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.
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