Almost to Nicaragua...

Greetings friends and loved ones! (but friends ARE loved ones...so, greetings loved ones!)
I hope that this blog reaches all of you in good spirits and that you can say that the world is treating you well today. I created this blog so that I would be able to keep in good touch with all of you when I go to Nicaragua. Although I'm not too computer savy, I figured a blog might be a good way to get the job done. This way, you can check on me as often (or rarely) as you would like. I will certainly still have email as well.
So, most of you are probably thinking, "haven't you left for Nicaragua yet?" And yes it's true, my departure has been a bit drawn out. I think it was about a month and a half ago that I made the decision to leave the beloved Lexington and head south for the sun, sweat, and Sandinistas of Nicaragua. I finished out a fabulous Kentucky summer by working at the refugee center (which was so cool that it hardly ever felt like a job), floating down several creeks, eating fabulous farm food, giving (and taking) numerous not-so-final goodbye hugs, and taking a fabulous vacation to North Carolina. Now I'm in South Carolina (where my parents live) until the 5th of September...when I finally fly out to Nicaragua. If you want to call me before that, I will be over-eating and watching bad television but will be available to chat in the meantime.
So what will I even be doing in Nicaragua? Well, there is a lot that I will find out once I get there, but here's what I think I will be doing. I will be doing an internship for an organization called the Center for Development in Central America. It is a super-cool organization that focuses on many development projects around Managua (the capital of Nicaragua). There are a lot of things going on including an agricultural cooperative, a women's sewing cooperative, health clinics, etc. They depend on a lot of volunteers, groups and individuals that come down from the U.S. to help with various projects. The groups are mostly university, church, and citizen groups I think. My job will be as the "volunteer coordinator" and as the title suggests, I will coordinate the individuals volunteers and the groups. My understanding is that my responsibilities will include plenty of things like changing the dorm linens, pretending to know Nicaraguan history and giving tours, pretending to be a construction forewoman, making a fool out of myself as a translator, being a general liason, and of course...being a fearless leader (unless dealing with alligators, bears, or large birds somehow becomes part of the picture, then I'm out).
If you are interested in learning more, the organization has a really comprehensive and user-friendly website, check it out at http://www.jhc-cdca.org/
So there's my story...I will post again when I have more interesting things to write about. Much love....Bree