Volunteer visit

haha This is in Jessie's host family's house and it makes me laugh everytime.

So I went this past week to the department of Rio San Juan to visit a current volunteer. It was cool to see a couple days in the life a volunteer; to see all the things we've been learning out into practice. The town was really pretty and the people really nice. The volunteer I visited had a lot of really good friends in his site, which is encouraging to see. Someday when I learn Spanish I hope I have ggod friends in my site:) However, I wouldn't want to be placed there, it's too isolated for me...it took 13 hours by bus to get there!! Ah I'm not that extreme. But it was really beautiful, a lush jungle type of place. the picture below is Rio San Juan. 6 of 20 of our group are going to placed there sooo...I could be there.

We had a site fair today where we learned about all the sites that will be available to us and we had to choose our top 3. I chose all sites in the north, in the mountains, but I'm trying not to get attached to any one site so that I don't end up disappointed. We'll find out in 2 weeks!! I can't wait. Until then we are really busy-this next week I have to give a charla to 4th graders by myself for 45 minutes!! I'm really nervous. And we have another language interview this week to see how we are advancing. I'm nervous about that, too b/c lately I feel like my Spanish is getting worse! I'll let you know

This is a picture of my egg baby Noyman (haha Mom). We had a charla about teen pregnanacy and had to care for an egg baby the whole time to emphasize how much time babies take up. Noyman was abducted half-way thru the session, so evidently I am not ready to be an adolescent mother.

So I got a lot of responses about jellies. Apparently other people have fond recollections of them as well. Aubree-"the jelly purist", I guess you are right that these have non-plastice insoles and are therefore not real jellies. But they're the closest I've seen in a good while and I'm excited! And yes Anna everyone here wears them even old ladies.

I've been thinking that I haven't posted anything about my host family or really any of my thoughts or observations about Nicaragua thus far. So I promise next time I will do that - I will compile a list in my free time and get some pics of my family. ok until then- I hope everyone is doing great!!

♥Danielle

Jellies!

Well I am thrilled to tell you that jellies are are a huge deal and I bought my first pair this week!! They are awesome!

This week has been pretty good, it went by really fast, thankfully. Training as a whole is still going really We have our first 2 charlas this week, one with the youth group and one at the health center. Our youth group voted overwhelmingly to have a charla on abortion ahhh!! But we are not going to do that right now-we are going to do self-esteem first, which is what they wanted second, so...and at the health center Nick and I are doing a charla on Malaria/Dengue and Elisa and Jessie are doing one on Diarrea.

I am writing this as I'm talking to Aubree so if it doesn't flow I apologize.

There really hasn't been too much different going on.. next weekened we leave to visit a current volunteer at their site and I'm really excited about that. It'll be good to see another part of the country.

Grandma- the picture I drew was of Patrick and Aubree walking Penny- not houseboats!!! haha

Sorry this was such a lame post but there is not a lot new going on, sadly. I'll let y'all know about where Im going next week!! Love you!

♥Danielle

Sometimes I cant think of a Title

This is a picture I drew in class the other day; Family, can you tell what it is?

Things are going alright in Santa Teresa. Although, we have been without water and electricity for about 3 days. We did get electricity today, but still no water. I did have a bucket of water in my shower, as does everyone for just such an occasion, but the water outage doesn't usually last this long. It's definitley rough and I don't smell too good either. Today there were crowds of people all over town either waiting to get water from someone's house that has a well or from water trucks that will periodically pass through town.

This is the youth group that we formed and have just started working with. As part of the Peace Corps Community Health project, one of our projects in site has to involve working with a youth group in some way and teaching them the basics of health, sex ed, HIV/AIDs ed. etc. There is a big problem here with adolescent pregnancies( I say adolescent because they are not necessarily teenagers), so there is a big focus sex ed, family planning, condom use, and things like self-esteem. In training we have to form a group and do a mini community project and have weekly meetings where we give them charlas on the topics I mentioned above and anything else they are intersted in. For our group, they chose to do a periodical focusing on Youth interests in Santa Teresa. It is really pretty impressive to me that they chose this, because some of the options were creating a sports team or painting a mural, which seem a lot easier.

Anyway all of this is sort of like practice since we will only be here for another 9 weeks or so.

This is the Sant Teresa crew--Jessie, Nick, me and Elisa. Anna-Elisa reminds me of you in almost every way possible, its really bizarre. She even walks the same and speaks the same (uses difficult words when a simple one would suffice :) ). Its a good group and so far we all get along pretty well, just get sick of seeing each other every day. The weekends get a little rough because we are not allowed to travel and there is very little to do. We went on a long walk today, but got finished at about 11 and still have the whole day. Actually, we can travel a little bit, to like the next biggest town-but there's not a lot to do that doesn't cost money and we dont get very much of that right now. Peace Corps was not kidding when they said they would treat us like children during training. But in 9 weeks I will have all the independence I could want, so I can make it. So all in all, I am well. As for my Spanish, I don't know how many new things I have learned yet, but I dont care as much when I speak and make a mistake, which the first hurdle for me I think.

I hope you all are doing great!! Take care

♥Danielle