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Published: July 11th 2008
HELLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOO! HOOOOOOOOLLAAAAAAAAAA!
I have arrived. I am alive.
This is the second time Ive been able to access the internet since ive been here on ometepe. somewhere between teh electricity, the internet, and the rain coming and going as they please upsets the whole balance of keeping in touch. we plan to put signs in all the internet cafes that use our internet server (that we inadvertently provide) signs that say never to upload photos or watch youtube.com... the internet fix it guy hung out at the office all day yesterday waiting for the power to come back on so he could fix a few things that everyone had been complaining about... he finally left and the power came back an hour later. 😊
NEWS FLASH: Maggie is also a LIBRARIAN! After receiving a new wooden cabinet (that they had actually waited like 6 months to finally receive) all of us in the office did an EXTREME CLEAN SWEEP - it was like TLC times 10, lizard eggs included! And I found it curious that Dora (my co worker) kept tons of copies of all the books that get donated and sent out to the schools. After asking her, my questions were answered - she kept them in case the schools lost their copy and/or with hopes to one day have a library in alta gracia. Sooooo, being the self starter that I am , I opened the
BIBLIOTECA ISLAS HERMANAS (LIBRARY SISTER ISLANDS) today!!! We had 1 member, who checked out a book on the flora and fauna of Ometepe, and I am still waiting on one other potential member - my other co-worker Maria Estela - who is sitting in my sky chair avidly reading a copy of Sun Magazine that I chose for her after consulting with her about her interests and reading preferences.
Im really excited about the library! I put out a sign on the front patio announcing its opening and greeted everyone who came by and read the sign, welcoming them to come peruse. Well see how it goes - the women are sure they will never see the books that leave the library again, but i have faith that they will, and if not, hey, its a book, and whats so wrong about stealing a donated book?
Lets see, what else? A very uneventful travel day down to Ometepe - only annoyance was the screaming baby on the red eye flight. Russell Carroll (the current soon to be former volunteer) and Dora (or Dorita) greeted me outside the doors of the baggage claim and we trekked on bus after ferry after bus to Alta Gracia, my new home. I live for now with Doraś family of 8 and I have my own room with my very own mosquito net! Her family is very sweet and kind, and we have a lot of fun hanging around in the evenings laughing at the little ones fight with each other, or watching a movie on tv. Last night I hooked up my DVD player (Thanks Em!) to the TV and we watched
Freedom Writers.
I havent gone too far exploring, only about a 4 block radius from the house doing errands and such, but its been nice to begin nesting in the office what with all the cleaning. its helped me learn the idiosyncracies of my coworkers as well as learn what goes where and what happens in this place. its also been nice to be so close to my ::home:: (just two houses down) and come home and wake up with such a fun loving family.
well thats all for now, dont want the power to cut me off. so send me love notes, questions, comments, ramblings because i want to hear from you too!
un abrazo,
maggie
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Mary Granfors
non-member comment
Maggie's a star
Jeez Maggie - it is so good to hear from you. Your sunny personality shines through even on the stark email letters. Thank you for dedicating your life to helping others and making positive changes in the world. We miss you. Brooks and Sadie send hugs and kisses. Love from New Zealand, Mary, Keg, Brooks and Sadie