it's hard to believe that there's nobody out there.... or how we are angsty before i leave .. CONT´D

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Okay. So this sucks. We have to leave in like half an hour to take me to the airport. And theoretically I will be in Nicaragua by tonight. Although I only have a 25 minute layover in Panama and I can see things going wrong... with my luggage ending up in Managua while I sleep in Panama.

So I don't really want to leave. Let me rephrase that --- how in the hell do I go back to the mountain with no running water or food diversity where nothing will have changed and where Lenin will be the only one interested in what has gone on this week. And I will have a hard time explaining this week to anyone...

This is why I am not ready to leave Nicaragua for the civilized world. While I'm there doing my thing it's not that hard. Like I don't mind the food while I'm there. But when I leave and have the option of eating something different in town. Or when I leave and go to a city, an awesome city, like Mexico City....

Being here has made me aware just how ... how hard life is there... And how I really really don't want to go back.

And that is the truth.

..........................................

hours later.... 10pm Nicaraguan time

Okay so my flights were fine. I was kind of freaking out for a minute in Panama but ended up at the gate with enough time.

It was a long day of flights. Not bad flights. Actually not bad food. But exhausting. Arielle took me to the airport and we were the ones crying at the gate where I had to go through with my passport and whatnot. I was definitely crying the whole way through the whole take-your-shoes-off walk through the metal detector bit. They didn´t give me a lot of trouble.

Who did give me trouble was the aduana in Nicaragua. So tourists - or anyone with a non Nican passport, have to pay $5 to get into Nicaragua. But I have a ¨no fee´PCV passport. So he took my papers and my passport and was like, okay $5 por favor. And I quite politely, but firmly, told him I am not a tourist, that I don´t have to pay because I am a volunteer working for the US govt with a no fee passport and could he please look at page 27? After a lot of showing of the carnets and the tarjetas, he let me go without paying the $5.

Which was good since I got semi ripped off with my taxi to the hostel. I mean, I paid 1/5 of the asking price, but it was still too much. Oh well. Got me here quickly and safely.

The Boy is working a double shift and won´t get home until Monday morning, so I have a couple of days to get my stuff together. Upload photos to the internet. Check my mail. Unpack and good god clean and wash my stuff. No idea if we are headed to Jinotega this week.

But the week after next I have another conference. No, not a conference, a hands on continuation of our training. All Ag volunteers in Nicaragua will be there. Focus is animal husbandry. I bet I get to learn to milk a cow. At any rate, it´s an effing full month.

I had such an awesome week in DF. I got to see the best parts of Mexico City. I got to experience the DF that Arielle has spent the last year and a half fighting for, battling for, trial and erroring for. She has lived and seen the not-so-pretty parts of what life there can be like, and I am so impressed with the life she has made. She has a beautiful apartment, a happy catcat!, cracked out friends that are just so awesome.... I am greatly impressed by what she has achieved there. And oh-so-thankful that I had the opportunity to visit and see where she has been living and working.

Gahhhh right now all I want is some green chili tamales and to be in a big clean apartment with Arielle watching season 5 of Friends with catcat being sketchy and sitting on my sandals.

But I am here.

And I guess I´d better get back into the groove of things in the Nica.

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Comments

[Cassi]

Good Point
I need to reach something on the top shelf. Can I borrow your soapbox? Just kidding! I love you.

[Cassi]

Whatever, you know you love it.

[mom]

Hi, My Molly!
Hey,...everything OK down there? No bloginess from you for over a week now. You ok? Computer ok? Nica ok? Tried to phone you a few minutes ago, but think that, "probably" the message said that you weren't there???? Don't speak de Espanol, so just talked to you in case it said to leave a message. No ending beep, tho. Then phoned Arielle and left a real short message. Hope that was ok. Chree had 3 gray kittens today! Tomorrow's Daisy's 13th BD. Love you! Dogwood Festival all weekend (fun mail delivery! ha!). XOXOXO Sent you a letter a coupla days ago. XOXOXO