FROM MZUNGU TO GRINGA

ABOVE: My street boy friend (boy that IS a friend, that is) named Darrien.... He walks beside me all the way to Spanish school most mornings....!!!!! Saying not much of anything along the way! I did get out of him (in Spanish) that is dad is nowhere to be found and he ran away from his mother in Peurto Rico. How, I don't know!
ABOVE: Typical meal that Adrianna (my Latino mother) cooks for me. God bless her cooking!
ABOVE: Adriana and I! This picture was taken at her mothers house on Sunday. We all went there to eat with their HUGE family. Not as many offspring as in Africa, but close!!!! She's beautiful huh!! Especially for having a 19 year old son, I'd say the Latino ladies have some good genes!
ABOVE: Adriana, daugher Adriana, son Julio Cesar!
ABOVE: Pretty birdy at Adriana's moms house. I love my pictures way too much sometimes! But this is definetely a good one!

ABOVE: Even colourfull pharmacies!

ABOVE: A typical shop on the side of the road. It's Sunday here so the others were closed but really, there are just TONS of these side by side for a few kilometers!

ABOVE: A young boy selling music CD's on the street out of a box.

PS. Used motorbikes: HONDAS! But really, I was taking a picture of the little kitty in front........ LOL

OH BLISSFUL SUNDAY :)
ABOVE: The African's do it better!!!!!!
ABOVE: And here I am, trying to get some sun. It's like every where I visit, people just want to be more white. What is up with that???!?!?!?!! Is it US who are crazy??? I just want to be a darko!

My first week in Esteli has been pretty good. I am feeling a bit bored sometimes as I'm not doing any work.... but I think I am pretty happy to be here. I'd be lieing to myself though if I said I liked it as much as Africa. It is COMPLETELY different - that is for sure. Since I've managed to learn a few Spanish words I now know what is said to me while I pass men on the street: "Bonita, guapa" along with kissing noises and hisses. I'm not really a fan. Bonita and guapa mean pretty or beautiful which is lovely enough but let me tell you - a girl gets tired of hearing those words. The Latino women hear them say it to me and laugh as I walk by but in a loving sort of way. I look at them and say "el loca"... (he's crazy)... then they laugh more. I suppose I will get use to this behaviour. I hope. I have never liked attention like that. And if you dare stare at them while they do this, they don't even look away, they just stare back harder. Very akward.

The weekend brought me some unhappiness for reasons I won't discuss via blog - but I'm happy to say that I took out the trash and feel wonderful now. How does that song go: "if you don't like what you've got, why don't you change it... if your world seems upside down, rearrange it!!!"... Done & done. Changed & Rearranged.

Today Spanish school went poorly. I got a new teacher and she is just not going to do. She's very nice, sweet and young but I didn't learn a thing today. She couldn't understand a word of English so when I told her that I just wanted to keep using the same teaching format as my old teacher, Maria, used... she just kept trying to get me to create a sentence out of random words using proper grammar. I'm nowhere near that stage yet. Tomorrow I'm going to have to hurt her feelings and ask for a more advanced teacher. Sorrrrrrrry! I mean, I HAVE to learn this language. And not just so-so, I need to be able to run seminars for the agriculture technicians at some point.... and I'm determined to do it.

Friday night I went out to a disco with Julio Cesar (the son of the family I live with) and his cousins. We had lots of fun. It was a strange place as there were constantly four girls dancing in green bikinis on the stage beind the dancefloor but it was very entertaining to watch them. People know how to dance here, that's for sure. I got up a couple times but mostly tried to stay in my seat to avoid making a fool of myself - and to help in fighting off Latino men. They are SO persistant! "Mi no hablar Espanol...." (I don't speak Spanish), followed by me running away.

Saturday night I stayed in and practiced my Spanish lessons with the family. I actually learned a lot that night and really made sense of some of the grammar in my head. The grammar is going to be very important if I'm to look at all inteligent for these technicians I'm expected to train!

Sunday morning I went for a stroll. I needed to clear my head after some unhappy momments and it definetely worked. I found some really cool places around Esteli and took tons of pictures. I love this city. It's absolutely beautiful and JUST big enough for me. I made some friends with the street kids who actually taught me a few more words somehow! I checked out the used Honda dirtbikes too... Still am not quite sure what to do... New not so good name, or old Honda... decisions decisions!!!!!! I also took some pictures of the mountains and tried to zoom in on these little dirt roads I could make out. I definetely plan to tour those when I buy my beast!

Sunday night I went with Edzit and Isabel (two Quebecers here with OXFAM) to dinner at Edzits maids house. She was so happy when we arrived. She lives in a new housing project area. She use to have a boarded up wooden house but these days has a little cement building. She's only 24 but has a 6 year old daugher (adorable, see pictures below) and lives there with the girls father also. The made us a nice dinner and I finally felt like I had gotten to see a bit of how people live around here. The cities don't do a very good job of telling that story.

ABOVE AND BELOW: LOVE THE COLOURS IN THIS PLACE! Who dares to build a hot pink or flamingo coloured house in Canada!! I dare YOU! I'm GOING TO!

ABOVE: Usually these things are stacked with fresh fruits and vegetables. Delicious!

ABOVE: I couldn't figure out what these people were doing exactly. But I think they were promoting their school???

ABOVE: Complete description of why I love Esteli. Motorbikes and mountains. That's really what this place is all about!

ABOVE: This is how I spent my Sunday morning. Wandering the streets and finding little oasis' like this.

ABOVE: Random basketball etc, court. Again, with the mountains. I wonder if it would be possible for me to get a picture withOUT the mountains!?! That would be no fun!

ABOVE: Ya estamos en Esteli!!!

ABOVE: Out and about Sunday morning. Kids on the street buying something that looked like mini pizzas. Should have tried one!

ABOVE AND BELOW: Love the mountains around this city!

ABOVE: Mas montanas en Esteli! More mountains in Esteli!

ABOVE: Kids playing soccer on the street on Sunday morning. Look at the two adorable little guys on the right on, and beside, the truck!

ABOVE: One of my favourite things to take pictures of: Clothing hanging to dry. I don't know why. Maybe I'm crazy... I am a little you know!

ABOVE: Left to right: Julio Cesar and Adriana (son and mother I live with), Helen, Sovrina and Romeo... Before we headed to the disco!
ABOVE: Sovrina and I. She's the same age as me. She got married 2 months ago to Romeo (beside her in the picture above) and is in her 5th year of 7 studying to be a doctor in Managua. Romeo is already a doctor! This is us at the disco having lots of fun on Friday night. And, no, she doesn't speak English just like the rest: which is perhaps why we get along so well!?!? Who knows!
ABOVE: Who wears short shorts??? Interesting disco I was at... the dancing suddenly ceased and then the breakdancing competition took place... hmmmmm!
ABOVE: Downtown Esteli. I had a wonderful walk about yesterday (Sunday) morning... took lots of pictures...!
ABOVE: IT's ME in ESTELI!

ABOVE: When I get frusturated with my poor ability to converse in Spanish, I just talk to my roommate, Carlos Eduardo (had to give him a realllll Latino name). He doesn't answer but at least he doesn't get a confused look on his face and make me frantically flip through my dictionairy. You'll know I've really lost my mind when he starts answering me.
ABOVE: I spend four hours here each day! Spanish school..... the little room that frusturates the heck out of me for four hours each day. But, it's definetely all worth it!
ABOVE: Part of the OXFAM team. After Spanish school on Friday I joined them for lunch at a nice little restaurant! Delicious food... like the rest of the food here!
ABOVE: Edzit and Isabelle (both from Quebec) raid the ice cream man.
ABOVE: One of the many murals on the walls here.

ABOVE: On the right Cristia: She cleans one of the girls homes who works for OXFAM. She thanks her every day and says what a great chance she has to make a better life for herself and her family. This is her boyfriend and their daughter standing in front of their new house in the Esteli housing project. She use to have a small house with a mud floor and wooden walls. Inside, they even have a stereo and TV now!
ABOVE: The new house!

ABOVE: Me and my clothing pictures!!!!

ABOVE: A _____ tree. I'll get back to you on that... It's in the yard of this cute little family thought!!!!!

ABOVE: Crislin, age 6. They made her name to be a comibation of their's.. but I cannot remember the name of her father!!! How adorable is she!!!!!!!!!
ABOVE: Crislin gets a little less shy and puts on a dress and starts dancing for us! She had the Nicaraguan music pumped as loud as it would go: raggae-tone!
ABOVE: THEIR CUTE PUPPY! I WANT IT!