Not My Final Destination, Yet Here I Am!

Oh the joys of traveling! And that is completely sarcastic in case any of you needed that disclaimer.  For as much as I love going places, I really hate traveling.  The long flights, layovers, delays, going through security, none of that is fun.  But once you get there . . . and up until you leave . . . now that is a different story.  THAT is what I love.

I may be spoiled after the Hilton.  But this is my room
here at the Comfort Inn.

So, the flight was delayed leaving DC, but I already mentioned that.  We boarded the plane just after 7:00, and that was the time that we were supposed to be leaving . . . yeah, exactly.  Then we spent the next 40 minutes waiting until finally someone told us that there were a lot of planes trying to leave and we were waiting our turn.  We were just about to take off when lightning hit the ramp and the airport was shut down.  While we were on the plane.  We waited . . . and waited . . . and waited some more.  Around 8:30 they said we could possibly leave soon.  They opened up the plane for those people who wanted to get off since they were going to miss their connecting flight.  I decided to stay on, just in case.  Plus I figured in any event I would get to Bismarck sooner by staying on the plane.

And the bathroom is definitely not
as nice.

We didn't leave until around 9:15, which was 8:15 Minneapolis time.  It's a two-hour flight, so of course we didn't get to Minneapolis until 10:10.  My flight was supposed to leave at 9:30.  Do you think they waited?  Of course not.  But then again, there were some people whose flight left at 9:50.  They didn't even hold that flight for those getting in.  There were over 140 people on that flight and over half of them missed their connections.  I was one of that lucky half.  I heard that some of the people didn't get vouchers.  I'm not really sure how that was decided, but I at least am not staying in the airport tonight.  I'm not sure what I would have done if they hadn't given me that.
I'm on the first flight out tomorrow morning which is still only at 9am.  So it totally screws up my plans for the weekend.  Well, I've learned my lesson well.  No more traveling on Memorial Day weekend, and if I do, I'm not planning on flying somewhere just to drive somewhere else.  There's just way to much depending on an undependable industry.  And why do we put up with this?  Seriously, they could have held the final flight of the evening for those coming in late.  But no.  Delta doesn't care about its customers.  After all, it is consistently ranked last in customer satisfaction.  Yet I am complicit because I continue to fly Delta.  And everyone else who flies Delta despite the poor service and absolute disregard for the needs of their customers is complicit, too.  But yet, I wouldn't fly Delta if there were more options going to Bismarck.  The other option is United.  I'm not so sure United is better.  I guess I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.  Or I'll have to create my own third option.  I suppose I could buy my own plane, right?

Just Another Crazy Airport

At FSI they put up fake predators to scare the geese away.
Most of them are cardboard cutouts, but I was surprised
to see this one the other day that looks good except
for the missing legs.  But at least this is 3D.

I am back at the airport . . . this time headed to Bismarck, though not for long.  In fact, I have so little time that I'm not even going to be able to see everyone.  And those I will be seeing will be for a short time, too.  All except Heather and Erin, that is.  We are headed to South Dakota (that is why there is so little time in Bismarck) for the weekend.  I had heard others say how difficult it is to juggle time when you go home, but I had no idea how hard it could be.
I also think I am never going to travel on Memorial Day weekend again.  This is crazy!  The airport is so packed that for a time I had to sit on the floor.  Plus they postponed my flight by nearly an hour.  Luckily I had a long enough layover that that didn't affect my connection.  I also had to do the body scan for the first time.  It wasn't so bad.  Heck, I had to get patted down before I left Nicaragua.  It was just a little weird because after I heard the guy say the woman is clean as if it was a big surprise.  I wonder if I look like someone who would try and do something illegal . . .  Nah, usually people don't suspect me of anything :) Of course that might be because I am a carrot (I just learned today in class that at least in Venezuela they say zanahoria for a person who is straight-laced/straight as an arrow).

And these are some of the baby geese running around the
campus.  You can see how well those fake predators
keep the geese away, right? :)

Anyway, so it looks like I'm going to be moving to the early schedule again.  I'm excited about that.  I really do like that schedule better.  There's just one problem.  I had a follow-up appointment for my LASIK yesterday and they said that some cells got in under my lens.  They may just die on their own, but if they multiply, they'll have to go in there and get rid of them.  So I have to go back in two weeks.  I made the appointment not knowing that I would be in the later class, so I made it for 8:00 in the morning.  I called today to try and change it, but it doesn't work.  I already had to miss class yesterday because of it.  Now I guess I'll have to miss class again.

Murals in DC

I promised myself I would be better about writing after I got back from Nicaragua.  It's hard to feel like I have anything interesting to say when my days are the same.  Well, except they haven't been the same since I got back.  The way the Spanish section works is that there are two different schedules.  We have class for two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, alternating.  That way the classrooms are used for two different classes.

Mural.  It says September 11, 2001

I've always been on the early schedule, and I like it that way because I don't like to eat lunch at FSI.  Instead, I wait until after I'm done to go home, eat, take a break from studying Spanish before I get back in.  It works really well for me.  Well Saturday night I got an email telling me I had been put in a later class.  Even though I start and end 2 hours earlier, it just doesn't fit as nicely with me.
I guess I only have a month left, but I would rather not have this schedule.  I got moved into a new class in the afternoon on Monday, but still with the late schedule.  My consultant did say she'll keep her eye open for the opportunity to switch me back.  So far I like the class I'm in, I like the teacher and the students.  It's just the schedule I don't like.  Plus, they're still in the book and I finished it.  I want to just use Spanish where right now we're still spending time on learning the grammar I already technically learned.
Oh well, you can't have everything, right?  And today was a short day, so I walked from work to the bank.  As I was walking, I was surprised to see a couple of murals!  I only took a picture of the second one, though.  The funny thing is, I've made that walk before and didn't notice a thing.  Perhaps this is a demonstration of the change that going to Nicaragua has already had over me.  Now I notice murals.
This week is also a busy week in other regards.  Last night I went to dinner with some friends to celebrate a birthday.  Tonight is Anime night (though we're no longer watching anime), and tomorrow I'm having dinner with some other friends.  But I like having social activities.  I am definitely NOT a work-a-holic.

Back in the U.S. of A.

It feels so weird to be back.  Today has been such a long and exhausting day.  It's weird to think that I was in Managua this morning and am back in my apartment . . . with a very happy/angry cat.  Happy because I am back, angry because I was gone for so long.  He is so moody.  But I'll get to that.

On the way to the aeropuerto

This morning was nice and rather leisurely, other than the fact that I couldn't sleep past 5:30.  I'm not sure why I woke up then because I've been waking up at 6.  But maybe it's because it was the most restful sleep I've had in two weeks, so my body wasn't quite sure what to do about it.  There is something to be said for luxury hotels.  We went to the gym.  The heat was on, so I don't think many people use that gym.  Then after showering, we went to the grocery store to get breakfast and spend the rest of our cordobas.  I got this really good yogurt.  Yum!
We still had time before the shuttle to the airport, so we got ready, packed, and then talked about life.  The shuttle to the airport was much more comfortable than a taxi would have been.  And possibly safer as the shuttle driver didn't seem to drive quite as fast.

Gizmo going insane trying to rub up against me.

The security was kind of a pain.  Not only did we have to do the usual metal detector and whatever they do to the bags, but after we were already at our gate and right before boarding, we had to go through security again!  This time they searched our carry-ons and patted us down.  I guess they must have a big problem with drug smuggling.  But I would have preferred they do that at the beginning.  Because of the second wave, I had to dump out my water bottle.  I get so dehydrated on planes, and they never give enough to drink.
Anyway, that kind of put me in a foul mood and having to sit through a 4 hour flight didn't make me feel any better.  To top it off, I had to go through customs in Atlanta, recheck my suitcase, and get to my gate.  I finally sat down only to discover that although the internet was free in Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, it was not free in Atlanta.  I'm afraid I sent them a snotty email.  It is really lame that they charge for internet like that, but I wouldn't have sent an email if it wasn't for the fact that I was annoyed by the process all along the way.  For someone who loves to travel, I sure HATE the actual travel.

Next second angry Gizmo.

My friend picked me up from the airport, though she accidentally went to the drop off instead of the pick-up area.  It was all good, though.  But then we basically immediately went to a party.  I dropped my stuff off and Gizmo was basically freaking out.  He was meowing constantly, drooling (not sure what that was about), rubbing against my legs, and even trying to climb up my leg.
He acted the same way when I got back from the party until he finally got really angry at me.  Sometimes I swear he is bipolar!

El fin

Ivania and me.  This woman is amazing.  She built and runs
this hostal by herself and raised several children with a
husband who just sits around watching tv all the time.
She is a testament to what people can accomplish with
little to nothing when they are willing to work hard.
And she shows that it is possible to do so in your own
country.  I'm not trying to say anything against immigration,
I'm just trying to say that imagine how quickly developing
countries could become developed if they had more
people like THIS.

This will be my last post in Nicaragua.  It has been an interesting two weeks.  I've enjoyed it, despite the occasional bumpy ride.
First, I went to the Feria (fair/market) this morning with my teacher.  We got tamales, and some other food.  It was good.  We also bought some things for our secret friends, whom we were supposed to be discovering later that day.  Rosa had me help her pick out the gift for her secret friend.  We also went in to the cultural center where they had traditional costumes and props for dancing.  It was interesting.

Something other than avocados being sold in the morning.

Oh, I also got hit on by this guy (worse than the usual calling out to me, generally "chelita" - meaning whitey, which is a compliment here, "adios" - not sure why they say this, or "bye" - again not sure on that the reason for that one).  He started off by asking me if I was from Spain.  I didn't realize that I could pass for Spanish.  This was before I said anything, so it couldn't be by my accent.  Then when he found out I was a "gringa" he asked me what my name was.  I told him my name is really hard to pronounce.  He insisted, and since my teacher was looking at some things nearby, I didn't want to just walk away.  I figured, what harm would it do to tell him my first name when he wouldn't be able to say it or most likely remember it.  He couldn't pronounce it (who knew Rachel was such a hard name?) and asked me what nationality it was.  I told him it is from the Bible.  Then he wanted to know how old I was.  I told him old.  He said he was 37 (he looked older), so I said, I'm not THAT old.  By that time, my teacher was done, so we walked away.
Then when we got back to the school, my classroom was taken apart to get ready for the going away party, and for the big reveal of secret friends.

Me eating a tamale at the feria, with my teacher, Rosa.
Here is another of the amazing women I have met since
coming to Nicaragua.  She works as a Spanish teacher,
and as a preschool teacher.  She and her conjugal (more
than a boyfriend but not quite a husband) are both working
hard to improve their lives, paying off their debts, going
to be trying to get assistance to build their own house.

They had cake and snack food for us.  It was pretty nice.  Pretty much everyone had gotten their secret friend a final gift.  Mine turned out to be my teacher!  The little sneak had me pick out my own present.  But it was nice.
Then we had a short time in class before it was over.  We headed to the bus station with our stuff, I with my lunch that my house mom had brought to the school.  When we arrived, the others had purchased out tickets.  That was good because it meant we were all sitting together.
We had a short wait before we got on the bus.  It was actually a lot nicer than I was anticipating.  They didn't use air conditioning, but it started to rain as we were leaving, so it wasn't too hot.  Then the wind kept the heat down.
When we arrived in Managua, we split up.  Three of us got in a taxi to head to the Hilton (me included), the others got in a taxi to head to the Don Pantaleon (the hotel where I stayed the first two nights: nice, but without hot water).

Inside the cultural center.  The symbol in
the center of the waterfall is the symbol
of Esteli.

Our rooms are so nice.  I'm sharing, but that means it was only $50, the same price I would have paid at the Don Pantaleon.  Breakfast is NOT included here at the Hilton, but the fact that I have hot water more than makes up for that.  That was basically the first thing that I did when I got here, stepped into the hot shower.  Then the three of us went swimming, which was awesome.
After swimming and getting ready, we ran to the store, and then waited for our colleagues to show up so we could go to dinner.  We went to this pizza place nearby.  The pizza was good, but I stuffed myself.  I probably shouldn't have done that because of my whole possible wheat intolerance (which is looking more and more likely because the only time I've felt like crap this trip was after eating something with wheat), but it was good.  I had two pieces left over as leftovers, but as we were walking to the Hilton, this little girl kept pushing on my arm to get my attention.  She wanted the food.  She must have been really hungry because she followed me across the street.  So I gave it to her.  At least with giving her food, I know that it won't be used for some other purpose such as buying alcohol for the parents.

Traditional costumes in the Cultural Center (Casazul)

Well, that is nearly the end of my trip.  My this time tomorrow I will be in my apartment.  Now, I'm actually curious as to how many people really read my blog.  I'm not just talking about looking at the pictures, but how many people read through one of my blog entries.  So, if you have read up to this point and are going to read through to the end, comment on this blog in the affirmative (whatever word you choose: affirmative, yes, yay, or any version in another language, but if its a less common language that I wouldn't recognize, put the language name in parenthesis).  This way I can get a better feel for whether I should be writing less and putting more pictures, or if this is good.  I probably won't change how I do my blog, but I might! :)

Part of some of the traditional dances, women dance with
these pots on their heads.  They also dance with baskets.
I wish I could have seen a performance.  I guess I'll have
to come back to Nicaragua to be able to do that. :)

So, to kind of close I would like to make a list, or rather a couple of lists.

First, what I will NOT miss from Nicaragua:
1. The insects, everywhere and every kind, each day discovering a new one where you don't want them to be.
2. The heat bearing down on you even in the morning.
3. The humidity making you drip with sweat.
4. The cold showers dripping out with little water pressure.
5. The repetitive breakfast, fruit nearly everyday!
6. The sun rising so early in the morning and setting so early in the day.
7. The sounds early in the morning that pierce through earplugs.
8. The men calling out to me/hitting on me/staring at me.

The feria.  Lots of fresh produce, ready-made food, jewelry
and other such items.  It was pretty awesome.

9. Seeing how the women struggle while the men sit around doing nothing/treating the women horribly.

What I WILL miss from Nicaragua:
1. The people, generally kind and generous, willing to give even what they don't have.
2. The language.  Nothing beats being able to speak to someone in their native tongue.
3. The long walks, being able to walk everywhere.
4. The home cooked meals (with the exception of the tripe and the pork rinds, I liked everything that my host mother cooked.
5. The interesting murals, connected with so much of the history of Nicaragua.
6. The excursions to see more of Esteli and the near communities.
7. Being able to use the internet on my computer AND my iPod at the same time (but I just need to buy a router).

Some chips of all varieties: yuca, plantain,
potato, and probably others.

8. Being done with classes at noon.
9. The sounds of the streets: birds and people.
10. The sound of a gecko, even though it woke me up in the middle of the night several times.
11. The fruit, really fresh and really good, even though I don't want to eat just fruit for breakfast.
12. One on one instruction, totally focused on me.
There's probably more that I could list in each category, but that's it for the most part.  And really, I think the good definitely outweighs the not so good.  Just saying for those who may be thinking of traveling to Nicaragua in the future.

This was supposed to be ice cream (or at least
that's what I said I wanted) but it wasn't.  Oh
well.

Our party spread.

Getting food at the party.

The bus station.  Pretty nice, right?

The lunch Ivania made and brought to the school for me.

Here's an interesting thing, the different buses
are owned by different people.  Here you
can see who owns the bus you are taking.
If anything happens, you can hold the owner
responsible.

Our bus, the orange one that says EXPRESO.

Rice is really big around here.  Here is one of the many
rice farms along the way to Managua.

It is starting to get green now that the rain has started.

My awesome hotel room.

Good pizza, and pretty cheap, too, but beware, they'll
charge you for a to-go box!

Valenti's Pizza

Not sure who this boxer is, but its one
of the many statues in Managua.

Hilton Princess Managua