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Published: February 20th 2010
17 February 2010
Wednesday 9:00 am
Went to Somoto yesterday and picked up some mail. Mom sent me two kid’s baseball gloves, a valentine’s card, and an envelope with some Lake Sun engagement announcements (Bret!), asking when we should write ours. And there was an awesome card from Aunt Pearl.
I sent my great aunt Pearl a small bar of Nican chocolate with a note saying it’d be really hard and better to chip it up, a photo of me and Lenin, and a small note about our upcoming wedding. Here, because she is about the coolest old woman who ever lived, is her response:
Dear Molly - was so pleased to hear from you and love the picture of you and Lenin! You were so right about the chocolate - I sort of grated into my coffee cup and I do thank you. Also please remind me of your wedding - my memory has gone to pot! Handsome lad by the way - is he also in the Peace Corps? Please tell me what you do and are you in an apartment etc... ??
I made the mistake of going in for a physical last month and the verdict was pulmonary fibrosis and I am now on oxygen. Big pain in the you know where! Do have a portable but only lasts 2 hours and heavy to carry but I will learn to use it more. Can still drive my Camaro - thank goodness.
Where is Ben going to college?
Love and Hugs
Aunt Pearl
She is just about the coolest great Aunt ever! Lives in San Diego. Yet another person to visit in California, since everyone seems to be there. San Diego: Aunt Pearl, Angel, Bethany, and DD. Los Angeles: Sarah and Cassi. Bay Area: Talya and Alexis. Eight people in the sunshine state. Wait, maybe the sunshine state is Florida? I don’t know.
I guess I should write our engagement announcement so Mom and Dad can put it in the paper. Use photo # 12 from our Bold Kreative photos.
Steve and Sylvia Baade of Camdenton are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Molly to Lenin Torrez of Nicaragua. Molly is a 2001 Camdenton High alum and a 2005 Bryn Mawr College alum and she is currently serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua. Molly and Lenin will be married in Moropoto, Nicaragua, in the Assembly of God church on July 17, 2010.
19 February 2010
Friday 7 pm
Yay! Our electricity is back! Oh, no, the company didn’t fix the transformer, BUT the owners of the house finally put up some super thick wire, which conducts electricity a helluva lot better than barbed wire. So now the house lights are strong and my twinkle lights in my room have never looked as beautiful or bright and I bet I can even use my stove again! Thank god.
So it’s Friday. This week Lenin and I have both been sick. Earlier this week he started out with a pain in his abdomen (I thought it was appendicitis) that turned into a general stomach ache. He didn’t drink coffee all week and as it got worse, we went to his uncle’s to have them dig up the stomach ache root and we picked some lemon grass.
So his stomachache was cured, but then a really bad cold started up. We both had days of practically no sleep due to not being able to breathe when lying down. Then, for no reason I can think of whatsoever, I was plagued with diarrhea one night and went to the latrine every hour from 10 pm to 3 am. Fell asleep at 3:30am to wake up at 5:30am when Lenin got up to work. The last couple of days have been a blur of blahness.
Today, though, I feel much better. Woke up with Lenin’s 5:20 alarm for him to catch the 6:30 bus to work. When he left the water came, so hauled water by myself for an hour this morning after my first cup of coffee and piece of bread. Took my bucket shower. Then I spent all morning cleaning my room. Took down the mosquito net and washed it - full of dust! Washed all the sheets and blankets (by hand), took off the mattresses and put them in the sun, moved the suitcases from under my bed and swept and mopped my whole floor and I did a ton of laundry, by hand. At about 10am I returned to Mamita’s to have some proper breakfast.
As I write this, it’s 75 degrees in my room. But it’s evening and there’s a breeze. Since the houses here have gaps between the roof and walls, in my room it’s about 6 inches, the wind and air move right through the house. It’s like living in a rustic cabin … or a garage.
I cannot believe how bright my lights are!
I love clean sheets. I actually like doing my laundry by hand. There’s plenty of time for it. Especially now when it’s summer the laundry dries super quickly in the hot sun and wind. If I wash at 8am it’s all dry by noon. Not to mention that I feel really productive.
And, since water is rationed for the dry summer season, the new rule at the spigot is that everyone can only fill two buckets of water, and once everyone fills, then the rotation starts again. I love this rule because our house only HAS two buckets. So I can fill those two, haul them to the house, and go back and wait for my turn again, but I don’t have to wait for every other person to fill 4 or 6 buckets, ‘cause we can each only fill two.
This might not make much sense or seem like a big deal to most of you, but water is kind of a big deal in Moropoto. The fact that I don’t hate hauling water right now is also kind of a big deal.
Okay, enough for the evening.
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Mom
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I have NO idea....
how I could ever have MISSED this entry!! I'm WAY behind on reading my emails now, though. I MUST remember to scan through to find YOURS! Yes, Aunt Pearl. Good for you, Molly. I must write to her again soon. On oxygen now; wonder if she, too, is still smoking. Oh, Molly, sometimes you seem "almost" , um..., ~content~ (?) with the (GEEZ! how DO you spell RYTHM???) of Moropoto. Like a slow vacation? Right now, sounds good to me, too. Guess I'll pack EARLY for your beautiful Wedding Day!! Ha! Love you so much! Hug Lenin for me, too, OK? xoxo