Happy Thanksgiving

Hola, Hope everyone is doing great. Time is flying, I can't believe that it's almost the end of November already..

Last weekend I had a great time up north in Matagalpa visitng Jeff Kositsky and his wife Aileen and their charming daughters Emma and Hannah who are living in Nicaragua for a year. They showed me around the city, and we went on a great hike at Selva Negra, a lush forest and coffee farm owned settled by Germans. The trees were huge and the whole area is covered in peaceful, rolling green hills. Jeff used to be the ED of the Community Housing Partnership in San Francisco, so we talked a bit about the field as well.

The interview I had scheduled got cancelled, it turned out that they weren't doing phone interviews. I did try advocating for myself and I felt disappointed, but I'm just going to take it as a good sign that they wanted to interview me and keep applying for jobs.

I went to the library 3 times this week, and took some photographs to go with interviews that I am doing. I also interviewed a teacher at the nearest high school and used my new recorder. I realize that I haven't written much about what the library is actually like, so I will do that soon.

My uncle Allan was in town for a meeting of his organization, the UN's Food and Agriculture Office. The whole office was in Managua to learn about small businesses that produce high quality seeds, which can really increase the productivity of small farmers. We had dinner at a local restaurant on Wednesday, and on Thursday Blanca and I met him at the hotel where the meeting was being held. We heard the last presentation of the day, and then we went out to dinner at a lovely restaurant called Ola Verde, owned by a friend of my aunt Sally's. Allan's colleagues were very nice, from Bolivia, Honduras, and Uruguay. We got to hear some of Allan's stories about Nicaragua in the 1980's.

I had been avoiding it, but Blanca and I saw "Eat, Pray, Love" on Friday night. I've read the book, and obviously I'm defensive about romanticizing travel as a way to find yourself, especially when the woman in the movie/book had a book advance before she set off on her trip (not to mention any feminist critique of how she ends up with a man, but that's another story..) Anyhow, I do think it's good to be open, get out of your comfort zone, and see people you meet as your teachers, but it's also important to be aware that what she did (and what I'm doing) is a luxury and a privilege.

Yesterday I went to a feminist meeting with Blanca and got to see where she works, which was interesting and good practice listening and understanding Spanish. Today is the first big outing from the Spanish school to the farm! There should be about 15 people in total riding horses and walking up to the library, hiking, and eating a lunch prepared by the caretaker's family. I hope that it's a success and that the collaboration continues.

I don't think I've ever been away from my family on Thanksgiving, but I'll be thinking of them and excited to see them soon (I'll be in the Bay Dec 25th-Jan 8th.) They will be having a vegetarian meal, as they are trying out being vegetarians after my mom read Jonathan Safron Foer's book "Eating Animals." I think it's cool! I am thankful to be alive,for all the people in my life, and for the opportunities that I have been given.

And finally, Billy is coming tomorrow night!! He'll be here for 11 days, and I'm so excited to see him, show him around, and go on an adventure (probably to the Caribbean coast.) Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.