Nicaragua next week

It's been a while since I've written anything on this blog, but I figure it might be a good way to keep people posted on what I'm doing while I'm traveling in Nicaragua. I'm leaving this Thursday night to spend a month in that Central American country; I plan to be at a language school for three weeks or so, then travel around the country a little bit.

Before leaving, I've been trying to avoid eating a lot of beans and rice, but have found it difficult given that I live in Fruitvale and work in Hayward. But, Mexican food is much different from Nica food... I'm sure I'll have much more to say about food and many other aspects of life in Nicaragua soon enough...

This trip has been a long time in the planning. I've thought about going to Latin America to study Spanish for a few years now, but didn't have the money to do it until more recently. I've been planning this particular excursion for almost a year, and am thrilled that my departure is now less than a week away. It's strange to think that one day I'll be at Park Elementary, and the next day I'll be trying to navigate a Managua bus station. I have no idea what it's going to be like, but that's OK. That's part of the beauty of traveling: not having everything planned out exactly, and not having too many expectations or assumptions about how it's going to be.

Comments

Barb Wire Clothes Line

Hi People! This Friday evening finds me again in the city of Esteli, where I arrived to check email and do some other things I can't do in the village of Lagartillo. Let's see, it goes without saying that a lot has happened since last week. I returned to Lagatillo in the school bus and arrived sometime on Saturday. I was worn out since I over-did it my first week and needed a little more down time in Esteli. I was also confused about the promotion (graduation) that happened on Sunday. Turned out it wasn't Jahaira's (my host-mother, as they say) graduation, but the preschool graduation. She is the pre-school teacher, so it's a big deal, and one of her sisters has a son in preschool, so they came to stay with us, along with Jahaira's mother and brother. The house was a little crowded and full of activity, all kinds of cooking going on, especially on Sunday. The promotion was a bit long, but OK, it's good to have events like that because they motivate

Oakland Stroll

February 4, 2008: Nervous about Super Tuesday, but hopeful that Obama can pull it off and eventually get the nomination. Slightly pleased that the somewhat more respectable McCain is leading over the deplorable Romney (even though I don't have much love for Republicans). Current Book: "China Road", Rob Gifford Current Song: "SF Anthem" Traxamillion and San Quinn First in an installment. I hope to explore East Bay neighborhoods and take pictures. I'm not attempting to interview people to get the pulse of an area, but rather capture the images that strike me and hopefully create a visual sense of the community. I plan to do this a couple times of month. Let me know what you think. This being one of the few sunny, rainless days we've had of late, I decided to spend part of my day off walking through some Oakland neighborhoods instead of doing housework or studying. I live near High Street and 580, in Maxwell Park. I headed west, along Brookdal

Return from a Rugged Land

Ok so it's been a while since I've done any blogging. But I am on the move and have much to write about, so here I go again. About a month ago, back in February, I left my job teaching Nutrition and Garden at Park Elementary in Hayward, CA. It was a sad farewell, and I will miss many students, parents and staff there, but I was ready to move on and experience new challenges, adventures and opportunities to grow, learn and have fun. I packed up my stuff in boxes, loaded my car with supplies and headed east for the high deserts of the Navajo Nation, specifically the contested partition lands of Black Mesa. The history of the Hopi-Navajo land dispute and it's relationship to the coal interests is a complicated one. At the center of it lies Black Mesa, a rolling plateau of sagebrush and pinon and juniper forests, the traditional home of many Dine (Navajo) sheepherding families. Under their lands lie some of the largest coal deposits in the U.S. For decades, the coal in

When the Almond Tree Blooms

Search This Blog