Day 2

Helloooo. I am at Alianza Americana, the only place I get internet. I am still not really sure what I am going to be doing, but last night Oscar told me that they have hired a consultant to come and help them work towards becoming a university. He asked me if I would be interested in taking the class with them, and told me I would recieve a diploma at the end. I am sooo excited about this!!! Right now, Alianza Americana is an independent school that anyone can come to to learn English in 120 hours. I sat in on a class yesterday and it is loud!! A lot of repetition, and shouting out words in English. All of the teachers I have seen so far are Nicaraguan. I am interested to learn more about their technique and see if it really works. There are two girls who work in the office that I have been spending the most time with - the one who has become kind of a friend is Eira's neice, Glenda. She is 25 and married, but she doesn't have children. I have learned a lot in the past day. There are no street signs here. They use the churches as landmarks to give people their addresses. I live very close to the school. Everything seems very close but I never really know where I am at this point! Everyone is very nice here!!! There is poverty and everything, but so far I have always felt safe. Now I have been in 3 different houses, mine, Glenda's and Eira's mother's which is attached to Glenda's. They are all very similar. There are big doors that face the street and when you go in, there is a living area which has a bunch of big wooden rockingchairs. Then there is another large common area with basically nothing in it - maybe a TV, then there is a patio, which has plants and no roof then there is a kitchen and then another uncovered area where people hang their laundry. In my house, there are 2 bathrooms. There is no hot water, but a cold shower is seriously necessary to survive the heat. Yesterday it stormed so hard that some people's power went out, but no one seemed to care. I wanted to get candles ready and run into the basement!! haha So when it rains, we move the laundry because the rain comes right inside the house!!! This is their rainy season, el invierno - or winter, but I swear I have never felt weather this hot. There is a window air conditioner in my room, and my "parents" told me I could use it, but I feel bad because I know how expensive it is. They told me I am welcome to eat meals with them, but I would have to contribute to grocery shopping, etc. I think this would be cheaper than eating out, but we will see how it goes. I went to the grocery store and they have many of the same things that we have, but of course it is still different. Yesterday I ate lunch with Glenda and dinner with my family at my house. For lunch we went to this fast food chicken place - it was fine. For dinner we had rice, beans, tortillas, and some type of meat. I told my mom that I don't really like to eat meat a lot so hopefully she will not give me much. I haven't taken many pictures because I don't want to look like a foreigner. When I tell people I am from the US, some of them ask me why my skin isn't white...so I don't think people really know just by looking at me that I am American, which is good. Last night, I gave Oscarito y Irelita their gifts I brought them and we played and colored before we went to bed. I am helping Oscar with idioms and slang in English so that they can add it to their program. Ok - I think this is long enough! haha I will write soon - BESOS!!!!