my journey contines

dear blog…

i had awful nightmares last night. and i don’t get nightmares very often… if you know me you know that i hate scary movies - i avoid them entirely. but last night i had really bad dreams. they actually woke me up and they felt so real that i had to call my brother… it was really weird. anyways, that’s to say i didn’t have a good night’s sleep!

again still working on my papers… i’m hoping to go to the beach this weekend with my housemates and a few other friends, although i might have to bring my school stuff.

also, a note, as to why i haven’t been on skype. my computer fried. that’s right, yet again. it’s the hmmm 3rd computer i’ve had so far this year. it has NOT been the year of the computer, that’s for sure. and so i’ve been temporarily using my boss’s laptop (he is using his work laptop) in the lack of my own… and soon i will be getting a replacement laptop from work (wow!!). but that’s why i haven’t been on skype.

i miss you guys.
thanks for reading

shannon

i took my friend Juan for sushi tonight - he’s never had it before. it was so fun, although as always it took me maybe 1/2 hour to decide what i wanted to eat. haha… but so fun. i love sushi. and it’s funny how you can find it anywhere in the world!! pretty much… in major cities… lol.

i’m coming home for Christmas! i’m leaving in a month!!! woo hoo.

thanks for reading.
shannon

i know i haven’t been posting lately… sorry about that! i’ve been wrapped up in school, working on my final projects. i can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

paper #1 - nov. 30th
paper #2 - dec. 3rd

soon and very soon.

thanks for reading. i’ll be back soon
shannon

music really is amazing… i grew up in a musical family. my parents and brother both sing (especially Andrew, he’s amazing!), ,bro plays guitar and my mom plays the piano. my mom always had music playing - so i’m just accustomed to it. i love it!! all different genres too.

on some bad days here, music really gets me through the day! music for any mood: to party, to be sad, to relax, to sing along, etc.

tonight was one of those nights. i was supposed to go to Mana, but because of the projects that I have to complete and the stress I’m feeling to do so, I sold my ticket and spent the night home alone working. music is AMAZING.

this is some of what’s currently looping on my ipod.

• sober - kelly clarkson
• eastern glow - the album leaf
• breathe - alexi murdoch
• baby i love your way - big mountain
• to be alone with you - sufjan stevens
• te busque - nelly furtado ft. juanes
• kalimba - duele (crazy)
• possession - sarah mclaughlan
• u must be - gina rene (step up soundtrack)
• gotta have you - the weepies
• world spins madly on - the weepies
• goodbye again - vertical horizon
• eres para mi - julieta venegas
• wait for you - elliott yamin
• everything - lifehouse
• she will be loved - maroon 5
• when a man loves a woman - michael bolton (oh yea he’s so popular here haha)
• slow dancing in a burning room - john mayer (this will ALWAYS be on my ipod)
• infatuation - christina aguilera
• i miss you - incubus
• hold you in my arms - ray lamontagne

but there are also some songs that are making it to their own playlist, “NICARAGUA SONGS”

• you’re beautiful - james blunt
• hero - enrique iglesias
• shorty, shorty - xtreme
• big girls don’t cry - fergie
• no hay igual - nelly furtado
• nuevo mundo - crisantes
• na na na - kumbia kings
• me enamora - juanes
• the way she moves - zion
• si alguna vez - la factoria ft. eddie lover
• i got it from my mama - will.i.am.
• don’t stop the music - rihanna
• date la vuelta - principal
• fruta fresca - carlos vives
• hace tiempo - fonseca
• te mando flores - fonseca
• somebody’s me - enrique iglesias
• dimelo - enrique iglesias
• man i feel like a woman - shania twain
• what goes around… comes around - justin timberlake
• no te veo - casa de leones

and this ladies and gents is some random useless information for your reading pleasure.

thanks for reading,
shannon

so have you ever been walking and thinking (or talking) to yourself about life and wondered how your train of thought progresses. i mean, really, if you haven’t wondered about yourself but you’ve talked with me you’ve likely wondered about me. (like, where did THAT idea come from?)

i find myself thinking a lot. a good friend told me once, “Shan you’re always in your head.”– but it’s true! i am guilty of over-thinking things and i’m definitely an emotional person so i guess sometimes that’s a bad combo… but on the flip side, sometimes your greatest weakness can also be a great strength. re: it’s something great about you but not good in extremes? am i making sense? i don’t know. (testing 1…2…3…)

for example i was thinking last night, where is it that God wants me to go? i believe, here, in this moment, He wants me to be here, in Managua, Nicaragua. but then i have other moments where i’m like ARGHHH why can’t I do this? what am I thinking? this is CRAZY!!! and THEN, i also have other moments where, like last night, I’m out with friends, having a blast, and thinking “Wow I’m going to cry so hard when I have to leave this place.” So there’s some of those emotions for you — don’t even try to pin it on girls being difficult to understand, it’s the emotions I tell you! We all have them and I think sometimes we can’t figure out our own emotions.

i am a people person. no doubt about it. i would rather sit and talk with a person, hear their life story, share some of mine, exchange ideas, talk for hours and hours than sit in my room and read. that doesn’t mean i don’t like to read, btw. i’m just more extroverted, i get my energy from being with other people. and i feel like here, i REALLY get more energy from being with locals. i mean that’s why I came, there’s something inside me that wants to make a difference somewhere in the world. no i can’t change all the economic problems, the social stratification, the gender relations and inequality between men and women… but i can usually put a smile on somebody’s face, i can make a person laugh, and i can be a good friend.

i am happy to have so many friends of all different varieties - how boring would life be if everything tasted like salt. re: all different kinds of friends, all different kind of flavors. (i bet you didn’t see that analogy coming, didja? hehe) i feel like going home for 10 days there are going to be some clarifying moments - when you’ve been away from it all. life changes, people change, lives go in different directions. there are a few friends i feel like i can always pick up where we left off… and i like that!

and really i’m rambling. i’m totally rambling today. but that’s okay, because this is my blog and this is me.

thanks for reading
Shannon

today was yet another Monday. i’m sure there’s something glorious about Mondays, but I can’t think of it just now…

i went to work and went to Spanish classes at 3. (if i can master the verbs and the information I now have), i can move on to the next level!! Level 3!!! did i even learn what preterite and past imperfect was?

in the evening i went to the cafe to check my email, relax, and prepare for English class. that’s right, i’m giving conversation English lessons to a man I met in the cafe. he’s from Venezuela and I may possibly give lessons to his friends as well. it was my first lesson - and it’s something new for me, but i enjoyed it!

then at the end of the night there was a problem. there was a large group of people outside. one of the guys is the lead singer in the most popular band in Nicaragua (kinda a rock band I think)… anyways, as they left, my friends Saul and Juan started to clean up as it was closing time. then the one guy started looking around as though he lost something. he had a camera and it was then missing. the dynamics of this situation are that all of these people are from rich, upperclass Nica families - they can afford to come to this cafe and eat, they can afford all the clothes they want, cars, etc… and there’s a real stratification between classes. so at first they were acting as though my friends had somehow taken the camera. this made me really mad. they’d been working, there was no way they could take it… it was almost like “i’m richer than you, so you stole my camera” Grrr…

Later after much looking, the security guard (who had previously said he couldn’t find it) said, Öh! look! here it is…”and pulled it out from underneath his backpack at his security seat… this was more than fishy as there’s no way it would just magically be there under his stuff without him putting it there. Then there was more shouting, and frustrations - it was suggested the police come… and they will talk to the owner of the store. But it was so awkward and frustrating… and on their side too, of course. I’d freak out if my camera went missing!

Anyways… i don’t know why I wanted to share that but I did… it was just frustrating… and then awkward for my friends. and ya.

thanks for reading though! i’ll post more pics soon
Shannon

today i finally ventured to one of the local markets, Huembe’s. it was kind of overwhelming but so beautiful at the same time! there were all sorts of crafts like rocking chairs, specially carved and designed boxes, beautiful paintings, etc. i went with my friend, Stephanie, who I met in El Coche cafe… she’s from Seattle and she’s working here for about a year, living in a different part of Nicaragua. But, she was in town for about a week and stayed at my place.

Steph had been to the market before, so she was already somewhat familiar. people have told me that it’s dangerous when you go to the market: not to wear necklaces and earrings, to be really careful, etc. - but i never felt threatened.

it doesn’t become a little repetetive the “Chella, chellita - si usted tiene preguntas, estoy aqui”and stuff kinda like that. (White girl, little white girl - if you have questions, i’m here) You go to one part and see something you like, ask the price. Then ask at a few others. Finally you’ll get a sense of how much it should cost - but never take it for the first price offerred!!

after wandering around the artisan section for a while, looking at some clothes, and being lost more than once — we went to the section of the market with all the food. the sacs of grain, corn, rice were beautiful. i was wishing i had my camera! i’ll bring it next time. it was gorgeous! the smells, especially in the meat section weren’t so nice — i walked through the section kind of quickly. live iguanas (people eat iguanas?)… whole skinned pigs… and who knows how long it’s been sitting there. but it was beautiful!!

afterwards i went home and Steph stayed behind to meet her friend. the taxi was friendly and complimented me on my Spanish, which I do believe is improving (slowly). i got home, dropped my stuff, and decided to go to Gallerias (the big mall) to buy some groceries. the first taxi that i took heard something totally different than what i said and i ended up in a part of town i do not know at all. he left me on the curb so i called my friend. then my minutes ran out… grrr… after a few minutes of temporary concern (re: lost) i found another taxi, who was very nice, and took me back home. eventually i arrived safely at Gallerias and back home again.

relaxed for the night, working on papers. (is that possible - to do both at the same time?)

i love school but i’m so ready for it to be done. this has felt like a really long, intense haul.

thanks for reading
shannon

My Brother

twenty-one years ago today a bundle of joy came into my life. my little brother was born — and i wanted to exchange him for a girl because i wanted a sister. but i got a massive cookie that i got to east in congratulations of becoming a big sister so it all worked out okay.

(He might not like me after this pic but I thought it was hilarious!!)

really he turned out to be a lot of fun. i got to be a mean big sis for a while (sorry!!) and then he grew up and was a mean lil’ bro for a while (*ahem*) and thankfully now we are both grown up and becoming better friends all the time.

it’s honestly been amazing to see my bro grow up so fast, especially in the last year. he’s not a phone/email/blog guy at all — but he’s made an effort to keep in touch, sent the occasional e-mail and he even reads my blog!

so here’s to you lil’ bro — I hope you have an awesome day, a wonderful year and that God will bless and enrich your life and guide your steps. you are awesome and i am so fortunate to have you as a brother. i’m also incredibly proud. (no — like really, if you were here right now you’d see i’m sitting here with a big grin on my face like a weird, the people in the cafe are probably wondering what’s wrong with me) hahaha.