Matagalpa

So, I have to present my project today in front of a committee.

The CANnection website is finally functioning. It's still very basic,

but it's something that I can work with. I've become the web guy here.

I'm working on their eco-tourism website using Joomla, which is

supposed to be webdesign made easy, but it's really unintuitive.

Next week I'll be giving computation classes, and hopefully setting

people up with pen-pals to see how well the site works, and if it is

indeed something that will have utility down here. I already talked

to one Nicaraguan student who was very excited about my project,

and it reassured me a bit.

My host family here is really nice. I get three solid meals a day, a
room that resembles a prison cell made out of brick and concrete,
my own bathroom, and a lot of lizards that scuttle across the walls to

keep me company. The most valuable tool that I own right now
is my mosquito net. Everything bites you here.

I feel like this country is going to eat me alive, literally, so that
there is going to be nothing left of me but some rotting malaria
infested pile of what used to be a goofy Mexican Jew wearing skinny
jeans in the most inappropriate environment to wear them, in some
random part of the rain forest. But, now that I'm out of the Capital I
do feel a lot better. The country is beautiful, and just my 35 minute
walk from my host family's house to the office is one of the most
beautiful walks that I have ever been on.

There are a lot of people in my host family, even some people I
haven't met yet. Apparently, I have a mom, a dad, 3 host sisters, 4
host brothers, and several nieces and nephews (Everybody seems to have
at least one baby, it's like Watsonville). It's probably best to have
larger families when your livelihood depends on farming. More hands
for labor. My host mom is really nice, and she cooks way better than
my last host mom. I'm eating a lot better here, but I noticed that I'm
losing weight... There isn't enough fat in this food. I need some Jacks...

She also goes out of her way to wash my clothes
by hand whenever they get dirty. It's still a little strange to have
another person wash my clothes, especially by hand, handling
all of my delicates and such. Everybody is really amiable, and they
try to make me feel as comfortable as possible here. All the little
children laugh and giggle whenever they see me. I'm sure they think I
have a funny face. It might be the beard. I still don't know all of
their names...

My host Dad doesn't have an eye. He has a gooey sewn up slit where his
eye used to be. Apparently there is a really common eye disease around
here, so I'm trying not to touch my eyes. I feel for the people who
wear contacts. It's interesting, the house dog is missing the
same exact eye. Talk about dogs that look like their owners. The two
other people I talk to the most is my host sister who is 25 and my
host nephew who is 10. It's going to be my host nephews birthday soon,
and I was thinking about helping my host family buy him a bike,
because no little kid should ever be without a bike.

The rain and lightning storms are really intense. The lightning
crashes really close, and I realized that my room is a giant lightning
conductor, due to its aluminum roof. Whenever it's not raining too
hard and I'm not at the office working, I try to take little hikes
around the cooperative, find a nice place to sit, and play my banjo.
I'm so glad that I brought it here. It has helped me become more
adjusted; and, it's a good way to relax and try to express myself
(although, without any music theory, expressing myself musically is
like desperately grasping for something unknown in the dark). My host nephew
took an interest in my banjo, so I've started to teach him a bit.

Yesterday, I took a 45 minute hike up the mountain through the coffee plantation.

I played my banjo on top of a plateau that overlooked the community. It was beautiful,

one of the best experiences that I've had here.

I have had a perpetual stomach ache for a month, but I know that comes
with the territory. My new drug of choice is Pepto-Bismol.

Overall,things are going well. I think I'll be able to make some sort of

positive impact on the community, or at least start something that
will.

Levi Sharpe