Activities, Activities...

The schedule is packed, and looking towards the next 2 months I can see that the time will fly.
Among the events planned for us is a trip to a beach resort near Managua in November. The resort is called The Barcelo Montelimar, and is classy even for North American standards. It is all inclusive and boasts the largest pool in Central America. An interesting fact about the resort is that it used to be the Summer Palace of the much hated former dictator, Somoza. It was converted into a resort in 1980.
The best thing about this trip is the pit-stops. Apparently we will get to stop in both Grenada and Leon, two of the most historically significant cities in Nicaragua. Woohoo! However, plans seem to change by the day here, and I´m not holding my breath for anything. I´ll believe it when we are inside of the vehicle on our way to our destination.
A couple of my fellow volunteers and I are planning a trip to nearby Esteli in the near future. Esteli is much larger than Somoto and will be a more promising destination for touristy shopping, which is the primary reason for making the trip. It is also home to the 2nd group of Canada World Youth volunteers, who we spent some time with in Toronto. Hopefully we´ll get a chance to meet up with them. We were very very lucky to be placed in Somoto. Being a larger city, Esteli has horrible air quality. Driving through it from the airport I thought my lungs were going to give out. There are no car emission standards here, and it is very very common to see vehicles with a trail of black smoke in their wake. Gross.
I´m missing home, but am still enjoying my time here to its fullest. I´m sad that I have to miss the Fall season. Being able to see the leaves change, enjoying the vegetables from Mom´s garden, and just enjoying the silence. Silence is hard to come by here. There´s always some form of loud speaker or rattling truck nearby. Even at night you would be hard pressed to find a moment of silence.
Anyway, my time on the cafe computer has run out. I´m off!