Swearing In!

The moment we had all been waiting for, twelve months of anticipation and training, and it was over in 3 hours. We had all finally made it to swearing in and are now official Peace Corps Volunteers. We said our goodbyes to our host families, we somehow managed to pack everything up into our overstuffed suitcases once again and even managed looking respectable for the ceremony. It was very exciting to finally make it, and I was a little taken aback. I found that it affected me more than I thought it would and I was very proud to finally be standing there taking my oath to protect and serve the United States Constitution and to also be singing the Star Spangled Banner and later the Nicaraguan Hymn. I realized how important of a moment it really was and it was great again to be honored with the presence of the Education Minister of Nicaragua to swear us all in.

As a group we have been very lucky and have met several key figures throughout training. When we arrived in Nicaragua we were greeted by the country director. During our first couple days in IPADE we met the new World Director, Aarron Williams, and just last week we met the US Ambassador and his cultural director. It really is awe inspiring to be in the presence of such powerful and smart people and it helps motivate me to keep striving for my own goals and to work that much harder throughout my service.

For the swearing in ceremony all the guys decided to coordinate our outfits by buying guayaberas. I probably butchered the spelling, but they are formal shirts that men use here instead of suits and ties. They are short sleeve button down shirts that have embroidery and four pockets on the front. We all chose different colors and I decided to rock the light yellow. It helped us look like we had adjusted that much more to the culture here and all the families got a kick of seeing the gringo boys in traditional wear. Besides our outfits, the ceremony was in a beautiful hotel and we were met by two members of each of our families. Sol and my mom came and it was so sweet to see them. We first had a ceremony honoring all of the families and giving them diplomas for all of their commitment. Jamie, from my town gave a great speech on all of our behalves about the importance they all played and how they will dearly be missed. We then stepped out and got ready for ceremony number two which was the official swearing in. Again we all had an opportunity to stand up and give a short speech about where we were from in the states and where we would be living. It was then followed by a speech from the Minister of Education, and then the US Cultural Director, and US Country Director. Each person made a very inspirational speech and then it was time for our elected speaker, Angus, to talk. His speech helped remind us all why we are here and what we have signed up to do. I know it helped hit home for me what I am about to embark on and also reminded me that I am really doing this and have willingly chosen to give up two years of my life.

Either way I am ready for the next chapter of my life to begin and this Friday I had off to my site. I am looking forward for the next two days at the All Volunteer Conference and being able to meet all the other volunteers in the country. I have a lot to learn and what better way to start it off. Also, it is THANKSGIVING! My favorite holiday of the year and again I am far from home. The ceremony made me think about that and how much my family and friends really do mean to me. It is hard to be so far away, but I like to think that I am doing something noble and what better way to show my thanks than to be giving back to the world at large.

I´m ready to be a volunteer and the clock has officially started, t-minus two years!

Final Week of Training

It has been another week and so much has happened. I can't really keep it all straight, but I will do my best to put it in perspective. Lets see this last week has been chaotic with me getting sick, traveling in and out of Managua, going to hotels, and some nice political unrest.

Lets kick it off with some positive notes. This Wednesday I had a charla in Olla de Barro which is a restaurant down the carretera. It was called our bridge to service and was supposed to prep us with all the procedures and rules for when we are volunteers. It was your normal charla of me sitting there, doodling, and half paying attention when all of a sudden I started getting weird looks. I thought it was a little odd and finaly someone told me that my face was beat red. During the charla I had an allergic reaction and my whole body was breaking out into a rash and I had to be rushed off to Managua and the medical office. It was annoying and I didn't want to go because that means I would have to go to the office, get meds, tests, and then travel back to my town, but it actually worked out quite differently. I did have all the tests and they did figure out I was having an allergic reaction, but I got the unexpected perk of being put up in a hotel overnight and having hot water for the first time in 3 months. I cannot put into words how amazing such simple luxuries are, and I guess there is always a silver lining to getting sick. The following day I was able to meet up with my group again and of course everyone was curious to know what happened to me. I of course had no idea and will likely never know what tripped the reaction, but that is besides the point.

So the following day we were all back at the IPADE, which was the NGO compound we stayed at when we first arrived in Nicaragua. It was our final two days to go through security briefings, go through more policy, and to meet the US Ambassador. It was a fun time to be with everyone again and to chill in the compound with a little more liberty. By this point I had recieved my package from Rachael which was a huge box of chocolate. We all were able to pig out on chocolate, get some beers, and just reflect on our last three months in the country. The big to-do of the week was being able to meet the US Ambassador. It was comforting to know that we have his support and that he appreciates what we are doing. He also spoke very frankly with us about the political situation in the country and the state of the future. He also took it one step further and was willing to talk about the political states of neighboring countries. The talks were overshadowed by the expected political marches the following day that were organized by the oppositional party. I can't go to much into it, but basically the current president, Ortega, is accused of robbing the last election and the mayoral elections last year. He is trying to change the constitution to run for a third term and right now he seems to have finagled a way to let him do it. Lets just say that the opposition is not happy about it and they plan to be vocal about it. In expectations for these marches we were not allowed to travel, but luckily nothing happened.

Alright, I know that this is probably a random account and is not following a clear pattern, but so much has gone on. The day after seeing the Ambassador I went with a bunch of other volunteers to a hostel down on the coast of Laguna de Apoyo. It was fittingly named the Monkey Hut and was absolutely beautiful. We had to take a halfhour moto ride down the steep ravine walls and finally we reached th tropical shore. It basically looked like a large house with a dock down by the water, but who could want me. Far off on the horizion you could see a distant volcano, the water was clear, and there wasn't a boat within sight. The night could be summed up with my later lying on the dock staring up at the stars and just thinking, how can life get much better? I was able to see 5 shooting stars that night and what better way to wake up the next morning than with a swim in 80 degree lake water?

All in all, life is looking really good right now. I am swearing in the day, I am finished with training, and I had the opportunity to lounge around the side of a lake. I can't say that I am suffering in Nicaragua and I have to count myself lucky that I am here and hope I can remain so positive for the next two years.

T-Minus One Week

Just as I started to get comfortable with my training town and fell into a groove, it is already time to say goodbye. It is scary to believe, but I am only in Masatepe until this Sunday, but for the rest of the week I will be traveling and not even around. Hopefully this will be an indicator of what to expect once I am actually a volunteer. My first three months flew by and I can only hope that this pace continues for the next two years. I am in no rush to complete my service, but there is something more satisfactory when the time is occupied and you are just being pushed along.

As for this week it has been crazy. Last week was our first week back from our site visits and it definitely made me look at my training town through a new lense. Coming back I felt like I was going home to where I have always been and belonged. I am really enjoying my family and even my little brother, Andres, is not bothering me as much anymore. I have just been trying to make the most of the little time that I do have left and also started traveling around the municipality since I will soon be far away. On this idea I went to Mombacho this Saturday. It is one of the biggest volcanoes here in Nicaragua and I set off early Saturday to find the "secret" termales. I went with a couple other volunteers and we were all excited since we believed we had legit directions. Well about 1 hour into our walk we realized we were not getting any closer to the volcano and also there were no signs of any hot springs. Even later one of the people with us realized that we were not heading to hot springs but a water spring that he has already been to with his family. He told us that it took them about 45 minutes by truck and that meant over 3 hours of walking for us. When we finally did make it we were welcomed to a small natural pool of clear fresh water. It was beautiful and seemed to just be tucked into the countryside. It was probably so much nicer because we just finished walking 14km, but either way it was an enjoyable trip. I would have loved to have made it to some real termales or even have stepped onto the volcano, but I guess I now have a reason to go back.

Other than our little trip to the volcano I went to Jinotepe yesterday with the group from my town. I had been once before, but wanted to go again for a change of scenery and to just be social. Basically, it is the next big town in our area and is famous for its large market. It was a lot of fun just wandering around, but there was a real damper on the day because I was sick.

Right now I am in the Peace Corps Office because I came down with something. Last night I had a scorching fever and I really thought I was going insane. I had two blankets on and was dripping sweat when I woke up this morning. To make it worse, I slept only about 2 hours last night because I would be jolted awake all night by either chills or horrible sweats. The weirdest part was that it went away when I woke up this morning and I even felt well enough to go to my charlas. Probably wasn't the best choice because once I got to my charla I had horrible stomach pains and then people started looking at me funny. Finally someone asked if I had gotten a sunburn and immediately after I realized I was having an allergic reaction to something. My whole face was bright red and little blotches started spreading throughout my body. I didn't feel sick, but anytime you change color you get worried. All of that led to me having to come here to the office and go through a round of testing. They aren't sure what I have, but I need to start looking more carefully at what I eat or just kick this cold. Especially with Swearing-in coming up I don't have time to get sick now and I just have to hope I can kick it before Monday.

If all goes well I am off to IPADE tomorrow, which is the same NGO compound we stayed at when we first got to the country. We get to meet the Ambassador on Friday and even have to spend the night in Managua on Thursday. The next two days are full of charlas which means they will be long days, but hopefully they will seem much more relevant due to the proximity of our ceremony and starting our service.

San Dionisio

It has only been a week, but it feels like and eternity since I have used the internet or been in a world I am familiar with. This last Tuesday I left Masatepe to attend counterpart day in Managua and then head out to my long awaited site. I started it off in style by cramming into the usual 18 passenger expresso buses with 25 other people and my 80 lb bag. I then had to play real life frogger to cross a 4 lane high way to get to the meeting point and then sit through about 8 hours of charlas where we were supposed to meet and socialize with our counterparts. It is a great idea in theory and many people took advantage of the opportunity to plan their schedules, set priorities, and familiarize themselves with the project. I on the other hand sat around twittling my thumbs because I, of course, was the only one whose counterparts decided they were too cool for school. I was pretty bummed but they did show up eventually, about 8 hours late and not in the talking mood. They brushed off being late like it really wasnt that big of a deal and that it wasnt even their fault. I wasnt too worried becuase I did have a nice 6 hour bus ride with them to plan, but when I went to bed that night I was still unsure about what time we were even leaving in the morning.

That morning I was awoken by a Nicaraguan woman yelling JIM in a high pitched voice. All the guys had to pile into one room because there wasnt enough space and it is true, guys really do stink. It was a good night because we had AC, but I did not appreciate waking up at 5 am when I didnnt leave with my counterparts until 730. The ride itself was fine, we took a taxi to the station, had a 2hour ride on an old US school bus to Esquipulas and then had to switch off again to another retrofitted school bus. The fun part was that once you hit the border of the Matagalpa department the highway turns to dirt and the road narrows to about one lane. That means travel is slow and bone jarringly bouncy. Also, the bus drivers all think they are rally racers and love to fly around blind turns and pass where it clearly isnt allowed. Their only safety measure is they beep the horn as they approach and pass a turn. About 6 hours later our bus finally hit pavement and we were in my town. I am living in San Dionisio, a small town of about 5000 in the middle of the mountains. The town is a little urban oasis in the middle of rolling hills and clearcut fields. We have such luxuries as paved roads, comedores, cantinas, billard halls, and a basketball court and baseball stadium. I was surprised and it reminded me of the city of Brigadoon.

I wont recap every little event that I had while I was there, but it was an overall positive experience. The one running thought I had going through my head, was I am going to be bored as hell at times. I mean, there are comedores if I want to eat out and I already joined the baseball team, but it is a huge transition going from training to out on your own. I always complain about having every minute of my life planned, but I grew used to it and kind of like the security. I mean once I am there, I will have no one looking after me, no reason to travel, and no american within one hour of me.

So a little about my family. The house itself is pretty fachenta. I mean it is high class regarding Nicaragua standards. We have tiled floors, a tv, a radio, a stove, and even a refrigarator. Given tehre are the down sides: a latrine that reeks, ice cold bucket showers, a shower where I have to squat so I dont hit the ceiling, and random chickens and cats that run through the house. I see these as minor problems, but I guess I am just getting used to life here. The mom works at the mayors office and is one of the remaining liberals there. I guess the town has always been liberal until the last election when it changed to Daniel Ortegas party, the FSLN: She therefore has to keep a really low profile, but is really nice. The main person I talk to is her neighbor and sister who mantains the house and does all the work. She is really nice and has two children, a daughter who is a little older tahn men, and a 13 year old son. I also have a 13 year old sister. The two girls belong to a volleyball team that plays every night infront of the house ont he court and I went all the time to watch. I also went with my brother to play baseball and decided to join the baseball team. As anyone who knows me will agree, I am not the most coordinated and baseball was proof of that. I was stuck at 1st base, but surprisingly made some good plays and even at bat I had one RBI, but struck out twice.

Besides the family and me joining the baseball team I got to visit my three schools. Each is about a 40 minute walk out of town along some prety rural roads and it will be a good opportunity for me to just relax and enjoy the views. It really is beautiful overlooking all the hills and one of the roads is on a ridge so I can see my town off in the distance. Each school has about 2 to 4 teachers and anywhere from 60 to 130 kids. That means I have some nice small classes and they all seemed pretty excited to work with me. One teacher especially already has huge plans of planting .75acres of crop including fruits, grapes, and beans. I am a little worried because I have absolutely no idea how to do that and some of the other teachers just seemed confused why I was even there or the directores were trying to say I would be working with the whole school. I did however travel with one of the English teachers to his instituto and promised to help teach english. It was a good experience where I got to take part in the school party for the end of the year and just socialize with some of the students. Everyone is pretty optimistic about me showing up and I think I will really be able to make an impact in my community.

Anyways, it was a good couple days adn I am excited and anxious to get to my site for the next two years. I am definitely not counting down the days, but I knwo that I can make it work. Other than the site I had a technical training charla today about compost and worm farms. It only got me more excited about starting my own gardens and composts with my kids at my site. Also, I have a lot of fun activities to look forward to with swearing in, nights at a hotel, the all volunteer conference, and dinner with an american family. Finally, I will get to have my first hot shower in three months and possible my last for the next year.It will be an interesting next week and I just have to hold on for the ride.