, I'm in Managua and have nothing to do but wait. Frank didn't arrive until hours later and unfortunately the server was down in the PC office so no internet was available :( It was nice to see other PCVs though. After Frank arrived, we out for lunch and then had our final medical appointments. Since there were so many other PCVs in the office and they were planning on ringing the bell that afternoon, we thought it would be fun to ring it with them. So, 4pm came and we were all getting excited. Little did I know, my life was going to change... As we gathered around, the TEFL group went up to the bell so we could take a picture of all us finishing our service together. Then, one started ringing the bell and others followed suit. The tradition is, that when a PCV finishes his/her service, he/she rings the bell on the staircase in the middle of the PC office and all staff who are in the office come out to clap and cheer for the PCV, so we had quite a crowd. I waited off to the side with Frank while others were ringing so we could go up together. Then when the ringing stopped, we walked up together and decided to ring the bell at the same time. I turned to walk down the staircase, but Frank turned me toward him and started telling me that he loved me and after 1 1/2 years of dating, he knew he wanted to be with me for the rest of his life. Honestly, I didn't hear anything after "1 1/2 years" since I instantly started crying and when he got down on one knee everybody started cheering. He asked me to marry him and I of course said yes! Well, I didn't hear him the first time with all the cheers, but the second time I said yes and then took the ring out of his hand. Then I remembered he was supposed to put it on my finger, so with it half on, I made him slide it all the way on haha All our friends and PC staff were there congratulating us with hugs, handshakes, and loving words. It was perfect.
AND, it was a good thing that everybody was there, because they took pictures and video! I had to watch the video last night because everything went so fast in the moment. I'm so glad Frank asked his boss to record the event, and others were taking pictures :)
Frank is going to help me edit the video so I can get it up online asap to share with everyone :)
This morning Frank & I didn't have any PC duties to fulfill since we finished yesterday, so we made an attempt at re-packing our things, but then went over to the mall so I could get my nails done for when I show off my ring haha Well, 2 hours later and some sore fingers (forgot how much it can hurt, but really it's not supposed to hurt that much--she was a little rough with the nail file), I was ready with pretty nails!
The video editing is in progress...
I did really wake up at 5:30am and I got all the last minute things in my room packed up. I went over to my sitemate's house to drop off a few things and say goodbye and then waited for our ride. My host mom said the truck was coming at 6:30am, but I knew better after living in Nicaragua for 2 years...we didn't leave Boaco until 7:20am, but it certainly wasn't my fault. I didn't really mind anyway because I didn't need to be in Managua until 11am, well until they changed my appointment to the afternoon so it didn't really matter. Well, we finally got to Managua and I hugged my host mom and grandma goodbye and we parted ways. It sure was awesome getting a free ride to Managua in a personal vehicle :)
So, I'm in Managua and have nothing to do but wait. Frank didn't arrive until hours later and unfortunately the server was down in the PC office so no internet was available :( It was nice to see other PCVs though. After Frank arrived, we out for lunch and then had our final medical appointments. Since there were so many other PCVs in the office and they were planning on ringing the bell that afternoon, we thought it would be fun to ring it with them. So, 4pm came and we were all getting excited. Little did I know, my life was going to change... As we gathered around, the TEFL group went up to the bell so we could take a picture of all us finishing our service together. Then, one started ringing the bell and others followed suit. The tradition is, that when a PCV finishes his/her service, he/she rings the bell on the staircase in the middle of the PC office and all staff who are in the office come out to clap and cheer for the PCV, so we had quite a crowd. I waited off to the side with Frank while others were ringing so we could go up together. Then when the ringing stopped, we walked up together and decided to ring the bell at the same time. I turned to walk down the staircase, but Frank turned me toward him and started telling me that he loved me and after 1 1/2 years of dating, he knew he wanted to be with me for the rest of his life. Honestly, I didn't hear anything after "1 1/2 years" since I instantly started crying and when he got down on one knee everybody started cheering. He asked me to marry him and I of course said yes! Well, I didn't hear him the first time with all the cheers, but the second time I said yes and then took the ring out of his hand. Then I remembered he was supposed to put it on my finger, so with it half on, I made him slide it all the way on haha All our friends and PC staff were there congratulating us with hugs, handshakes, and loving words. It was perfect.
AND, it was a good thing that everybody was there, because they took pictures and video! I had to watch the video last night because everything went so fast in the moment. I'm so glad Frank asked his boss to record the event, and others were taking pictures :)
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| Ringing the bell together |
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| Right after he started into the proposal and I knew what was happening... |
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| Crying of course |
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| Engaged! |
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| Watching the proposal video on the computer |
This morning Frank & I didn't have any PC duties to fulfill since we finished yesterday, so we made an attempt at re-packing our things, but then went over to the mall so I could get my nails done for when I show off my ring haha Well, 2 hours later and some sore fingers (forgot how much it can hurt, but really it's not supposed to hurt that much--she was a little rough with the nail file), I was ready with pretty nails!
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| My Nicaraguan engagement ring with my pretty Nica French tip manicure :) |
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| Little hearts on the sides |
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
The countdown is over
There are no more weeks to count down now, just one. more. day.
I head to Managua tomorrow morning and then I'm outta here Thursday!
This morning I spent about 2 hours making sure all of my information was removed from my computer and deleted extra programs from my computer as well, to make it as close to factory settings as possible. I wanted to make sure that every trace of me was gone from this computer since it will be staying here in Nicaragua. The PC tech guy gave me a tip and said that if you go into Control Panel, then User Accounts, you can create another user and if you make it an administrator, you can log in with the new user and delete your admin account. You then have the option to delete all files attached to your old use account, which I did. I feel like that will be sufficient. The guy I sold it to is a teacher in Camoapa and he seems really nice. He came to my house today with his wife and baby boy who greeted Dyland with a handshake haha It was pretty darn cute.
I´m a little sad to say goodbye to my computer, but I´m looking forward to a fresh start with a new one later on, and hopefully a lighter weight one! I still have my Skype phone and will use that during my post PC travel. My host family has a netbook so I´m using that for today and then I´ll be bumming off Frank ;)
I head to Managua tomorrow morning and then I'm outta here Thursday!
This morning I spent about 2 hours making sure all of my information was removed from my computer and deleted extra programs from my computer as well, to make it as close to factory settings as possible. I wanted to make sure that every trace of me was gone from this computer since it will be staying here in Nicaragua. The PC tech guy gave me a tip and said that if you go into Control Panel, then User Accounts, you can create another user and if you make it an administrator, you can log in with the new user and delete your admin account. You then have the option to delete all files attached to your old use account, which I did. I feel like that will be sufficient. The guy I sold it to is a teacher in Camoapa and he seems really nice. He came to my house today with his wife and baby boy who greeted Dyland with a handshake haha It was pretty darn cute.
I´m a little sad to say goodbye to my computer, but I´m looking forward to a fresh start with a new one later on, and hopefully a lighter weight one! I still have my Skype phone and will use that during my post PC travel. My host family has a netbook so I´m using that for today and then I´ll be bumming off Frank ;)
Monday, November 12, 2012
That's NOT a condom
Today I went to the Access class today to show my students the newspaper article that they're in and to say my official goodbye to them. Before class started, I was talking to some students and showing them some of the newspapers and pulled one out of the envelope my mom sent and something fell out onto the bench seat. I saw it out of the corner of my eye and didn't think anything of it until I saw one of my students turn and whisper to another student and then it hit me. I grabbed it quickly and tucked it into the package before the other student saw it and when the first student turned around he couldn't explain what happened as I was talking to others.
What was that item???
Well, it's NOT a condom if that's what you're thinking (and I'm assuming that's what my student thought as well). It's one of those "moist towelettes", that unfortunately they don't have down here so it obviously looks like a condom. Great...just what I want my students to think. Well, at least it was only one student and nothing really came of it since I put it away without him seeing. I was torn as to whether I should explain it or not, but I didn't want to say "hey, this isn't a condom" and draw more attention to the object. Now that I think of it, I should have picked it up, opened it casually, and wiped my hands with the "towelette" to make it obvious without having to explain anything, but I panicked and just put it away thinking, oh I don't want to explain what it is and then he doesn't believe me and then I have to waste it by opening it. Seriously?! I could have wasted one moist towelette. I did, however, tell Edwin what happened and we both laughed. And, I made sure to call my mom to thank her for that awkward situation haha
Ok, with that story behind us, I will move on to the news article. The students were really excited to see themselves in the newspaper and it was actually pretty funny because one student said he was disappointed because he wasn't in the picture, then we all gave him a hard time because he didn't come to class that day--his fault, not mine. haha But he was joking anyway, so it was all good. I had the students break into groups and take turns reading the article by paragraph and then they underlined words they didn't understand. We discussed the vocabulary and the content of the article. It was really neat. After this, one student spoke for the class and told me she was very thankful for me working with them and it was a unique experience having me there to share my culture and different aspects of English. She spoke very kind words and I felt very loved by all of them, even the ones that were texting while she was speaking ;) Yes, they do that here too--so annoying!
Anyway, we took pictures and I told them "See you later!" since this isn't a goodbye.
Then I went over to the other class and said my "see you later"s to them as well.
What was that item???
Well, it's NOT a condom if that's what you're thinking (and I'm assuming that's what my student thought as well). It's one of those "moist towelettes", that unfortunately they don't have down here so it obviously looks like a condom. Great...just what I want my students to think. Well, at least it was only one student and nothing really came of it since I put it away without him seeing. I was torn as to whether I should explain it or not, but I didn't want to say "hey, this isn't a condom" and draw more attention to the object. Now that I think of it, I should have picked it up, opened it casually, and wiped my hands with the "towelette" to make it obvious without having to explain anything, but I panicked and just put it away thinking, oh I don't want to explain what it is and then he doesn't believe me and then I have to waste it by opening it. Seriously?! I could have wasted one moist towelette. I did, however, tell Edwin what happened and we both laughed. And, I made sure to call my mom to thank her for that awkward situation haha
Ok, with that story behind us, I will move on to the news article. The students were really excited to see themselves in the newspaper and it was actually pretty funny because one student said he was disappointed because he wasn't in the picture, then we all gave him a hard time because he didn't come to class that day--his fault, not mine. haha But he was joking anyway, so it was all good. I had the students break into groups and take turns reading the article by paragraph and then they underlined words they didn't understand. We discussed the vocabulary and the content of the article. It was really neat. After this, one student spoke for the class and told me she was very thankful for me working with them and it was a unique experience having me there to share my culture and different aspects of English. She spoke very kind words and I felt very loved by all of them, even the ones that were texting while she was speaking ;) Yes, they do that here too--so annoying!
Anyway, we took pictures and I told them "See you later!" since this isn't a goodbye.
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| This is where we took our first group picture a year and a half ago :) |
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| Leaving Access class... |
Then I went over to the other class and said my "see you later"s to them as well.
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| A lot of the students from this class were absent today...bummer. |
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