And the electricity works again…..

Well I am finally getting to write again amongst all of the electricity outages and raining rampages.. we do believe that they schedule to turn off the electricity.. it just makes more sense that way. Haha. There are so many things to update about.. where to start, how about privacy.. that is one thng there is defintely a lack of here. I take my bucket bath at such an angle so that the men working on the hill bout me probably have a lovely view, for sure from my shoulders up.. who knows what else. It is quite normal to see people walking around in their towels in the yard while putting up the clothes to dry that they were just wearin.. it is a bit different here to be sure!  In order for us not to catch Malaria we have to take these malaria pills, which is great, it doesn{t actually prevent malaria though – it will just make it less intense when you catch it, but the lovely side effect are these crazily lucid dreams. I have relived almost every single major incident in my life in my dreams.. but with new people.. very bizarre and unsettingly indeed.

This coming weekend we are all, us trainee kids, going to try to go to this place called Las cuevas del Duende… the cave of the troll.. haha. We may try to camp, but if we settle for just hiking and exploring I would be ok with that as well. There is a legend about the three caves … the troll apparently lives in the smallest one that no one can find — I will find it though and take photos of the troll for you all to see!!!

There was a funeral last week in my town. An aunt of my mom had a heart attack and nearly everyone in the town was related to her and went to the funeral. Apparently funerals are just another excuse for men to get drunk.. and stay drunk until like 4pm the next day.. a bit ridiculous.

My dad is an aficiondo when it comes to guitars.. he sings and plays and is awesome. I have gone to bed the past several nights listening to him and his buds play.. it is amazing. One of my favorite songs that he wrote has the chorus “No le grita Linda” It is a pretty sweet song. He has some other really funny ones too.

Men: so that is a topic all in itself. As you all I am sure know men in Central and South America are alot more forward. I have been hissed at an inumerable number of times, for this is how they get your attention. When  am walking with my mom here they call her suegra, which means mother in law, just another way to infer they want to marry me I suppose.. haha. They also will raise both their eyebrows at you, which I thought was just like a hey at first and got confused as to why the men seemed so thrilled whenever I would look and smile back at them… Now I know why. They also enjoying saying everything they know in English.. hello honies and hey baby is common, its great for the self-esteem.

Oh yeah.. and another thing about privacy.. if you by chance are in Nicaragua and by chance get the runs… which is quite likely.. do not think that going to the lab to get a test done will by any means by like it is in the states. In fact it is totally different. Although there is confidentiality here… everyone sees your deed as you are given the clear glass jar (an old baby food jar), walk into the bathroom, leave the bathroom with your sample in hand for all to see, and hand it to the secretary to look at and make sure it will be a good sample to test… This experience is quite different from  most I have had in my days. A very mememorable one at that.

We have been working alot on our protein gardens and learning alot these days about animals. I got to vaccinate and wash a chicken yesterday… after i ran around to catch it of course. My chicken was docile compared to some of the screeching gallinas. We also got to hold a baby goat. So cute.

An interesting fact I learned  was that a lot of the chemicals used down here were actully outlawed in the states but are still used here completely unregulated. THen the food that these chemicals are used on is shipped back to the states where the food is sold and consumed by you all.. just something to think about.. I am definitely in favor one hundred precent of organic foods.. you have no idea the chemicals you are injesting . We have been working alot with organic farmers and are seeing the effects of the detrimental chemicals and it is so sad to see the children who are born with defects and how cancer is so prevelant here. If you have time you should look up the Managua Banana Protest on line about workers that pretty much have resigned themselves to die because of the chemicals and have dug their own graves. It is heart-wrenching.

Well.. i believe I have filled this note up with quite alot of reading for you all. I miss everyone and wish you could all experience this!!!