First from Myra

I’m also a rookie at this, and it’s going to be tough to follow Becky’s lead, but here goes nothing. Monday we had a pretty relaxing day. We treated ourselves to an American-style breakfast at “Kathy’s Waffles” which was the perfect start to the day. We sat outside with Chepe and Suyen and enjoyed every bite. The coffee was free and from Mombacho. Even Becky, who isn’t a coffee drinker, finished her mug off! After breakfast we headed to the market because we desperately needed more fruits and vegetables in the house. Our trips to the market usually consist of the three of us following behind Chepe as he bargains for the best prices. We need to keep close enough so that we don’t lose him in the crowd, but maintain enough distance so that he can work his magic without us affecting the price. He is by far the best at getting the most bang for our buck! I think we paid about 40 cordobas (or 2 dollars) for all oof our fruits and veggies for the week!

As I’m writing I realize that yesterday was pretty much dominated by food. After the market, we went to Pali (the local supermarket) to get chicken, eggs, milk, etc. We headed home and did some laundry and spent some time reading and listening to music out back. We had decided on Sunday that we would take the day to shop, cook, and relax so that we would be ready to go for the rest of the week. (So that’s exactly what we did!) We cooked at Suyen and Chepe’s as we had planned, but it wasn’t quite the feast we had hoped it would be. We definitely didn’t bring enough chicken, which was a bit embarrassing, because Justa (Suyen and Chepe’s step-mom) had to throw together some last minute egg concoction so that everyone had enough to eat. At least we know for next time? The night continued to unfold in this sort of peculiar way when we were invited to stay and watch a movie. We tried a romantic comedy first, but when the sound didn’t work on that DVD we moved to option B. Except option B wasn’t much better. It was a Portuguese film with Spanish subtitles about drugs and violence. So even though our Spanish is definitely improving, we weren’t that good! We then made it half-way through the third and final attempt, but were falling asleep and having trouble following all of the action and violence, so left to go to bed. My description really doesn’t do the evening justice, but it was filled with both some awkward and hilarious moments.

We were really excited for our follow-up meeting with Milton (Director of sports and education in Granada) today (Tuesday) to give him our curriculum for the gym classes, but as Suyen said perfectly “tipico de nicaraguenses” the office was closed and Milton was away in Managua when we arrived! So, we will try again tomorrow!! As soon as we talk with Milton, we will have our contact information at each of the elementary schools we will be attending. As I’m writing, Becky and Ali are coaching our morning practice session. We have a second one this afternoon because we are trying to accommodate the kids who have school either in the mornings or afternoons. Next week, we will head to three elementary schools (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) and teach our first gym classes here! So are weeks will get a little busier, but we are anxiously awaiting the challenge. Also on our agenda is to really push through and make some serious progress at the office. We are hoping to be able to use the office as a place to hold some workshops and offer fun evening activities for the girls and boys who have been attending practices and clinics. So our goal for the next few weeks is to finally finish our paint job and get some furniture! We are imagining the office as a multi-purpose haven for all of the kids in the area. Not only as a place where they can buy soccer equipment, but also as an after-school spot to get homework help or just a safe, clean place to spend some time. Off to have some lunch and gear up for the afternoon session!