Hola everyone! So I have made it through my first 2 weeks of training and I’m exhausted. Right now I’m living in a little pueblo – only 4,000 people and my schedule consists of waking up (around 5:30 because that’s when the rest of my house gets up) going to Spanish class for 4 hours, coming home for lunch, then going back to class for another 2-3 hours then going for a walk and hanging out with the new fam. The idea is that I will be sufficiently fluent in Spanish by the end of training – July 31 – here’s hoping! My training town counterparts are to the left and Gloria is our facilitator.
It’s so weird how easy it is to adapt to a completely new environment – I shower in a bucket now!! Although I’m not going to pretend I’ve mastered the art of efficiently showering in a bucket. Washing my hair is always an adventure and I’m pretty sure that my “adaptability” is more due to the fact that I’m so tired every day that I function just to make sure I get to all of my classes/training.
My family here is nice and really huge. There are 20 people living in my house and all are related somehow – I put together a family tree but think I might have missed some stuff because I still can’t figure out the exact relationships... There are some upsides to living with so many people, I always have someone to practice my Spanish with – and when one person gets bored of listening to me bumble along and butcher even the most simple phrases I can just move on to someone else. I feel like growing up in the crazy Byrne household somewhat prepared me for the communal living situation.
The town next to me (about 10 minutes walking) has this great spot the “mirador” - there are restaurants and bars at the edge of a cliff that overlooks Laguna de Apoyo and if it’s really clear you can see Lake Cocibolca (which is a lot bigger) in the distance. I walk there every night and once I got up early to run up there in the morning – awesome views any time - you can see storms coming in, cool cloud formations and some other volcanoes.
Last weekend I took a day trip to Laguna de Apoyo, the water is so clear and there are a few hotels around the lake (big tourist hangout which was kind of nice because that means other people that speak English!) I actually swam in the lake (well paddled out to the raft thing in an inner tube) and avoided getting sunburned, so I considered it a good day.
I’ve been taking the public transportation, which are old school buses or random little vans that can hold like 20 people, to get around and am pretty proud of myself because I haven’t got lost yet. I went to a horse festival in Masetepe yesterday and am planning on going to Masaya (big city – woohoo!!) this coming Saturday; I’m pretty pumped about it.
Ok back to studying - more updates later – and sorry about lack of pictures I somehow lost the battery to my camera and just foud it the other day...
It’s so weird how easy it is to adapt to a completely new environment – I shower in a bucket now!! Although I’m not going to pretend I’ve mastered the art of efficiently showering in a bucket. Washing my hair is always an adventure and I’m pretty sure that my “adaptability” is more due to the fact that I’m so tired every day that I function just to make sure I get to all of my classes/training.
My family here is nice and really huge. There are 20 people living in my house and all are related somehow – I put together a family tree but think I might have missed some stuff because I still can’t figure out the exact relationships... There are some upsides to living with so many people, I always have someone to practice my Spanish with – and when one person gets bored of listening to me bumble along and butcher even the most simple phrases I can just move on to someone else. I feel like growing up in the crazy Byrne household somewhat prepared me for the communal living situation.
The town next to me (about 10 minutes walking) has this great spot the “mirador” - there are restaurants and bars at the edge of a cliff that overlooks Laguna de Apoyo and if it’s really clear you can see Lake Cocibolca (which is a lot bigger) in the distance. I walk there every night and once I got up early to run up there in the morning – awesome views any time - you can see storms coming in, cool cloud formations and some other volcanoes.
Last weekend I took a day trip to Laguna de Apoyo, the water is so clear and there are a few hotels around the lake (big tourist hangout which was kind of nice because that means other people that speak English!) I actually swam in the lake (well paddled out to the raft thing in an inner tube) and avoided getting sunburned, so I considered it a good day.
I’ve been taking the public transportation, which are old school buses or random little vans that can hold like 20 people, to get around and am pretty proud of myself because I haven’t got lost yet. I went to a horse festival in Masetepe yesterday and am planning on going to Masaya (big city – woohoo!!) this coming Saturday; I’m pretty pumped about it.
Ok back to studying - more updates later – and sorry about lack of pictures I somehow lost the battery to my camera and just foud it the other day...
Agh Jen , I just wrote you the longest comment on this and the freakin computer erased it. Basically, I was just saying that your fam reminds me of mom's fam in RI...like her uncles and aunts. technology ruins another funny joke. dang.
ReplyDelete20 people? that's insane! but awesome. and your family definitely prepared you - if not in numbers then at least in craziness:) i'm so jealous of the little festivals and stuff you are going to, the stuff that is like, local touristy - draws nicas from other towns but not necessarily international tourists. keep blogging bc it is making me more excited to visit! and keep adding pics! <3 mol
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