Last night in my training town of Masatepe,
I come home to find my family surprised me with a goodbye cake. I was so
touched because I know the money they used to buy the cake could buy a week’s
worth of food but they seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. It was delicious
and so fresh that the plate it came on was still hot. My host sister found it
hilarious to wipe cake all over my face. I found it funny that tradition has
made it all the way to Nicaragua as well. After hanging out with the family and
gorging myself on cake, I went to hang out with my fellow trainees who were
having a karaoke party at a host family’s house. We tried to sing a bunch of
old Mexican Ranchera songs which I’m sure the neighbors didn’t enjoy as much as
we did. Perfect way to spend my last night in Masatepe.
Thursday, May 23rd I woke up at
4am to finish packing (BIG SURPRISE, once again I find my procrastinating self
in the same situation) and still found myself running late for the 7am
bus. I ran out of the house dragging all
my bags and barely saying goodbye to the family. I knew I would see them the
following weekend to grab the last of my things so I didn’t feel too guilty.
In Managua, we were put up in this nice
hotel that had a pool and hot water!!!! I realized I hadn’t taken a shower with
hot water since I was in the U.S. The
little things we take for granted back home. At this point, I’ve been in
Nicaragua almost three months and EVERY morning I still have that debate with
the shower. I stand there, turn on the water and have that minute or so where
I’m literally talking myself into getting under the ice cold water that is
running before my eyes. You’d think after so much time here I’d grow accustomed
to it but that hasn’t happened yet.
Friday, May 24th, 2013 I was
officially sworn-in as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua. This means that I
successfully met the requirements during training to continue with two years of
service. The ceremony itself was held in the Hilton Princess hotel in Managua
which is very extravagant, especially for us volunteers. They provided refreshments
and cake! We all cleaned-up quite nicely and put on our finest for the
ceremony. Of course, later that night we went out to a club in Managua and
celebrated. There was a lot of dancing and minimal drama which is the way I
like it.
The next day we all got up late and tried
to recover from the night before. A group of us went to lunch at an awesome
sushi joint and then saw a Star Trek 2 in an air-conditioned movie theater. It
was so surreal. We were all gringos, speaking in English and enjoying the
amenities that we are accustomed to when at home. All day I felt like I was
back in the U.S. We all agreed how it
was the perfect way to soften us up before we go through the hardest part of
our service (which Peace Corps claims to be the first 3 months of service).
Still, it was a nice break before heading out to do the big kid’s work!
-
Almost forgot to mention…… the
morning after the night out (when still feeling the remnants from the
festivities of the night before) I noticed that my waitress serving me
breakfast had a shirt that said, “I like to stab big balls with large needles”
in English. I almost fell out of my chair laughing. The worst part is that she,
more than likely, had no clue what it said. A few friends and I text each other
whenever we see a Nica (short for Nicaraguan) wearing a ridiculous shirt in
English.
Some photos of Masatepe, a family member making nacatamales (which are delicious), and the recycled American school bus that is used in Nicaragua for public transport. We are usually squeezed in there like sardines with no air-conditioning and they throw our luggage on top. Fun times!
No comments:
Post a Comment