Random moments

Saturday night I finally relented and went out with the owner of the hostel, Janie, and two of the guys who work there, Oto and Jason. We were accompanied by the Lonely Planet writer, Adam. I haven´t been out in a long time, but it felt good to drink cheap Nicaraguan rum (Flor de Caña) and salsa the night away. (As a gringa it isn't difficut to find a dance partner, or, rather, to have a dance partner find you.) There was a live band mixing cheesy 80´s music, Bob Marley remixes, Nicaraguan folk and salsa music, and hip hop. Even though Nicaraguans can move to salsa like no one's business, whereas I...well, can't...I thought it was hilarious that no one could dance to hip hop. My dance partner kept trying to make me salsa to it. Yeah, not so much...

On Sunday, my Norweigian friends and I had lunch and coffee at their house and then headed down to the cemetary to witness Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. I thought it would be more of a solemn occassion, but it was definitely a celebration. People were picnicking on top of the gravestones, drinking and smoking, eating cotton candy, and sprinkling colored styrofoam or ´snow´on the dirt around their loved ones. Trina, one of my Nordic friends, asked a cotton candy vendor if she could sell it for him. Among a sea of brown Nicaraguan faces, we already stand out enough, but when Trina started yelling, `Algodón! Dos pesos!` at the top of her lungs in her funny accent while she balanced a mountain of colorful spun sugar on her head...well, let's just say that no one in the vicinity could stop laughing. She literally stopped traffic. She has been a wonderful reminder not to take things too seriously. (I am still waiting on Camilla to send me the pictures.)

Yesterday I was being followed around by a midget. I kept trying to avoid him, but he always seemed to find me.

I am really enjoying hostel life. Every day I meet someone new from a different country (i.e. Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Great Britain, Canada) and talk to them about any number of things (good books, philosophy, American politics, education, traveling, Nicaraguan food, etc.). At the same time, I am glad to have my own room and bathroom and have the freedom to just relax on my own.

Tomorrow evening Camilla and Trina and I are going to check out a dance class, which is held above the fire station of all places. My good friend, Jeanne, who is the American nun living across the street from my host family in Managua, is coming to visit me this weekend, which should be fun. Nicaragua's municipial elections are this Sunday, but I feel very safe in Esteli. Still, I will be glad when they are over. Hopefully the country overall will calm down, particularly in Managua and León.