Random Photos and Notes

The lions of León, outside the largest cathedral in Latin America...which was originally supposed to be built in Lima, Peru...long story.

Market madness in the Masaya bus terminal

Kaitlyn in the clouds on top of Mombacho cloud forest.

Alex holding his find, a dead rattlesnake.
Environmental brigadeers.

Good times at home.

Sad times in the airport on the way back.

FINALLY!!! Another blog post...

Ok so we haven't exactly been good about keeping up with our blog recently. It's been a combination of being too busy yet not busy enough to post anything. We've recently been busy preparing for our final year of service, with school just begining the first week of February. However, we haven't really been doing anything interesting. Planning isn't all that exhilarating to talk about.

We will report that our trip to the states was incredible. From start to finish we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. First thing we did was hit up the first bookstore to buy a copy of TIME Magazine with that now so cliche red, white and blue picture of Obama on the cover. I'm not usually the most sentimental person but on that one occasion well I just couldn't help myself. Next we had a good old burger and fries dinner at none other than TGI Fridays, washed down with a Newcastle for me. Oh the glory.

First impresiones on being in the United States after 16 months: most people in the US are really pasty but then again there are also black people, people walk really fast, no one stares at you, everyone has an Iphone of a blackberry now, even grandmothers play videogames now that there's Wii, conveinience stores have a maddening array of products, cold weather is unbearable, we tend to stuff ourselves.

Too all those we saw over the holidays, it was so very, very good to see you. We may have already overly-expressed how great it was to see you all, but if we didn't already, we express again how very, very good it was to see you. It is quite a difficult thing to be removed from your life-long family and friends for such a long time, but of course all the sweater when you see them again. A special thanks goes out to our friend Jace who planned and executed an incredible party for us where we got to reunite with a huge group of our Hill School friends, it was truly an unforgettable evening. Also, thanks to a wonderful Christmas present, we'll be returning to the states for a trip in July...clear you schedule.

As for our return to Nicaragua, as I've already said it has been fairly uneventful in the way of work and life in Nicaragua. Unfortunately we did receive some very bad news of Kaitlyn's uncle's death fairly soon after we returned, so that has put quite a damper on our spirits. That, combined with a harrowing delay of our luggage by the airlines and various other maladies made our immediate return dificult, but we've survived.

This next year is looking to be a good one. We have varouis projects lined up including reforestation projects, painting world maps, another AIDS Day fair, and all kinds of fun activities in our schools. In March we're going to receive at least 5 visitors from home which will surely be a blast. Again, we will only be here until November of this year, so if you're looking for a cheap, exotic trip with free spanish-speaking guides, now is the time. Don't worry about your job, from what we hear you're going to lose it anyways.

AIDS Fair

Kaitlyn and I recently completed a big project which was a fair to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. We spent about four months planning and organizing the event, working alongside another organization in Nagarote. Kaitlyn, two young women, and I were able to gather various organizations together to create an educational and fun experience for the community. We focused mainly on young adults, but received participation from all ages. The result was the first annual AIDS Day fair for our town.

Below are some pictures of the fair!

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.