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. :)

Duke Before, Duke After

So, here we've got my next door neighbor's pet pig hanging out in the back yard with the dog. In the next photo, we've got that same pig, but wrapped in a banana leaf and ready to be eaten.

Neat, huh? It was about 6 or 7 months old when it was killed. They had timed it so that it would be ready for the daughter's graduation. The only tricky part about eating this thing was that for 3 months, I watched this thing eat garbage, literally, anything they threw it's way. If it's true that you are what you eat and the pig ate garbage, then I ate the pig, well, nevermind. It tasted ok, but I will definitely not get in the habit of raising pet pigs for food.

The graduation was nice though. There were only about 21 kids in the class, so I thought it would go quickly, but no. Lots of speeches, lots of praying, lots of singing, and of course, lots of cheezy American 80's music. It always seems to be a favorite. Example : MIDI version of "Rivers of Babylon" by Boney M. Download it.

Oh yeah, so Thanksgiving. I went to Leon to visit the married couple. Since they actually acquired an oven, we had a better chance of being able to bake things. (duh)

Here's the final product of HOURS AND HOURS. We had pre-cooked and re-stuffed rotisserie chickens, green bean casserole, salad, mashed potatoes, gravy, and orange-squash wannabe pumpkin pie. Lara stuffed the chickens, I made the mashed potatoes with a mortar/pestle type set up, and Adam rolled the pie crust with a Nalgene water bottle (we thought about using a can of Raid but decided against it for obvious reasons), and we drank homemade pitaya (fruit) wine that the married couple had made a few weeks earlier. It tasted great, and no one got bacterial infections!

It was definitely nice to be with volunteers for this holiday. Even though it was a great meal, I think everybody appreciated each others company just as much, if not more than the food.


Moving right along, last night was a huge holiday! The "Purisima" is a week long celebration of the conception of the Virgin Mary celebrated by the Catholics (obviously). Here's a little description of it that I found on the internet.

During colonial times, the Spanish brought their religious catholic fervor to Nicaragua, which was embraced in an incredible way by the natives (obviously after being imposed), with a mystical character and intense piety. This is how the popular religious Nicaraguan festivities were born, and in December ‘La Purísima’ is celebrated, one of the most widespread celebrations.

Imagine ‘La Purísima’ like this: a richly decorated altar is placed in a corner of a family house, with a statue of the Virgin Mary‘s image. In front of this altar, a lot of chairs are arranged, that will be occupied by family members, friends, and neighbors invited by the house owners to celebrate its ‘Purísima’. Once all the guests arrive, the celebration starts with prayers to the virgin, but these are alternated with traditional songs. All the assistants accompany with whistles, tambourines and other instruments. While this takes place inside the house, outside some family members fire rockets and the so called ‘caraga cerrada’, (firecrackers) that contribute a lot to the boisterous celebration. Meanwhile the singings and prayers take place, the host distributes to his/her guests fruits, traditional sweets, caramels, traditional drinks, sugar-cane and many other gifts.

‘La Purísima’ is a celebration to the ‘purest conception of Virgin Mary’, taking place on December 8th, according to the catholic calendar. ‘La Purísima’ is a tradition celebrated in all parts of Nicaragua by thousands of Nicaraguan families. These celebrations take place at the end of November and during almost all of December.

Now...moving on to yesterday's celebration... THE GRITERIA!! (The "Shouting!")

Directly related to ‘La Purísima’, this other tradition, called ‘La Gritería, is more boisterous and more massive.

At 6PM every December 7th, a common yell is heard in different cathedrals and churches: Quién causa tanta alegría? (Who causes so much happiness?). This is how another ancient tradition starts along with the massive response ‘La Concepción de María’ (Mary’s Conception).

At that time, in cities and towns people start exploding fireworks and firecrackers. In the biggest cities, it gets so noisy that any uninformed tourist might think that a war has just started in Nicaragua. At midnight, firecrackers explode once again (the same happens at 6AM and 12PM, but on a smaller scale).

During ‘La Gritería’ Virgen Mary is also venerated. It is a celebration used by people to thank the virgin for miracles and it takes place before the official day. Faithful people decorate altars in their houses in a place were it can be seen from the street. In some neighborhoods you can find more than three altars in just one block.

Then, at 6PM sharp, thousands of Nicaraguans go to the streets to ‘shout’ to the virgin (the word gritería could be translated as ‘shouting’), which means visiting each altar and singing to the virgin Maria. This is basically how it is done: people hang around in groups, stop at an altar, intone traditional songs (the same as in ‘La Purísima’), house owners give fruits, candies, toys, instruments to make noise, natural drinks, and other type of gifts; finally, they move on to another altar. House owners who have placed altars wait until another group comes to sing. This is how ‘La Gritería’ is celebrated, lasting until the house owners have no more gifts to give away or until streets have no more singers.

Not only Catholics and religious people participate in this tradition. It is interesting to hear how people who do not know the songs’ lyrics make up the whole song or just sing the end of each phrase. This is a good opportunity for poor people to collect items, and it is interesting to see how people from different social classes participate in ‘La Gritería’

............that's the end of the official article I found. Very informative, huh? One thing's for sure, I can definitely vouch for the loudness factor. I thought that the gangs were at it again outside my house at midnight last night but it was just fireworks and roman candles and cherry bombs. There actually were fireworks at 6 pm, 12 am, and 6 am. It was deafening. Glad it's over. But, I did go out last night with a few friends and "shout" - or sing songs about the Virgin. It's like trick-or-treating. I got all kinds of stuff. I got a plastic plate, a bag of sugar, a stick of sugar cane, limes, cookies made of sesame seeds and cacao, candy, a rosary, a hair scrunchie, a Virgin Mary bracelet, fried banana chips, and who knows what else. And I didn't even have to dress up! Only one person went as far to ask me if I was Catholic (I'm pretty sure I was the only white person around)...but I sang the little song perfectly and I think for the most part people were impressed. QUIEN CAUSA TANTA ALEGRIA!!! LA CONCEPCION DE LA VIRGEN MARIA!!!

Phew, OK. Well, I'm officially on vacation now that school is out, so a couple of English teachers and I are getting together this week to draft a letter asking for money to make materials to use in the classroom. Simple stuff, like scissors, construction paper, laminate, markers, glue, paint, etc. First we're going to write to a really big sugar mill here that has an equally big human resources department. If that doesn't work, it'll be time to hit the mayor's office. Eek. Gotta try to stay a little bit busy though.

Well, I think I'm going to go home and knit for a while (thanks Aunt Sarah!)

Love,
Elizabeth

p.s. thanks to the people from the website where i stole the article and pictures about la purisima. please don't sue me.

Good night!

Hey everybody! So tonight I got to go to the circus! It was called "Renato's Circus" or something like that, and it was based out of Mexico. They had elephants, camels, zebras, horses, llamas, and lots of trapeze artists and gymnasts. It was pretty neat! It only cost like 5 dollars to get in and to tell you the truth it was a pretty good show. Right now I'm at my friend's house and we're getting ready to go salsa dancing. That'll be my exercise for the day for sure.

I got a pet kitten! Last weekend I went to Granada to visit some other volunteers and ended up taking home a kitty cat. He's a boy and he's about 5 weeks old. I've decided to name him "Chelito" which means "little white guy" in Nicaraguan slang because he is orange and white with blue eyes. The poor cat has parasites right now but I've started giving him medicine to get rid of them. I can tell he doesn't feel very good, but he still loves to play and likes to try to wake me up at 5 am every morning to play. This morning he attacked my face with claws and all. I swatted him off the bed hoping he would get the picture. This is kind of what it's like: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0ffwDYo00Q <------check it out

Well, my apartment/house is coming along. I'll be putting pictures up soon. Now, not only do I have a big comfortable bed and a double burner stove top, I've acquired a table and chairs and a refrigerator, along with a double-bed sized cot for when people come to visit. I also bought a 14 inch television and a hammock. It's pretty comfortable! It was hard to get by without a fridge because not only did I not have access to cold water during 95 degree days, every time I wanted to cook, I had to eat all of it or it would go to waste! I feel pretty spoiled now, to tell you the truth. The married couple from Chinandega finished their service, so Danica and I "inherited" a lot of their things. The refrigerator and table/chairs were theirs, and I also got a bunch of forks, spoons, knives, buckets, Raid (for scorpions), a fan, etc.

Well, I think we're about to head out. Take care!

Elizabeth