So the school year is winding down. Officially, it’s supposed to last until the end of the November, but it’s clear that the teachers are wrapping things up and preparing for review and final exams. We celebrated the national Independence Day the 14th and 15th, which meant that the whole week was slotted as vacation time for teachers and students. So I decided to take a little trip to northern Leon to visit fellow volunteer Jim’s site, and we traveled to Esteli together to see the city and get some great cowboy boots, which are currently being handmade to my measurements and specifications! I had heard that Esteli was the place to go for those type of boots, and now I can see why. The shop that I went to was full of different types and styles, all for about US$70. Jim and I visited some delicious restaurants and walked around the city just getting to know it. We stayed at clean, safe hostel for US$7 a night and had a blast!

Even more fun, though, was getting there. I spent the night on Friday night at Jim’s site, and we got up at 5am Saturday morning to catch the 6am bus to Esteli. We get going on time, and at 6:45am the bus gets stuck in a mud/sink hole. The road is not paved and because of all the rain we’ve been having, and there were a lot of pot holes and muddy patches along the way, but apparently this one was too much for the bus to handle.

stuck in the mud

So, long story short, we sat around for 3 hours waiting for them to try and get the bus unstuck. At about 9am, a bus coming from the other direction pulled up and after a few tries, was able to pull the bus out.

tilted bus

even deeper in the hole, after many tries to get out

finally out of the hole!

When we finally got to Esteli, we had a great time! It is a relaxing city with plenty of conveniences but still tranquilo. It was a very cool city (literally and figuratively) that I am excited to visit again when I get the opportunity!

The only other thing that’s happened this month is a visit to the doctor and dentist for my one year medical review. After 3 days of poking and prodding, I was deemed healthy and set free for another year. I won’t have to do that again until I leave for good, and then it will be even more extensive than that. That is one huge benefit of PC…free medical care!

That’s all for now. I’m looking forward to having one of the trainees come to visit me next week, just as I visited Elizabeth one year ago (feels like such a long time ago!). Paula, Constance and I have planned an environmental fair that we will be doing in my town this week and in Constance’s town next week so that we can show the trainees and give them an idea of what volunteers do (besides sit around and watch movies). It should be fun, and I’ll update after that. Saludos!