Nicaraguan Buses

Nicaragua has a very interesting public transportation system. It consists of a large fleet of very old pimped-out American school buses. I have not yet figured out just exactly whether these buses are privately or publicly run. But, it sort of seems to be some kind of combination. I think the buses might be privately operated, but have some kind of contract or agreement with the government or each other. Here is what I do know about the way they are run. There are almost always 3 workers on a bus. The 3 workers include a driver and two guys that get everyone on the bus as quickly as possible, load bikes and other goods on the roof, and collect the money. The money collectors are an interesting breed. Collection does not usually start until the bus is pretty full. The collectors are often young guys, and I get the feeling that most of them think fairly highly of themselves. They walk down the aisle with a stack of bills folded around their fingers and shake the coins they have in their hand. I get the feeling that most of them try to put off a kind of cool indifferent attitude. They are very efficient and good at what they do, though. Sometimes they are not able to make correct change for a number of the people on the bus. They continue collecting money while remembering who they owe and how much. When they are finished collecting, they come back and give the correct change to those waiting. The bus continues to pick up passengers after the collection has taken place. The collectors do not always get the money from the new passengers right away, but they almost never forget. I ride buses every day, and I have only seen one person that they missed. They are kind of like really good waitresses who do not need to write down customers orders. Besides getting people on and off the bus quickly and collecting money, the bus workers are also in charge of loading and unloading goods on and off of the top of the bus. Bikes are the most common item, but a person can bring just about anything on the buses. I see a lot of goods being brought to the market and furniture. When the workers know they will be unloading something soon, one of them climbs up on the roof while the bus is still barreling down the road. As soon as the bus stops, the guy on top of the bus is handing the goods to the other worker below.

In the U.S., many jobs that were traditionally all male or all female jobs are starting to be integrated. This does not seem to be the case in Nicaragua. It really seems that there are a lot of jobs that are either for males or for females. This is true of the bus workers. They are all male.

And now for the buses... I have been in some pretty old school buses at home. But, I think if they brought the oldest bus I have been on at home down here, it may be the newest bus in Nicaragua. All of these buses are both tricked-out and most are pimped-out. They trick them out by adding a door in the back, large steel racks on top, and adding handles on both the inside and outside of the bus. These things are done for a number of reasons. They want to get people on quickly and get moving. This is the reason for the extra door. Some buses do not add an additional door with steps in the back. When one of these buses pulls up, one of the workers hops out the back emergency exit before the bus has even stopped. Another young man comes out the front door. Both of them holler a lot and seem to be in a huge hurry. They attempt to split the group. One shoving people into the front of the bus, and the other grabbing people's arms and ushering them to the back of the bus while jabbering constantly. The railings on the inside of the bus are for people to hold while they are standing. It does not matter how many people are on the bus. If another person wants to get on, they will find a way to fit them. The rack top of the bus is for carrying just about anything one can imagine.

When I say these buses are pimped out, I mean it. Few of them are still yellow. Most have bright and wild paint schemes. Some have streamers or other decorations hanging from the outside of the bus. A lot of the buses have horns that both look and sound fancy. Sometimes there will be a name or other decorations in the front window of the bus as well. Most of the buses have loud speakers that were added. These speakers are typically working hard blaring out Reggaeton music, but we occasionally hear an odd American song. All of the buses have stickers on the inside of the bus. Many of these seem fairly contradictory(see above picture for example). At some point, I will get around to taking more pictures of these pimped-out beauties and try to post them.

I have been thinking for some time that I needed to write about the buses here, but I think that about a lot of things. What inspired me to get to it today, was another true Nicaraguan experience that I had on Monday. As I said, they will not turn down a passenger even if they will only get a few cords from them(maybe between 5 and 15 cents). This makes for some extremely crowded buses at times. While heading home from school, I was ushered into the back of the bus with Tiia(a new volunteer and housemate from Finland). The bus was already quite crowded, with people lining the whole aisle. In the back, there was a bike wedged across the aisle. There were already a couple people crammed behind the bike when Tiia and I got in. We were very squished and could not move much. Then, the bus stopped, the door swung open, and the young bus worker pushed a big-butted Nicaraguan woman in the back with us. He then ran around and got in the front, leaving me to try to shut the door. I made an attempt but was blocked by the woman's butt. She either did not notice or could not move. So, I got on the step that had been welded to the back of the bus, grabbed the emergency handle of the door in one hand, and a handle on the back of the bus, which had also been added, in the other. I cruised down the road, hanging out the back of the bus, feeling quite cool and comfortable until a couple people got out. I then had to rejoin the hot crowded herd on the bus. As I was hanging out the back of the bus, which was rolling down the road at about 50mph, I thought what I often think here, "This would never fly at home."

A Short Salute to Erin

This was written on Tuesday while I was offline, so I am posting it today.

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More important than what any place alone has to offer, are the people that you experience a place with. I walked Erin to the shuttle that took her to the airport at 3:30 this morning. As I walked slowly down Granada's empty streets, I stopped often to think and take in the scene. A nice breeze, cool by Nicaraguan standards, rolled off the lake. The main street leading to the lake was well-lit, but uncharacteristically quiet. I was able to take my time and let my mind wander. I realized that with Erin, went a big part of my Nicaragua.

The first time I met Erin, I thought she was a very beautiful girl. As I got to know her, I found that she had a personality and heart that matched her beauty. She is quiet but very sociable, tame but very fun, and in control but very adventurous. Meeting an individual with this combination of traits is very rare, and it makes for a very interesting person.

I would say that Erin is the "type" of girl that I am looking for. But, to say type would cheapen her uniqueness. Instead, I will say that if I had met her under different circumstances, I would have pursued a relationship with her. In many ways, I really wish she was staying here longer. But, I also realize that I may have just got much more attached to her, which would make it even harder to see her go.

I will miss her Australian accent, the way she almost sings when she speaks, the way she uses her head to express herself when talking, our quality conversations, her smile, and her adventurous spirit. As I sat on our patio at 4 in the morning, I found it strange to think that a good friend had been there just moments earlier but was gone, and there is a chance that I will never see her again. This is a sensation that I am not very familiar with. Most of my closest friends are close to home, and I am fairly certain that I will see most of those who are not. For now, I will just be thankful that I was able to meet such a quality individual and hope that our paths might cross again one day.

Eventful Week

This past week was a little wild. Between birthday parties and going away parties, we had something going on every night of the week. I took it pretty easy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, as we have to be up pretty early. Thursday I went out a little harder. I went to the creatively named "El Club" for the first time. On Thursday nights, they charge a cover but then offer free drinks until midnight. This is obviously a dangerous situation, especially when we had been drinking before we got there. We all took full advantage of the open bar and had a fun time. After midnight, we were going to head to a karaoke bar but stopped at a bar/club called Cafe Nuit instead. I had a couple beers, did a little dancing, and almost got in a little scuffle with four European guys. One of them gave me a good two handed push for an unknown reason. I turned around and asked him what his problem was, we argued a little, and 3 of his friends showed up. I kind of laughed at them. These were not your local Nicaraguan tough guys. They were trying to act intimidating and failing miserably. I told them what I thought. Luckily, Tiia pulled me aside at this point and asked what was going on. I realized immediately that I was wasting my time arguing with these guys and that it was time to go home.


I was in bed by about 1:30. This is not exremely late, but I was still pretty tired when I woke up Friday morning. I headed to school feeling very tired and slightly hungover thinking that it was going to be a long day. But, it ended up being a really great day. It was fun from the moment I left our house until I went to bed. While walking to the bus, I saw two women carrying a big black garbage bag with something in it down the street. I did not think much of this until I saw the bag start to thrash about and bark. The two women sat the bag down and pulled out an average sized dog. They did not seem to be tying to hurt the dog, but I was unable to think of a good reason that they would have it in a black plastic garbage bag. It was one of those moments where I just smile, shake my head, and think, "only in Nicaragua." When I got on the bus, there was an old wrinkly guy who sells ice cream sitting in the back of the bus with his cart full of treats. A younger man in the front of the bus was yipping and whooping, and the old man would respond with a high pitched yip or whoop. It was entertaining everyone on the bus. When we got to our stop and hopped off the bus, the old man got off as well. He crossed the road with us, pushing his cart in front of him. The little old guy smiled as he mumbled a constant string of gibberish. I decided I had to get some ice cream from this guy. As a couple of us picked out our treats, a much younger man came up on his bike. He started speaking to me in pretty decent English. We got our treats from the old man, as he continued to yip and act goofy(I have a video of him that I will attempt to post of Facebook at some point), and then headed down the road with the younger man on his bike. He told us his name was Tony and that he had lived in the U.S. for something like 10 years. We learned that he had come back to run his family farm, which is called "Ranch of Love." I had noticed this ranch when we were on the bus to Mombacho. The ranch is painted in all red and white and says ranch of love in Spanish on the house. Tony told us that he grows coffee beans and fruit and that he has dairy cows. We had a fun conversation. I eventually asked him if we could come visit his farm sometime. He said that we definitely could and that he even rents a room out for $6 a night, if we wanted to stay over. I am not sure if I will stay there, but I will definitely go check his farm out. I recently got a cell phone, so I was able to exchange numbers with him. I look forward to a tour of his farm.


I was still feeling pretty tired when I got to school. I was worried that it could be a long day, but the morning's adventures put me in a good mood. It turned out to be my favorite day with the kids so far. They were well behaved all day and in good spirits. I just played and had fun with them all morning. A few of them were really in the wrestling mood. Two of the older girls, who are probably 5, kept jumping on my back. It seemed like one or both of them was on my back most of the morning. I got so used to one of them hanging from my neck, that I would sometimes be playing with another kid and forget one of the little buggers was back there. It was a really fun day, but also Erin's last day at school. She will be missed at the school.

After school, I lifted, showered, and headed to one of Granada's cathedrals with Erin to take in the views and watch the sun set from the bell tower. It was a perfect evening to watch the sun set. Below us, were the typical sights and sounds of Granada. Cars honked and rumbled down the streets, street vendors called out there products and prices, and two boys kicked a soccer ball back and forth on the large church patio below. Above us, were scattered clouds which turned a number of shades of orange, yellow, purple, and white. Each direction offered a different amazing view. To the east, we could see Granada's main cathedral, central park, and the lake. To the south, Mombacho sat with a cloud scraping its highest points. And, to the west we could see the sun setting behind smaller volcanic hills. The interesting architecture of Granada could be seen in all directions. At first, the clouds grew more and more colorful and beautiful and then began to fade. At this point, two young male Nicaraguans came up, rang the bells, and ushered us down. It was a great experience, and I was glad to be able to share it with a cool girl.



I took it easy Friday night. I was not in the mood for going out, so Erin and I took on Steijn and Marleis in a couple games of 500. We got great cards and won both games. Marleis is very competitive so it was kind of funny to see her get frustrated as we got such good hands. But, I also felt kind of bad. After our games, I walked Erin to her host family's house and headed to bed. I was happy to have a day with a lot of fun memories.

On Saturday, I headed to the lagoon with the volunteers who worked the summer program at Juan Diego and the 3 young locals who work with us. It was another nice sunny day. The lagoon is beautiful and always very enjoyable to visit. It feels great to jump in the water after many days of heat and dust. We swam, chatted, threw a frisbee around, and had a pot-luck lunch.

There is an Italian bakery that makes great hearty breads near the market in Granada. They also make lasagna supper for groups who make reservations. We headed there Saturday night for a good-bye dinner for Dorinne. I was not feeling too well, but enjoyed the great homemade lasagna anyway. We headed to a karaoke bar after supper. Nick and I sang Sweet Caroline and Piano Man. We all had a few drinks, but took it pretty easy. I was home by 1AM and had a much needed good night's sleep.

O-BA-MA!

Leading up to inauguration day, I did not think too much about it. It seemed kind of anti-climactic. I continued to feel this way even during the first part of inauguration day. I was busy with school just realized that I would miss his speech. I did not think much more about it until I got home. Then I turned to CNN to try to catch a replay of his speech. I did not get a replay, but I did see him walking down the streets with everyone cheering. I suddenly felt goosebumps on my arms. Bush is gone! We no longer have an idiot for a president! We now have an amazing motivator and a great first family in the White House. We have elected a person of African descent. It was a beautiful moment, sitting there and letting these things sink in. I kind of wished that I could have been home to celebrate and feel the energy and excitment in the air. But, it was interesting to experience it here too. It is not all the talk here, as I am sure it is at home, but it is big news here too. It was all over the front page of both of Granada´s papers. That goes to show just how important this election was. The people here seem to be very happy about Obama´s being elected, even if they are not as excited as many of us back home. All of the volunteers that I have met are liberal except Nick. And, even he seems to be at least alright about having Obama in the White House.

As I watched Barack and Michelle walk down the orderly and clean streets of Washington D.C., I was reminded just how different the world I am living is from home. I have been here long enough to start getting used to things. The busy streets and the filth have become what I know. I am no longer as wide-eyed and amazed. But, there are still one or two things each day that I see and say, ¨What the heck is that? I have definitely never seen that before.¨I think I will try to take note of these little stories and record them in my blog. I will start with a couple from today. One such event just occurred a few moments ago. I was looking out the open double doors of the internet cafe and thought, ¨The scene I am looking at could almost be from home or Europe if I did not know better.¨I could see a new Ford hatchback, the street, and the buildings across it. I thought it seemed like a pretty familiar view. Then, a barefooted man walked by pushing a large cart filled with stuff and raising about 10-12 feet from the street. On top of the pile of stuff were 4 barefoot children. I thought, ¨Nope, not home. Definitely in Nicaragua.¨

My second story also happened very recently. On my way to the internet cafe, I walked by a man sitting against his grated door. He was listening to the soundtrack from Titanic and belting out all the words right along with Celine Dion. ¨...Near, far, wherever you are...I´m here and my heart will go on...¨It really cracked me up. He was singing in a woman´s voice and holding nothing back.

The last occurred this morning on the way to school. While riding the bus, I noticed a funny shadow on top of the bus. I thought it looked like a large bed-frame, but thought it might just be the luggage rack. When we got out, I saw that it was a very large bed-frame. This is actually the second bedrame that I have seen on the bus, but this one was much bigger. I have seen a lot of crazy things carried on the buses. It is pretty funny to me. No one would think of bringing a large assembled bed frame on the metro buses at home, but it is commonplace here. I once saw a very elderly lady who took 7 large homemade rocking chairs on the bus. Only in Nicaragua.

I would like to write more, but I am starving. I will eat at a Comedor that is near our house. These are small ¨fast-food¨operations that people usually run out of there house. They set up on the sidewalk with lots of pots full of goodies with a grill sitting next to it cooking meat. I will probably eat fried platanos(which are similar to nice homemade potato chips but a little better), some kind of meat, salad(which is kind of like slightly spicy coleslaw), and of course rice and beans-gallo pinto. She also always has some kind of fried taco looking things with different tasty fillings. I might snag a couple of these, though I imagine they are highly unhealthy.

To Hell and Back

I had another fun and adventurous weekend. I went to a party at one of the other volunteer houses Friday night and had a few beers. The others talked me into coming out for one more drink at a bar/club. I did only have one drink there, but ended up staying there awhile. On the night, I just had 4 beers but did not get to bed until 2:30. I was up Saturday morning at 6:50 to get ready for a trip to Leon with Erin, Steijn, and Marleise. We hopped on a bus to Managua and then took another to Leon. I was stupid and read about Leon on the first bus. I ended up feeling fairly sick. Luckily, our hostel in Leon was very nice and relaxing. We saw a little of the town and had some lunch. This made me feel even worse, so I headed back to the hostel for a nap. The others returned shortly, and we spent the afternoon lounging by the pool. We were able to find some good bread, which is rare in Nicaragua. We paired it with cheese, wine, and garlic butter for a nice supper in an open-air courtyard next to the pool. After supper, we played a game of 500 and headed to bed early. The dorm room that we stayed in was very hot, noisy, and fairly light. When I crawled out of bed at 3:50 AM, I had maybe got 2 hours of sleep. I felt alright, though, and we headed to Quetzzel Trekkers to meet our guides and have a little breakfast. Breakfast consisted of one boiled egg, one small banana, and coffee. Not the best breakfast, but the coffee was hearty and very dark. After breakfast, we headed into the streets of Leon before even the market vendors were stirring. We waited about 20 minutes for our bus to arrive. It was really interesting to see the city start to come to life. One minute a loud motorcycle would buzz by and the next, an old man leading two oxen pulling a cart full of wood. As I have said before, it is really a different world here.

Our group of 8 was among the first on the bus. In a matter of minutes, we were out of the city and bouncing along small uneven gravel roads. Watching the sun rise behind a string of volcanoes was unbelievable beautiful. Sadly, the locals seemed to take no notice. I always try to remember that everywhere is beautiful in its own way. I think people often lose the ability to see the beauty where they live. I hope I never lose the ability to see the amazing beauty of a sunrise on Lake Koronis. I did not take a picture of the sunrise outside of Leon. I am not exactly sure why I did not, but I think it may have been because nobody else seemed to be taking notice. I did not want to look like a typical tourist.

The bus made a number of stops, picking up people who I think were heading to the market. The driver had to slow down a number of times for men herding cattle down the middle of the road. We got off the bus just as the sun was peeking over the tops of the volcanoes. We could already feel the heat of the sun, and realized quickly why we started so early. Our group headed down a very small country road with barbed wire fences running along both sides. A few stray cattle had wandered onto the road, and did not know what to do when they encountered us. The first ran a little bit, got scared, and crashed through the fence. We did our best to repair the fence and continued down the road, only to encounter another stray. This time there was a nearby whole in the fence which allowed her to safely rejoin her buddies.

After a mile or so of walking on the small country road through a grove of small trees and bushes, we entered a large expanse of black sand dunes. From this point of the hike on, I felt like I was on another planet. Cerro Negro is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The last erruption was in 1999, and our guides tell us the usual cycle is about every 9 years and that she is due for another. They may have just been trying to scare us, but I am pretty sure they were serious. Cerro Negro is well known because the whole thing is covered in black volcanic sand. Adventurous travelers can head down the side of the volcano on a snowboard or toboggan-like creation. Or, one can simply run/jump/slide down the side of the volcano.

Some say Cerro Negro is the gateway to hell. We walked up the side of the volcano and then directly into the steaming sulferic crater. So, I guess I have been to the gates of hell and back. It was pretty fun for being so close to hell, though. I am positive that there is no way we would have been allowed into the center of the crater if Cerro Negro were in the U.S. Our guides told us the same thing. They said some of the fungus-like stuff growing there is some of the most fragile plant life in the world. And, of course, there is the risk of serious danger.

The views were amazing at the top. We walked around the rim and took in the views before heading down. The run down the side was very fun. It is pretty steep, but you sink into the sand, so it is easy to stop and stay in control. I have some good pictures and videos of this experience.

All-in-all, the trip was hot, dusty, and dirty but totally worth it. It seems this will probably be my last trip with Erin, Steijn, and Marleise. They are great travel companions, and I will certainly miss them.

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School was a bugger today. We had a lot of little ones again, and they were in a squirrly mood. They were fairly quiet for the first hour, but it was very loud after that. It is hard for me to control this with my very limited Spanish and the very loose structure of life and school here. Erin, Laura, and I were all feeling a little crazy by the time lunch finally rolled around. Our classroom is about half the size of a classroom at PAHS. Imagine 15 children aged 2-5, 3 volunteers, and a couple older kids jammed in there. That is our day. Erin is not feeling well but tries not to let others know. She reminds me of mom in this way-no complaining. I will try to convince her to take tomorrow off. We really need her, but she needs rest.

There are a lot of going away activities this week, as most of the volunteers are leaving. I will be going to a number of parties, dinners, and the like. I am actually late to one now, so I must be going. I am really glad to see that a good number of people are enjoying the blog. I always enjoy seeing the comments, though I have been really bad at responding. My time on the internet is limited, and I usually spend more time just writing my blog than I meant to. I will try to get better.

Getting a Rant out of the way

It is crazy what a variety of people I meet here. There are volunteers from all around the world, the local Nicaraguans who I work with and live all around me, and also a strong tourist group. Granada claims to be Nicaragua's center of tourism. This may be true, as it is a well-known and liked city, and it is also close to many of Nicaragua's main attractions. Of the 3 groups, the tourists are certainly my least favorite. I have met some that are cool and friendly, but often times they really stick out and both say and do dumb things. I intended to begin my writing today by explaining a typical day here. I am in a cafe called the Euro Cafe, which has free internet. I am not sure if it is the name or location, but it is tourist central here in Granada. The only locals in here are the workers and street vendors who wander in and try to peddle their goods. I usually have a fairly peaceful experience when I come here. There is are two open air courtyards with large covered areas which provide shade and a place for ceiling fans(this is extremely common in both businesses and the nicest homes in Nicaragua). I am still physically comfortable as I write today, but I am fairly annoyed by a group of 10 bitching Americans surrounding me. From what I can hear of their conversations, all but one are only here for a couple of weeks on some religiously affiliated mission trip. The leader is talking on Skype to someone in the states. He seems pretty full of himself. He keeps referring to the others as "my team." Those of us on computers were recently moved to the second courtyard, which is farther from the restaurant part of the cafe. I am not quite sure why, but everybody but myself seems to be greatly offended by this. Apparently free internet and a very comfortable place to sit and enjoy it is not enough for this crowd. I kind of want to tell them to shut-up, but I know it is not worth it. I have had a few similar experiences to this already. The situation that stands out the most occured last weekend. On the way down from Volcan Mombacho, we rode with a group of American tourists. They were all older and on a cruise that started in Los Angeles and ended in Miami. They had a few off-the-boat adventures such as this one. In my opinion, they should have left them all on the boat in their air-conditioning and luxurious accomodations. I should first say, that some of them were very nice and asked us questions about what we were doing and where we were from. But, this was the exception not the norm. They all were the absolute picture perfect example of an American tourist. If we threw a theme party and told people to dress like typical American tourists, these people would serve as perfect models. Most of them were bitching about one thing or another for most of the roughly 20 minute ride. For example:my feet hurt, it's too hot, why aren't we moving?, I hope I never have to go up another step in my life. All the while, we are driving by tiny houses with no windows or doors, dirty children without shoes and wearing ratty clothes playing in the ditches, run-down "schools", and numerous other signs of poverty. Do these people not see this? Are they so accustomed to their cookie-cutter lives in retirement communities that everything else is not real to them. It seems as if what they saw outside of our open-air bus was the same to them as watching t.v. I really thought, if this is traveling to them they may as well stay home.

There is something that really struck me as I rode down the volcano with these grumbling, spoiled Americans. I slowly got beyond being annoyed and started to think. I realized that I am not as different from these tourists as I would like to think. And, some Nicaraguans may make no destinction between myself and them. My life here is not nearly as comfortable as it is at home, but it is certainly more comfortable than the average Nicaraguan's. I eat a good meal whenever I need it. I have a safe place to sleep. I have proper clothing. I am in good health and can get healthcare if I need it. These are just a few of the things that many people live without here. I think it is very important for me to try to remember when I see people that I think are acting like snobby jerks, that I am a snobby jerk in many ways when compared to millions of Nicaraguans.

Well, my rant wasted my time, but it is hopefully out of the way now. I will write about a typical day here next time. Things are going quite well at the school. The turnouts are way beyond what the other schools are getting, and we have solved some of our problems(mainly just making it clear to all the students that little siblings are welcome, but they need to stay with the other small children). We have not had any fits for a couple days, though we always have a couple kids who cry for one reason or another. At some point, I will also try to describe the school and get some pictures on Facebook and passed around through e-mail.

Rainforests and sleeping on a volcano.

It has been hard for me to get the time to sit down and write during the past week. With volunteering, Spanish lessons, working out, socializing, and daily errands, I am quite busy. There has not been a dull moment yet. The volunteering is fun most of the time, but it can also be frustrating and is a lot of work. We usually have between 8 and 14 children between 2 and 5 years old. The majority of them are well behaved, but some of them can be little stinkers. A girl named Rosita, who is probably 4, and a boy named Gabriel, who is probably 2, throw fits when their older siblings are not in the same room as them. This is a problem, as the older siblings are supposed to be in groups with children their age working on projects. So, we have 3 options. The first is to allow the older sibling to stay with us and their younger sibling. This takes the older sibling away from developmental activities and encourages the younger siblings dependence. The second option is to allow the younger sibling to go with the older sibling to their activity groups. The problem is that the younger siblings are quite a distraction to the volunteers running the activity groups, and this option also encourages dependence. The third option is to not allow the small child to be with their older sibling. This can lead to fits of crying, kicking, scratching, and biting. This can go on for some time and both distracts and affects the moods of the other children. I personally think that option 3 is the best, although it is annoying. It is easy to see that when we give in to them when they have a fit, they only have more fits. It is also easy to see that these kids are not really traumatized. The whole thing is a show put on to either get what they want, get attention, or both. I believe that they either need to learn to be away from their older siblings, or they are not ready to be there and should stay home. We certainly have not yet solved this problem, but I think we are making progress. This is our biggest problem, but we also have some children that are just really shy and others that can be a little nasty. There is a small girl who looks cute and innocent most of the time, but she can be wicked at times. Today I was kneeling down and tying a little boys shoes. She walked up and ripped a good handful of my hair out. It is hard to punish these kinds of behavior, as we have little power over them and I do not even speak Spanish.

Despite these hassles, I manage to have a lot of fun. The school got a new jungle gym when I came. After lunch, we spend an hour outside. This is my favorite time of the day. The hour is usually spent wrestling, spinning, lifting, shaking, and chasing the more active of the little buggers. They get great pleasure out of this. If I sit down for a rest, it is never more than a minute before one or more of them attacks me. By the time they head home, I am tired, sweaty, and very dirty. The tendonitis in my elbows even flared up by the end of last week from all of the lifting and twisting. I will have to try to be more careful this week.

I try not to play favorites with the children, but I fail miserably. There are certainly a few that I have taken a particular liking to. The first really good buddy that I made is a girl of about 4 or 5 years old, named Paula. She has a real deep belly laugh, which rises to the surface easily and often. Her huge grin reveals half rotten teeth in the top front of her mouth, proving just how poor most of the locals are. It is truly beautiful to see how happy a child can be without piles of new toys, games, or even proper health care. I taught her to hold my hands, walk up my body, and then spin and land on her feet. She likes this, but she loves when I grab her hands, lift her off the ground, and spin her in circles, raising her up and down. I think, if it were up to her, she would have me do this until we both puked. I have had many serious conversations with other volunteers about the many problems in our world. There are never any easy answers. Sometimes we even discuss whether there is much hope for humankind. The beauty and joy that I see in Paula makes me feel that as long as there are children, there will be hope for humankind.

It seems that personality runs in Paula's family. Her little cousin, Gabriela, also joins our group most days. Gabriela is an extremely cute little pudge with a round face and a twinkle in her eye. I would say she is 2 at best, but already really has a mind of her own. She starts out quiet each morning and slowly grows into a squealing bundle of energy. By mid-morning, she is rolling around on the dusty floor, running in circles, and generally terrorizing the classroom in a very fun way. She is the most fun when she is running on all cylinders. On the rare occasion that she actually sits still for a moment, I have a hard time resisting starting her up again. I often creep up behind her, peek my head down in front of her face, and say rarrrr! She looks at me questioningly at first, and then lets out a big laugh. Then, I tickle her little belly. She squeals, says NOOOOOOOO!!!, rolls aways, and is off and terrorizing again. When we are outside after lunch, she likes to take something from me and run far away until I chase her down. When I catch up with her, she throws the stolen goods at me and makes a break for it. I catch the projectile with one arm and swoop her up with the other. I then carry her upside down or over my back as I carry her back to the others.

Another small boy, named Marcel, has slowly become a good bud of mine. He is kind of quiet and shy, but very well-behaved. Marcel must be about 2. He is not dumb, but he seems kind of dopey in some of the things he does. In this way, he reminds me a little of what I have seen of myself in home videos that were made when I was near his age. Initially, Marcel would play with me, but quietly and straight-faced. When he saw me spinning the other kids around and their laughter, he quietly approached me and put his hands up. I picked him up and began to spin him slowly. At first, he smiled, but his smile quickly turned into a look of terror. I set him down and he ran away. But, once he realized that he was alright, he came back for more. Now the look on his face shows a mixture of joy and terror, but I am sure that he likes it. I would compare it to my going bungy jumping. Scary, but extremely fun. As Marcel grew more comfortable with me, he spent more and more time by my side. On Friday he was sitting next to me on the ground with his hand on my knee. Another kid came and sat on my lap. Marcel tried to push him off. It seems he has laid some kind of claim on me.

Judith(pronounced Who-deet-th) continues to pall around with me after lunch. She was quite impressed with my progress with the tun-ba-da-li-qui-ti-tanga la bat-usa chant. The other day she was holding my hand while we sang some songs and then kissed it. I think she has a crush on me, which I get a kick out of. Today she started to call me "Riley Monkey" with a very strong accent.

Overall, school is fun but tiring. I think we are going to get another volunteer to help us with the little kids later this week. This should make it possible for us to do more activities, as one person is often bringing a child to the bathroom, chasing down an escapee, or getting more materials. If anybody knows any good activities for kids aged 2-5, let me know.

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This past weekend was a lot of fun and very interesting. We went out for some drinks Friday night. I was up until 4AM but got up at 8AM on Saturday anyway. It is fairly easy to get up early here, as it gets hot and light early. I wanted to lift and get a few things done anyway, so it was nice. In the early afternoon, a group of nine of us headed to Volcan Mombacho, which overlooks Granada. We took a bus, then walked about a mile, and then took another bus to the top of the volcano. It is another world at the top. Below, it is hot and dry all the time. At the top, it is cool and moist all the time. We went for a short hike around a small crater right away. The views were absolutely amazing. I will certainly take mom, dad, and Ryan up when they visit. After our walk, we headed into the ranger station/hostel for supper. We then played some cards before heading out on a night walk with a couple of guides. We did the same walk that we had done earlier in the day, but it had a very different feel. Mombacho is one of two volcanoes in Nicaragua that is considered a cloud rainforest. It is extremely lush and green. There are vines, moss, plants and trees tangled together everywhere. At night, we were literally walking through the clouds in the dark in this lush environment. It was very mystical. The guides pointed out salamanders, insects, and plants as we walked. At the end of the hike, we stopped on a platform overlooking a very steep drop-off. An extremely strong wind brought the clouds to us in waves. A few of us stood there for some time, enjoying a very unique experience.

After returning from the hike, we all headed to bed early. The mattresses were nothing and the beds were damp, but it was really nice to sleep in a cool temperature for the first time since my arrival. The wind is very strong on top of the volcano. It was quite loud inside the station/hostel as the wind whipped against the building, causing it to shake and creak. Rain also fell on and off throughout the night. I did not sleep well, due to crappy mattress, but I enjoyed the experience and the cool temperature anyway. We were all up early in the morning. We had breakfast and headed out for a guided hike. We missed some amazing views because the clouds were still swirling around on the top of the volcano, but we got a lot deeper into the forest. Although the clouds blocked our views, they gave the forest a beautiful eery feeling. At one point, we stood on a platform overlooking a sloping hill which lead to a steep cliff. The hill was covered with small trees which danced as the waves of wind and whispy clouds rolled in. It was truly beautiful. I would have loved to have stood there and listened to Incubus' Aqueous Transmission. Ryan would have loved it, and I hope we are able to have a similar experience when he visits.

The trip was excellent and cost a grand total of $33, including lodging, transportation up and down the volcano, meals, and guides. Again, I was lucky enough to have the trip completely arranged for me, thanks to Erin, Stein, and Marleis.

I headed to the lake with Nick and Matt for supper after returning to Granada. We went to a quiet little outdoor bar ten minutes out of town. The views of the lake, the islands, and the volcanoes on Omotepe were really amazing. We sat at lake level in the sand and enjoyed our meal and a few beers. We took a cab to the restaurant for 10 cordobas(50 cents) and hitch-hiked home. It was a very relaxing way to end the weekend.

I am in love!

It is true. I am in love! A few days ago I had my first Nicaraguan fruit smoothie, and I fell in love. They make them with a lot of fresh fruit, a little bit of ice, and I think a lot of sugar or some other sweetener. I have had a lot of great food here, but this tops it all.

At this point, I think it is time to give a run-down of some of the main characters in my stories. So, here they are, starting with my housemates:

Jerome: Jerome is a young Frenchman who only speaks a little English. We get along great despite the fact that he speaks little English, and I speak little Spanish and no French. He completely cracks me up. We talk a lot and are usually able to understand each other using a combination of languages and often the help of a third party. We like to have "happy hour" in the open-air part of our house and are typically joined by at least one of our housemates. This usually leads to great conversation and a lot of laughter. When I walk into the house he likes to yell "Rillee" in a strong French accent. He really emphasizes the EE part, and asks if my name is the same as the word really. Jerome will leave in a few weeks. I will certainly be sad to see him go.

Alita: Alita is from Alaska. She once claimed that she was not American, and I said, "Yeah, she is PALINese." This explains a lot about our relationship, as we give each other a lot of shit. She is definitely not a Palin supporter, but I tease her about it all the time anyway. Alita works with Jerome and gets along with him very well. They often combine food to cook supper together and then the three of us b.s. on the patio while they eat. She is a real beach love, which is a big plus in my book. Overall, Alita is a very friendly, helpful, and fun person. She will also be leaving in a few weeks-major bummer.

Erin: Erin is a very beautiful Australian girl who has made my transition here much easier. She often helps me in places where Spanish needs to be spoken, teaches me about the bussing system, shows me around, and works as my unofficial travel planner. She is very intelligent, and we have had a number of great conversations about a wide variety of subjects. She comes in a small package, but she is full of energy, drive, and ambition. Her focus is rare. I am about 4 months older than her, and she is also a college graduat. When she heads home, she will work in Canberra, Australia's capital, as a civil servant. I believe she would make an excellent teacher. She is a great planner, has a great heart, and is just plain nice. I love to listen to her talk. She has a beautiful accent and a beautiful voice and is also very expressive with the movements of her head. I think this probably has to be seen to be appreciated. She is often hard to figure out, as she is very stable and not as emotional as most females I know. We all have a lot of feelings, but she reminds me of mom in the way she keeps most of them to herself. Erin will be leaving in 3 weeks. I really wish she would be here as long as I am.

Charley: Charley is from Scotland, adding another interesting accent to the house. I believe she has been here for awhile and will be around for awhile longer. I do not know her as well as some of the others, but we get along quite well. She likes to go out and is a fun person.

Dorrine: Dorrine is from Belgium and is a very nice person. She has been here awhile and will be leaving within a month as well. She has been very nice to me and is always very helpful. While here, Dorrine met a guy named Rio from Minnesota. They dated while here and are still dating. This seems to put some strain on her, as one would expect. I think that she has a very soft heart, and I worry that she will get hurt from this situation.

Phillipe: Phillipe is Dorrine's brother and is just visiting. He has been here for a few weeks and leaves in about a week. I really like Phillipe and wish he was staying longer. He speaks French fluently. I really enjoy having conversations with Phillipe and Jerome, as they are both a ton of fun and Phillipe can translate for Jerome and I. Phillipe is off traveling at the moment, but will be back for a few days before he leaves. I imagine he will have some fun stories.

Mara: I believe Mara is from Holland. She is one of 5 in the house that speaks Dutch. Mara seems to have a very free spirit. I enjoy my time around her, though it is not as much as some of the others. She is dating Franklin, a local of Granada, and spends a decent amount of time doing things with him. They are often both in the house, but I am more likely to be talking with others. Mara will be around for some time now. I am glad that there will be at least a couple familiar friendly faces around.

Franklin: Franklin is not technically a housmate, but he spends most nights at the house and is often around. He smiles quite a bit and seems to be a good-natured guy. He seems to like me though he speaks about as much English as I do Spanish. Having a local around can be both fun and handy. Private shows from fire-dancers would not happen if he were not around, and we often meet other locals when we go out with him.

Stein: Stein is from Holland. He has a really fun accent and a great personality. He knows I like to tease and be teased, so he often throws little zingers my way. I love it, especially because he does not seem like the type to tease a lot. He was working in finance in Holland before he came. When I first met him, I thought he was a little more serious. He often joins the patio crew at night and is a great addition. He can take part in great serious conversations but also just joke and screw around. He is both very witty and intelligent. Stein will be leaving in about 3 weeks with his girlfriend Marleis for more volunteering in South America. I will miss them both a lot.

Marleis: Marleis is the girlfriend of Stein and also from Holland. She was the first person to greet me and show me around the house. She made sure I knew where everything was and felt comfortable. She is a great planner and seems to really think about how the people around her feel. She puts a lot of work into planning for the activities we will do with the children. She taught special education in Holland before coming and will do the same upon her reture. I am positive that is a great teacher and that she will make a great mother some day. I have had a number of one-on-one conversations with her and greatly enjoyed them. It will be too bad to see her and Stein leave so soon.

Sylvie: Sylvie does not live with us at El Matirio, but spends quite a bit of time there. She is a volunteer and lives in the closer of the other two volunteer houses. She has a vibrant personality an likes to go out. She talks a lot and quite loudly but in a really fun way. She is very expressive with her face, as well, which often makes me laugh. I am not sure how long Sylvie will be around.

Nick: Nick lives in the farther volunteer house, but we have hung out a number of times already. He is from Minnesota and is a great guy. We seem to get into long and deep conversations. He is a conservative, but a very thoughtful and understanding conservative. I have met few people that I could say the same about. This is also probably what leads to a lot of the conversation. It is hard to have a debate with people you agree with. I feel kind of bad for him, as it is often the whole room against him in these debates, but he handles it very well. Although I do not agree with him on a lot of issues, I am positive that his heart is in the right place. The fact that he is down here volunteering and worked for a year with children through the Head-Start program proves this. Nick will be here until mid-May. I am very glad that he will be around almost as long as I am. I am sure we will be close friends by the time we leave.

Matt: Matt is another Minnesota boy living in the farther volunteer house. He is an Ole and seems to be a very nice guy. I have only really talked with him extensively one time, but it was a very enjoyable conversation. I am sure I will get to know him in the weeks to come.

Vicki: Vicki is another Australian girl who lives in the closer of the other volunteer houses. She is an amazing world traveler. She has been to about 30 different countries all over the world. She seems to be very open-minded and is certainly very worldly. I spent most of the last weekend with her and Erin and had a great time. She will be moving on soon as well, unfortunately.

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Now, I will get to the adventures of my last few days. Erin asked me if I would like to go to Volcan Masaya with her and Vicki this past Saturday. I said that sounded great. I stayed in Friday night but had a great conversation with Nick, Erin, Vicki, and Stein. The following morning Erin and I met Vicki at her house at 8AM and headed to the bus station. We took a couple of buses to Volcan Masaya National Park and began our trek to the top. There is a road that goes most of the way to the top. We were offered rides numerous times. Most people would take these rides, but not these two energetic Aussies(which I was informed is supposed to be pronounced Ozzys). The hike up was not backwoods in any way, as we were on a paved road with cars constantly zipping by. It was uphill and often steep, though, so we got a good workout. The volcanoes were awesome. They are kind of hard to explain, but imagine a very small version of the Cliffs of Moher in a circular form with a lot of smoke smelling strongly of sulfur rising from the center. After checking out the lively volcano, we hiked off the road to a dormant volcano nearby. It had steep walls as well but was filled with vegetation. It was also very pretty. We decided to hike around the volcano. It was a great hike and full of beautiful views of the active volcano, the dormant volcano, and the Masaya Lagoon. It was slightly more challenging than we expected. I was glad to have excellent hiking boots. The girls were not so well outfitted,(thanks mom) but they really are troopers and handled without problem. We hiked all the way down and caught a bus back to Granada. I was pretty pooped out, but it was well worth it. I headed out with almost everyone from the house plus a couple to a local dive bar. Their only real attraction is a juke box. We had a few drinks and laughs before some of the crowd decided to head out dancing. I was tired and ready for bed, especially knowing the next day would be another early morning, so I headed back with Erin, Stein, and Marleis.

The following morning, Erin and I again headed to pick up Vicki at 8AM. This time our destination was a lagoon not too far away. We caught a bus that got us within 15km of the lagoon and hiked the rest of the way. Again, most people would have taken a taxi, which would have been pretty cheap, but not these two Energizer bunnies. It was a long steep hike up and then a long steep hike down and we were all ready for a nice swim. The lagoon was stunning. We paid a hostel $6 each to use their facilities and beach. It was a very cool hostel with a beachy reggae atmosphere. It felt amazing to finally have a swim. We spent the day swimming, resting, relaxing, and eating. Luckily, there was a bus that picked us up at the hostel, so the girls did not make me walk the whole way back. The bus we took was full of really cute small children. I smiled at one of them as she walked past. She stopped, smiled, pointed her little finger in my face, and said "payaso, payaso." I turned to Erin and asked what she was calling me. She was not sure, but Vicki woke up from her nap and said, "She is calling you clown." We all had a good laugh. The girls then decided that I would be the clown for a day, as Marleis is planning to have a circus theme at school in a week or so.

Yesterday was my first day with the kids. I was paired with Erin to work with the kids aged 1-5, los ninos pequenos. Children this small are not actually supposed to come, but their older siblings often bring them with anyway. So, we were basically providing free daycare. We did not have a lot of kids. It is impossible to say exactly how many we had, because some kids would go back and forth between our group and the others. I really wish I could talk with the kids, but I had a great time anyway. The first girl that came in was named Naydian. Nay is probably not quite 2 and unbelievably cute. She sat in the corner playing with some oversized legos and began to cry quietly. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but her little hands continued to play with the plastic blocks as Erin rubbed her back and tried to console her. It was as if she was really trying to be tough and not cry, but just could not help it. It was very cute. Erin eventually got her older sister, who is 7 and a great big sister, to come and play with us for the day. Little Nay ended up having a good day of playing with us. Hopefully she is now comfortable with us that she will not need her sister there in the future.

I spent most of the first couple hours trying to keep a very little guy named Jeremi(pronounced Heremi) busy. He was very dirty but still cute. Jeremi is probably about the same age as Naydian but not as mentally or emotionally developed. We did very well for awhile, but he eventually decided he wanted out. He would just walk out the door. I would retrieve him and get him focused again, but soon he would be out the door again. The third or fourth time I tried to bring him back, he began to cry. The crying led to sobbing. I had to get Marleis to help console him since I speak almost no Spanish. Eventually, we had to get his cousin to bring him home. He was really wailing.

Most of the kids are fairly well behaved, but some of the older boys are trouble-makers. After our activities, we feed them beans and rice. Some of the boys thought it would be a good idea to throw the beans and rice. It was not long before some of them began to throw some of their food at some of the volunteers. After numerous warnings we had to send the ringleader home. He seems to be from the most well-off family and acted spoiled.

After lunch, the children have free-time. This is the most fun part of the day for both the kids and myself. One girl, who is probably about 7, curled up half on top of me as is sat leaning against a tree while Erin taught the little kids some songs. She seemed to take a real liking to me and decided to teach me a little rythmic chant. It goes Tunbaraliquititanga la batusa. Apparently, this does not mean anything in Spanish and is just a fun little thing to sing. She wrote it out for me, as I was struggling, and then wrote it out again in a sounded out manner(Tun-ba-ra-li-qui-ti-tan-ga la ba-tu-sa). This helped and she told me in Spanish that I was progressing but needed to go faster. I have been practicing, and I think she will be fairly impressed with my progress.

I did not go to the school today, because I was summoned for orientation. This turned out to be kind of worthless, and I wish I had been able to see the kids instead. But, I will be back with them tomorrow, which I am looking forward to.

Feliz Ano Nuevo

It is 2009, but I do not believe it. My typical New Year's eve involves great old friends and -30 below temperatures. My typical New Year's day is typically spent next to the fire watching bowl games with my dad and eating mom's Swedish meatballs(I miss the meatballs more than the football). This New Year's eve was great but very different. It was about 120 degrees warmer than I am used to, there were no great old friends, no football, and definitely none of mom's Swedish meatballs. There was still a fire, but this time it was in the street instead of in dad and mom's fireplace. There were friends, but they were very new friends. I missed my friends and family but had an amazing time. We hosted a party for all the volunteers at our house. It ended up being about 2/3's volunteers and 1/3 locals. We hung out in the street in front of our house most of the time, but I was inside for a little while as I introduced Nicaragua to flip-cup(Flanders domination continues). The street was a blast. It seemed that everyone was outside. There was a big bonfire just down the road in the middle of the street and people talking, drinking, laughing, and celebrating everywhere. We were lucky enough to get a private show from a number of local fire-dancers. One of the volunteers in our house is dating a local named Franklin who performs for tourists with some of his friends. They came over just after midnight and gave us a great show. Loud fireworks go off at all hours of the day whether it is a holiday or not, but they really go nuts for New Year's. There were constant fireworks all night and an extreme barrage of blasts at midnight. Shortly after midnight we headed to the bars/clubs. At this point our large group began to split up. I ended up at a pretty chill bar called Imagine, named after John Lennon's famous song, with 8-10 other volunteers. We had a few drinks and a lot of good conversation before heading home.

We picked up an interesting tag-along on the way home. Our new friend was a native Nicaraguan that had apparently traveled all over the U.S. and Europe. I am not sure how he managed this, as it seems Nicaraguans often have a hard time getting a passport and into other countries. But, he talked in great detail about U.S. and European cities, so we were convinced he was telling the truth. What makes this harder to believe, is the fact that this skinny dude was pretty messed up on something. I would guess that he was probably huffing something very toxic. His eyeballs were just about popping out of his head, and he was extremely fidgety. The crew was worried about how we would get rid of him, so I stayed outside our house and BS'ed with him for awhile. I eventually convinced him that the real party was down by the lake, as if I really knew, and he was on his way. He was pretty harmless but not the kind of guy you want hanging around the house.

Once home, I cooked some of Milan's homemade french fries for those still awake. I lit the spatula on fire in the process, but the spuds were a big hit once done. Overall it was a great night. I drank pretty casually and was one of the more sober at the end of the night. I was surprised to find that it was nearly 5AM when I crawled into bed.

I was up by 10 on New Year's day and out for a run by 11. It was damn hot for a run, but it always is here. The heat certainly did not help my already pathetic cardiovascular condition and neither did the 5 hours of sleep and the beer and whiskey from the night before. Somehow I managed to enjoy a roughly 4-mile run by the lake anyway. There is a lot to see while traveling, and I have always believed running may be the best way to see the sights. I get a lot of strange looks and comments as I run down the road. My Spanish is nowhere near good enough to understand what the Nicas are saying, but I hear "gringo" thrown in the mix from time to time. I am sure they are calling me a crazy whitey. I do not blame. The other volunteers also seem to think I am a bit crazy, and I must look funny thumping along read faced and coverd in gooey sweat. There are also a lot of locals who simply point and laugh.

Running along the lakefront and the "beach" was wild. Being New Year's day, there were a ton of people there. You are supposed to have to pay to get into this area(about 25 cents), but I was told you are often able to get away without paying if you explain that you are a volunteer. I, of course do not speak much Spanish yet, but was able to get in free of charge. I was able to let them know that I was a volunteer and had nothing, as I was only wearing my running shorts. I am not sure why there is a charge in the first place, as it is a public road with businesses and houses along the way. The lake is unfortunately filthy and the beach is even more filthy. There are lots of beautiful buildings, stonework, lamps, gazebos, and other structures, but all of it is dirty and almost all of it is in a state of disrepair. It is still beautiful and unique in its own way, though. I was worn out and burning up by the end of the run, but it was well worth it.

Running an especially great way to explore a place like Granada. It is not always the safest city, but I have nothing to take when I am running. I plan on running through some of the lower class areas once I am more familiar with them. I would like to see more of them and I think this may be the only reasonably safe way to do so. Muggings of tourists are not terribly uncommon here. It is commonplace for men to hoot, holler, and generally verbally harrass women here. Apparently two female volunteers were walking to the lake with a male volunteer and were jeered at by a couple of Nicaraguan guys last week. The two girls, who are from Chile and speak fluent Spanish, told the guys to f**k off. This prompted one of the guys to grab one of the Chilean girls, put a gun to her head, and take everything that the three volunteers had on them. The police took the volunteers on a "raid" of a house where they suspected the burglars were from. Nothing came of it, and the Chilean girls were very mad about how the police were handling the situation. They got in a big fight with the police, and ended up heading back to Chile the next day. The male with them is named Nick and is one of the Minnesotans. He seems to have taken it in stride. He is mildly annoyed but has no intentions of leaving. Much of this type of trouble can be avoided by being smart. It is a good idea to carry things in plastic bags rather than backpacks. Would be thieves are not too interested in stealing groceries, and they know that many tourists have things like iPods, cameras, computers, and money in their backpacks. Thinking about where you are going and when you are going there is also very important. I think it is also important to try to look like you know where you are going, are confident, not too wide-eyed, not staring, and generally trying not to look like a stupid American tourist. And, of course, it is always a bad idea to talk smack to shady characters who make menacing comments to you.

Mom will be happy to know that I have been informed by volunteers and locals that I probably will not be messed with since I am "big." It appears that by Nicaraguan standards, I am slightly on the bigger side. In general, people here are shorter and much skinnier. They look healthy, but they would have one hell of a time putting together an offensive line. It also may be true that thieves may look to slightly easier targets, but I do not imagine that a person with a gun cares at all. I think it is much more important to think about the things I mentioned above. I would say there is a decent chance that I will be robbed at some point down here. But, I try not to carry too much of great importance whenever possible and it seems that they do not usually harm the people that are robbed. If they get your stuff they usually take it and leave. As long as I am not hurt, I will look at it as an annoyance rather than a tragedy.

My tutoring lessons were fun but the least eventful so far. My tutors were tired and possibly a bit hungover as well. I cannot blame them, as they were at work at 8AM on New Year's day. Two days ago, Helen asked for a New Year's kiss on the cheek. I gave her a little kiss, she smiled, and took off down the stairs. Yesterday, at the end of our lesson, Helen held out her hand and said, "mi beso," which means "my kiss." I asked her if she wanted me to kiss her hand. She said "no" and pointed to her cheek. Again, I gave her a quick kiss and she took off down the stairs-funny girl.(Two days ago, I said she called me beso. She actually called me bonito. I mix these things up still.) I cancelled my lessons today, as I was planning on traveling to Leon with a few others. We postponed our trip for a number of reasons, which is alright with me. It seems there are people travelling every weekend that I will be able to head out with, and I am happy to stay put here for my first weekend. It has also allowed me to get a number of tasks done today.

A pettite cute Aussie girl named Erin lives in our house. I really enjoy talking with her, and she helps me with a lot of things. She is a member of a gym only a couple of blocks from our house. I asked if she could take me there and show me around the place. She did and I signed up for a 3-month membership. The gym is nice but the equipment is pretty weak, but I am able to do most of the things I want to anyway. It is not cheap compared to most things here, but I know it will help keep me happy and feeling good. I worked out for the first time today and met a couple of guys from Philadelphia. One of them was wearing a Phillies hat and I asked him if he knew Eric. They both knew him and had good things to say about him. They are the type of guys that grunt unnecessarily loudly when they lift and drop f-bombs at weird times during conversation.

According to the scale in the gym, I have lost 15 pounds since last Friday when I hit my all-time high of 170 pounds. This may be slightly off, but I do feel I have lost a lot already. Hopefully getting back in the gym will bring some of this back. After working out, I went for another run. I showered when I got home. Our bathroom is very small and there are not a lot of places to hang things up. I put my shorts on top of a bunch of stuff on a shelf above the toilet. When I got out, they were fully submerged in the toilet-damn it!

I saw the first cloud in the sky since I have been here today. It was mostly sunny and over 90 degrees...quite a shitty day. It will be dark here soon so I think I will head back to the hostel. I am certain to have more adventures to report from the weekend soon.