I´m a real volunteer!

Swearing-in ceremony:
Don’t read this if you’re grossed out my bodily functions. And if you do decide to read it, keep in mind that Nicaragua is the #1 country out of all active Peace Corps countries for diarrhea.

So we had to be at a hotel for swearing-in at 8:30am, but since we were already staying in Managua, the trip wasn’t nearly as hellish as our typical “find a way to get to Managua by 7:00am from your pueblos that are at least an hour-and-a-half away” ventures. So we get there for our family fiestas (chatting and a ceremony), and I felt great, which was a relief considering the previous few days had been spent very near a toilet. We got through the family ceremony with no issues…then came the actual swearing-in. Right before it started, I HAD to go to the bathroom. I not-so-calmly made my way down the hall to the restroom and there was a cluster of people (what in the US we may call a line) but since in Nicaragua people don’t believe in lines, I ran to the front and took the next stall. Anyway, after about 5 minutes, I determined it was safe to return to the ceremony. Upon leaving the bathroom, 2 Peace Corps employees came running toward me because apparently the ceremony had started, and the volunteers had already sung the national anthem of Nicaragua, and were almost done with the Star Spangled Banner. Luckily, I was fine for the remainder of the ceremony…but seriously, how embarrassing/appropriate…

Ocotal:
Unfortunately I had to change houses from the original family with which I was going to live because their daughter was going to go to school in Managua, but that’s no longer the plan. So, I have a new house, new family, and yet another adjustment.

I can’t complain though; I LOVE my new family and my new house. I live with 5 women (mom, 2 sisters (14, 18), cousin (20), pit pull (6 months)) and 1 brother (19). They talk faster than anyone I’ve ever met, and it’s not just because it’s in Spanish, I swear. It’ll probably be good for my language development though…well, that’s what I tell myself anyway.

Speaking of language, I was talking to a friend from back home today and this is how the conversation went:
Me: Yeah…um…we went to…uh…this this this place for dinner…and had a, um, beer or two.
Friend: Yeah…um…are you having problems speaking English?
Me: Yes.

It’s weird, learning a new language, because you always learn the most elementary words first, so when you want to talk in either language, you tend to go with the simplified version of everything. Apparently in my case, I can’t even make a sentence with basic vocab in English – I wonder what I sound like in Spanish…well actually, I’d rather not know. So, I’ve learned that I totally should’ve taken the GRE prior to this experience. I’m only three months in and already can’t speak English. When I decide to apply to grad school I’m going to have to explain in each essay for all schools why I matched the score of a 4 year-old in the vocab section. Eh, oh well.

Ocotal is beatuiful.For example, last night we were hanging out at a bus stop having a few beers (common, i guess), and the stars were absolutely incredible. I felt like I was at the IMAX watching a really good movie about the universe. I even saw a shooting star. The only thing missing was Morgan Freeman narrating...

Sorry there anren´t any photos this time. I´ll make sure the next ones are good...