1.I am in the 50th group of volunteers to come to Nicaragua since PC returned in the 90s, PC will be celebrating its 50th anniversary during our service, therefore Nica 50 has been dubbed el grupo de oro, the golden group…high expectations
2.During training, I get paid about 300 córdobas/week (that’s about $15 USD)
3.Food: I have a tortilla at almost every meal; They serve “queso” with almost every meal…I would describe it as a salty, spongy, feta cheese; Almost all food is fried in oil, including rice and beans (gallo pinto)
4.There is no running water in my home during the day (re: bucket baths)
5.The nica accent is similar to that in southern Spain, ie. impossible to understand
6.I can see a volcano from the main road in my town
7.Almost every leader that has come to power in modern Nicaragua has been a corrupt tyrant: corruption, debt, and politics rule the country
8.I have over 20 Nicaragüense cousins, most of which live in my town, some of which I believe my mama is trying to marry me off to
9.Naipe, jaquis, and rayuelas have become part of my vernacular (cards, jacks, and hopscotch)
10.Horses are a legitimate and widely used form of transportation
11.Waking up at 4am with the roosters is no big thing
12.The national sport of Nicaragua is baseball (re: go Yankees!)
13.I work 6 days/week 6 hours/day, spend 2 hours/day of reading or homework, and full time at improving my Spanish
14.It…Is…HOT
15.Music: Aventura is the band of choice, bachata and reggaeton the music, though if you ask my sister, Christina Aguilera and Hannah Montana are where it’s at
16.PC must be the most high functioning part of the US government…everyone is knowledgeable, quick to respond, and very caring
17.I have a cousin here named Carlos, but everyone calls him Negro or Negrito, and I’m not sure why. I don’t think he lives here, but he’s in the house most days before I wake up and stays still after I’m asleep. There is quite an open door policy for family here.
18.Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans hate have a strong distaste for each other
19.Daily mood swings/slight schizophrenia are my new norm
20.Burning garbage is the official scent of my town
21.Everything is dusty
22.My malaria medicine has been giving me craaaaaazy dreams
23.There is no such thing as street names or addresses…directions are given in reference to landmarks (ex. the peace corps office address is Del Hotel Brandt, 1 ½ al sur…meaning it is 1 ½ blocks to the south of Hotel Brandt…hopefully you know where that is)
24.It is winter in Nicaragua now, ie. the rainy season. The storms here are outrageous.
25.Have you seen the youtube video “My new haircut”? yea, I think every young guy in my town has, and they’ve taken gelled hair styles to new levels.
Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once and a while, you could miss it.
25 things that will help you understand my life as a PCT in Nicaragua…
3
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Monday, June 1, 2009
hola, my llamo daina, soy una gringa
it's mango season in nicaragua! i'll have to choose my details for this blog carefully, since im on the computer at the cyber and am paying for time. once i find a place with wireless i will post something more thoughtful that i can work on on my own time.
my first 3 days were in managua for orientation. managua has such a sad story. a bustling hub of development and progress in central america that was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1972 and then war in 1979. it has not recovered. it is sprawling and incoherent. you wonder who's idea it was to put a capital city on a fault line.
the other people in my group and sweet and wonderful, the type of people you would expect to join the peace corps. most are in their 20s, but there are 4 older aspirantes, or trainees, who are really just amazing. the oldest guy is 73.
i moved into my training town on saturday. it is in the department of masaya, which is a lovely area specializing in artesania (pottery, handmade chachkas, etc.) they have a funny kind of ego here. what i consider to be a small pueblo, they think to be a fairly large and bustling city...the church is only a 5 minute walk, but somehow not convenient for most residents. i live with a nicaraguan family, a mother, father, 3 sisters, a niece, and several other family members and friends that seems to wander in and out throughout the day. the mom is sweet, the dad is a mechanic i believe, a real bro, always offering me a beer (mostly in jest). the two older sisters mostly keep to themselves, though i am trying desperately to get them to talk to me. the youngest, Vidalia, who is 10, is my savior here. we chat and play games, we visit her cousins who live in the house right behind us. there is a mango tree in our patio... along with about 10 chickens and roosters, 4 dogs, 2 parrots, and a rabbit. the sun is oppressive here and i wind up going to bed at around 830 every night and waking up at 6ish, though the roosters start crowing at around 3.
i had a dream last night that my entire training group was reassigned out of nicaragua into the Peace Corps' newly formed astronaut training program! i'll take it as a good omen, that we're all off on a wonderful adventure into new worlds, on our way up.
i have 6 hours of spanish class 3 or 4 days a week and 6 hours of technical training 2 or 3 days a week. their goal right now is to get us speaking spanish...to everyone...always...more specifically at the moment, to get us comfortable with the different forms of transportation here. its a little intimidating trying to get around because everyone is looking to make a buck off the gringo, but we just need to keep our wits and speak up.
i got SUUUUUPER sick saturday night and all day sunday. i wont go into details. and of course panicked with thoughts of parasites and everything else that could go wrong, i had mood swings and doubts of being here, but i just had to keep giving myself pep talks. now i'm 100% better. it must have just been stress, new food, my whole body went into a quick physical shock to catch up with the mental shock that has been the past week. all better. no worries.
im still working on formulating my first impression on nicaragua. it's different from anywhere i've been or imagined. it has a quaint tropical feel, seems both strained and relaxed (i might even say lazy), the people are both intimidating and welcoming, and it certainly doesnt feel like home yet, but the possibility is there.
will update with pictures and more details soon.
besos y un abrazo fuerte.
my first 3 days were in managua for orientation. managua has such a sad story. a bustling hub of development and progress in central america that was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1972 and then war in 1979. it has not recovered. it is sprawling and incoherent. you wonder who's idea it was to put a capital city on a fault line.
the other people in my group and sweet and wonderful, the type of people you would expect to join the peace corps. most are in their 20s, but there are 4 older aspirantes, or trainees, who are really just amazing. the oldest guy is 73.
i moved into my training town on saturday. it is in the department of masaya, which is a lovely area specializing in artesania (pottery, handmade chachkas, etc.) they have a funny kind of ego here. what i consider to be a small pueblo, they think to be a fairly large and bustling city...the church is only a 5 minute walk, but somehow not convenient for most residents. i live with a nicaraguan family, a mother, father, 3 sisters, a niece, and several other family members and friends that seems to wander in and out throughout the day. the mom is sweet, the dad is a mechanic i believe, a real bro, always offering me a beer (mostly in jest). the two older sisters mostly keep to themselves, though i am trying desperately to get them to talk to me. the youngest, Vidalia, who is 10, is my savior here. we chat and play games, we visit her cousins who live in the house right behind us. there is a mango tree in our patio... along with about 10 chickens and roosters, 4 dogs, 2 parrots, and a rabbit. the sun is oppressive here and i wind up going to bed at around 830 every night and waking up at 6ish, though the roosters start crowing at around 3.
i had a dream last night that my entire training group was reassigned out of nicaragua into the Peace Corps' newly formed astronaut training program! i'll take it as a good omen, that we're all off on a wonderful adventure into new worlds, on our way up.
i have 6 hours of spanish class 3 or 4 days a week and 6 hours of technical training 2 or 3 days a week. their goal right now is to get us speaking spanish...to everyone...always...more specifically at the moment, to get us comfortable with the different forms of transportation here. its a little intimidating trying to get around because everyone is looking to make a buck off the gringo, but we just need to keep our wits and speak up.
i got SUUUUUPER sick saturday night and all day sunday. i wont go into details. and of course panicked with thoughts of parasites and everything else that could go wrong, i had mood swings and doubts of being here, but i just had to keep giving myself pep talks. now i'm 100% better. it must have just been stress, new food, my whole body went into a quick physical shock to catch up with the mental shock that has been the past week. all better. no worries.
im still working on formulating my first impression on nicaragua. it's different from anywhere i've been or imagined. it has a quaint tropical feel, seems both strained and relaxed (i might even say lazy), the people are both intimidating and welcoming, and it certainly doesnt feel like home yet, but the possibility is there.
will update with pictures and more details soon.
besos y un abrazo fuerte.
8
comments
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
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