CONDEGA, my birthday, and SELVA NEGRA

1. CONDEGA: The 31st of October was a pretty awesome day. Not really because it was my birthday but because I got to go on a real journey on my motorbike. We drove about an hour outside of Esteli on a nice paved highway through the mountains. I followed Benjamin (one of our workers, Nicaragua) on his bike and it was SO awesome. He drove his normal way and I had no problem keeping up. I could go on and on and on about how much I'm in love with my bike but I will just leave it at that. I think you get the picture. As we were driving through the mountains on the winding paved road towards the Hondurian border, I really felt like I was in a movie. The views were spectacular and I was in awe the entire trip. Once we arrived we met up with Laicer who is a technician working for one of our partner oganizations. The three of us (on our separate motor bikes) then set off into the interior, unpaved bumpy 'road' to go and check out some of the houses of our beneficiaries. They were surprised at my ability to handle this terrain although I'd be lieing if I said I didn't stall a couple of times in big rut or in the middle of one of the numerous rivers that we had to cross! I came back a bit wet!!!!

I did leave this experience feeling a little bad though. But it was only because I realized how much work I need to do with my Spanish. I had a REALLY hard time communicating with the people. And for some reason when I explained that I was just learning Spanish, they would repeat what they had already said just as quickly (of not faster) but about ten volumes louder. Interesting concept of how I can understand.... but...... nice people :) :) :)

2. My birthday. I had a few people over for dinner and even got a couple of gifts which I LOVE! Also, thanks to everyone at home who flooded my facebook page wtih 'happy birthday' or some version of that! Love you guys :)

3. A weekend ago but worth showing. A hike through the woods and lunch at a place called Selva Negra an hour or two outside of Esteli.

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ENJOY!!!!!!

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ABOVE: I wish I could remember her name, but she is a promotor of this communtiy in Condega. I guess that would be similiar to a chief... something like that! And she grows everything under the sun around her house! I even got chased by a pig!!!!!

ABOVE: You can't tell how big it is here, but she has a humungous banana tree field!!!!

ABOVE: And when I think that life is getting rough or I just need a break from hiking all day through the mountains, I just sit under a banana tree and take pictures of the sky!

ABOVE: A coffee plant!!!!!

ABOVE: Ben and Laicer take me out to visit some of the beneficiaries in the moutains in the Condega area.

Condega is about 60 kilometers south of the Hundrian border and is one of the 6 municipalities where the project works.
ABOVE: Bananas! Look hard! They are still green.
ABOVE: Fruit... I want a bite!
ABOVE: Two random parrots hanging out in the mountains. Ben picked them up on this stick and then carried them like this over his shoulder forever. I wonder if they found their way home??ABOVE: Babies having babies in 'the campo'. Campo is a spanish word meaning 'the camp' but they mean rural area when they say that. I'm so use to saying the campo now that I'm always forgetting what it would really be in English... ? Soon I'll have lost ALL my language abilities!
ABOVE: One of the families that we work with. At least part of them. The others hid from the camera. And I think the lady on the right was trying to use the baby as a block too! But hey, they asked for the picture!!!!

ABOVE: Laicer and Ben checking out the cows. Look at Laicer's jacket (right). He's got a picture of Che on the back! I love it!
ABOVE: My dream home. Ok, so I'm simple. But seriously... out in the wilderness surrounded by nature and banana trees???? It's not so bad. Really!
ABOVE: FRUIT vines. Underneath you will find a plethora of deliciousness!
ABOVE: You can't imagine how hard it is to grow food in the mountains. When the rains come sometimes an entire harvest can be wiped out. Everything can be lost. It is a constant balance for the RIGHT amount of rain. Last year the people sufferred because of drought - the rain season basically didn't exist. This year, so many crops were lost because of flooding.... would someone up there give them a hand please????
ABOVE: But some survive!!!!!

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And what does the rain look like in Esteli???

THIS!

ABOVE: Karine interviewing Benjamin outside of the OXFAM office about the rain season. Check out the water behind her. This happens every time it rains here.... it's crrrrrrrrazy! But explains why I brought my motorbike in to get fixed the other day and the problem was that my gas tank was full of water. Hummm...
ABOVE: A street... or a lake? And this was taken AFTER the water had gone way down. It was covering the colour stone on the sidewalk too. I just realized how strange it is for such a poor country to have such lovely sidewalks. Maybe we are focusing on the wrong thing people???? Maybe?????
ABOVE: The "PECAN" water tank.
ABOVE: I love this place. It's incredible when you are out in the moutains on a nice day. Now if only I could make myself understood when I try to talk with the local people. I'm sure I'd be having a totally different experience then. But I'm getting there.... slowly...... but surely.
ABOVE: I actually want one of these clay ovens. I bet they can cook amazing food!

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Speaking of food... check out my 24th birthday party. I had the family I was living with over, along with Edith, Isabelle and Karine. We cooked up a storm and had chicken parmesan, with potatoes (my mom's style) and a yummmmmmy greek salad. All in all, it was a pretty good birthday...! I think I will cherish the next year of my life before I join the 1/4 century club. Eeeeek that sounds old!

. ABOVE: Now this is why I love having my own place. I can COOK!

ABOVE: ANNNND, I even got a couple of birthday presents. My friend Bengel surprised me a bracelet that he made (or had made??) and the girls got me this jewellery, which I'm wearing today. It's hand crafted in Esteli and I bet you can't find the same thing anywhere else in this world! They bought it straight from the person who made it! Thanks guys :) :)

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Sidenote: Last weekend we went for a drive in Edith's car. We drove about 1.5-2 hours outside of Esteli until we reached a place called "SELVA NEGRA" which translates to 'the black forest'. We had a realllllllllly nice lunch on a little pond and then did a short hike. It was a really nice way to spend the day and it was good to get out of Esteli for a little while.

ABOVE: They had a backpackers hut that was plastered with little pieces of wood with names of places from all over the world. I should have taken a picture of the entire building because it was really cool but the zoom in on some of the Canadian names will have to do. Oh... right. There was also a random wooden lady poking her head out of the window up higher with two mugs of beer in her hand. I'm sure we would have become great friends.
ABOVE: The restuarant we had lunch at at selva negra. Definetely not cheap by Nicaraguan standards (or my small paycheck standards) but it was worth it! The food was awesome.
ABOVE: Some of the view from our patio table.
ABOVE: An old church we stopped to check out during our hike after lunch. They really love their old churches in Nicaragua!
ABOVE: Edith is going to kill me but I thought this was a good picture to put up since it shows how we party at work. Actually it was in celebration of Guy Laliberte's foundation becoming official (see previous entry)... but it just seemed odd to be drunking red wine with everyone on the roof at work! I think I like it here! :) :) :)

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Until next time!

Hasta luego :)