Its been so long since I've seen your face

sunset at Jaco
pretty waterfall, I forget what the name of the place is

For all those that don't recognize it, this is actually a line from a song by 2gether about a kleptomaniac girlfriend. Nevertheless its relevant. I've been here in Managua for quite a while now and soon I'll be returning to the states. Its been a while since I've written, for that I'm sorry, life has been more demanding.
Laura, Jill and I went to Costa Rica for Spring Break/Semana Santa. We stayed in San Jose, the capital and although Costa Rica is highly known for its tourism, the city seemed at times deserted (especially at night) due to the fact that everyone was at the beach. We took a bus to get to Costa Rica which was definitely the most unpleasant part of the trip, it took us a whole 12 hours to get from capital to capital. The worst part was getting through the border. Of course we arrived around 12-1, the hotest part of the day and were forced to stand outside in a line to get through customs for about 1-2 hours. It was awful! When we did get to Costa Rica though, we were pleased to find that it was much cooler than Managua and donned our jackets, which we wore all week at night, what a pleasant change that was. We stayed at a cute little hotel where we thought we were the only guests until the last day when everyone was checking out with us. We all stayed in a room on the top floor and all three of us passed out once we got there especially because someone was coming to pick us up for a 12 hour tour at 6 the next morning. The tour was called 4 in 1, the day started as I said at 6 when they picked us up and we went to our first destination, a coffee plantation. They served us breakfast and we got a tour of the farm and drying areas. Then we went to up the side of the volcano (San Jose is located in what called the Central Valley surrounded by mountains and volcanos). We saw the crater principal at the top and on the way down we stopped and took pictures of the central valley and stopped at a tourist shop where they sold strawberries among other things (you can imagine how excited I was, not having any berries since I've arrived). Next stop was a nature reserve and a place to view waterfalls where we ate lunch. They also showed us a butterfly observatory, aviary, monkey house, and hummingbird observatory. After we hiked through the waterfalls we went on a boat tour to view some more wildlife. We arrived back in San Jose around 7. What was different than about San Jose from Managua was that we were able to walk around the city at night (of course we were together) and feel safe. We really enjoyed just walking around in the populated areas
The next day we went on another tour, this one of San Jose which had a lot of cultural insight including an interesting statue of 5 women representing the different Central American countries driving out William Walker who tried to conquer all of Central America. What was really funny was that the woman that represented Nicaragua had her head cut off and was dead on the ground because Nicaragua had been completely conquered by Walker. We were aware of a rivalry/mutual dislike between the two countries but we all found this very interesting and funny. We also stopped at the Gold Museum where I found out that the precolonial villages were matrilineal which I thought was really interesting. After the tour, we went to a market and bought souveniers as that was the only day we had time.
Thursday we went river rafting down a river that I can't remember the name of. It was an adventure especially because we elected to be in a boat that was for Spanish-speakers. We were given directions before hand and everything went as smooth as silk, we all got soaked and had a great time. I think I pushed myself a little hard and was definitely sore the next day. That night we went out for dinner and I tried to get a glass of wine with dinner. To my amazement, they weren't serving any because it was Holy Thursday, it was really the first time it really hit me how Christian the country was. OK so heres my thinking, it was the last supper right? Well even the bible says Jesus drank wine at the last supper, why can't I? Well I survived.
Friday was probably my favorite day. We went to the beach and were finally given the chance to relax. Laura had never seen the sunset over the water before so we asked the driver who was only driving us to pick us up after the sun went down. He had no problem with it so we were at the beach the whole day. We laughed at all the men in speedos and even took pictures of the lifeguards who wore one. Unfortunately they caught us taking pictures and started taking pictures of us. Just after the sun went down and we were getting ready to leave, they came up to us and introduced themselves. We could barily keep from laughing, and as it turns out, they brought over their cameras and asked to take a picture with us. We aquiesqued as long as we got one as well. Definitely the highlight of the day. We got back to San Jose and got Chinese food and got ready for our departure the next day. I enjoyed Costa Rica a lot, it was very tiring though but we were able to see a lot and it was all on the school! I was also given the chance to compare San Jose and Costa Rica with Nicaragua. I decided by the end of the trip that I missed Managua.

Not much more has happened since I've been back, trying to get some work done. Five weeks are left before I go home. Oh how time flies. The girls and I have a couple of other places to go before we leave so as it turns out we've booked up the rest of our weekends. This next weekend I'm going with a friend to a Pichata concert which is really exciting. Then after that, we're going to Ometepe, then to Matagalpa, and then as the last hurrah we're going to Corn Island on the Carribean side. I'll do my best to keep you informed of my next travels. I'd love to hear from you as well! Vaya con dios y vemos temprano!

Blogity blog blog

A sign outside of Masaya translated: "If Nicaragua is my body, Masaya is my heart"
It's been a while, and yes I am still alive. Sorry if I worried anyone. Things have been slightly busy and for some reason I have just kept on putting off updating. No worries though, alas here I am.
Today I've had a couple of life-changing experiences. First of all I've been having some trouble with my debit card so I called my bank today and as it turns out, my card has been "compromised". Someone charged $3.40 at some website so now my card does not work. Due to this, the bank has to send me a new card which should arrive in about a week. Awesome, there's nothing like being in a foriegn country and not being able to access your bank account. There have been arrangements made to hold me off until then so don't worry, I won't go hungry or thirsty.
The second experience was truly one that every person must go through before becoming an adult. I woke up this morning and went into my bathroom. I happened to look over at my shower and found an extremely large cockroach on my shower floor surrounded by a ring of some sort of dried liquid. I had no idea what it was. Well I did what anyone would do, ignore it until I had to shower. It finally came time and as I was flicking the corpse into a plastic bag I had to remind myself that I was the bigger animal, that it was dead, and that I am a big girl. The cockroach is now gone and I am clean but I think my shower is haunted my its spirit. I know what you're thinking Alex, and I guess I've changed my mind, I know believe in ghosts.
Last weekend I went to a friend's beach house for the night at Playa Hermosa which means beautiful beach. It was absolutely gorgeous, but you'll have to take my word for it because I forgot my camera. The beach is about two hours away from Managua and on the way there we stopped for quesillos, apparently the best in Nicaragua. I don't have much of a reference, but I thought they were pretty good. It's a tortilla wrapped up with cheese and onions in the middle. Then they're this cream on the bottom which is the best part. It's served in a little plastic bag and after you eat about half of it, you push the rest down into the bag, tie off the top, cut a whole in the bottom of the bag and squeeze out the rest through the whole with your teeth. You don't let one drop of that cream get away and boy is it good. We arrived at the beach a couple of hours before nightfall and went swimming and had some dinner. After it was dark I got a chance to go on the beach and look at the stars, I don't think I've ever seen so many. There wasn't a city for miles and when you walked just a little down the beach the lights from the house were blocked and the sky looked velvet with little wholes poked out. The milky way was as clear as day across the sky and I couldn't have been happier.
I've made a couple other trips on Mondays, my day off. One to Masaya where there are a ton of artisans that sell almost exclusively to tourists and then also to the Apoyo lagoon. Both were really fun and I'm really glad I'm getting to see more of Nicaragua.
Next Saturday, Jill Laura and I are headed to Costa Rica for Semana Santa (Holy Week). I have no idea what we'll be doing, where we'll be going, or how we're getting there. It seems like people here are either very last minute or just very go with the flow. I'm trying to adopt this lifestyle which isn't so hard for me and therefore I'm not worrying about it. I'm sure it will be fun and if I get the chance I'll make some requests for activities but I'm sure I'll enjoy myself either way.
Next week is also the half way mark for my time here. I can't believe it. At this point, I'm asking myself why I didn't decide to study abroad for a year but we'll see what I have to say come May. I'm also really looking forward to this summer (I'll, hopefully, be living with Kate in the NYU dorms and working in New York.) so while I don't want to leave, I know there will be another adventure waiting for me when I get back. Oh to be young....

To Granada and beyond....!

Jill and I on the bus, did I mention I cut my bangs?
The Cathedral, IT'S ORANGE!!! how cool
This Monday Jill and I visited Granada and what an adventure that was. We attempted to invite a person from Managua to come along so we wouldn't get totally lost or in over our heads but it didn't work out so it was just the two of us. The day started when we took a taxi to the bus station. Once we stepped out of the taxi we were swarmed with about 4 people trying to ask us where we were going and if we needed help. This one guy showed us his "official badge" that said that meant we know we would be safe on the bus he put us on, so we followed him. We got on the bus (which is actually a school bus) and were the first people on. Our guide stuck around until we gave him a tip for pointing us in the right direction. For the next 15 min, Jill and I sat on the bus while vendors came on and off the bus selling drinks, pastries, bread and other merchandise. Even when the bus started to leave the station, the vendors would come on the bus and leave before we got to the exit. We both noticed how there was a difference in preference of personal space and people had no problem touching each other when people from the States would wait until a time they could pass with minimal contact with anyone else. We were told not to buy food from vendors so we refrained. We got off on the last stop in Granada and unfortunately it wasn't anywhere near the middle of the city and neither of us brought a map. My Maggie Radar went off though and soon we were in sight of the Cathedral. We spent the afternoon going into different stores and churches, conversing with the people. Jill bought a couple of gifts from different stores and I bought a really pretty amber necklace. We had wanted to go to Mombacho, the nearby volcano but the only way we could figure out how to get there was through a tour that had already left. We decided since the bus ride was only and hour and about $0.75 we weren't going to worry too much because we'd probably come back. We got back on another bus and came back to Managua without a scratch, except for the one on my ego when I attempted to try out a hammock that then fell. I'm fine.
Later that night, Christopher Johnson, the dean of International Study Abroad (or something), took Jill, Laura, Eva (who will be at Fairfield come Fall) and I out to dinner. He was there to talk about Fairfield and also check in on us. Two other professors came with him, Fr. Ryscavage and Dr. Mielants. They're actually both in the Sociology department (that's my major!) and I had Dr. Mielants for Social Theory last semester, he was one of my favorite teachers, so that was definitely a treat. Fr. Ryscavage is one of the Jesuit priests on campus and as it turns out, he has gone on a couple retreats to the chapel above St. Nicholas school a few years back. He also knows about Bellermine Prep, Santa Clara (of course, another Jesuit school about 20 min from Palo Alto), and Mountian View, so he and I were able to talk about that. Christopher Johnson helped us with a couple of questions we still had about the program and things to come, all in all a very informative and enjoyable dinner.
So here are some things I'm pretty excited about, maybe you should be too!
I bought insect repellant finally
My heat rash is gone
I think I'm getting used to the heat
I still haven't been robbed (knock on wood)
I'm getting used to my walk to school, it doesn't seem that far anymore
Someone told me that my Spanish was more comprehensive and they could see an improvement!
I really don't mind cold showers
I bought a cool shirt with tigers on it for $7
I still haven't touched my savings account
ok that's all I've got. Miss you all!

Nadie pone Baby en una esquina

I am currently watching Dirty Dancing. I know what you're thinking, Maggie! shouldn't you be studying or learning? I would say back to you, why I can watch Dirty Dancing and learn at the same time! yes that's right, it's in Spanish and almost more wonderful than the regular version. Funny Girl was almost as amusing in Spanish is especially like it when they sing in English and talk in Spanish.
Well I'm not spending all my time watching Spanish tv, I have know finished my first week of classes with a couple of changes to my schedule. I am now taking Historia de Nicaragua, Fotografia, y Analisis y Evaluacion de Politicas Publicas. All are very interesting and a little different than I had expected. My history class probably has forty kids in it that don't really care whether or not the Professor is lecturing or not. Its a little different of a learning environment and I think I'll be depending on the book a lot. Fotografia will all be digital and only has seven students. I've only had one politicas class as its only on Saturday but I think it'll be interesting. We have to get into groups which means I'll be meeting new people.
Speaking of which, I introduced myself to a huge group of American students. They were pretty easy to spot and very friendly. They'll only be in Managua for seven weeks as they'll be traveling around the country for a little bit of a different experience than what I'm getting.
Tonight is Laura's 21st birthday so we're all going out for dinner. She doesn't drink so I don't think the fact that we're able to drink here or that she's not back home for the whole big deal really phases her. I'm not sure where we're going, but I'm sure it'll be interesting. I'll be sure to bring my camera to upload next time. I think we'll be going somewhere we haven't been before so that always gets exciting. Hopefully we'll have a good time.
Good news, it seems the heat rash has begun to relent to the power of the Baby Powder. It's slowly going away and I'm thinking (hoping) it'll be gone by next week. One good thing that came from the heat rash though, I finally taught myself to sleep on my back! It may seem a small feat but I've been working on it for a while so when I woke up this morning on my back I was really excited.
I think I'm going to try and plan a trip to Masaya this weekend, does anyone want a hammock? Apparently they're really pretty and well made there, I smell birthday presents (dad?) I've also decided to take more trips, Managua is nice and all but I would really like to see as much of Nicaragua as I can. There's also this island that I would like to visit, Corn Island. Unfortunately you have to take a plane there but I have the routine down pat and apparently its worth the hassle. I'll keep you posted on different places to hit and miss if you ever come to Nicaragua. Haha

Getting in the Swing

This is my room. To even my surprise, I make my bed every day. All my clothes are folded above my bed and I almost always have a glass of water before I go to bed or else my feet swell. I really like it here, there's not a whole lot here, but I think that's what I like so much.
Today I started classes as well. It was a little overwhelming even though I only had one class, social philosophy. I came into the class and everyone kind of looked at me as I was sitting down, all 7 of them not including the teacher. She asks what my name is and I give it to her, but I'm not on the list. We quickly rectify that by me showing her my schedule. As I'm sitting down a little closer to the front due to the level of noise coming in from outside and also the low volume of the professor's voice I realize that not only are there 8 people in this class including me, but I'm the only girl. I'm also the only sociology major, but this is a little less obvious. I struggled through the class with a little bit more attention than everyone else, but I think its going to be really interesting. She does want class participation which is good and bad due to my lack of verbal skills, but hopefully I'll be able to learn more Spanish at the same time. The class ends and the teacher recommends to me (while the whole class is starring at me) that I make a few friends and get a few phone numbers so that I can talk with someone about the homework. That was not a problem, I met three of the seven other students in the class and exchanged numbers with two of them. Hopefully they'll be able to help me. I think I'm going to start doing the homework ASAP even though the next class is Thursday because it'll probably take me forever.
Tomorrow I have two classes, both of them are with Jill and Laura, so at least there will be two other girls in those classes. I also think, after many attempts, I finally have the schedule I want despite the fact that I have classes on Saturdays. I wouldn't be surprised if the class I had today will be my hardest, but we'll see.
Something else really exciting happened to me over the weekend. I went to a party with a someone I met through a mutual friend. WOO isn't that exciting? No but really, at this party I was able to talk to a lot of people in Spanish, and some of them actually knew what I was saying. Also I happened to meet Daniel Ortega's grandson. For those of you who don't know who that is, he is currently the leading politician of the Sandanistas (the grass root movement currently in power in Nicaragua) and also the President of the country. That's right, I met the grandson of the president!!! I was so excited, we actually talked for a little and he seems like a good guy.
Things are getting off to a good start so far, I'll make sure to keep you posted.

As Time Goes By

Thursday marks the end of my intensive Spanish course. If anything has helped with my abilities it has been just listening and talking in Spanish in class and outside as well. Monday is the first day of the semester and I can see the whole campus getting excited for it to come, slowly I see more and more people there, signing up for classes or going to an orientation. I'm not quite sure of my schedule but I should be getting it any time now. I'm taking The History of Nicaragua (which I've actually started learning about, very interesting), Tourism, Society and Religion, and Social Philosophy. I'm interested to see what classes will be like, I'm also a little scared considering they're all in Spanish and apparently they lecture a lot more here than back home. So I'm banking on my Spanish and also my friend-making-abilities to help me.
I should soon be able to put pictures up, I'm anxious to should you what it looks like here. I actually live in downtown Managua but it's very different than downtown New York, Boston or San Francisco. You're not in the middle of a cavern of tall buildings, the main strip I walk down to school is a little like El Camino. Definitely a main road that was recently reconstructed but very different than what you actually might think is a downtown. Just up the street are some bars and restruants I'm excited to explore with a Nicaraguan friend that was at Fairfield last semester.
This past weekend I went with some friends to a beach called San Juan del Sur. It was about a 3 hour drive which was cool because we were able to see more of Nicaragua outside of Managua. The actual road leading to the beach town was absolutely filled with potholes which made what should have been a 15 min. drive an hour. It was as if we were on a roller coaster, swerving back and forth across the road. I know what everyone's thinking, but its alright, my stomach didn't act up and no one here has been thrown up on...yet. Haha just kidding, that won't happen. When we did get to the beach, the three North Americans (including myself) tried to put our towels down on the beach like we would back home only to find that the strong wind made this task very difficult and also fruitless as once we got the towels down, they would immediately get covered in sand. Not only that but if you tried to lie down and tan, you would actually get sand blasted. Besides that, the waves were a good size, but no good for surfing, they broke way too close to the shore. There was a mean ripe tide though that not everyone was used to (after you've been pulled under a million times at Capitola you learn how to avoid being pummeled). I taught everyone how to dive under the waves when they were about to break on you, some learned some didn't. As custom for me when coming back on a long trip, I fell asleep for most of the ride , overall a very nice trip.
I think we're going to plan another to Lake Nicaragua where there's a volcano island that's apparently really pretty and a really big tourist attraction. This time though I think we'll spend the night on Saturday and have all day Sunday to enjoy the Islands. There are actually two islands and when the water goes down during the day (yes there are slight tides in the lake due to its immense size, the largest in Central America!) there's a natural walkway that you can walk across from one island to the other, just like Jesus! Hopefully that works out for us.
Well I'm off to class, enjoy your warm showers and vegetables, they might not always be around...

Una Semana Pasada

One week ago, (well one week ago yesterday) I arrived in Nicaragua. I can't believe it! It seems like I've already been here a month. I know it will fly by and in May it will seems like I had just arrived but right now I feel like I'm really adapting to the culture here. At least I like to think I am. Every morning I have gayopinto which is the staple to the Nicaragua diet and contains rice mixed with refried beans and black beans. It's very good and not what I usually eat for breakfast in the States. The women that work here also make juice which is pretty good. They squeeze a couple of whatever fruit they're using and then add about two huge spoonfuls of sugar and then fil the rest up with water. It doesn't sound really good, but it is. I usually eat lunch (their biggest meal) at school. It's not always the same and usually I don't eat enough but yesterday I had a big plate of rice, beans, and some sort of meat and some salsa fresca. Pretty delish. It might come to me getting a little sick of beans and rice, but its what I signed up for. Dinner is usually just a snack, like something small you would whip up for lunch. Usually its two small quesillos which are rice tortillas and onion and a special cheese. I prefer flour tortiallas but that's alright. What actually happens but I don't participate in because I have class is that the family gathers back at the house for lunch for maybe an hour and a half and then the parents go back to work, what we think of as a siesta. I have yet to see anyone nap. Dinner is something you go through the kitchen to pick up and take with you back to your room, your homework, or the tv. They also usually eat around 8 or 9. This is pretty sweet for me because our family usually waits until this time to eat as well to the dismay of many of my friends with plans and curfews (well at least in high school).
Jill, Laura, and I are getting along very well. Laura is actually a Spanish major and therefore in a higher class but Laura and I are in a class together. We have to complete 36 hours of class to get credit so we're there for three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon most days. It's pretty intense but I can see an improvement in my Spanish.
My professor just gave Jill and I a CD of authentic Nicaraguan music to listen to over the weekend, apparently we have something about listening to it in class on Monday. I've just got out of class but already have it uploaded onto my computer and have it playing. I can understand some of it, and I'm sure as I listen to it more, I'll get most of it and definitely the jist of all the songs. The group is called Juan Solorzano y Los Macua (Macua is apparently a type of juice!) Its a pretty sweet CD so far.
Tonight, Laura, Jill and I are going to see a movie, so before then I'm going to get a little rest. More on my life later....