It’s kind of overwhelming, but all I can think about lately is what other kinds of projects I want to do in my community in the next year. It’s difficult to believe that I only have a year left. In most ways it feels so short. I can’t believe that I of all people would say that, but all the thought I have been giving it has made me realize there are still so many things I want to do. This entire first year has been all about getting to know the community, building relationships with the people, and coming up with ideas about what to do next year. The “do over” year, as we jokingly call it among us volunteers, is approaching fast and I want to be prepared.

First, I have the water tower project. We are finally starting to make progress, meet with the mayor, and form a committee of people who are willing to take on the responsibilities. There will be a lot of measuring pipe and a census needs to be taken, plus a million more details that need to be arranged before I travel to Managua on December 3rd to present the project to my bosses and get it approved. This will be a huge undertaking, and it makes me nervous to think that I’m undertaking it. More to come on that front as more details are developed, but I would appreciate your prayers for patience and perseverance. I want more than anything to see this project finished before I leave, and it will take a lot of both of those things to make it happen!

Another thing that I’m hoping to get started on is an event in my town for International Women’s Day which is March 8th, 2011. I want to put together a little (or big) fair with several activities, including speakers on self-esteem and self-confidence, gender roles, and condom use as birth control and prevention of  HIV/AIDS. I hope to invite a representative from the health center to help with these talks, and to hand out condoms and literature on the different topics. As an alternative to the speakers, I hope to have a manicurist, a hair stylist and makeup artist there to have a sort of makeover for the women of my town. For the most part, they are always working so hard and they deserve to be appreciated. I will be applying for funding for this through a grant process called VAST, which comes from Peace Corps Washington. I’ll be collaborating on this with a fellow volunteer, so we can do it in her town and mine and support each other at the same time.

Last but not least, two other volunteers and I have completed 2 of 3 environmental fairs. We did the fairs at their schools and this week we will be doing it at my school. We are doing sack races to learn the difference between organic and inorganic trash, environmental jeopardy, story time, arts and crafts with recycled materials, an environmental slogan contest, and the Disney movie Earth. It has gone well in the other two schools, so I am hoping and praying for a successful turn in mine. Honestly, though, after we finish we will have hardly anything else to do so perhaps I should savor this time of being busy with plans. As soon as school ends (November 17th) I will be pouring myself into the water tank project, so that will be good. Hopefully we can make a lot of headway before school starts back up again in February.

The only other bit of news I can think of is that I will be moving houses. Way back when I got to my site, my host family told me that they had a house waiting for me. I went to look at it and I thought it was really nice, so without asking any more questions or looking at any other houses, I agreed to it and moved in after my 6-week stay with them. It was only after several months of living there that I started to think about it and talk to other people from whom I found out that they (my host family) were charging me more than double what everyone else pays for housing in my community. While U$35/month might not seem like a lot, no one in my community is paying more than U$15/month, and most people pay less than that. The news that my host family had been overcharging me – plus several incidences in which I wanted/needed their help with the house and didn’t feel like they were there for me – led me to talk with them about lowering the rent, and if they couldn’t, about moving out. After speaking with them about it, they declined to lower my rent so I will be moving out by the end of the month! Now I just have to decide if I want to move into another house by myself or move in with an older, single lady who has offered to rent me a room in her house. There are advantages and disadvantages to each side, including security when I’m not there (advantage of living with someone) and lack of privacy when I am there (disadvantage of living with someone). I also have to decide if I trust the lady who offered to rent me the house, because although I would have most of my things locked in my room, I would keep my food in the kitchen and a few other things that may not fit in the room. I also have to consider whether or not I want to keep my cat, because I don’t know how the woman would treat her when I’m not there. So all in all there are lots of things to consider before I make my decision, and I need to hurry up because I only have until November 8th to be out of the house. So once again, I ask for your prayers that the right place for me be revealed soon.

So, that’s what’s going on in a nutshell! It doesn’t seem like a lot until I sit down here to write it all out. I hope all of you are well and please continue to keep in touch. I love to receive emails (erin.anthony.05@gmail.com) and snail mail!