i arrived safely!

Hey everyone! I arrived safely!!! Things are going really well! I didnt know that cold showers could feel so good. I missed the hamocks and platanos. My spanish is going alright which is really exciting. The flight was LONG...left at 9 and arrived at 9, but everything has been pretty great already. The organization we´re going through is fabulous. it´s going to be like a second home. they have a really nice center which we stayed at the first 3 nights. The people there are all really great. The first few days we did orientation and took the busses around to orient ourselves. I feel really safe here which is great, even on the busses. I really like it so far...well, most of it. i mean, there are little things like too much structure sometimes, but i guess thats good on your end...haha. Anyhow, Sunday night we went to meet our families and they threw us a huge welcome party. It was beautiful. The jesuit volunteers came which was just wonderful to meet them. They live about 7 blocks away. within walking distance. James (the one i know) played casa abierta for us which made me want to cry because it reminded me of salvador and well, its just a beautiful song! Oh, the night before that we4 went to this resturant kind of things called Ruta Maya. It was more culture!!! FABULOUS!!! really. it was so interesting to see some indigiounous people and hear a little about their culture.

Back to my family...i´m going to jump all around all summer so get used to it! My family is a mother, Doña Nieves (sp) for those of you who know the area. She is awesome and so nice. she´s really funny too. today i told her that another white person taught me to hand was my cloths and she said...no wonder you cant do it...the blind cant teach the blind!!! haha. Doña Nieves has a daughter with the same name, and she has an 8mo old daughter!!! yea!!! it´s fabulous! I have a baby niece to spoil!!!! HAHAHAHA!!! i´m so excited. She also has a husband but all i know right now is that he is with his mom because she´s sick. There are other kids too, but i dont know them yet...and 3 more grandkids...so really i have nieces and nephews.

Yesterday we went back to granada which was nice. We went with Rotarians who are here developing a program. Theyre really great people too! We went to this resterant there for kids that were on the street but an peace corpe volunteer created this program to get them off the street and now they have dreams. IT was really inspiring and gave me hope that some day i may be able to help people have the opportunity to do something for themselves.

Um, tommorrow we´re going to the dump. i´m a little nurvous. I´ve heard stories and i´m sure it´s going to be so sad. I am kinda hoping to have that as my service site. We´ll see tho. There is some community organizing and policy work being done over there so i´d like to do some of that.

hmmm, i dont really know what else. Some information on the country...it´s the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, but the safest...thats good! The only thing i have to worry about is pick pockets! well, and cat calls. Um, the people are funny and loving. There was a bus strike when we arrived because gas is almost $5 per gallon here...and 70% of the country makes $2 or less a day. It´s over now, but the gas is still the same price and food prices are still sky rocketed from the bus strike. The government and the bus drivers comprimised, but Luis, one of the two founders of the program we´re going through said that in about 6 months gas will be so much higher that they may strike again because of the prices.

All in all, i´m just getting here, but things are going good for me. I am just really thrilled that i feel safe here. i think time since El Salvador was good for me to see how irrational i got sometimes. Also, i feel more confident with my spanish now, so that helps. well, thats enough. this is already long and there really isnt that much more to say! I have to save some stories for when i come back.

send me letters!

Jessica Trout

c-o Escuela AKF.

Apdo P-200

Managua, Nicaragua

or call me at 001.505.270.2778

I hope that all is right...i could so be wrong. someone try the phone and let me know!!! haha. ps, my family does not speak english when you call!!! haha. just say Jessica por favor...and well, if i´m not there and you dont understand, they will probably hang up on you...because i would. haha.

love you all!

Jessica!