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
Sunday, June 29, 2008
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
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