So what I have I been doing since I last wrote? Not too much. School is finally going to start on February third and in the next couple of weeks there are going to be teacher’s meetings and so on. I’m looking forward to having something to do and getting started in my work.

In the meantime I met a woman on the bus from my town who said she was a seamstress (or learning to be a seamstress). I had a pair of pants that I needed shortening and I took this as an opportunity to get to know someone else in the community. So I talked to her about it and a couple days later took them to her house to have them shortened. She is very nice, smiley woman with a great family. She has two kids and her husband is a fisherman. They invited to take me out on their boat, so a week or so later I went. We putted up el Río Istián, in a boat called a bote. It is carved out of one large piece of wood. The river itself is a beautiful river that flows into the lake. It is somewhat of a bird sanctuary and we saw many. There were lots of long-legged birds: storks or herons or cranes, and of course lots of smaller birds too. We also saw a caimán or alligator. I had no idea there were even alligators on the island. Unfortunately, it moved to quickly for me to take a picture, but it looked pretty big. I think the kids, who don’t normally go out in the boat with their dad were kind of scared. We also saw a large iguana sunning itself on a branch.

Over all it was a fabulous trip, very beautiful. The only thing that put a damper on the day was their dog. The two other times I had been to their house the dog did show a little aggression towards me, but not much. The first time I was there I reached down to pet one of her puppies, which she did not like and head-butted me, but that was all. I made a mental note not to touch the puppies again, but I forget the second time I was at their house and this time she nipped at me but not too hard and didn’t leave a mark. So I finally had it in my head that I should just leave the puppies alone. So that is what I did the third time I visited them. I stayed away from the puppies. And I was just sitting in the yard in a chair waiting for the family to get ready to go out in the boat when from across the yard the dog suddenly started charging towards me, teeth bared, a menacing growl emanating from her lips. I knew my ankles were doomed. I was so surprised I couldn’t think of anything to do. So I just sat there with a horrified look on my face and tried to turn away but was stopped by the side of the chair. Luckily for me the fisherman was sitting in a chair next to me and managed to jump in front of the dog before she got to me. But it was close. I wish this unfortunate even hadn’t happened because now I have the fear of dogs. Which is a bad thing to have here in Nicaragua since everyone has a guard dog. And also, aren’t dogs supposed to sense fear? I’m also slightly afraid to go back to their house. Which I haven’t done since. But I promised them I would return since I borrowed a book of theirs. I just need to find the courage to go back (and carry some rocks).

Other than that I’ve been trying to get my housing situation figured out. For now I am going to stay with my host family. They have a small two-room building next to their house that I will be able to rent out. I’m already staying in one of the rooms. One of my host brothers is in the other, but I guess they are going to kick him out to another room. That way I will be able to turn his room into a kitchen area. It is not an ideal situation, since there is no water in the little building, and I still have to share a bathroom and shower with the family, but it will work for now. There aren’t a lot of houses to rent in the community and most of the houses are set apart anyways, without neighbors close by. I’m only going to rent a house if there are neighbors close by because it is more dangerous for me to be all alone. People don’t really live alone here and as a gringo people will think I have a lot of money and stuff to steal. So I’ll keep my eye for another place.

Below are some more photos that I have taken since the last time I wrote and some explications. Thanks for all of the Christmas cards/holiday wishes. Happy New Years to all!

This photo shows my host sister and some of the kids getting ready for the Christmas parade. They don’t really celebrate Christmas the way we do. They have a parade where some kids dress up as shepherds and walk down the streets singing a song and carrying trees that have been decorated similar to above. There are also fireworks. The parade ends at the church where there is more singing and also praying. There are also some kids dressed up like Mary and Joseph and the angel and some acting. There is a doll for a baby Jesus. It starts around 9:00 pm and finishes around 12:00 am when they hand out food and candy. They celebrate Christmas on the 24th. This year the night ended with a strong downpour and we had to run to the house as fast as we could and try not to get wet. (It didn’t work).


This is a photo of one of the kids at my house, my host-nephew if you will. I call him “el mono” or “the monkey” because his is the only one whoever climbs the orange tree to get us oranges. He is up and down the tree multiple times a day. Those kids love oranges.


A photo of el Río Istián from the boat.


The family who took me out in their boat, minus their son who is sitting next to me and therefore can’t be seen.


A photo of Volcano Maderas from the boat.


If you’ve ever wondered what it is I do with my free time…well this is one of the things. I’ve learned how to make friendship bracelets. And I’m getting lots of practice too since all 7 of the kids who are here want one. So I’ve been taking orders. I only have two left to make and then maybe I’ll make one for myself. If anyone out there really wants a friendship bracelet let me know what colors you like and I’ll send it along. :o)


This is not the first time I have drank from a coconut, and probably won’t be the last. The water inside tastes a lot like sweetened water with a little bit of a bitter aftertaste. It’s not my favorite, but it is fun to drink from coconuts.


These kids all like to drink and eat coconuts too.


A photo of “el mono” from the family’s finca with Concepción Volcano in the background. Not a bad view.