Here is Managua, the water is "generally considered to be safe." There are so many uses for water. You can drink it, shower with it, wash your dishes, brush your teeth or wash your clothes. Just maybe not in the way you did at home. At my house I can drink it, and don't have to worry when brushing our teeth. I can also buy it on the street from many people. Or on the bus actually. I could buy it in a bag, which I haven't done yet, or in a bottle, which I have. The water in Managua is also known to sometimes not work. (The electricity too, but not in my barrio, or neighbourhood). This lack of water did lead to me one day taking a shower with rainwater and pails. It also I think is the reason people here are very careful with it. The other day I had another great adventure of washing my clothes. In an open area at the back of my house there is a big cement sink. Part of it is for collecting water at the beginning of the day, and part of it is a big cement washboard with a drain that you wash your clothes in. I thought it was going to be the worst thing ever but it wasn't. The worst thing ever was that it rained in a torrential kind of way when I was done. But that was OK. The day finished off with a trip to the national theatre and yesterday I began my job. And now all my clothes are dry.

Here in Nicaragua, one of the first things I noticed was how many doors one needs to go through to get into anything. When I arrived, along with the other three SALTers serving in Nicaragua with me, I was welcomed by the MCC team at the MCC office in Managua. Shortly thereafter, I was taken to my host family's house. Immediately, my host mom gave me some keys. Given that I had been awake since 4 am, and it was by then midnight, my time, I was tired. So, the next day I had no idea which key belonged to the front gate, the gate to my room and the door to my room. The day before yesterday I got the three keys to get into the MCC office/house here in Managua. On Sunday when I went to church, there were also these same gates. I wonder why there are so many. Although we have been told to watch what we wear on the bus (souped up school buses that play Spanish popular music, or 80s pop), or in any market, and everyone seems to be very concerned for our safety, I have been told Managua is the safest Central American capital, and it seems safer than home in some ways. All is well. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Hello friends and family,
I have just arrived in Akron. It is a nice place here. I am in Asia (the building, unfortunately not the continent) and we seem to be doing lots of mingling, but everyone seems very nice and friendly. My roommate is an IVEP participant from Nicaragua, so it's great to be able to chat with someone who uses that accent and who can teach me key things about Nicaragua. Apparently women DO wear skirts there (I had been told they only wear jeans, or may face ridicule from friends), just not often. That is all. Good-bye for now.

I'm leaving to go to orientation on Saturday. I'm not sure that I will really be able to pack everything by then! I just got back from camp today, and tomorrow a relative is coming to visit from Germany who I'd like to spend time with. Also, the main quesiton, how will I fit a year's worth of stuff into 100lbs of baggage?