Nicaragua

My sister, Neha, is in Dolores, Carazo, Nicaragua as a TEFL Peace Corp Volunteer. Although she's been in Nicaragua, practically my neighbor, since September 2010, she's not allowed to leave her site and is not allowed to see family/friends for the first 6 months of her time. So I went to visit her this weekend before I leave Central America. We went to Niquinohomo (her training site) and I met her host families and friends. It was cool to see where she works and how she fulfills her role as a volunteer. She's had to learn to be very social, to really be a part of a community, to be a leader/organizer. It's awesome! The challenges/realities of living in a small town are pretty similar to what we have already experienced in India: heat, sometimes no running water, no AC, hand wash laundry, entertaining yourself, language difficulties . . but there are some stark differences in the culture as well (which I'm sure Neha can expand on better than me). I also met current Peace Corps trainees who had just arrived a week ago and were just beginning their journeys.

Things are cheaper in Nicaragua than CR, even imported things (face wash etc) are a full $2 or $3 cheaper. The handicrafts are also cheaper; tons of hammocks. The Masaya market was a maze of vendors that you could easily get lost in and lose track of time in (ie can't tell if its light or dark outside). I will never get bored of looking at that stuff. I bought a hat.

After spending 3 days with her, we parted ways in Managua after a movie and lunch, who knows when I'll see her again!? The next day I took a 1 day tour to Isla de Ometepe, which is an island in Lake Nicaragua made up of 2 volcanos. There's 2 actual small cities on the island, plantation farms, hostels, hikes, and pre-Columbian petroglyphs (rock statues and carvings). It turned out to be an expensive private tour, and the experience would have been more fun if I wasn't alone and had stayed there at least 1 or 2 nights to get in some hiking to see the craters/lakes. But it was something I had wanted to see and am glad that I went.