And the dogs name is.....

So I haven´t really got many questions so I am just go ahead a fill you in on the last couple weeks of work (or lack of work) and some other random thoughts that I am having. Also it is easier to take the questions that I did get and take them back to my house and include them in my next blog. Oh and just a little heads up that there are some four letter words that follow, I have edited them so a lot are five letters, however if there are any youngin´s reading have your parents read it first…

First off, the long awaited naming of my new dog. I actually decided to go with a suggestion my brother gave me…fluck (minus a letter, Im guessing you all can guess which one). It´s awesome because I can get mad as hell at the dog and no one down here knows that I am cursing it out, they all think its his name. Take for example the other day, my dog took a shit in my living room, I responded by saying “Where did you learn that, your mother? Flucker” Of course I am sitting here cracking up and no one else understands why. Or another example the other day I went for a walk with my dog and she was walking really slow so I told her “Hurry up, Flucker”. Once again I was cracking up, locals not so much. But I guess that the whole point of it.

Well I hope you all know me well enough that I didn´t name my dog Flucker, Im not that mean…well not quite. Instead I decided to go with a Spanish name because the locals have enough trouble with my name I didn’t want to torcher them with two English names. I also avoided all the cliché names like Nicaragua or extranjero (Spanish for foreigner) because well I am not sure that I am going to bring it back to the US with me so a dog named Nicaragua that lives in Nicaragua just isn’t quite catchy.

So without further ado…her name is Torpe. Yeah go get your Spanish dictionaries out, it means clumsy in Spanish. See my dog is the runt of the litter and thus is a little slow to say the least. For example I put food in her dish and she is sooo clumsy and in a rush to eat that she knocks the bowl upside down and has the food all over the place including on top of her head. It is hilarious to watch and not to mention watching her walk, her back legs never seem to want to follow her front legs so shes always walking in a zigzag patter, yeah its hilarious too. Also I put her down on the ground to walk with me to visit other houses, I then walk forward five feet and call her to follow me. Yup, she turns around and walks the other way. (Should I take this as a sign she doesn´t like me?) Anyway, Torpe it is. I also like it cause it sounds like torpedo which she is anything but.

Other news on the animal front, my cat is pregnant. Yes I fill like enough time has passed that I can safely announce it to the world without jinxing the babies, haha. Anyways I am not really excited about this as I just don´t want to have to deal with baby cats. I know that there will be plenty of people that want baby cats but its just that well there aren’t any so called good and caring homes to give them to as most people here treat there animals pretty poorly. Also, I have to deal with the whole deciding when is a good time to separate the babies from there mom. Anyways not looking forward to it and its also making me think about getting a little procedure done on the dog but I can´t see myself doing that, I guess I just see it is not my decision as to whether an animal should have babies are not. It´s funny cause this discussion is very big down here among Volunteers as there are many pets down here that are gravely underfed, however I just don´t see myself has deserving of the power to eliminate the possibilities of my dog having babies only because I don´t want to deal with them or another family isn’t just to have my dogs babies, or whatever million other reasons there are for doing the operation. Well I have already said more then I wanted on that so I am done with that.

I am really excited because I just started a project in my town, it’s a project I never thought I would have started because I was against it coming down here but anyway I went ahead and started teaching English classes in the school in my town. I am teaching the equivalent of 4th, 5th and 6th graders and although I have only taught two classes it seems like it is going to be an awesome experience. I must explain why I was against it in the first place, my original opinion (and still somewhat my opinion) is that it is arrogant of us as US citizens to come down here and teach English to the locals because we deem it a superior language. Well my opinion hasn´t changed on that, however, I became bored at the lack of work that I was accomplishing.

During this time I was checking into the schools and watching classes to see if I could give some classes to kids about various environmental subjects. I must note that in total the school is 50 kids for six grades with only two teachers, thus 25 kids per teacher, each teacher teaching three grades. Well while the teachers were great, the kids just weren´t simulated by the subjects. So anyway before class I was asked by one of the teachers would I be interested in teaching some English, I answered that I could teach them some greetings and other words. Well during class the teacher asked the students who is interested in English class, all twenty five hands shot off like rockets into the air. Thus, English class started and its looking like it will be a two day a week adventure. So far we have had two classes under our belt and the kids don´t want to leave school when I am done teaching. This has been really exciting, especially because I can use it to give classes on other subjects. Also, who knows but it may get them more excited in other classes as well.

Well now I am going to post a couple rambling thoughts, things I have been meaning to post, however, just haven’t had the time or care to put it on the blog.

The concrete floor is really starting to grow on me, the other week I was sick with a sinus infection. You know where your coughing up flem, well the concrete floor is awesome because you can just spit it right out where your sitting and sweep it out the door when it dries up. No need to worry about that nice carpet getting ruined.

I can curse all that I want, see “bad words” have no significance in Spanish. Its sort of like the saying “If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around did it really fall” (ok I probably butchered the saying but I don’t have to remind you that internet isn’t the easiest thing to come about out here in bumble…. Nicaragua). So back to the story If I say a curse word in English and no one understands it is it really that bad of a word?

It is perfectly fine to be late anywhere you go, well anywhere but church. See everything here runs late, meetings are always 30 mins to an hour after the decided start time. The truck that takes me in to town always leaves 30 min after its supposed to, even though my dumb ass is always 10 minutes early. Then when the truck comes back into town, its supposed to leave at 1, yeah that means that sometimes it leaves at 130, sometimes 230, sometimes 330 or sometimes just never shows up. Yeah that’s a bitch when your sitting there waiting for over an hour and then you realize your screwed and its not coming. So you gotta find trucks that are going to near by towns and then walk to your town. For me this often includes an hour bus ride followed by a forty minute walk up a mountain with my 15 to 30 pounds worth of groceries and pet food and any other bs I need to take out to my house. But anyway back to the point, don´t be late to church. Church never starts late. Show up two minutes after start time and the whole congregation is looking at you (Yeah its only 30 people but its intimidating). And yes I have now walked into church late twice.

You can´t buy green bananas, they just won´t sell them to you. I walked into the town grocery store, which is nothing more then a families living room where they sell vegetables, chips and soda. Well I walk in and ask if they have bananas, and of course the sixty year old lady couldn’t understand me so I asked again, again poor little lady couldn´t understand me. So I look around and see the damn bananas and point to them and say can I buy four bananas (no, I was not angry yet). She turns to me and says they don´t have any bananas. Well she must have read my face (I have never been known to hide my emotions well) and then says they aren’t for sale because they are green. I didn’t know what to say so I just walked out and haven’t gone back for over six weeks, but I don’t hold grudges so its all good.

The people down here are the nicest, sweetest people you can meet, until you try to get on a bus with them. Holy shit they turn into like American Gladiators when they fight for a bus seat. Its crazy, they wait for over half an hour for their bus to come in and then they storm the bus so they get a seat. Im serious, nails come out, old ladies start swinging their purses, kids are storming the back emergency entrance. This is all before the bus has come to a complete stop. It’s the craziest scene imaginable.

There are no calories down here, rather there are units of energy. I don’t have to count my evil calories down here, rather I get to count how much energy I get to use today.

You would never imagine how many people you can fit in things. I have seen hammocks that can comfortably fit me in them be filled with four grown adults. I have rode in trucks with 30 people in the back. I swear its almost a game to see who can fit the most...

Oh and add two more scorpions to the count…

Finally, GO HEELS!!! Beat dook.