the past two (crazy) weeks

It's been quite a while, but things here have been really busy. I think I last wrote while on descanso in Granada. That was a really nice weekend. I was able to see quite a bit of the Olympics (I saw the mens' swimming relay where they beat France by .01 seconds or whatever it was!!) and I was able to make some internet phone calls.

The week right after I came back was fairly normal. Wednesday we had a big campaign against lice. All the kids got de-liced along with their clothes and bedding. So hopefully that problem won't exist in NPH anymore, at least for a while.

That Saturday we celebrated, or perhaps commemorated is a better word, the 2nd anniversary of the birth of Padre Wasson (NPH founder) to eternal life. In other words, the day he died. So the kids started drumming at 2 in the morning (we still don't know why). There were prayers and songs at 5, and then everyone got ready for the day. There was mass in the morning, with baptisms and first communions, and everyone came- Casa Asis, Managua, San Jorge. Then we had lunch and after lunch were games. Then after dinner was a "vigilia" which was a lot of singing with some people talking, at least as long as I stayed. I left at about 9. 5-9 was a long enough day!

Sunday I left to go to San Jorge to meet the new volunteers, a couple from Germany. We went to Casa Asis and spent the afternoon with the little kids there. Then we spent the night in the office in San Jorge. I shared a room with Sister Phyllis, a nun from the states who came 13 years ago (I think) and "forgot to leave" as she says. She's lots of fun to talk to and we watched the Olympics on her TV, so that was fun.

Monday morning I set my computer to download all the updates it had been bothering me about using the office's faster internet. Then I went with the couple to Rivas to take pictures for the visas and buy some groceries. Then we went back to the office for lunch and waited... and waited and waited 'cause that's what you do at the office. Then when we were just ready to leave for the 2:30 ferry, Marlon told me I needed to stay 'cause we had to have a junta with Georg, one of the volunteers who started with me in Jan. So I waited and it ended up being that the directors had decided they needed to ask Georg to leave and they wanted me there since I'm volunteer coordinator. So that was a very fun meeting, NOT! But at least I didn't have to make any decisions. So finally we got back to the island and luckily Benjamin and Nadine's room was all ready.

Tuesday I had to go BACK to the office for a meeting about a year of service pequeno who had been causing some problems. So off I went on the first ferry (meaning I had to leave the house at 5:20AM). We got some breakfast at the office, and then had a two or three hour meeting. Not too bad, as NPH meetings go.... Then again, we waited and waited and WAITED. Finally we got to go back. Luckily Ann had taken good care of the new volunteers for me. It was nice 'cause they're all from Germany, so they could speak German together.

Wednesday I was taking care of details for Georg's departure and also showing my new volunteers around NPH and getting them ready to start their week as tio and tia. Luckily Benjamin and Nadine are SUPER easy going and very easy to work with, so that was great. They have a lot of questions, like all new volunteers, but they're always very flexible and easygoing. Then Wednesday night I got an unpleasent surprise. Karin, a volunteer who came in June, said that she wanted to leave NPH.

So Thursday (while I was starting to feel sick with some sort of respirtory something) I dealt with informing everyone about Karin leaving. Plus I still had my new volunteers, and the details from everything earlier in the week. I was definately glad that Friday was my descanso. I was planning to stay here to work on applications for when I come back to the States, but at least I would have a bit of a break.

But Thursday night I got really sick. I think I had a fever, stuffy nose, and stomach problems all at once. So by the time I got up Friday I was dehydrated (I think mostly from sweating a lot in the night). So I spent Friday sleeping, drinking rehydration formulas and gatorade, and resting. Saturday I felt better and started eating again, and was able to read and watch a movie. Sunday I felt significantly better, but still really tired. So, another recuperation day.

Then Monday I finally felt mostly back to normal. So I did get some work done on my application. I'm applying to the Masters of Arts in Teaching program at Hamline University in St Paul, MN to get a k-12 ESL licence. I want to start online classes in Jan when I get back, and then start on campus in Sept.

Oh, and somewhere in that weekend Benjamin and Nadine told me that they have to go back to Germany for a few weeks because Nadine's father is very sick int he hospital. But they will come back. (At least they're planning on it and I REALLY hope so 'cause I think they'll be able to do some really good work.)

So that's why there are no pictures up on my blog (even though Emily did get them on the internet) and why this update is a little later than I had planned. I'm still planning on getting pictures up eventually, so hopefully soon!