of mail shoutouts, gringo doctors, and a shortage of drinking water

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Well, I am back in Madriz. Matagalpa rocked, though it didn´t 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, two packages from WBrownell´s Spanish class at CHS. One with letters from students - in Spanish! - and postcards of Missourah and a USA map... and another envelope full of seeds.

Once again, THANK YOU to everyone who has sent, and continues to send, seeds to add to the Moropoto Women´s Seed Bank. I have been taking photos, but have yet to save them to my USB memory and bring them to the internet to shoooow you all.

Also, sfriday of iowa/new zealand, where in the world did you discover the book Shantaram that you mailed to me? Because it is absolutely gripping and I never want its 933 pages to end!

PS Everyone should read Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. http://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/0312330537/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247242083&sr=1-1. Arielle, you will especially appreciate this book. Get it on your kindle.

Well, not much more to report. Kids have had 2 weeks of school vacation, which means I have a hard time keeping the days straight without my classes in the morning. Tomorrow, Saturday, some Gringo Missionary Doctors will be giving free clinic visits here in the MoPo. Guess I´ll go see what that´s all about. We don´t get many gringos in my community.

The mosquitos are ridiculous during the rainy season. At night we can hear a buzz outside the mosquito net. Which reminds me, it´s Friday and time for my weekly malaria pills. No, really, they are everywhere. The night before last I heard a flapping in my room and vaguely realized that a bat had come in under the eves and was in my room. I wasn´t really awake, but I remember thinking that I wished the bat would take up residence in my room and eat all the mosquitos. I could deal with bat guano. Really, I could.

In other news, there´s no water. There has been very little actual rain and a pipe to the public pumps broke, so everyone is in dire need of water right now. When it rains, there is water for bathing and washing laundry. But for cooking and kitchen use and drinking and making coffee and frescos.... well, we´re all kinda getting dehydrated. Apparently they are fixing the broken tube today. Here´s hoping for a fixed tube and some rain.

over and out from the nica!

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