SHOW ME THE MONEY

So many people have questions on how we need greaters support ourselves here.  I recently ran across a post which offered excellent suggestions:  My Journey: Online Interpreter Job Wanted .  Just click on the link to learn more :)

**UPDATE 01/13/2014**
Guys, the suggestions on this post really work.  I set up a profile with oDesk and got the first job I applied for.  It's paying my living expenses here in Nicaragua with a couple hundred bucks extra each month.  I do recipe translation online according to my schedule.  I'm paid per the recipe so I control how much I make a week.  Try oDesk out!

I LEFT MY HEART IN LITTLE CORN

I claim the seat with the coconut next to it!  The little one is saved for Brenda :)

I've been waiting for May so I could finally post about my F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S. trip to Corn Islands, Nicaragua.  Look, I don't mean to brag, but....ok, I'm bragging...it's fabulous and I feel fabulous for going there!  If you are as obsessed with beaches as I am, you have to get yourself there RIGHT NOW!  I'm going to go through my trip a bit so you can see what's to do there and how much it might cost you.  (If you want to skip all this and go straight to the photos, click here.)  I went with my friend Miia (Finnish) who currently lives in Belen around Rivas.  She's going back to Finland in July to get married and said before leaving Nicaragua she just HAD so see Corn Islands; and guess who she invited to join her?!  Moi!

We left about 6am from Managua on La Costena airline.  Their costs never change; roundtrip to Corn Islands is always $160 + tax and you travel on a small 40 passenger plane.  They make a brief stop in Bluefields to drop off and pick up and then travel another half hour to Big Corn Island.  Funny story....the majority of our 40 passengers got off in Bluefields leaving about 8 of on the last leg of the flight.  Of us 8, 5 of us had no luggage when we landed.  Sooooo Nica!  Anyways, absolutely everyone from the airline employees to the port authority to our hotel said they constantly lose luggage and not to worry, it always comes on the afternoon plane 4pm.  And it did!

So anyway, after we landed on Big Corn, we took a $1 taxi ride to the port where we booked a 140cordoba ($5.71) panga ride to Little Corn Island.  The panga is a small, open-air boat which takes about a 15 minute ride to the smaller island twice a day.

Little Corn was amazing.  There's about 1500 permanent residents on the island which are a mix of foreigners who've started hotels, local blacks, and Miskitos.  I absolutely loved seeing black people again!  And then having them open their mouth to hear that amazing singsong Creole English!  The island allows no motorized transport so it's really calming and small.  We checked into Carlito's Place ($30/night) to see our little cabin on stilts.  We had 2 beds with mosquito nets and fans and a private, basic bathroom.  We were literally 20 steps from the ocean!

All the websites are correct in the fact that almost every day the electricity goes off and you REALLY have to watch your freshwater consumption but really, when you're frolicking in the surf, does all that matter?!  You also DEFINITELY need to bring a flashlight because there are no lights at night other than stars.

The water is turquoise and crystal clear.  And who knew there was a living reef RIGHT off the coast?  We paid $15 apiece and got 2 hours of snorkeling at 4 dive sights.  I wish I had had an underwater camera because it was amazing!  I saw literally every type of coral I'd ever heard of PLUS nurse sharks PLUS angels rays.  They really do look like angels when they swim.  Click here for more information on snorkeling/diving options on the island and to see some great underwater videos.

We also hiked around the island one afternoon.  It turned into quite an adventure when we figured out the beach doesn't go all the way around.  That would've been ok if maybe we had decided to wear shoes on our hike and not do it at 3pm.  Let's just say being on the uninhabited side of the island crossing a mountain in bare feet while the sun sets and I have no flashlight was NOT my idea of vacation.

Did I mention we ate a ton of seafood?  Shrimp or lobster or fish EVERY DAY!  And the prices were really reasonable for them....maybe $5-15 a plate.  We also had coconut something with every dish...either fresh at breakfast, coconut bread for snacks, or shrimp cooked in the milk.  Soooo good.

Four days was definitely not enough time there.  I really couldn't get enough of that beautiful surf and water.  And I was really happy with our lodgings.  Although the Little Corn Beach & Bungalows are more popular and a little more refined, you're still essentially in a stilt house with just the basics just paying $50 more a night to do it.  All I can say is that if you can get there, do it!  Soon!

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the best part.  There's no JWs on Little Corn right now.  No KH no nothing!  We were able to do a lot of informal witnessing because when we mentioned we were Witnesses they asked, "What's that?".  So if you're looking to serve as a need greater in a virtual paradise, here's your chance.

2013 IT'S A LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP

In February 2012 I did a similar post after spending about 5 months here.  Well, now I've been here for a year and a half and wanted to do a 2013 update.  Here we go....

HATE
1.  PEE...I'll sum it up by relating a recent conversation I had with an older neighbor as I walked Ollie.
Her:  No, no, don't let her go here.  It's dirty.
Me:  She's already went, don't worry.
Her:  Oh, I didn't know.  It's just that everyone with pets lets them go here on the lawn (not her lawn, by the way; community property).
Me:  I'll tell you what.  When you can train your men to stop peeing on the street, we'll train our pets to stop peeing on the grass.

Yep, that's what I'm dealing with every day.  Men hiding in corners in the middle of populated areas, little boys whipping it out right in front of me to go in the gutter rather than run in their house to the bathroom, and the faint whiff of acidic urine every time I open my front door.  We ladies can hold it until we get home, why can't they??!!
2.  THE GRINGO HUSTLE...I understand it's a part of life here but I'm so tired of trying to find out what's the real price of something vs the price they're charging me.  
3.  NOISE....I swear EVERYTHING here is made to make noise.  On a regular morning, starting at 6am, here are the things I hear:

• bus passing screaming "Managua, Managua, Managua"
• fruit person/people yelling out what they're selling
• La Prensa (newspaper) belting out their advertisement song
• multiple 18wheelers and motorcycles that never had a muffler put on
• neighbors greeting each other (everything Nicas say is done as a scream)
• dogs barking
• roosters crowing
• church bells and/or the "We Love Mary" song (if I'm lucky, this starts at 5am instead of 6)

The baseball game lets out?  Honks, screams, noise.
Religious celebration?  Fireworks, honks, screams, bells, noise
The lights just came back on?  Screams, noise

Are you seeing a pattern?  I swear I'm coming back to the U.S. deaf.
4.  BEGGARS....I'm at my wit's end.  I don't give anything to anyone ever and yet on a daily basis someone is asking me for money because I'm a gringa.
5.  MUSIC...In normal circumstances I love music.  But when it's played from multiple homes at the same time at a decibel level that allows the ENTIRE neighborhood to "enjoy" it, it gets really annoying.  Really fast.    Yes, I am now that old lady the yells out, "Keep it down over there, will ya?!"

LOVE
1.  THE EGG LADY....I know it's shallow but I love the fact that a block away exists a little old lady that sells farm fresh eggs for 40 cordobas cheaper than the grocery store.  Plus, she's sweet to me and has an amazing little bulldog she lets me play with.
2.  MOMBACHO...I mentioned this last time, but I still love and am amazed at the fact I can walk out of my house every morning to see an a rainforest volcano staring back at me
3.  THE MARKET...Yes, it's dirty.  Yes, it's stressful because there's a million people all yelling at you at once to buy their stuff.  Yes, you have to negotiate your butt off but....at the end of the day you can come home with an entire bag full of fruits and veg for NOTHING!
4.  MY STUDENTS...when I wrote this post last year, I didn't have any progressive Bible students.  I guess that was a lot to expect in just 5 months.  But now, 18 months in, that has definitely changed.  I have quite a few students whom I truly look forward to seeing every week.  They're regular, they prepare, and while they're not going to meetings they are making progress in various ways.  How?  Here's a few things they've said lately:

• You taught me how to use my Bible.  Now, when I see a Scripture, I know how to look it up.  My church never taught me that.
• Changing is really hard.  But I see that when I apply Bible principles in my family, they're happier, and I am too.
• I know Jehovah expects me to teach my child about Him.  Will you show me how to do that?
• For the first time in my life, I'm talking to God and reading the Bible.

I literally had goosebumps writing that and remembering how happy I was when they told me :)

5.  CHEESE AND SALAD....Yes, I know that last year cheese was on the hate list.  However, I found a good cheese supplier and a type of cheese I like and now, yes, I'm addicted.  And the cabbage slaw they put on everything?  Bring it on!  I had to learn how to make it because I was craving it all the time.  Hey, it's healthy, cheap, and easy and makes for a fast dinner with melted cheese and a tortilla :)
* You want to learn how to make it too?  Check out this Familiar Foreign video.

CALLING POTENTIAL NEED GREATERS

Can you imagine this being your need-great territory?  San Juan del Sur calling....

Some of the sights you'll see if you choose to serve in Bluefields

Circumstances are always changing, and it may be that you readers are looking for opportunities to serve where the need is greater without a really long commitment.  Right now, Nicaragua has multiple exciting opportunities available during Memorial season.  Here, just like in the U.S., we always do a campaign three weeks before the Memorial.  However, there are some congregations that are just too tiny to reach all their territory but still end up with HUGE turnouts each Memorial.  Think about what the attendance could be with just a few more helping hands!  So if you're weighing your options and have only maybe 1-3 weeks that you can spend away from home, please consider us *me on bended knee begging*.  Every place I mention I have contacts in I can connect you with for questions on lodging and prices.  Here's some places to think about:

SAN JUAN DEL SUR ENGLISH

I know not all my readers are Spanish-speakers or are possibly bilingual.  If that's your case, you've got a great opportunity.  In a prior post (here) I told you there's a new English group in San Juan del Sur.  This year, they'll be doing their first Memorial.  Wouldn't it be exciting to be a part of history?  There's a TON of foreigners who live in San Juan del Sur and oh, did I mention you'd be right on the beach?!  One of the prettiest beaches in Nicaragua.  Look on the map below and you'll see it's location on the southwest coast of Nicaragua.  Currently, there's a ton of Australians in SJDS serving in English so you'd get to see our international brotherhood firsthand as well as make a big impact on a brand new congregation.  

MASAYA SIGN LANGUAGE

Nicaragua uses their own sign language but if you already know ASL it's supposedly veeerrry easy to pick up NSL as they only have about half the signs.  There's quite a few in the congregation who know ASL also so you'd have support to help you if you got stuck.  There's three foreigners serving there already so you wouldn't be alone.  Although their congregation is in Masaya (see map below and look between the 2 lakes) their main need is in my city of Granada.  That's part of their territory, but they only have one publisher (my roommate) living here right now.  That means all 100 deaf in the community are her responsibility to invite.  Nicaraguans can't always afford the bus transport between the two cities to be of regular help.  The two cities are about 20-30 minutes away from each other by bus.

BLUEFIELDS SIGN LANGUAGE

This is also a new group that's sprung up recently.  Bluefields is on the eastern coast of Nicaragua (see map below) and supposedly is gorgeous; I personally haven't seen it yet.  It's a really unique place because the residents are black and speak Creole English.  So if you only know ASL and English; it'd be a perfect match for you.  It's a very different feel there--more Caribbean, less Latinoamerica.  You'd be getting to see a very special place in Nicaragua while serving a new group that needs a lot of help and frolicking on the beach at the end of a long day in service.  Doesn't sound too bad, huh?

LA SAVANA SPANISH

La Savana is a small town located about 20 km outside of Somoto (see the northwest part of map below).  There's a couple in my congregation who just went there to serve in December for a month and said they had GREAT response; so great they themselves are going back during Memorial season.  The congregation is only about 12 publishers with 6 students who regularly meet with them, but they have a HUGE territory.  You would have an opportunity to speak to people who quite possibly haven't heard the Kingdom message in years.  Another benefit is back, being up north, you'd be in a cooler area of Nicaragua.  Something to think about as March/April starts our hottest time of the year.

EL ALMENDRO SPANISH

You can read about the special pioneer couple already serving there in this former post of mine.  But just to refresh your memory, El Almendro has only about 6 publishers and a very large territory with great response.  My friend Yahoska has dozens of studies; so many she only studies with them about 15 minutes at a time or does group studies to get them all done.  And her husband Jairo is the ONLY brother there.  If you're a brother reading this, just imagine....EVERY public talk, EVERY part on the service meeting, EVERY WT study...it's just you!  Can you imagine the pressure?  Wouldn't you love to help him?  :)

PREACHIN' AND LOVIN' IT

It's been a while since I've posted some service/territory shots, so here's a new batch:

Studying with Don Rodolfo.  He's not my student but sometimes I'm his teacher when his own can't come by.  He's in a wheelchair because he's a diabetic and recently had the lower part of his left leg amputated.  You know what, though?  He comes to every single meeting and freely identifies himself a one of Jehovah's Witnesses even though he's not even an unbaptized publisher yet.  He even took a stand for blood when it came time for his surgery.  We study outside his house because it's cooler.

This is an aluminum bridge in my territory.  Frankly, it scares the crap out of me.  It has no rails and isn't very sturdy.  The most frightening part, though, is that it runs over a causeway that is full of runoff water from people's homes and trash trash trash.  My only comfort is knowing that IF the bridge were to burst under me, I'd die an immediate death of staph and hepatitis.  No suffering, you know?

My student, Karla, nursing her baby, Jimena, while watching  the Organization video.  She's such a sweet soul and has the PERFECT disposition to be one of Jehovah's servants.  Time will tell....

One of my favorite vistas in my territory

Us preaching in a neighborhood just a few blocks from where I used to live.   I always am hoping they'll send me to the shady side of the street!

A very unfortunate neighborhood on the edge of our territory.  If you go any further, you'll fall into the lake.  These homes are made of aluminum sheets or heavy plastic.  They do have electricity and running water but the toilet is usually apart and a latrine.  A lot of people just go down to the lake to bathe and wash clothes.  I had a student who lived in the last house in this row named Yuri Milady.  She moved to Costa Rica last week but gave me her phone# there so she can continue studying.  Yuri Milady lived in a plastic home with a dirt floor with her 3 children.  The entire home was about 1/2 the size of most Kingdom Hall's 2nd school.  In the corner, she cooked on wood.  She literally owned nothing but a mattress, a change of clothes, and the dishes they ate on.  She always made time for her study, though, and was very intelligent.  During our last study together, she brought out a bunch of plastic, woven bracelets and told me to pick one, she wanted me to have it.  She makes them from old plastic bags that she tears into strips and weaves.  This woman has NOTHING and was giving me a bracelet from her only source of income.  It continually amazes me here how it's almost always the families who have the least that are the most generous.

مبروك

I'm going to come clean right up front and admit that this post has nothing to do with my life in Nicaragua.  But something exciting has happened to someone I love dearly and I wanted to share it with you guys since I know we're always thinking of goals, right?  Well, my sister, Adria, and brother-in-law, T.J. have been taking Arabic classes for about two years and with a small group of friends, trying to meet the needs of the Arabic community in St.Louis, MO.  Well, I'm happy to report that they were recently recognized by the Society as a formal group being hosted by the Affton Congregation (also St.Louis).  That means that they can now have friends switch publisher cards to their congregation and are having one meeting a week.  Maybe just maybe they can have a formal class soon.  Ever think about learning Arabic?  Oh, and in case you're wondering, the word above means CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

My sis is in the pink flowery dress.  This was a group of us in service one day doing Arabic territory

Iraqi couple Mahmood & Majida.  They're a Bible study in St.Louis and incredibly hospitable.  I enjoyed the day I got to observe their study.  They kept commenting about how the Bible and the Koran have so many similarities.  I saw that as a good thing--something to open their eyes that the Bible isn't a bad book.

Hakim teaching Arabic class in a private home this summer