Corinto Seafood Festival

The month of April has flashed before my eyes, maybe because I spent a good chunk of it traveling for Semana Santa.  Work has also had me very busy along with the addition of several yoga classes to my schedule.  Yoga has finally taken off in Chinandega for me and it's almost overwhelming.  I stared the process by asking of I could teach a free class at an all women's gym when I first arrived in August, but with no success.  I returned several times over the last month or so asking for just 30 minutes here and there to at least give a demo and then let the members of the gym chose for themselves if they want a yoga class offered or not.  Well turns out the women really enjoyed my class despite my gringa spanish, but the gym wouldn't offer me an evening time slots because the aerobics classes are all too popular.  We are talking super ghetto wanna be aerobics on three pieces of wood haphazardly nailed together and used as a "step".  And this wins over my yoga class? humbling ha ha.  I posted signs in the gym with my phone number and asked women to organize a group of their friends, find a local, and I will come teach.  Finally it all worked out and I have an organized group Monday and Wednesday nights.  While all this was going on apparently the gym decided they wanted me to teach Monday mornings so now I have 3 scheduled classes a week.  Plus my host sister and mom are all in to yoga now so I'm teaching a class at my house for them and our mutual friends.  Is there such thing as to much yoga?  I don't think so!

I have started a series of trainings at my Microfinance NGO Pro Mujer.  Last week was my first 2 hour training session to 20 women small business owners from different parts of Chinandega.  We covered leadership, goal setting, the planning cycle and FODA Analysis.  I couldn't believe how well the women were engaged and participating through out the two hours.  Here two hours is quite a long time to keep a group focused, but these ladies were really in to it.  I'm sure they were getting a kick out of my less than par spanish.  At the end of the session they all wanted copies of the slides, and with myself being a poor volunteer, they all chipped in and paid for their own copies, which aren't exactly cheap.  Guess they liked the materials!  It's really great to have Pro Mujer behind me financially to reimburse these women for traveling in from the campo, providing the equipment and air conditioned space.

Artesenia del Mar, my women's group that makes jewelry, is really taking off!  We just did a photo shoot this weekend on the beach of all of her new styles to create a catalog.  I felt like I was creating an Anthropologie Spring Edition catalog by wrapping bracelets around drift wood and using natural props to display the jewelry.  Pictures to come!  Norma, the lady who started it all is really putting everything she has in to it and coming up with awesome designs all on her own.

Amongst all this I found time to visit my BFF here in Nica in the mountainous city of Boaco.  It's the San Fran of Nica minus the Bart and trolleys, so let's just say my gluts got a work out.  Amongst working on her community garden, hiking and morning yoga, we mainly found ourselves day drinking and catching up over the last 3 months that just flew by.  By the way, an excellent rum drink to cool you down is pineapple, cucumber, cilantro, orange, and grapefruit juice, rum to taste.

This past weekend was the Corinto Seafood Festival.  Corinto is the port town about 15 minutes away from Chinandega.  It's a smaller quaint city where the majority of the cargo arrives to Nicaragua on the Pacific side.  They block of the central park and vendors cell every type of Nicaraguan seafood you can imagine.  There was ceviche, fried fish, pupusas with fish, seafood soup, shrimp, lobster, muscles and the list goes on.  Of course a lot of it was fried like Nica food always is, but oh so good.  There were also beer tents set up so you could roam around drinking and eating as you redeemed your tickets for whatever goodies your heart desired.  That morning a good friend from training, Irma, came up from Masaya to perform with her dance group at the festival.  It was great to catch up with her over breakfast and then hang to watch her perform the traditional Nicaraguan folklore dances as well as the Palo de Mayo from the Atlantic coast.  After achieving a full stomach we(20 plus volunteers) headed to the beach to relax and digest before heading back for round two.  Around nightfall a live band started playing music in the central park which only led to one thing.....dancing.....possibly on stage........

Gotta love the costume

She's in the middle

Smile for the camera Irma!