We had our final language exams one week before swearing in and I walked out thinking I botched it, but low and behold I passed at the required level needed for swearing in. All of us in the lower language groups made it through and didn’t need to stay back for an extra week of classes. Woo hoo, this means I can speak Spanish everyone. That is cool. I like that.
My wisdom teeth that I’ve had since I was 13 started hurting the other day and after speaking with a dentist, it looks like I’ll be getting them pulled on Monday the 8th. Never had surgery in a developing nation before, this should be interesting…
You can buy any movie you want off the streets or in the markets for very, very cheap. I bought Transformers 3 and a 3-movie disk of the all the Matrix’s for the grand price of $1. All DVD quality. When you come visit, bring a few dollars and you can return with an entire new library of movies.
My last night with my training town family was wonderful. I was able to have a great connection with them and I truly see them as a second family. We exchanged gratitude over dinner and I learned much of what an impact I had on the family and them on me. I believe I left a strong impression on the importance of education and enforcing discipline on the children and even in the manner they run their business (recording sales, expenditures, etc…).
The next morning (Friday July, 29th), the four of us trainees had an interesting adventure making our way to the capital city with our huge bags. The first van we tried didn’t make it out of our training town, breaking down every 20 yards and having to siphon gas from the red gas tank sitting in the back seat of the van in order to keep the car from stalling. Once that didn’t work, my dad called up a friend with a big pick-up truck and loaded it up with our belongings. Halfway to the US embassy where we had a meeting with the ambassador, the truck overheated and we had to pull into a garage to do some quick repairs. No worries though, we got to the embassy only an hour and a half late, but in time for the meeting with the ambassador and the special coconut bread, sweet breads, and home made jam brought in from the Caribbean coast for our enjoyment.
On Friday night, we checked into a nice hotel near the Peace Corps office in Managua and were able to take our first warm shower, have pool parties, and even access the wifi from our big comfortable beds. After 3 months of cold bucket baths and sleeping in a mosquito net to avoid the occasional cockroaches and rats, this was luxury in the purest form.
That Saturday would include our swearing in ceremony celebrating us as new volunteers, 30 year anniversary of the Peace Corps in Nicaragua, and the 50th anniversary since the start of the Peace Corps by JFK in the 60s, lunch at the PC Country Director’s home, and lastly a 3 hour meeting live on television with the President of Nicaragua. Very detailed blog post in the works.
No comments:
Post a Comment