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Published: December 10th 2008
Wow, been a while since I´ve blogged. Or rather, a lot has been happening since my covert Saturday post.
The boss and my tech from INTA, the agricultural entity here in Nica and our counterpart organization, stopped by my house last week, actually the same day as the Hambre Cero pig meeting.
I have so many ideas, but it´s hard to get them started with such limited Spanish. So the lady in charge of INTA here in Madriz, Doris, is cool. My tech, Juan Carlos, is also cool, but is loud and intimidating with his rapid Spanish.
Nonetheless, I managed, in our 15 minute convo, to ask about: lombricultura, or using worms for organic fertilizer, and where I could purchase some of the specialty worms; biodigestors - there´s one in the next community over and my community counterpart and I are going to go see it - I know what they look like and do, but he doesn´t; also asked Doris and Juan Carlos about biolatrines - yes, they are possible, but JC came right out and said that really, it´s a matter of the culture and the idea of using gas from our own shit to cook food with - good point - but I still want to learn more; and I asked if they knew of marango, the miracle tree, and its possible consumption by humans - I ran to get the two pages of condensed info and gave Doris a copy. They were like, well, that´s great, but it´s a problem of getting seeds. And I was like, oh, I have seeds, and I know where to get more, that´s not a problem. To which they were impressed. Thank you, JHardCorps.
I felt like it was a very productive 15 minutes. I came into Somoto to the INTA office today to get some vivero bags and pick up literature to share with the community. Mission accomplished.
Also picked up my mail! Mom, got your letter and package with dad´s book that you sent on Nov 29th. They arrived here in Somoto on Dec 5th, and I got them today! Yay! Haha and the post office lady here, Silvia, knows exactly who I am and that my mom´s name is Sylvia, too, and she works at the post office in the States 😊 Also sent The Book home to you, Cassi! The rest of you will have to trade it off at the Christmas reunion.
What else? Oh, am going to start giving English classes on Monday. Three classes, three different ages. Mondays with kids 2-6 years old, Tuesdays 7-12 years, and Wednesdays 13+. At 4.00 pm at the Community Meeting House. Yesterday I got my sister, Angsty Fro, to help me make posters to hang around the community advertising classes. And then Heartbreaker and I went and posted them everywhere. Good to go with him as he knows the community better than I do, knows where every tiny pulperia, or corner store, is where posters should be put, and we generally had a good time. He knows a bit of English and, as we walked, practiced the differences between straight vs street, turn left vs turn right vs return, house vs home, like vs live, reminding him to use verbs like IS and ARE. Heartbreaker is my best friend in the community now - besides the awesome dog, Estrella.
So yes. I am not here to teach English. But the community wants classes. They´re easy for me. And I´ll get to know the kids, and thus their parents, and I will find out which jóvenes, or kids and adolescents, in the community are responsible.
Something like 80% of Nicaraguan population is under the age of 25. Thus, working with youth is a large component of every PCV in Nica. By starting with English classes, I can then move on to other projects with youth. Lke having a Heath Volunteer come and help me give an HIV-AIDS talk with my older classes. Or the Small Business Volunteer come and talk with them about... whatever it is Small Business Volunteers talk about with youth! English is a jumping off point, as I see it. And they want to learn.
So. More to come next week once I start classes!
I have got to keep myself busy here. When I´m not busy, I sit on the porch and journal. Which is all well and good, and I am one with the laid back Latin culture here. I am in no hurry. I have two years. I don´t mind sitting for hours at a time watching the people pass, talking about nothing and everything. Or going to visit someone´s house and just sitting, saying nothing, staring at each other. At this point, that´s fine with me. Drives some other PCV´s up the wall, sitting and doing nothing, sitting and staring at each other, but for me, eh, I´m pretty tranquil.
That said, I also need to have SOMETHING to do. Even if it´s just doing my laundry by hand, writing snail mail letters, sweeping my room, meandering in and out of Mita´s house for food, journaling on the porch. These activities could take from 7am - 7pm. Easily. Most days go something like that. Speaking of which, I´m also becoming more and more a fan of beans. Like, it´s not a meal if there aren´t beans. This sentiment might not last, but I´m embracing it while it´s here.
Yesterday morning I called my best PCV friend, who lives about 7 hours away in Jinotega, and we ranted and laughed and realized that we are going through the same issues. Spanish is so damn hard. The dust and things that fall from tile roofs suck. Beans and rice are fine, but dear god, why are all the refrescos made with Tang instead of the fresh oranges, lemons, pineapples, etc, that grow everywhere?! And why is it necessary to use a finger-full of oil in the bottom of the pan just to fry an egg? We want to live alone - we don´t want to live alone - our tiny rooms suck, but they couuuuld work - do we really want the responsiblity of having our own house? - and where we are so far removed from anything familiar, so alone in so many senses, do we really want to remove ourselves that much more and live in a house by ourselves? Surely there is some sickness that we can get for a paid med trip to Managua?! (broma, pc staff who read this) I started drinking the local water, half-hoping it would make me deathly ill and I could go to Managua... but apparently the water is fine as I´m drinking about four bottles of it a day and am just as regular as could be...
In the end, it was just nice to realize that neither of us are alone, that PCV Service sounds great in the grand scheme of things but is much harder on a day-to-day basis, and it was absolutely great to rant and rave and laugh and talk fluently in my own language, if only for 15 minutes before my phone ran out of saldo....
And on that note, I am going to end this super long blog.
over & out
............
Arielle: the water man is bringing me water.
me: mmm water
Arielle: and i would drool if i had any moisture in my mouth.
me: i need foood. hahahah
..........
Arielle: i just read that new comment about beans. your father is off somewhere shuddering
me: hahahahahah
Arielle: is it in spanish or english? (the awesome book we´ve been discussing called ¨caramba!¨
me: once again, just about spit water all over this nice computer
...........
Arielle: do it.
make a crazy plan.
do the ocean.
water washes away the tears.
think of us being tumbled in the ocean in puri.
the day that i thought i had pnemonia and then had the worse thought that you might die since you didn't know the ocean as well as me. and forced myself from my deathbed to save you from yours.
but you were off in the distance with an albino.
me: life is so damn weird
Arielle: you're telling me.
molly life IS so weird.
........
me: cool
dude
i think this place is closing for lunch
is that possible?
Arielle: lame.
dude, anything is possible in the nica.
me: shit they´re goin to kick me off
Arielle: or the mexicali for that matter.
tell them your wife said they are assclowns.
me: dude not cool
haha assclowns
Arielle: HAHAHA
i love that expression.
........
oh, yes, latin-living wonders we are! bryn mawr´s finest, right here south of the border!
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wifeth
non-member comment
the beans
i just read your bean comment. your father is off somewhere shuddering.