The title of this post is a new idiom I learned - You are happy like a worm. - haha I don't get it but it apparently means I look really happy. Last night, Thursday, Glenda took me to a bar called La Olla Quemada – it was like something out of a movie – a hole in the wall bar with tons of sweaty Nicaraguans dancing salsa – seriously it was just like dirty dancing. I tasted the national beer, Taño. I really like it and it costs a little less than a dollar per bottle!!! I am forever amazed at how cheap everything is. There were surprisingly a lot of gringos there (gringo = foreigner – usually Caucasian)…lots of blondes wearing short dresses, and all the nicas I was with complimented me on my more conservative and tasteful clothing :) When we walked in, we saw a table full of students!!! My gut instinct was to run out of there as fast as I could, but Glenda walked right up to them and starting greeting them with a single kiss to the cheek (in Spain, it was 2 kisses). Since she works at Alianza Americana too, I was surprised, and I was much less friendly with a big wave to the table (some of my students are 15 and 16 years old and they were there smoking and drinking!!) Glenda and I sat down with another one of Eira’s nieces that I really really like, Maria Denise. She just got back from the states. She received a scholarship to study at Iowa for a year and a half! She is very smart and absolutely gorgeous, and I hope to spend more time with her in the future. So there we are sitting and talking, and almost instantly 2 male students come over to Glenda and I and ask us to dance. I immediately say no. I say I am going to watch for a while. Glenda however just hops right up and goes to salsa with one of the students. Later, I asked her about professionalism and whatnot and she told me that what you do outside of school is your business. It is a completely different world. I am still pondering how on earth the two “worlds” could possibly co-exist without eventually crashing and burning.
This morning, I woke up early to get ready for a long day. Ligia and her boyfriend, Jairo (2 really nice people I met at Alianza), introduced me to Leon! They brought me to the center of the city which is not far from my house at all to el Parque Central (Central Park) and La Catedral, the biggest church in all of Central America. We took a tour of the church going down into the tunnels that used to connect all of Leon’s churches, learning about the history of the main level, and finally going up to the bell towers and eventually onto the roof to get the best view Leon has to offer. I saw the tombs of many famous poets, including Ruben Dario who I have studied for years and studied in depth last spring in my Spanish Literature class in Spain. I also saw the university that is funded by the state and free for all students who are accepted. The main building was huge and beautiful, and it seemed out of place right in the middle of a lot of poverty. The problem with offering free college is that everyone gets a degree and then jobs are even more competitive and they pay less. I am truly amazed at how different everything is. After all of this walking, I had to be at the Alianza at 4 to teach my class. I will be teaching this class from 4-6 Monday through Friday and then a small group of younger kids Saturday mornings from 8-12. I am also helping Oscar revamp the curriculum. The current teacher of the Intermediate levels is Miguel. I’m guessing he’s in his 40s or 50s and he thinks he knows everything. He is Nicaraguan but he worked for Carnival cruises for a few years which is how he perfected his English. His English is really good, but obviously it is my native language, and yet he is still always challenging my pronunciation and methods and everything I do. Today, he told me I was pronouncing the word “been” wrong because I was saying it like the name, “Ben” which sound exactly the same to me. He said the word aloud several times to the students ‘his way’ which sounded just like “Ben” to me too! I just go along with what he says. I think he feels like his job is being threatened or something which is perfectly understandable. After class, I used the internet for a while and then Ligia, Jairo, and I went to the movies to see Shrek 4. The movie costed $2.50 and nachos and a large pop were $3.00! The theater was pretty much the same as ours minus 3D and there was even air conditioning! It was the most comfortable I have felt since I arrived. I am learning so much and speaking a lot of Spanish and praying that I improve.
I miss everyone and so many things from home!!!!! With everything I brought, I wish I had so much more of my things. I only brought 2 pairs of sandals, and one of them broke today because they are so old. My sunglasses somehow broke. I didn’t bring an actual purse, and now I wish I had one because everyone wears them. I did, however buy a cell phone today!!! :) in case of an emergency, my number is 011-505-8495-1761. It was only $20 and worth it because I am alone so that I can get in touch with my host family or friends to see what everyone is up to. Check out my pics!! Besitossss!!!
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