Back into the groove

Hey all,

I apologize for not writing in such a long time. I recently returned from a 2 week visit to the States so Im just getting back into the groove of work and Nicaraguan life. I was working myself way too hard before vacation, trying to plant as many trees as possible and meet with all my groups, so the vacation back home was much needed. It was nice to visit Burlington and Boston, as well, and it made me sooo happy to see everyone!

Coming back to Nicaragua was definitely not easy. My first couple of days back I was wondering how much longer Id make it here and whether or not it was such a good idea to go home. I came back to Nicaragua and immediately had to get back into the daily headache of manual labor and cooking from scratch. I also went 4 days without water, and started to resort to collecting rain water to wash dishes and bucket shower. I was pretty much in a pretty desperate state when it finally came back and I was able to fill up all my barrels again and get at least a few clothes washed. But this happens way too often in the rainy season, so Im going to have to figure out some kind of way to better prepare myself for when it happens again. There may come a time when I have to resort to washing my clothes in the river, but lets hope Ill never need to pollute the river any more than it already is.

Now Im back from school vacations and getting into the routine of things. Everything is pretty much back to normal. Unfortunately, Im having some problems with some of the projects Ive completed. The schools have been having many issues with robberies and unfortunately that includes some of the vegetables my students and I have worked so hard to produce. Also, one of the tree nurseries with 120 trees planted was completely destroyed by what we originally thought were pigs, but then realized were some careless people who entered the school and felt like doing some damage. And in my urban school, the limited space we did have to do the gardens have been hard to prevent from being damaged, and with all of the rain we`ve been getting, Im not sure if the gardens will produce any vegetables. We shall see.

Another problem Ive been having lately is with attendance of my English classes and youth group meetings. My English class has gone through about 4 different groups of people, with only a select few who have stayed with it since the beginning. I was assured by my students that it wasnt me, but that things come up and people may not really have the motivation to study. I think with me not being here for 2 weeks people may also be confused about whether or not the classes are still going on. Its really not that uncommon for projects to fall through, but hopefully in time things will work themselves out and go back to normal, so Im doing everything I can to keep it going.

Even with all these difficulties, Ive managed to stay fairly positive and have learned to take everything that I do here with a grain of salt. Im hoping to get involved in an ecotourism project with the Mayors Office and an outside NGO, but that, like everything, Im sure will take time. Otherwise, Ive just been keeping busy with my work in the schools and have begun co-planning and co-teaching with the teachers. It takes a LOT more time to plan classes now since I have to sit down individually with every one of my 6 teachers to plan every week, but I think as a result our relationships will grow and I`ll get to see who`s really motivated to work with me.

Other than that, I have some future visits and trips in December and January to look forward to! I know thats a ways away, but its incredible how things like that will keep you motivated and pumped to keep going. Time is moving fast, and Ive only got a year and 4 months left here. I hope everyone continues to stay in touch - snail mail is always appreciated! Enjoy the summer weather!