Sorry, but it's my turn to be lazy. Instead of posting pictures on this site, I posted pictures on Facebook so I will include the links to those albums so you can check out my pictures from my trip.
I guess I am just too busy and exhausted from watching ALL these olympic events. I LOVE the olympics. What a great two weeks!
Transitioning back to the states has been really smooth for me. I am so happy to be home, but definitely miss the relationships that I built in Nicaragua. However, my sister from Jinotega called me the other day just to see how I was doing. It was great to hear from her, and to practice my quickly fading spanish a bit : )
School starts on September 1, but volleyball starts two weeks before. So in a week from today I will be back in the gym, without working out for the past 3 months. YIKES! But the season will be great and I am looking forward to it very, very much.
Thanks for reading about my experiences on SST. Hope the stories were at least a little entertaining. Enjoy the pictures.
Album #1:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008302&l=86c0c&id=98700729
Album #2:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008304&l=528ad&id=98700729
Monday, August 11, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Home Sweet Home
Made it home. It's been a long/fast 3 months. It feels great to be in my house and with family and friends again. But I am missing beautiful Nicaragua. Such a roller-coaster ride! I will post pictures and do a little more extensive update as I get used to this whole United States thing : )
Thanks to everyone who came to Goshen College to welcome me home. I think I win for having the most family members there. Thanks, I love you all!!
Update soon...
Thanks to everyone who came to Goshen College to welcome me home. I think I win for having the most family members there. Thanks, I love you all!!
Update soon...
Friday, July 25, 2008
Good and Bad News
Good News: My family told me my spanish is so much better.
Bad News: GORDITA. After they told me my spanish was much better they told me that I had gained weight. Ha. GREAT! : )
All is well here in Jinotega. Missing my family and getting more sad everyday when I think about leaving this beautiful country. But I am also so excited to be home....what a mix of emotions!
Bad News: GORDITA. After they told me my spanish was much better they told me that I had gained weight. Ha. GREAT! : )
All is well here in Jinotega. Missing my family and getting more sad everyday when I think about leaving this beautiful country. But I am also so excited to be home....what a mix of emotions!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
For lunch today...
For lunch today we ate fried pig skin.
Didn't realize it until after a few bites. Ha. Quite the experience. One piece even had some hair on it. That's when I asked exactly what we were eating...turns out it was pig skin.
Oh...SST. : )
Didn't realize it until after a few bites. Ha. Quite the experience. One piece even had some hair on it. That's when I asked exactly what we were eating...turns out it was pig skin.
Oh...SST. : )
Boredom...
If you know me, you probably know that I do NOT enjoying being bored. I am always the one planning something for a friday night. Or organizing an activity for all my friends. I always want to get my hands dirty and be active. I just love it. Bored is not really a word in my vocabulary.
Being on SST has really driven this point home. First of all, the work that we are doing here is not necesarily hands on. We often times are just observing rather than participating. Which for a while is fine....but after a while it gets old. And boring. JUST LET ME DO SOMETHING. That has really been a struggle for me on this service portion. I am here to do service and I feel like I haven't accomplished much, in terms of material things. However, the relationships I have built from just spending time at the Los Pipitos organization is really what will last a lifetime. I do realize that, and that makes me feel like I have accomplished something.
There have been a few weekends where I have almost driven myself crazy not doing anything. There is only so much conversation that you can have with our host family and there is only so much shopping you can do (I have to get all the stuff back to the states somehow : ) ha.) And Lindsey and I can only play Rummy and Dutch Blitz so many times. We have gotten really, really good at those games. And you can't do your laundry if you just did it yesterday. And after you read through all your books you brought, you start to read them a second time! So boredom strikes often. And sometimes it almost makes me crazy. I just don't know what to do with myself.
Even after all my complaining about my boredom, I think about the crazy life that I am going to have with volleyball season and school work this coming fall and it makes me realize that I will miss the laid back lifestyle that I have mostly enjoyed this summer. I have also learned that it is OKAY to be bored. Sometimes you just shouldn't do anything. Just be, and that's okay.
So overall while I have mostly loathed the boredom that I have experienced here, I think it has taught me some valuable lessons, about myself and about life.
Now it's back to work. Gotta finish those projects that are due in 4 days! You know you just don't learn enough just by experiencing SST. You HAVE to do other projects to pass SST. Who ever thought to make SST a graded thing. YUCK!!!
and NO I haven't been procrastinating on my projects. I was ALMOST done with all three of my written reports when one day the computer in our house decided to crash...luckily I had sent two finished reports to myself beforehand. But the one that was almost done...lost forever. So now it's time to start over, bummer!
Being on SST has really driven this point home. First of all, the work that we are doing here is not necesarily hands on. We often times are just observing rather than participating. Which for a while is fine....but after a while it gets old. And boring. JUST LET ME DO SOMETHING. That has really been a struggle for me on this service portion. I am here to do service and I feel like I haven't accomplished much, in terms of material things. However, the relationships I have built from just spending time at the Los Pipitos organization is really what will last a lifetime. I do realize that, and that makes me feel like I have accomplished something.
There have been a few weekends where I have almost driven myself crazy not doing anything. There is only so much conversation that you can have with our host family and there is only so much shopping you can do (I have to get all the stuff back to the states somehow : ) ha.) And Lindsey and I can only play Rummy and Dutch Blitz so many times. We have gotten really, really good at those games. And you can't do your laundry if you just did it yesterday. And after you read through all your books you brought, you start to read them a second time! So boredom strikes often. And sometimes it almost makes me crazy. I just don't know what to do with myself.
Even after all my complaining about my boredom, I think about the crazy life that I am going to have with volleyball season and school work this coming fall and it makes me realize that I will miss the laid back lifestyle that I have mostly enjoyed this summer. I have also learned that it is OKAY to be bored. Sometimes you just shouldn't do anything. Just be, and that's okay.
So overall while I have mostly loathed the boredom that I have experienced here, I think it has taught me some valuable lessons, about myself and about life.
Now it's back to work. Gotta finish those projects that are due in 4 days! You know you just don't learn enough just by experiencing SST. You HAVE to do other projects to pass SST. Who ever thought to make SST a graded thing. YUCK!!!
and NO I haven't been procrastinating on my projects. I was ALMOST done with all three of my written reports when one day the computer in our house decided to crash...luckily I had sent two finished reports to myself beforehand. But the one that was almost done...lost forever. So now it's time to start over, bummer!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Lindsey and Alli Blog
First a little promotion for the goshen SST website. There are pictures posted from our city. You can see our family and the people we work with. You should check it out. http://www.goshen.edu/sst/nica08/
Because Lindsey and I are spending every waking moment together...sleeping in the same bed as well. We thought we should collaborate on a blog entry. We got a little lazy when trying to think of what to write, so instead we decided just to take little bits from our journal entries over the last 5 weeks here in Jinotega. Most of it is just funny things that have happened, other things might not make sense to you, but just use your imagination. Have fun! : )
"Most pointless afternoon ever..." -Lindsey Beck
"Walked around town for a while, tried to go to church. We were late...so our family bought us piza and ice cream instead." Alli Hawkins
"There was a pigeon up in our room tonight, luckily pops (dad) saved us" -LB
"Today=monotonous" -Alli Hawkins
"Momma told us not to go to school today because there was too much rain." -LB
"I HATE the rain" -AH
"...Not sure why but maybe its because of all the beans and cuajada(cheese) we have been eating." LB
"The sun is out...GRACIAS A DIOS!" -LB
"walked into the praising of mother mary. We werent sure if it was for church or the recent passing of a relative...but we got Tutti Frutti out of it." AH
"Sang the national anthem...twice!" LB
"We sat around a while, read, wrote some journals. We heard the chicken get killed and then ate it for lunch. Ha." AH
"...Even playe accordian for the pulperia visitors. Dont know why but Alli and I are funny tonight" LB
"...left early, went to get ice cream." AH
"Gallo Pinto was PHENOMENOL tonight!" -LB
"he was high on life today" AH
"Made friends with Sergio. I think he loves us" LB
"everyone stood in the shade, except the gringos." LB
"2-speed Jose Ramon. Sprinting or Dragging."
"Got in trouble today because last night I had Tutti Frutti and supposedly that is REALLY bad for THE GRIPE!" LB
"Jose was the priest sidekick today. Finally, his dream is coming true." LB
"We painted. Mine was awful." AH
"Computer crashed..real cool..." LB
So maybe that gives you a little sampling of what life is like here in Jinotega for us. Always exciting, always raining, sometimes boring, but we always have a good time. Especially with our family...who makes fun of us all the time. Ohhh SST. : )
until next time,
peace out and much love.
Lindsey and Alli
Because Lindsey and I are spending every waking moment together...sleeping in the same bed as well. We thought we should collaborate on a blog entry. We got a little lazy when trying to think of what to write, so instead we decided just to take little bits from our journal entries over the last 5 weeks here in Jinotega. Most of it is just funny things that have happened, other things might not make sense to you, but just use your imagination. Have fun! : )
"Most pointless afternoon ever..." -Lindsey Beck
"Walked around town for a while, tried to go to church. We were late...so our family bought us piza and ice cream instead." Alli Hawkins
"There was a pigeon up in our room tonight, luckily pops (dad) saved us" -LB
"Today=monotonous" -Alli Hawkins
"Momma told us not to go to school today because there was too much rain." -LB
"I HATE the rain" -AH
"...Not sure why but maybe its because of all the beans and cuajada(cheese) we have been eating." LB
"The sun is out...GRACIAS A DIOS!" -LB
"walked into the praising of mother mary. We werent sure if it was for church or the recent passing of a relative...but we got Tutti Frutti out of it." AH
"Sang the national anthem...twice!" LB
"We sat around a while, read, wrote some journals. We heard the chicken get killed and then ate it for lunch. Ha." AH
"...Even playe accordian for the pulperia visitors. Dont know why but Alli and I are funny tonight" LB
"...left early, went to get ice cream." AH
"Gallo Pinto was PHENOMENOL tonight!" -LB
"he was high on life today" AH
"Made friends with Sergio. I think he loves us" LB
"everyone stood in the shade, except the gringos." LB
"2-speed Jose Ramon. Sprinting or Dragging."
"Got in trouble today because last night I had Tutti Frutti and supposedly that is REALLY bad for THE GRIPE!" LB
"Jose was the priest sidekick today. Finally, his dream is coming true." LB
"We painted. Mine was awful." AH
"Computer crashed..real cool..." LB
So maybe that gives you a little sampling of what life is like here in Jinotega for us. Always exciting, always raining, sometimes boring, but we always have a good time. Especially with our family...who makes fun of us all the time. Ohhh SST. : )
until next time,
peace out and much love.
Lindsey and Alli
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Nothing New...
Nothing very exciting or new to report. I am still alive and well. Just working for the last few weeks here in Jinotega.
This week we had visit from Maria (our SST leader). It was GREAT to see her again and it made me really excited to get back together with the group. At the same time it made me realize how quick time has gone here and how sad I am going to be to leave this family. I have been VERY fortunate to have two amazingly great families. I don't think I could have had a better SST experience, but we'll save all that reflecting for later : )
Another thing that I have been very thankful for is that I have remained healthy through this whole experience (knock on wood...) But I am thankful for my strong stomach and great health so far.
Living with Lindsey has also been quite the blessing. I think I would be rather lonely without her. We always are laughing about something and always are having a good time with our family. I have really appreciated getting to know her better through this whole experience.
This week is already halfway over and then we have one more full week of work, then a half a week. Then we are traveling back to Jinotepe. 2 weeks to go. And 20 days until I am back in the states! I am excited, but sad as well, to leave everyone behind here in Nicaragua. Oh the bittersweetness (?) of it all.
Anyway, all is well here. And I will be home before you know it. July 29th! See you soon.
Buenos Noches!
This week we had visit from Maria (our SST leader). It was GREAT to see her again and it made me really excited to get back together with the group. At the same time it made me realize how quick time has gone here and how sad I am going to be to leave this family. I have been VERY fortunate to have two amazingly great families. I don't think I could have had a better SST experience, but we'll save all that reflecting for later : )
Another thing that I have been very thankful for is that I have remained healthy through this whole experience (knock on wood...) But I am thankful for my strong stomach and great health so far.
Living with Lindsey has also been quite the blessing. I think I would be rather lonely without her. We always are laughing about something and always are having a good time with our family. I have really appreciated getting to know her better through this whole experience.
This week is already halfway over and then we have one more full week of work, then a half a week. Then we are traveling back to Jinotepe. 2 weeks to go. And 20 days until I am back in the states! I am excited, but sad as well, to leave everyone behind here in Nicaragua. Oh the bittersweetness (?) of it all.
Anyway, all is well here. And I will be home before you know it. July 29th! See you soon.
Buenos Noches!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Just Another SST Adventure...
Another great week on SST. I have one interesting story to share from this past week.
On Thursday, Lindsey and I were making our 20 minute trek to Los Pipitos for the afternoon sessions that we help out at. On the way, the strangest thing happened to me. We were walking down the sidewalk, like we do every single day. I looked to my right and there was this middle-aged woman leaning up against a truck. Immediately, I could tell something was wrong with her, that she was either drunk, or had some type of disorder. Her clothes were all mismatched and she seemed really dirty. I didn't think much of it and continued to walk on with Lindsey. When about 20 seconds later we heard footsteps getting closer and closer and then we heard a voice. Something in spanish that we couldn't understand (I wish i would've known what she said). Just as we were turning around to see what was going on behind us, a metal rod, probably about 10 inches long and the circumfrence of a dime, hit me square on the back of my head. A METAL ROD! I turned around and said "what the [heck]?". It was the lady that was leaning against the truck. She looked really angry and just as I turned around she turned and walked the other direction. Lindsey just stood there cracking up and asked if I was okay. I was so dumbfounded that I was just hit in the head with a metal rod, I didn't even know what to say. Que Raro! How strange. Lindsey and I kept on walking and laughing because it was such a strange occurance. I didn't sustain any major injuries, just a slight bump on my head today. Plus, a lot of questions about what was wrong with the lady? And why was I the choice target for that metal rod? In the words of Lindsey and I "Ohhhh the adventures of SST...."
So, that was the excitement for me this week. Ha. I was really missing home this week as I remembered it's the fourth of july and it's always family time. Not to mention that wimbledon is on...probably one of my favorite weeks during the summer : ). But the week here was still good. On thursday, at Los Pipitos, the acttivity is sports. And I got to lead stretches. It was really nice because I felt like I was actually contributing something and invovlved. That has been a struggle for me on service so far. But I keep reminding myself that its more about just being here and building relationships than getting a ton of stuff accomplished in 6 weeks. Today, Lindsey and I took our sisters out for lunch because it was the 4th of July so we wanted to have our own celebration. You know, because we are so patriotic and all ha. : ) Afterwards, we headed to Los Pipitos for the afternoon and we got to participate in painting. Um, and if anyone knows the extent of my artistic ability you can imagine what my work looked like. Yeah, interesting.
But overall, a very good week. Tomorrow we are going to a party with our sisters at their university. So that should be a fun time. And next week, the school we work at is on vacation, so that means only working in the afternoons. Rough life, I know! Now we only have a few more weeks here and then it's back to Jinotepe. And then back to the states. Time is just flying.
Buenos Noches!
On Thursday, Lindsey and I were making our 20 minute trek to Los Pipitos for the afternoon sessions that we help out at. On the way, the strangest thing happened to me. We were walking down the sidewalk, like we do every single day. I looked to my right and there was this middle-aged woman leaning up against a truck. Immediately, I could tell something was wrong with her, that she was either drunk, or had some type of disorder. Her clothes were all mismatched and she seemed really dirty. I didn't think much of it and continued to walk on with Lindsey. When about 20 seconds later we heard footsteps getting closer and closer and then we heard a voice. Something in spanish that we couldn't understand (I wish i would've known what she said). Just as we were turning around to see what was going on behind us, a metal rod, probably about 10 inches long and the circumfrence of a dime, hit me square on the back of my head. A METAL ROD! I turned around and said "what the [heck]?". It was the lady that was leaning against the truck. She looked really angry and just as I turned around she turned and walked the other direction. Lindsey just stood there cracking up and asked if I was okay. I was so dumbfounded that I was just hit in the head with a metal rod, I didn't even know what to say. Que Raro! How strange. Lindsey and I kept on walking and laughing because it was such a strange occurance. I didn't sustain any major injuries, just a slight bump on my head today. Plus, a lot of questions about what was wrong with the lady? And why was I the choice target for that metal rod? In the words of Lindsey and I "Ohhhh the adventures of SST...."
So, that was the excitement for me this week. Ha. I was really missing home this week as I remembered it's the fourth of july and it's always family time. Not to mention that wimbledon is on...probably one of my favorite weeks during the summer : ). But the week here was still good. On thursday, at Los Pipitos, the acttivity is sports. And I got to lead stretches. It was really nice because I felt like I was actually contributing something and invovlved. That has been a struggle for me on service so far. But I keep reminding myself that its more about just being here and building relationships than getting a ton of stuff accomplished in 6 weeks. Today, Lindsey and I took our sisters out for lunch because it was the 4th of July so we wanted to have our own celebration. You know, because we are so patriotic and all ha. : ) Afterwards, we headed to Los Pipitos for the afternoon and we got to participate in painting. Um, and if anyone knows the extent of my artistic ability you can imagine what my work looked like. Yeah, interesting.
But overall, a very good week. Tomorrow we are going to a party with our sisters at their university. So that should be a fun time. And next week, the school we work at is on vacation, so that means only working in the afternoons. Rough life, I know! Now we only have a few more weeks here and then it's back to Jinotepe. And then back to the states. Time is just flying.
Buenos Noches!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Things I miss a little bit...
I’ve been keeping a list in my journal. This list contains some things that I do miss from home, but obviously I am surviving just fine without them. So I am going to title this list; Things I Don’t Want To Take For Granted When I Get Home.
(I don’t need these things to survive, but they do make my life more convenient and comfortable and I don’t want to take them for granted. Not having these things for 3 months has really taught me a lot about myself and what I am capable of. I am thankful for that opportunity, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss the convenience of it all.)
Things to not take for granted...
1.)Carpet=walking around in the house without shoes.
2.)Couches. They just don’t have them here.
3.)Hot showers.
4.)Soft pillows
5.)My cell phone. Everyone has one here, but me. Ha.
6.)Hairdryer.
7.)My car
8.)Soft water…that’s for you dad. : )
9.)Water from the tap. No more fear of parasites.
10.)A variety of clothing
11.)Subway…it’s just really good.
12.)Smiling at strangers, not being stared at.
13.)Hugs from family
14.)Church community
15.)Starbucks…iced lattes.
16.)Flushing normally
17.)Washing machine.
18.)English.
19.)Milk and Cereal for breakfast. Gallo Pinto is great, but man, I do crave Lucky charms!
20.)Jocelyn. I think I was just thinking about her one night and added her to my list. I miss her! And all my friends.
21.)Regular cheese.
22.)Hooded sweatshirts. This one has especially come up the last few days since it has been FREEZING here in Jinotega.
23.)Febreeze…Weird, I know.
24.)Volleyball.
25.)Quiet sleeping conditions.
26.)Smooth legs. Shaving is hard to do when you are trying to take a quick shower!
27.)Being able to joke. Taking jokes in Spanish is hard because it’s hard to read if what is being said is really a joke. And then to joke back is equally hard because you don’t want to be misunderstood or offensive.
28.) Kyle.
(I don’t need these things to survive, but they do make my life more convenient and comfortable and I don’t want to take them for granted. Not having these things for 3 months has really taught me a lot about myself and what I am capable of. I am thankful for that opportunity, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss the convenience of it all.)
Things to not take for granted...
1.)Carpet=walking around in the house without shoes.
2.)Couches. They just don’t have them here.
3.)Hot showers.
4.)Soft pillows
5.)My cell phone. Everyone has one here, but me. Ha.
6.)Hairdryer.
7.)My car
8.)Soft water…that’s for you dad. : )
9.)Water from the tap. No more fear of parasites.
10.)A variety of clothing
11.)Subway…it’s just really good.
12.)Smiling at strangers, not being stared at.
13.)Hugs from family
14.)Church community
15.)Starbucks…iced lattes.
16.)Flushing normally
17.)Washing machine.
18.)English.
19.)Milk and Cereal for breakfast. Gallo Pinto is great, but man, I do crave Lucky charms!
20.)Jocelyn. I think I was just thinking about her one night and added her to my list. I miss her! And all my friends.
21.)Regular cheese.
22.)Hooded sweatshirts. This one has especially come up the last few days since it has been FREEZING here in Jinotega.
23.)Febreeze…Weird, I know.
24.)Volleyball.
25.)Quiet sleeping conditions.
26.)Smooth legs. Shaving is hard to do when you are trying to take a quick shower!
27.)Being able to joke. Taking jokes in Spanish is hard because it’s hard to read if what is being said is really a joke. And then to joke back is equally hard because you don’t want to be misunderstood or offensive.
28.) Kyle.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
The Beauty of This Place
I just don’t want to forget the beauty that I see everyday around me here in Jinotega. Recently, I have found myself waking up and completely taking advantage of the view outside my window. For the first week, it amazed me everytime and now I am just kind of getting used to it all. But I don’t want to forget how lucky I really am for the amazing view.
Explaining with only words can prove to be rather difficult. But just imagine a city sitting in the valley with mountains surrounding every single side. Each direction you look all you see is mountains. On clear days, the blue skies accent the mountains. And on cloudy days, the clouds hang right below the peaks of the mountains and they look closer than ever. Some days it only mists and it seems as though you are walking through the clouds. After all, the city is nicknamed “La Ciudad de las brumas” (the city of mists).
Don’t worry, I am taking tons of pictures, but pictures won’t even do it justice.
I have found myself complaining a lot about the recent weather here. It has rained for about 5 days straight now. All day, everyday. Today, it didn’t rain ALL day, but it rained. Even though the weather has been frustrating and COLD, I want to remember how lucky I am to be in the beautiful mountains of Nicaragua, learning a new language and culture and living life 110% (that’s for you, cousin Ash. Ha.)
This weekend went really well. We did a lot of going out and about. First to Matagalpa for a volleyball tournament. No amazing volleyball, but still fun to go out and see some different parts of the area. And today, Sunday, we went to Lake Apanas, which is really close to the city. It was quiet the adventure. To actually SEE the lake we walked all the way through a field…a flooded field….it was one of those moments that was totally ridiculous that all you could do was laugh. I was laughing the whole 30 minute walk to the lake, but on the walk back I was a bit more frustrated. It was nice to say that we saw the lake, but it really wasn’t anything too amazing. Ha. Oh the adventures of SST…
I will end with a song by John Mayer that pretty much sums up how I feel right now about what I get to see everyday here in Jinotega.
3x5--John Mayer
I'm writing you to
catch you up on places I've been
You held this letter
probably got excited, but there's nothing else inside it
didn't have a camera by my side this time
hopping I would see the world with both my eyes
maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm
in the mood to lose my way with words
Today skies are painted colors of a cowboy's cliche'
And strange how clouds that look like mountains in the sky
are next to mountains anyway
Didn't have a camera by my side this time
Hoping I would see the world with both my eyes
Maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm
in the mood to lose my way
but let me say
You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes
it brought me back to life
You'll be with me next time I go outside
just no more 3x5's Guess you had to be there
Guess you had to be with me Today I finally overcame
tryin' to fit the world inside a picture frame
Maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm in the mood to
lose my way but let me say
You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes
it brought me back to life
You'll be with me next time I go outside
no more 3x5's
just no more 3x5's
Explaining with only words can prove to be rather difficult. But just imagine a city sitting in the valley with mountains surrounding every single side. Each direction you look all you see is mountains. On clear days, the blue skies accent the mountains. And on cloudy days, the clouds hang right below the peaks of the mountains and they look closer than ever. Some days it only mists and it seems as though you are walking through the clouds. After all, the city is nicknamed “La Ciudad de las brumas” (the city of mists).
Don’t worry, I am taking tons of pictures, but pictures won’t even do it justice.
I have found myself complaining a lot about the recent weather here. It has rained for about 5 days straight now. All day, everyday. Today, it didn’t rain ALL day, but it rained. Even though the weather has been frustrating and COLD, I want to remember how lucky I am to be in the beautiful mountains of Nicaragua, learning a new language and culture and living life 110% (that’s for you, cousin Ash. Ha.)
This weekend went really well. We did a lot of going out and about. First to Matagalpa for a volleyball tournament. No amazing volleyball, but still fun to go out and see some different parts of the area. And today, Sunday, we went to Lake Apanas, which is really close to the city. It was quiet the adventure. To actually SEE the lake we walked all the way through a field…a flooded field….it was one of those moments that was totally ridiculous that all you could do was laugh. I was laughing the whole 30 minute walk to the lake, but on the walk back I was a bit more frustrated. It was nice to say that we saw the lake, but it really wasn’t anything too amazing. Ha. Oh the adventures of SST…
I will end with a song by John Mayer that pretty much sums up how I feel right now about what I get to see everyday here in Jinotega.
3x5--John Mayer
I'm writing you to
catch you up on places I've been
You held this letter
probably got excited, but there's nothing else inside it
didn't have a camera by my side this time
hopping I would see the world with both my eyes
maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm
in the mood to lose my way with words
Today skies are painted colors of a cowboy's cliche'
And strange how clouds that look like mountains in the sky
are next to mountains anyway
Didn't have a camera by my side this time
Hoping I would see the world with both my eyes
Maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm
in the mood to lose my way
but let me say
You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes
it brought me back to life
You'll be with me next time I go outside
just no more 3x5's Guess you had to be there
Guess you had to be with me Today I finally overcame
tryin' to fit the world inside a picture frame
Maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm in the mood to
lose my way but let me say
You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes
it brought me back to life
You'll be with me next time I go outside
no more 3x5's
just no more 3x5's
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Things I Have Learned So Far
I know that I still have some time to learn many more things on this SST experience, but I just want to recap aa few things I have learned so far...
1.) I,ve learned how to make GalloPinto. The national dish here. Its really easy and super tasty. Definitely a recipe I will be taking back to the states.
2.)Another thing about GalloPinto, we eat it at least once a day so I have learned creative ways to eat. Gallopinto sandwich, galloBurrito...you get the idea : )
3.) I have learned a lot of spanish...duh! but I can really tell that my vocabulary has increased a lot.
4.) I,ve learned how to do my laundry by hand. Its hard work and takes a lot of energy and arm strenghts.
5.) However, I have also learned how NOT to do my laundry. Since doing laundry is such a chore, i,ve figured out ways to make my clothes usuable for more days. And next time I am bringing Febreeze with me. : )
6.) I,ve learned how to take cold, fast showers...brrrr. It,s not my favorite thing to do, but it gets me clean just the same.
7.) I have learned a lot about hospitality through the love and care of my host families who don,t even REALLY know me, but let me into their homes and lives as if I was their daughter or sister.
8.) Especially here in Jinotega, i,ve learned how to roll up my pants in stylish, creative ways so they don,t get muddy. It is ALWAYS raining here.
9.) I,ve learned the entire Patito Feo soundtrack because it is playing EVERYWHERE, all the time. "dance, dance, mucho dance...escucha tu corazon..."
10.) I,ve learned that when Nicaraguans talk about time, distance, or weather it is often an over or under exaggeration. For example, our family here in Jinotega told us it rarely rains here, but for the past 4 days it has been raining CONSTANTLY. Also, we went on a business trip the other day. We were told the bus ride would take 1.5 hours...it was 3 hours. And if a meeting starts at 2pm it means 2:30 or 3pm.
11.) I have learned to watch soccer on T.V. without getting bored. It,s a good way to pass the rainy afternoons. I usually don,t enjoy watching soccer on T.V.
12.) I have also learned that I enjoy reading for fun. Lots of reading has been going on in my down time.
13.) I have learned a lot about patience and observing. Patience when adjusting to new culture and lifestyles, and also patience at work with the kids that I work with. Observing instead of DOING something has also been a test of my patience and observing is something I have learned is just as important as actually doing something.
14.) Almost as important, I,ve learned how to flush a toilet nicaraguan style. Hold the bucket high, pour the water into the bowl with a lot of force, and try not to get it on the toilet seat.
15.) I,ve learned how to laugh off the catcalls in the streets. For a while, I was really offended, but then I learned just to ignore it and laugh it off. Ignoring it is KEY.
16.) Most importantly, I have been learning so much about myself on SST. (but that,s a whole new blog entry....maybe later : )
This week has been pretty monotonous and kind of boring. But I am thankful that we have been working. At least we are staying involved. This week was also REALLY rainy which was a bit depressing, but I can already tell that time is flying and we,ll be back in Jinotepe before we know it. This weekend should be a good time. We are going to a volleyball tournament in Matagalpa on saturday and sundy a trip to the lake. And then monday NO SCHOOL because it,s teacher,s day here. Woo hoo! But, everything is going well here. I am staying healthy, working hard, but still missing home (of course...)
Mom, thanks for the newpost. I love the colors! And I cant wait to come home and see it. Give everyone a big hug for me! I love you.
That,s all for now. Buenos Noches!
1.) I,ve learned how to make GalloPinto. The national dish here. Its really easy and super tasty. Definitely a recipe I will be taking back to the states.
2.)Another thing about GalloPinto, we eat it at least once a day so I have learned creative ways to eat. Gallopinto sandwich, galloBurrito...you get the idea : )
3.) I have learned a lot of spanish...duh! but I can really tell that my vocabulary has increased a lot.
4.) I,ve learned how to do my laundry by hand. Its hard work and takes a lot of energy and arm strenghts.
5.) However, I have also learned how NOT to do my laundry. Since doing laundry is such a chore, i,ve figured out ways to make my clothes usuable for more days. And next time I am bringing Febreeze with me. : )
6.) I,ve learned how to take cold, fast showers...brrrr. It,s not my favorite thing to do, but it gets me clean just the same.
7.) I have learned a lot about hospitality through the love and care of my host families who don,t even REALLY know me, but let me into their homes and lives as if I was their daughter or sister.
8.) Especially here in Jinotega, i,ve learned how to roll up my pants in stylish, creative ways so they don,t get muddy. It is ALWAYS raining here.
9.) I,ve learned the entire Patito Feo soundtrack because it is playing EVERYWHERE, all the time. "dance, dance, mucho dance...escucha tu corazon..."
10.) I,ve learned that when Nicaraguans talk about time, distance, or weather it is often an over or under exaggeration. For example, our family here in Jinotega told us it rarely rains here, but for the past 4 days it has been raining CONSTANTLY. Also, we went on a business trip the other day. We were told the bus ride would take 1.5 hours...it was 3 hours. And if a meeting starts at 2pm it means 2:30 or 3pm.
11.) I have learned to watch soccer on T.V. without getting bored. It,s a good way to pass the rainy afternoons. I usually don,t enjoy watching soccer on T.V.
12.) I have also learned that I enjoy reading for fun. Lots of reading has been going on in my down time.
13.) I have learned a lot about patience and observing. Patience when adjusting to new culture and lifestyles, and also patience at work with the kids that I work with. Observing instead of DOING something has also been a test of my patience and observing is something I have learned is just as important as actually doing something.
14.) Almost as important, I,ve learned how to flush a toilet nicaraguan style. Hold the bucket high, pour the water into the bowl with a lot of force, and try not to get it on the toilet seat.
15.) I,ve learned how to laugh off the catcalls in the streets. For a while, I was really offended, but then I learned just to ignore it and laugh it off. Ignoring it is KEY.
16.) Most importantly, I have been learning so much about myself on SST. (but that,s a whole new blog entry....maybe later : )
This week has been pretty monotonous and kind of boring. But I am thankful that we have been working. At least we are staying involved. This week was also REALLY rainy which was a bit depressing, but I can already tell that time is flying and we,ll be back in Jinotepe before we know it. This weekend should be a good time. We are going to a volleyball tournament in Matagalpa on saturday and sundy a trip to the lake. And then monday NO SCHOOL because it,s teacher,s day here. Woo hoo! But, everything is going well here. I am staying healthy, working hard, but still missing home (of course...)
Mom, thanks for the newpost. I love the colors! And I cant wait to come home and see it. Give everyone a big hug for me! I love you.
That,s all for now. Buenos Noches!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
A Day in the Life Of...
Around 7:15 am, 15 minutes before our alarm goes off, we hear a call outside our door…MUCHACHAS!...it is usually our sister or our mom making sure we are awake for the day. We lay there a bit longer until our alarm clocks really go off. And then head downstairs for break fast which always includes café con leche. Yum. Mi Favorito! We then continue getting ready for our day.
At about 8:20 we start our 20 minute walk to the school down the road where we work for the mornings. We assist teachers in the classroom. This is a special school only for students who would not be able to make it in a regular school. It is a challenge everyday, but there are rewarding moments too. There are also students who are deaf so slowly we are learning a bit of sign language…Spanish style! Ha. It is fun.
Around 12, we leave the school and walk back home for lunch. (a lot of walking!). We eat lunch with the family and then head out around 2pm for Los Pipitos which is the organization who we are working for. A lot of the afternoon is just observing instead of working. This has proved to be very hard for me as I want to be active and helping, but they have a pretty good routine down and it{s hard to intergrate people at this point. It is okay to observe but I am struggling with not be able to help out. Maybe we{ll start helping more and more….
We leave Los Pipitos around 5 (or kind of whenever we want) and head back home. We sit around for a while, maybe take a nap or read and then start on dinner. The food is great here. Momma is a great cook!
Our favorite part of the day is the end! We love dinner and then after dinner we usually find a bit of time to wind down on our AWESOME porch that is connected to our room. Our room is on the second floor of the house so the balcony overlooks the neighborhood. This is a great way to get to know the neighbors! Including some cute little kids. It is definitely a good time to wind down from an exhausting day. We often read or journal or listen to our iPods. Sometimes we think about collecting rocks to throw at the dogs that bark obnoxiously, also at the loud obnoxious males that walk by whistling and whatever else…(thanks but no thanks).
After the post-dinner wind down we are ready for bed by 8 or 9. We walk down stairs to brush our teeth and say Buenos noches to the family, head back up stairs and turn on the fan for noise control. And as soon as our heads hit the pillow we are out until about 5 a.m. when the bird lands on our tin roof and dances around….every morning!
Good day, huh?
At about 8:20 we start our 20 minute walk to the school down the road where we work for the mornings. We assist teachers in the classroom. This is a special school only for students who would not be able to make it in a regular school. It is a challenge everyday, but there are rewarding moments too. There are also students who are deaf so slowly we are learning a bit of sign language…Spanish style! Ha. It is fun.
Around 12, we leave the school and walk back home for lunch. (a lot of walking!). We eat lunch with the family and then head out around 2pm for Los Pipitos which is the organization who we are working for. A lot of the afternoon is just observing instead of working. This has proved to be very hard for me as I want to be active and helping, but they have a pretty good routine down and it{s hard to intergrate people at this point. It is okay to observe but I am struggling with not be able to help out. Maybe we{ll start helping more and more….
We leave Los Pipitos around 5 (or kind of whenever we want) and head back home. We sit around for a while, maybe take a nap or read and then start on dinner. The food is great here. Momma is a great cook!
Our favorite part of the day is the end! We love dinner and then after dinner we usually find a bit of time to wind down on our AWESOME porch that is connected to our room. Our room is on the second floor of the house so the balcony overlooks the neighborhood. This is a great way to get to know the neighbors! Including some cute little kids. It is definitely a good time to wind down from an exhausting day. We often read or journal or listen to our iPods. Sometimes we think about collecting rocks to throw at the dogs that bark obnoxiously, also at the loud obnoxious males that walk by whistling and whatever else…(thanks but no thanks).
After the post-dinner wind down we are ready for bed by 8 or 9. We walk down stairs to brush our teeth and say Buenos noches to the family, head back up stairs and turn on the fan for noise control. And as soon as our heads hit the pillow we are out until about 5 a.m. when the bird lands on our tin roof and dances around….every morning!
Good day, huh?
Monday, June 16, 2008
All is well...
Hi everyone!
well the transition here to Jinotega was a little rough. It was hard to say bye to everything i had come to love in jinotepe. Especially my family. Oh, I get so attached. Ha.
But all is well here. We had our first day of work today...which was really just get to know the people and the area. I think there will be a lot of down time and basically lindsey and I are in charge of our schedule. We}ll meet with our supervisor tomorrow to tell her what we want to be involved in and our hours and everything. crazy, huh? but I am looking foward to the next few weeks here. But i will be glad to return to my family...and kyle...in Jinotepe.
My family here is great, too. I`ll update more soon as soon as I get into more of a routine.
Gotta go finish the movie P.S. I love you...then it`s off to bed. }
Buenos noches!
well the transition here to Jinotega was a little rough. It was hard to say bye to everything i had come to love in jinotepe. Especially my family. Oh, I get so attached. Ha.
But all is well here. We had our first day of work today...which was really just get to know the people and the area. I think there will be a lot of down time and basically lindsey and I are in charge of our schedule. We}ll meet with our supervisor tomorrow to tell her what we want to be involved in and our hours and everything. crazy, huh? but I am looking foward to the next few weeks here. But i will be glad to return to my family...and kyle...in Jinotepe.
My family here is great, too. I`ll update more soon as soon as I get into more of a routine.
Gotta go finish the movie P.S. I love you...then it`s off to bed. }
Buenos noches!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Half Way Through
On Saturday we are all heading out for our different service locations. This means that we are half way through our SST experience. The time has absolutely flown by.
Tomorrow we have a spanish final exam and and oral presenation, both are a major part of our final grades so that´s a little nerve racking, but when it´s over I will be celebrating the end of the school term. I am thankful for all the spanish I have learned over the past 6 weeks, but it has been stressful as well.
Tomorrow evening we are throwing a party for all of our families here in Jinotepe. That will be exciting. Each spanish class (there are 3 classes) will sing a native spanish song and the families will vote for the best one. We will also have dinner and just enjoy eachother´s company on our last night here in Jinotepe. It will be sad to say bye to my host family here. Especially because we still haven´t heard much about our new host families so it´s a little nerve racking not knowing what to expect. On saturday, Lindsey and I will be leaving Jinotepe at 7am and getting on a bus to Managua. In Managua we will change busses and start out on our 3 hour journey north. And then finally reach our destination and find out for ourselves what Jinotega is really like. The suspense makes me a bit nervous, but excited at the same time!
Well, I have to get to a basketball game. Some of the women of the SST group are playing a local high school team here. We´ll see how that goes since there are about 2 of us who played in high school, oh, and did I mention that I only played JV? ha.
Adios for now!
Miss you all.
P.S. Congrats Katy and Jacob! I can´t wait to come home and see little baby Tristan!
Tomorrow we have a spanish final exam and and oral presenation, both are a major part of our final grades so that´s a little nerve racking, but when it´s over I will be celebrating the end of the school term. I am thankful for all the spanish I have learned over the past 6 weeks, but it has been stressful as well.
Tomorrow evening we are throwing a party for all of our families here in Jinotepe. That will be exciting. Each spanish class (there are 3 classes) will sing a native spanish song and the families will vote for the best one. We will also have dinner and just enjoy eachother´s company on our last night here in Jinotepe. It will be sad to say bye to my host family here. Especially because we still haven´t heard much about our new host families so it´s a little nerve racking not knowing what to expect. On saturday, Lindsey and I will be leaving Jinotepe at 7am and getting on a bus to Managua. In Managua we will change busses and start out on our 3 hour journey north. And then finally reach our destination and find out for ourselves what Jinotega is really like. The suspense makes me a bit nervous, but excited at the same time!
Well, I have to get to a basketball game. Some of the women of the SST group are playing a local high school team here. We´ll see how that goes since there are about 2 of us who played in high school, oh, and did I mention that I only played JV? ha.
Adios for now!
Miss you all.
P.S. Congrats Katy and Jacob! I can´t wait to come home and see little baby Tristan!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Dinner For the Fam
I just got finished making dinner for my family! How fun! : )
I decided to make tator-tot casserole. Green beans, ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, and tator-tots. Easy enough! The two hardest things to find were the soup and the tator-tots. Campbell's isn't too popular here, and when I found it, it was muy caro (expensive). And I could NOT find tator-tots. I opted for french fries instead. It made the casserole look a bit different, but it tasted all the same. I'd say I was a pretty good cook, and I think my family would agree.
I must admit though, I didn't work solo. Kyle came over and helped me cook and then ate dinner with the family. It was a lot of fun. The dinner included; the casserole, bread and jelly, a fruit salad, and cut up cheese. Typical : )
Today was our last day of class for the week because we are leaving in the early morning for an all-weekend field trip with the SST group. It should be a good time, but it kind of stinks that it's the last weekend we could've spent with our families. I am gonna be sad to head off on service and leave my family. But a plus is that after our 5 weeks of service we come back to Jinotepe for about 2 days(before heading to the beach for the debriefing time) and we get to stay with our families again! YAY! I am excited about that.
I found out about service today. I will be working in Jinotega with Lindsey Beck at an organization called, Los Papitos. It's an organization that supports handicap children (specifically down syndrome). I think the actual place we will be working at is a type of orphanage founded by the organization...but the details are all kind of foggy. So I'll keep you updated. It's good to FINALLY know what is going on.
I'll be sending out a mass e-mail soon, with more information and what we did this weekend on our field trip. We are leaving at 7am tomorrow, so after a night in the kitchen, I am going to bed!
buenos noches,
allisonjae
I decided to make tator-tot casserole. Green beans, ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, and tator-tots. Easy enough! The two hardest things to find were the soup and the tator-tots. Campbell's isn't too popular here, and when I found it, it was muy caro (expensive). And I could NOT find tator-tots. I opted for french fries instead. It made the casserole look a bit different, but it tasted all the same. I'd say I was a pretty good cook, and I think my family would agree.
I must admit though, I didn't work solo. Kyle came over and helped me cook and then ate dinner with the family. It was a lot of fun. The dinner included; the casserole, bread and jelly, a fruit salad, and cut up cheese. Typical : )
Today was our last day of class for the week because we are leaving in the early morning for an all-weekend field trip with the SST group. It should be a good time, but it kind of stinks that it's the last weekend we could've spent with our families. I am gonna be sad to head off on service and leave my family. But a plus is that after our 5 weeks of service we come back to Jinotepe for about 2 days(before heading to the beach for the debriefing time) and we get to stay with our families again! YAY! I am excited about that.
I found out about service today. I will be working in Jinotega with Lindsey Beck at an organization called, Los Papitos. It's an organization that supports handicap children (specifically down syndrome). I think the actual place we will be working at is a type of orphanage founded by the organization...but the details are all kind of foggy. So I'll keep you updated. It's good to FINALLY know what is going on.
I'll be sending out a mass e-mail soon, with more information and what we did this weekend on our field trip. We are leaving at 7am tomorrow, so after a night in the kitchen, I am going to bed!
buenos noches,
allisonjae
Monday, June 2, 2008
Good Times, Good Memories and Big Waves
Yesterday, a small group of us took a trip to the beach here with one of Karissa's siblings. They own a small beach house on one of the beachs on the pacific coast.
We had such a good time! The day turned out to be perfect with lots of sun and LOTS of waves. We also ended up going out to a little resturaunt down the road to eat chicken and steak right on the beach. It was delicious. It was fun hanging out with eachother and Karrisa's siblings as well.
The only bad part of the day was when we almost died...no joke! It was the closest I think I have ever been to dying. There were these huge rocks out a bit from the shore of the beach and the waves weren't really too big, so we decided to head out and climb up on the rocks. However, almost 2 minutes after we had climbed onto the rock the biggest wave EVER came and slammed the rock and slammed all the girls right off the big rock onto the rocky surface below. How scary! I don't remember falling down or anything...all I remember is getting up laughing because I had no idea what just happened. Luckily no one hit there head on the rocks below and there were no broken bones. After a little investigation we saw that a lot of our backs had been scraped against the rocks and we had "rug burns" and a few gashes in our backs. We are so so lucky we did not hit our heads or something worse! How scary! We of course laughed it off because no one was seriously hurt and it was kind of funny that a wave just took us and pushed us right off the rock, but it could've been a lot more dangerous. Today we are still dealing with a few cuts and a lot of bruises. And just feeling rather sore. But lucky to be alive! Yikes. I have some excellent pictures of the injuries and I'll post them when I get back to the states! : )
After that near-death incident we decided to stick to the shores of the beach and a small, natural wading-type pool near the house. But overall, we had a great day! I had a lot of fun with Karla, Karissa, Lindsey, Kyle, Rusty and Alex. We all had fun and all survived the craziness of that huge wave!
I did my 7 minute spanish presentation today. I was nervous, but it went pretty well. I'd say it was kind of boring, but I am just glad it is over. Tomorrow we switch teachers again for the last 2 weeks of class and then before we know it we're all heading our seperate ways for service! YAY! : )
That's all the update I have for now. Hopefully, another update coming your way on wednesday when we find out about service!! I hope!
Miss you all! <3
We had such a good time! The day turned out to be perfect with lots of sun and LOTS of waves. We also ended up going out to a little resturaunt down the road to eat chicken and steak right on the beach. It was delicious. It was fun hanging out with eachother and Karrisa's siblings as well.
The only bad part of the day was when we almost died...no joke! It was the closest I think I have ever been to dying. There were these huge rocks out a bit from the shore of the beach and the waves weren't really too big, so we decided to head out and climb up on the rocks. However, almost 2 minutes after we had climbed onto the rock the biggest wave EVER came and slammed the rock and slammed all the girls right off the big rock onto the rocky surface below. How scary! I don't remember falling down or anything...all I remember is getting up laughing because I had no idea what just happened. Luckily no one hit there head on the rocks below and there were no broken bones. After a little investigation we saw that a lot of our backs had been scraped against the rocks and we had "rug burns" and a few gashes in our backs. We are so so lucky we did not hit our heads or something worse! How scary! We of course laughed it off because no one was seriously hurt and it was kind of funny that a wave just took us and pushed us right off the rock, but it could've been a lot more dangerous. Today we are still dealing with a few cuts and a lot of bruises. And just feeling rather sore. But lucky to be alive! Yikes. I have some excellent pictures of the injuries and I'll post them when I get back to the states! : )
After that near-death incident we decided to stick to the shores of the beach and a small, natural wading-type pool near the house. But overall, we had a great day! I had a lot of fun with Karla, Karissa, Lindsey, Kyle, Rusty and Alex. We all had fun and all survived the craziness of that huge wave!
I did my 7 minute spanish presentation today. I was nervous, but it went pretty well. I'd say it was kind of boring, but I am just glad it is over. Tomorrow we switch teachers again for the last 2 weeks of class and then before we know it we're all heading our seperate ways for service! YAY! : )
That's all the update I have for now. Hopefully, another update coming your way on wednesday when we find out about service!! I hope!
Miss you all! <3
Saturday, May 31, 2008
A Trip to the Salon...
This weekend has started off great! Yesterday (friday) was mother's day here in Nica and we had a big family get together at our house here. It was fun. All the family was here and it was just a good time to laugh and hang out with family. It reminded me a lot of times with my own family at home...good times, always! My uncle is here from Miami and I thought that would be a good oppurtunity to relate with someone from the states...however, it was just the opposite. I won't elaborate on here, because this blog can be accessed by anyone, but you can ask me about it sometime.
The night ended for me at midnight! Crazy, because I usually am in bed by 8:30 or 9. So I was definitely sleepy and excited for a saturday of sleeping in...
However, this was not the case. I was awaken by a special someone who had a cupcake for me before he headed off for the group trip to Masaya. What a sweetheart : ) It would have been nice to sleep in, but this was definitely a nice surprise!
So after getting myself out of bed and showered my mom comes home from a meeting and says that I can go with her to the salon. I wasn't really expecting to get anything done, so I didn't take any money. Once we arrived my mom said she was going to pay for me to get a pedicure! It was great! We've been doing so much walking that my feet were so thankful for the TLC. My little sister also came with us and she got her fingernails painted. It was all-around girl's day. And we had a blast. I even read the magazine "Vanity"...in spanish! My sister kept doubting that I was able to read and understand everything. I don't think that the quite understand that my speaking may be rather weak, but writing and reading come a lot easier : )
It was interesting going to the salon with my mom and sister, because a few days before I left the states, my mom, sister and I all hit up the salon. So it was a little bit of dejavu!
So, it's been a fun day! And now I am ready to hit the hay, because tomorrow morning I am going to a soccer game at 8 am and then heading to the beach for the day! Yay. I am super excited about that...hope there's not another hurricane!! : )
Adios,
allisonjae
I still don't know about service, but we had meetings with doug the other day and he told me and Lindsey Beck that we would be placed together somewhere, so I am REALLY happy for that. We will probably be working with kids in some form...maybe an orphanage or school setting. We'll see. And I'll let you ASAP!
The night ended for me at midnight! Crazy, because I usually am in bed by 8:30 or 9. So I was definitely sleepy and excited for a saturday of sleeping in...
However, this was not the case. I was awaken by a special someone who had a cupcake for me before he headed off for the group trip to Masaya. What a sweetheart : ) It would have been nice to sleep in, but this was definitely a nice surprise!
So after getting myself out of bed and showered my mom comes home from a meeting and says that I can go with her to the salon. I wasn't really expecting to get anything done, so I didn't take any money. Once we arrived my mom said she was going to pay for me to get a pedicure! It was great! We've been doing so much walking that my feet were so thankful for the TLC. My little sister also came with us and she got her fingernails painted. It was all-around girl's day. And we had a blast. I even read the magazine "Vanity"...in spanish! My sister kept doubting that I was able to read and understand everything. I don't think that the quite understand that my speaking may be rather weak, but writing and reading come a lot easier : )
It was interesting going to the salon with my mom and sister, because a few days before I left the states, my mom, sister and I all hit up the salon. So it was a little bit of dejavu!
So, it's been a fun day! And now I am ready to hit the hay, because tomorrow morning I am going to a soccer game at 8 am and then heading to the beach for the day! Yay. I am super excited about that...hope there's not another hurricane!! : )
Adios,
allisonjae
I still don't know about service, but we had meetings with doug the other day and he told me and Lindsey Beck that we would be placed together somewhere, so I am REALLY happy for that. We will probably be working with kids in some form...maybe an orphanage or school setting. We'll see. And I'll let you ASAP!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
HuRrIcAnE aLmA!
Well, it's a hurricane!
Last night I slept to pounding rain on my roof and I left for school this morning despite the protest of my mom. The rain was absolutely insane! I arrived at school and found out that we were in a tropical depression and by noon, the tropical depression has turned into Hurrican Alma. The first hurricane of the season, and I guess one of the first to happen on the pacific coast like this. Que Raro! (how stange!)
We shouldn't have many problems with the hurricane here in Jinotepe since we are on the top of a mountain. The flooding is mainly a problem in the lower lands and the winds haven't been too bad since we aren't right on the coast. Plus, it's only a catergory 1 hurricane. So don't worry about me I won't be blown away... : )
We were planning on going to the beach this weekend, but if this rain keeps up, I doubt we will make the trip...plus it is COLD, COLD, COLD! Who knew?! I obviously didn't when I was packing, becuase I didNOT bring warm clothes. Brrrr...
In other news, I am still waiting to find out about my service assignment. I bought a yellow shirt at the store the other day. School is stressful. And I am already tired of the clothes that I had brought on this trip. I guess I am just used to having way more options...Lame, I know!
Yesterday, after our weekly SST "coyuntura" meeting at the SST house, some of the guys wanted their hair cut. So we got a clippers and started cutting. I cut kyle's hair and it is super short! But I am sure you will see pictures on the blog soon, since Doug took pictures of the event.
I feel like I've been doing the same thing everyday, class, lunch, lecture, homework, sleep. It's gotten pretty monotonous and I think I am ready to move onto the service portion of the program. I will miss my family here in Jinotepe dearly, and can only hope for the same love from another family. But I am ready to move onto the next stage. School makes me tired and I just feel like I am always going, going, going. Talk about burn out...but soon it will be over and I will know SO much more spanish by the end. Yippee! : )
I could really go for a white chocolate mocha from Starbuck's right now...a warm drink would be nice. ha.
I taught my sister how to play Uno the other night and we've been playing ever since. Just with two people everytime...Uno isn't that much fun with only two people..but it works. And it's a good way to connect with my sister. We have a good time!
I have also enjoyed talking to my mom more and more. We can't talk about MUCH, but when we do talk it's always nice. When I was feeling homesick she told me about her family in the United States and how she misses them a lot, too. This morning she cried because she realized I would be leaving so soon. It's crazy how quickly I have become like a daughter to her. It's amazing...and I don't know how I can ever say thank-you enough. Tomorrow is mother's day here in Nicaragua, so I bought a gift for her and will give that to her tomorrow. I hope she likes it!
So, that's all for now! I am holding up well here (other than the lack of clothes...brrr!)
I'll keep you posted on the service plans as soon as I find out!
Buenos Noches!
Last night I slept to pounding rain on my roof and I left for school this morning despite the protest of my mom. The rain was absolutely insane! I arrived at school and found out that we were in a tropical depression and by noon, the tropical depression has turned into Hurrican Alma. The first hurricane of the season, and I guess one of the first to happen on the pacific coast like this. Que Raro! (how stange!)
We shouldn't have many problems with the hurricane here in Jinotepe since we are on the top of a mountain. The flooding is mainly a problem in the lower lands and the winds haven't been too bad since we aren't right on the coast. Plus, it's only a catergory 1 hurricane. So don't worry about me I won't be blown away... : )
We were planning on going to the beach this weekend, but if this rain keeps up, I doubt we will make the trip...plus it is COLD, COLD, COLD! Who knew?! I obviously didn't when I was packing, becuase I didNOT bring warm clothes. Brrrr...
In other news, I am still waiting to find out about my service assignment. I bought a yellow shirt at the store the other day. School is stressful. And I am already tired of the clothes that I had brought on this trip. I guess I am just used to having way more options...Lame, I know!
Yesterday, after our weekly SST "coyuntura" meeting at the SST house, some of the guys wanted their hair cut. So we got a clippers and started cutting. I cut kyle's hair and it is super short! But I am sure you will see pictures on the blog soon, since Doug took pictures of the event.
I feel like I've been doing the same thing everyday, class, lunch, lecture, homework, sleep. It's gotten pretty monotonous and I think I am ready to move onto the service portion of the program. I will miss my family here in Jinotepe dearly, and can only hope for the same love from another family. But I am ready to move onto the next stage. School makes me tired and I just feel like I am always going, going, going. Talk about burn out...but soon it will be over and I will know SO much more spanish by the end. Yippee! : )
I could really go for a white chocolate mocha from Starbuck's right now...a warm drink would be nice. ha.
I taught my sister how to play Uno the other night and we've been playing ever since. Just with two people everytime...Uno isn't that much fun with only two people..but it works. And it's a good way to connect with my sister. We have a good time!
I have also enjoyed talking to my mom more and more. We can't talk about MUCH, but when we do talk it's always nice. When I was feeling homesick she told me about her family in the United States and how she misses them a lot, too. This morning she cried because she realized I would be leaving so soon. It's crazy how quickly I have become like a daughter to her. It's amazing...and I don't know how I can ever say thank-you enough. Tomorrow is mother's day here in Nicaragua, so I bought a gift for her and will give that to her tomorrow. I hope she likes it!
So, that's all for now! I am holding up well here (other than the lack of clothes...brrr!)
I'll keep you posted on the service plans as soon as I find out!
Buenos Noches!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Feeling a little homesick...
I knew this day would come eventually...and today was the day.
Tonight I am feeling a bit better. But I was just pretty homesick all day. I think it's because I know of all the festivities that are going on at home with graduation and such! So much stuff to miss out on...yet, I am gaining so much here. And I need to remember that, too : )
Everything was getting to me today. Especially when I wasn't able to converse with people and my family. And ESPECIALLY the cat calls when I walk down the street. I know most of the time it's a cultural thing...but sometimes I understand what the guys are saying and it's just completely inappropriate. Ugh, I just need to start ignoring all of it.
I think the weekend just got kind of long. And at this point we are halfway through the study part of the program so the routine has been kind of monotonous. I am ready to find out my service project and start looking forward to that! Hopefully, we find out our assignments this week. I'll keep you posted.
So that's all the update I have for now. I am feeling better...but just needed to get some of that frustration out. I'll keep you posted about service! Buenos Noches!
Congratulations BCHS class of 2008! And special shout out to my brother. I am so proud of you. All grown-up!! love you!
Tonight I am feeling a bit better. But I was just pretty homesick all day. I think it's because I know of all the festivities that are going on at home with graduation and such! So much stuff to miss out on...yet, I am gaining so much here. And I need to remember that, too : )
Everything was getting to me today. Especially when I wasn't able to converse with people and my family. And ESPECIALLY the cat calls when I walk down the street. I know most of the time it's a cultural thing...but sometimes I understand what the guys are saying and it's just completely inappropriate. Ugh, I just need to start ignoring all of it.
I think the weekend just got kind of long. And at this point we are halfway through the study part of the program so the routine has been kind of monotonous. I am ready to find out my service project and start looking forward to that! Hopefully, we find out our assignments this week. I'll keep you posted.
So that's all the update I have for now. I am feeling better...but just needed to get some of that frustration out. I'll keep you posted about service! Buenos Noches!
Congratulations BCHS class of 2008! And special shout out to my brother. I am so proud of you. All grown-up!! love you!
Friday, May 16, 2008
A Day In the City
I know this is my second updated in two days and it may seem kind of crazy for me to be spending so much time on the internet, but I had a BIG day yesterday that I wanted to share on the blog before I forgot...
Yesterday, the whole group headed to Managua for the whole day, which meant no spanish class and no lecture! Yippee. So despite all the transportation strikes that have been going on we found a way to make it Managua safely. We didn't have any problems except at one check point the police stopped our bus. They saw that we were all "gringos" and immediately asked for our passports. None of us had them because our leaders keep them at their house for safekeeping. We were a little confused and Maria, our awesome leader who is Nicaraguan, talked our way out of it. Later she explained that La Policia knew that we probably wouldn't have our passports, but instead would take money so that they wouldn't "arrest us". It's kind of like a bribe thing, just another issue of corruption here in Nicaraguan.
So, we finally made it to Managua. The capital city. We had a schedule of everything we were going to do that day. Visit the Nehemiah Center, which is a center where they set up programs and send people out to work in communities. The main goal is to bring the connection of Faith and Life together. It's run by a family from Michigan and it's a part of the Christian Reform Church, but many other churches and church related groups support the programs. I really liked the place, and it may be a service option for me.
We then headed to the MCC house in Managua. It was great to see friendly mennonite faces. We ate lunch there and heard a bit about what they do. They are basically a human resource facility. They make connections for people and organizations. After that we went to a community center where there are clasrooms and awesome murals. I don't remember much from that tour because our tour guide didn't really know much and it was hard to listen to her, ha. Plus, it was SO hot! Managua is always about 10 degrees hotter than here in Jinotepe. Hot, Hot, Hot!
We all got onto the bus and drove through town to the city's garbage dump. Here they call it "La Chureca" and WOW! It was unbelievable the poverty around and IN the garbage dump. There are tons of people that work in the dump to sift through the trash to find anything recylable. Glass, plastic, paper, etc.. All of these things they sell for a very, very low cost. And not only do some of these people work in this place, but they also LIVE there. In a garbage dump. I just couldn't even comprehend all of it. Even after SEEING it I couldn't believe what I had seen. There were people of all ages working. Kids, grandparents...just trying to find a few pieces of garbage to make some money. As we drove through the dump, two little boys jumped into the van with us for the ride. They were just normal boys, but living their entire lives in a garabage pile. The houses are nothing but cardboard and the occasional piece of metal. It was just insane. I have never seen anyhting like it before. Or experienced I feeling so awful. You know that feeling you get when a begger asked you for your loose change and your gut just kind of clinches when you walk right by and ignore them? Well this was 1,000x worse. My whole body just clinched. It was not a fun feeling at all. We had a lady on the bus talking with us about how she had worked in La Chureca for many years and finally worked her way out. She explained how the people who work there are find their food there. And also, so many kids are getting lead posioning because of car batteries or other forms of lead. It's just insane. When we left our bus was completely silent because I think everyone was just in shock and really there was nothing to say, at all. It was just breath taking...and not in a good way.
So, after La Chureca we headed to the Peace Park which is where thousands and thousands of guns were burried after the contra-sandinista war. After the election of Violetta Chomorro, she declared that all the guns of the way be burried in cement, so that is exactly what happened. Usually countries will send guns for money, but Chomorro wanted to be sure that the guns would never be used to kill again. I think it's a good idea...
We then headed to El Palacio Nacional, which is the national palace. It is now a national museum, so we did the usual museum thing. It was just like a museum in the U.S. but it was about Nicaraguan history, from the times of the Indigenous until now. Interesting, but kind of long.
We then left Managua and headed back for Jinotepe. The drive was beautiful as the sun was beggining to set behind the mountains as we drove. Amazing.
Tomorrow half of the group is headed for Mombacho, which is a famous volcanoe here. We are staying overnight at the top. Hope it's not an active volcanoe! : ) Yikes. Now it's friday night and I am going to bed at 9:40...Buenos Noches!!
Also, I forgot to put this on my blog earlier, there is a GC website that has pictures and another blog done by our leaders if you want to keep tabs on SST that way. There are a few pictures that I am in, but they all seem to be of me making really awful, bad faces. So if it appears that I am having an awful time, or am falling asleep...really it's just a BAD picture. Ha. Just a little disclaimer. The website is: http://www.goshen.edu/sst/nica08/
Yesterday, the whole group headed to Managua for the whole day, which meant no spanish class and no lecture! Yippee. So despite all the transportation strikes that have been going on we found a way to make it Managua safely. We didn't have any problems except at one check point the police stopped our bus. They saw that we were all "gringos" and immediately asked for our passports. None of us had them because our leaders keep them at their house for safekeeping. We were a little confused and Maria, our awesome leader who is Nicaraguan, talked our way out of it. Later she explained that La Policia knew that we probably wouldn't have our passports, but instead would take money so that they wouldn't "arrest us". It's kind of like a bribe thing, just another issue of corruption here in Nicaraguan.
So, we finally made it to Managua. The capital city. We had a schedule of everything we were going to do that day. Visit the Nehemiah Center, which is a center where they set up programs and send people out to work in communities. The main goal is to bring the connection of Faith and Life together. It's run by a family from Michigan and it's a part of the Christian Reform Church, but many other churches and church related groups support the programs. I really liked the place, and it may be a service option for me.
We then headed to the MCC house in Managua. It was great to see friendly mennonite faces. We ate lunch there and heard a bit about what they do. They are basically a human resource facility. They make connections for people and organizations. After that we went to a community center where there are clasrooms and awesome murals. I don't remember much from that tour because our tour guide didn't really know much and it was hard to listen to her, ha. Plus, it was SO hot! Managua is always about 10 degrees hotter than here in Jinotepe. Hot, Hot, Hot!
We all got onto the bus and drove through town to the city's garbage dump. Here they call it "La Chureca" and WOW! It was unbelievable the poverty around and IN the garbage dump. There are tons of people that work in the dump to sift through the trash to find anything recylable. Glass, plastic, paper, etc.. All of these things they sell for a very, very low cost. And not only do some of these people work in this place, but they also LIVE there. In a garbage dump. I just couldn't even comprehend all of it. Even after SEEING it I couldn't believe what I had seen. There were people of all ages working. Kids, grandparents...just trying to find a few pieces of garbage to make some money. As we drove through the dump, two little boys jumped into the van with us for the ride. They were just normal boys, but living their entire lives in a garabage pile. The houses are nothing but cardboard and the occasional piece of metal. It was just insane. I have never seen anyhting like it before. Or experienced I feeling so awful. You know that feeling you get when a begger asked you for your loose change and your gut just kind of clinches when you walk right by and ignore them? Well this was 1,000x worse. My whole body just clinched. It was not a fun feeling at all. We had a lady on the bus talking with us about how she had worked in La Chureca for many years and finally worked her way out. She explained how the people who work there are find their food there. And also, so many kids are getting lead posioning because of car batteries or other forms of lead. It's just insane. When we left our bus was completely silent because I think everyone was just in shock and really there was nothing to say, at all. It was just breath taking...and not in a good way.
So, after La Chureca we headed to the Peace Park which is where thousands and thousands of guns were burried after the contra-sandinista war. After the election of Violetta Chomorro, she declared that all the guns of the way be burried in cement, so that is exactly what happened. Usually countries will send guns for money, but Chomorro wanted to be sure that the guns would never be used to kill again. I think it's a good idea...
We then headed to El Palacio Nacional, which is the national palace. It is now a national museum, so we did the usual museum thing. It was just like a museum in the U.S. but it was about Nicaraguan history, from the times of the Indigenous until now. Interesting, but kind of long.
We then left Managua and headed back for Jinotepe. The drive was beautiful as the sun was beggining to set behind the mountains as we drove. Amazing.
Tomorrow half of the group is headed for Mombacho, which is a famous volcanoe here. We are staying overnight at the top. Hope it's not an active volcanoe! : ) Yikes. Now it's friday night and I am going to bed at 9:40...Buenos Noches!!
Also, I forgot to put this on my blog earlier, there is a GC website that has pictures and another blog done by our leaders if you want to keep tabs on SST that way. There are a few pictures that I am in, but they all seem to be of me making really awful, bad faces. So if it appears that I am having an awful time, or am falling asleep...really it's just a BAD picture. Ha. Just a little disclaimer. The website is: http://www.goshen.edu/sst/nica08/
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Glad I Didn't Miss the Middlebury Festival
This weekend I experienced Middlebury Festival Extreme...
For those of you who don't know. The Middlebury Festival is a festival in my home town where there is food vendors, games, prizes, and an infamous parade. It happens once every year, over the summer, and it's just always a good time.
This weekend I experienced the ultimate festival. This one is called Hipica (sp?). It takes place every sunday in different towns throughout Carazo, Nicaragua. On Sunday, it took place in Masatepe. It was pretty insane.
First, they have people walking the streets selling beer, food, candy, balloons. Everything. And there is A LOT of beer. Let me tell you. By the end of the night everyone is pretty drunk. Don't worry friends and family, I did not partake...
There is also a parade. But this parade is quite different than any parade I have experienced in the U.S. this parade was very sporadic and seemed unorganized. Sometimes there would be 20 things to look at and for ten minutes nothing at all then a bit later there would come 2 more and then three minutes later another group of 6 things. Ha.
And this parade didn't have floats. Rather it was a horse parade. Yippee! And even better...they were dancing horses. You may wonder how they got these horses to dance. Well take horse + a liter of beer = dancing! Plus, the riders of these horses were definitely under the influence as well. Wow!
(just a little interjection...there was just this huge cockroach crawling on my foot!!! Ahhh. I just wanted to share that with you all! Yikes. Now I feel like there are bugs crawling all over me! Anyway...)
So we watch the parade. And at the end of the parade there is a float. It's decorated as a horse and there is a stage. And what do you know, it has a beer theme. The famous beer here is Tona, so that's who sponsored the float. On the stage there are 6 or 7 dancing 'Tona Girls' (well, My dad just killed the cockroach...hahaha.) So these girls are dressed kind of...okay just not really dressed at all and they are dancing theirs hearts out.
To say the least, the experience was interesting. I had a lot of fun though because I went with my older sister and her boyfriend and we met up with some of her friends from school so it was fun to interact with people my own age other than the other SST students.
So although I am a little sad I can't hang out at the Middlebury Festival this summer and watch the awesome parade, I feel like I have found a replacement...at least for this summer. And maybe the Middlebury Festival committee should consider adding some drunk, dancing horses...I dunno? Just an idea : )
Buenos Noches!
Allison
P.S. I am still freaked out about these cockroaches. I might not be able to sleep tonight...
For those of you who don't know. The Middlebury Festival is a festival in my home town where there is food vendors, games, prizes, and an infamous parade. It happens once every year, over the summer, and it's just always a good time.
This weekend I experienced the ultimate festival. This one is called Hipica (sp?). It takes place every sunday in different towns throughout Carazo, Nicaragua. On Sunday, it took place in Masatepe. It was pretty insane.
First, they have people walking the streets selling beer, food, candy, balloons. Everything. And there is A LOT of beer. Let me tell you. By the end of the night everyone is pretty drunk. Don't worry friends and family, I did not partake...
There is also a parade. But this parade is quite different than any parade I have experienced in the U.S. this parade was very sporadic and seemed unorganized. Sometimes there would be 20 things to look at and for ten minutes nothing at all then a bit later there would come 2 more and then three minutes later another group of 6 things. Ha.
And this parade didn't have floats. Rather it was a horse parade. Yippee! And even better...they were dancing horses. You may wonder how they got these horses to dance. Well take horse + a liter of beer = dancing! Plus, the riders of these horses were definitely under the influence as well. Wow!
(just a little interjection...there was just this huge cockroach crawling on my foot!!! Ahhh. I just wanted to share that with you all! Yikes. Now I feel like there are bugs crawling all over me! Anyway...)
So we watch the parade. And at the end of the parade there is a float. It's decorated as a horse and there is a stage. And what do you know, it has a beer theme. The famous beer here is Tona, so that's who sponsored the float. On the stage there are 6 or 7 dancing 'Tona Girls' (well, My dad just killed the cockroach...hahaha.) So these girls are dressed kind of...okay just not really dressed at all and they are dancing theirs hearts out.
To say the least, the experience was interesting. I had a lot of fun though because I went with my older sister and her boyfriend and we met up with some of her friends from school so it was fun to interact with people my own age other than the other SST students.
So although I am a little sad I can't hang out at the Middlebury Festival this summer and watch the awesome parade, I feel like I have found a replacement...at least for this summer. And maybe the Middlebury Festival committee should consider adding some drunk, dancing horses...I dunno? Just an idea : )
Buenos Noches!
Allison
P.S. I am still freaked out about these cockroaches. I might not be able to sleep tonight...
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Street Volleyball, Rainstorms and a Few Tears
My weekend so far...
Last night my family and I were doing the typical Nicaraguan thing: Sitting in front of the door outside, watching the world go by, and conversing. Earlier in the week I bought a volleyball and my dad remembered this. He told me to go get it so we could play. Of course I asked him Where the heck we were going to play since there is no such things as yards here. And he said in the street. haha. Quite the experience. My sister and her boyfriend also played and so did my brother. We just stood in a circle and hit the ball back and forth and when I car would come we would catch the ball and move of the streets. My little sister was my coach so she was giving me advice, and we even have a new handshake! My dad actually seems pretty decent. His setting could use some work...ha...but he said he hasn't played for 10 years. We had a good time though, and I think they were impressed with me for being able to keep the ball up at all : )
Later on in the evening, the rains began. It was very refreshing! The rainy season is right now so from now on it will be a lot of on and off raining which helps cool it down here a lot. However, the humidity is still pretty ridiculous. Our roofs are tin so falling asleep to rain pounding the roof is kind of nice. I really enjoyed that last night. And this morning I was reading on our hammock and another storm came, this time with thunder and lightening. It was pretty spectactular. Our hammock is under a roof so I stayed on the hammock and watched the storm pass. It was amzing. I love storms in the U.S. and Nicaraguan storms are no different : )
And now onto the tears...
This morning I slept in, which felt really good. After I did some reading on the hammock my mom invited me to help her cook lunch. I was pretty pumped because I have asked before, but she has always told me no. So I was excited. So I put my aporn on and think of the big mess I will probably make because I am the messiest cook ever right, mom? ha. And my mom tells me we will be making Vinegeriete (sp?). Sounds easy enough. She hands me a knife and shows me an onion on a cutting board. I beging to chop the onion and immediately the tears begin to roll down my cheeks. It was so funny and my mom and I just laughed and laughed about it. But it was hurting so much, too. Ha. It was funny. She said that it doesn't usally happen to her, so it must be my American eyes. : ) We also made this pasta casserole thing where you stuff the paste with chicken and onions and other ingredients and cook it up with cheese and tomatoe sauce. We are just about to eat it and I am SO excited! It smells delicious and I helped to make it!
So there are a few stories from my weekend. Today is mother's day in the U.S. if I rememember correctly? I think Mother's Day in Nica is on the 30th.
But to all the Mothers, Happy Mother's Day. And a special shout out to all those who have been mother figures to me. Thank-you for everything. Happy Mother's Day. I love you!
Love always,
Allison Jae
Last night my family and I were doing the typical Nicaraguan thing: Sitting in front of the door outside, watching the world go by, and conversing. Earlier in the week I bought a volleyball and my dad remembered this. He told me to go get it so we could play. Of course I asked him Where the heck we were going to play since there is no such things as yards here. And he said in the street. haha. Quite the experience. My sister and her boyfriend also played and so did my brother. We just stood in a circle and hit the ball back and forth and when I car would come we would catch the ball and move of the streets. My little sister was my coach so she was giving me advice, and we even have a new handshake! My dad actually seems pretty decent. His setting could use some work...ha...but he said he hasn't played for 10 years. We had a good time though, and I think they were impressed with me for being able to keep the ball up at all : )
Later on in the evening, the rains began. It was very refreshing! The rainy season is right now so from now on it will be a lot of on and off raining which helps cool it down here a lot. However, the humidity is still pretty ridiculous. Our roofs are tin so falling asleep to rain pounding the roof is kind of nice. I really enjoyed that last night. And this morning I was reading on our hammock and another storm came, this time with thunder and lightening. It was pretty spectactular. Our hammock is under a roof so I stayed on the hammock and watched the storm pass. It was amzing. I love storms in the U.S. and Nicaraguan storms are no different : )
And now onto the tears...
This morning I slept in, which felt really good. After I did some reading on the hammock my mom invited me to help her cook lunch. I was pretty pumped because I have asked before, but she has always told me no. So I was excited. So I put my aporn on and think of the big mess I will probably make because I am the messiest cook ever right, mom? ha. And my mom tells me we will be making Vinegeriete (sp?). Sounds easy enough. She hands me a knife and shows me an onion on a cutting board. I beging to chop the onion and immediately the tears begin to roll down my cheeks. It was so funny and my mom and I just laughed and laughed about it. But it was hurting so much, too. Ha. It was funny. She said that it doesn't usally happen to her, so it must be my American eyes. : ) We also made this pasta casserole thing where you stuff the paste with chicken and onions and other ingredients and cook it up with cheese and tomatoe sauce. We are just about to eat it and I am SO excited! It smells delicious and I helped to make it!
So there are a few stories from my weekend. Today is mother's day in the U.S. if I rememember correctly? I think Mother's Day in Nica is on the 30th.
But to all the Mothers, Happy Mother's Day. And a special shout out to all those who have been mother figures to me. Thank-you for everything. Happy Mother's Day. I love you!
Love always,
Allison Jae
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
A Typical Day
7:30 am: wake-up naturally, no alarm. I love it. Shower, of course.
8 am: Breakfast. Huge!
8:40 am: Leave for school. A 20 minute walk
9:00 am: Begin classes with an awesome spanish teacher. He is so funny.
10:15 am: Break from class, go to a "pulperia" for coke or fanta
10:30: begin class again
11:30: Class ends, time for lunch.
11:45: Finally find and decide on a place to each lunch with whoever we choose.
12:30: walk around Jinotepe. Shop, use the internet...
1:30: Begin second session of class. It's a lecture about something Nicaraguan. Usually history, art or something like that..
3:00: Lecture ends
3:00: Walk around Jinotepe for the afternoon. Hang out with friends. Talk with Kyle. Whatever my heart desires.
5:00: My mom expects me home. Kyle walks me home...what a sweetheart! : )
5:30: begin some homework
7:00: Eat dinner
7:30: more homework
8:30: Bedtime....I know, so early! It's nice getting so much sleep though.
And that's my day here in Nicaragua. Fun, yeah?! I hope everyone is doing well back in the States. I am having so much fun, even with the communication block. My family and I are able to talk more and more each day!
Also, I find things EVERYDAY about my family that are so similar with my family in the states. The other day my mom was showing me pictures of the family and she came to one of my brother, Jose, his face was all scratched up and his lips were swollen. I asked what happened. She said that he fell off of a bike...and that he was really accident prone. Haha. Sounds like someone else I know. Love ya, mitch! : )
Well that's all for now. My family just got internet tonight. Yippee. So maybe I'll update more often? Sweet! : )
love you all and miss you!
8 am: Breakfast. Huge!
8:40 am: Leave for school. A 20 minute walk
9:00 am: Begin classes with an awesome spanish teacher. He is so funny.
10:15 am: Break from class, go to a "pulperia" for coke or fanta
10:30: begin class again
11:30: Class ends, time for lunch.
11:45: Finally find and decide on a place to each lunch with whoever we choose.
12:30: walk around Jinotepe. Shop, use the internet...
1:30: Begin second session of class. It's a lecture about something Nicaraguan. Usually history, art or something like that..
3:00: Lecture ends
3:00: Walk around Jinotepe for the afternoon. Hang out with friends. Talk with Kyle. Whatever my heart desires.
5:00: My mom expects me home. Kyle walks me home...what a sweetheart! : )
5:30: begin some homework
7:00: Eat dinner
7:30: more homework
8:30: Bedtime....I know, so early! It's nice getting so much sleep though.
And that's my day here in Nicaragua. Fun, yeah?! I hope everyone is doing well back in the States. I am having so much fun, even with the communication block. My family and I are able to talk more and more each day!
Also, I find things EVERYDAY about my family that are so similar with my family in the states. The other day my mom was showing me pictures of the family and she came to one of my brother, Jose, his face was all scratched up and his lips were swollen. I asked what happened. She said that he fell off of a bike...and that he was really accident prone. Haha. Sounds like someone else I know. Love ya, mitch! : )
Well that's all for now. My family just got internet tonight. Yippee. So maybe I'll update more often? Sweet! : )
love you all and miss you!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Mi Familia en Nicaragua
My family is so great here! I love them already.
They are exactly like my family at home.
I have 3 siblings and my parents are so nice.
Mi Madre--Her name is Virginia. She is an awesome cook and is always so nice. She takes care of me. And she is an awesome hostess who knows lots and lots of people
Mi Padre--He sells coffee for a living. He also talks really loud when he is talking to me. He thinks this will help me understand. ha. I think this is exactly how my dad,dave, would be. I love it. It makes me smile.
Mi Hermana (sister --she is 19 and has a boyfriend. She is nice and tries to help me understand. I like her a lot.
Mi Hermano --he is 16 and i don´t see much of him...hm...kind of like another brother I have. haha. He is nice though and always greets me.
Mi Hermanita my little sister -- she is 8 and has so much energy and always wants something to do. She reminds me of my own little sister. She like horses too. She reminds me of little miss sunshine, but with abbis personality. She is hilarious and loves talking to me. I think she likes me a lot which helps me feel really welcome too. She is adorable!
My family is great. They always help me understand and they care about me a lot. They always call me Allison too. It´s cute. They do so much stuff for me. I hope someday I will be able to return they thanks because what they are doing for me is amazing!
That´s all for now. I will update more later! Miss you all.
They are exactly like my family at home.
I have 3 siblings and my parents are so nice.
Mi Madre--Her name is Virginia. She is an awesome cook and is always so nice. She takes care of me. And she is an awesome hostess who knows lots and lots of people
Mi Padre--He sells coffee for a living. He also talks really loud when he is talking to me. He thinks this will help me understand. ha. I think this is exactly how my dad,dave, would be. I love it. It makes me smile.
Mi Hermana (sister --she is 19 and has a boyfriend. She is nice and tries to help me understand. I like her a lot.
Mi Hermano --he is 16 and i don´t see much of him...hm...kind of like another brother I have. haha. He is nice though and always greets me.
Mi Hermanita my little sister -- she is 8 and has so much energy and always wants something to do. She reminds me of my own little sister. She like horses too. She reminds me of little miss sunshine, but with abbis personality. She is hilarious and loves talking to me. I think she likes me a lot which helps me feel really welcome too. She is adorable!
My family is great. They always help me understand and they care about me a lot. They always call me Allison too. It´s cute. They do so much stuff for me. I hope someday I will be able to return they thanks because what they are doing for me is amazing!
That´s all for now. I will update more later! Miss you all.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
First Entry
So here is my first official blogger entry! I guess it's the cool thing to do now, so I thought I should try it out. I thought it would be an easy way to keep everyone updated as I will spending my summer in Nicaragua. I am not sure how much I will REALLY be able to update, but we'll give it a shot : )
Last week was my final week as a sophomore in college! Wow! Half-way through already. I survived finals week...barely...and then began packing up my room to move home. That was an adventure. I had so much stuff in my room! It's crazy how much you can fit into those tiny dorm rooms. One of my roommates also moved out at the end of finals week and that was hard to see her go. All three of my roommates and I had a great year together, so it's hard to say good-bye to that...but HELLO, summer and being done with another year of college! Aaand the beginning of a whole new adventure.
For the summer I will be living in Nicaragua for 3 months. I am going down with Goshen College's SST (Study Service Term) program. This program is 6 weeks of classes and 6 weeks of service, and we also get a full semester worth of credits. I leave for Nicaragua in four days and I can't believe the time has already come. I am super excited to go, but also very nervous. It feels like I don't really know much and I am just getting thrown into another country and culture. However, I know that Goshen College has done this SST thing for many years now and that we will all be safe. It's just a little intimidating to be flying to another country without knowing who you will be living with and not REALLY knowing much of the language. Yikes!
I must say though, I am very excited that there will be other people my age, who are going through the same thing. I will be taking classes for my first six weeks there with 22 other Goshen College students, which I think will lessen the culture shock a bit. At least for the first six weeks I will still have some of those Goshen College connections. The second six weeks however, You move out of the city into the country or a more rural area. This is the service part of the term and it last six weeks as well. Often times people are placed with other students from the Goshen College group. I am not sure what my service assignment will be, but once we arrive in Nicaragua we have many conversations with our leaders about what types of service we are interested in.
Today I went shopping for a few of the supplies that I will be needing for when I head south. It's interesting thinking about packing for 3 months...I have mastered packing for a 2 or 3 week vacation, but 3 months?! wow. They usually say to take about a week or two worth of clothes because you do laundry often enough to stay clean. So that's what I am working on at this time, getting everything packed. It's hard to think of what to take since I am not exactly sure what the "style" is down there. I don't want to be underdressed or overdressed, but I think I will try to error on the side of overdressing. And definitely not exposing myself too much. I think that my blonde hair and blue eyes and my HORRIBLE spanish will make me stick out enough.
Here's a map of Nicaragua if you want an idea of where I will be...
I will be flying into the capital city, Managua. We will then be doing our study portion of the term in Jinotepe it's a smaller town, similar size to Goshen, and it's just south of Managua (about 45 minutes, i hear...). Lake Managua will be really close, as well as the coast. I've heard that their beaches are pretty great, and supposedly a few of our "field trips" will be in that direction : )
Also, before I left we had to get some family pictures in. It's like they think I am going to die or something, so they had to get me in some picture before I left. Ha. Just kidding. The pictures turned out pretty good on my Dad's camera, but the picture that Brenda Miller took will be even better.
So I guess that's all for my first blog...Exciting, huh? I will try to keep it updated as much as possible. And I think I will be mass e-mailing as well. So either way, you will get to keep up with my summer adventures.
Until then,
Allison Jae
P.S. go to YouTube.com and search "Spinach and Spanish" it's a cute insurance commercial. It made me smile. And included a little bit of spanish, too. haha : )
Last week was my final week as a sophomore in college! Wow! Half-way through already. I survived finals week...barely...and then began packing up my room to move home. That was an adventure. I had so much stuff in my room! It's crazy how much you can fit into those tiny dorm rooms. One of my roommates also moved out at the end of finals week and that was hard to see her go. All three of my roommates and I had a great year together, so it's hard to say good-bye to that...but HELLO, summer and being done with another year of college! Aaand the beginning of a whole new adventure.
For the summer I will be living in Nicaragua for 3 months. I am going down with Goshen College's SST (Study Service Term) program. This program is 6 weeks of classes and 6 weeks of service, and we also get a full semester worth of credits. I leave for Nicaragua in four days and I can't believe the time has already come. I am super excited to go, but also very nervous. It feels like I don't really know much and I am just getting thrown into another country and culture. However, I know that Goshen College has done this SST thing for many years now and that we will all be safe. It's just a little intimidating to be flying to another country without knowing who you will be living with and not REALLY knowing much of the language. Yikes!
I must say though, I am very excited that there will be other people my age, who are going through the same thing. I will be taking classes for my first six weeks there with 22 other Goshen College students, which I think will lessen the culture shock a bit. At least for the first six weeks I will still have some of those Goshen College connections. The second six weeks however, You move out of the city into the country or a more rural area. This is the service part of the term and it last six weeks as well. Often times people are placed with other students from the Goshen College group. I am not sure what my service assignment will be, but once we arrive in Nicaragua we have many conversations with our leaders about what types of service we are interested in.
Today I went shopping for a few of the supplies that I will be needing for when I head south. It's interesting thinking about packing for 3 months...I have mastered packing for a 2 or 3 week vacation, but 3 months?! wow. They usually say to take about a week or two worth of clothes because you do laundry often enough to stay clean. So that's what I am working on at this time, getting everything packed. It's hard to think of what to take since I am not exactly sure what the "style" is down there. I don't want to be underdressed or overdressed, but I think I will try to error on the side of overdressing. And definitely not exposing myself too much. I think that my blonde hair and blue eyes and my HORRIBLE spanish will make me stick out enough.
Here's a map of Nicaragua if you want an idea of where I will be...
I will be flying into the capital city, Managua. We will then be doing our study portion of the term in Jinotepe it's a smaller town, similar size to Goshen, and it's just south of Managua (about 45 minutes, i hear...). Lake Managua will be really close, as well as the coast. I've heard that their beaches are pretty great, and supposedly a few of our "field trips" will be in that direction : )
Also, before I left we had to get some family pictures in. It's like they think I am going to die or something, so they had to get me in some picture before I left. Ha. Just kidding. The pictures turned out pretty good on my Dad's camera, but the picture that Brenda Miller took will be even better.
So I guess that's all for my first blog...Exciting, huh? I will try to keep it updated as much as possible. And I think I will be mass e-mailing as well. So either way, you will get to keep up with my summer adventures.
Until then,
Allison Jae
P.S. go to YouTube.com and search "Spinach and Spanish" it's a cute insurance commercial. It made me smile. And included a little bit of spanish, too. haha : )
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