Boxing Day ...

The whole day was about boxing...
A bunch of guys were fighting each other during a competition in the park.
But of course... the match that everybody was watching was

Pacquiao Vs Margarito

Much to everybody's surprise, all the TV channels went blank.
Well, almost all. Only the Nicaraguan channels were on the air, and all were broadcasting Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega with a speech that had to be heard.
It is not easy explaining a situation like this to our guests in the hotel whom come from all over the world and have never seen anything like it.
Anyway... sitting around the table talking to each other was very nice!

Doña Esperanza came by. She was a little stressed.
She needs to take classes on food hygiene.
That means Back To School, although only for two nights.
She was nervous about the fact that she can't read, but also that she didn't have a bus home when classes ended.
A taxi is going to cost me 30 Cordoba, she complained. ($1.50)
And I have to take one two days in a row.
Needless to say that I gave her the money.
They are working hard to make the situation in the market safer.
Both food hygiene and what the food is cooked with are addressed.
Now, everybody uses wood, but the idea is to introduce gas stoves.
Casa Pellas, a very important family of Italian immigrants, supposedly offered to pay 50% of the investment.
Last year, emphasis was on safer kitchen utensils.
Do you remember that Daniel from L.A. brought Doña Esperanza a bunch of stainless steel thongs and other items?
She is still using them with pride!

Alexander came by with torn flip flops.
They're not expensive, but don't last longer than a couple of months either.
He had saved a third of the cost of a new pair, and I gave him the rest out of the Chavalo Fund.Hopefully he's set for a while!

Marvincito was very optimistic a couple of days ago.
He was proudly telling me about his plans to go back to school this coming February.
But today, it was a whole different situation.
He was down and out, reeking of glue and he had cut his wrist (again).
Both of his arms are full of cuts from suicide attempts.

I cleaned and disinfected his wounds and put a bandage over it to keep it clean.
He was in no state to have a serious discussion, so I will try to find out what happened later on.

Doña Esperanza told me that she was sad because the burglar that had stolen all of her clothes and shoes (my old rags, she said!) also ran off with her little radio.
That was old too, but as she can't read, she used it to listen to the daily noticias so that she was up to date with what goes on in Nicaragua and the world.
Last year, they stole all my chickens, she said. All five of them.
I've never had chickens since. Somebody had cut the wire fence and ran off with them during the night.
What is becoming of Granada, she complained.


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If you come this way, this is what we need now:

Ibuprofen for bruises and inflammation.

Aspirin for fever and colds.

Small size notebooks, pens, pencils.

Cheap flip-flops. (nicer ones get stolen or sold easily)

And small blankets or long sleeved sweatshirts.
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