A word on where I live

Ometepe looks a bit like this.

and it seems to be made mostly of volcanoes

The centre vocationale cristiano (vocational training centre) is run by two wonderful ladies called elizabeth and anagalis. They feed me three times a day.

The CVC looks kinda like this

and this is our room

and our neighbours place looks like this

Brendon´s new girlfriend

She´s called toña and he´s been out with her every night since we´ve been here.
In fact he´s popped across the road to meet her now.
He seems to meet her wherever we go.
I´ve got to be honest- sometimes she is pretty much attached to his lips.
The first phrases of spanish that the boy has learnt out here have all been about toña. How he needs her, how important she is etc.

I´m half expecting he is going to try to take her home with him

Top 10 ways to travel in nicaragua

No 1. Family bicycle. This invovles señor pedro peddling, señorita pipita sat across the cross bar, and baby pepe sat on the handlebars.

No 2. The internationally approved minibus. To be seen all over the world. the samll 14 seat toyota minibus. 24 people and a few empty crates in the last one i was in. I´d love to know the most any of you have seen in one of these contraptions.

No 3. The intercity coach. Worth a mention for the tradesman who come on the coach at each stop. I did expect to be offered a bit of bread or a cold drink. I was perhaps expecting a young man to make a sales pitch from a box of midicines, something for every ailment. I certainly wasn´t expecting a preacher man to give us 20 mins of bible exposition, and then start selling pens. You see all of our professions can find a role on a single coach journey!

No. 4. The good old fashioned oxen and cart

these lads have lost there cart and are being taken home by roberto on his bicycle (he´ll then be picking up roberta and baby robertina to go out somewhere)

No 5. Not even sure what this is called?

to work or not to work....?

Well that has been the question for the last week. not a choice but a predicament. I´m still not sure whether my nicaraguan medical registration has been completed yet. A variety of forms to be signed by a variety of people in a variety of towns, you ge the idea.

One day I´m being told there´ll be no work going on till jan 5th, the next day I´m told I´ll be working without a break.
So I´ve come down to the island of ometepe, hopefully paperwork will be faxed through and hopefully I´ll get to work in their paediatric clinic, general medical clinic and emergency room. I get the impresssion that the emergency bit operates as and when it is needed.

So things are finally getting going. I´ll let you know what its really like when I´ve been there a few days

a more informative blog.......

is to be found at www.brendantquinn.blogspot.com
brendan is my travelling companion and writes useful things about the country we are in and what we are doing. So if that is what you are looking for then you now know where to go.
I read it to check where we are going next........

exam results

The internet tells me that I passed the dch. Now i'm told not to believe everything I read on the net - but this story made me happy so I've chosen to believe it.

so thank-you for those of you who put up with my grumpiness while revising / taught me / gave me time off work / made me cake.

10 good reasons why parents should visit

1. mother can speak spanish; father will not feel obliged to listen:- both will be very happy

2. There is an international cricket match scheduled on the polo field in granada. Last year the UK expat team were short of players.......

3. Flying over greenland at dawn and a frozen hudsen bay makes the flight worthwhile.

4. It surely cannot snow again in houston for a another decade or two (last time was 15 yrs ago)

5. luxurious accomodation - from what i've found so far.

6. Cities founded in the 1600, complete with renovated cathedrals and old spanish squares (put granada nicaragua into google and have a look around)

7. When was the last time you walked up an active volcano...? (when I say active, mother, i mean not quite dead yet, not like dangerous or anything)

8. San Juan del Sur

9. Costa Rica.?

10. anyone got any more ideas..............................?