granada

Here is a photo to give you a sense of what the city of Granada looks like, architecturally, but to get a real, personal sense, imagine a layer of sweat on your body, lots of heat, stray dogs at your feet, etc. And there you have it.

Anyways, a bit of notes on life so far:

It's expensive here! Well, not expensive of course, but not as cheap as one would think it would be, and definitely not relative to the level of the economy here. Granada is supposed to be more expensive than other Nicaraguan cities, but they all are apparently pricier than one would expect. Or at least what I had expected. For instance, at restaurants, we are spending sometimes close to what we would spend in the US. Damn tourists.

We were fortunate to make friends with a scorpion the first night we arrived, after we were alerted in the middle of the night by the barking dog we are watching. I was too tired to be scared so we got the broom, slammed it down onto he scorpion and killed it (I think). Funny how ballsy a lack of sleep will make you.

Not to brag, but we played baseball the other day and I hit a home run and our team won. Ok, so we were playing a team of 10 year olds, but that doesn't take away from the glory I felt at the time and still feel now. It was so much fun - baseball is huge here and we played on a trash-filled, dirt field in the barrio with some kids from our school. We're totally locals. Big props to Anita for running full force into the field of garbage to get the ball that was overthrown to her. I've never seen such dedication.

Our body clocks have adjusted nicely as we now go to sleep at 9pm at the latest and wake up at 6am. It's impossible to sleep past that time, due to heat, the fully-risen sun and barking dogs. Who knew I was such a grandma. Actually, I did know that. So. Pathetically, life as usual - no change there.

The best part of the day - showering. Which happens only at certain times of day because they turn the water off in the morning after 6am, more or less, and don't turn it back on until about 3pm-ish. It does two things: makes a good excuse for not doing the dishes after breakfast, and makes you that much more excited for your shower at night. Honestly, it's the highlight of our day after being out all day. Although I feel bad for anyone who has to smell me until then.

Another adjustment here: our lack of nutrient intake. Due to our volunteering budget, we are trying to save money on food, which lead us last week to a nightly cuisine of pasta, and this week we have moved up in the world to dinners of rice and beans, which are actually delicious when you add a few spices and olive oil and eat it with tortilla chips. Oh and by the way - we got the beans for 25 cents at a local little store behind someone's home. A find, right?

That's it for now. I don't want to overwhelm you with our stories all at once, so more to come later. Plus more photos. You can see what I've got so far on my flickr site which I'll be adding as I take them.

Gotta go take my shower now!

clase

Our classroom! Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself, that Anita and I got all this stuff set up in our makeshift classroom. In this photo the kids hadn't arrived yet, clearly, but you can imagine 8 kids, very attentive, ecstatic to be there, hanging on to every word we say...you get the picture.

perros

Sooo....apparently dogs and I don't get along in this country.

This dog in the photo? Hated me. Right after what you see here in the photo, it aggressively barked at me, and it's friends came out and barked at us and chased us off. I pictured an Alfred Hitchcock "The Birds" moment, but instead of birds, with dogs. I swear it felt like there were 20 that were coming after us.

Also, we are living with a dog who annoys me. Which is weird, because dogs almost always don't annoy me. I don't even want to pet it! I'm kind of mean to it!

What's happening here - I like kids and I don't like dogs! It's opposite day.

nica vida

Hola de Nicaragua! That's a demonstration of the level of spanish that I can speak, apparently. I know I like to brag about having my minor in spanish at BU, but apparently I've forgotten most everything that I learned. Oh well. It's coming back to me little by little, but I'm sure people are getting sick of my usual response of a blank stare when they speak to me. I can get my words out relatively well (meaning, in broken spanish) but when it comes to understanding, it's not so easy. I knew I should have litsened more to those spanish podcasts before I left! Dammit!

But alas, here we are, and I'm writing after having just finished our first class of photography. How it works is that Anita and I will be teaching a group of nine kids on the weekends. We went into it without knowing too much, so it came as a sort of surprise when we found out we would be the actual teachers, doing it by ourselves (considering my lack of teaching experience and my hesitation towards actually liking children), but it was actually really fun, I have to say. I'm growing up! The kids are so sweet, they learned to speak slowly with me, and we had a nice adventure out into the barrio where we all took portraits of each other. The kids are really into it, which is great for us. Makes our lives easier. And the people are so friendly and warm towards everyone.

Anyways, backing up a bit...we arrived on Sunday to hot hot weather. It's not as horrible and humid as I had prepared myself for (which is my tactic - always prepare for the worst and you will never be disappointed. And yes, I do realize that makes me a negative person. Oh well.) but it is definitely very very hot. We met with the lady in charge of the organization, she brought us into the city where we had a nice dinner outdoors with some of her friends here, and got a taste of what it's like. Granada a lovely little city (more like a big town really) with colorful one-story buildings and lots of happy people. Everyone is out and about, not dying of the heat, apparently. We will have to learn their secrets.

We spent the week orienting ourselves, having coffee and meals at the cafes, wandering the town, and we took a quick one day trip to Laguna de Apoyo (which is what this photo shows - it's a crater of a volcano that has become a lake. Or something like that). It's a beautiful spot known as the place people go to have a break from the city and escape the heat and it was definitely that. Until, that is, we took the ascending 3 hour hike, that took way longer than that (I am not in shape I guess?), in a forest of trees that blocked ALL wind, creating a cocoon of heat and mugginess, if you will. It was an uphill battle to the top, and I found out that there is someone in this world who sweats more than me, and that person is Anita. And she is proud to admit it. Although not happy about it, as we both ended up with wet clothes and lots of dirty sweat once we reached the top (you're welcome for the visual). But oh well. I am actually quite proud of us and our adaptation to the constant sweat and heat. Or rather, we haven't adapted, we just try to ignore it. Therefore I will stop talking about it to forget about it right now, as I am sweating profusely and I stink terribly. But moving along...

Anyways, much to catch up on and I think I will write in small doses so I will be back in a bit with more anecdotes. As always with traveling there are some funny things to report. So get excited and stay tuned. Well, not that exciting. But will be worthwhile to read, I think. Ahhh so much pressure now.

en route

I know it's been a month since I've posted and I'm not going to give excuses again, or say that it won't happen again, because clearly it will, so I'll just dive into things. I'm at the Miami airport right now, finished with a red-eye (never fun, especially with a screaming baby and turbulence) and meeting up with Anita here before boarding our flight to Nicaragua. But first, a few observations of the Miami airport:

No moving walkways. What? My bag is heavy and I just had to trek across the whole airport. I am a lazy American and feel I deserve one in every American airport!

Lots of spanish speakers. I feel that if I was more delirious than what I am after barely any sleep, I may think I was already in Nicaragua.

Lack of Starbucks. All I want is my coffee and it seems all there is are only au bon pains and weird cafeteria breakfast places. Don't despair - I did find one, but again, this is America - wouldn't there be Starbucks' everywhere? I feel like I'm already in a different country.

Anyways, next I'll be writing from Nicaragua. Hopefully not too hot, despite the 97 degree constant weather I've been seeing on weather.com. And hopefully a bit less nervous about the whole language barrier. I'm counting on the fact that it will all come back to me. Right?

(PS. Please excuse my grumpiness. Most likely it is due to my lack of sleep)

Until then!

ideas

It's a snowy yet gross day, due to the fact that it has been sunny and warm for weeks and everything is melted and dirty, and the snow today unfortunately is not helping enough to cover up the ugliness. So I thought I'd put up this Thailand photo to remind me of better weather times.

I'm at work, the job I despise as a concierge, therefore I am thinking. Thinking a lot. And I am enlisting you for help. I realize that I want to work only for myself. That way I don't get annoyed at people who are incapable of doing a good job and I only have myself to depend on. I just need to think of what I want to create. I'd like it to incorporate photography. But I want to do my own business, be it creating some sort of craft and selling it, creating a service for people to use, lord knows. But if you have any ideas as to what would make your life easier that you have been waiting for someone to come up with, please share. Maybe I can help. I am all ears.

Otherwise I am going completely stir crazy. I need to stop this six day work week as I need at least two days off where I can relax. I have learned my lesson. One day off per week is not enough because you inevitably spend that day worrying you aren't doing everything you need to do and trying to get all your fun in on one day combined with your errands you need to do, therefore not relaxing one bit. Sigh. I'd like to also take a road trip of some sort that gets me beyond Montrose and its Target and DMV. That is not a whole lot of fun. But soon...off season and Nicaragua. I can make it!

sneak preview

Tonight was a great night. For 2 reasons.

1. We hosted an event here for the film festival that has been on my mind for months now, has stressed me out the past few weeks, and eventually it snuck up on me and before I knew it, tonight it was to happen. A lesson I learned is that I am not, nor do I want to be, an event planner. I mean, let's talk about it. RSVP's. It is on the invitation for a reason. Just let me know! Don't make me contact you repeatedly to get an answer. This was necessary because part of the event was a movie at our theatre here, which only seats 185. Considering we sent invitations out to over 200 people and I hand delivered about 80, I spent the past few weeks concerned we would oversell it. Anyways, 130 responses later, and only 80 people come. You just can never know I guess. Hence why I don't like planning events. But it was a great night - everyone was really happy, the reception afterward went well, the people were so friendly, and it left me with a warm happy feeling that makes me happy about my job. Something to remember when I start complaining about it in a few weeks.

2. The film we saw was amazing!! I can't explain how much I liked it. Since I was working as everyone was coming in, I creeped in as it was starting, sat in the back corner and laughed out loud all by myself. I couldn't help it! It's going to be released in July - our director saw it at Sundance and loved it, so she had it brought here for this event, and everyone here loved it too. It's called 500 Days of Summer, and I highly recommend that you all see it when it is released. It's a romantic comedy that is intelligent, quirky and unexpected. The actual film was a surprise for everyone (including me) until the film started rolling in the theatre, which made it that much more exciting. Suspense is a good thing, I am learning. Check out the trailer for it here.

Oh and I forgot there is a third reason why tonight was amazing - I got to take a box full of chocolates home that were leftover from the reception. A highlight indeed. My painful sugar headache I am feeling at the moment is well worth it.

muddy mess

Someone got into some mud the other day. And was quite happy about it. Although her mother was not.

let's play ball

Nothing like a good game of catch with Charlotte using snowballs as the object to catch. The game never ends! The snowballs are everywhere!

Note: the game seen here is being played in the pond in town park that snows over in the winter. Everything was fine that day. However - after over a week of sun and no snow, it has returned to being a slushy pond beneath the snow. Which I found out the other day after finding myself and Charlotte knee deep in dirty water. Lovely. My shoes, after laying them on the heater to dry overnight, are about a size too small.

move in ready

Cute house, right? Modest, simple, basic...and $6.9 million. Still want it? By the way: no yard, no covered garage, small downstairs bedrooms with windows more like air shafts. Sigh.

Or, if that's too much money, feel free to check out this one. It needs a "major remodel" but is priced low, at $1.495 million.

Gotta love this town's realtors. Really helping the average local people to afford a place in this town. Although I do like one - the one who let me take photos of this listing.

film releases

It's been kinda cool to see the films screened back at the Film Festival being released gradually to the public and to read how they do and if people liked them. I just saw a review for the film Gomorrah which was one of the more disturbing ones I saw but I liked it, so I guess the brutality was worth it. Other people like it too! And all the Slumdog success is pretty cool. A lot of people like to talk about how they saw it first while it was here, because apparently watching movies can be a competition. Did you know?

super saturdays

I don't have many new photos so I'm using another of the old slides from photographs taken by my grandfather (And dad I'm still scanning! Slowly, but surely they will be done!). This is a view of Diamond Head from an airplane window. (duh)

So as I don't have any real interesting stories, this will be a scattered posting but I thought I'd update the blog anyway. So here goes:

I booked my trip to Nicaragua! Flying down there on 4/19, so surely the blog will get more exciting around that time. Maybe even readable. Possibly enjoyable.

Sadly, due to my procrastination, incorrectly-sized mattes delivered by the frame company, and lack of happiness with my print quality, I am NOT in the show I had signed up for here. I waited too long to get it all done and learned my lesson to prepare myself better next time. Luckily it wasn't a big deal for the lady who was organizing it and I could pull out, but still, disappointing.

I've been snowboarding blues! Not perfectly, but I get down! And I only bail about half the time! It's frightening because it feels like it's as steep as a cliff, while I know it's not. I am dramatic. After some more practice, I imagine and hope it will get less daunting. Oddly after spending all day working on it yesterday my neck is now sore. Hmmm. Because my neck is involved in snowboarding? I think not. Therefore I am confused. Confused and sore.

I love Bravo. Bravo TV, that is. This is the best time of year for me. Real Housewives of OC had the finale and will be airing the reunion next week. The finale was followed by the Real Housewives of NYC premiere, which is pure euphoria for me. Millionaire Matchmaker has premiered. Top Chef finale is next week. And next up is Make me a Supermodel. Good god I'm getting excited just typing this out! Bravo is just the best. I don't know what subconscious addictive measures they use and how they do it, but I can't stop. It's interesting (or sad?) - I can't get into tv shows usually, but these suck me in and I can watch them over and over again. I wave my white flag and embrace it.

Alright. Enough blabber for now. More blabber to come.

my job

Very timely, the NY Times has written an article about ski clubs, which includes talk of Telluride's and a quote from my boss. So, if anyone's wondering what kind of a place I work at (where people leave their trash everywhere, see previous post), it's like this...

baffled

Please help me. If someone can explain reasons for the following, I would be much appreciative.

(FYI, these habits have been witnessed at my concierge job, which has taught me that I will, from now on, avoid working in the customer service industry)


-When there is a trash bin directly to your left, why would one leave trash on the counter? Is it too difficult to move one's hand to the left and let go of the object?

-When there are multiple signs explaining a recycling program that uses two distinct bins - one bright blue with writing all over it about how to recycle, the other is just basic black - why would one still put non-recyclable items in the incorrect bin?

-When a cushion falls off of a chair, wouldn't one usually pick it up? And maybe even put it back in its place?

-Haven't men learned to put the toilet seat down? (see the previous related question regarding putting things back how you found them)

-If someone drops something, why wouldn't they pick it up? Bad back maybe? Can't bend over?

-Is it polite to take food off of a plate I am carrying before I have even reached the place where I am putting it?


I could go on and on with the behavior that just blows my mind at that job. I know these people usually have others doing things for them, but honestly, isn't this stuff just common sense and decency that your parents taught you? I think people need to teach their children better how to be respectable human beings.

decisions decisions

So for this upcoming exhibit, the theme is Before & After. With my uncreative mind (ironic for a wannabe photographer, I know) I have come up with the following interpretation for my photos:

Having moved too many times to count in the past 10 years or so, I have always been fascinated with the objects/belongings I've brought with me to each new place, why I chose certain things to keep with me, what significance they have to me, and where they end up in my new abode. I find there is always a discomfort in trying to find each object a new place in its new home, since it was originally for another home, but now has to find a spot in the new one. Often time each object takes on a new meaning from "before" (the previous home) to "after" (the new home).

I'm thinking that other people experience this sort of transition from an old home to a new one. So I photographed objects in my new place and where they have a new home, and how it fits (unwell sometimes, which is why the lighting is sometimes harsh and the colors are desaturated) in its new place. The montage above are my options, thus far. And I think it will be all of my options because I'm running out of time! Yes, I've procrastinated, as usual. Any thoughts on which to choose? I'm editing it down to 3...

Discuss.