It´s so hot...thats all I can think about

So today is easily 100 degrees outside and I try and find any excuse to go inside an air conditioned building like the cell phone or ice cream store. Volunteers in Chinandega all have the same issue, we drink gallons of water each day and only end up peeing maybe twice because we sweat the rest of it out. Sleeping with a fan at night is a must and electricity shortages are frequent here so when my fan turns off I want to hit someone haha. It doesn´t get much cooler at night but April is the hottest month and then comes the rainy season which I hear isn´t that much better. It takes away a lot of the dust but then it´s still pretty hot so things just mold. Thank goodness I have the river nearby for those hot unbearable days.

I have a bunch of volunteers who live nearby (although with roads and bus routes it takes awhile to travel) but we have already gotten together a bunch. Next satuday we are all going to the beach to enjoy the annual seafood festival...although I don´t eat seafood I´m sure it´ll be tons of fun and I´m sure they will still be selling my favorite dish gallo pinto, just beans and rice mixed together. A lot of people have asked what I eat here and it´s basically the same just less ketchup and more beans.

I can´t believe I´m starting my fourth week in site. There are definetly moments where I´m not sure the day will end but when I look back at the past weeks and even training it is almost a blur. Everyday I go to the Health Center which is close to my house. It´s really small with about 4 rooms and about 10 nurses and 3 doctors. The director of the health center is 23 and already a doctor which makes you wonder about the education system here. I have given 8 presentations so far and some were better than others. Kids here are not used to being disciplined which is obvious if you enter any classroom here. Every thirty seconds the teacher yells at them to shut up which might or might not work for the moment. So, I had to make a bunch of rules for my youth group and taught them about raising hands and taking turns talking so we will see if this helps at all. However the highlight of all my presentations and the one I´m most proud of was in a nearby community with about 40 people on the theme of domestic violence. You can imagine how timid the people here in rural areas can be especially on topics such as this but thats why it makes me want to talk about it more. I coordinated it with a local police officer and local health promoter and it lasted for more than 2 hours with an amazing discussion about the laws that protect Nica´s from DV and what they can do it such a case.

I have a bunch of different youth groups, some still being formed, in the outlying communities and basically we have a meeting once a week and touch on different health topics. So far we have discussed HIV/AIDS, STD´s, DV, and self esteem. The lack of importance put on time, lack of resources, and even just knowledge makes for a difficult job but then once in awhile you realize someone is really grasping the concept and it makes the day a lot better. I am still getting accustomed to my site and finding my way around (which isn´t too hard since its set up in a grid of 4 streets). I´m already so bad with remembering names but thats the benefit of a smaller town, less people to remember! I love the kids in my community although I´m not sure how many know my name since they mostly call me "gringa" or "chelita."

Gotta run before the bus passes...and buying some water on the way so I don´t pass out.