First Post from Esteli, Nicaragua

I have arrived safe and sound! Morning of day 3 in Estelí, Nicaragua and the first thing that I have to say is that it is HOT!! I don’t think I have stopped sweating since I arrived. Everything is going well though. There have been some slight changes in plans…I am staying with a family for the first 3-4 weeks so I can get integrated into the culture and language quickly and after that I will move out on my own. The family is really nice, and they feed me very very well. The house in which I am staying in right now is extremely modest, my room is super small and I only have a bed and a t.v. stand so my clothes and everything are piled on the floor. Enjoyed my first cold shower this morning, but the cold water is nice because it is SO DAMN HOT 24 hours a day.

Some other news, the protests by the transport industry have escalated and are no longer peaceful… several deaths and violent clashes with la policía. The main roads are/were blocked with flaming trucks and tires and such. So…..DFAIT has increased the travel warning for Nicaragua. But no worries, everything is good. I do not need to hit the main roads anytime soon so I will not encounter any problems.

Also…..Happy Birthday to me!! I turned 21 yesterday and it was a good day to have a birthday because PECAN (this is the project that includes Oxfam-Quebec and its 5 partners) celebrated “Agronomist Day” to thank all of their agricultural technicians. Long story short we went to a bar which had a pool and we ate lunch and had free drinks (beer and rum!) from about 12 until 5 which was when we started getting tired. They really put me in the spotlight because I am new and it was my b-day. A woman won a contest and her prize was a dance with me ( I had no say is this), I also judged the “Mister Agronomist” pageant 2008 hahahaha. Yup, work has definitely not started. I am just getting settled in and getting the logistical set-ups and stuff taken care and meeting everyone but I think it will be off to business on Monday.

The office is quite nice, although internet can be sketchy at times and there is no AC so it is really hot in there. I am moving my desk today to be close to Simon-Pierre (from Quebec) and Jorge (from Nicaragua) as I will work mostly with them on what I am doing. There are 14 people who work out of the office and 8 of these people are from Canada (all Quebec except for me). It is a little odd because there is a lot of going back and forth between French and Spanish….haha – I never imagined that when I was told I was going to Nicaragua.

Hope everything is going well in Canada!

Peace,
- Francis….oh yeah…I am officially Francisco while I am here because apparently Francis is a woman’s name here.