The Peace Corps Difference

Hola a todo. I have been reflecting on the PC Difference lately, and it is really something special.
I am referring to the following types of situations:
You are on the infamous “chicken bus” mentioned in all the travel guidebooks—but whereas it would be a novelty during vacation to ride one and check out the locals carrying their livestock onboard, this is a normal occurrence for you. And you may also find yourself personally holding the chicken in your lap.
Passerby’s may look down from their shuttle bus at the kids washing their clothes or dishes in the river---we are swimming with them after playing soccer or basketball in their neighborhood---we know many of their names and they all know us.
People again may look from a window at the gorgeous mountain ranges and the occasional uniquely formed tree or other object—we are starting to be able to tell beginnings and endings of towns by these landmarks.
You find yourself agreeing with your Nicaraguan Counterpart while you are at a professional conference that, “Yes, a dollar for that souvenir bracelet or trinket is WAY too much”.
While one may fear for the life of the man hanging off the side of the bus, hopping on top between stops to load and unload cargo---we share the sugar cane branches with him that were gifted to us at the family’s house we just visited.
The invitations to personal events are obvious---that invite to The Sweet 15, graduations, weddings, birthday parties, farms, religious festivals and parties in general.
Instead of being in town to watch a famous Fiestas Patronales from the balcony of a hotel or restaurant, you are in the middle of the parade—dancing amid fireworks with your host family.
Recently when the electricity was a bit iffy for a few days, we also cooked and shared dinner by candlelight with our host family—really enjoying the ambience.
I don’t flinch when people call out “Eh gringa or “Chela” as I am walking down the street—I understand it as a greeting not an insult. And sometimes I hear “Adios Julia” or “Adios Profe” instead.

So, for as many times as I crave some of the little things for home---or to walk with some anonymity every once in awhile, I have to say that these are just a few of the things that make me appreciate my life on a different level.
Feeling thankful.

2011 woo hoo!

Soooo MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR’S! 2011 is finally here! I am not sure where I left off, so I apologize if I repeat some stuff.
A QUICK RUN DOWN OF HOLIDAY EVENTS
We had the honor of being witnesses in our host sister’s wedding a few days before Christmas. It was a small ceremony in her house. Lots of eating and merry making. Matt danced with all the ladies.
Christmas was super tranquila—all we did was eat and cook and make ourselves stay awake until midnight to say Merry Christmas. Santa definitely did not visit our house, but everyone seemed happy nonetheless. We g ave our family a picture frame and it sits in the kitchen. They put pictures of family they have in the States in it.
We then made a New Year’s trip to go see our prior host families in Masaya. We stopped off for a quick second in a different town on the way called Jalapa to visit with an English professor we know there. Her family was amazing and kind and showered us with food and coffee and earrings and other small treasures before we left. I also got to visit my counterpart who doesn’t live in my site---and I needed the help of this professor to be able to find where she lived…needless to say, there is no direct bus there. Her family also insisted on feeding us bread and coffee and then cooking us a big lunch. It was then off to Masaya, to return to the beginning so to speak. It was great to see our old host families. We really celebrated the day before NY EVE more than the 31st—it was San Sebastian Day? or something of the sort….it was sort of like Mardi Gras but more dangerous (-: what with all the burning bulls (made of wood and paper) and live fireworks in the streets—we danced with Matt’s host family in the street until 2am. We also had the chance to see some of the other volunteers and it was great to catch up with them. We made a quick trip down to the Laguna before heading back to our site—worn out but happy. It feels really good to be back in Quilali, though the bus ride to and from is still something….well, something.
We have been hanging out with our family and counterparts and went out to a different community yesterday with my counterpart to meet some of her other friends and swim in the river. Today we re-visited our friends down at the basketball court in the campo and it was great to see them again too. We have had lots of inquiries about English classes from adults and kids of all ages, so it should be interesting to see what groups we end up forming.
We leave again in just a few days to go to a training with our counterparts in Managua. I am excited to see everyone and have an official work function with my counterparts, but I don’t really feel ready to leave Quilali again yet! Guess that is a good thing!
We have been having lots of fun lately and I am constantly surprised at how welcome we are into every house we visit. The pace of life is certainly different in our site but we like it. I think every person we meet invites us to their farm! I start going to meetings for faculty etc. on January 17th, so the days of playing, meeting people, getting acquainted with my site, and studying Spanish are few and far between!
Hope everyone at home had a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S! GO TCU!
LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

Sometimes all you want is a blueberry muffin.

Or a wheat bagel with cream cheese. I don’t know why I am torturing myself with these thoughts this morning, Christmas Eve, but there you go and there you are.
So far, Christmas here is the same but different. The same in that people do put out Christmas Trees and decorate them. I am not sure if presents are something that will come later or not. People go to church. Families get together and cook a ton of food and drink and are merry. The differences are more like what they cook---nacatamales etc. and drink---compuesto (fruity drink with liquor in it). Also, even though people here will all say it is “helado” or freezing out, it is probably about 65 or 70 degrees F outside.
I am missing friends and family a lot during this time—especially after looking at pictures of some of the newest members of my friends’ families—congrats to all the new babies!!! But realize how lucky Matt and I are to have each other and to have such an amazing host family here. While I go a little nuts for a variety of reasons some days---mainly because in my pre-PC life I was accustomed to a life of privacy and independence-and now sometimes I can’t use the bathroom, wash my face, wash my clothes, or eat exactly when (or what) I want to (we were so spoiled I now!)---our family here is composed of some of the most caring folks I have ever met---like our real family and friends back home.
Our host sister got married 2 days ago and made us her official witnesses. It was a civil ceremony and she had it in the living room of her house. Matt and I sat at a table with the soon to be married couple and the judge? And we swore to tell the truth and nothing but, or something to that effect (-: and at the end signed this big, official looking book. It was really neat and super touching that we were included in that way. Then we ate tons of food in her backyard with a handful of family and friends. Then there was a grand dance party in the living room, and for some reason, it is the highlight of the party if the gringos dance. Matt danced with all the ladies and a million pictures and memories were made. We stayed out until midnight (a first for me here) and marched home with our host mom, aunt, cousins, nephews and nieces….it really sort of reminded me of home and family events there….
So tonight, Christmas Eve, I think we are celebrating again but in our house. I am sure a dance party and nacatamales are on the list of things to do—dancing to ranchera and reggaeton may never get old….
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone at home. Love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Missing you tons and sending big HUGE HUGS and smiles to all of you.

Corn Puddin

ALGO ASI…SOMETHING LIKE THIS….
I am thinking long and hard about family today as it is the season and all that---also I know part of my family is gathering today to celebrate Christmas a little early. I miss all of you guys and love and appreciate each and every one of you SO much.
We’ve been spending our time here in site much like before, walking for hours on dirt roads visiting farms, eating eggs, beans, and tortillas, talking with strangers etc. Just yesterday we went to visit a farm that is in the family---consisted of a little bus ride, hitching a ride in the back of a pickup, taking a little boat across a river, and walking and walking and walking—oh yeah and carried live chickens with us—I found I was most comfortable holding them upside down by their legs…it was beautiful but quite a different world than what we are used to---as is most everything for us. We picked mandarins off some trees while some of the family made some tortillas beans and eggs….we walked through a field of platano trees….pigs and chickens roamed between our legs freely as we ate….we helped sweep the dirt as is the custom…then we visited a nearby neighbor, and oddly enough, we were invited in for some coffee and corn on the cob (or the Nica equivalent) while watching a videotape of the funeral of this family’s grandma. Yes, this is the second time I have witnessed such an event---apparently it is quite common for everyone to have a video of their loved one’s funerals and to watch them often. A little awkward—yes—sure—but it is a feeling I am adjusting to. Then we were serve corn porridge—pudding type stuff and had a hard time getting down the gigantic bowls we were served but managed it. How incredible is it that everyone wants to share everything they have is the thought I always keep in mind. We sat around for some time, which is also something I am adjusting to—and then the husband of the house showed up with his horses—saddled up one of them and one of the little kids led the horse around while Matt and I each took a turn riding. They really got a kick out of this. The trip home was much like that of the trip there---but took a lot longer as no ride came along and then we missed a bus and waited and waited in a little town between here and there---finally caught a ride in the back of a pickup and one of my possible students was in there with us (neat), but the truck didn’t take us quite all the way home…..we could have walked the rest of the way if it weren’t for the huge sacks of corn and beans we had with us that weighed too much for even Matt to carry…so we waited again…..eventually another bus came along that took us into town. All in all our day lasted from 6 am when the first bus left until about 630pm. Matt and I like to refer to it as Corn Puddin’ Day. It was really fun and beautiful and awkward all at the same time.
More to come---our internet service can be sporadic and there have only been a couple days so far where the electricity has been out most the day so that is a plus. Thinking about the school year and the conference we have coming up with our Nicaraguan counterparts. Also, have been recently informed we may be hosting another Teacher Workshop sometime in March….vamos a ver.
Missing a Texas Christmas

OH AND SOME EXCITING NEWS=OUR PO BOX where we can receive mail:

Julie Westerman/Matt Reid
Apartado Postal 21
Ocotal, Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua´
Centroamerica

Well been in site for a week or so now---and contrary to what everyone told us, we have NOT been bored or found ourselves with too much down time….that may change but it may not.
Upon arriving in site, our host mom’s dad had passed away so we experienced roughly the equivalent of a Nicaraguan wake our first day in site, which also happened to be Thanksgiving. It was really beautiful and involved a mass, lots of singing and instruments, flowers and analter, and the sharing of a lot of food.
The next day we spent mostly running around all day with the neighborhood kids, playing basketball, soccer, hide and go seek, and other games that I didn’t understand the names of---we received piles of little gifts from all the kids, including drawings and friendship bracelets. We set up a meeting with these kids to see if we may be able to start up some type of youth group for the month of December (dec and jan is their summer break, so they have looooaaadddss of free time now). We’ll see how that goes.
The next day was the monthly meeting for all the professors in the area, Matt and I went and observed and listened while our group of English teachers discussed goals and changes they would like to see in the future (in Spanish) . They also had to compile an evaluation for the whole school year to give to our director. It was especially nice because we got to hang out with all of our counterparts in the same place.
Following day we went to visit the farm of the family of one of my counterparts—we hopped a bus from her house on the edge of town and rode for just about 15 minutes down a dirt and incredibly bumpy road---I am sure these roads become impassable during the rainy season. And the bus was jam packed—including all the aisle space, with people hanging out the back a bit. Her farm was beautiful and the family there was especially welcoming and kind---we went for a long walk through the bosque or forest as this part of town is called, to a suspension bridge that was just recently built. My counterpart says that previously the folks on the other side of the river often could not cross because of floods. However, on the other side of the bridge there are also amenities. My counterpart’s niece came along with us, about 9 years old? And she is like a sponge for the English language—I had a great time teaching her words. Back at the farm we were served coffee and oranges and sweet bread. We climbed a tree and walked around and talked some more before starting for home. It was a long walk home since we opted not to take the bus, but after about an hour, a mini bus came along and the driver new my counterpart so he offered us a ride. The sunset over the mountains and the river was gorgeous.
The next day we went to observe University level classes that take place at the school were matt teaches, but only on the weekends. We will be pursuing some opportunities to help out there as well. The students were only taking exams, but we had a chance to meet the English students and to spend some time practicing a little conversational English with them—it was fun and the students seem very motivated—as does matt’s counterpart who teaches them. After this, it was back to the house to get ready for preschool graduation—yes 3 of the 4 kids that we live with graduated from preschool. I had no idea how big of deal this was going to be—but the 96 kids and their parents were dressed for Prom and paraded down the main street to the pavilion where we had the grand ceremony. It lasted almost 2.5 hours and was pretty extravagant—also adorable and I took zillions of photos.

LATER THAT WEEK--
Sort of over graduations now that i have been to 3!!!! we did get to sit in chairs of honor and have our names announced at the high school ones....
got to climb a mountain
and play some wicked games of soccer with the kids--one of whom we think should be on a professional team---those kids outplay us, and they dont ever drink water!!! OR wear shoes....man could i go on, but i won,t.

i will tell you all that we miss you and love you. i try not to--but i cannot help but think of all the things we are missing, all the babies and holidays and birthdays and coffee with the momma in law, we REALLY miss you guys. Please write when you can and let us know how you are---it helps!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE
JULIA Y MATEO

QUILALI!!!! Site visit week

Ok so there is WAY WAY too much to say so the following is something i banged out super quick, love you all and know it may be hard for anyone to visit our site, since it{s a long ways off, but its super quaint and safe and GORGEOUS!

QUILALI!
I do not know where to start! After 3.5 hrs bus to Ocotoal, about 2 hours at the bus terminal, and 4 bumpy windy hours later through the mts we arrived at our site around 6 pm at night. Thankfully, matt’s counterpart and his subdirector were there to meet us at the bus stop. We were ex-hausted!
We briefly met the pastor’s wife had some refrescos, and were then on our way to our new host family. Our house is precious—and really nice. We have our own room that use to be a closet but it has lovely tile floors and all the walls connect with the ceiling! They also painted it just for us—the only room that is painted in the house (the paint was actually still wet when we arrived).
Our host family is awesome—our host mom Esperanzita is tiny and cares for many little ones—we basically live in a day care. In fact, last night, we had a dance party with the little ones---I think I can really learn a lot from them! Our kitchen is gorgeous and they let us cook when we want---matt made chicken curry for everyone one night—delicious!
The people here have been nothing short of fabulous—it is a veeerrry small town (well not compared to some other volunteers)---sort of way off in the middle of tons and tons of beautiful mountains and rivers. On the way here we saw such an interesting mix—pine trees! With palm trees and mangos! It is like something out of a movie for sure. I left my camera behind this trip but look for pics to come on FB soon.
My sub-director has been our main point of contact—it’s been sort of nuts, as is the life here I suppose, running around meeting all the people at my school and matt’s and the police and the Education Department plus various neighbors and family members. Matt and I even sort of taught a class on the spot yesterday~ Our town is very religious and apparently there have been lots of non prof organizations already doing work in our little town (yes it already feels like our little town). Oh and get this, My subdirector lived in San Antonio, TX for a year and a half along with Matt’s counterpart, Johana.
Oh yeah, Matt has one female counterpart at the semi-privado school—which happens to be an Evangelical School WHICH on the weekends doubles as a University, and his male counterpart is off in the hills in a nearby community.
I don’t really know how to adequately describe anything right now---my mind is so full of names and faces, and my emotions are an insane rollercoaster of awe and happiness and shock of “whoa this is home for 2 years….Overall, so far, I really love quilali and the people here—they have been SOOOOO kind and welcoming and are genuinely excited to have us here. Will keep you guys posted and please send us some updates! In a few days it’s back to our training towns to finish training=Spanish interview, final portfolio/ESSAYS, Teacher Taller, Youth Group, aiyyy yaii yaiii…………..
MISS AND LOVE YOU ALL

BUCKETS annnnnd Site Placement!!!!!

Buckets, and Barrels, and Pans
Amazing how much of my life here revolves around these things….The barrels are a standard at every house I have been in here---we keep them full of water all the time (5-7 huge ones at my house) in case of a water outage and just for daily tasks in general. You use smaller buckets to get water out of the big barrels to put water in the medium size bucket that sits in the shower room. You then use a small plastic pan/bucket thing to pour the water from the shower bucket onto your body. The big barrels also come in handy if the water is out and you reallllly need to wash something. Also, to flush the toilet at my house anyways (‘member Matt has a latrine), you also use a small bucket to get water from one of the large barrels to pour into/flush the toilet. I also use a small pan/bucket to wash my face at night and to get water from the deep sink that we try to always keep full in order to wash the dishes. I know you may be thinking, all this standing water, what about mosquitoes? There is a powder here, which I can’t think of right now (but will likely be buying frequently) that you can sprinkle in said water that keeps the little buggers at bay and is non-toxic. Brilliant! We also keep the barrels covered with lids or big wooden boards. I don’t know if this will be exciting to you all or not, but I thought I would share my love and appreciation for Barrels, Buckets, and Pans with everyone at home!


Now, THE BIG NEWS!!!
We had site placement yesterday and Matt and I will be living in DRUM ROLLLLLLLLLL PLEASE
Quilali, Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua
For the next 2 years!!!!!
That is in the Department of Nueva Segovia and it is waaaaayyyy up north near the border of Honduras and Nicaragua. You pronounce it KEY-LAH-LEE (or something close to this, with the accent on the last “i”. It looks pretty tranquilo—it is a town of about 13,000 peeps, is surrounded my mts., there is a look out point we can hike to—as well as a spot on the river where people go to swim and relax that is supposedly clean and well maintained. Matt has taken to saying that we are going to be “hillbillies in Nicaragua”. There are men’s baseball and soccer leagues---none for ladies yet, something which if there is any interest at all I will be working to change (-: and a few high schools, elementary schools and a university nearby. There is cell phone service and internet cafes so it should be easy to stay in touch. It should take us between 5-7 hours to get there by bus from Managua—The closest “big” town is called Ocotal. This part of the country also has a cooler climate than other parts. It is suppose to be very safe, but if it rains a lot the roads may become tricky.
I will be working in the public high school with 2 lady counterparts and matt will be working in a semi privado (yes that is semi private) high school with a male counterpart—and we are both expected to reach out to other area teachers and the University to plan workshops etc. We are living with a woman and her grandson and a couple nieces ??? (we aren’t really sure), but one of our bosses told us yesterday that she is crazy---so that is exciting (-: So she told us she is really nice actually and pretty liberal especially by Nica standards. We will have one volunteer in our site from the Health Sector and there are a bunch in the Department but a few hours away…
We will know OH SO MUCH more about our site after next week when we actually go to visit for 7 or so days!!!! I hope to have some pics and more details. On Wednesday morning Matt and I will be on a bus on our merry way---we only have to take 2 buses to get there, and then find a taxi to take us to the high school where supposedly our counterparts or someone?? will be waiting for us. Yes, this is sort of intimidating, but I just keep thinking of all the others in my group who are doing this alone! You guys rock! There is only girl from our group going further north than us, and I don’t think she will be toooo far away so it will be nice to have someone to visit (-:
Matt and I are pretty happy with the site—it seems like it will be a good fit for us even though it feels so crazy to be starting over after getting comfortable where we are….onwards and upwards! (literally)

PS I am sorry I never put pics on here, it takes too long! I am using FB to post pics (-:
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