6/Sept/2011

September marks the beginning of our fiestas in town….again. I can’t believe this is the THIRD time I’ve experienced the annual big round of fiestas. There are weekly parades, high school “miss” pageants, bombas going off at all hours of the day and night, carnival rides in the park, and bullriding. The other day we had our own “running of the bulls” and when they came barreling down my street, they knocked over the snack stand outside my school! I wish I could have gotten a picture, but when you’re hiding and taking cover, it’s kind of difficult.

I’ve only had one day working at the town hospital, since the lab tech went to a training until the 15th of this month. But on my first day, I learned so much. I got to test for HIV, pregnancy, anemia, blood type, cholesterol, blood sugar, and…I think that’s about it. There’s virtually no machines to do the work, so it’s very manual, which I like, because you’re such an integral part of the process. They staff was so great about tetaching me and letting me do tests, and all because I’m an educated American that can speak Spanish. Sweet. I love low requirements. I want to seize this opportunity because Lord knows this would NOT fly in the states.

Last week my friend Carla’s dad came into town to do some pro bono knee surgery. We met with him after our meeting at the Peace Corps office and went out to a nice dinner. Earlier in the day, Carla and I had also seen a movie (our first!) with McFlurries in hand. Yes, this was a mental health day at it’s finest. If I had known how awesome the theatre was in Managua, I would have gone a long time ago! We saw “Horrible Bosses”, which in Spanish is translated into “Quiero Matar A Mi Jefe: I want to kill my boss”. There were a few other Nicas in the theatre, and there were subtitles, but the movie was spoken in Spanish. A lot of people were laughing, but just not at the same parts we were. A perfect example of the difference in sense of humor (which I continue to struggle with). There were so many American culture references that no one from another country could truly understand (like the ..Bowflex?” comment in the bar).

My cat has had another round of kittens, and today they are about 5 weeks old, and ready to give away. Even the kitty with one eye is getting a loving home. I’m going to have some students over after class to pick up their new pets. And yes, they all got 100% on their exams last week and are very deserving. One kid is even taking the mama, finally my liquidation of everything I own here can start!

My official ticket for Phoenix is booked for November 15th!