estoy aqui!

I made it finally. Or I made it yesterday night- all went well, but the power was out for a scheduled outage when I got here and it surprisingly went out earlier today because someone was trying to steal power (sound familiar? makes me feel like i'm in Africa with erin), so this is the first time i've been able to get internet. emilio met me at the airport. the guy stamping my passport asked for my phone number, so i have to be careful who i smile at. After we got to the house, all the girls were called together for a meeting where I introduced myself and they all quickly said their names, all by kerosene lantern. They asked me tons of questions and I feebly tried to answer them in my broken Spanish. So much for having so much Spanish knowledge- my five years makes me sound like an infant here, but all the girls are willing to help me and are patient so far trying to help me understand. I am in a room with four bunk beds, where groups will stay when they come, so it's not much of a personal space, but i'm trying to make do- i am blessed to have a bed. It's so hot here and humid like nothing I've ever experienced. I took a shower this morning and the second I got out, I was drenched in sweat again. All the girls tell me it's not hot though. Hopefully I'll adjust. But you know me and how hot I am normally- I just need to remember to drink twice as much water as usual. There are 18 girls here. They are so funny. They go to school from 7am-1pm and then do homework for a few hours. Now, they're outside playing volleyball in the courtyard. Lunch is the big meal here- I am going to have the cook, Maria, start giving me lessons, so I can whip up a feast Nicaragua style when I get back. We have a short term team coming in on Wednesday and they'll be here through the weekend. I heard rumor that we're going to go around Managua and maybe even to the beach with them. I'm dying to get outside of the fence and see Managua, but it is not safe for me to go by myself, so I will wait until someone else is going and see if I can tag along. I have just been trying to get to know the girls (starting with names) and playing with them. Most are excited to have una americana here with them. I'm just waiting for them to start pulling tricks on me because they realize how little Spanish I actually understand. Most of them are studying English in school, so I need to push them to speak in English. I'm getting settled in. It seems like I will have to tell the house parents very much what I want my role to be while I'm here, or else I'll end up just playing with the girls and helping with lunch, which would be ok. But for now, I'm just trying to get a feel for the house, girls, and organization and see how I can be of the most help. One of the girls is crying outside. I should go check on her. I wonder when it's time to eat. I'm hungry already. Can't wait for my gallo pinto (rice and beans cooked together!).

vaya con dios,
katarine (that's how they say my name) they just cannot figure out kat...