Sickness

This is the Peace Corps-approved laboratory in Masaya; I'm sorry to say that we've both (though Paul more than me) made many trips here to drop off a variety of, um, samples.

We were just realizing the other day how tough Peace Corps has been on our health and well-being.  We've had our fair share of bacterial infections, parasites, sinus infections, and other mysterious combinations of symptoms.  Though we're not always sick enough to call the doctor or start a round of antibiotics, there have been many days where we are battling a cough, runny nose, stomach ache, or just don't feel good; it seems that on any given day during these past two years, one (or both) of us is beginning to feel ill, in the throes of a sickness, or recovering from an ailment.

I think there are a lot of factors that made our Peace Corps service so rough.  Good nutrition has been really difficult for us; our diet consists mainly of rice and beans, macaroni and cheese, Corn Flakes, pizza, and pasta--a carbohydrate lover's paradise.  Better food is available in places like Granada or Managua, but it's far away and not feasible on a Peace Corps Volunteer's budget. 

Similarly, sanitation issues are an ever-present concern.  The water here is not clean, and though we buy and drink five gallon jugs of water at home, we also drink drinks made from tap water when we're at school or a friend's house.  This is a risk since any food or drink that we don't prepare ourselves (including at restaurants) could very well be a bacterial infection or parasite waiting to happen, but it's not very practical to go two years only eating things we prepared from start to finish.  Add to that the normal risks of handling dirty money, using public transportation, and a lack of running water and sinks to facilitate handwashing, and it's no surprise that we've had our share of sickness.

The climate and weather also contribute to our illnesses.  During the dry season it's dusty and easy to have respiratory problems, and during the rainy season the always-present puddles are havens for germs and gross stuff like leptospirosis.  It's also really hot.  Even though the heat may not cause diagnosable illnesses, it doesn't help our energy or make it easier to recover from other ailments.

I just finished a round of antibiotics two days ago but I'm sick again (which is why was I was at the lab yesterday to take a picture) from a combination of any or all of these factors.  Keep your fingers crossed that it's another bacterial infection and that I won't have something new--malaria, dengue, or swine flu--to add to my list of Peace Corps illnesses.

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Public Service Announcement

Look. You might think it's cool to pee on the side of someone's house, or you might just be too drunk to find your way home, but either way urine trouble. No orinar aquí.

The More You Know.

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Eskimo

I've recently been looking through our blog's archive to find things that we've neglected to post about, and I was shocked to realize that we've never devoted a post to Eskimo.  Eskimo (pronounced eskEEEmo) is Nicaragua's main brand of ice cream.  What Eskimo lacks in quality or tastiness, it makes up for in availability; I imagine that every town, no matter how small, has at least one cooler with Eskimo popsicles for sale in some pulpería somewhere. 

Even my small training town had an Eskimo freezer and it was the perfect way to relax and gossip after a long day of Spanish classes.  We frequently ate Eskimo after our bigger group trainings, and when we moved to Masaya it was easy to keep the tradition alive since there was a full Eskimo ice cream shop just a block from our house:

One of Eskimo's most important characteristics is that the workers inside are always really mean.  I feel slight pangs of guilt for painting all Eskimos with such a wide brush, but I've eaten at many Eskimos all throughout the country, and it's just true.  If I receive a cup of ice cream after ordering a cone, that's just too bad.  If I want a three córdoba (15 cent) popcicle but only have a C$5 (25 cent) coin, I'm out of luck--I'd better just come back when I andar sencillo (have correct change), because they don't have it and I'm silly for thinking that they should keep a few córdobas around to make change themselves.

Though poor service and melty popsicles in the States would certainly earn a place on my blacklist, Eskimos here know I have no alternative and that I'll keep coming back for more.  Here's our newly-remodeled Eskimo:

And a payasito (little clown) we once got when we were out with Dora.  She was thirsty and we had forgotten to bring her a water dish, so she drank water out of the cup when we were done.

Actually, it's not quite true that we have no alternative to going to Eskimo to get some ice cream; there are also Eskimo bicycles, Nicaragua's answer to the ice cream truck.  Fruit, pillows, and universal remote controls salespeople pass down our street peddling their wares daily, so of course it makes sense for us to be able to buy popsicles as well.  The difference, though, is that while the other salespeople charge the same price for their goods whether you buy them from the door-to-door sales or at the market, the Eskimo cyclists' prices are higher; that C$3 dulce du leche popsicle is C$5 from the man on the bike--a 60% markup!

Despite the surly Eskimo employees and the general complete lack of quality, the Eskimo treats like Tu y Yo, Grande con maní, sundae royal, and Cocoa will always have a special place in my heart and hips.

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The Jungle

The market is absolutely disgusting, and these photos do justice to all of its gross-out qualities. Once you get close to this area of the market the smell is overwhelming and you just want to hold your breath and power walk through it.

It goes without saying that in the open-air market there's no air conditioning or sneeze-guarded coolers. The most advanced disease-prevention technology used is the fly swatter. It should also go without saying that we don't buy our meat from here.

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Moises, Katie, and Luna

Katie is another volunteer from our English teacher group who lives about 20 minutes from us. She and her fiancé, Moises, are always there for us to babysit Dora when we have visitors or have to be in Managua, and they really go the extra mile--lots of walks, playing fetch, baths when she needs it, and even a blowdry. Now Katie and Moises are getting married and we couldn't be happier for both of them.
One day in November, Katie and Moises brought Luna to Masaya to play with Brown Dog and Dora. This was near the end of their romping and roughhousing, so they were tired enough to sit still (or collapse, in Dora's case) for a picture. Thanks to Kristel for the expert photography.

P.S. Happy Mother's Day to our moms!

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