What a week!

Well, I’m currently lacking my normal creativity when it comes to this blog, so I’m just going to give a summary of my past week as it’s been pretty interesting!  I spent last Friday in my department’s capitol of Matagalpa with some other volunteers and celebrated Thanksgiving by going out to eat.  Nothing says Thanksgiving like going out to an Italian restaurant in Nicaragua!  Then Monday I headed into Managua for the next 5 and half days to see a doctor and for official work business.  I spent Monday and Tuesday night in a hostel, but then spent Wednesday and Thursday at this awesome place with the environment group that got here last year to exchange ideas.  There was a pool, awesome food, and we even had our own little houses with air conditioning! 

Our hotel pool!

Our last day was spent back in the hostel after learning how to build an oven near my training town.  I headed back to my site yesterday, and had an awesome day today (I’m typing this up a day before actually posting it).  This morning Anna, my PCVL (Peace Corps loves acronyms, but she’s a third year volunteer whose job includes supporting other volunteers in Matagalpa), came to visit to make sure everything was all right.  We ended up hiking up to Finca Esperanze Verde, which is the award winning* ecolodge about a 45 minute walk up the road (literally up, it’s pretty much all uphill).  We ended up talking to the owner and having some amazing organic coffee that was grown there.  In addition to the coffee we also got a great chicken lunch, and didn’t have to pay for any of it (the owner is awesome!).  We talked about the lodge, and the potential of helping out there in the future.  It looks like I’ll be able to go pick coffee next week, and will possibly be helping teach some people who work and live near there about organic gardening and other environmental topics, and will get paid in awesome food and transportation there.  I’m super pumped!  This place is on a mountaintop with an amazing view, so I’ll take any excuse I can get to go there!

Building the oven! I just got done mixing the dirt, water, and horse manure mortar mixture with my hands!!!

The view from the dining area at the Ecolodge near my house

This waterfall is just off the main road on one of the Ecolodge trails

            I also want to mention that I had a bit of a culture shock going to Managua.  I have no idea how it will be when I visit home next Christmas.  It was strange, I saw a movie in English, ate at a mall several times that had a giant Christmas tree and a Santa with some pretty hot elves that resembled Hooters girls than anything else, bought donuts and chocolate muffins at a place called “American Donuts,” had access to flushing toilets, and a shower that didn’t involve an oil barrel and bowl.   I also was able to swim in a huge pool one night and take a hot shower when I got out.  A HOT SHOWER!  Water pressure is a great thing!  All that being said, I was actually excited to get back to the campo (country)!  We even set up a mini-Christmas tree and Christmas lights while dancing and listening to Christmas carols in English and Spanish tonight.  It was great!

Setting up the Christmas tree while listing to Christmas music and Spanish and English

*Has won awards from Smithsonian Magazine and Virgin Travel in Ecotourism