So I'm sitting down with my tea to read everyone else's travel blogs and realized I should probably write in mine! Happy October everyone, once again I am jealous of those who get to experience fall in North America, I miss it.
Since I last wrote, I turned 20 and a half (exciting, I know.) Got a letter (thanks Dad!) Tried to improve my snacking habits, learned how to play the marimba (ish) and planned all the rest of my weekends while I'm in Nicaragua!
I've realized that my Spanish speaking skills have been getting a lot better, comprehension not so much. I am so glad that I will be working with kids as they are so much easier to understand! And it's not just listening, either. Today I got out a container of yogurt and started eating it before the expiration date caught my eye. 5/11/09.... uh, that was, like, five months ago?! I was a little concerned before Leo reminded me that dates are written differently in Spanish and that 5/11/09 is actually November 5, not May 11..... whew!
Today was my last day at Los Pipitos. That was not so much a volunteer experience as a learning experience for me. It helped me a lot with Spanish, and I learned some cultural stuff as well. For example, there is a song called the Moralinda that must be some traditional folk song of Nicaragua... I will have to look it up, but anyway, I learned not only a dance to it but today I learned how to play it on the Marimba! I also got to hang out with the music class, mostly playing hand drums. It was really fun.
I am extremely excited to start volunteering at the orphanage on Monday. I have already sort of become friends with the English teacher there, Sylvia, which I think will make it a lot easier to start out. That's really what I came here to do and I am looking forward to it so much. I will be very tired and busy, but that's what I'm used to anyway.
This weekend Rachelle and I are going to Leon to meet up with Jackie Chan and have a little September volunteers reunion.... apparently Leon is the second hottest city in Nicaragua, so we're pretty sure that we are going to suffer immensely, but it should be worth it. I'm really looking forward to visiting a bigger and more international city, mostly for the food. Nica food is great, but it's hard to eat very similar food all the time and some variety is really exciting. Plus when I am eating on my own in a place like that it's easy to eat only vegetarian food which will be really nice... I am sticking with the meat eating and ate beef AND pepperoni in one day last week, but that is ending as soon as I leave Nicaragua! Gross!
This weekend is also terribly exciting because three new volunteers are getting here tomorrow. That is basically all we have been talking about for two weeks, I hope they are actually cool people... it's going to be a huge difference going from two volunteers to five! Plus one of them is a girl so Rachelle and I will have another roommate.... in our 8 person dorm suite thing.
Okay, it is well past time for me to finish writing a list of 100 spanish verbs (only one more day of Spanish class) and go to sleep!
Hope everyone is doing well. Send me e-mails!! I love them!