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I can’t believe November is already over!!!

So much has happened in the last month. From birthdays to more trips and vacations and visit from the very lovely Ugonna. It’s been a fantastic month. I can’t touch on every little thing I’ve done in the past month, but I will highlight a couple things for this post from each of the following categories: Work and Play.

WORK

They really have found a way to keep me busy. But in addition to learning a seemingly bottomless pit of things, I’ve also managed to teach a few things while here. I not only mastered a new data analysis software (not that there was much to master behind it), but I also got to demonstrate and teach some of my colleagues a couple things on how to use it. Exciting. Who says qualitative data can’t be as fun to manipulate as quantitative data? Me thinks yes! Although it’s a long road to get to that point. I understand now why it’s graduate school and not undergrad. Eesh. Why I’m still compelled to continue with this, I quite haven’t figured it out (No, T. I’m not a masochist). It very well may be the fact that I know that once I’m doing this for decent pay it will be that much more rewarding.

Working with the investigators and the funding agency these past couple of weeks has been tiring but just as stimulating. It’s nice to be able to see how the bureaucracy works at this level. But the really rewarding part of it all is seeing the data and the field work being put to use. You just gotta love it.

PLAY

Work hard, play hard. I am truly a firm believer in this especially if playing involves learning a thing or two. In my case it involved a bit more traveling within the country. Where to? Well, I finally made it over to Bluefields. Boy was that exciting. I was surprised as soon as I stepped off the plane. Why Managuans think I look like I’m from there has nothing to do with anything past my skin color. Which really gave me a tickle while there because for that same reason I was pegged as not being from the area. In fact, several people asked if I was from Honduras. One person pegged me as an outsider from much farther away.

Stranger: Y vos os?

Me: Los estados unidos.

Stranger: I thought so.

Me: How, what gave me away?

Stranger: Your glasses, no one here wears them. Not even if they really, really need them.

Interesting, eh? I thought they did.

I met up with a few friends and we hopped a speed boat over to Pearl Lagoon. As nice as it was to be able to walk around that community, that wasn’t the gem of our trip. We would take a speed boat the next day over to the keys. Beautiful little Caribbean islands and an endless supply of seafood run down, coconuts, y muchas vichitas. The Garifuna festival was nice as well. I couldn’t help but feel the music, perhaps because of the Garifuna ties to Nigeria.

These posts have been few and far between, I know. I imagine things will slow down soon enough.  I want to share so much.

And there are so many details that I’ll keep for story telling in person. There will be photos soon. (I know, I know, I keep saying this). I just need to work it out with the album.

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