2 days until participants arrive!

The participants are coming on Thursday...on flights from all the the US. We'll be picking them up from 10am till 4pm from the airport.
We've been trying to get stuff done. We've created a kitchen, 2 showers, 22 beds, made tons of "don't drink the water signs" etc. I've cleaned so much it's not even funny. We still need to make a few more beds, buy supplies and food, and make the final details. We're on halt because there is no money and no car (the battery broke.)
It will all get done.
Peace out.

3rd day of work down...lots more to go!

We are staying in a house the Ramos family rented across the street from theirs. Today they moved out of their upstairs so that we can move the girls in when the participants get here in a week. We have 10 days to get ready but we really need the time. Nothing was set up when we got here. No running water, no beds, no kitchen. Imagine! We´ve finally got the kitchen supplies but nowhere to put them. We are making shelves tomorrow. Water is finally running and they are working on a generator so that it won´t go out when the electricity goes out (all the time!) We were finally able to take a shower last night which felt amazing! I haven´t stopped sweating. Sounds horrible but you know how much I love it! It did take some getting used to this time because I was expecting more to be set up. I complained a little. Still complain when we have to clean every kitchen utincil becasue they were in dingy storage unit. Alberto and his right hand man, Juan de Dios are cooking us amazing dominican meals.
Last night we went out for a beer. I was imaging a U.S. bar but should have know better. It was outdoors...latin music blasting...dancing! Amazing!
My teammates are great. Everyone has traveled a lot so we have a lot to talk about! Everyone is 25 except for JBob who is 32. JBob is a high school Spanish teacher from Montana. He is super sweet...would do anything for anyone. Adrianne is an outdoor Ed teacher from California who reminds me of Carolyn Hejny Stang. Meag is an outgoing geek (that is how she would describe herself) obsessed with the Spanish language. She lived in Spain for 2 years and this is her first time in Latin America. It´s a bit of a shock for her but she is doing really well! Dave is very goofy and great with the kiddos because he comes from a family of 11.
Lot´s of dominicanos around are helping a ton with the work. The high school participants are going to love them!
Peace!

New Adventures!

I'm off to Latin America again. Dominican Republic this time. First stop: Bozeman, Montana for Visions Service Adventure training. Check out the org's website: http://www.visionsserviceadventures.com/

Stay tuned for more :)

Photos!

Here is a preview of the photos from my trip. To see more check out
http://puravidalavidadeprofekatie.shutterfly.com/

Itches!

The caves in Belize were amazing! We took a bus ride with an English family and a couple from the states. We wore scrubby cloths and hicking gear. We walked 40 minutes along a river into a jungle. We had to cross the river 3 times before we got to the caves. We put on our head lights and jumped into the clearest blue water coming from a river in the mountains. Entering the cave felt like we were searching for hidden treasure. We swam, walked, and climbed for an hour and a half throught tunnels and caverns until we reached the dry cave where we found ancient mayan pottery and skeletons. We saw stalagtites and stalagmites (spelling?) and crystals.
When we left we ate sandwiches and everyone changed into dry clothes (Ashley and I forgot clothes so we went home wet.) Later that night I noticed a rash on the stomach and legs. It was red, bumpy and slightly itchy. It hasn´t spread but it has gotten more itchy and tingly.
We ate dinner at a great Belizian restaurant called Elviras (coconut lime talapia with rice and cabbage salad with fresh orange juice.) I also tried a traditional Belizian FryJack with is a fried flour tortilla served with maple syrup. Delicious!
The hostel we stayed at in San Ignacio, Belize was sweet. We were in a dorm but we had 2 beds in a loft. The owner was super chill and there was a kitched that we could make breakfast in (instant oatmeal!)
The next morning we got up super early to catch a 7am taxi to the Belize-Guatemala boarder. From there we took a micro-bus to Tikal. We spent the whole day exploring the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal. The views were amazing but I wish I had studied more about it because I didn´t really know the story behind what I was looking at. We got a free bus ride to Flores, the cute colonialesk town 1 hour away where tourists stay when visiting Tikal, with a group of Salvadorian tourists. We ate sopa tortilla and had a piece of chocolate cake in memory of Mikie on his birthday. At the end of the day my rash iched a lot and my legs got really soar from climbing up and down the Mayan temples.
The next morning we got up to catch a 9am bus to Lanquin, Guatemala. We had heard about a sweet hostel in the middle of the mountains where the views are amazing and the adventures are extravegent. On the bus ride there we met a fellow traveler named Josie (born in Sweden but goes to Northwestern in Chicago.) We traveled with her for the next few days. When we arrived at the hostel there was only room for 3 people (everyone else had book reservations because since it opened a year ago it has been at capacity!) One Israeli guy was left without a room and we felt bad for him because he was in the middle of now where without a hostel. So, we offered that he could sleep on the floor in our room. The hostel is cool because it looks like a bungalow and everyone hangs out in the open air common area. You are literally in a cloud surrounded by mountains. They have chill music playing all the time, people reading or playing cards, a full bar and they serve family style meals. One night we had pizza and the other night we had spagetti (I watched the guatemalan cooks make the homemade bread and pasta!)
The tour that we chose was a candle lite cave expedition and a hike to the top of a mountain that overlooked a waterfall and pools of crystal clear blue water. Since it had rained for 3 straight days before our trip, the water in the river was super high and the current in the cave was ridiculous. We swam in anyway, everyone holding a candle, and our guide led us through caverns and tunnels. We climbed ladders, jumped from cliffs and got to see the back of an incredibly strong waterfall. The other group went through the waterfall to get to the other side but our guide said it was too dangerous. I´m glad we weren´t allowed to go through. We floated back with the current...it was the most strenous thing I´ve done so far on this trip!
After we took a lunch break and ate sandwiches that the hostel had packed, some people went to see the crystal clear pools that were pure brown because of all the rain :( I climbed the mountain with the guide to the top for the good view. I was sweating balls and my face was as red as a tomato. It was a very intense hike. However, I took some great photos!
That night we hung out at the groovy hostel and the next morning we caught a bus with our new friend Josie to Antigua. It took 6 hours so by the time we got there we just wanted to find a hostel, eat and relax. Ashley got sick that night we a head cold and the flu. We had already bought tickets to climb Volcano Picaya the next morning but she couldn´t do it so she and Josie stayed at the hostel and slept. I went because I knew I wouldn´t get the chance to climb an active, recently errupted volcano for a while :) It was a super easy hike and we got to almost the top (the pinnicle is to dangerous since it recently errupted in April.) From the top you could see 4 different volcanos so I also got great pictures there.
Back in Antigua I met up with Ashley and Josie and we went to buy pirated movies in the mercado. I was starving so I got a plate of pork, guac, tortillas, black beans, beet salad, and a coke for $1.50. It was delicious!
We caught at 4pm bus to Lake Atitlan and arrived in Panajachel at 7pm. My plan was to find a pick up or a boat to take me straight to San Lucas while the girls stayed in Pana. However, it was too late so I stayed with them for the night. Ashley was still sick so she passed out but Josie and I went to explore the night life. We drank a good amount of rum, danced, talked with other hippy travelers and had a lot of fun!
This morning I was on a mission to find a boat to San Lucas. I went to the port expecting to pay around $4. To my suprise they wanted to charge me $35 because I was the only one who wanted to go there (it is not very touristy.) I got them down to $13 but it was very difficult and I still wasn´t very happy. I paid less than that for a 5 hour bus ride.
Finally, I made it to San Lucas and randomly ran into Jeanne and her ¨family¨ when I got off the boat. Her family walked around town with us and showed us all the distruction the recent landslides have done. Entire neighborhoods are wiped out and families have been forced to live in community buildings. The government has been slow to act on rebuilding anything. The roads still have debri in them that causes major traffic jams. I´ll put picture on facebook soon so you can see.
It´s 6pm and I´ve already had lunch with her family and stopped by to see my ahijada. Tomorrow we are going to church with Leticia and then I am going shopping in Santiago or San Pedro.
Ashley and Josie are doing some exploring around the lake and Ashley will come to San Lucas on Monday. I wanted to spend more time doing volunteer work and hanging out with the wonderful families here and she wanted to travel a bit more so it worked out well that we met Josie.
Time for dinner at the mission althought I´m still stuffed from the wonderful chicken and rice lunch Jeanne´s family made us!

A confusing country

Belize boggles my mind. They speak English and Spanish. Their road signs are in Miles and Kilometers. Their food is a mixture of everything imaginable. Their money has the Queen of England on it even thought I'm pretty sure it hasn't been an English colony for a while.
We left the Honduran Island of Utila a day later than expected (we wanted to dive one more time!) and got as far as Puerto Barrio, Guatemala. It is a transient town where travels come to leave the next day for Belize or Honduras. A tourist guide met us outside of our hotel and led us to buy a boat ticket to Belize for the next morning. We were chatting and he very openly told us that he used to work with the Mexican narcatic trafficing in Arizona and had recently been deported because some lady was mad at him for spending too much time with her boyfriend (the drug lord.) Crazy story! He helped us get a deal on a hotel and gave us a ride on his moto to find some pizza. After another 12 hour day of traveling (jumping boats and buses) Ashley and I decided to get some comfort food. We went to the mall and ate McDonald french fries and a Dominos pizza. It was soo good!
Later, we went out dancing at a really sweet club called Casa Madrid. However, I've realized that many latinos do not know how to dance. They can move their hips but they can't spin. It's no fun when they don't do spins. I now believe that dancing in Minneapolis is more fun than dancing in Central America because there is a better chance of getting a good dance partner!
This morning we got up, got our exit stamp from Guatemala, walked to the port and found some Guatemalan breakfast. We hopped on our boat heading to Punto Gordo, Belize. Then, we found a bus heading to Belmopan. After a 5 hour busride on another old U.S. school bus, we arrived in Belmopan and found another bus to take us to San Ignacio, a town on the boarder of Belize and Guatemala. That is where we are now. It is a surprisingly happening place with lots of nightlife and tourists. We are here because tomorrow we are going spulunking in caves filled with Mayan artifacts. It is supposed to be out of this world! More details to come later. Peace out!

The deep blue sea

Imagine you are in the Rainforest Cafe at the MOA...except in real life. Think Finding Nemo. That has been my life for the past 3 days. I am sitting at the computer and my body still feels like its moving with the current underwater.
After 5 lessons and worksheets, 4 quizzes, 1 final exam and 6 diving experiences, I am officially scuba certified. I've seen 3 sea turtles, 5 trumpet fish, a drum fish and millions of rainbow fish. No sharks however :(
Ashley is finally feeling better and went for a dive this afternoon. After eating soda crackers, peanut butter sandwiches and sprite for days, it was great to eat vegetable soup yesterday for dinner. Then today I went big and ate rice and beans with fresh lemonade.
Every night on this island there is a bar with Lady's Night. That means free rum all night long. (Maybe that's why I am feeling swirly.) The locals are awesome and the divers from all over the world are wicked fun! I'm currently working on my Australian, British, Danish, and Finish accent imitations.
Tomorrow Ashley and I are off to Belize to explore. We are not really sure what we are going to do there or how we are going to get there but we want to say we've visited. I told her there is no way in hell I am going to visit Belize City (my family and I went there 6 years ago and it was icky.)
Peace out dudes! Narly!

wiggles in my tummy

On Saturday morning, Ashley and I were hit with a strong case of diarrhea. We thought it would pass so we continued on our plans. We visited El Mozote, a small village in northern El Salvador where the military murdered all but one woman, Rufina Amaya. There goal was to "secar el agua del pez." In other words, they wanted to exterminate every moving being (even the cows) so that no anti-govermental fighter would be left They targeted the children because they were the "youth of the movement" We saw the building that they trapped and raped the women, the street where they beheaded the men and the tree where they hung the children. I stood speechless and confused at how someone could be so malicious and cruel. i also wondered who would support such a travesty. As with many genocidal cases in Latin America, the u.s. gave support to the Salvadorian government to kill of the "communist" gorillas who were in reality purely fighting to keep their freedom. This experience effected me more than any movie I've watched or book I've read on terror and war. It was truly walking in the shoes of the people who's live and families were affected.
Later that day is when our diarrhea really kicked in. We kindly referred to it as the waterfall. To keep to our schedule we waited 1.5 hours until our late chicken bus arrived to take us up into and over the mountains into Honduras. It took 4 hours to travel about 90 miles.
We had to stay the night in the town of Marcala instead of heading onward to Tegucigalpa (capital of Honduras..) That night was miserable. I passed out at 8pm. Ashley and I took turns going to the bathroom and didn't sleep at all. We thanked God that we were in the cooler parts of the mountains so we weren't sweating to death.
The next morning we had to take a bus to Tegucigalpa so we loaded up on soda crackers and sprite.
12 hours later we arrived in La Ceiba, a carribean town. Ashley was about dead but i was feeling much better.. We spent the night there and left the next morning to take a boat to the island of utila. We found a sweet scuba diving shop and hostel where i could get my scuba diving certificate for cheap! As I was feeling better I decided to start that day and went diving with an instructor for the first time. My ear didn't equalize completely so when I got out it was plugged. Ashkley's mom suggested putting garlic in it to absorb the congestion. The next morning the garlic was stuck inside my ear so I had to get a doctor to pluck it out. That was fun. Ashley is still sick and cannot dive but I am off for my 2nd class. More later...peace out!

Feel the dusty wind in our hair...

Tuesday morning we dawdled around Granada, saying goodbye to families and running some last minute errands. Around noon, we hopped on a bus (as best as we could hop with our 30 lb backpacks) headed to Managua. In Managua we had to take a taxi to one of the 40 million bus stations to catch a bus to Matagalpa. I love Nicaraguan taxi drivers. They are always excited to talk to passangers...full of questions and stories. This ride was long enought that we got his whole life story (he was educated until 6th grade and has been working as a welder and taxi driver ever since He loves talking about religion and politics and spending time with his family.)
We jumped on the big yellow school bus (that poses as public busses in Central America) heading North toward Matagalpa. Jade, our friend who studied abroad with us, is stationed out in the boonies with the Peace Corps. She didn´t have cell phone service so we couldn´t get ahold of her when we got there but we had planned to meet her the next morning at 8am. So, we found a decent place for $6 each, ate a wonderful dinner of Vigaron (fried pig skin with cabbage and tomatoes), fresh fruit juice and patacones (fried plaintains) all for $3. I passed out that night of pure exhaustion.
Wednesday morning, we met up with Jade and had breakfast (gallo pinto, eggs and spongie cheese). Matagalpa is in the middle of coffee country so we had an awesome cup of joe. We visited an organic chocolate factory, ate a wonderful Nicaraguan lunch (rice, beans, and meat) and spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the hotel and catching up with Jade. Ashley and I wanted to see Jade´s community but she needed a vacation away from it all so we were there to help!
That night we got all pretty and went out for a nice Italian dinner (you´d think all we do here is eat!) We had pizza and wine. Num.
Today, we all got up and went out to find pancakes for breakfast. We found a place that had a few pancakes mixed with the rest of the Nicaraguan breakfast (rice, beans, eggs, fresh fruit) and we ate a feast all for $1.50. We are pretty spoiled!
By then it was 9am so Ashley and I packed up and hitched a bus to Esteli to hitch another bus to Somoto to hitch another bus to El Espino to cross the boarder into Honduras. (I will tell you my conclusion about the boarder later.) On the other side of the boarder we caught a bus to the boarder town called San Marcos where we hitched a bus to Chuloteca, a bigger Honduran town inbetween Nicaragua and El Salvador. By that time it was 5pm and Ashley and I were exhausted! We asked around for a cheap hostel, dropped off our stuff and went to find a hamburger and coke(we usually don´t crave U.S. food but we did today!) We tried to find a local place but all they had was chicken so we ended up going to a Wendy´s. It was a blessing in disguise because the Wendy´s was air conditioned and had a CLEAN BATHROOM!!! We spend an hour or two chatting, eating, enjoying being cool and dry.
My conclusions about boarder crossings.
Nicaragua\Costa Rican boarder (Pacific side) - busy but easy to get through (when its not raining)
Costa Rica\Panama boarder (Pacific side) - ridiculously busy and annoying as hell. They made my whole bus line up 3 times for different things like passport stamps and customs. It took 5 hours and they didn´t even look throught people´s bags. Its all about the motion but they don´t actually do anything.
Costa Rica\Panama boarder (Atlantic side) - fricking sweek. There is no line nor customs. The traffic is one way at a time over an old wooden bridge. Most people walk it which takes extreme balance (especially with hicking backpacks on) because there are wooden planks missing in many places.
Nicaragua\Hondura boarder (Pacific side) - amazingly quick. No line. Some Hondurans from our bus got off early and snuck across the boarder...not sure why because Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua have a boarder agreement called los cuatro. I´ll have to look into that.

Tomorrow we are off early in the morning to make it to Perkin, El Salvador. There, we will pay our respects to the millions who died in the Salvadorian civil war, especially those who died in the massacre in El Mozote. After that, we are off to scuba dive in the Bay Islands on the carribean coast. Traveling is going well.

I miss Nicaragua already. My soul feels good there. I know that I will live in Granada someday. I feel very much at peace with Fran. He helped me realized that we are not in love with each other anymore. He has matured a lot. I hung out with him for one night and got COMPLETE CLOSURE!! I realized that I was holding on to him to hold on to my dream of living in Granada. I love them both seperately but he signified my dream to always return to Granada. Now, I can love them both seperetly. I know that Fran and I are not meant to be together ( I can do better because I´ve learned that ALL Nicaraguans lie...even the good ones!) I will be able to return to Nicaragua without lusting for him. He is not my Nicaragua anymore. Complete closure!
I am ready for a few more weeks of Central American adventure. I´m also ready to dream of my future plans and make them happen.

Mi bella Granada

Left Bagaces yesterday afternoon after visiting Marielos and Phil on the farm and eating lunch with my family. We had to take a taxi to the boarder to make it before it closed but it was worth it because the line was really short to cross the boarder.

We made it into Granada last night around 8pm after catching a bus on the Nicaraguan side of the boarder. Fran brought us to Doña Lorena´s house to drop off our bags and then we went to have a beer and TELEPIZZA!!!

This morning Ashley and I went to visit El Fortin. Everyone still remembers us and soon we had an entourage of kids following us around while we visited families. We didn´t plan on staying more than an hour but we ended up staying until 1:30 because they wanted to make us lunch. We had rice, beans, tostadas, and a whole fish (head and everything....my first experience with a fish head.)

The taxi that brought us to El Fortin charged us $4 and left us at the enterance because the roads are so bad. We bottomed out at least 5 times on the way. Rarely do any cars enter El Fortin so we had to walk the 45 min walk back to Doña Lorena´s. It rained the whole way so we were soaked in mud!

Hence, we showered and did some laundry (that I´m hoping will dry before tomorrow.) Then we went to walk around the mercado and visit Jessee´s family. There was a house for sale next to them so we asked the owner if we could have a tour. It was super cool...would be great for a hostel.

Later, we went back to the house to get Don Gustavo, Adonis and Kelvin (Doña Lorena is in Miami.) We took them to dinner to thank them for hosting us. Ashley and I have been sharing plates of food because we can´t finish all the food ourselves. It´s perfect!

Tonight, Adonis is taking us to a party at his friend Ligia´s. Tomorrow we are heading North to Matagalpa to see Jade.

Mom, the angel´s are watching out for us...along with all of our friends and family here taking care of us. We are well cared for here! We are smart safe girls and you have nothing to worry about. Love you lots!

Back in Bagaces

Finally back in Bagaces. We left Panama on Thursday for San Jose. We made a friend in Panama that drove us to the Panama-Costa Rican boarder but we missed the last bus at the boarder by 10 minutes. So, we took a bus to Limon in order to get another bus to San Jose. We arrived in Limon at 7:10pm and missed the last bus by 10 minutes. So, we stayed the night in a nasty hotel in Limon (never going back to that dirty city again.)

The next morning we made it to San Jose and then took another bus to Bagaces.

Finally we are back to the land of gallo pinto and casados. Num!!!

Last night Ashley´s brother Jeffry took us out dancing. Today we took Ashley´s sister to the community pool and tonight we are going out dancing again. Pura Vida!

Tomorrow we will make our way to Granada and stay 1 night there. Then off to new adventures in Northern Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Belize, Mexico and Guatemala!!!

¡Locura panameña!

My world has been a worldwind since Ashley arrived last Wednesday night. We have fit so much in in the past week its hard to know where to begin.

Saturday was a boat tour of the Panama Canal. Super interesting to learn the history. We had a good tour guide. It´s a once in a life time experience but I wouldn´t do it again...kind of boring and not much to see. The best part was when the boat rose up and down in the locks.

I had a bad cold so instead of going out on Saturday night, grandma Anne told me I had to stay in, drink gingerlime tea and wear a turtle neck to sweat the cold out. Her house is very cool so it didn´t work very well.

Sunday, Ashley and I left Panama City on a bus to El Valle, a small town in central Panama. The town sits in the middle of a volcano crater so we were in a Valley sourounded by cloud covered mountains. It was a very relaxing day of shopping in the mercado (fruit, vegetables and ART!!!) We ate at a small comedor while watching the Final World Cup game. We spent the rest of the night swinging in the hammocks on the balcony of our hostel, reading and playing games. Monday morning we walked out of town a bit to rent and ride horses. I was a little nervous because I hadn´t ridden since I was little. Also, when we arrived we saw that the horses were not well taken care of. Some of them were so skinny you could see their ribs. They were tied up on a pipe where there was nothing for them to do. Animals are not at all well respected in most of Latin America. Anyway, we decided to ride them (hoping the money would go toward food for the horses.) We had a guide to led us up a one of the cloud covered mountains. I was amazed at how well the horses did on the trail. They were more graceful than I could ever be. It started to rain hard so we were completely wet. However, I felt completely safe and by the end I was galloping in the rain with my horse back to the ¨stable¨. It was a totally liberating experience.

After a quick lunch (delicious chicken soup for $1.75 and natural passion fruit juice for $1) we hit the road headed north. We had no idea where we wanted to go next but we were going to decide on the 5 hour bus ride to the next big city (David). We decided to spend the night in David. This morning we headed for Bocas del Toro, a region in northern Panama on the Carribean coast. Then, we took a boat to the la Isla Colon (an carribean island.) That is where I am now. This side of Central America, from what I have seen, is a great deal poorer. I noticed that most houses are made out of wood and tin rather than cinderblock. Many of the houses are on stilts to keep away animals. Our room in the hostel is actually above the water. I looked through the crack in the wood floor and it was beautifully clear water! As we were looking for a hostel, a man told us he´d give us a double bed with an ocean view, air conditioning, and cable for $10 each. That is a good deal so we took him up on it! Our other option was a ¨tree house¨ full of beach bums lying around in their bathing suites....and those were the owners! What a wonderful job :)

Tomorrow we are taking a boat tour of the other Boca del Toro islands. We will get to see dolphins, turtles, etc. I plan to wear a lot of sun screen.

Tonight is ladies night at one of the local bars. It is slow season here (rainy here and summer in the states) so prices are super cheap! Way to go us! Hasta luego :)

Panama: the Miami of Central America!

Hello from Panama City. All has been well the past few days. After a 26 day of travel from Bagaces to Panama City (which I survived!) I set foot on new land. I had met some girls from Chicago on the bus and they invited me to hang out with them because they had a friend on the same flight as Ashley. So, we hung out at their hotel and then went to pick up the girls at the airport.
Ashley has a friend in Colorado Springs who's grandparents live in Panama City. Their bodies are aging but their personalities are as spunky and adventurous as when they roamed Latin America with 4 kids in their younger days. Ann Wenzel, a former swim guard/army brat has lived/visited every country in Latin America among others lands and collects indiginous clothing and arts. Her husband owned a tourist company in his younger years and now owns a few businesses that his kids run. He also sets up microfinancing loans for the indiginous people (Kuna) to open their own businesses. They now own a flat on the old air force base. It looks like a resort condo in Florida.
Yesterday, Ashley and I took chicken buses ($25 to anywhere and they are all over the place!) and taxis all over town. First, we biked around the Causeway, a boardwalk that connects 5 islands in the Panama Bay. Then, we stolled around Casco Viejo, an old part of town that has some ruins, cute shopping, and cute restaurants. We walked through the 5 block market in the next district over.
Today, we went to Panama Viejo, the oldest part of town that was completely burnt by Captain Morgan. All that remains are ruins of an old church and other buildings. It was like a photographers playground! Then, we visited some places of worship. Panama has the only Bahai temple in all of Latin America (Chicago has the only other one in America.) Then, we went to see a Hindu temple. We wanted to hit the Buddist temple and the Islamic mosque. The whole day I was battling a cold but I've been taking care of myself.
Ann made us Paella for dinner and we brought home cake for Howard's birthday. Ashley and I are going to find someplace to dance because Panama city supposedely has GREAT night life! Woohoo!
Tomorrow is a Panama Canal tour and rest. On Sunday we leave for our next adventure. Not sure where the wind will take us but we've got some ideas! Mom, just so you know, we are playing it very safe and staying out of trouble. We are very smart sensible girls. Love you all!

Yesterday, after a nice lunch with Doña Mauren, I went to Liberia with Gaby to buy my TicaBus ticket to Panama. Everywhere you go in Central America you wait for something or somebody. We waited for the TicaBus man to sell me the ticket. Then we went to a little botique to look at formal dresses for Gaby´s graduation dinner. She picked out a beautiful one to try on.
Then, we went to see Toy Story 3 (I partly wanted to go for the air conditioning.) It was funny but I think I missed a lot because it was in Spanish.

After that, we went home to hang out and eat dinner (fried chicken, rice, beans y te frio.) I met up with Bryan and Diego at Renur for a beer. They both speak English so we practiced.

I have to go because it is thunderstorming and I need to turn off the computer. Peace out!

Ohh one last thing that I was going to tell you is that in Granada on Friday night, Adonis and I were walking on a quiet street around 10pm and out of nowhere struck a lightning bolt. It hit something nearby and the lights left for a minute. It was soo scary! Another instance of the ongoing excitment in Central America!

I´m leaving in 30 min for San Jose on a bus and then I will take another bus to Panama...did I mention it takes 15 hours to get there? Ugh!!! Peace out!

Bagaces!

I am in Bagaces. Not much to tell because it is Bagaces. It so small that wherever you go, someone is always watching you. They are all related so news gets around fast.

I arrived last night around 6pm, hung out with my host family, ate arroz con pollo y frijoles molidos. After, I went to visit Doña Mauren, Don Rafa, Byron, Vanessa, y Fiorella. Fio gave me a big hug. She is almost 6 years old and still remembers me from 2.5 years ago. She has a picture of us at the beach when my mom came to visit. Tomorrow I leave for San Jose and from San Jose I go to Panama.

Ambitious

I got cut off last entry because Doñá Lorena was done making phone calls. Anyway...Watching the funeral, I thought about how lucky I a to see costumes and traditions all around the world...or at least in Latin America. People invite me into their lives and I just fit. I kind of love it!

After the funeral, Doña Lorena, Don Gustavo and I walked home (stopping at the cyber to make some phone calls.) I quickly packed and took a taxi to Doña Dulce Maria´s house. I watched Telenovelas with her and her 21 year old niece, Jaqueline. I played games and watched cartoons with Mario, Filena´s son. All of a sudden the water tank started to leak so we got the ladder out and Jaqueline climbed up to the top. The tank is in the patio of the house (in the center of the house there is a 5 X 5 ft opening in the roof, open to all the elements. They call that the patio. Anyway, I climbed up half way (scared of hights) but even from there it felt like I was on the top of the world....on top of the house at least...looking at the stars and the moon in the deep dark sky and feeling the warm breeze brush across my face. Amazing. It turned out that we had to turn the tank off so we went outside to turn the ¨key.¨ However, there was no key and nobody knew what to do. After digging around in the mud we decided to let the water pour and in the morning the tank was empty.There is never a dull moment in Nicaragua. Even when you think you are bored, just wait; something will happen. (I will repeat this again later in this post.)

Friday morning I woke to Mario Javier whispering, Katy, wake up!¨ It just so happened that the city water ¨se fue¨ so we had to take bucket showers!!! Jaqueline cleaned the house (that is her job) and I played with Mario and watched the Brazil v. Netherlands game (everyone here was rooting for Brazil.) We ate breakfast and then went to run some errands. Mario ate a footlong hot dog by himself and we all drank red Fanta (which made our tongues red!) We went grocery shopping and paid some bills. Later, we returned to the house and ate lunch. In the afternoon, I went to a meeting at Jaqueline´s school (she works as an English Teacher in Academia Europa, a redeemed language academy.) They asked me to be a substitute teacher on Saturday and I said yes! Friday night, I went back to Doña Lorena´s to watch a telenovela (Donde esta elisa?) Later, Adonis and I went for a walk to the lake and to drink a Tonya.
This morning I got up at 6:30am because I had to be to school by 7:30am. I could never do this in Minnesota but here it seems easier to wake up in the warmth. I taught an English class to high level students. 1 from Denmark (high schooler living in Nicaragua with her parents who ¨wanted something different¨) and 2 from Nicaragua. We had discussions and did some vocabulary activities. The program Academia Europa is very well organized and has good people running it. They have high expectations and use good language acquisition methodology. They offered me a full time position and man did I want to take it but I feel that I need to stay at Wellstone for one more year. They said the doors are always open :) Teaching English is hard because I don´t know any of the rules. I´d have to learn. All morning, we got updates on the Argentina v. Germany game. There were many disappointed students when Germany won.

After teaching, I went to visit Mario and Dulce Maria. Mario and I played (rode bikes and scooters around the house and threw the frisbee in the patio.) Then, I left for the park to watch the Spain v. Portugal game on the big LCD screen. Hundreds of Nicaraguan and gringo world cup fans gathered in the park to watch. They also had the very Latin American hoochymamma dancers and bass singer.

Now, I am sitting in Cafe Email trying to stop sweating and downloading pictures (check out facebook.)

Note: popular songs in Nicaragua

1. Time for Africa (Coke World Cup song) - Shakira
2. Wavin´ Flag (Official FIFA song) - K'naan feat David Bisbal
3. Baby - Justin Beeber
3. Alejandro - Lady Gaga

Tonight, Jaqueline, her friend Lenny, Adonis, Kelvin and I are going out dancing! Woohoo!

Entierro

Yesterday I walked all of Granada...and I probably sweat 3 litres. After visiting Cafe Email I walked to Dulce Maria´s. She wasn´t home so I went to visit her brother, Don Alvaro. He remembered me with a warm hug. His wife, Nelly is awesome...a very warm spirit. They called Dulce Maria and she came with Mario. I was there 4 years ago the day that Mario Javier was born. He is now WAY taller and louder (he was a quiet baby :) It was amazing to see Dulce. Each time I visit her, the more I like her. This time, when I saw her and she hugged me, I felt like I had never left. Big storm yesterday and the wind blew out the lights. All night without lights...super tranquilo!
I went to a funeral today of Doña Lorena and Don Gustavo´s good friends. After mass, we walked with the hurse (horse drawn carriage) from La Iglesia Guadelupe (First church of the Americas) to the cementary...I´d say about 3 miles! People were crying the whole way...very somber. There was a cuartet playing as they put his body into the tumb and covered it with wet concrete. It was definitely an experience. Sitting in a

Oooh that feeling!

And so it begins. After a long day of flying without many delays (1.5 hr in Houston because someone´s luggage was lost) I arrived in Managua, Nicaragua. The smell of the warm tropical air filled my lungs and I was instantly alive....okay maybe I was exhaused but my spirit was aglow. My luggage made it (a big accomplishment!) Dona Lorena, Don Gustavo and Adonis had been waiting at the airport for 3 hours. They were as glad to see me as I was to see them. They brought me to their new house in ¨La Villa.¨ It is incredibly beautiful. They were embarrased because it is smaller than their old house but I think it more cozy (old house = very sterile). Adonis and I sat in the famous rocking chairs and caught up, practicing speaking Spanish and English. Then, I went to bed - sticky and hot and incredibly happy!

This morning, dissapointingly I didn´t wake up to roosters :( (That will come in El Fortin.) However, I did wake up to a huge breakfast of Gallo Pinto, eggs, rubber cheese and a fresh purple fruit juice drink (I´ll get back to you on the name of the church.) I ate breakfast with Kelvin. Usually shy, he and I chatted forever in English about everything! What a change! He is studying Business Administration and his Enlish is amazing! I lounged and tried to help make lunch (they don´t except help very well:) After a delicious lunch (un caldo de pollo, platano maduro, arroz y otro refresco rico) I left to reconocer (refamiliarize) myself with Granada. Two years later, it is still wonderfully unique. I stopped at the bank, walked through the park and now, I am at Cafe Email, listening to music by the likes of the Jackson 5, Shania Twaina, and It must have been love by Roxette and enjoying the company of my fellow North Americans, some Europeans, and my favorite people - Mario and Magda (who have worked here forever!) This afternoon I will visit Dona Lorena´s family who used to live with her but now have their own houses. I have been trying to get ahold of Dulce Maria but she must be out on the town today.

Many things here have changed and instead of cringing at the changes like I usually do, I am embracing them. This is a new trip to a place that feels like home.

Closure

It has been a week and a half since I´ve been back in Minnesota and I feel like I never left. Honestly, the whole two months that I was in Chile seem like one of those dreams where you wake up and say...what was that all about? I met some great people, realized a lot about myself and hopefully motived a few students to study...English or whatever, it would be a miracle to have encouraged most of the students I was working with to continue studying anything and not drop out of school. I think just my presence in their classroom showed some of them that it is possible to go places with education.

Here is the part where I summarize everything that I learned while I was in Chile.
At the begining of my trip I wrote that I felt like I was searching for something...what it was I had no idea. Through the struggles and the joys that surpassed me in Chile, I realized that I had been searching for openness, love and acceptance. This fact hit me after spending a few days with a family whom I met (the son is an English teacher at a high school in the area). They were the most united and close family I have ever met. I spent hours in their house just talking about everything and nothing...telling and listening to stories. To Pati, the mother, her family is everything. They do everything together. One day I was thinking about how comfortable I felt with this family when I realized that they are very similar to my family. That is when I realized that everything I had been looking for in Chile, I have in Minnesota and Wisconsin. I have family who accept me and love me, I have friends to whom I can tell everything. Now, I feel like it is my time settle down for a while and share this openness, love, and acceptance with other people who are searching it.

For the first time, I felt completely elated to come home after traveling. My heart was not torn apart and I didn´t feel like I needed to be in any other place besides at home in Minnesota. I ran in the airport from the terminal to baggage to meet my brother.

I´ve been home for a week and half and I´ve fit more in than can be imagined. It is a complete change from my life in Chile where I barely had a social life and rarely did anything fun. I am grateful for my time in Chile and I´m glad that I got to know a little bit of Chile. Someday, (soon after I save up money after I get a job) I would like to return to Chile to get to know the north and the south. I would also like to travel all around South America.

Who knows what life holds for me. I am glad that I made friends in Chile with whom I will always maintain contact. I am satisfied now knowing that everything I want is right here. I appreciate my family and my friends here more than ever before! I´m sure I will get the itch to travel again soon, and hopefully I will be able to teach abroad for a while. However, for now, I am content finishing my degree and finding a job around here...for now ;)

I finally woke up HAPPY!

Today was the first day that I woke up in Chile with a smile on my face. I was excited! Why? Because I have friends!

Quick update...
Thursday class went well at the elementary school. I hung out with Ryan afterward until 10ish and there was no transportation back to my house at that time so I had to stay at Jorge´s house. The next morning I was stuck at the house and was so incredibly bored because it rained all day. I finally made it back to my house and arrived to find a cranky Mirza (that is quite common these days...she is super meloncoly all the time!) I changed and left again for Ryan´s house to hang out. We had made plans with some Chilean teacher friends but we were too lazy to go out so we just watched a movie on her computer. I slept over at Ryans. Saturday was also rainy so we sat around in her cold house drinking warm tea and watching our breath. I went home in the afternoon because that night was the one year death anniversary mass for Mirza´s late husband. She was happy and sad because most of her family was there. We had a nice meal after the mass with champagne and the best tres leches cake I have ever had in my life. Then when everyone left at night, she was crushed. I went out to a pub with Ryan and some friends...I decided that it is not my job to stay in a accompany here. I came to Chile to experience the life, not sit with a lady in her lonely house. I know that sounds kind of cruel but I´m bitter about the situation that I was put in. Again, there was no transportation to return to Mirza´s house so I had to stay at Jorge´s house another night. Sunday morning I was treated like a princess at Jorge´s house. I woke up counting how many days I had left in Chile. When I went down stairs I was suprised that I was not hit by a feeling of lonelyness like most mornings...that morning people were up and moving around. I was served delicious empanadas and fish fried in water with juice. Then I went to my partner teacher, Oriana´s, house for lunch. Her family engulfed me like a daughter and fed me like a princess as well! Then I went to Mirza´s house with Jorge and as we walked in she wined "Jorge, I´m getting sick and I can´t bear living alone anymore!"...she is crying out for help! After having "once" (dinner) with Mirza and Jorge, Jorge took me back to Oriana´s house because we had made plans to go out with her student teacher. We ended up going to a club. Oriana stayed until 10pm and I stayed out with her student teacher and her friends until 2pm. We had a GREAT time! I felt really comfortable with her and like I could be myself. I danced all night with one of her friends, Leonardo. After the club closed we went to the beach to hang out for a while. Then Leonardo took us home. I couldn´t believe that I did that on a Sunday night and this morning I had to wake up at 7am. The funny thing is that I woke up more enthusiastic this morning than any other morning....even with only 4 hours of sleep!
Today I taught at the elementary school with Oriana for half a day. Then we went to Concepcion to do some errands. On the way there, somehow, I lost my wallet. I had it out to buy coffee at the gas station and I remember putting it in my lap after ward. The next time I went to get it out of my purse it wasn´t there. I dont know what is wrong with me! I need to organize myself...and maybe get more sleep :) I´ll be home in a week. I hope everything is going well with you. See you soon! Peace.