April 3, 2009

Alriiiiiiiiighty, then! (Solid JC quote; you know it.) Hello, greetings, sup to all. As you can probably tell, I AM WELL. Already two weeks have passed in this stellar little town, and I am diggin it. I think time seems to be moving a bit faster for most of us now that we are a little more accustomed to the country and culture as well as a little more refined in our language and lessons. (Well done!)

Let's get right to it. The first weekend here was delightful. I spent most of my Saturday morning waiting patiently for several web pages to load but luckily was able to get a few words out there. (Hope you enjoyed. A special shout out to the Hortons for their approval.) Afterwards I prepped a presentation for my Spanish class on José Francisco Morazán (who is kinda like the Franco of Spain) and played some volleyball with other PCTs. Saturday night I hit an ever-so-random birthday party of a brother of one of the trainees. The actual celebration did not start until after a few of us left at 10pm, which is actually a late check-out seeing as we customarily need to be in by 9pm. (I guess some Spain still remains in CenAm. Well played Hondu.) Sunday was just as lovely. A group of chilled at a vaca house in San Buenaventura of a friend of the current PCV in Ojojona. While there we def relished (like on a hotdog at an A's game) in some solid American pastimes...that's right...we had a barbeque, played bocce ball, and danced the night away to some Tom Petty. Good times.

Bocce ball crew

Lovin the summer sol: Me, Theresa, and Liz

Brazilian bud: JP and Me

Cribbage fanatics: Brent and José

Wondering if we ever lit the charcoal…:No idea who this is

Just a Shady McShaderton and Me

I’m with the DJ: Kyle, Me, and Katie

Here’s to a solid BZ BBQ

This week has also definitely been fulfilling. We had our second round of language and technical interviews, and (I gotta say) my stokedness level jumped through the roof! My language interview went well, and it is rumored that it went well enough to push me up two levels, from Intermediate Mid to Advanced Low. (YAYER! Who ever thought that day would come?) I know this is a solid achievement on my part, but what it really means is that I'm gonna have to work my arse off keep up with the avanzados in my new class. (No pain, no gain, I guess.) The technical interview was also dope. My directors have a solid idea on where I will be going and the type of work that I will be doing. Lucky for me, the project fits me perfectly! It is also very refreshing because it guarantees an abundance of work and possibly a stellar counterpart. (To clarify, a counterpart is a resident of the PCVs site of service who is meant to act as the intermediary between the volunteer and his/her community. The quality, in all regards, of a counterpart is one of the key factors to the success of a PCV in his/her site of service. Experiences with counterparts range from outstanding to outrageous.) I would love to elaborate on the exact project that the PC Hondu has in mind for me, but alas, things change. I would prefer to keep my mind (and yours) open to all possibilities.

In addition to great news from the interviews comes great experiences from our technical training. We spent the majority of this week shadowing local businesses, learning how to write a business plan, and creating a business plan (which is actually a summary since the businesses are already in existence) for the owners. The activity allowed us to practice presenting ourselves to the community, learn about local business, and determine how we can best apply our skills and knowledge to assist local businesses. Needless to say, I have lost a good amount of sleep this week with all the emotion and activity.

This weekend is looking to continue the greatness. Tomorrow we are headed to Sabanagrande to meet up with some homies in the Water and Sanitation group. We are meeting up at a restaurant/zoo (Restaurante Ocotal) to hang for the majority of the day. (I really have no idea how to explain the place. I guess you will have to wait for the photos. Let's just hope a monkey doesn't steal my camera.) Sunday will most likely include homework and volleyball. (P.S. I have gotten back into not only volleyball but jumping rope and am loving it! I even considered creating a routine to show the other PCTs...in time ;) ) I hope that you all have just as fabulous a weekend. Lo merecen.

And now my shout out: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FIDDLE!!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!