The Green Monster

We have finished the construction of the solar cooker! As I write, Pete is back in Sabana Grande, dutifuly painting the thing blue. (I´ve asked why it´s blue and not black, and apparently it just has to do with the fact that blue and white are Nicaragua´s colors. But that´s ok, blue is pretty good). Our special cooker has a 10-inch clearance on the inside, rather than the usual 6 or so. This allows for several things, such as a stand for the pressure-vessel and instruments, or simply a pressure cooker. The focal point of the Fresnel lens is at about 7.16¨, so this allows for that too. Anyway, a big thanks to CJ and Peter for helping me so much with construction, and to Anna for doing most of the painting. It has turned out quite excellently, and everything fits like a dream.

I have found that I am quite the carpenter, and also that I am capable of working a lot. I have worked pretty hard, with few breaks, and even overtime, to try and get stuff done. Even when it come to other projects, such as digging the ditch, I found myself saying ¨Let´s do it right the first time so that we don´t have to do it right the second time,¨on at least 3 separate occasions. I´ve turned into my father. There must be something in the food here.

I have now, just this morning after class, started construction of some inserts that go inside the cooker. Unfortunately, I don´t forsee these being completed anytime soon, because this afternoon I am here in Ocotal. Tomorrow I will have two hours to work after class, and then we all leave for Granada for a little vacation, and come back Monday afternoon. This means we will be missing class on Monday and most of the day to work (though I am determined to try to work a little in the afternoon). I would love to get this done before Lori arrives on Wednesday, so that we can move ahead as planned!

So, Granada this weekend! Apparently it is quite the tourist destination in Nicaragua. It looks gorgeous, and really ritzy. Ritzy, but cheap. Many foreigners (i.e. Americans and Europeans) own summer homes in Granada because it is so nice and so cheap. We have been looking into do a zipline tour, parasailing, climbing a volcano, and, of course, hitting some restaurants and bars. I am looking forward to this. Oh, by the way, we finally WILL have Ramada Inn bathrooms and showers, which will be a nice change. We are trying to stay in a dorm at Hostel Oasis, so that we can all be together. The place has a nice pool and free internet, and is about $7 a night per person. A chance to vacation, and, you know, finally have fun for once here in Nicaragua, will be nice.

Kidding. Of course I´m having a blast here. Last night, Wednesday night, was the night I taught the locals how to play Ultimate. Disco Ultimo. They loved it. It was men and women of all ages, from young to my age to a little older, and of all talents. Some were naturals, and some will get better over the next few weeks pretty quickly. We played 5-on-5 for about an hour and a half, so it was 10 of us that played. However, about 20 were watching, very curiously, but were hesitant to play. I told them we will play next Wednesday if they are interested. Also, the captain of the soccer team, Edwin, played and thoroughly enjoyed it, and said that he will tell his team to come next Wednesday. That´s just amazing. Finally, I know that everyone who played loved it, and am certain they will tell all their families and friends about it, and so there will be more. Next week, I will explain a few more rules too. I don´t need to go into too much detail on the fact that I love Ultimate, and I think that, at a basic pick-up level, it is easy to learn, fun for everyone, and enjoyable while getting a good workout. It is my hope that they carry it on after I am gone.

So everything here is really, really green! It´s like the Green Monster just woke up and painted everything. If you´ve seen the pictures from www.saluddelsol.org , you´ve seen that it was pretty but a little brown. Now, after and during so much rain, everything is really flourishing. I love it. I also love walking down the street to the Solar Center, because the plains are so large that I can see that it is raining in one area of Nicaragua and sunny in another. The clouds here are great, and the stars are night are beautiful. There are so many more than you can see in the US, and they twinkle like crazy.

I´ve had a revelation: living here in Sabana Grande is a little like going back in time. Think about it, the lifestyle here is much the same as the lifestyle was in Colonial Europe and America, back when. It´s almost like the third world is just catching up with the rest of the world, which is very true. It´s funny, though, because now I know what it would have been like to live in the times of colonization, and know that I would have been comfortable then.

On a sadder note, Roberto has left. He left this morning for Managua, and will be going back to Scotland within a few days. It has been great having him around, and Skarleth and I will miss him. Apparently, however, we are getting 5 new volunteers next week, one of whom is Lori. Another volunteer will be staying at my house, so I will not be alone for long.

So things around here are really gearing up for our vacation this weekend. We are all very excited about it. Please wish us safe travels, and I will be back for more next week!
-Daniel