#51 A $400,000 Grant and un Loco Nuevo Ano

Ben and myself hanging out by the pool overlooking San Juan del Sur

Looks like the group I was working with was able to finish the huge $400,000 grant by its New Year’s deadline and I am very proud of our success. The grant will be used to develop various sustaining economic project in agricultural and tourism sectors, provide money for youth and women’s co-ops, and start a consulting service through the NGO, ultimately providing assistance to close to 8,000 individuals.

I found myself to be an integral part of the team writing of the grant. I was able to help them completely reformat the entire grant in a far clearer, more coherent order, while discarding the unnecessary repetition and fluff they had originally included. In addition, I was able to assist with the budget and Excel section, again clarifying a previously unorganized series of numbers into a compartmentalized and ordered budget.

I am proud at the progress I have made with my Spanish and cultural integration/understanding in the 7 months I’ve been here. There is absolutely no way I could have explained the reasons for the needed changes or understood their original methods just a few months ago.

Julian.

As soon as the grant was sent in, I walked down to the port and made my way to Nicaragua’s backpacker’s center, San Juan del Sur. Meeting up with Julian and Ben a day early, we checked in to the Naked Tiger Hostel, a mansion sitting on the hill overlooking SJdS purchased by an ex-Peace Corps Volunteer. Immediately the fun began and the night continued to the morning. The next day, the three of us passed time relaxing by the pool, soaking up rays, and being children playing in the water.

The New Years Crew

Later that afternoon on the 31^st, the rest of the crew arrived and we checked in to a comfortable apartment closer to downtown SJdS. As always, laughter, ridicule, amusement, and pure fun ensued immediately. I am a fool and thought I had misplaced my camera so I have no pictures from New Year’s Eve but we ended up at a huge beach party with DJs, live music, [efficient] open bars, and we can’t forget about the Russian stripper spy. It's a shame how uninteresting it is to write about such a fun weekend because it's the small things that made this weekend so great, not the big events. 

Nothing to see here. Standard Julian frosting...