My Site and My first Nica Family:

My Site and My first Nica Family:

Saturday, The day we meet our families has arrived.  We departed Hotel Ticomo at noon and boarded buses to drop off the other trainees in Niquinohomo, and Masatepe, before getting to my pueblo, San Juan de Oriente.  After we dropped off Kyle at Dona Sylvias the bus went across the street and dropped me off with my family.  I got out of the bus with my language teacher, Blanca, and she introduced me to Lucia, my Nica mom.  Lucia is very petite and friendly woman.  She proceed to introduce me to her giant family.  The family goes something like this:  Lucia Ruiz is the grandmother and Justo is the grandfather…they are my parents.  They have 2 sons and a daughter I think.  I don’t really remember there children’s names but one son has a son named Kenny who speaks a little bit of English and has been helping me with my Spanish.  Kenny is 29 and his wife is 29 and they have 2 sons.  Kenny has 2 sisters one who is 22 and one who is 12 and they are really nice to me and have been helping me a lot.  When you enter the house on the right side is a “comedor” where the family sells lunch and dinner plated but it is not a restaurant because you pick up homemade food and there is only one item or plate on the menu.  That being said the food here is amazing.  Anywho you enter the house between two large gates, that are locked at night, and as you enter the gates you are inside the families living and dining room which is all outdoors and faces the kitchen which is also outdoors and has a tin roof.  Everyone gathers here because it’s the coolest, Temperature wise, place in the house.  There is no floor as its outside so the dirt is the floor.  The bedrooms surround the outdoor living space and they are somewhat inside except the roof doesn’t attach so there is a breezeway between the ceiling therefore I have to use my mosquito net when I sleep.  My room is orange and there were Christmas decorations on it when I entered so I take that as a good sign. The room is small but clean. They gave me a fan and I have electricity which is better than a lot of other people.  Kyle’s house is really nice and everything is indoors except the shower but he has a really nice balcony that we overlook the town and we will be having class there.   Saturday night was pretty interesting and I found it hard to sleep.  It was fairly warm and the dogs were barking and roosters were crowing constantly throughout the night.  Saturday was spent getting to know everyone and they served me lunch and dinner.  Today, Sunday, I got up “late”: 8:30 and ate breakfast: eggs, avocados, bread and fruit from our property:  mandarins, mangos, and bananas.  It was delicious …and coffee.  Kyle and I went for a long run around town and back.  After we came back I took my first bucket bath since my family doesn’t have running water.  This consists of me standing in a shower and getting a cup and dipping it in a water bucket and pouring it on myself.  Because there is no hot water this is kind of nice because it’s not cold water spewing at me constantly.  After we ate lunch I met Kyle and Janelle, the other trinee, and we took a moto taxi to Catarina.  Catarina is a very tourist town with amazing views of the lake and volcano.  We tried to find a cyber to get wi-fi (Kyle has a girlfriend he was trying to get a hold of (they’ve only been dating a month!)) and we walked for an hr looking for it and trying to explain to people in broken Spanish what we needed.  When we finally got there it was close.  Apparently it doesn’t open until 6 pm and we have to be back home by 5.  After our exploration we came back and I studies some more then was taken out to dinner by Kenny’s dad, mom, his sisters, Kenny’s wife and the babies.  We drove to Niquinohomo to eat.  I sat on the back of a pickup and it was awesome …the sun was setting and it was breezy and just so nice.  Upon entering the restaurant there was a guard with a rifle guarding the restaurant… CRAZY!  But the restaurant was good and I had some of the best tortillas and fried chicken ever.  You’d be jealous.  Now it’s time for bed…Spanish class at 8 am then I’m going to try to go to the cyber after class to email you this letter.  I just want you to know that Friday I get my phone and I will be able to text and call you once I have it.  Kyle is trying to figure out how to turn his iphone into a hotspot?? Can I do that with my phone?  Or do I need to upgrade?