Hi all,
Well it seems like a good time to catch up on email, I have decided. Actually, speaking of email, I have caved into pressure and complaints about the Nicaraguan email service not being the best (lost emails, etc.) and have gotten myself a gmail account. Maybe this will solve the missing emails problem. If you have had problems sending to me at my usual accounts, try robnica(at)gmail(dot)com. Hopefully it will be more reliable...
Well, the book we are publishing is almost done. I think I may have said that before. It seems like the neverending story, or nightmare, depending on your point of view... However, it should be going to the printer by the end of the month, then I will be a published author (well, co-author), in Spanish. How about that?
The new job, which I guess I should stop calling it new now that I have been there more more than 4 months, is going well. Although, Dos Generaciones is a large organisation, things are slow, bureaucratic and formal, but I am getting on ok. There are certain things I like and some I don't, but I am starting to get used to the idea that probably no organisation exists that will meet up to the standards I have in mind...
There was a teacher's strike earlier in the year, so that slowed us getting started on the year and now one of our 3 projects is delayed because the money hasn't come in yet. In some ways that is good, we can focus a bit on the two projects but it also means that we can't hire two people that we are supposed to, that will be helping us out...
As it is there is too much work. We did out workplan for the year and we have 87 workshops planned with the kids... So far I think we have done 6. It could be a busy year, whenever that money comes in...
My boss and only direct co-worker in the team at the moment is Erika. It is fun to work with her. She is young and cynical - like me (except for the young part maybe)... We enjoy poking fun at all the bureaucracy around us. There are so many forms to fill out, I made one for going to the bathroom just to bother one of the secretaries...
Oh, and I resigned from Volunteer Abroad and gave up my cell phone. I wanted to have more free time this year - to do what I am not sure... But in any case, it is nice to be free of the cell phone. Most people don't seem to understand why that is important, but that's ok...
Well, I haven't just been working, of course there is lots of dancing to be done. We had a few parties here at the house, at Christmas, one full moon party and one for my friend Jaime's birthday...
Tonight we are going dancing a bunch of us...
Also, I had a roommate for a few months. An Italian guy named Angelo. He was good to live with, although it wasn't a planned moving in thing. He was going to housesit while I was in Canada and then take a couple of weeks to find a place... Well, a couple of weeks turned out to be a few months... Oh well, in the end, he turned out to be a good guy to live with...
As it is, I have to move out of my place soon as it has been sold. Still looking for a place, so we will see what I come up with... I hate moving though.
Alvin asked me last month what my daily life was like, so I told him:
"My daily life lately is work 8-5 M-F, French class on M and W nights. Often some dancing on Fri or Sat night, or both. The last few months have been spending a lot of time working on a book we are publishing from my old job, with luck it will be printing in April. This weekend though, didn't do much. Some work on the book, studying french (exam this week), some lying around in my hammock reading "Fire and Ice" - interesting reading and a quick read, bathing my three cats twice (first bath discovered fleas on one of them), shopping for the house... Didn't even go dancing, although I had been invited, felt more like lying around.... The weekend before however, I went out on Thurs and Fri to dance - Sun early we went with some Canadian visitors to visit a project in Northern Nicaragua, so I decided not to go out too late on Sat..."
It hasn't changed much, although I am on vacation from French still. Level 9 doesn't start until the 18th... It's been nice to get back into it, I was losing what little French I had...
Speaking of the cats, they still have fleas, these darn flea shampoos don't do a thing. May have to take more drastic measures soon... Also, I got the female fixed at Xmas, that was "fun". She did not react well to the operation, as you can imagine, so I ended up cancelling a planned trip to stay home with her... which was fine too...
Bueno, I'd better get this off, nothing exciting like romance to report at the moment, I know you are probably disappointed... Maybe I'll try to have something for the next report... :-)
Un abrazo,
Rob