Countdown...

Already rounding the end of October, and gearing up for a very very busy last month.
Things are well in Somoto, and we´re beginning to prepare our Nicaraguan counterparts for the harsh Canadian winter. We´re currently working on collecting them some warm winter clothes. Although we´re all still enjoying our time in Somoto I know that many of the Canadians, myself included, are very excited for our return to Canada. Yesterday our truck was very very late in picking us up from Machitia. Romain and I spent the good part of an hour discussing all the fantastic meals we´re going to consume upon our return. We went further and talked about our favourite meals to cook, passtime activities, etc. We´re probably not doing ourselves any good discussing these things, but it´s hard to keep your mind off of the diverse foods that are available to us when we´re back home.
Our trip to Montelimar has been postponed until the 7th of November. Apparently the 2nd of November ( The original day of our trip) is the Day of the Dead, and Marta thinks that it would be an important holiday for us to observe. It should be interesting. I have heard of the holiday many times in reference to Latin American countries, but have yet to understand what exactly the day consists of. All I know at this point is that it´s a day for family in which they pay respect to their deceased relatives, friends, etc. I know nothing of the rituals involved. I´ll include some details in my next post.
Our work in Las Cruces has advanced. We have finished the stage of diagnosis, and are working on the finances. I feel good in knowing that the project is progressing as it should. Today we worked on cutting some costs so that it would fit the budget that has been given.
We have some pretty major highlights in the upcoming month. There´s Montelimar, of course; two large festivals/Carnivals on the 11th and the 28th; and a celebration on the 21st in which our group have the opportunity to sing with one of the most famous Nicaraguan musicians, who happens to be a native of Somoto. Not to mention the two excursions that we have planned for some of the larger surrounding communities. There´s no such thing as a dull trip here.
Last Friday we took a truck ride up to the community of La Sabana, wayy wayy up in the mountains. The community hopes to boost its Economic draw through an upcoming advertising campaign. They would like our group to assist them in this advertising. This could include, but might not be limited to, illustrating and painting some of the wooden signs that they´ll be constructing. On our tour of the community we made two stops of significance. One was a coffee producer which grows and roasts their own beans. They hope to be able to set up a cafe where the customer can choose their coffee, have it roasted in front of them, and prepared to drink right there. Sounds like an interesting and unique business idea to me. We got to check out the coffee roaster, and some of the raw coffee beans.
The second stop was farther past the community, ascending even higher into the mountains. The business was a rural hotel, ideal for hitchhikers, or people who just want to enjoy the mountainous Nicaraguan countryside. It was a Western style building and can only room about 7 people, but it doubles as a farm. The owner of the hotel gave us a brief presentation in Spanish
( he appeared to be a simple farmer ) which was translated to us. A Canadian posed a question to him and he broke out in perfect English. By far the best I´ve heard in my stay here. Quite a surprise, and very funny. After he gave us some information about the business we got to check out some of the interesting farm equiptment they had, including a machine that seperates cream and milk ( a demonstration was given ).
Anyway, I´ll post again in the near future, and try not to neglect my postings as I have lately.
Best wishes from Nicaragua!