La Poza
Hiking on our way to the poza
Friday, March 28, 2008
Half-Marathon Pics
Peace Corps group before the Half-Marathon
And After...still smiling. The church in the background is of San Rafael del Norte
Monday, March 24, 2008
24 de Marzo, 2008
Hola amigos!
Well, I did it...I completed the half-marathon! Although my goal was to run the whole thing, I ended up walking about 1 or 2 kms of it because of a gut-wrenching stomach cramp that made me want to fall over and puke. But the first 15km were good. I was feeling great, had lots of energy, enjoyed the beautiful views, and was cruising with my music.
The race was surprisingly well organized, with water stops along the way, music, fireworks, and snacks and even lunch afterwards. Although I didn´t win any prizes (the $150 first prize went to a young guy from Managua), the group of Peace Corps women defied the race organizers, whom insisted women should only run the 8km race, and ran the full 23km.
Along with the race, I got a chance to see beautiful Jinotega, a city nestled in a valley of lush, green, cloud-covered mountains. The race started in Jinotega and ended in a small Sandinista town called San Rafeal, full of Sandino and Catholic history, complete with a beautiful chuch and central park.
After 9 days out of my community, I was ready to come home. I was happy to see everyone and motivated to start working again. However, last week was Semana Santa here, thus I spent a good part of the week swimming and picknicking at the river. Although Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala last year was amazing, being able to spend the holiday here doing what the locals do, really made me feel like I was experiencing the true holiday, and it was just a whole lot of fun. We hiked and rode in the back of trucks to rivers, swam, did cartwheels in the water, drank wine, ate lots of food, and hung out in the sun. And of course, the women ¨bathed¨ in their underwear, complete with soap and all. (No one wears swimsuits here!)
So this week I´m busy moving into my house and getting some work done.
Happy Easter to all!
Well, I did it...I completed the half-marathon! Although my goal was to run the whole thing, I ended up walking about 1 or 2 kms of it because of a gut-wrenching stomach cramp that made me want to fall over and puke. But the first 15km were good. I was feeling great, had lots of energy, enjoyed the beautiful views, and was cruising with my music.
The race was surprisingly well organized, with water stops along the way, music, fireworks, and snacks and even lunch afterwards. Although I didn´t win any prizes (the $150 first prize went to a young guy from Managua), the group of Peace Corps women defied the race organizers, whom insisted women should only run the 8km race, and ran the full 23km.
Along with the race, I got a chance to see beautiful Jinotega, a city nestled in a valley of lush, green, cloud-covered mountains. The race started in Jinotega and ended in a small Sandinista town called San Rafeal, full of Sandino and Catholic history, complete with a beautiful chuch and central park.
After 9 days out of my community, I was ready to come home. I was happy to see everyone and motivated to start working again. However, last week was Semana Santa here, thus I spent a good part of the week swimming and picknicking at the river. Although Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala last year was amazing, being able to spend the holiday here doing what the locals do, really made me feel like I was experiencing the true holiday, and it was just a whole lot of fun. We hiked and rode in the back of trucks to rivers, swam, did cartwheels in the water, drank wine, ate lots of food, and hung out in the sun. And of course, the women ¨bathed¨ in their underwear, complete with soap and all. (No one wears swimsuits here!)
So this week I´m busy moving into my house and getting some work done.
Happy Easter to all!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Domingo, 9 de Marzo
It's been a busy last few weeks, building gardens and viveros. With my 2 groups, I've helped fill 2,000 plant bags in preparation for our planting of tree seeds in the next few weeks.
I've also got my first Marango seed bank made with my community counterpart. This amazing, nutritional, and versatile tree from India grows extremely fast with little water, giving edible leaves, flowers, and seeds. The leaves are unusually high in protein, calcium, and iron which is great for both animals and us humans. I'm trying to get some of the people in the community, like the anemic and arthritic (so the doctors say) little girl that lives next to me, to use it in their diet.
But for now, I'm happy with the marango bank we're planting in preparation for the dairy goats about to arrive.
The youth group is now up and going and we have lots of plans, including footbal games and field trips to the local library and maybe even the beach! The normal curriculum here doesn't include after school sports, PE class, libraries, or field trips, so the club events can hopefully supplement their education.
My housing plans are solidified and I'll be moving into my new place in a week or so. I have mixed feelings about that. Of course, I'm happy to get my freedom and own place, but I've grown so attached to my "family" that I am a bit sad to leave their home. The little things that used to bother me so much before are now no big deal and I feel like I've definately bonded with them. Luckily I can visit whenever I have free time.
Currently I'm back in Esteli, where I'll be attending a language workshop tomorrow with almost all of the training group. We'll be staying with host families again, but luckily Cuerpo de Paz listened to me and didn't put me back with my training family. Before heading out to the training towns, I got my fix of good (and different) food....roasted chicken, cheesecake (wow...a first here and just as good as home), cafe mocha, whole wheat carrot bread, yoghurt cheese, and of course my fix of ice cream.
And I'll be burning off all those calories with the half-marathon next Saturday!!! I've managed to stay on schedule and hope that I do allright next week. Send me energetic vibes everyone!
I'll let you all know how it goes....
I've also got my first Marango seed bank made with my community counterpart. This amazing, nutritional, and versatile tree from India grows extremely fast with little water, giving edible leaves, flowers, and seeds. The leaves are unusually high in protein, calcium, and iron which is great for both animals and us humans. I'm trying to get some of the people in the community, like the anemic and arthritic (so the doctors say) little girl that lives next to me, to use it in their diet.
But for now, I'm happy with the marango bank we're planting in preparation for the dairy goats about to arrive.
The youth group is now up and going and we have lots of plans, including footbal games and field trips to the local library and maybe even the beach! The normal curriculum here doesn't include after school sports, PE class, libraries, or field trips, so the club events can hopefully supplement their education.
My housing plans are solidified and I'll be moving into my new place in a week or so. I have mixed feelings about that. Of course, I'm happy to get my freedom and own place, but I've grown so attached to my "family" that I am a bit sad to leave their home. The little things that used to bother me so much before are now no big deal and I feel like I've definately bonded with them. Luckily I can visit whenever I have free time.
Currently I'm back in Esteli, where I'll be attending a language workshop tomorrow with almost all of the training group. We'll be staying with host families again, but luckily Cuerpo de Paz listened to me and didn't put me back with my training family. Before heading out to the training towns, I got my fix of good (and different) food....roasted chicken, cheesecake (wow...a first here and just as good as home), cafe mocha, whole wheat carrot bread, yoghurt cheese, and of course my fix of ice cream.
And I'll be burning off all those calories with the half-marathon next Saturday!!! I've managed to stay on schedule and hope that I do allright next week. Send me energetic vibes everyone!
I'll let you all know how it goes....
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