Howdy! ...from Cowboy country, Nicaragua

I'm writing to you from Esteli, Esteli which is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and buried in the mountains of northern Nicaragua. I've been doing quite a bit of traveling lately (maybe a little too much, my land lady would never admit it, but I think she's tired of taking care of Jennifer Lopez...) I came here because they custom make cowboy boots! I haven't been to the shop yet, but supposedly it's this little old guy that has been in the business for years and years... I'm pumped! They say you can get snake skin for $100! I do see the irony of this, guys, for all of you who know that I have a pet snake at home... But I figure the snakes that are used for boots probably bite people and could even be poisonous, unlike Rose, who is pink and is more like a Barbie doll than a cobra.

Anyway, let's do a quick update on my vacaciones. I fiiiiiinally made it out to Esquipulas, Matagalpa, to visit my friend Steph. It was great! She has such a cute house with a great view of the mountains from her backyard and the weather was beautiful. On the last day of my visit, I went with her to school, and on the way home I saw a MONKEY, yes that's right, MONKEY, chained to a trash can in front of someone's house. Here's a pic, or a video, depending on which I can get to upload. They don't have that in Chinandega, at least not in the city.

So from there I went home for a few weeks to chill out and finish up the school year before the annual ::drum roll please:: All Volunteer Conference. It happens once every 2 years (used to happen once a year before budget cuts) and all 180+ volunteers from all the nooks and crannies of the country reunite in the capital city of Managua. We go to lots of workshops and work-related training but we also ended up doing lots of drinking, dancing, and sitting by the pool. Rough life, huh? So that was last Tuesday-Thursday. It ended on Thanksgiving. It seems like only yesterday that we were at Adam and Lara's in Leon (I talk about them too much!) rolling pumpkin pie crusts with a can of RAID...but this year for Thanksgiving I went to a US Embassy family's house to eat. It was AMAZING. Great group of people, very funny, driven, and last but not least, they fed us 6 different types of pie for desert. I feel like I should enumerate: 1) Pumpkin 2) Apple 3) Apple with cranberries and raisins and walnuts and all kinds of crazy things 4) Blueberry 5) Chocolate 6) Gingerbread cookies (ok, not a pie, but still delicious). We were wined and dined for sure, but on top of that I got some insight into what life in the Foreign Service is really like. I duno if I'd mentioned before that I am in the process of studying to take the Foreign Service Officer test, which would mean I'd work in a US Embassy somewhere. Supposedly the test is similar to playing Trivial Pursuit, so lately I've been kind of discouraged. But it was really motivating to see what life in Nicaragua can be like when you make more than $250 a month and live in the country capital. Ex. they can afford to send their kids to private school and buy the bags of rice that you don't have to pick little rocks out of. Oh, and P.S. I got to play a Wii for the first time, ever. This is me bowling.

So, that was great. Next stop: Somoto, Madriz. I had my mind made up after the volcano climbing disaster that I was just not cut out to be a hiker or an outdoorswoman or whatever. I mean, it's not like I wear make-up to sleep at night or won't go anywhere without my manicure kit but seriously, there was a point on that volcano where I wondered why a helicopter wouldn't come air lift me off the thing. But due to an unforeseen chain of events, I went with a bunch of health volunteers to hike the Somoto Canyon. I heard someone say that it was so easy that you could do it in flip flops if you wanted to. They said that it was about half hiking and half floating/swimming down a river. I was still nervous, but that sounded doable enough. So I popped a Valium (just kidding, mom) and got on a bus up north. Turns out, I could do it! It was challenging in some places not to slip on wet mossy rocks in the riverbed, but I broke no bones and came out with minimal bruises and all toenails intact. Only bad thing: I didn't bring my camera. I'm going to have to jack someone else's pics when they put them up on Facebook some day.

After the Somoto weekend, I spent roughly 5 days back in site and now, here I am! Up north again... As it turns out, I can't be kept far from the mountains these days. There's a breeze, it's green, and the people seem to be a lot more even tempered. All the bus stations are really nice and clean too, and a couple of them even have TVs! It makes the bus station in Chinandega seem like someone took a baseball bat to a beehive. Tomorrow I'm going with a friend to place my order for the boots, and hopefully they'll be ready before I go home in 2 weeks! I doubt it, but it doesn't hurt to ask. If they will be ready, that would mean 3 trips up north in 3 weeks!

Well, I'm going to get some work done. Send me a message if you'll be in Charleston for Christmas!

Elizabeth

Pasa!

Hello there! I'm having a case of writing block right now, so I'm hoping that if I just start typing, the creative juices will begin to flow.
aoigaguh apdghakojf;kalwe nrkwjbfpaid hgfa sdfkas dfkhf asdfkjhd fawernkxi wejeokherewego. This is a picture of my lover and I asleep on the patio at Adam and Lara's house. Her name is Pasa, which means "raisin" in Spanish (refer to the big black spot on her head). The official story is that Adam and Lara were skeptical about having a dog here in Nicaragua because of the responsibility, but Adam's Nica counterpart's dog had puppies and they couldn't say no to one. Off the record, it was destiny that brought them together. I couldn't imagine Pasa without the Clarkhelms or the Clarkhelms without Pasa. They saved her from a dim future as a street dog, and now she's house trained and does lots of tricks.
I'm in Managua right now for a meeting this afternoon, and then tonight is the annual Small Business Cocktail party fundraiser. Lots of volunteers are going, so it should be a good time. We're staying at the Holiday Inn, and that's where the party is too. I'm going to take lots of pictures because we're going to get all dressed up (to the best of our ability). So be on the look out!
More to come soon!! (or later....)
Elizabeth

Secuestro Expreso

I'm back in Managua, writing this from a hotel room that the Peace Corps put me up in last night. Here's the deal. On Monday when I was traveling from Granada to Managua on a bus, I was targeted for an express kidnapping. Express kidnapping is when you get in a taxi, and the taxi driver and accomplices blindfold you and rob you and then leave you on the side of the road (ideally). It's been happening quite a bit lately in Managua, probably now to at least 4 or so volunteers within the past 6 months. You have to be really careful when using public transportation because most of the time the kidnappers get on public buses, sit next to foreigners, make conversation, and then convince the traveler to share a taxi with them. So, I was on the bus and there was a Spanish backpacker sitting behind me. We both had seats open next to us, so when the kidnappers got on (2 girls and a guy) a girl sat next to me and the other two sat next to the Spaniard. It was REALLY obvious what was going on. The girl was SO nice to me, complimenting my hair and my Spanish, and taking an unusual interest in my life. She wanted to know where I worked, where I lived, if I had friends in Managua, if I were traveling to Leon next, if I were going to get off the bus at the final stop or before...etc. RED FLAG! So I immediately called the dude from Peace Corps who's in charge of our "safety and security" and asked him to meet me at the bus terminal in Managua. Well, after that the girl suspected that I knew what was going on, so she got off the bus fast. Her two friends were still trying to woo the Spaniard into a taxi, so I turned around to tell him in English that he should watch out and quit talking to these people. As it turned out, he didn't speak English and couldn't understand me but he already suspected something was up with those people. Soon afterward the two remaining kidnappers gave up on us and got off the bus, but the guy had the nerve to call me a "stuck up gringa." Um, excuse me. I've made it a point since pre-school not to talk to strangers and so far it's worked out fine. The moral of the story is: I went to the police station outside of Managua yesterday to identify mugshots of the crooks and actually identified the girl who sat next to me. Cool, huh!!! Turns out she has a criminal record. Even though her attempt at me was obvious and pathetic, apparently she's done this before. So, travelling gringos beware: don't share taxis with people you meet on buses. Just don't. It doesn't matter how well they're dressed or how helpful and friendly they seem. Punto.

Moving on...here's a picture of me on a horse! I realize that for many Peace Corps Volunteers, riding horses may be part of the daily grind. However, we city girls who have various public transportation options including but not limited to taxis, intracity buses, and tricycle taxis (even though we can't always afford them) are still wildly entertained and enamored by the idea of horseback riding. So here I am with the tour guide at Selva Negra, Matagalpa. I mentioned last time that mom and I went to the mountains for a couple of days to escape the heat of Chinanega. We rented horses for an hour to give us a tour of a coffee plantation/farm/mountain lodge that's buried in the beautiful hills of northern Nicaragua. Mom's horse was a type A personality so she stayed ahead of us most of the time while I chatted with the tour guide. He started his career as a professional cowboy at the age of 10 when he learned to lasso. Intense, huh? I told him to prove it and show off his skills by lassoing my unsuspecting mom and her overachiever of a horse. He agreed, but fortunately narrowly missed. Here's the pic if you don't believe me.
In other news, I turned 23. Had a great birthday for the most part...I stayed in a nice hotel in Managua with my friend Amanda and we went dancing. I feel like I celebrated my birthday continually for 2 weeks though while my mom was here. She brought me lots of stuff from home ranging from shirts, toothpaste and chocolate to books to study for the FSOT (foreign service officer test) and a bird ladder for Jennifer Lopez. We spent quite a bit of time together in very close quarters but in the end I felt sad to see her go. But I'll be home to visit in December for 2 weeks! So clear your calendars. :) Also - yesterday my landlady/Nicaraguan mother gave me a belated birthday present. She got me a set of sheets!!! Dude, I could not have asked for a better gift. The sheets that I've hand scrubbed on a concrete washboard every week for a year and 3 months are almost transparent. And did I mention they were from the 70's? Mom didn't want to part with any nice sheets from the house (obviously) since we were pretty sure they'd stay in Nicaragua forever, so she gave me the sheets that she and Dad bought when they got married. Anyway, I think my landlady got tired of seeing through the same sheets every week when they were drying on my clothesline, so she got me new ones!!! SCORE.
What else...the school year is almost over! Here in Nicaragua school gets out for the "summer" from the end of November to January. So that means I'll have a little more free time than usual to go to the gym and study. Maybe I'll do like an English summer camp or something for some kids at my school. Or I could climb the volcano again (not). The possibilities are endless.
Either way, October and November are going to be relatively busy. I'll be in Managua a lot to plan this year's All Volunteer Conference that's scheduled for the end of November. All 180 or so of us will go to a hotel in Managua and participate in training workshops, eat lots of food, and fraternize. It falls right before Thanksgiving, traditionally when Embassy families invite Peace Corps Volunteers to have Thanksgiving dinner with them and stay the night. Otherwise, Thanksgiving can be a pretty lonely holiday here since obviously no one celebrates it.
Lots to look forward to, huh? I officially have only 10 months of service left. That's out of 27 total months in country. I think I might be having the time of my life. I'm not always happy and I'm never not sweating, but so far I've learned more than I've taught and gained perspective on a totally different way of life. Two years away from my comfy cushy life in the U.S. is a small price to pay for what I'll take away from here next July, including a sweet tan. *tearing up*
Well, I'm going to grab some lunch and head home for a tranquilo night in Chinandega. Maybe I'll catch up on some reading, watch the news, cuddle Jennifer Lopez...here she is trying to crawl up on my pillow. Check out that black tongue.
Thanks for reading! Leave me a comment so I know you're out there....

Elizabeth

Live Grenades

<--- Picture with my "son" at the market (not really my son, people just say he's my son because he looks kind of white).

Hola, hola!! Mom's in town! We're in Matagalpa right now, which is in the cooler, mountainous region of Nicaragua as opposed to the desert where I live. It's AWESOME. I can actually wear pants.... as opposed to shorts.
Spent the better part of last week in Managua (the country capital) for a special conference of English teachers from all over the country. My friend Stephanie and I did a presentation on the use of nametags in the classroom (sounds lame but it's really not!) Then I stuck around in Managua an extra night to pick up mom from the airport. We stayed in a nice hotel and then made the trip to Chinandega the next day. We stuck around Chinandega and went to the gym, the park, the plant nursery, etc. before we skipped town on Thursday morning to go to Leon. Friday I was due back in Managua again to help train the new group of English volunteers that got here a few weeks ago. From Managua we caught a bus to Matagalpa, and here we are! Ok so enough of the play-by-play...
New things I've learned:
1) Peace Corps Volunteers (and all other federal "employees" affiliated with the U.S. Embassy are not allowed to go to this one market in Managua because on top of just being plain old dangerous, they actually sell live grenades.
2) Some Peace Corps Volunteers who live in more rural areas suspect that volunteers who live in urban areas lead "close to normal" lives. I may steal cable television and have a semi-functioning shower instead of a bucket bath, but my life is in no way, shape, or form NORMAL. I can't walk down the street without being harrassed, even my neighbors aren't really sure what my job is here, and I'm constantly confused for being a regular old tourist. Few people recognize me or take the time and energy to say hi to me on the street. My rent is 100 dollars a month, as opposed to the country bumpkins who may pay 30 to 50 dollars a month. If I don't want to eat rice and beans 3 times a day, I have the option of going to a fancy supermarket and buying whole wheat bread and romaine lettuce, but does that fall within my Peace Corps living allowance? Don't think so. Ok, got that off my chest. Phew.
So, my mom almost drank a scorpion/dragonfly cocktail the first night she was here. It happened like this. A few weeks ago I had more "roommates" than normal, so after killing a scorpion and a dragonfly I saved them in a plastic cup to show her when she got here. So she's brushing her teeth at the sink and I handed her the cup with the critters in it, not thinking, and she filled it with water and started to put it to her mouth to rinse. "AGHH!!!!!" I screamed. She dropped the cup. So, close call. We had a good laugh about it. Or at least I did. Hers was more nervous laughter.
I have quite a bit more to write about our trip to Matagalpa, but I haven't had a chance to upload pictures onto the computer yet. I actually rode a horse for an hour today on a coffee plantation. Pretty neat. Anyway, I'll save that one for next time. Adios!

Elizabeth

Quick update from China-town

The Chinandega crew (or at least half of us) at Pizza Hot. Josh Berman, the author of the Moon guidebooks to traveling and living in Nicaragua, came to do some research for an update. Who better to consult than we PCVs? He's an ex-volunteer himself actually. So, he picked our brains on bus schedules, pretty places, and nightlife (or lack thereof) and in return took us out for pizza.

I'm on the far right.

Umm.... updates. Well, over the past two days I've probably spent 10 hours cleaning my house and washing clothes. I'm glad I got the laundry out of the way though because it's been raining for the past hour and half. Definitely not conducive to drying clothes on a line.
I seem to be hosting an extended family of mice. So far I've had to throw out 2 unopened bags of pasta, half a bag of whole wheat bed (I cried a little), a bag of tortilla chips, powder soup mix, countless vegetables (good excuse not to eat salad), and various articles of clothing that contained holes and urine staines. SWEET!!! I had a little breakdown. I scrubbed my kitchen counters and applicances with bleach until my hands were raw because seriously, there was poop all over the place. I wish I could bring my pet snake down here for the remainder of my service...

This weekend Dianne is coming to visit. Next week should be pretty busy. I've got a new community English class that will start on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Will be in touch!

Elizabeth

P.S. Reminder to all that the address to my pictures changed. The new one is http://picasaweb.google.com/elizabeth.p.slack/
I just put pictures of my new house up!

Greetings from a broad abroad! (thanks amanda!)

MY PARROT, Jennifer Lopez --->


Quick update. I'm in Managua right now. I came in town yesterday for a meeting at the office and I got to stay the night! We're talking air conditioning, hot shower, minimal creepy crawlers at night...high class.
I finally had my first parasite. TOTALLY different from a bacterial infection or food poisoning (at least for me). Every time I'd eat, I'd get horrible stomach cramps, but I'd never feel really full. Luckily I took pills for a few days, and I think it's dead now. Was worried I'd have to start thinking of names for it... (Perry?)
What else...I think there are iguanas living in my ceiling. I hear a little scurrying up there most nights, but it doesn't sound like the thing is heavy enough to be a rat. However it's probable that I do have a larger problem because someone or something just carted off 3 whole pieces of whole wheat bread from my bird's cage the other night (no evidence of nibbling whatsoever, it just disappeared). Cats? Rats? Neighboring children? Unknown...
Hmm, so, trying to think of more profound and meaningful things to write about. Work is alright. Next week we (myself and my counterpart, Olga) get to go to a seminar in Matagalpa (beautiful mountainous region) to touch base with Peace Corps. Here in about a week I complete one whole year in site. Which means I've been here for about a year and 3 months. Eek.
What else...lately I've been studying to take the Foreign Service Officer test. I've been downloading podcasts online from the NY Times, the Economist, and BBC World News. Also studying a little U.S. History and Government here, a little economic theory there. I've pretty much established a morning routine... I get up around 8 or so, make my toast and coffee, and sit in the hammock in front of the fan either reading my precious 3-month-old Economists that I've acquired (Embassy families donate their old magazines to us PCV's) or studying.
I've been going to the gym fairly often. There's actually a gym here just for women (thank goodness, or I'd never go, quite a few of the men here are vile and disrespectful). I actually go to a step aerobics class (I'm not sure if I mentioned this in a previous post?). The blocks are made of plywood, and I'm telling you, I wouldn't be surprised if a woman showed up in a mini-skirt and heels. But more power to them, it's rare to see a woman who takes time to invest in herself. Many women are so busy taking care of their kids and their philandering husbands that they just let themselves go.
Sorry if I sound a little negative, guys. They say that a lot of volunteers kind of fall into a slump when they hit their year mark. I'm definitely feeling a little disappointed in my service right now. I don't feel like my work is making much of a difference. There's just not a real necessity to learn English in Chinandega. And since there's not a necessity, many students just aren't that motivated. And if the people you work with aren't as motivated as you are, where is the sustainability? I think I'm going to look for ways to get involved with health projects here. Maybe work with HIV/AIDS or teen pregnancy. Either way, I have a feeling that my major accomplishments will be 1) what I've learned and 2) the relationships that I've built with women and girls here.
Well, I think I'm going to take advantage of being in Managua to go see the new Harry Potter movie before I head back to reality.
Miss you guys.

Elizabeth

Hiking San Cristobal

so, i just climbed the highest volcano in central america. it's called 'san cristobal'. it was pretty much a nightmare. yesterday, a school bus dropped us of in a rural community at the foot of this volcano. we had to walk 8 kilometers (with backpacks and 2 days water supply) uphill just to get to this guy's place where we could hang hammocks up and sleep. we woke up at 4:30 in the morning to start climbing.
guys, newsflash: i don't think i'm a climber. it was probably one of the most miserable things that i've ever done in my entire 22 years. we hiked uphill (duh) for about 2 1/2 hours in the forest before we hit the last 2 1/2 hour climb uphill in pure SAND AND GRAVEL at a 60 degree angle. I gave up. I got close enough in my opinion to what could reasonably be considered "the top" and sat down in the dirt with another girl we went with and we decided that we knew our limits of volcano climbing and that we'd sit down and just hang out in the cloud (we were that high up!!) so then it started raining really hard on the way down and the sole of one of my hiking shoes just came right off. i was rather frustrated to say the least, but did not cry. i think there are more blisters on my feet than toes but i made it home in one piece and have some interesting pictures which i posted today. the new address for my pictures is: http://picasaweb.google.com/elizabeth.p.slack. go there!

Still alive

Something about this heat just adds a sense of urgency to everything I do here, unless I'm sitting on a hammock in front of a fan. Every time I go to the internet cafe, I only focus on the most imperative to-do items and then get the heck out. It doesn't leave me much time to think of interesting blog entries.
So here I am, in the air-conditioned Peace Corps office, still in a hurry because I have a bus to catch back to Chinandega here in about an hour.
In recent news, I moved! No longer live in the same teepee. My landlady's grandaughter and her boyfriend broke into my house and stole my laptop, iPod, digital camera, electronic dictionary that I forgot I had, and the corresponding chargers (good move). With the help of the police, I got all my stuff back. And they figured out who it was because of a footprint the dude left on my back door when he kicked it down! It was like CSI Nicaragua style...
So, every cloud has a silver lining it seems. I found a house that actually has a drop ceiling as well as a zinc roof (I only had a zinc roof before). And my new landlady lives next door and she's REALLY nice. I couldn't ask for more.
So, who's coming down to visit? I've got more space than before and a double bed and a cot! Enticing, right? :)

Elizabeth

Finally, right?

Whoops. Haven't updated this guy in a while. I haven't been lost, just unmotivated to write. So, now summer vacations are over and school is back in session. My trip to the USA was great, it was nice to see friends and family. I didn't leave the house very much - it was SO cold. After living in 90-95 degree weather nonstop for 10 months, I might as well have gone to Antarctica instead of West Virginia.
Hmm...so now we're in the dry season. I don't remember the last time it rained here. There's SO much dust. My boogers are brown all the time (sorry, too much information?). Although I think that the dryness makes the heat a little more bearable. I still sweat, but in the shade I'm usually ok if I remain sedentary.
Chelo the cat died. My neighbors threw him in a well. Well, that's not actually how he died, I don't think. There are various theories... some say he ate rat poison, died, and then was thrown in a well. Others say that he fell into the well at night while he was chasing after his girlfriend and could not escape. Either way, now it's just me and the parrot.
Hmm...well, I'm going to Skype with my mom. Will write more another time!

Hola

Hi! So I'm coming home to visit! First I get to go to my cousin's wedding in Tennessee and then I'm coming home and relaxing. They say that reverse culture shock can be worse than original culture shock. People say that they go home to visit the USA and are surprised by how clean it is, how polite and considerate other people are, and how quiet it is. I'm thoroughly ready to experience this. I've had a lot of down time lately now that school's not in session. A lot of time to visit friends, go to the beach, etc. A little too much time. I mean, I did finish a grant proposal and I've had a chance to brainstorm some ideas for projects, but really, I have no routine whatsoever. Yesterday and today I went walking for about 2 hours. I made ceviche. I cleaned my house. I read. But I feel like I need some structure in my life. I know I'll miss some free time when school starts again, but I think I'll be ready when it comes. As for now, I'll have a nice break in the USA. :)