Monkeys!

Week 7/8

I’m getting worse and worse at posting on this thingy. First off, the not as interesting not as super exciting news that I’ll be sharing in a bit. Our youth group finally got their shit together and made some damn candy! What, what! I was really starting to think we were going to show up at the competition with like some shit we bought and repackaged at the local shop, but no, the girls did it! Our product is basically this green chewy candy made from a local leaf and fruit. We’re going to start making it in fun shapes like stars and hearts. It’s pretty exciting stuff. Also, I finally got to go down to the Laguna near where we live for the 4th of July. It was a really fun to just hang out with the other trainees. The water felt great and the scenery was breathtaking. Overall, one of my better 4ths.

Okay, now the good stuff. So, Tuesday we had this little info-session about nothing of real importance, only where we’re living for the next 2 years! Yes, we indeed got our site assignments at the grand site presentation ceremony. I call it a ceremony cause they make the whole thing super dramatic, just how I like it! First, they kept us waiting for awhile, then told everyone to put on the map where they thought they were going, with the winners getting a chocolate prize. Then, they announced each site one by one and revealed who was going there, before changing your placement on the map. I decided to guess one I didn’t really want so as not to get the old jinx. Turns out it was a solid plan. I didn’t receive any chocolate or for that matter my #1 choice. Instead, I got my #2 choice out of all 24 sites! For the next two years, I will be living in San Carlos, Rio San Juan!

San Carlos is woah far out there from the PC office, basically it’s like 10 hours from Managua and 30 minutes from Costa Rica. Is that a Costa Rican vacay I’m foreseeing? Yes, I think it just might be. San Carlos is also a port city at the interchange of the San Juan river and Lake Nicaragua, so I shouldn’t exactly be hurting for things to do. Did I mention this is one of the few lakes in the world with fresh water sharks? Will make for exciting swimming! I was also reading in my packet about all these awesome wildlife preserves and islands in the area that sound dreamy! This is a site where they wanted to send two business volunteers, one (me) to work more with the high schools, and another (Jess) to work primarily with the university there. Also, I’ll have a site mate from the Health sector. I’m pretty excited, hopefully they’ll be fun travel and dance buddies. Oh yeah, I didn’t mention the two famous dance clubs, one of which is especially found of American 80’s music. You couldn’t pry my cold dead body away from that shit!

We’re visiting our sites next week for 4 days and I am beyond pumped. While I think we are taking a bus this time, there is also a boat that leaves from Granada for San Carlos, and I really want to take it. You can hang a hammock up and sleep and there are movies to watch and air conditioning. It sounds very vacation like, yet affordable. To me though, the most exciting part of living in Rio San Juan is the monkeys! There are said to be many, and people keep them as pets! Yes, please! I’m planning on getting one once I get a place of my own and having it be my little servant. His name will be Alfred and I’ll get him a tiny little tuxedo to wear. When I get home from work, I’ll yell “Alfred, why is my cocktail not waiting!?!” Alfred will be a bit lazy and total drunk, so I’ll probably have to scream “Make me my goddamn martini, Alfred!” a few times and maybe slap him around a bit before I get my service. Eventually, I’ll be forced to get another monkey named Cinderella, who will clean up after Alfred when he ends up in puddles of his own vomit. Soon, she too will start to drown her sorrows in rum and gin. Basically, by the end of my service, I plan to leave behind like 10 alcoholic monkeys. It will be magical! I still can't figure out how to actually get pictures on here anymore. It worked early on, but is getting funky the last month. Maybe a new cyber is the fix, or I might have to save the pictures elsewhere. I definitely want to write a post after I get back from my visit to the jungle! Until then, everyone go treat yourself to something tasty, you deserve it!