Although I brought my digital camera with me, I haven't been taking many pictures. This weekend I did take a few of my room and of Ivis, and you can see them here. They're a little blurry because my battery was low and I didn't want to use the flash.
The past few days have been pretty neutral. I went to the mall on Saturday, which did not manage to alleviate any homesickness. Probably this is because malls are not really what I miss about the U.S.. On the plus side, I've been having some interesting conversations with Don Juan in the evenings (well, mostly he talks and I listen). One night he talked a lot about the earthquake (in the 70's) that destroyed Managua, Hurricane Mitch, and the revolutionary war. When talking about the earthquake, he described people crushed by their houses, and blood running in the streets (I swear that's what he said). But he said that war is worse than anything else, and he would always choose a natural disaster over war. Another night, he talked about his daughter who lives in Miami, who he hasn't spoken with in a year and a half. She used to send money and call every month, but there was some kind of family misunderstanding and she doesn't call anymore. Juan was asking me lots of questions about how much it costs to call the U.S., and last night he bought a phone card and I helped him call his daughter. It was really touching. She's going to buy a phone card and call him back this afternoon.
Talking to his daughter put Don Juan in a good mood, and he was more tolerant with Ivis. We watched a dubbed version of Home Alone, which was a good match for a five-year-old sense of humor.
Last night Dona Adilia served me a slice of pizza for dinner. I think she's worried that I don't eat enough, and she's trying to find something that I will eat. I did eat the pizza, but it wasn't quite... right... if "right" means American-style pizza. There were some normal toppings like onions and some kind of meat, but there was no cheese, and by far the dominant topping was lots and lots of ketchup. Ketchup is the all-purpose tomato-based sauce down here. It goes on pizza and "espaghetti." Still, the pizza was familiar enough that it tasted good.
The past few days have been pretty neutral. I went to the mall on Saturday, which did not manage to alleviate any homesickness. Probably this is because malls are not really what I miss about the U.S.. On the plus side, I've been having some interesting conversations with Don Juan in the evenings (well, mostly he talks and I listen). One night he talked a lot about the earthquake (in the 70's) that destroyed Managua, Hurricane Mitch, and the revolutionary war. When talking about the earthquake, he described people crushed by their houses, and blood running in the streets (I swear that's what he said). But he said that war is worse than anything else, and he would always choose a natural disaster over war. Another night, he talked about his daughter who lives in Miami, who he hasn't spoken with in a year and a half. She used to send money and call every month, but there was some kind of family misunderstanding and she doesn't call anymore. Juan was asking me lots of questions about how much it costs to call the U.S., and last night he bought a phone card and I helped him call his daughter. It was really touching. She's going to buy a phone card and call him back this afternoon.
Talking to his daughter put Don Juan in a good mood, and he was more tolerant with Ivis. We watched a dubbed version of Home Alone, which was a good match for a five-year-old sense of humor.
Last night Dona Adilia served me a slice of pizza for dinner. I think she's worried that I don't eat enough, and she's trying to find something that I will eat. I did eat the pizza, but it wasn't quite... right... if "right" means American-style pizza. There were some normal toppings like onions and some kind of meat, but there was no cheese, and by far the dominant topping was lots and lots of ketchup. Ketchup is the all-purpose tomato-based sauce down here. It goes on pizza and "espaghetti." Still, the pizza was familiar enough that it tasted good.
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