What's Black and Red all over? A sandinista on Dia Libre!

i want to preface this email to my mother and pseudo-mothers alike that I'm still alive and kicking, so don't start worrying.

that being said, i went to my first socialist rally-- sandinista, in fact-- last thursday and i can safely say that it was one of the most surreal events of my twenty-two years.

let me give you a little history: on july 19, 1980, the sandinistas, led by daniel ortega, overthrew somoza's infamous dictatorship, ending the bloody civil war. every year since then july 19 has been marked as "Dia Libre"-- loosely translated as freedom day. now don't get confused, this is not nicaragua's independence day... that comes in september when the nation commemorates its independence from spain (in case you haven't figured this out yet, nicas like to party and take whatever chance they can get to have a festival). dia libre is just the sandinista's opportunity to say "hey, look at the cool thing we did. oh, by the way, if we give you lots of booze, some flags and let you climb telephone poles, will you mind forgetting about the years of uncool things we did after that?"

this year, now that daniel ortega is back in power, the event was bigger than ever and included a fiery speech by venezuela's hugo chavez. that, in addition to the cuban flags and chanting of propaganda songs, reminded me that i'm not in kansas anymore. well, that and the thousands of red and black clad nicas shouting "viva sandino!"

the highlights of our day included boarding a bus boasting a sandinista flag in each window in which the passengers passed around shots of ron plata (the cheapest rum you can buy here), watching numerous human pyramids fall when the tops got a little over zealous with their flags and standing on my tiptoes (with a kid on my hips, as always) to see some authentic nicaraguan dancing. we didn't stay for ortega's speech-- our nica hosts wanted to leave before it got dark-- but i hear it's the same every year so no biggie.

that's all i have for now... my bed is calling my name.

bendiciones

i'm here, i'm alive, and we FINALLY have light!

well... that is, we have light most of the time...

so begins my journey into all things Nica. We lose power every weekday from about 2-7pm, which, considering we´re in language school from 8-12, makes accessing the internet a bit of a challenge. despite that,i've found that there are lots of similarities to Nicaragua and the United States:

Starbucks:
coffee here is served black with lots of sugar. the preferable method of drinking said coffee consists of a baby on your lap with chickens at your feet. in between swatting flies away from the baby (who just doesn´t seem to care about anything) and sipping your coffee in a plastic tumbler, you learn that your host´s roof fell in two weeks ago so his family of five is currentally living in a lean-to.

Public Transportation:
in order to get around the hustle and bustle that is managua, most people rely on buses (pronounced boo-ses). sent from the states about 15 years ago (not kidding, i saw one from chattanooga two days ago), these diesel-spewing mammoths can hold about 75 people at a time and are decorated to the driver´s taste, usually with colorful tape and pictures of saints (and the occasional truck-flap girl). every now and then, the driver will take note of the gringos´ blank expressions and change the music on the speakers from salsa and regaeton to your favorite 80´s hits.

Internet Cafes:
in order to access the web when we do have power, you simply walk about two blocks into one of your neighbor's houses. there in the front room, you can use one of five computers for just over a dollar US an hour. while you check your mail, their dog willie licks your feet. if you´re thirsty, you can buy a beer or a coca (coke). additionally, if it´s the weekend, you can even buy some chicken or a nacatamale. they think of everything.

Shopping:
while there are several american-like malls here in the capital, the real heart of nicaraguan commerce is in the mercado. there you can barter for freshly made tortillas or a light switch. vendor invites you into his stall, which looks suspiciously similar to his neighbors'. street kids ask for money (in english) but are happy if you give them food. the grandaddy of all mercados is the oriental, whose stalls spill out into the street in all directions. we haven´t visited yet because our language school says it´s too dangerous for gringos like us. guess i´ll just have to use my favorite disguise-- brown hair dye (that´s right, mom, be afraid).

Food:
remember in pre-school when you dressed up like a pilgrim for thanksgiving and your teacher told you all the ways the native americans used corn? evidentally, your teacher never met a nica. from drinks (yes drinks) to breads to soups to dessert, corn-based products are everywhere. some are really good; some are lamentable... you have to taste to find out. oh, and they also eat it on the cob all day long.

however, if you want something a little more like home, look no further than tip-top. like kfc, tip-top specializes in many varieties of fried chicken (although, as one manna member pointed out, tip-top has taken the ¨fast¨out of ¨fast food¨). i get the kiddie meal, which comes with a surprise. i could also get a beer with the kiddie meal if i wanted... gotta love latin america.

so goes my first week here in nicaragua. thanks so much to everyone who´s sent me love and blessings. it´s still surreal that i´m living in another country, although i´ll never fully leave my life in the states... case in point, i now have to write an essay for med school apps. bleck.

besos y abrazos