Small Town Life Continues

So since the presidential elections, life has returned to normal. What’s strange is that life hasn’t been “normal” for more than a month now. The competitions, the election, and the standfast presented different challenges and opportunities everyday, which made life vastly more interestingly. So when I say that life is back to normal, it means I’ve fallen back into my daily routine of classes, reading the paper, and exercising. So once again, I’ve transformed into an old man, who’s up at the crack of dawn, sitting in a rocking chair, reading the day’s paper or writing out lesson plans. And to be perfectly honest, I’m totally fine with it. It certainly beats the hustle and bustle I was accustomed to back home in the states.

But some updates and some pictures for you. After three months of being in the Villa, I’m starting to make some friends (my age mind you), which is a huge relief. When I type that out, it makes me feel like I’m seven years old, running home from school, out of breath and excited, telling my mother about the new friend I made. But it’s the truth. The language barrier has been a big problem is actually developing Nica friends, and now that it has progressed bastante, I can actually have conversations and prove that I’m more than some quiet American. And I think that my ability on the futbol field has something to do with it to, as I’ve established myself as a solid and reliable player. Sports are the way to a man’s heart! (No homo) So I have been playing futbol probably four to five times a week, both futsala and futbol campo. Futsala is futbol on a concrete basketball court with smaller goals, a smaller and heavier ball, and is typically 4 on 4 with a goalie. It’s a lot faster paced, and almost a completely different game. And to make things interesting, there’s always money put down on the games, to try and increase the level of intensity, which is extremely effective in achieving a higher level of play. Maybe I should apply that to my classes. But yesterday halfway through a game this happened:

 Has this ever happened to you? Me neither. But I couldn’t just stop playing, so I continued with 1½ shoes, and even ended up putting in the winning goal with my ½ shoeless foot. I guess it’s time to invest in a new pair of sneaks.

Also got back to my room after playing to find one of my roommates, we call him here alacran, just hanging around on the wall. Check him out below:

  

Scorpions as roommates are tough, and I always got to make sure to shake my clothing out before anything on. I learned that lesson the hard way week one.

So while life is tranquilo now, it’s about to get unordinary again. In the upcoming weeks I’m running a 12k on the island of Ometepe, celebrating thanksgiving with a family from the US embassy, and then I have two weeks of language class and in service training back in Niquinohomo and a place TBD. So once again, I’ll be pretty vago from my site, traveling around all over the place. But I’m pysched for it, as it will be a great chance to see everybody once again, and I’ll finally have some people to surf with, instead of being out in the water all by my lonesome self. I bet you thought I wouldn’t bring one of my boards, didn’t you?