Life in Corinto

This past week in Corinto, although fairly uneventful, went by extremely quickly, which I think is a sign that I am getting used to my everyday life here. Life here continues to be extremely relaxed and "tranquilo", and although I was having some difficulties dealing with my extensive amount of free time at first, this atmosphere is definitely growing on me.

During the week I taught a couple English classes, which are a bit difficult because I have no idea how much the kids have been taught, and I also have no resources, such as text books or worksheets, to use and know almost nothing about teaching. However, I am learning more about developing my own lesson plans without using such resources, and it is getting easier. The English classes themselves are a lot of fun, and I love seeing how excited the kids become when they get really invested in a certain lesson.

On Thursday one of my project supervisors came for the first time to see me in Corinto, and we discussed how I was doing, and also met with the other volunteers/staff at my agency. There we were really about to discuss my community based initiative project, and talk about my role within the agency, which was extremely helpful. One of the ideas that came up during the meeting was the concept of students creating a community garden, which I thought was a great idea and would be really interested in carrying out. It also fits perfectly within the agency, because one of their main focuses is caring for the environment. I´m excited to start meeting with community members about the project, and really get some ideas flowing about how it will be done. 

The other volunteers and I had a workshop training in Leon on Friday, which I enjoyed. We reflected on the last two weeks in our communities, and it was very interesting to hear about how everybody had different experiences. Despite our range in experiences, everybody had faced some struggles, which was comforting, as it was a reminder that we were all in a similar place together. During the rest of the session we set goals for ourselves, and shared ideas on how to get the most out of our internship and homestay. It was definitely a successful training for me, as it allowed me to refocus, and be reminded of why I am here. It was also great to see the other volunteers and socialize and hear about what they have been up to!

I had a wonderful weekend that I spent with Tess, my "site-partner" from Chinandega. On Saturday I went to visit her, as I plan to every Saturday, and we walked around Chinandega and ate yummy food. We decided that Saturdays were designated for eating strictly non-Nica food that we missed from the States. Last week was all about yogurt, and this Saturday was dedicated to cinnamon raisen bagels and cream cheese, which we bought from the local "fancy" grocery store, and were absolutely delicious. Although an abundance of fruit is sold on the street, neither of our families buy much fruit, so that is another item on our list that we always make sure to check off on Saturdays. I don´t want to get scurvy! We are also going to start taking salsa lessons! Tess got a reference from her grandmother about a woman who teaches salsa lessons, so we visited her and she told us that she would give us private lessons out of her house, whenever it was convenient for us (we decided 2 pm on Saturdays) for only 30 cordobas (about $1.25) an hour! I am super excited to start lessons, and can´t wait until next Saturday. We also went in search for a gym, as two of the other volunteers had joined zumba and spinning classes, which we thought might be fun to do. The first gym that our taxi driver brought us to was an all-woman´s gym, which unfortunately was closed. The second one that he decided was a good fit for us was filled with angry-looking, iron-pumping, Nica men. We walked inside, and stayed there for about a full 20 seconds before deciding that this was not the place for us, and made a bee-line for the exit. 

On Sunday, Tess visited me in Corinto. My family had invited her on a boat ride for a tour of the islands, which was great! We were in a rickety-looking motor boat, speeding through the ocean, and the sites were absolutely spectacular. I had never been in a motor boat in the ocean, and it was definitely an experience motoring through the waves. We stopped at 3 different islands, each of which were gorgeous. One was very high up, and was almost a cliff, so we needed to climb up a very rusty and steep set of stairs. Once we were up, the view was incredible. The other two islands were more beachy, and we had fun wading in the water and enjoying the surf. After our boat ride, I was able to show Tess around a bit in Corinto, and we found a great smoothie place right near my house, which I´m definitely excited to return to.

This week I will be receiving a more concrete schedule and work plan, which I´m looking forward to. Although I do enjoy and have adapted to the relaxed vibe of Corinto, it's nice to have a specific schedule. 

I´ve been slacking a bit on posting, but I think I´ll be mosting more often this week!

A beautiful cathedral in Chinandega

A view of one of the islands we visited

I found a hermit crab!

Sara and my host dad, Antonio

Sara and my host mom, Karla

The building that the organization I work with is in

The view of my house from the street

The view of my street from my house

Playing the game Ninja with kids yesterday! The other volunteer in this picture, on the left, is a Peace Corps volunteer.