School is coming to an abrupt close. I was told on Wednesday that that was indeed my last day of teaching regular class. The next 2 weeks we have exams, officially finishing on the 11th. This is all allegedly do to the outbreak of Leptospirosis, a disease that is spreading through this area. It’s transmitted through food and water due to contaminated animal urine. It’s totally treatable and/or preventable by a cheap over the counter pill, but for some people that aid just doesn’t get to them in time. As of a week or so ago, the death toll in my department is 16. So that’s why school is letting out early. I’m not sure why going to school is putting them in any more harm of contracting the disease than they would normally be, but that’s just the way it is.
This weekend I’ll be going to the most beautiful Laguna in Nicaragua to go for a nice open water swim, then on to Masaya to celebrate Halloween. Apparently this town really celebrates the holiday, and everyone walks around the streets in costumes and it’s a big shindig. I’m not altogether sure what I’m going to be. I bought some really ugly clothes a couple days ago, for about a quarter each piece. But I ended up wearing them to school, though they were meant to become a Halloween costume…
The 2nd world map is done. It’s even bigger, and maybe better? Than the 1st one. I’ll also be going out to a friend’s itty bitty town for a couple days and stay with her old host family to finish her map, as she just finished her service and doesn’t have enough time to finish before going home.
2/11/10
This past weekend being Halloween, I went with some other volunteers to Masaya, which celebrates Halloween in a much more morbid fashion than we do in the states. Most people in the streets wear scary masks, and carry machetes with baby dolls stabbed on the end. This goes on on the 29th and 31st. I was only there the night of the 30th, where we had a more innocent-costume party at a volunteers house. I dressed as a street vendor. We also had Scooby doo, a hillbilly, Rainbow Bright doll, and a leprechaun among others. That same night, a group of us went in search for masks. In Masaya, they make these homemade paper mache masks that look completely evil. There’s nothing cute about Halloween there! We came upon a house that made them, and in true Nica fashion, the family set out chairs for us to sit in while we looked at masks. And, of course, there just happened to be a dance recital of sorts going on too. We watched the most precious little kids dancing folklore in pairs with their families watching and cheering. I only wish I had my camera! The family gave us a fresco (a typical juice drink) and we watched, cheered, and enjoyed.
The morning of the party I stopped by my favorite place in all of Nicaragua, la Laguna de Apoyo. It’s a gorgeous crater lake in an extinct volcano. I brought my friend Jenn when she visited me, and also my parents. The buses were on my side that day, and I made the trip in great time. On 4 different buses, in 3 hours. Not bad. I found a private property and the family let me on, since all I wanted to do was swim, I wasn’t about to pay a hostal just to watch my stuff. I put my bag in a tree, changed in the woods, and went for a 2 mile open water swim. It was SO lovely. It’s amazing how something so simple can just completely change your attitude, and all is right in the world again.
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