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
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