luciano

This is going to be a short post.

Happy New Years!

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The house is coming together pretty well and I getting a head start on some secondary projects.  The first one is gross and wonderful because it turns gross stuff into wonderful stuff.  Let me explain.  Vermiculture is the process of using earthworms to eat organic matter and turn it into humus, which is worm castings or dookie.  This value added soil greatly improves soil it is added to and will reduce the need for fertilizers.  The additional worms that come about through reproduction can be fed to livestock, especially chickens.  The literature says that if fed a worm (high in protein) every day, a chicken will eventually go from laying an egg every three days to every day.  That is huge if we are talking about self sustainance farming.  That could be the tipping point between breaking even and having a surplus to sell.

The second project is small gardens which I will try to put into the school and (possible) the military garrison up the road.  Hopefully by growing vegetables some variation can be introduced into a diet of just rice, beans, and cuajada.  God knows my diet could use some sweet, green, delicious, variation.

With that short introduction, I want everyone to start thinking about gardens.  I know, I know.   You want to say “Hey asshole, you realize its snowing here?  I can even see the ground under the slush and black ice!” So I apologize in advance, but if you think of any good plants to put it a garden with unrelenting sun and absurd levels of heat, and the possibility of heavy drought, you just go ahead and let me know.  I am SO open to suggestions.  I am in the initial planning stages for the garden which is cool because I can´t actually plant until I have the compost worked into the soil from the worms which havent been installed yet.

I hope that all those who have been complaining about short posts are  happy.  I know there isnt alot of personal information, but thats just how I roll, son.  I am always open to email and regular mail so if you have the time just send something my way.  And please, please, please send me your thoughts on these projects or if you have any other project ideas!  Peace to all and if I dont post before, Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays (up yours Bill O´Reilly)!

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Ok folks, I have a local mailing address!

Lucian Reynolds

Cuerpo de Paz

Las Pavanas, Somotillo

Chinandega, Nicaragua

Central America

 Also, I have new pics up.  Check ‘em out.

www.flickr.com/photos/lucianreynolds/

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What´s more is not only am I still alive, but you can call me because I have a…

 Cell phone!!!  The most ridiculous annoyance of American Culture now lives in my right front pants pocket.  But it´s simple and functional and its prepaid so when you call me its frizzzzllleee.  Here´s the trick, if you want the number you must call my mother and ask for it…  I am not about to put it online for Jesus knows who to see. 

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Managua…

Shit.

I’m still in managua….

There is an all volunteer conference right now so every volunteer in the country is together.  If that’s not party worthy I don’t know what is.  Also, worry not about Thanksgiving because I will be eating with an Embassy family.  I can’t say that it will taste like normal thanksgiving at the Casa de Reynolds because our normal fare can be slightly untraditional.  Mmmmmmm.

Here is an article on our swearing in ceremony in the National newspaper

http://www-ni.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2006/noviembre/18/noticias/politica/157084.shtml

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With the usual pomp and circumstance we stood, walked down the line, shook the right hands, and emerged as volunteers.  I have taken pictures of the Ceremony and the befores and afters and I will steal some more from other volunteers as well.  Yes I have a mustache in the pictures but all of medio ambiente decided to grow ‘em so enjoy while it lasts! I am uploading as we speak so you early birds shouldn’t hassel me.

 www.flickr.com/photos/lucianreynolds/

 I should be picking up a cell phone today so you will be informed shortly to what the number will be.  Yaaaaaay!

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We are all enjoying our final days in Carazo before we go off to Managua.  I have officially cut my beard off so I am just with the mustache.  Before any of you doubting thomases naysay I will tell you that if it isnt guapo in the states, it sure as hell is guapo here!  Besides, all the guys in sector medio ambient will be rocking the mustaches so be ready for the photos as they come.  I tried to do a photo upload tonight but the odds were stacked against me and everthing went to shit.  Sorry.

 So I made dinner for my family last night and being that it was my first and only meal I was going to make for them I came out with guns blasting.  I bought some broccoli in the deparmental capital as well as some olive oil and set out to make pasta and broccoli.  Aside from having slightly overcooked pasta and no parmesan cheese, I thought it turned out well.  Culturally, I didnt really take my familiy´s needs into consideration because:

1. They had never seen broccolli before.

2. I didnt salt the shit out of it.

What blew my mind was that they were actually rubbing the broccolli down with salt directly out the container!  I mean, sea salt!  I wasn´t offended (if one of my friends had done that in the states I would have freaked), I thought it was hilarious.  My host-mom choked it down to be nice.  One learns…..

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