The Value of Independence and Relaxation

I recognize that it has been a while since I updated all of my avid readers and followers, but then again, I didn't get any perturbed messages asking when I was going to update my blog. So maybe time is flying by for all of you as quickly as it is for me.

At about two and a half weeks after my last blog post, I thought, "I should really update my blog. Hmm... I think I'll wait until I have something more exciting to share, something more than the fact that school is still going, I'm still teaching, and my students are still (hopefully) learning."

Then exciting things happened. Like, a lot of exciting things. But I also got bogged down in wrapping up the first quarter and the craziness that naturally comes with that. Now, I guess it's time to stop pushing things off and let you all in on the craziness that is my life.

On September 23, 2017, I added a new member to my little family. Meet Charlotte.

She is a 2014 Honda CRV. I looked long and hard, and I feel good about this purchase. I came to Nicaragua thinking that I'd have a car in less than a month. 2 months and 1 day after arriving in Nicaragua, I bought a car. I've learned to readjust my expectations and, more specifically, my timeline for when things will happen here. If I was in Indiana trying to buy a car, I could find a car online or on a used car lot, call/talk to the person selling the car, and negotiate everything myself. Here, I had to rely on someone else to drive me to multiply locations to see potential cars, talk to the sellers for me, and contact someone with more mechanical expertise than I could ever hope to have to check out the car and make sure it's okay. If you know me, you know that patience and asking for help wouldn't exactly make my top three skills/personality traits. Or top 10. Or top 50.

**Big shout out to Kim Rumley-Wells for her invaluable help. Seriously. I cannot adequately express my gratitude. You rock.

After 2 months of asking for help, I am so glad to be able to be the one offering help to others who need a ride. It's quite refreshing, really.

Charlotte!!! Isn't she pretty? 

After my first drive. We both survived!

Charlotte's first big outing was to drive Kim, her husband, Mike, and her son, Corin, to San Juan del Sur on Friday September 29. It was about a two and a half hour drive. We drove to a very nice little villa where we met up with another NCA family and one of our SOARR (special ed) volunteers. We stayed the night and got up the next morning for a sailing trip!

Quick interjection: my stay at the villa marked the first shower I've taken with warm water since arriving in Nicaragua, and because there was AC, I got to snuggle under the covers, which is just a little thing that I've missed being here. Okay. Now we're back.

We drove to a hotel called Pelican Eyes where we boarded a mini bus that took us to the dock where we boarded a little boat that took us to the bigger sail boat. Let me just say that this was a huge learning experience for me. For one, I learned that, given my choice in how I want to travel anywhere in the world, boat will not be my first choice. I didn't feel sick to my stomach, but the rocking motion seriously messed with my already precarious sense of balance, so I spent the majority of the time on the boat laying down. Secondly, it apparently is necessary to reapply sunscreen every 15 minutes. Although I did do some reapplications, I clearly did not reapply enough, as you will see in later photos. Check out some of the pictures from our adventure.

Preparing to depart on our sail boat!

Having fun in the Pacific Ocean! Can you see my shorts burn lines? 

My sweet friend and coworker, Kelly. She pretty much planned the whole trip. Love her!

Love this sweet girl! Emily is a SOARR volunteer for NCA this year. We both got a little toasty. The orange walls downplay the red in our faces. :)

This past week brought a whole new flurry of excitement at school. It was spirit week! Check out these photos of me and my students.

Monday was pajama day. Of course, it also gave me the chance to represent my Colts!

Tuesday was crazy hair day. I don't think I'll let these girls near my hair any time soon.

Out of all my students, this junior won the day for me.

Wednesday was Meme day. You can't see it, but I had some memes taped to my shirt.

Thursday was color scheme day. Dress all in one color!

Friday was the day we were all supposed to wear our class shirts, but due to heavy rains and Tropical Storm Nate, school was dismissed early at 1 pm on Thursday and then cancelled on Friday. So class shirt day has been postponed to next Friday.

Please be praying for everyone who has been affected by the heavy flooding. There are people who have lost everything because the water levels were over their house. I am okay, and the school is okay, but there are people who are trying to rebuild now. 

Last little update: one of the pastors from my home church, New Hope, came to Nicaragua to visit. I had the privilege of spending Thursday afternoon and evening catching up with him. He was also kind enough to bring a suitcase from my parents filled with things I couldn't bring the first time around. My parents included a little early birthday gift for me, since I can't really get packages sent to me. 

How cute is my mom?

I haven't been able to watch any DVDs here, so this is a wonderful treat. I finally got to watch some Psych with my friend, Kayla. Haven't been able to do that since I got here.

Thank you to everyone who continues to pray, support, and ask about me. Let me know if you have any questions about what's going on here. I think it's almost time for another live blog. :)

Special Edition: Live Blog - The Great Chili Cooking Event

This weekend, I was faced with the ultimate question: what do I want to cook and subsequently eat as leftovers this week. I decided my mom's chili sounded great. What has transpired so far inspired me to follow in the steps of my friend and adopted sister, Jessica Hollopeter, and do a live blog as I go. Here we go!

1:37 pm: I messaged mom and asked for the recipe. 

1:42 pm: No response from Mom. So I called her. I explained what I needed, and after hanging up, she sent it to me, and I embarked on a journey to La Colonia to get what is necessary. Here are the required ingredients: 

1 lb ground beef

2/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup water

1 can condensed beef broth

1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 - 6 oz can tomato paste

1 can kidney beans, drained, rinsed

3 tsp. chili powder

I already have the ground beef, onion, and water. 

3:00 pm: I enter La Colonia. I find the tomato paste easily, but there is no 8 oz tomato sauce, so I settle for the 15 oz tomato sauce. Then I peruse the bean options. There. Are. No. Kidney. Beans. Seriously - zip, zilch, nada. So then I have to decide what type of beans to go with. Obviously, black beans are a no. So I settle for "Blancas Guisadas." Not really sure what that means. But it'll be an adventure. Then I find the chili powder. All that is left is the beef broth. There is no beef broth. But there are individual packets of powdered beef broth. I figure I can translate and do the mixing at home.

5:07 pm: Armed with all of the necessary ingredients, some Fresca, a jar of pickles (for sustenance), and "Gilmore Girls" playing on the iPad, I embark on the journey!

5:11 pm: I decide that having the pickles out is too much of a distraction, so I put them away, get out the onion, and start chopping. Oh, and the Fresca is gone.

5:22 pm: The onion is chopped and the beef is browning.

5:25 pm: I mix the onions with the ground beef. Now I need to stick my face in the freezer because my eyes are watering.

5:27 pm: While waiting for the meat and onions, I decide I should wash some dishes. 

5:33 pm: Dishes are clean. Meat still isn't done. It smells good though. Note to self: Cook with onions more often.

5:40 pm: I have opened all of the cans and drained the beans. The meat is nearly ready to drain. I'm a nervous wreck.

5:43 pm: It's ready to drain! I'm using a strainer. We will see how this goes.

5:54 pm: All of the ingredients have been combined. Not to let it simmer and see how it turns out. :)

6:02 pm: Took a taste test. ... Apparently chili powder here is different. I think I ate molten lava. 

6:06 pm: Okay. After some brief research, I added some sour cream and the heat is off. Time to poor myself a bowl and douse it in cheese. I'll have the fire extinguisher handy.

6:38 pm: Two glasses of water, more sour cream, and 16 crackers with peanut butter later, I almost finished the bowl. My lips are tingling and I can't feel my tongue. The logical thing to do would be to throw it out. But it seems so wasteful. So what I'll probably end up doing is putting it in the freezer for the next 3 months and then throwing it out. 

The Great Chili Cooking Event did not turn out the way I planned, but I have the perfect solution: make homemade chocolate chip cookies! Thanks for joining me on this journey! :D

I Live Here

Well, I'm overdue for a blog update. So here goes!

I have finished my third week of teaching. That's right, third. It's okay. It doesn't seem real to me either. Day one went well. The secondary school has 20 minute class periods, then a big pizza lunch, and then it's on to the activities for the afternoon! Every year, the afternoon of the first day is spent in rotation games. This year's theme: game shows! We had Family Feud, NCA's Got Talent, Newlywed Game (for locker buddies), Master Chef, Bob Ross Painting, and America Ninja Warrior. Guess which station I was at. Go on... Yep! America Ninja Warrior. I know. It suits my personality and my personal life perfectly. The kids had a variety of obstacles to navigate. I was placed in charge of monitoring the balance beam and helping the kids count to 3 if they fell. It was a massive undertaking, but one I felt prepared for.

After all of the activity rotations, it was time for the infamous Tape Game. Here's the 30 second version: you get a piece of tape on your shirt across your belly. Student tape is worth 1 point a piece, teacher tape is worth 2 points a piece. The whistle blows. You watch "The Hunger Games" unfold in real life before you. I told our director we could sell footage to the Discovery channel to compare with the lions in Africa.

I did not participate in the Tape Game, mostly because I'm not convinced I didn't sprain my ankle back in June, and I didn't want to risk making it worse. It's probably a good thing I didn't play. The school should really make me sign a liability waiver before I participate in that.

With day one in the books, we moved on to day two, which was a normal day. It felt good to meet my students and feel like I have a purpose in being here. Thursday August 10 was a no school day due to a local holiday. So, some of my new teacher friends and I went exploring. We went to Momotombo, an active volcano. The pictures you see below are as close as we got. From there, we continued on to León. We wandered around the town square, inside of the massive cathedral (seriously. It rivals some European cathedrals in size!), and ate a little cafe. All-in-all, a lovely day. 

A view of Momtombo with smoke at the top.

The cathedral in León on the left with a storm moving in from the west.

 Week two came and went with nothing terribly exciting or out of the ordinary. Last Saturday, the school took a group of new teachers and their families on a tour of old town Managua. We saw the old cathedral that was condemned some time after the 1972 earthquake, and we went to this lovely park on a hill overlooking the whole city. Then we traveled on to Grenada where we saw the city's town square and cathedral (this seems to be a very common layout for a city established by Europeans in the 1500s). We ate lunch at a pizza place, then drove to a place where we piled into two boats and motored around the lake. There were beautiful homes, pretty much all owned by rich people and used for weekend or vacation getaways. I am not usually uneasy in boats, but I was on this trip. I think it was because I felt so very close to the water. The sides of the boat only came up to about the bottom of my rib cage when sitting, but we were still a good distance off the water. Plus, I felt like the boat was perpetually leaning toward my side. But I made it, and I didn't have to go swimming for valuables. 

Welcome to Grenada!

A view of the city from a window in the cathedral.

Undoubtedly, one of the highlights of the boat trip was Monkey Island. The kids (and some adults) got to feed the monkeys from the boat!

Week three was a blessing because the juniors and seniors had their annual retreat Thursday and Friday. I love my junior and senior classes, but it was nice to have only first and second period and then be done for the day. I didn't get caught up on as much as I would have liked, but I did get some good work done. 

So far, the transition has still been a good one. But every once in a while, I have this moment - sometimes even stopping dead in my tracks - and I just say, "Holy smokes. I live here." I'm not visiting or doing short-term mission work. I am building a life here, and that astounds me. I knew it was coming, but now it's reality and not just a dream or a vision. I live here. 

I, of course, miss people back in the States. But I am thankful for technology that allows me the little things like using WhatsApp to text people or Snapchat to check in on those hooligans from youth group (you know who you are), and FaceTime with my parents or my wonderful friend Kayla. This might sound silly to some, but the thing I am having the hardest time with is missing my dog. Now, before y'all get offended and think I don't miss you too, I do! Every day. But we can talk.  My sweet pup doesn't understand why Grandma and Grandpa put a screen in front of her with a warbly version of my voice. I miss my baby girl. So, don't judge, but that is one of the hardest things for me right now.

Now. I believe that there are some of you who may have questions about my life here, and I was thinking about how I may best answer those questions for a mass audience rather than 20 times individually. So, I am going to do a Facebook Live event and answer your questions! The plan is to have it this Wednesday August 20 at 5 pm my time (that's 7 pm for all you Hoosier folks). So bring your questions. If you can't "attend" but still have a question, send it to me in advance. It'll give me something to start with and make things less awkward if nobody jumps in. Although, now that I think about it, my mom is bound to put it in her phone calendar and "show up." She's a good mom like that. 

Well, that's it for now. See you all on Wednesday!

A little humor from my sophomores and their review teams. It was boys against girls, but they needed creative names. So the boys were "Legendary Handsome Ones" and girls were "Unicorns." They were proud of their pun work here. For those of you who don't know, maiz means corn. :)

Training, Training, and More Training

Four weeks.

Four looonnggg weeks.

That's how long I've been in training. Two weeks of training at One Mission Society, then two weeks of training at Nicaragua Christian Academy. It was all great information, but my brain has been reduced to a fried circuit board.

And now tomorrow is the first day of school. Let's go.

Let's do a quick recap of the last two weeks.

I got the okay to buy my plane ticket about 24 hours before I had to be at the airport. About four hours later, I found out I didn't have the proper paperwork to get Kira into Nicaragua. That was a really low point in this journey, but my parents are kind and taking care of her while I'm here until I can come back and get her.

The travel all went very smoothly, and I am still getting settled in my apartment. I am staying in the Allyson Condominiums, and I am in a one-bedroom apartment. It's a relatively quiet place to be, and the grounds are well-kept. My favorite part is the pool, which I have been able to utilize a few times. I'm only about a 10 minute walk from the school, but most days, I ride in  the teacher van. It's owned by the school, but all of the teachers in Allyson can use it.

By far, one of the greatest accomplishments has been getting reliable Wi-Fi. That makes me feel a little more like a human being and a little less like a caged animal. Next big step: buy a car. Please pray for wisdom and good options!

So at school, I've made some friends, worked on lesson plans, and decorated my room. It's a little different from Ben Davis, but I'm enjoying my time so far. I could keep typing, but frankly, my brain is mush. And a picture is worth... well, you know.

Friends

Last Wednesday was Megan's birthday. We went to dinner at Zacatelimon (translation: Lemongrass). Pictured from left to right: me (duh!), Mackenzie, Kelly, Megan, and Eric.

After dinner, we went back to Megan and Eric's apartment and sang "Happy Birthday."

This is one of the educational assistants from the school, Carmen. She is wonderful!

After Friday night's open house, I went to Carl Jr's with my dear friends. Apparently, I am now tia (aunt) to Goldita and Genid, and they are my sobrinas (nieces). Pictured from left to right: me, Goldita, Golda, Genid

Full bellies and hearts!

Classroom

My first completed bulletin board!! <3 i="">

Look! It says my name!

Presenting at open house to students and parents!  

Local Wildlife

International Christian Fellowship is a very welcoming church. They welcome anybody! Oh, and apparently, this is a "small" tarantula.

Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures last Saturday of the half-dead cockroach that gave me heart failure, my friend Gregor the Gecko, or the frog that jumped on my foot. I'll do better next time.

Well, I have more lesson planning to do, but I wanted to give all my anxious subscribers an update on the goings on. 

Love to you all!