Greetings Everyone

I apologize that it has been so long in between posts, but I have been running all over Nicaragua in the past month. Concetta came to visit me along with two buddies, Sean and Aaron, a couple of weeks ago, and we had a great time. We went to the beach and visited with my Esteli host family. They really pulled out all the stops. My host mom made a meal for them that was 10 times better than anything I ate the whole time I was there. They even got to try and eat oranges the way Nicaraguans do, which is to peel down to the white level, cut of the top and suck out all the juice. It takes some getting used to, and I think they got more juice on them than in their mouths.
Concetta was here for two weeks so she got to spend some time in my site. We had a wonderful time. She brought bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and other goodies for the kids in my host family, all and all she was an absolute hit and they haven't stopped talking about her yet. We were really excited because she was going to give a presentation on Vietnam to my kids at the school, with pictures and an amazing poster, but unfortunately the teacher canceled class so that was a bummer.
Back in my site after she left, and I stopped weeping, I have been trying to organize some projects for the beginning of the rainy season, coming soon in May. I met with my Agriculture counterpart and he said he could get me some seeds for a school garden, and I have been discussing some bigger project ideas with my community leader, but am having trouble coming up with something that could be presentable in a grant proposal. Concetta also came up with the idea of making a mural on the side of my house, which will become a sort of preschool when I leave, so I have been trying to get the kids to come up with ideas of what to paint.
My mom and stepdad are coming today and I am really excited about it. We are going to do an Easter Egg hunt with the kids, which I tried to explain, but it really doesn't make any sense why a giant rabbit would hide eggs filled with candy, so we will see how it goes. It was really nice having Concetta see my work and my life here, and I am looking forward to showing it to them as well.

Ok hope everyone is well, and how about them Tar Heels. I was able to watch the last two games, they were great, but I really missed watching them in Chapel Hill. That sure was something.


Austin