Buenas

Buenas.

I meant to post on Sunday, my day off, but the town’s power went out and the cyber is about a twenty minute walk from my house. So, I haven’t really been able to post this until today.

So I arrived in Nicaragua on Wednesday, and I really can’t believe how much has happened in the past four days. I am slowly realizing how hard it is going to be for this blog to give justice to this experience. Nicaragua is very real. While I wasn’t necessarily prepared for this experience, I am not really sure there is anything I could have done to be ready. Each day brings new surprises. Even if I did know how to use a latrine, the first time I was bound to be scared out of my mind...especially in the middle of the night.  While the country of Nicaragua is gorgeous and people incredible, Nicaragua is poor. It’s amazing to see how nice things started to look in one day including cement floors and ceilings. However, the cement is offset by the local crafts including exquisite rocking chairs. (I’ll have to post pictures of these soon).

Many of you know how intimidated I was to come to Nicaragua with (what I thought) very little Spanish. However, I was pleasantly surprised to know that I am so much more prepared than I initially thought and slowly but surely my vocabulary is coming back. It’s comforting that while I may nod and smile awkwardly during most of my conversations with my host family, I can grasp what they are saying and occasionally offer my two cents (or insert two elementary level sentences)...we are working on it, and we will see what I am saying in a week when I have to start teaching classes..

We’re told to be prepared  for a brutal couple of months during training. Our Spanish classes are equivalent to taking 20 hours. Somehow after this we are supposed to fit in all those telenovelas (soap operas) with our families, integrate into our communities, read loads of books and teach a couple of classes. So, while I will try and keep up with emails, don’t take offense of my delayed response. I’d appreciate all the mail I can get in case anyone ever wanted a pen pal in Nicaragua.

My address for now is:
Noelle London, PCT
Cuerpo de Paz Nicaragua
Apartado Postal #3256
Managua, Nicaragua CentroAmerica

I got into Nandasmo, a small town outside of Masaya, on Saturday. Even still, my host family is about a 15-20 minute walk outside the town where I go each day for class. My host family and backyard are amazing. I am so fortunate. When I first met my host father, he was working in a field behind the house, and I asked him about his family. He said I have one daughter (18), and one son (20), and now you so I have three kids. First, they showed me around their backyard, it is gorgeous. My host sister, Angelica, pointed out cocoa trees, mango trees, coconut trees, plantain trees, avocado trees, lime trees, cashew bushes, the list goes on.. My mother then told me to sit in the hammock and tossed a mango my direction. My host father is excited that I want to learn more about agriculture and farming.

Most of you probably know that I was also worried about the food. My first days in Managua, I ate rice and beans for three days straight (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Actually, I didn’t mind it. But, my host mother is an amazing cook. She is also Mexican so there is always guacamole in the fridge from the avocados out back. She also has an “orno” or a huge wooden stove in the backyard where she makes fresh bread 4 times a month. While I haven’t tried it yet, this town is supposed to have great panaderias (bakeries), and I know it has got to be good if she is going to compete with them. She is going to teach me how to make tortillas, rice, and salsa this week. I’ll have to post a blog specifically for food soon.

Another thing, my neighbor has a monkey in their tree in the front yard. Her name is Estrellita or Star. She’s pretty sassy so how appropriate.