adapting

WOOOOOOOO It has been a rollercoaster ride indeed this whole Peace Corps thing. Been in Nicaragua over 3 months now. Uh-huhhhhhhhhhh. Miss me? Some days are certainly harder than others. And sometimes those tough days are strung together into weeks. And sometimes I am bored, or homesick, or anxious, or lonely, or all of the above. Fortunately, things have just taken off this past week, like, up-up-and-away style, and I must say it feels pretty good. In the matter of a few days, my schedule has done a complete turn-around, from mostly free time, to mostly booked. I have no one to thank more than Sarah, for sending me a moleskin day planner during my first few weeks in Nicaragua. It is turning into a lifesaver for sure.

So, what happened this week you may ask? Small things mostly. Miniscule really. I’ve been spending a lot of time with one of my students from the adult school and his family. His wife and kids are just precious. He wants to open a bakery and I will be working with him one-on-one writing a business plan. I’m so thankful for people like him who have reached out to me, brought me to their homes and made me feel like part of the community. I have also just arranged to tutor one of my other students from the adult school in English. Another one of the professors from this school has introduced me to his daughter who is studying to become an English teacher, so we are working out an intercambio of sorts, where she can practice her English and I can practice my Spanish. She is about my age and just hilarious (as is her dad, he wants me to teach him how to cuss in English). She has also promised to introduce me to her translator friend who she says is dying to befriend another native English speaker.

I’ve also been meeting more PC volunteers who live in the area, which has been a blast. I guess its hard not to be awesome if your doing Peace Corps. I feel pretty lucky to be in the city since most of the volunteers who live in the surrounding areas venture in relatively frequently. I also feel fortunate to have connected with several Americans who are down here doing volunteer work for shorter stints. I like introducing myself as the Peace Corps volunteer in Jinotega, though as of yet I couldn’t provide much assistance beyond what they already know.

What else? I put the word out that I am currently looking for a new place to live, and the response has been tremendous from my co-workers. They are dead set on finding me a good place to live at a good price. And I couldn’t be more thankful for their support and enthusiasm. I’ve been checking places out, and I think I’ve found one I really like.

I’ve adopted a new name as of late. Daina (as in Day-nuh) seems to escape many native spanish speakers, so I am now also responding to the name Diana (but Spanish style, like Dee-ah-nuh; the English Die-anna will never be my name). So that’s kinda fun…in a really broad definition of the word fun. Along with my new name, I’ve been drinking Nicaraguan tap water for almost a month now and no problems to speak of. I’ve been listening to reggaeton almost exclusively lately. And I wore an outfit the other day that eerily resembled something Lucrecia wore on an episode of Mi Pecado. I guess I’m adapting.