A la Iglesia

I managed to get to church this morning.  Luckily, someone from the U.S. Embassy in Managua is a member of the church and was able to give me a ride, though I think he had quite the time finding my hotel.  Addresses in Nicaragua are very interesting.  They don't use street names or house numbers.  It's all about point of reference.  I heard that it is the same in Venezuela.  But I'll get to that in a minute.

So the lighting was a little off for this picture, but this is the
courtyard of my hotel.  Very pretty.

At church I met a girl who spoke fantastic English.  I didn't detect a bit of an accent, so I asked her where she learned English.  It turns out that she was born in the U.S. and lived there until she was 12.  Her family had to live Nicaragua during the Civil War because of political persecution.  They ended up in the United States.  But they returned to Nicaragua when she was 12.  After she graduated from High School, she went back to the States and has been going back and forth often since then.  Right now she and her mother are trying to take care of some things so they can move back to the U.S.  So, needless to say, her English is excellent.  And what's even crazier is that she has a sister that lives in Vienna, Virginia.  That's very close to me!  It always is a surprise when you can find connections with people from all over the world.
After church, I got a ride from a woman who is from Mexico.  Her husband works for the Japanese Embassy.  I really enjoyed talking with her, and practicing my Spanish.
Now I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the rest of my day.  I am exhausted, I think partly from the heat, and I'm not sure when my colleagues are going to be arriving, or where they will be staying.  It's possibly that some of them have already arrived.  But I don't know where they are.
Anyway, I think I'm going to take a little nap.  Especially since I couldn't sleep past 6:00 this morning.  There were lots of very noisy birds.  But somehow I don't mind being woken up by bird calls.  It lends a peaceful feeling to it all.

La Hospitalidad Nicaragüense

I had an interesting day today after my last post.  I called both of the numbers I was given of people I could contact so as not to be alone in Managua.  The first one, there was no answer, so I left a message (in horribly mangled Spanish because I didn't think through what I would say if I got voice mail).  The second one was at work, but said she would call me 2 hours later to see what was going on.  In reality, the second one had seemed less enthusiastic about it, even though she was the name I was given and the other was the family of the person I was told about.
I was going to try to rest, but it is really hot and extremely humid here in Managua.  Then I realized that I was really hungry, so I decided to go and find a place to eat.  I didn't want to go out by myself, but I also didn't want to stay in my hotel alone, hungry.
I asked at the reception desk where I could change money (I assumed I would need to pay with Cordovas, the Nicaraguan dollar, at a restaurant) and where I could find a restaurant.  At first the receptionist told me it was best to go to Metro Centro (which I later found out is a giant mall that seems VERY American).  She tried explaining to me how to get there by bus, then decided I would never understand and told me it was better to call a taxi.  Since I was waiting for a phone call, I told her that I didn't want to go very far.  It's lucky that I didn't, but I'm getting ahead of my story.
She told me there was a Tip Top, a place which seems very much like KFC, down the street a couple of blocks.  I decided to go there.

The "Baby Shawer" and yes, that is what they called it, no
other name in Spanish

I was really surprised that a fast-food restaurant had servers.  They brought me a menu and later my food.  As I was eating my lunch, someone came in and came up to me.  I didn't know what to think when he started talking to me, especially since he knew my name.  But then he explained that he was the husband of the woman I had tried to call earlier, and for whom I had left the message.  I was really surprised!  I didn't expect them to come looking for me.  But they really seemed to be concerned about me being alone.  He told me that he went to the hotel and asked for me, and was told that I wasn't there.  He was very worried that I had left by myself.  The topic of my being alone came up later, as well.
He, Manuel, took me on his motorcycle to their home where I met his wife, Maria Jose and her parents.  They were extremely hospitable, giving me the best seat in the house.  They were going to a baby shower at the church, so I walked with the Maria Jose to a local store to buy a present.  I got a powerade, but she paid for it.  The baby shower was interesting because it was very much like a baby shower in the U.S.  It's hard, though, sometimes to know what comes from the U.S. because of it being the U.S. and what comes by virtue of the connection with the church.  One of the foods they served was Chow Mein.  Who would have thought that I would go to Nicaragua and eat Chinese food?
Oh, here's some interesting things I learned:  Maria's father lived in Penza, one of the cities in Russia where I served my mission.  Manuel served a mission in Panama with an Elder Ross from Las Vegas.  I served with an Elder Ross from Las Vegas at the same time.  I showed him a picture (it's lucky that I have so many pictures on my iPod) and he said that the Elder Ross that served in my mission looked similar to the one that served in his.  Maria's mother has been to South Dakota (which although it isn't my home state is surprisingly close).
Anyway, after the baby shower, we went to Metro Centro.  It was the strangest thing.  Maybe I'm weird because I don't like to go to another country and feel like I'm the U.S.  Isn't it supposed to be different?  Yet in this mall they had a Payless Shoes, the clothing styles and prices were basically the same (how does that work?  Especially when there is a horrible poverty in Nicaragua) and the food court had Pizza Hut, Burger King, McDonalds, Quiznos, Subway, and a couple Chinese restaurants, the same as you would find in most food courts in the U.S.  Manuel asked me if I missed my country and I asked, how can I?  It's not possible to miss something that is all around you!  I also saw a Domino's during one of my rides through town.  It makes me feel like the U.S. culture is taking over the world!  In some ways I don't think that would be a bad thing, at least in terms of not accepting corruption as inevitable (as well as other similar things), but what are we losing?  And, I'm sorry to say, I don't think McDonalds is America's best gift to the world.
Anyway, I feel a little bad, though.  These people were really worried about me, someone they had never met before.  They were worried about me staying here by myself.  They were worried about me getting around Managua.  I often think that Americans are generous, but its a different kind of generosity.  Americans are generous to people they know and to charities, but to help out someone they don't know . . . well I have doubts that someone in the U.S. would have done the same for me as they did.  And the sad thing is, I don't know if I will ever have the opportunity to pay them back.  I somehow doubt they will ever need a guide in the United States, or Mexico, or whatever country I end up in in the future.

Bienvenid@s a Nicaragua!

Ya que estoy en Nicaragua por un viaje de inmersión, voy a tratar de usar solamente español . . . Entonces, tengo que escribir en español también.
Ok, maybe that's taking the whole immersion a little far since most of you probably don't speak Spanish.

Welcome sign at the airport

So here I am . . . at my hotel in Managua.  It is very pretty, well at least parts of it are.  It was very interesting to look out the taxi window on my way here.  I saw people on horse-drawn carts.  I asked the taxi driver about it, and he told me they are used to transport goods.  There is a public transportation system here, but it is rather old, so it is more common for people to use taxis.

The courtyard at my hotel

I was sad to see a man with stubs for arms and legs being driven in a cart on the back of a bike by a boy, who I assume was his son.  I saw a lot of graffiti, some run down parts, and then some very beautiful parts.  It is quite a difference to look at the view of the courtyard from my hotel compared to what I saw on the short ride here.
Oh, and people cross the street without any fear!  I should have asked the taxi driver if a lot of people get hit by cars, because it doesn't seem possible that people could cross like that without getting hit!  But maybe people don't get hit because its more of a hassle for the driver.  Who knows.

The Adventure Begins

Here I am on my way to Nicaragua.  I'm sitting in the airport and didn't find myself inconvenience in any way more than the last time I flew nearly a year ago.  In fact, it was all really quick.  I guess that happens when you arrive at 5am.  Less people are crazy enough to fly that early in the morning.
I'm flying out of Reagan National Airport.  I have never been to this airport before.  I've always flown through or to Dulles.  This airport feels much smaller.  I kind of like that.
I've had a lot on my mind lately, what with studying Spanish and trying to get ready to leave for Mexico.  Sometimes I think I must have been crazy to want this life.  Moving is stressful under any circumstances, even more so when you're moving to a different country.  And as much as I love my cat, he adds an extra level of stress.  Every country has their own animal import regulations.  Luckily, Mexico isn't too difficult.  The only thing I'm finding difficult is that the health certificate needs to be issued within 5 days of entering.  Since I'm driving to Juarez, that could be a little tight.  I received a recommendation to have the health certificate issued in Juarez, but that means I have to worry about finding a vet in El Paso and in DC for his shots rather than one to do both.
But despite everything I need to get done, I'm right on track to do so.  I just have to hope that the nerves that haven't failed me yet will get me through the next couple months with my trip to Nicaragua, Spanish test, moving, and beginning a new job.
As for the Spanish test, I keep hearing all these tips on how to pass.  The most consistent counsel that I'm getting is that you need to stay calm.  When you get nervous, the grammar starts to break down.  Luckily for me, I generally take tests very well.  But this test makes me more nervous than nearly any test I've taken before.  But here I have hope.  I was much more nervous for the oral exam, and I passed that!  Although I felt nervous right up until I was there, then my natural disposition to not worry about things that I can't change, took over.  Once the exam starts, there is nothing more I can do to prepare, so why worry?  Already I feel my nerves calming a little.  Right now I'm on track with my Spanish training.  Yo puedo hablar español.  Ya aprendí el subjuntivo, y me falta 6 semanas para el examen.  Tengo mucho tiempo para estudiar y mejorarse.
So, I think I just need to put it out of my mind.  And instead turn to thinking about getting around Managua by myself . . . No one could ever say that this job isn't an adventure!

P.S. I haven't left the U.S. and I'm already tired of being stared at!

Another Update

I've really been meaning to be better about writing, but my life is honestly pretty boring lately.  I'm studying Spanish... full time.  However, I am going to be going to Nicaragua soon for an immersion trip.  I'm both excited and a little nervous about it.  I'm hoping it'll be good.