Casi el fin

My time on the Caribbean Coast is coming to an end. I head back to Managua this afternoon by plane this time to finish up some research and interviews and of course continue the writing of this ISP. I have met some amazing people in Bluefields and Puerto Cabezas. Port, as it is commonly known, is a 45 minute plane ride up the coast from Bluefields close to the boarder of Honduras. It is much smaller than Bluefields...or at least not as city like. THere are only about 3 main cobblestone roads and the rest are a red dirt giving th ewhole place a warm glow. It unfortunately rained a bunch (the rains are coming earlier this year) so I wasn´t able to check out any of the beaches. The majority of the people there are Mestizo (pacific coasteans) and Miskito, one of the 3 indigenous groups of the coast and the one with the most population. I went to Port to learn more about MIskito culture, identity and how autonomy effects them. I had about 10 interviews over 3 days and a mountain of information and opinions to sift through. It was nice to come back to Bluefields because I don´t stand out quite as much and therefore feel much safer. I am also excited to go back to Managua to spend more time with my host family and the comfort of my own bed and bucket baths....I mean, I will miss the luxury of the trickle showers I have here in Bluefields. It´s both exciting and sad that this trip is nearing its end. Sad because I would like to spend more time with my family here and travelling around without thinking about school work or having a focus. But exciting because when I get back to the states it will be summer. And I know that I will be coming abck to visit here as soon as possible so it´s not like I am leaving forever...I now have family here. I will try to get in one more blog entry upon my return...probably to procrastinate typing the 25 page paper....

Beginning of the End

I am currently in Bluefields sharing a cubicle with a cockroach and commencing my indpendent study project on the cultural expression of autonomy by the people on the Caribbean Coast as well as identity in general. It is much cooler here than in Managua and I have AC in my hotel room which is nice (although the door to the bathroom is a shower curtain and sometimes there isn´t running water...). I took an overnight bus and 5am panga ride to get here with 2 other girls...a journey I hope to never take again as it was hot and uncomfortable. I´m getting myself organized and starting to make contact with people to do some interviews as I really only have next week here in Bluefields. Then I will be flying up north to Bilwi (aka Puerto Cabezas) to interview Miskito people on their own turf. Then it is back to Managua for revisions and last minute interviews and such. It´s all going by so fast! At least I have fresh fruit and pan de coco to relieve my anxieties!

Semana Santa

Semana Santa has finally arrived. It looked so far away when we plopped down here in Nicaragua but alas it has come. Semana Santa is the Holy Week which means that the entire country shuts down. Kids don´t go to school, adults don´t go to work and from Thursday to Saturday night all the bars and people head to the beaches to party and drink. For us SITers it also means our last week before we are cut loose for our month long independent study projects that for some of us are one of the primary reasons we are here. My Semana Santa weekend starting Thursday will be relaxing as I am going with a couple other people to the town of Altagracia on the island of Ometepe. It is an island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua a couple hours from Managua that holds a volcano which we might hike one of the days. It will be nice to have some time for relaxation before I embark on my quasi solo journey back out to the Caribbean Coast (I will travel with people out there but then will be on my own). I know I keep saying it, but time really is flying so fast and it does feel weird not experiencing the seasonal changes I am used to!