I know, I know...it´s been awhile.

I´ve been putting off writing this blog for what seems like forever. Too much has happened to include all the details so I´m going to summarize the last two months. The second of January my uncle died. I think it goes without saying that it was a really difficult time for my whole family. Thanks to my wonderful family I was able to fly home and be with them for the week. I wish that my trip home could have come under better circumstances but I know I would have regretted not being there with them to say goodbye.

The day I got back to Nicaragua I fell in a concrete ditch and broke my foot. What fun times that was! I went to the hospital here in town and while they do have an X-ray machine (big improvement from Mali hospitals) they don´t have anyone who knows how to use it. Apparently the man that used to take X-rays retired. The people in charge decided there wasn´t enough money to replace him.

The physical exam of my foot consisted of the doctor (who is 1 year younger than I am!!!) poking my foot at the part where it was swollen and purple. She decided it was just a bruise. I called Peace Corps and put one of the Peace Corps´ doctors on the phone with the girl attending me. Peace Corps instructed them to give me a shot for the pain and splint my foot. After my foot was securely in the splint it was discovered that the hospital did not in fact have any crutches....which for me meant I would have to hop around on my one good foot. Luckily, my site-mate was there to help me and she was put in charge of making sure I didn´t fall down again. The next morning at 5 we took a taxi to Managua. Peace Corps sent me to an orthopedist who took Xrays and put me in a cast.

Now six weeks later my hard cast is off but I am still limping around in a "walking cast" which mostly looks like an orthopedic shoe. It still hurts so I will be going back to the doctor on March 10.

Other new things:
1) I moved into a new house...with a hammock. I´m technically a permanent house-sitter.
2) My birthday was this past Thursday. My friends here threw me a surprise dinner and hired a band to come to my house and serenade me.
3) The second week in March I have to go to a three-day conference in Managua and my bosses picked me to speak at the conference.
4) There is a chance another Gator could be coming down with the business group in May.
5) Electricity and Water rationing is in full affect for the hottest time of the year which means LOTS of sweating.

Send me mail! I really do want to become a better pen-pal.