Training and Life in Nicaragua

Hi everyone:)

I just started this blog to make it a little easier on me, keeping in touch with everyone and as an easy way of sending pictures of what I´m doing here. (Actually I´m not too sure right now what I´m doing here but thats a separate issue!:) I just left last month to work as an agriculture/rural development volunteer for 27 months. 1 down- 26 to go: just kidding. I´m in the midst of 3 months of language and tech. training while living with a host family near Esteli, Nicaragua- in the North Central region of the country. It´s beautiful here and the weather is pretty moderate. It rains almost everyday in the afternoon, but the dry season is coming in a month or 2 and then it hardly rains at all. I´m a little sad about missing Fall though, since its my favorite season:( My host family is great...very nice people, decent food- I have a 10 yr old host brother who constantly wants to play soccer (somewhat of an obsession here) and wants to practice his English with me- its pretty fun. And I have a 17yr old host sister who is very sweet too. I´m learning alot about local agriculture and nature- I´ve gotten to milk a cow and vaccinate a chicken- fun stuff. You think I would´ve milked a cow before being from Wisconsin -right? Nope, I have to go to Nicaragua to do it. Its been a little bit harder than I anticipated, adjusting to everything being to different and new- but that´s part of why I did this. I´m looking forward to learning from the people here- they are very intelligent and creative and have been through some difficult times- but to do that I need to be able to understand them!- which is difficult sometimes with the accent, local phrases, and my horrible Spanish, but I´m getting better everyday. So...I´m going to try to post a few pictures and I´ll try to update this periodically. Oh here is my address if anyone wants to write, I´d love to hear from you, right now its:

Christa Rosin, PCT
Voluntario de Cuerpo de Paz
Apartado Postal 3256
Managua, Nicaragua
Central America

It takes a couple of weeks for mail here too. This will be my address until Nov. 10th-ish, then I´ll be moving to my permanent site for the 2 years and I´ll have my new address and I´ll let you all know. I really do have access to most things I need here- (except for Grey´s Anatomy and Law & Order:) and they can´t be mailed)- and I know its expensive to send things- so I´m not expecting any packages, so don´t feel pressured:) All I really need are prayers- and those are free:) Hope everyone is doing well. Adios!