There was delicious food and tons of company. However, this year was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better. My PCV friends Meg and Alex coordinated hosting a dinner at Meg`s house. The 8 people who were in attendance all chipped in money. We had vegetarian chili, chicken, creamed corn, regular corn, wine, cranberries, homemade pumpkin bread, two kinds of stuffing, homemade pumpkin pie, broccoli with cheese (or really cheese with broccoli), regular bread, and I`m sure I`m forgetting a couple of things. But it wasn`t all about the food (although I was salivating while they were cooking), it was more the feeling of sitting down together and sharing the meal. It was more intimate and more like a real family Thanksgiving. So, a big shoutout to Meg and Alex for making that happen :)But that wasn`t the end of my awesome Thanksgiving weekend. On Black Friday, Julie, Carla and I headed to the Laguna and hung out all day. We swam, ate more good food, and took a nap in the shade on a deck. It was beyond peaceful.
Until we had to hike OUT of the laguna. We had to be at a body building competition at 5PM (yes, you read that correctly), and the bus schedule wasn`t cooperating with us so, we started hiking up. It sucked. Then a taxi passed us and in ENGLISH the passenger said, "You guys lookin for a ride?" We piled in and made it to the competition a little before 6. Lucky us Nicaraguans don`t run on time!
So, why were we at this 
competition? Two of the guys from the gym Carla goes to were participating in it and they`d asked her. She hesitantly asked Julie and I, to which she received two resounding YESs. I mean, HOW could we pass that up?! So we were there, watching a bunch of buffed out guys (but not disgusting like in the US) getting greased up and parade around on stage. It was... interesting. One of Carla`s friends won his weight class and the other came in second in his. Whawhoo! Go men of Santa Teresa!
competition? Two of the guys from the gym Carla goes to were participating in it and they`d asked her. She hesitantly asked Julie and I, to which she received two resounding YESs. I mean, HOW could we pass that up?! So we were there, watching a bunch of buffed out guys (but not disgusting like in the US) getting greased up and parade around on stage. It was... interesting. One of Carla`s friends won his weight class and the other came in second in his. Whawhoo! Go men of Santa Teresa!The next day I went 
Christmas shopping in the Masaya market and hung out with Alex and Chris and Alejandro. We had a mojito night. Apparently that is Chris`s favorite drink. I judged him at first but, turns out he makes a pretty mean mojito and I actually liked it! We played some good ol` fashioned Apples to Apples and had a mini-dance party.
Christmas shopping in the Masaya market and hung out with Alex and Chris and Alejandro. We had a mojito night. Apparently that is Chris`s favorite drink. I judged him at first but, turns out he makes a pretty mean mojito and I actually liked it! We played some good ol` fashioned Apples to Apples and had a mini-dance party. I scurried home on Sunday morning and washed my clothes in hopes that they would dry before I needed to leave for camp on Tuesday morning... on the 5:40AM express bus to Managua.
WHAT?! I went to camp? Yeah, that`s right. The U.S. Embassy sponsors different week-long English camps. I volunteered to work at the one for high schoolers. There were twleve adults (1 from the embassy, 5 PCVs, 4 Nica English teachers, and 2 assistants). I`ll admit, during our planning time on Tuesday at the embassy...I was nervous. There was a lack of organization and efficiency that freaked me out. I mean, the next afternoon 80 kids from around the country would be arriving at the embassy...and we were in charge and had no clue what was going on.
However, it was AWESOME! We spent 7 days with these kids and they were perfect. The embassy chose them through an application and interview process. We had two beginners classes and two intermediate classes. The kids came from all over: the island, the north, the south, Managua, the Atlantic Coast. It was a big deal.
I`m not going to describe every day at 
camp because, well that`d probably be boring to read and you wouldn`t find the things funny that were funny. But indulge me for a couple of paragraphs. The kids spoke English all week. They didn`t know I spoke Spanish until a skit the PCVs did for the Talent Show on the last night (which will go down in history). Their English wasn`t perfect, but it did show me that they are capable of great things. Most of them have been in public schools their whole life, but they spoke English. I was floored. Astounded. Amazed. Seriously, it was incredible.
camp because, well that`d probably be boring to read and you wouldn`t find the things funny that were funny. But indulge me for a couple of paragraphs. The kids spoke English all week. They didn`t know I spoke Spanish until a skit the PCVs did for the Talent Show on the last night (which will go down in history). Their English wasn`t perfect, but it did show me that they are capable of great things. Most of them have been in public schools their whole life, but they spoke English. I was floored. Astounded. Amazed. Seriously, it was incredible. We made crafts (Christmas wreaths 
and Pilgrim and Indian hats), we sang songs (50 States that Rhyme, the National Anthem), we played games (Red Rover, Leap Frog). We goofed around. We really bonded in that week. It was incredible to see the friendships that were formed so quickly and so intensely. And not just among the kids. On the last day, when I had to say bye, I wanted to cry.
and Pilgrim and Indian hats), we sang songs (50 States that Rhyme, the National Anthem), we played games (Red Rover, Leap Frog). We goofed around. We really bonded in that week. It was incredible to see the friendships that were formed so quickly and so intensely. And not just among the kids. On the last day, when I had to say bye, I wanted to cry.It was a fantastic week. And then I had the long, sad bus ride back to my site. That`s when I started thinking/reflecting/processing/whatever you want to call it. For a long time now I`ve been struggling with what I want to do in my future. Since I was a freshman in high school I wanted to be a high school English teacher (thanks to you MHS English teachers), but since coming here, another idea was added. What if I taught ESL (English as a Second Language). I`ve been going back and forth and really didn`t care much either way. This camp changed that. I am good at teaching ESL and I love doing it. That is what I want to do with my life. NOT only that, but I want to be a part of something, whether it`s an NGO or I don`t even know what, that helps give kids experiences they otherwise wouldn`t have the opportunity to have. Any ideas anyone?
So... it`s nice to sort of know what I want to be when I grow up :)
The rest of my new pics are in the "We Love Summer Camp" link on the left.
AAAAAAAAAAAND... I´LL BE HOME NEXT THURSDAY AFTERNOON!!!!!!
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