There have been no new photos posted to my very simple blog lately because I recently lost the cable that I use to upload my photos to my computer. Im sure at some point in the next two years Ill find a place in Nicaragua that sells the cable that I need. Ill do my best to describe some of the great moments over the last few weeks which have made it at times very difficult to make this adjustment.
First of all my host family in Catarina was absolutely wonderful in bidding me farewell. The day before I was to leave Catarina I came home to a huge spred of traditional Nicaraguan food, and every member of my 16 person family waiting for me with small gifts of gratitude. I was formally asked to be the padrino of my little Nicaraguan neice. This is an honor in the Catholic Culture of Nicaragua and not something you take lightly. After discussing the implications for a while I decided to accept the ivitation to have Lillian Michelle Gaitan become my hijata or god daughter. Over the next couple of years this will mean that we will exchange gifts around Christmas and in the future I will send something to Nicaragua and stay in communication with this wonderful family for years to come.
My host mother began getting pretty emotional the night before I left, and by the morning of my departure her and my host sisters were pretty much crying uncontrollably. At this moment I even got a little emotional. I must say it caught me off guard, because although I had been there for 3 months, it is hard to know what kind of impact your presence has on a family. I have been fortunate to live with great people who love deeply, and as I walked away I knew that I will always have a home in Catarina Nicaragua.
The two days leading up to our swearing in ceremonio were tough. We had to attend two more days of long charlas before swearing in on Friday. By Thursday afternoon I felt like I was defenitely getting what would have been my first parasite. With a splitting headache, horrible nausea, and constant diarreah I tried my best to get through the 2 days of preperation for Swearing In. By the day of the Ceremonio I was feeling a little worse and made a doctors appointment for immediately after the festivities. I managed to enjoy seeing my host family and of course my host mom was very worried about me and apparently has been concerned for the last several days even though I assured here yesterday that I felt wonderful. The test results came back negative making me feel like a big wimp for whining the last several days, and of course I was feeling better by Friday night. So, it turns out I managed to stay out dancing and partying with the other 40 volunteers until 3 oclock in the morning. My plan to leave Saturday was changed after I realized how difficult it was to walk away from our comparatively luxurious hotel accomodations in Managua. We were sitting by the pool drinking coconut milk and catching up all day. I just didnt have the energy or the willingness to leave that until I had too. Sunday morning was goodbye time for everyone. It made for an interesting day to say adios to everyone that has been part of your life for the first 3 months in this country and accept that many of these people you will not see much of over the next two years. We all left and went our seperate ways and by 6 oclock in the evening I was at my new site having dinner with my new site mates talking about the Peace Corps gossip network. I can not explain how consistent Peace Corp gossip is. For example, not only did my site mates who I have never met, and live on the far end of the country from where I was living before know that I did not drink, but they could tell me things about my reputation with my peers that I didnt even know. Really, Really interesting. I dont know whether its good or bad, or both, but you really have to assume that your life is being broadcast not only to the Nicaraguans in you community who notice everything about you, but also to your fellow friends in Peace Corps Nicaragua. Gotta run, Lotsa Love
Monday, July 28, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Bienvenido a Chinandega!
Welcome to El Viejo, Chinandega. I have included one of the only pictures of my new site that I was able to get on my brief visit a couple of weeks ago. The visit was really nice. Not only was I able to enjoy some great beaches that are very close to my site, but I was also fortunate enough to meet some wonderful Nicaraguans who I expect to work with over the next couple of years. The weekend was full of meeting new people, organizations, foods, and streets. In just three months my little pueblo has become a home to me. I have found myself over the last week or so really starting to realize how much I will miss my training town. Not so long ago everything was so new, and now I find myself haggling with my brothers here over silly things at night. Othertimes I just walk through the streets of a town where everyone knows me, and doesn't treat me as some tourist just passing through. Of course I will have all of these comforts in time, but there is just something special about Catarina. I played my last basketball game last night and it was just nice to hang out with the guys. I have made the ride to Masaya in the back of the truck more than 8 or 9 times now, but last night the weather was nice, stars filled the sky and the clouds formed curtains around the moon. I spent much of the ride back staring up into the Nicaraguan sky thinking about what the same road must have been like just over 20 years ago when fighting would have been a reality of the times. It wasnt until 1991 that Nicaragua was even considered to be no longer in a state of War. The country still faces the reality that in regards to political development it is in the infant stages of Democractic rule.
The country as a whole couldn't be more friendly. When you think about it how could any place with as many small children as Nicaragua has be anything other than welcoming? I think that there are a great number of opportunities for the people of Nicaragua and I intend on doing something about it over the next couple of years. El Viejo is going to be a great place for me to set up shop. There are a lot of places for me to spend my leisure time, what little bit that I do have. Nicaraguas largest Volcanoe is just a few Kilometers away from my town. San Cristobol, although one of the most active volcanoes in the world, is regularly hiked by backpackers from all over the world. The beaches in Chinandega and Leon are also very nice and have plenty of great waves. Perhaps the thing that I am most excited about is the fact that I can get my hands on very fresh sea food anytime I want and we are talking right out of the ocean. There is a small pueblo on the beach where the young boys starting at the age of 10 take 15 ft boats out for 30 hours at a time to catch Red Snapper, Tuna, and just about anything else that they can sale in the market. When the fish are biting the town has money, or at least the children have food to eat, but when the fish aren't biting which can happen for weeks at a time, the children are starving. The reality is that in Chinandega a majority of the people live off the land, and when the land isn't producing enough to sustain the people starve.
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