http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal 60 Blanca Melissa Saenz is an intelligent, hard working, humble 15-year-old student from a rural community in Nicaragua. She, along with many of her classmates, sometimes walks over an hour in the midday heat just to get to and from the high school where I teach. Most of the kids from these rural communities never even make it to high school due to extreme poverty faced in the area. Of the lucky webmaster@peacecorps.gov 17 Dec, 2009 http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1496&volid=100537767&cid=rssvoljourn http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1496&volid=100537767 I had unforgettable encounters with two taxi drivers on my recent vacation. They were about the same age, early 60's. The first in Ukraine, the second in Lithuania. But gosh, were they different! The first was in Khmelnytsky. I was on my way to my SNAC meeting in Ivano-Frankivsk. I arrived at 7 p.m. on a bus. I was tired. I found a cab driver. He was reading a newspaper. "I need a bed for webmaster@peacecorps.gov 30 Sep, 2009 http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1415&volid=1628&cid=rssvoljourn http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1415&volid=1628 If you add together a siblings reunion in Nicaragua, a cleanup of Lake Cocibolca (or Lake Nicaragua), lots of basketball, bulls running wild through Granada's streets, lots of homework, and the start of two new business consults, you would equal what was my last few weeks here. And I believe it is a very worthy excuse for the delay between posts. The last few weeks all started with the webmaster@peacecorps.gov 10 Sep, 2009 http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1394&volid=100537767&cid=rssvoljourn http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1394&volid=100537767 Next topic: If you have ever been to Nicaragua one of the first things you will notice is the garbage that covers the streets and beautiful environment. Chip wrappers, soda bottles, old appliances, and millions of plastic bags, completely consume the ground. It is a fairly sad sight to see. And even more sad is the fact that the majority of Nicaraguans are contributing to this problem and do not webmaster@peacecorps.gov 10 Sep, 2009 http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1395&volid=100537767&cid=rssvoljourn http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1395&volid=100537767 The rain has definitely picked up over the last few weeks and it seems that hardly a day goes by where there isn't a quick downpour. It actually reminds me quite a bit of Jacksonville, Florida during the summer months. However, when it rains here, almost all activity stops as daily life is practiced outdoors. Even inside you are not safe from the rain as most structures have leaks and the rain webmaster@peacecorps.gov 06 Sep, 2009 http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1413&volid=100537767&cid=rssvoljourn http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1413&volid=100537767 Get a rebound. Get back on defense. Hands up. You can't run with the ball. Pass it, pass it, pass it...pleeease. For those of you who have ever coached or played basketball before, these commands should sound very familiar. In the past few weeks, I have been able to learn all of these expressions in Spanish and have had the pleasure to repeat them all more than ten times while coaching my webmaster@peacecorps.gov 01 Sep, 2009 http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1373&volid=100537767&cid=rssvoljourn http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1373&volid=100537767 Walk, walk, walk. It's the way of life here in Ukraine. Everybody walks, including poor me. I believe I have done more walking in the last two years than in the last 20. Ukrainians begin walking the minute they take their first tiny steps. And they keep walking and walking all their life, until they finally take to their bed in their old age to wait for you know what. That's about the webmaster@peacecorps.gov 27 Aug, 2009 http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1374&volid=1628&cid=rssvoljourn http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1374&volid=1628 But more about me. When I became a Peace Corps Volunteer, I was a rider, not a walker. I rode to the supermarket, to the libary and the post office, to the doctor and the beach and to my friends. I don't think I walked three miles a week. I think I do that on most days now. No, not in onel long walk. In several stretches, to here and there and back again. And it's getting easier. When I webmaster@peacecorps.gov 27 Aug, 2009 http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1376&volid=1628&cid=rssvoljourn http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1376&volid=1628 "The toughest job you'll ever love." This is an old Peace Corps slogan but I think it is 100percent appropriate. While at times I find myself frustrated, sad, hopeless, and pessimistic, I still find at the same time I love my job. I love being here in Macedonia immersed in another culture and experiencing life so different from what I've known. I love being able to share and learn on a daily webmaster@peacecorps.gov 19 Aug, 2009 http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1416&volid=100521100&cid=rssvoljourn http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1416&volid=100521100 A few weeks back, a relatively common day, I think a Wednesday, came and went, nothing unusual happened. However, this seemingly regular ole? Wednesday was anything but; it was actually the halfway point of my 27 months of service in Nicaragua. Writing to you today, I have now spent 14 and one-half months in Nicaragua! Wow! Speaking in Nicaraguan metaphorical terms, I have reached the peak of the webmaster@peacecorps.gov 28 Jul, 2009 http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1355&volid=100537767&cid=rssvoljourn http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.voljournal.journalDetails&jid=1355&volid=100537767