You're what makes New England so great...My island nights are all spent dying, wait for summer to become wrought with lips, my wishful thinking...

so this update is going to be much shorter than planned because we just got a call that we're getting picked up in an hour (around 815) even though our experience has been that nicaraguans don't go out until 10 or 11 so here's the short summary...

• weekend - albs was super nice while kristen was gone and has been about herself since kristen's been back, i think she felt bad i was alone..
• sat-went to granada with greisy and lora to meet up with kvv and her mom and cousin
• las isletas, laguna de apoyo (swimming in a volcanic crater in COOL & CLEAR water and the most beautiful, relaxing place ever in the world), and lots of good food
• sun-mass at 8am (yes mass on an actual sunday) dragged mostly everyone except kvv and her mom with me!
• private bus to the market in masaya...def. going back there with a lot more money and buying new clothes and lots of souvenirs/gifts, it was crazyyyy (this would be the point in time where you tell me what you want)
• then volcan masaya which is still active...tried not to get too much sulfur in my lungs...
• back to managua for some hw and relaxin...it's weird that i actually feel like the comfort of going "home" to managua even if it's not the best living situation..

Monday - really great day. if i can capture the highlights it would have to be

• random kid who got up in the middle of photography, asked if he could use the teacher's camera...then continued to take pictures of the class for about 15 minutes even after the teacher asked him what he was doing...
• i got up in front of my whole desarollo class to explain something...in spanish...and everyone understood me...(mind you, i don't even particapate that much in english...yay me!!)
• desarollo teacher asked us if we knew who eduardo galeano was not really expecting us to know...unfortunately i did know, thank you walter petry
  
• more dance class...we went at a different time though so we had a different guy who actually bothers to help us learn so that was cool
• ate really good pasta with capers and tomatoes and then a banana-cinnamon dessert like thing just like the thing michelle makes in barone....in continuing me only getting fed well while kristen is gone (maybe she's not as cheap when she doesn't have to feed both of us?)

the rest of the week has been pretty normal. had volunteering again today. it's a little frustrating that my girl doesn't know any spanish at all and doesn't listen to me when i explain the directions, but i'm trying. i don't feel like i'm qualified to start from square 1 teaching english but i'm doing my best. all the other kids at least can say a few things like the alphabet, numbers, colors, etc. Hopefully she starts doing better in class and can continue to bring her homework...we let out of volunteering a little early to have a planning meeting with the other volunteers. we had to come up with a game for each week with an objective. it was a great time to both practice spanish and meet other people our age. they were all very nice and i'm so excited to continue working with them! I also have a few new ice breakers to bring back to Fairfield, though I'm not quite sure they're awkward enough lol...I almost taught them "baby, I love you" but even the other Fairfield girls thought that was too weird hahaha

Escribame!!!!!! pleaseeeee :)