Tengo un Gato en mis Pantalones

Hey All!

I like using these Spanish keyboards, because they have so many more options than our boring US keyboards. ñ,ç,¿,€,¡,º,ª... esta bien. Most keys have three symbols on them, rather than two, so they require two shifts, the second being AltGr.

Anyway, I have arrived in Sabana Grande! It is as awesome and beautiful as I thought it´d be, if not more so. I erred when I said that Sabana Grande meant ¨Great Plains¨, because apparently it means ¨Big Sheet¨. It is also in a bit different location than I thought: 20 minutes south of Ocotal, not Esteli.. though it is near Esteli. My apologies.

Here I am surrounded by mountains and farmland, and there are cities nearby. We are staying in a community, with some clusters of houses here and there. The Centro de Solar, or Solar Center, is the center of activity. It is very impressive, as it was only very recently built and runs entirely on solar power. In it they have a tool room, a storeroom, a meeting room, an office, and a library. It sits on 3-and-a-half acres of land, on which they also have an automatic pump for a well, a composting latrine, and many organic gardens. They also have a construction area, where they make Adobe, and are planning to build a hotel and a restaurant. Both of these would also be run entirely on solar power, and the food would be cooked using the solar cookers! I am very excited about this, and I definitely want to come back to see them.

My house is wonderful. We have electricity (most houses in this area are connected to the national grid), and so have light at night. We also have the only refigerator (at least one of the only ones that I know of), and so that is a big deal to the community. My mother is a great businesswoman... she makes heladeto, a sort of ice treat, that she sells for 1ç (Cordoba), which is very cheap. Currently, 19ç is to $1. My mother, Dona Carmen, also pays others to do laundry, and generating business is very important in the community. As good a businesswoman as Dona Carmen is, however, she is an even better cook. I get exquisite meals, and a plethora of variety, 3 times a day: desayuno, almuerzo, y cena.

I have 28-year-old brother, Yenner (pronounced with a slightly rolled r, almost like ¨Yenen¨), who I don´t see much because he is always working, on a farm I presume. my niece Scarlett, however, I see a lot (when I am not working or she is not in school). She stays with us, and Dona Carmen has her eat with me. She is 11, and has a very large reputation for being great with volunteers such as myself. She corrects our Spanish, and is extremely patient with us. We play games such as UNO together, and she is a quiet, proud, and sweet girl. Not too mention wayy too smart to be in the community for much longer.

It is cooler up in the mountains, but it rains more. It is the beginning of the rainy season, where it pours for about an hour every day. Truthfully, the climate is temperate and perfect for me. Bugs are not too much of a problem, except for an hour after it rains (Mudflies cloud the skies, but only for awhile). Never fear, however, because I do have my bounce sheets in my room!

Showers are taken with a bucket. You get a bucket of water, a little bowl, and a closed-off area outside somewhere, and just scoop and pour. Lather, rinse, scoop, pour, repeat. It´s great. You are in much more control of the water, and don´t waste nearly as much. The temperature of water depends on the time of day you are taking the shower (I love the cold showers because they are much more refreshing here, but if you want a warm shower you´ll be taking it during your lunch break). The bathrooms are latrines, where they dig very large, deep holes, and just place a sort of open-bottomed port-a-potty over it. Sure it´s no Ramada Inn, but you learn to live with it just fine... they are even pretty clean.

I gotta tell you folks, as disgusting as that may seem to you Americans, it is great. Like I said, you live with it just fine, and there are lots of advantages to both.

I am also staying with another volunteer... a 44-year-old Scottish man they call Roberto (roll the first r). We eat and work together, and he is something else. Bob has been a wonderful help in my time here so far, because he has been able to give me all the ins and outs of the village. He showed me how to use the shower, where to get clean water, how to chase away the dogs, not to wear sunglasses when talking to people, etc. He is chock full of great information for me, which I try to pass along to the other volunteers. He is also very bright, and is extremely interested in my solar autoclave project. Unfortunately, Bob is leaving us in two weeks. He has been here for 3 months working on getting the women to cook using pressure cookers in the solar cookers rather than over a stove. He discovered that they can make Chocolate cake using the pressure cookers, which is the only reason they are excited about it (even thought there´s certainly tons of other applications). What an amazing gift from God that I brought a pressure cooker for testing too.

Several other non-UD volunteers, CJ, Jenny, and Emily, have all also been a huge help. They´ve given us maps of the community and the towns, vocabulary lists and phrases, and showed us a few other things as well.

Whew, I feel like I have so much more to share, but I am running out of time. Remind me to talk to you about Soccer, Ocotal, and Spanish.

Oh, one last thing. Unfortunately, my camera has died. I am trying to get a new one, but it could be some time. As a result, I will not be able to post any pictures until then. I am sorry, and I will post some as soon as I can.

Reminding you to conserve water, this is Daniel signing off.