Wow, the past week has been um, pretty busy. We finished up our youth group project last Thursday, so hopefully after our week of absence there are still planters hanging in the school.
I went to Mérida for the first time, my new site and therefore home. It was quite an adventure, and very different from the life I am living now. It is at least a 2 hour bus ride from Managua to San Jorge, the port city, and that bus ride has proven uneventful both times. Then, you can either take a launch or a ferry to and from the island. I took the ferry the first time, and a launch the second time. Here´s a picture of the launch I took on my way back to Managua.
Then, there´s at least 2 hours by bus from Moyogalpa to Altagracia, and then back down to Mérida. I like my site a lot, but it´s pretty out there. I have 4 schools, and I visited 3 of them, one 10K away on a bike, and on that day I discovered I would not be making that trek on a regular basis on a bike, as it is up and down, up and down, and all either rock or mud. I almost died, and my rear end still hurts to sit on. The people in my town are all very friendly and nice, although my name is proving to be quite a challenge. I´m either Dehniseh, Dehnis, Danicia, or some other form. I figure anything with a D, N, and S, and I´ll answer.
I also met the people at the mayor´s office, the police station, the health center, and the Bainbridge Island office. There´s a lot of really cool stuff going on on the island, and I foresee my two greatest initial challenges as figuring out the transportation system, and trying to carve out a niche for myself in all the great stuff that´s happening. Oh yeah, and keeping the chickens out of my room. It´s dark, and relatively cool during the day, making it a perfect roosting area. They either come in through the window when it´s open, or they just come over the wall between my room and the rest of the house, where they roam pretty freely. It´s a different world there, that´s for sure, but my family is super nice, and with a little time, their help, and some mesh, the chickens and I will no longer be living in conflict. Here´s a picture of the floor of my new room. I love that the concrete has chicken tracks in it.
This is my house, my sister, and a couple of my nieces. (My new family is BIG.)
Finally, this is my beach.
And last, but surely not least, I went to a rodeo there on Saturday, since my town was having its fiesta patronales festivities. I´m not sure why, but for some reason this included a rodeo. The only way to watch was to stand in the middle of the rodeo yard, which many men did, or up on a ¨bleacher¨. I was on the bleachers, and all I could think was, this is one of those things where a collapse results in national headlines. I was apparently the only person even slightly afraid based on the way people were craning and straining to see. In two years, I´ll be a pro!
I went to Mérida for the first time, my new site and therefore home. It was quite an adventure, and very different from the life I am living now. It is at least a 2 hour bus ride from Managua to San Jorge, the port city, and that bus ride has proven uneventful both times. Then, you can either take a launch or a ferry to and from the island. I took the ferry the first time, and a launch the second time. Here´s a picture of the launch I took on my way back to Managua.
Then, there´s at least 2 hours by bus from Moyogalpa to Altagracia, and then back down to Mérida. I like my site a lot, but it´s pretty out there. I have 4 schools, and I visited 3 of them, one 10K away on a bike, and on that day I discovered I would not be making that trek on a regular basis on a bike, as it is up and down, up and down, and all either rock or mud. I almost died, and my rear end still hurts to sit on. The people in my town are all very friendly and nice, although my name is proving to be quite a challenge. I´m either Dehniseh, Dehnis, Danicia, or some other form. I figure anything with a D, N, and S, and I´ll answer.
I also met the people at the mayor´s office, the police station, the health center, and the Bainbridge Island office. There´s a lot of really cool stuff going on on the island, and I foresee my two greatest initial challenges as figuring out the transportation system, and trying to carve out a niche for myself in all the great stuff that´s happening. Oh yeah, and keeping the chickens out of my room. It´s dark, and relatively cool during the day, making it a perfect roosting area. They either come in through the window when it´s open, or they just come over the wall between my room and the rest of the house, where they roam pretty freely. It´s a different world there, that´s for sure, but my family is super nice, and with a little time, their help, and some mesh, the chickens and I will no longer be living in conflict. Here´s a picture of the floor of my new room. I love that the concrete has chicken tracks in it.
This is my house, my sister, and a couple of my nieces. (My new family is BIG.)
Finally, this is my beach.
And last, but surely not least, I went to a rodeo there on Saturday, since my town was having its fiesta patronales festivities. I´m not sure why, but for some reason this included a rodeo. The only way to watch was to stand in the middle of the rodeo yard, which many men did, or up on a ¨bleacher¨. I was on the bleachers, and all I could think was, this is one of those things where a collapse results in national headlines. I was apparently the only person even slightly afraid based on the way people were craning and straining to see. In two years, I´ll be a pro!
Comments
The chicken tracks in the cement floor are very sheik - authentic, with an interesting texture....
Cement is actually becoming a high fashion flooring type (saw it most recently in two high-end spa salons), you may be onto something here.
but anyway - we're very excited for you and would be interested in visiting with the girls next year if you think that would be a good idea - the adventure hotel place looked promising.
thinking of you,
hugs,
Briana