Dani arrives in Masaya....

My new house!

   The garden.....

I arrived in a hot (30 degrees) and sticky Managua on Sunday night in the middle of a storm – I can see why the Foreign Office advises British nationals to fly in during daylight hours! I was welcomed by Doña Dorcas who for the next few months will be my Nicaraguan Mum, and her daughter Edith.

I was taken to my new house and introduced to the family.. It is huge! I think Doña Dorcas must be nearly 80, and she has five children, who have children, who also have children! My new house is just to the south of the city, a large house with an amazing garden....In Nicaragua, they don’t have street names or house numbers - they use reference points and then count the distance in blocks...so my address is something like: Down from the Magdalena Church, the road on the way to the lagoon, one and a half blocks!! This does not make it easy to find your way around if you don’t know where the “old factory” was, or where the “fat lady on that corner” lives!

My first night was very interesting! I don’t think I slept at all for the sound of the pigs grunting in next door’s garden (the largest pig is nicknamed Juanito - or little John - apparently he grunts when he is hungry), Dorcas’ talking parrot, insects buzzing and a symphony of geckos, horses, chickens, and dogs...Matt – you definitely need to bring out some ear plugs...

So far I have been getting to know Masaya...On Tuesday I went out walking with Doña Dorcas – she is quite a character and literally knows everyone here! As soon as we had left the house 2 small children from next door came running out to hold her hands and help walk her down the road......and we must have stopped at least 10 times in the street to talk to people.  November 2^nd is the day of the dead, a public holiday where people go to visit their family graves to tidy, enflorar and sprinkle colourful dust and ribbons on the tombs....I followed Dorcas through the cemetery (she is very agile!), amazed at the number of families there decorating the tombs.  For the rest of the day the town was packed with people selling flowers..

For the tkders following this blog you will be pleased to hear that I have located a club in Masaya!  I went along on Tuesday– it is a fairly small WTF club, training 5 days a week.  It costs 20 c$ (60p) to join and 40 c$ (£1.20) every week to train! I’m hoping to start soon....I was told to bring my trainers – apparently they run to warm up (my favourite!), which I imagine in this heat is awful!

So far it’s been a busy few days! I’m still getting used to the time difference (6 hours), the heat and the different pace of life!  But I am being very well looked after :)

I’m hoping to make it to the lagoon this weekend to see the volcano, so I will post some more photos soon! xxxx