Hola!
Sorry it´s been awhile since my update. I was told I would have free internet at my school but there isn´t any! Bitches. They also said I could pay with my credit card, which I cant! Grr. So
I am a little irritated with the school. My original plan was to be here (in Granada) two weeks for spanish school then head to SJDS for one week of school then work. But now, I am thinking of leaving this Sunday for SJDS and doing two weeks there instead of here because I am irritated with them. I am going to give it a few more days though.
So, I think I last updated Friday...? Quisas? Well, this weekend was spent not doing a whole lot. I gravely underestimated how hard and tiring it would be to have to communicate in spanish 100% of the time. It is hard because I don´t have a backup english support system here that I would have say if I had studied abroad and had my fellow American classmates or done Peace Corps and had the fellow volunteers. I definately underestimated the toll that would take on me. So, generally I speak english with my new best friend, Fiona, the family perro (dog).
Fiona loves me. I feed Fiona food. If I don´t like something, I look for Fiona and feed it to her. Even if I do like something, I always save some for Fiona because she is so flaca (skinny). Fiona know loves me because I am the white girl who feeds her food. She is not allowed in the bedrooms, but I decided I wanted her in my bedroom. She also is not allowed to bed for food but I feed her when they aren´t looking. I have a habit of making dogs break rules they are supposed to mind. Ask Jennifer and Mike (sister and brother in law). There two goldens have ¨different¨rules with me ( : It is hard to so no to a doggie!
So when I am not talking with Fiona, I have been talking with my family mucho. I have suprised myself with words that are somewhere in my mind and somehow make their way out. Ex: I pulled the word ¨sea level¨out of my ass from somewhere, with no recollection of ever learning it, but apparently I had. I was talking about Seattle.
I haven´t done too much around the city mainly because Saturday and Sunday I slept until 11, and my hostmom laughed at me. They had never heard of someone sleeping until 11. Oh, if she only knew what times I was capable of!! I told her sometimes I sleep till 2 and her mouth just about hit the floor. Everyone here (literally everyone) is up by 6. The lazy people sleep in till 6 that is. Everyone goes to bed around 8. This is due to 1) the crazy ass heat that heats by 10 and 2) lights=expensive and after 6 pm = darkness so you need lights. It starts getting light around 2 am here, very bizzar! How do I know this you may wonder. Well, on Friday and Saturday nights I had mucho problemas sleeping and couldn´t fall asleep till late, hence the 11 am wake up. I am happy to say I am now, somehow, on the Nicaraguan sleep schedule. I forced myself NOT to take a nap sunday and went to bed at 9 and got up at 6:30. Last night I went to bed around the same time and got up ON MY OWN at 5:45! Craziness, I know. I am not sure that crazier have happened. If you me and my sleep schedule you understand this. I am more likely to go to bed at 5 then get up at 5!
Speaking of waking up, alarm clocks are useful for that. My electronics have not been very nice to me since being here. My cell phone wont charge for whatever reason, so I can no longer use that as an alarm clock, as I had planned. I brought a crappy ikea alarm clock which is cracked, and sometimes it works...sometimes it doesn´t. It depends on what kind of mood it is in. So I went on a search for an alarm clock. It sounds easy enough....not! I could not find one for days, my host mom even called three places for me, and they didn´t have them! WTH? Finally, yesterday when I popped in to use the internet during the downpoar, I asked if they might now where I could locate one. The nice internet men led me to a stand and then made the guy put batteries in all of them and show me all the colors before I bought one. Nice Nica man. So I bought one, and now this morning it doesn´t work! Boo alarm clocks, hopefully by half broken ikea one survives for awhile....
Speaking of Nica men. (Nicaraguans are called Nicas). I have traveled through many countries as you all know, but I have always been with at least one other female, and we have always received that catcalls, whistles etc...Well, there are a good number of tourists here, but never, ever are there white girls walking around alone. People make a point of telling me this multiple times a day. It is very exciting for them. What am I doing? Why am I walking around alone? You speak spanish? You are not afraid? Are you married? etc etc etc. The attention that a lone white gringa gets walking around is unimaginable. My teachers at the school have said that my being alone is going to attract a lot of attention. Oh and does it ever. Five minutes without some sort of catcall, discgusting sound, whistle, name call or something going by is a long time. This is now my life. Hopefully when the locals in SJDS get used to me it will be mas mejor. (much better).
I forgot to mention (I think...) in my last post that our electricity has a tendency to go out when it feels like it. No electricity = no fans = sad Kimberly. When it goes out at night I wake up. It is SOO hot. I thought yeserday I was adjusting to the heat, only to have it spike again today. Ay! The weather here is weird. Between the hours of 10-2 or so it is ridiculously hot and hard to function outside. You literally are soaking wet with sweat. My host mother thinks I am crazy when I go outside during these times. But then right around 2 there is always a massive downpour of rain. Downpour doesn´t even quite describe it. I have seen, or thought, I had seen, crazy rain in Costa Rica. Well, we are in the rainy season now (just started) and the rain is CRAZY! You can literally fill one of those white buckets (you know the kind everyone has?) in less than 30 seconds. I timed it one day. It is insane. Then all the garbage washes down the street. Very pretty, I know. The locals have a weird reaction to the rain. Everyday it comes and at the same time, it is very predictable. But everyone freaks out, starts screaming and runs and acts like they have no idea what the hell is going on. I am just like PEOPLE! IT IS RAIN! YOU HAVE IT EVERYDAY! I just keep walking and then everyone says look at that gringa walking in the rain! HAHA. I love it though because 1) and most importantly, it gives me a reprieve from the heat, and 2) I can walk anywhere very quickly because everyone gets out of the streets and off the sidewalks. But, the majority of the sidewalks are covered in tiles. If you have ever walked on wet tiles, you can see the problems that may arise from this. Crazy downpour plus tile = lots of falling and slipping. Its like red square at the UW all over again....I thought those days were over! I try to avoid the sidewalks because I have almost landed on my ass and face many times already.
The bathroom situation has gotten better. Well, nothing has changed, I just have figured it out more. There is no hot water, which isn´t a huge deal since it is crazy hot here. But it is still pretty cold. I found out I can turn on the sink and don´t have to use the water in the big basin to brush my teeth. That is only there as a reserve in case the water goes out. Which, thankfully, has yet to occur since being here or when I have gone to use it. Although I fully expect it will at some point.
The food has been...interesting. Sometimes its good. Then they try to make American food for me (which is very nice and thoughtful of them) but thats when things go downhill. Black licorice tasting spaghetti anyone? YUMMY! Except when you HATE black licorice! I don´t know what she put in it, but that is what it tastes like. I have grown accostumed to eating tomatoes because I have to, they are a staple down here. I don´t like tomoatoes. But after the first few days of gagging, I can swallow them now. When they cook the rice, beans, tortilla combinations, they are always good. But I can see myself getting sick of them soon.
School is good, but hard. The instructors all like me because they can speak spanish to me and I actually understand. The majority of their students come with little or no spanish. I know my spanish has already improved greatly but sometimes I just get so frustrated and pissed off and feel like I will never master it. I have to take things hour by hour here sometimes, it is hard. I knew living in another country, adjusting to a new culture and communicating in a new language would be hard, but it is exhausting. And unfortunately I dont have the luxury of having an American friend, roommate or whatever to come home to. It is utterly exhausting, emotionally, intellectually, phsically and any other way possible, its exhausting. Sometimes I just want to lay down and cry because I am just so tired. My mantra is : it will get easier, it will get easier, it will get easier¨ I have to repeat this A LOT. This is a good lesson for me in being gentle with myself and being patient. Thankfully, I can understand everyone pretty much always, it is just when I get flustered, uncomftorable or am tired that things get really hard. But, such is life, I knew this wouldn´t be easy, but I never understood how hard it would be until now. I talked to a lot of people at school who told me that there is nothing that can prepare you for what you are about to do, and noboday can understand until they are in your shoes, I fully know am understanding what they meant. But, at least I always have Fiona! (the doggie)
I can´t upload pictures, hopefully I can find an internet cafe that has that ability soon, I am trying! Then you can see my house that is half outside. I really am beginning to like showering outside though, it is pretty cool!
Today, later, I am going to salsa lessons at the school. There is a guy from Austin, TX here that has been traveling for 6 months. He started in Mexico and is going to go all throughout South America! He plans on a year and a half...crazy stuff! He works from the road so didn´t have to save up a ton. He is my first ¨friend¨here, it has been so nice to speak in English to him. Talking without thinking is the nicest feeling I can have right now. Other then maybe some AC! Tomorrow, the school is taking us to a place called Lugana de Apoyo, a very clean swimming hole in a volcano! I am very excited. On thursday Jeff and I (my new friend from Texas) are going to do some stuff around Granada, even though I have been here awhile I haven´t done a lot because between the rain, crazy heat and my classes, I have a short window to do anything. Friday or Saturday I am going to a village called Masaya, which is an awesome enormous market of local crafts and things which I LOVE!!! I just wish Kristina was with me because we always loved shopping at markets! It is lonely at times here because I am used to traveling with someone, usually Kristina or my sister. The loneliness has not been as big of an issue though or has not yet hit me I think due to the exhaustive nature of adjusting to life and the language here.
Ok, well I think that is about all the time allows for now my time is almost up! Oh ya, I got a massage yesterday, an hour for $20!!! Sweet! It was a weird exeperience though, the guy wanted me to get naked and me not be covered up.... I decided to keep my clothes on needless to say, but he kept asking me to take my clothes off all the way!! Haha...it was awkward to say the least!
I will try to upload pictures after my adventures in the coming days!
I miss you all!
Oh PS: I guess there was a hurricane that was in Central America? It didn´t hit her though..
Hasta luego!
Kimberly
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