missive of misses

Well, friend, I’m back. Now that I am officially living in California you are no longer obligated to care about my life so I might just have to stop telling you about it in the blog form (I have this thing called a cell phone now). But I’m not ready for that change yet, are you? I think now I will start my series (of at least one) transition updates. This one will focus on things I will miss and things I will not miss about life in Nicaragua.
I will miss December’s warm weather. I will not miss March-June’s miserably humid weather.
I will miss El Coche Café’s cheap lattes. I will not miss the girls who work there and think that is appropriate to pluck their eyebrows while waiting for the milk to steam.
I will miss my Spanish improving. I will not miss sounding like an idiot whenever talking (here that should happen a little less frequently).
I will miss my friends that live there. I will not miss living far away from my family and friends here.
I will miss the cheap restaurants. I will not miss lettuce being a hit or miss item at the grocery stores and cereal never being on sale.
I will miss my job. I will not miss not getting paid for work.
I will miss having a maid. I will not miss not having a dishwasher or trying to dry clothes outside in the 3 solid months of rain.
I will miss walking to work. I will not miss not having a car.
I will miss stoplights being optional. I will not miss potholes that take over the road.
I will miss the excitement of Nicaraguan politics. I will not miss being a communist.
I will miss not being electronically tied to people by having a cell phone. I will not miss cell phone calls costing 10-30 cents a minute.
I will miss the laid back pace of life. I will not miss Nica-Time, everything starting late and ending late.
I will miss living in the land of lakes and volcanoes. I will not miss living in the land of dirty water and burning trash.

Parties and Plumbing and Purisima and Preparation

Parties.

This weekend we had a Christmas party at my house it was fine and dandy. We decided to wrap up presents and put them under the tree so that everyone could get a really cool gift. The gifts in themselves were quite fantastic but then their fantasticness grew when they were taped to firecrackers and lit on fire. I think that also improved our relationship with our neighbors and the digestive track of our dogs. Boxers don’t really know what to do when they find themselves chewing on silly putty.We had some swell decorations

Plumbing.
While my dear brother Jeremy was here our house started to have some plumbing problems. I would go into details but the details are disgusting so I’ll let you use your imagination (or not). The end result is that they are replacing all of our sewage lines, I guess they were concrete cylinders and now they are putting in PVC. This is not an easy process and involves ripping up the floor in 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and hallway and a lot of dust. So during the day we are isolated into my bedroom, bathroom, and the kitchen. My bathroom doesn’t drain properly either (like we’re pretty sure nothing makes it to the septic tank) but it is considered less urgent than the other half of the house. Supposedly they are finishing up soon but last I checked there is a pile of dirt in the hallway so I think it is safe to say there is a fair amount left to be done.

And this was just the beginning

Purisima.
Bonus points if you remember what Purisima is. It is when Mary, mother of Jesus, was immaculately conceived, A.K.A. Dec 8th. It is celebrated by a whole bunch of firecrackers and alcohol, which I’m sure Mary appreciates. Purisma is officially just the 8th but it is celebrated beforehand and really the firecrackers are around all month. I like firecrackers as much as the next person but really enough is enough. And enough was when I was walking across the street on the night of Dec. 1st and one hit me in the leg. It hurt but didn’t leave a hole, which was fortunate since I was on the way to a Church service and didn’t have a change of pants on me.
Preparation.
I am leaving Managua a week from tomorrow morning so I am trying to prepare for that. I sent some stuff home with my recent houseguests and now am bequeathing things to my friends here. I mean most things I’ll just leave to the maid or my roommates or the trash but some things really need to be passed on to specific people so I am trying to make those tough decisions. I am also still working in the biblioteca. Things are progressing well with my replacement Rosmery but obviously we still have some things work out. Today I am going to a baby shower so she is completely on her own. It will be interesting to discuss that with her tomorrow. I still think life would be easier if everyone thought like I did, but I realize that isn’t a realistic solution. My other step in preparing to leave is meeting with people to say one final adios. The good thing with this is people are guilted into taking me to nice restaurants the bad thing is it is depressing. Half the things people say make me think I’m at my own memorial service, but at least I know I’ll be appreciated after my passing.

not much longer now

I haven’t written in a while mostly because I am going crazy but right now I am at the coffee shop relaxing with an iced latte and things are looking up.
From last Sunday until this morning my brother Jeremy, his wife Cristina and their two kids, Elijah and Arielle, were visiting. Two of my roommates were in the states so the whole family got to stay with me very comfortably. It was tons of fun and very exhausting. I am very blessed to not have biological children coming into my life any time soon.
Since I have less than three weeks left here I figured I can get by with fewer than twenty pairs of shoes and I was able to send home two bags worth of stuff with them. That means I should have more space to buy you gifts.
In order to keep the excitement going for my last 18 days here, tonight two of my college friends, Keiz and Salena, are coming. They will be here until next Monday and Keiz made an itinerary so I’m sure it will be an adventure.
Last week I hired my replacement for the library, her name is Rosemery and her training officially started last Thursday. She is very nice and very talkative, lots of her talking is unrelated to the task on hand so I think I need to work on channeling her enthusiasm into more relevant topics. Today we are going to buy books together.
I think things are more stable here politically now. And by that I mean that democracy is losing so the socialists stopped burning tires in the streets.
I hope you are all enjoying listening to Christmas carols, I am.
Love, Joy

Brought to you by the letter L

Library
OK this week I actually have some pictures of the library.

For Some Reason I Only Have Boys

Some Completed Work

Our Fall Tree

Today we made turkeys in honor of American Thanksgiving. I explained that in a few weeks there is a holiday called Thanksgiving in the United States and we eat turkey. They got to use scissors and glue so even if the activity had no significance to them it wasn’t a waste.
This week people are supposed to be turning in applications for librarian. So far I have two, but neither are looking very promising. It is hard when you know the people applying aren’t very qualified but you also know they are desperate for work because their families don’t have food. I don’t know how to resolve this discrepancy.

Literacy
Last week I took a class on how to teach Spanish literacy and ESL. The classes were from 8-4 Monday to Friday and the knowledge I gained could have been condensed into 45 minutes tops. But it did open my eyes to what I might be facing in the states in five weeks if I get a job. Eight hours every day, shoot me now. Jobs aren’t all terrible, are they? Besides that reality check, I also worked on my ability to write with my left hand. It is a slow process but I am confident that if I lose my right hand I won’t be completely debilitated.

Liberty
Sunday were nation-wide mayoral elections. Friday, Saturday and Monday were last minute legal holidays in honor of voting. Actually I have no idea why Friday and Saturday were off and Monday was off because it is unsafe to leave your house the day after elections because of rioting. During Monday’s riots two people were killed but that wasn’t going to keep me home, I went to Quiznos. I think people riot either because they are upset at how unfair the election process is or they are overly excited that their team won. In Managua the Sandinista party won, this wasn’t a big surprise since the president gave away stoves with propane tanks and 400 new houses in exchange for votes. There was also some suspicious behavior the day of voting. A friend of mine went to the poles at 5pm to vote and they told him that he was too late even though they were supposed to be open until 6, he is from the liberal party. He also told me that his cousin is Sandinista and her husband is liberal so his cousin took her husband’s ID so that he couldn’t vote. And I have a strong hunch that these were not isolated incidents.

Get ready, it's a poem

Happy November 3, there are 58 days remaining this year, 46 of those I am planning on spending in Nicaragua. After December 19th I am planning on staying in the United States for an indefinite amount of time. But enough of plans and scary future talk, I will now tell you about the library and anything else that I think of, I’ll try to keep it short and entertaining and I’ll add some pictures.

At the library I have about 30 members a day,
And for the most part I like it that way.
A normal day visitors read, color, return and check out books, or play a game.
Other days I’ll read out loud or plan a special craft, I try to mix it up so it’s not all the same.
Although in Nicaragua fall is not marked by harvest or colorful trees,
In October we still painted pumpkins and decorated leaves.
Sometimes I get a little annoyed with “Cristina! Cristina!” repeatedly,
But I guess it is good to know that they need me.
There are a few people that come over the age of fourteen,
They like to bring me CD’s to teach me about the Nicaraguan music scene
Now that my time in Nicaragua is almost at the fin,
I’m supposed to be finding a replacement to be the new librarian.
This week we’re passing out the applications,
And by the 24th I am supposed to be training someone in the details of my position.
That will give me three weeks to catch them up to speed,
To make sure everything is in order before I am freed.
I don’t think I’m ready to pass it of physically or emotionally quite yet,
But I can always come finish after Christmas if not all my goals are met.
Other things are going on in my life too.
This weekend we had a Halloween party, boo.
I am taking a literacy training class, all week from eight to four,
Just one day and I am reminded why I am glad I’m not is school anymore.
I am super exhausted and maybe I can go to bed soon,
It is really early but there is a waxing crescent moon.

So I attached one picture but I can't find the rest,
I think posting library pictures on Wednesday will be best.

On elections and electricity

As you probably know the United States presidential elections are coming up, what you may not know is that Managua’s mayoral elections are next month as well.  

I don’t claim to very politically minded but I’ve really been trying this election.   I might not have watched any of the debates but I did see SNL Weekend Thursday update last week.  I wonder what candidate they support. I also have spent some time looking at the propositions that are up in California.  Good thing, because now I know that my vote could count towards farmers putting their animals in larger cages before the slaughter them.  I still don’t know if I will actually be able to vote because my absentee ballot has yet to arrive, but at least I’ll know how I’m supposed to feel when the results start coming in.

Nicaraguan politics, on the other hand, are a completely different ball game.  Technically there are two candidates running, Alexis Arguello and Eduardo Montealegre.  Both of them have a star studded past, Montealegre was the runner up for Nicaraguan presidency in 2006 and Alexis is three-time boxing world champion.  Alexis is running on the Sandinista ticket and thus is backed by the current president, Ortega, and Socialist leaders worldwide.  Montealegre is running the opposition so his slogan, used on billboards, is Todos contra Ortega (All against Ortega). 

Last week I asked two Nicaraguan friends who would win and they both said Alexis.  They also clarified that his win wouldn’t be because he had more votes but just because of the corrupt power of his political party.  So it will be interesting to see how that plays out, I suspect it will involve lots of firecrackers and red and black flags.

Enough of politics, the weather has been loco lately.  Thursday and Friday it rained constantly and with constant rain comes power outages, nationally and more specifically in our house.  On Friday I think everyone lost power for at least a little bit but then ours never came back on.  Finally Saturday morning it did, and then Sunday an electrician spent the day at our house trying to make that not happen again.  I guess with a lot of rain our wires would get wet and stop working and then they needed sun to dry out.  Is that a normal problem?

A new maid, Claudia, started working last week at our house and she is amazing.  Chilo, who worked for Jeremy and Cristina when they lived here, recommended her to us.   She has only been here three days and already our house is cleaner than it ever was before. She only works for us part time and for her other job she is a cook, so we are reaping the benefits of that as well.  We now get hot lunches the days she is here, usually some form of beans and rice and fresh juice.

I could write about the library but that will be next time.

Love, Joy

PS I’m moving home in two months (or so the calendar says, things could change)

Happy Finnish Literature Day

Last weekend I participated in a 11km “fun run” in the mountainous region of Matagalpa. The gringo group from Mangua pre-race
I tied my friend Amira for last place. We obviously had a different opinion of what a “fun run” was than the other participants. Regardless of us losing it was still an enjoyable time. Matagalpa is a higher altitude than Managua which made the running temperature nice, and the trail led us through coffee plantations so it was gorgeous. Since we were going at a slower pace than everyone else I really got to take in the beauty of the surroundings and we got to know red-cross van well.

Amira and me post-race

Group post-race

Post robbery life has still continued to be an inconvenience. We had to establish what I call “the house arrest schedule,” not just for security but because workers are in and out of the house all day fixing things. Yesterday, this morning, and Monday are my assigned days. It basically means I have to stay at home in case someone comes over to do something. This morning welders are here putting in a new, more secure back door. They are very nice but their work is extremely noisy.

During my house arrest time this week I’ve been trying to do my own laundry. The washing part has been pretty basic but drying is quite annoying. Nicaragua is extremely humid and it is the rainy season and we don’t have a dryer and our dogs like to attack the laundry line. So this is the chain of frustration, first you find moldy clothes in your closet that you decide you should wash. Then you realize you need to dry it somewhere (hopefully thoroughly so that it doesn’t just mold right away again). Then you can’t hang it outside because it is rainy, so you hang it in the garage for 15 hours, then the next morning you have to lock the dogs in the garage so people can go in the yard but it is still raining so you drape it over all the furniture in the house for another 15 hours. Then you see a little sun so you hang it outside to kill that last bit of mold and you get ready to move it inside as soon as you see the dark clouds moving closer. I am writing this at 11:30 am and it has been sunny all morning so I think the clothes from yesterday’s wash are going to be genuinely dry (and they’ve only been moved 3 times).

I’ve been trying to just schedule my house arrests for the morning so that I can still open the library in the afternoon and that has been working out well but I haven’t been able to do follow-up cleaning from when my mom was here. And also I had to take the week off from Matthew’s school. This morning we had a house meeting to set up a schedule for next week so that we can be more prepared for the inconveniences that may come our way.

And on a more upbeat final note, thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement, and generosity this past week (and 2 years). I am blown away, once again by God’s grace and provision in all ways. So thank you for being available to be used by Him to show and pour His (and your) love to me. Really I don’t deserve it but do appreciate it.