The week is coming to an end.. which means only two weeks left of the program- oh my- I can´t even begin to think about not being around these amazing people anymore. Yesterday we had our history final and today normal classes resumed. We had a similation debate today in political science about the CAFTA discussions. I represented the Nicaraguans discussing the free trade agreement. It was pretty interesting, we also got into a debate about if the US government truely represented its constituents by creating an agreement like this. Last night we went salsa dancing which was so much fun and this weekend we have individual interviews for our final project!!

This past week has been extremely busy. Coming back from the rural stay, I was a little sick, but no worries I have fully recovered. This past weekend was nice and relaxing. Friday we went to a baseball game, the national sport here. Managua played Leon and lost 5-0. It was really fun- and completely differenct than baseball games in the U.S. The concession stand system is crazy! The moment you walk in the stadium women with cute fluffy skirts offer you cervecas and gaseosas (beers or sodas) and theres women constantly walking around trying to sell some food of some sort, no hot dogs though. Its really fun to watch. In between innings they play music and everyone gets up and dances- it was really fun.
Saturday I just hung out with my host family- it was my host sister´s birthday. Sunday a couple girls and I went all over Managua trying to find one specific store. It was so much fun- I got to see alot of Managua and kind of figure out the bus system. That evening we went to a folk ballet. It was so cool! Im folk ballet women dance around in big colorgul gorgeous dresses that look really cool when you spin. The men wear really colorful costumes and sometimes masks. It was really cool.
This week I have been doing alot of homework. We had our history final today- which went well. and tommorrow is the weekend!!!

I´ve just returned from a very refreshing four days in the rural community of Miraflor. The area was absolutely stunning...there were rolling hills, huge storybook trees that had either spanish moss hanging from their branches or beautiful brilliant yellow flowers, cactus galore, and the general feel of being in the middle of a jungle. And it really was out in the middle of nowhere...it was a 3 hour drive from managua, an hour of which was up a winding, narrow dirt road that may be the bumpiest ride i´ve ever experienced. The stay in Miraflor was exactly what i needed...i had been a bit homesick/stressed with schoolwork the week before, but my time soaking up the countryside, relaxing in the hammocks, and playing with all the adorable farm animals at my house (puppies, piglets, cows, chicks, and horses!) I milked my first cow and this has completely refreshed me for these last few weeks of the program. My host mother was incredible...she is one of the leaders of the women´s cooperative in miraflor and has built a beautiful house and family...staying with her reminded me of being out at the lake(my grandma´s house)...surrounded by tons of beautiful flowers and good food. There was limited electricity(only a few houses were powered by solar panels) and so bedtime was very early...on average during our stay, we went to bed at about 8pm and woke up at around 6am to make tortillas and help milk the cows and help get water from the well- theres no running water there-which is definitely a lot harder than it looks! The stay was also refreshing temperature wise...since it´s located up in the mountains it´s a lot cooler than managua...it was the longest chunk of time since Guatemala that i went without sweating. Alas, we packed up our bags this morning and returned home to our hot and humid managua...i was really sad to leave, but hope to return someday...

Well the past couple of days have been nice and relaxing. We have had class every morning for both classes. Almost every class has been speakers. Today we had a speaker who helped negotiate in the International Monetary Fund. He spoke about Nicaragua´s foreign debt problem and Nicaragua´s Poverty Reduction Plan. I have also been hanging out with my host family alot. I love them so much. They are so much fun!! Theres always a ton of people at my house- which is fun. My mom teaches kindergarden level children at our house- its fun to hang out with the kids!

I am currently back in Nicaragua! We left Honduras on Sunday at 5 in the morning and arrived back in Managua at 6 in the evening. I didn´t think anything could pass kayaking through the mangrove forests, until our experience on Thursday. We left at 5 in the morning to drive to a coastal city farther south in Honduras. We then took a boat to the pig islands, a beautiful strip of small tropical islands. The water there was so beautiful! It was so clear- amazing. We then went snorkeling on the coral reef!! It was so cool! We had permanent smiles on our faces the entire time! The coral reefs are beautiful and the fish are so beautiful. I have never seen so many amazing fish- it was unreal. After we snorkeled we went to a small island and had lunch and went swimming. We swam from island to island- it was pretty fun. On Friday and Saturday we just chilled on the beach and read in hammocks. Overall spring break was really relaxing and a perfect break from traveling so much in a group.

Greetings from Honduras!! Last thursday we moved in with our host families- I really like mine, they are so much fun! But on Saturday I left with a small group to Honduras for spring break. Our bus left at 4 am on Saturday and ten hours later we arrived in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. We then took a taxi to La Tigre, a national park in Honduras. In the morning we went on an amazing hike in a cloud forest! It was so beautiful, we were literally in a cloud. Cloud forests are forests that recieve a majority of their water from clouds because the clouds are so low. Therefore, the trees have plants and vegetation growing all over them, it is a really interesting and beautiful ecosystem.
Later that afternoon we went to La Libertad where we met up with Kat´s friend, who is also in the Peace Corps and has been living here for about a year. It was a cute small town and we spent the night there in her host family´s house. Monday morning we took a bus to San Pedro and then to Tela, our final destination of the trip. Tela is a beautiful small town on the ocean. It is usually not touristy, but during Semana Santa, which is holy week, most Honduran families leave their homes and head for the beaches. But it is not too crowded here, which is nice.
Tuesday we just chilled at the beach and relaxed, tired after all that traveling. On Wednesday a couple of us went kayaking in Mangrove forests. Mangrove forests are trees and shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the tropics and subtropics. It is an amazing ecosystem. We saw Jesus lizards, which are lizards that walk on water. We saw alligators and beautiful birds. We also saw alot of beautiful bright blue butterflies. For lunch we went to a Garifuna village and ate on the beach. Garifuna villages are interesting. The eastern coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua have large African populations. This is beacause during the conquest many slaves were brought over, so now on the Eastern coasts there are interesting mixtures of Indigenous, African and spanish culture.