Heck yeah I´m an offical volunteer

Well, my first two weeks in site have been very interesting and undoubtedly HOT! I´m continuing to meet all the community members by visiting the houses one by one. Sometimes sitting in very awkward silences at times, but the people are so friendly and accommodating!

This last week in all of Nicaragua was a very special holiday called Purisima. Because the reigning religion here is Catholicsim, the week of Dec. 7 is in celebration of the conception of Mary. I spent Monday-Saturday from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. going from house to house in my community singing songs with community members. After singing, the host would give out some kind of treat to all the guests. One of the popular treats of Purisima are cookies called gofios (made of pure sugar, milk, licorice and piñol - all of which are boiled together to create a tasty treat). All these activities lead up to the major Purisima event held in the capital of León on December 7. During this grand celebration people from all over the country, as well as tourists, come together to go door to door (like trick-o-treating), sing carrols and watch fireworks infront of the main cathedral. These events take place from 6 a.m. until 2 a.m.! It was a lot of fun to be able to experience this important holiday for Nicaraguans. December and January are the most active times for celebrations here in Nicaragua, so we will be attending many more celebrations to come!