Stability is something I like. Even though I have been here in Managua just a few weeks I am trying very hard to establish some sort of routine. When I go to work, when I hang out, when I check my e-mail, when I call my friends, that kind of thing. Yesterday I went to two churches. I went to a church in a school with my host mom (not her normal church, but part of the same denomination, planted my missionaries from Texas) and then I went to mass. The mass celebrated at the Center is not an official mass, according to Doña Josefa, who works here, but it seems that way to me. Apparently because it is the misa popular it was banned so maybe that's why it was unofficial. Anyway, the reason I got to thinking about stability was because it was a mass for the dead. Now originally I thought this was the strangest thing I have ever heard of, but I think it´s actually a really good idea. It is an important way to remember. And it seems that a nearby church won't celebrate masses for the dead for fallen revolutionaries. This seems a bit odd since so many people on both sides died and should be remembered. But anyway. I guess now the church, both catholic and evangelical, preach the gospel of stability. It you are Christian (evangelical) and you pray hard enough and have enough faith you will be able to get a job etc. This I think is just false. According to my new knowledge, about 3 per cent of the population is unemployed and another 46 is underemployed. So I can see that stability is something people want but I think that no matter how hard you pray it just might not happen. That is my monday mronign rant. Good-bye for now.

Each day I go to work. I prefer to walk. Not that the bus is expensive, but bus drivers go crazy trying to make it to the next time spot and I have no real interest in getting bus sick on my way to work. It also doesn't really save that much time. So, I leave my house and make my way to the main road. Now for the first while, I was extremely oblivious trying not to get lost and fighting my inner desire to club all the men with my umbrella. But the other day I noticed some graffiti. There are all kinds of graffiti here. Some of it is straighforward black and red paint for the Sandinistas, and by the UCA (Central American University, Jesuit) and other places, the graffiti is beautiful and political or religious in theme. But at the first stoplight I see, I see graffiti on the road and the sidewalk. It seems to talk about Daniel (Sandinista president), the union fenosa (?) and wanting transnationals out of Nicaragua. These are mostly clothing companies who provide much needed employment while abusing workers and polluting the lake (already polluted from sewage). Then I make my way past stores, restaurants and houses until I see, down a street, a playground. There I turn left, walk 100 meters or so, open the door and begin my day.

As many of you I'm sure have seen in the news a major hurricane has hit the Carribean coast of Nicaragua. All that means for me is that I experience torrential rains every now and again. And of course on the news it is pretty awful. Just thought I would let you know. Also, since my blog is featured I figured I should post something.

Now, on to more interesting topics, my job. It seems that I am going to be doing a lot of communications work, with donors in the United States (to the Center, not to MCC), their scholarship program, maintaining internal communications, also tutoring English, developing a photography workshop and a swimming program. Oh yes, and providing help in the library, administration and docencia, that is, to the people in charge of the teaching programme here. So far it is going well. In the library, where I go on Wednesday afternoons, I have the most fun. Scholarship students who are in high school or university have to do social service, so some of them do it in the library, which provided textbooks and a space for kids to do homework. So, I hang out and have fun and try and be helpful. Hasta pronto. Oh yes, my place of employment is collecting for the hurricane through Accion Medica Cristiana and it has taken over one very large room. It is quite heart rendering to see people from an area of Managua that does not have that much money give so much.