Been in the house now about 3 days. It’s been really nice not to have to worry about what time I wake up (but waking up early nonetheless because of the sun/trash collectors/internet guy), or when I come in or out. And if some one calls at the gate saying “BUENAS!” I don’t have to answer it because I know no one is looking for me or a guest or my boss, that I can in fact be certain that they will just be asking for food or money. Which, by the way, does make me feel bad – but after having given food out once I learned that it doesnt do anything to help in the long run (obviously) and that it just means that that person and perhaps their friends will come back every day after that until you disappear. I learned that lesson the hard way.
Anyway. I am currently at the cafe down the street and around the corner – taking advantage of the air conditioning and free internet. We called the internet people yesterday and they stopped by at 8 a.m. today with a contract (for our landlord to sign) that we have to return, and upon receipt of the contract, we will have to wait up to 48 hours to receive the router and for the service to be activated. So, if all goes well, by Saturday we should have internet. I hope. Maybe. Even though things don’t always work out as we might hope, and delays are the norm here.
Last night I watched “Rescue Me” dubbed in Spanish. Two nights ago we watched 3:10 to Yuma also dubbed in Spanish. Because we have an ancient tv with bunny ears which gets two local stations. Some day we might just get cable. In the future. That would be 87 channels of pure joy. But for now, we are more focused on the internet. At least I am.
Today I swept the house and mopped the floors. And then it got really hot. Again. Which is also why I came to the cafe right now. Because air conditioning is helping me to survive right now. Which is sort of funny, because I have been thinking about this girl from Middlebury who wrote me an email a while back asking about life and study in Managua, because she had been considering doing a study abroad program here. In the spring. She said she had heard from friends and relatives that the city doesnt really feel like a city because it doesnt have a center and and is super sprawled out. They also told her that it is oppressively hot. A couple months ago I responded, never having experienced the real spring heat leading up to Semana Santa. I gave an honest response – that is gets really hot and usually you just don’t think about it – you sweat and that’s life, but mostly you don’t notice – unless you are out walking under the sun and midday. But recently there have been moments when I started to feel physically ill because of the heat. Which is partly my fault for not drinking enough water. And it’s only going to get hotter until after semana santa. So. Hopefully she won’t ask for an update on that.
Aside from making me sweat or feel nauseous, it also makes me really tired. If I walk to the store and back in the afternoon I feel like I need a long nap. Yesterday Luis and I went to the grocery store and again spent like an hour in the a/c before we had the energy to walk back home. But at night it cools down just fine. Plus, if you’ve looked at the pictures of our room, you will see that there is lots of lights, three windows, and cracks in the hall, which make for MUCH more ventilation than in the old Quaker House room. In fact, the first night I ended up sleeping under 2 SHEETS! 2! But that was a fluke. A nice fluke. Any way you look at it, I can bear to be in the room at the height of the afternoon heat, which was becoming impossible in Q. House.
AAAAAAAAAAhhhhh!!!! Okay. My battery is going to die soon, so I’ve got to close up shop. Back by Saturday (hope)!
