http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Central America Caribbean , Nicaragua , Madriz en-us Thu, 10 Dec 09 11:01:33 +0000 Thu, 10 Dec 09 11:01:33 +0000 more photos in the life and times of a peace corps volunteer in central america http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/Moropoto/blog-458822.html Yup more. Love wireless.So went around with the idea of photographing the women and their gardens... but kept getting sidetracked by all the kids who wanted photos taken. Then Lenin and i went to the town of Palacaguina to meet a bus coming from Wiwili where his father had sent 150 pounds of corn several platanos and some cuajada cheese and we had to pick it up and get it back to Somoto and http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/Moropoto/blog-455695.html Photos of my last week of English classes at the Moropoto school. Preschool1st2nd multi grade4th grade3rd5th multi grade6th grade7th8th multi grade http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/Moropoto/blog-455680.html Photos of the fair in San Lucas and the hipico or horse parade... of mamitas porch and of a visit to el espino. http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/Somoto/blog-447832.html Hey from the wilds of NicaraguaI donrsquot remember when I wrote the last mass email was. Been a long timeI have been here in the Nica for over a year having arrived in country last September. I swore in as a Peace Corps Volunteer just before Thanksgiving and was placed in the community of Moropoto Madriz. At the end of next month I will be half done with my service This year has been http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/Somoto/blog-447829.html Got my new camera And Lenin and i have taken a lot of photos in the last few days... here is a selected photo essay....Thursday 15 October730amArgh. Okay so I came into Managua to have a catscan of my lungs. Fine. The ISSUE has nothing to do with medical stuff though. The issue is that Lenin and I went to the bank and paid the fees. HE paid the total of 131 and the 12 fee for the 1800 http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/Moropoto/blog-444776.html Stuff that has happened...I turned 27.Lenin and I went to the bank yesterday and paid the nonrefundable fees to set up an interview at the American Embassy in Manangua Nicaragua so he can get a tourist visa and come to my country and meet my people for the Navidad.Annnnnd After having my camera stolen at the beginning of August and suffering through 2 12 months without one arriiiiiiived in t http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/Somoto/blog-443808.html 4 October 2009Sunday 647 pmHavenrsquot written in a while. The week of medical crap in Managua and the excess of down time and internet searching and emailing and chattinghellip kind of wore me out. Decided I was thinking too much and it would be better just to get back here and move on with my life instead of all the ldquowhat ifsrdquo that were running through my mind.The upside of ha http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/Somoto/blog-442351.html For those of you who are out of the loop which means everyone but family I have been reevaluating my service and wondering if its worth it to stay for the 2nd year.But then I thought well does it really matter if I go back to the States right now Not really. There arent any jobs. And no one said the Peace Corps was gonna be easy. And if I stay I will have one more year to speak the Sp http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/Somoto/blog-440502.html Quick update.More seeds Mail shoutout to Joy Thank youThis Friday Sept 4 marks my 1 YEAR MARK IN NICARAGUA Yup got here a year ago. Friday is also afroshs birthday Monday 5th my boss comes to visit me in my community.Tuesday at like 3am Lenin and I are heading to Wiwili Jinotega to visit his family. Which means I will have neither cell phone nor internet connection for over a w http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/San-Lucas/blog-433323.html Okay. So I just saved directions for the visa stuff onto my memory so I can take it home and read it over again. Basically we filled out the form. He has to fill out a supplemental form also that asks things like names of mothers and fathers and military service and last 3 jobs and my contact info and if he has specific travel arrangements made yet. Which he doesnt. Because it is in bol http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/Somoto/blog-430822.html 23 August 2009Sunday 1233 PMGarden update. Our neighborrsquos turkeys flew up and ate most of the leaves of the green beans. Theyrsquore not looking so hot. We planted tomato seeds and peas where there were two empty spaces. There was one empty space from onion seeds that never sprouted. And the other was from the radishes. Some sort of worm came in and demolished the radishes in two http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/Moropoto/blog-430808.html 21 August 2009Friday 7pmI would like to go home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. And I would like to take Lenin too. But before we buy tickets we need to get him a tourist visa using the Nonimmigrant Visa Application.We have filled out the application. Now I just need to figure out the next step. Where do we send it How do we pay How do we get an interview set up And when do we know http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/Moropoto/blog-430807.html 8 August 2009Saturday night 615 pmA lot has been happening. Like lots. In no particular order... My camera was stolen everyone here was convinced I was pregnant but I definitely am not I was tested for Chagas Disease and thank god donrsquot appear to have it I dropped below 150 and Lenin asked for my hand in marriagehellip and I said yes We are headed up to Wiwili to visit his fami http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/San-Lucas/blog-427088.html Well I am back in Madriz. Matagalpa rocked though it didnt quite feel like the 4th of July without a cookout and fireworks. However Italian food and cold coffee drinks made up for it.So I just went to the post office and had 3 packages One full of seeds and instant mac n cheese and cheddar broccoli soup packets and gummy fruit snacks which are awesome from one eicenogle of DC Also http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/Somoto/blog-417182.html Well decided to come on down to San Lucas to use the internet. Glad theres a cyber here though usually I just go onto Somoto today no me pide.I need to take more photos of the garden. The green beans are about 3 inches tall the radishes are a couple of inches tall the onions from the bulbs from the Cahails are also about 3 inches tall and the carrots and beets have sprouted as has the di http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/San-Lucas/blog-412325.html Sometimes Lenin asks me to come up and spend the night with him at his work in the border town of El Espino where he works for customs. He has to work a 24 hour shift so he leaves on the first bus out of Moropoto at 6.30 am and leaves El Espino at 7.30 am the next morning. Sometimes he asks me to come visit. Im going again tonight... it will be my 3rd time in about a month and a half. http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/San-Lucas/blog-409573.html Here is a step by step guide to creating an above ground garden specifically in Nicaragua. There are three primary reasons why raised gardens are preferable here. One is specific to my community which is located on top of a mountain and there are a lot of rocks. As in a lot of the mountain is stone some houses are built directly on top of rock and there is little dirt to plant in around s http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/Moropoto/blog-409559.html Mail shoutouts...A three month long letter from one akaur of San Diego. Love you dear and another letter is on its wayA letter from mom including a copy of Bens graduation announcement and a copy of my IRA status.One manilla envelope from vicenogle of the Lake full of seeds. Thank youTwo manilla envelopes of seeds from one jlynch of Omaha NE. Thank youALSO I got the two big boxes from mo http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/blog-408815.html WOW MAIL SHOUTOUTSSo I run into the guy from the post office that delivers around Somoto. He speaks English and is probably the only person in this town who knows my name. I always know its him when I hear Hi Mollyin Somoto. At any rate he was like hey you got a boxAnd did I ever All the way from New Zealand Apparently it takes a helluva lot less time for A BOX OF AWESOMENESS http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Madriz/Somoto/blog-405617.html