New Years Fiestas in Ciudad Sandino

Ahhh, 2009 has come to greet me in Nicaragua, it will definitely be a New Years to remember for years to come. I celebrated with the Cano Family in Ciudad Sandino, just outside of Managua. It's a bigger city than Somoto, but dirt roads are very common in the center of town meaning it's not quite as developed as Ocotal or Esteli which are cities near me in the north. The celebration started around 7pm with a dinner at Fatima's house, a family friend in town. Dinner was supposed to be served at 7:30pm, but we didn't have it till almost 10pm! I was starving, even though I had cooked lasagna for the Canos for lunch around 2pm. I was a good guest and brought a bottle of 7 yr. old Flor de Cana rum and it was probably gone within 40 min. The Nicas I was with definitely like to party hard! The kids and I were kind of bored and we danced a little bit, the adults were dancing like crazy and finding their inner-childhood I guess.

After Fatima's we went over to Amelia's sister's house on the other side of town to continue the merriment and dancing. I was taking in the scene and was in a more pensive state rather than a wild party mood. The reggaeton or bachata music was up loud in EVERY household, fireworks (the bottle rocket, cherry bomb type, aka bomb sounding ones) are going off right and left, hanging from the trees are pinatas and scarecrows. The scarecrows were the representation of the "old year" and they are stuffed with firecrackers and gasoline. At midnight, the old men are burned to signify the ending of the old year. I was looking around the entire time for a house fire to start, but I guess that wouldn't be possible with a tin roof and a concrete structure, right?

I was bored around 11pm, so I bought the kids some fireworks and we lit off sparklers and little fireworks. The entire celebration made up for not having 4th of July fireworks this year. We danced until 3:30am and finally the kids convinced Freddy and Amelia to go home. They didn't want to leave! For my first New Year's away from home, it was a blast!

Vera takes her turn at the piñata, it surprisingly lasted longer than 5 min and I think about 10 kids got to hit it. That's a record!

This is probably my favorite picture of me in Nica! Who would turn down a super-sized roman candle and a Toña?

The firework that cost me 4 Cords or 20 cents.

Dayana, even at 14 years of age, loved the fireworks! I thought she might be too cool for them...but I was wrong!

I'm not sure what kind of look this is, but it's funny.

The kids had nothing to do! A pack of sparklers was less than a dollar, I had to buy some. Turned out to be a great idea and everyone had alot of fun with them!

Vera wrote me down as one of her friends in her new "Me and My Friends" book I gave her for Christmas. How cute is that?

Really cute fluffy cat named Sam...who I later found out died 2 days later from eating a poisoned rat...sadness!

Hombre Viejo (The old man) who represents the old year...he was burned!

Freddy Jr. and I at one of the Cano's friends' house.

Dancing the night away with Allan, a family friend and high school teacher.

The Cano Family: Amelia, Freddy Jr. Dayana, Don Freddy, Vera

Dayana didn't smile in this picture :(

Freddy Jr. and I

The Cano family's cat Deborah gets a bath from Vera...she wasn't very happy.

The following pictures are ones from various parties in which I was paraded off as the "white" relative of the family. They were very proud to show me off! I met about 30 family members and probably 40 family friends and was invited to a whole bunch of celebrations throughout the year. I'm so happy no one asked me to be the godmother of their child, though I heard through the grapevine that one of the cousins was going to ask me. That would be nice, but problematic since the godparents are the ones who "spoil" the kids...I don't think that would be a good role for me to take on. I see disappointment in the future with accepting a title like that!

A family get together at a neighbor's house on the 30th of Dec.

Me writing thank you notes, which should be getting to everyone in a couple of weeks. I need to bring a rocking chair back with me to the states!

Alejandra, the birthday girl and Vera's godsister, who's party was on the 2nd of January.

I drug Allan's son Jorge out on the dancefloor...I swear he was happier than he looks in this picture!

Give a group of Nicas a can of Pringles and they can be entertained for hours! The following pictures are what happened when I showed them how two Pringles can make a duck beak...which I can not be credited for originality, it was the Pringles commerical when we were kids that showed us how to do it. After demonstrating the Pringle duck, there was humorous quacking that lasted for about 2 hours at a birthday party!

Fatima, a family friend, was the first one to find it hilarious...then everyone else followed suit.

Allan's new name is Donald Duck

Here Amelia was portraying Daisy Duck

The mother of Donald Duck

Dayana had no shame to show off her bill as well.

Xiloa with my adopted Nica Family

When I arrived to the airport on the 29th, I went straight to Ciudad Sandino to visit my "adopted Nica Family" aka Don Freddy's family (the Canos). Before I left for the states they invited me to come and spend New Years with them so I wouldn't be alone in Somoto. I would have found something to do in Somoto, but I figured it was better to try a new place and hang out with the Canos. The next day they took me to Xiloa, a volcanic lake (we call it a laguna) nearby. It was a beautiful 80 degree day and perfect swimming weather! I was so excited to go swimming! Surprisingly the water was pretty clean and I even gave the girls swimming lessons. It was so nice of the Canos to invite me into their home and take me on a trip with them. They are a rare find in Nicaragua, a family who does everything together despite a modest living.

The first lifeguard tower I have seen in Nica! They are only there during the busy times like holidays.

There are little huts you can sit under to enjoy the view and have a picnic.

Another shot of the laguna

And another...

You can see the old parts of the volcano all around.

From the left, me, Vera (11 yrs. old), Freddy Jr. (18), and Dayana (14)

We did the "ok kids, now you can get thrown off Katie's shoulders", I've always been the "base" person ever since I could lift my sister up.

Dayana and I

Teaching the girls how to float, very important!

Almost a chicken fight, but more just a pose for the camera

I even got Freddy Jr. to get on my shoulders, the kid only weighs 125 lbs or so!

Relaxing under one of the huts.

Shot of the group

Another pretty shot of the laguna

Another cute shot with the Cano kids.

Vera had alot of fun taking pictures with my camera, I let her go nuts with it

One of the nearby mountains at sunset, I love the clouds so much here!

Bring on the rain for Xmas in California

“It may be that the satisfaction I need depends on my going away, so that when I’ve gone and come back, I’ll find it at home” – Rumi

The flight from Managua left at 7:30am and we got to Houston around 10am or so. I then had a 7 hour layover! Ugh! So, as soon as I got off I went straight to the newsstand to buy a Cosmo and a Wine Enthusiast, I couldn’t have been happier! Then a couple minutes later I found Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, where I indulged in a pretzel (duh) with some nacho cheese sauce. Yum to say the least! My gate was pretty far away (Houston is huge!) so I took a seat and took time to enjoy my new magazines. The Wine magazine got a huge interesting looks, I’m sure people were wondering why a 24-year-old girl in holey jeans, a bleached out shirt and flip-flops was reading about wine! Might I mention that I was also carrying around an ugly bright green bag with pottery in it, so among the Louis Vuittons and Chanel bags I looked kinda pathetic. I finally got bored and went out to find the bar I had passed earlier. It was such a relief to be around people speaking English, people who were taller than me, the sound of the football game on the TV and I especially did not feel like anyone with the chromosomes XY wanted “something else”…if you catch my drift. I ordered a Fat Tire and a bacon cheeseburger (it would’ve been more American if I had ordered a Sierra Nevada) and watched the Titans lose to the Texans! Haha Mike’s team lost! I talked to some nice people and they were interested about me being in the Peace Corps and about Nicaragua, so that felt good to know that maybe the general public continued to support President Kennedy’s dream.

Finally the flight came and I arrived to Sac Town to cold cold rain! I guess I brought the rain with me! I hope this year we get plenty, last year was just pathetic. Thank you Mom and Dad for flying me home, it was the best Birthday and Christmas present ever! Luckily they brought me a sweatshirt to put on as soon as I got off the plane freezing in my sandals and sad shirt. It was crazy that just 8 months ago it was May and I was leaving for Nicaragua. Here I was again at the airport back at home…it was one of those surreal moments of life. It’s cliché, but time does fly by really fast! Before I know it will be July 2010 and I will have completed my service. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but living in Nicaragua and being in the PC has made me miss home, my family, my friends, for the first time in my life. I think when I studied abroad in Chile I didn’t miss home because it felt like I was always on vacation. In Somoto, I truly live and work there. The ride home in the car felt like a dream and I jabbered away with Mom and Dad about the trip and life in general. I can’t describe how great it felt to step inside the house and walk on soft carpet again, sit in front of the gas fireplace, watch TV in English, take a hot bath, and sleep in my queen sized bed. Just picturing these things in my head makes me miss home right now. My sister did remind me when I was home that I can always come back whenever I want and that no one would think badly of me. I love her for telling me that, it helps put me at ease and affirm the fact there is no real pressure for me to be in Nicaragua…I am here because I want to be. Later when I talk about my time in Ciudad Sandino I will come back to this theme.

Being home calmed my mind and soul and put me in the Christmas spirit. It’s hard to get into the spirit when the weather in Somoto is an average of 82 degrees with humidity. To put on my UGs and my peacoat again to shield me from the cold felt amazing! The rain in Nicaragua is so different; it’s a humid and hot rain that comes rolling in whenever it feels like it. I can feel the high pressure before the rain comes, but I can’t smell it. At home in California I can smell it. I miss the changing of the seasons, especially when summer turns to fall. Maybe I attribute that time of year to some great memories of football games, homecomings, golf seasons and the red/orange splash of colors.

It was so great to reconnect with family and friends for 2 straight weeks. Sometimes I was stressed out because plans changed and I had to cut some time out of “visiting hours” with some of you. At the least, I’d like to thank the following people for making my time at home very meaningful and very hard to leave:

-Mom and Dad, for taking Gina and I to San Francisco for shopping, eating, and Phantom of the Opera, for flying me home for 2 weeks, for the great new wardrobe and other presents, and for hopefully forgiving me for being unnecessarily overly dramatic at times.

-Gina, for all the great xmas presents that I use all the time now, for being a great sister who I laugh with and quote movies back and forth.

-Mamow, for inspiring me to always keep faith, a positive attitude, and keep busy, no matter what age.

-Nana, for hanging in there and singing xmas carols with me.

-Aunt Anne/Uncle Mike, for the great beer and being the life of the party as always.

-Aunt Judy/Uncle Bruce, for the See’s candy and cookies that I ate on the plane and for spending time with me.

-Jan and Doug Brown, for taking me to a super yummy lunch at Lucille’s (I’m craving a pulled pork sandwich right now), listening to my crazy Nica stories, and sending me back with goodies.

-Rosine, for being my best friend, taking me out to lunch, buying me See’s candy, and sending me back with some useful and yummy xmas gifts.

-Greg, for spending lots of time with me and sharing xmas with my family.

-Danie (and Millie), for our Sex and the City slumber party, Cosmos, and pizza!

-John, for taking me to the wine bar and out to a really great Mexican dinner, and of course for making me laugh like always.

-James, for giving me really big hugs for the 2 short times I got to see him, and the See’s candy.

-Natalie, for lunch at Cheesecake Factory and for being a patient listener.

-Chad, for calling me back when I was an emotional mess and a great conversation about life.

-Kimmy, for a great haircut that will grow out really well for the next 19 months!

-Allison, for the yummy cookies and the hour of catching up in Sac Town.

-Sarah and June Lehmann, for stopping by the house to spend some time with me.

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” (Thank you.) – Marcel Proust

Another interesting difference between my two homes, I dream so vividly and clearly in Nicaragua, but when I was home I didn’t dream at all. Sometimes I’ll have I’m still confused about what it means! Is the reason because I am always meditating in deeper thoughts in Nicaragua when I have nothing else to do? Am I more stressed out? If anyone has any other hypotheses about my dreaming, let me know!

I left early in the am on the 29^th, and I didn’t cry until getting into the security line…probably a mistake because they looked at me like I was some sort of psycho! Luckily I sat down across from a nice girl from Yuba City and she started talking to me which helped me calm down. It’s funny how a complete stranger can help one forget a moment of sadness. I think I was sad because I had such a great time at home and I really do miss everyone a lot at home. I know everyone will always be there, but it’s not the same 3,000 miles away. Somoto is my home, but it’s not the same home. I know I am happy in both places, happy in different ways that are indescribable because it’s a feeling in my heart rather than a list of reasons why. I’m very excited to see what challenges 2009 will present me. I have a feeling this year will probably be the hardest work year of my life…with 500 students and 4 counterparts to train and 2 local competitions to plan and the regional competition. I know I know, KT, don’t whine! Look past the obstacles and see the successful completion of the school year right?

Danni and I finally got to have our Sex and the City movie night! With Cosmos of course!

Allison and I, recalling fond memories of Spanish classes at UCD.

Gina and I in on the terrace of Macy's in SF, looking over the plaza.

The family in front of the SF buildings

Gina, Alexa my cousin, Me

Great Santa Aunt Anne!

Gina is a member of Real Madriz's soccer team now!

Yay for cooking supplies to take back to Somoto!

Dad finds another use for the ceramic artisan bowl from San Juan de Oriente...no comment.

Mom got her favorite movie, Something's Got to Give.

Despedida: Translation for an excuse to go out and party

The last day Mike, Freddy, and I were at the house together we decided it was a good idea to celebrate the end of the year by having drinks and singing karaoke at the Somoteño (that’s the place Callie and I had won the karaoke contest the week before). Freddy’s wife Amelia was up for the week visiting and she is always down to party! Only a couple of my Fabretto coworkers made it out, but we made the best of it. I once again sang karaoke, this time “Hotel California” per the Nicas request (it’s one of the few songs they can recognize in English) and I did ok since it complimented my natural alto voice. At the end of the competition, all the competitors go up on stage and the audience votes by applause for their favorite. I was the ONLY one who went up there…no one wanted to take me on! I was waiting up there with the MC named Leo and I was dancing around “yay I won I won!” and then the owner basically saw that it was me and pulled a fast one. I was told the competition was no more and they were going to raffle off the 6-pack that I CLEARY WON! It was lame, I was looking forward to free beer. I guess the owner has decided to impose a “gringo rule” since Callie and I swept the “competition” the previous week. Before we left I wrote an angry note to the owner, it made me feel better. The night turned around in my favor when they announced another dance competition. Some random Nica guy asked me to dance and even though I knew he’d be a horrible dancer, I had some beer to win! We only went up against my coworker Sonia and her partner, another random guy. They were WAY better than my horrible partner and I, but guess what winning card I hold? Oh yeah, I’m white with blonde hair and blue eyes. DING DING DING, Winner by default! Luckily they didn’t raffle off that 6-pack this time and I got 3 beers (I had to share with my crappy partner). The highlight of my night was dancing with Don Freddy…I’m sure about everyone I saw when I was home got a chance to have this video shoved in their face by me. I'll try to post it online soon, I can't do it at Fabretto because video feed is blocked :(

Two days later I hopped a bus to Managua, stayed the night at the Backpacker’s Inn for 8 bucks close to the PC Office and made my way home to Sac Town! Luckily a cool dude named Jose who was staying in the same hostel room was on the same flight as me so we shared a cab to the airport and he was really nice and paid for me. Thanks Jose!

Mike with our coworkers Fatima and Sonia

The only two competitors in the dance competition!

Amelia, Freddy's wife, is always down for a good time at the bar!

Me singing "Hotel California"... I was probably sharp

I'm probably singing right here, very normal for me to break into song whenever.

Baile! Baile!

Don Freddy and I take a break from dancing.

Finally a good picture of Mike and I!

La Purísima (The Purification) Part 2

If you remember from my last post, Mike and I were invited to celebrate the First Communion of Sergio one of our students at the Oratorio. After a celebration at their house on the weekend of the Purisima, they have a parade and all the kids who received their First Communion dress up once again in their outfits and march around the town. We had to swim through the big crowd a couple times to find Sergio as well as Flor, our old neighbor and student. Finally we found them and took plenty of pictures and I even took some of my older students who were also going through the ceremony. I believe First Communion at home usually occurs around the age of 10? Here it seemed to vary from age 8 to age 16. After the parade there was a 3 hour long mass that we DID NOT stay for…hell no! At the least, it was fun to participate and experience a Nica cultural moment.

The parade goes through downtown

The padre of the Catholic church here, he's supposedly a Nica from Estelí

One of our students, but I can't remember his name!

The long lines of the boys and girls

The girls dress in white...how pretty!

One of my students, Yobelki

Nothing says "pure" like the drunk guys passed out on the side of the road while the kids march by!

The man of the hour, Sergio!

Note: Found another computer to load the pictures from, it's not as easy as mine...but hell it works. I'm such a whiner, right Becca? Haha