Who would have thought I would get a department capital . . . with running water.

My first few days visiting my permanent site and I am pleased. In fact, I am really pleased. Last night I was walking down Calle Central to my house, the cloud cover started falling into the city, and I could actually feel the clouds. Three months ago I would never have thought that my permanent site would be up in the mountains and misty in the evenings. It is gorgeous up here.

Jinotega, Jinotega rarely gets that hot. It is nothing like Chinandega. This means a lot of things, but the best being the following; I will never be fed hot bean soup and boiling coffee when the temperature gets above 95º. It just never gets that hot here before lunch. If you are wondering what on earth I am talking about I´ll try to explain. Nicaraguans (like everyone from 5 yrs old to 105) strongly believe that when it gets really really blazing hot out, the best thing to do for your health is to eat really really blazing hot food. This usually comes in the form of hot bean soup with a hard boiled egg floating in it, and black coffee with about a quarter cup of Vitamin A fortified sugar. All I´ve got is maybe it makes you sweat even more, thereby making you cooler . . . who knows.

Anyway, my little site like every other city, pueblo and campo in Nicaragua has a beautiful Central Park neighboring a Catholic Church.

Inside Parque Central there is a small library. There are no books, which is very typical of Nicaragua (people don´t really read here – take into consideration the Contra Wars and it makes sense) but, there is a public bathroom and a couple of desks to work at if one chooses. I have a feeling when I need to get away from my counterpart this is where I will go.

My counter part, Don Enrique!

The health center I will be working at or working out of in Jinotega.

The first of many health campaigns I will be apart of. Plan Verano is sort of like a premptive strike against the drinking that takes place during Semana Santa.

Besides a relatively beautiful city center most streets in the urban center are asphalt or cement tiled. Most have sidewalks. And most are very typical of a tranquillo mountain city.

Oh, and there are three coffee shops I have found. Two of which say they have free wifi!

It looks like I might really like my little department capital up in the mountains in Northern Nicaragua. Now all I have to do is get used to living without other Americans around me. I suspect this will be a little hard.