AIDS Fair

People taking free HIV tests at the fair.

Young people learning how to use condoms. We received a very

large donation of condoms and ended up giving out thousands.

CILIAS, one of the national organizations that participated
in our fair. The had all kinds of educational materials, including
the wooden penises in the picture, and sold crafts made by
people living with HIV/AIDS

One of my incredible posters of the fair's schedule.

Kaitlyn's volleyball team competing at the fair.

The two of us next to the stand that we shared with the

organization who helped us organize the fair. Yes, we did

wear our Peace Corps t-shirts on purpose.

Elections!

November has been the month of elections for us in Nicaragua. First, of course we were able to watch Obama win, which was bittersweet because we were so far away from home. Everyone in our town was happy to hear that Obama won and I think it changed some perspectives that people have of Americans. One guy told Alex, "I really didn't think he could win. I thought Americans were too racist." Another girl on my volleyball team commented, "The United States is finally making some changes. If they can change, maybe there is hope for Nicaragua too." I think it was really inspiring for the people here to see the Americans make such an important and historical decision. Hopefully, the Peace Corps budget will increase too :)
On another note, the municipal elections were held a week after ours. They are to elect the new mayors of each town. In Nicaragua, the mayor plays a pivotal role in each town and who is elected is a huge deal. There are two main parties, the Liberales and the Sandinistas. Currently the Sandinistas are in power and after the elections in Nagarote, it looks as though it will continue. However, there has been a lot of violence related to the elections and police have all been on patrol with tear-gas, face masks, the works. Many people are enraged by the results because they think there was fraud all over the country so the Sandinistas could remain in power. It is a very controversial and touchy subject so we have tried to lay low. There is going to be a recount of the votes so we will see what happens. It was interesting to see how much passion people have for the elections here. Work and school were canceled for two days for the elections and people as young as 16 are able to vote. People waited in line for hours. After the Sandinista were declared the winners, there was a HUGE parade through the street. Our town is pretty evenly divided so while half of them celebrated the other half got angry and cried "Fraud!" Travel in the capital has been dangerous because that is where the violence is most prevalent. We will keep everyone updated as the votes are recounted to appease the other party.
Lastly, we are finishing up the school year with final exams, pictures, and graduation ceremonies. We will be posting pictures of these events shortly. Sorry for the delay in the update. We are really looking forward to coming home for Christmas and can't wait to see you all :)

The New Veterans

This month we've been busy with assuming the new role as veteran Peace Corps volunteers. It seemed only yesterday that the two of us arrived here. However, we were forced to do a lot of reflecting on last year and recognize how far we've come once the new group of trainees arrived last month. Since then we've been occupied every week with giving workshops, hosting trainees in our house, and answering all the same questions we asked a year ago. The one year mark seems to be bringing about a lot of changes in outlook, and a lot of reassurance. We're able to quit worrying so much about where we need to be, in terms of language ability and assimilation, and focus more on the relationships we've made and the activities that we enjoy most. As many people told us at the beginning, the second year of service appears that it will be easier and even more enjoyable than the first.

Estelí Trip

Mountains?!

Agave

Agave

Shunpei contemplating suculents at La Casita

Where the valley meets the mountains

One Year In-Country Trip

Independence Day

Folkloric Dance

The original 5 independent countries of Central America.

Marching

The boss

The kids at one of my schools, my teacher, and the boss.

Time

Hey everyone! I know it has been awhile since you have heard from us, but we thought we would give a mini-update onh how things have been going lately. I guess the theme of this post will be time.
The most interesting thing is that on August 29th we celebrated one-year in country with our group in San Juan Del Sur. It is hard to believe that we have already been here a year. Day to day life seems to move pretty slowly, especially in the heat, but before we know it another month has passed. We offically now have about 14 months left of our Peace Corps service. On the one hand, that number seems pretty daunting knowing that we are going to be away from our homes for so much longer even though we have been gone a year already. On the other hand when we think of all things that we still want to accomplish, it doesn´t seem like nearly enough time.
On another note, the new group of volunteers from our sector arrived on September 5th! We are no longer the newbies and it is our job to help train the new group and show them the ropes of Peace Corps. Because Alex and I live so close to Managua, Peace Corps has recruited us to do alot of work with the new group and we will be having several Trainees visit our site on Tuesday to learn how to make a Vivero (tree nursery). It is hard to remember that this time last year, we were the scared trainees, trying to figure it all out.
My Birthday... yep I will be spending my second birthday in Nicaragua! By then end of my service, I will have had three birthday´s here. When you think about how much you grow and change in three birthdays, it boggles my mind to think about how different I am now than when I first came here and how different I may be when I am finished my service. When I entered Peace Corps, I was in my early 20s, ready for an adventure and when I leave Peace Corps I will be 25 and ready to start another chapter in my life.
On Dec 21st, in 99 days, Alex and I will return for 2 weeks to celebrate Christmas with friends and family! We are really looking forward to seeing everyone and can´t wait for these days to fly to help with some of our homesickness.
Finally, to end this rambling post, a little bit about friendship. True friendship stands the test of time and distance. Being here has enabled us to really reflect on our relationships with other people, both in Nicaragua and at home. We know that distance, time, and different life experiences can make it difficult to keep up friendships but I believe that when all is said and done, that at the end of this journey, your true friends will be waiting for you at the other side. We miss everyone and strongly encourage keeping in touch. We love to hear about your lives and adventures back home so please keep us posted. We love you and will hopefully see you in December!

Just a friendly reminder of our address down here because our box has been empty for months and months....

Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick
Alex Fuller-Young
Apartado Postal 366
León, Nicaragua
America Central