Alex and Kaitlyn's Peace Corps Days in Nicaragua: May 2008

We have been neglecting our duties of consistently updating our blog . Below follows some random updates on our activities.

It is very hot, the hottest part of the year here in Nicaragua. We have also been informed by a fellow volunteer that our town is in a small, geographical area that is the hottest of the entire western part of the country according to a climate map she saw...Yay. Mid-day naps on the hammock are vital in order to recharge for the rest of the day. At times a smell emanates from my body that resembles that of an overheating engine.

Last month we attended an "In-Service Training" session where we convened with all of the volunteers from our sector, as well as our counterparts (Nicaraguans we work closely with in our town). We spent three days receiving further technical training to use in our service, and of course catching up with our friends. Personally I did some catching up with my friends in another way, by finally catching a gastrointestinal infection (the last one of our group to do so) and spending the final day of the training session in a stupor in the Peace Corps office.

We have finally gotten into a work routine in our schools. We are both teaching classes about the environment and natural science, using our incredible guide books that contain a plethora of fun and participatory lessons. We have also created school gardens in our schools, and very soon will be creating school tree nurseries as well. Environmental Education volunteers have it easy in the way that all the kids living rural areas tend to love the subject of natural science and doing interactive activities outside.

Last Wednesday I spent another great afternoon platicar-ing (chatting) with a rural family next to one of my schools. They gave me my first bowl of iguana soup, which is delicious, like chicken but even better.

At the moment the country is enduring a transportation strike. This is a dire issue considering how many people rely on public transportation (buses, taxis, etc.) in order to travel to work everyday. The entire economy is in a gridlock as the drivers are trying to force the government to lower the price of gas. There are rumors it could last a month. A difficult situation and impossible to place blame on anyone. For now we are content to pass the time in our community as everyone is trying to stay positive and treat it as a long vacation.

In two weeks my family will be visiting, the last of the family visits for now. Looking forward to others making the trip down here. Although the dollar is crashing, know that the Cordoba is actaully doing worse, and the exchange rate has gone up by almost 1% (19.14) since we've arrived here. Although this does not bode well for the economy of Nicaragua, hopefully it might entice some of you to take a vacation.

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting once again, but we have been fairly busy. Recently, Dad and Kara came to visit and we had a blast touring Granada, zip-lining through the canopy at Volcan Mombacho, and hanging out at the beach at San Juan Del Sur! Here are a few pics for you to enjoy but Kara has most of the good ones on her camera so bug her or check out facebook! We miss you all and please keep in touch!