Melissa's Travels

Hi
Once again, I have failed to realize that my scattered personality and generally ironical tone do not translate well via blogs. So here is the skinny:the Wish List is a list of Wishes. It is not things I NEED, and definately not things I need right now. It is more in the spirit of hey, if you happen to be thinking about me and want to send a note, and maybe a care package, but cant think of what I would need, look here. These are things that will probably be most appreciated a few months from now....Anything I absolutely need, I will contact ( and have been contacting) my mom, or Paul, or maybe someone specifically in the know (for instance, in the case of the broken nosering, someone who has piercings or knows about piercings, like Lee or Annie, of Erin, or, heck, practically all of my friends). In fact, I wrote these things down at the request of some people who I guess would want to send me some things. The couple of things I could use right now my mom is sending, so dont worry.Secondly, if you do send things, send via postal mail. It will take about 2 weeks. The DHL info was given in case of some emergency,or if you have an account at work and want to abuse it:)Thirdly, I have bronchitis, it is not serious, I have antibiotics, I am fineFourthly, Generally, I think things are going ok. Not perfect, but ok. This is probably because I am doing my utmost to remain calm, and let things flow, and work with the system I chosen (ie Nica way of doing things), and not stress too much about the project. Its just a PhD anyway. Hay mas tiempo que vida. I am doing yoga every day, which most likely helps, and I have all of you lovely people to gripe to and ask to send me things. So forgive me if I appear to be complaining, because I am not. I would rather be here then lets say......Sudan. Erkis, whose house I am staying at, has been very nice and took me shopping for things I need. I went to Managua today and found my suitcase.So, things are good. I love you all, and I will write when I have better stories to tell and not so much day to day wor stuff, which is boring anyway.
Love
Missy
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Hi
Once again, I have failed to realize that my scattered personality and generally ironical tone do not translate well via blogs. So here is the skinny:
the Wish List is a list of Wishes. It is not things I NEED, and definately not things I need right now. It is more in the spirit of hey, if you happen to be thinking about me and want to send a note, and maybe a care package, but cant think of what I would need, look here. These are things that will probably be most appreciated a few months from now....Anything I absolutely need, I will contact ( and have been contacting) my mom, or Paul, or maybe someone specifically in the know (for instance, in the case of the broken nosering, someone who has piercings or knows about piercings, like Lee or Annie, of Erin, or, heck, practically all of my friends). In fact, I wrote these things down at the request of some people who I guess would want to send me some things. The couple of things I could use right now my mom is sending, so dont worry.
Secondly, if you do send things, send via postal mail. It will take about 2 weeks. The DHL info was given in case of some emergency,or if you have an account at work and want to abuse it:)
Thirdly, I have bronchitis, it is not serious, I have antibiotics, I am fine
Fourthly, Generally, I think things are going ok. Not perfect, but ok. This is probably because I am doing my utmost to remain calm, and let things flow, and work with the system I chosen (ie Nica way of doing things), and not stress too much about the project. Its just a PhD anyway. Hay mas tiempo que vida. I am doing yoga every day, which most likely helps, and I have all of you lovely people to gripe to and ask to send me things. So forgive me if I appear to be complaining, because I am not. I would rather be here then lets say......Sudan.
Erkis, whose house I am staying at, has been very nice and took me shopping for things I need. I went to Managua today and found my suitcase.
So, things are good. I love you all, and I will write when I have better stories to tell and not so much day to day wor stuff, which is boring anyway.
Love
">Link

Hi

Once again, I have failed to realize that my scattered personality and generally ironical tone do not translate well via blogs. So here is the skinny:

the Wish List is a list of Wishes. It is not things I NEED, and definately not things I need right now. It is more in the spirit of hey, if you happen to be thinking about me and want to send a note, and maybe a care package, but cant think of what I would need, look here. These are things that will probably be most appreciated a few months from now....Anything I absolutely need, I will contact ( and have been contacting) my mom, or Paul, or maybe someone specifically in the know (for instance, in the case of the broken nosering, someone who has piercings or knows about piercings, like Lee or Annie, of Erin, or, heck, practically all of my friends). In fact, I wrote these things down at the request of some people who I guess would want to send me some things. The couple of things I could use right now my mom is sending, so dont worry.

Secondly, if you do send things, send via postal mail. It will take about 2 weeks. The DHL info was given in case of some emergency,or if you have an account at work and want to abuse it:)

Thirdly, I have bronchitis, it is not serious, I have antibiotics, I am fine

Fourthly, Generally, I think things are going ok. Not perfect, but ok. This is probably because I am doing my utmost to remain calm, and let things flow, and work with the system I chosen (ie Nica way of doing things), and not stress too much about the project. Its just a PhD anyway. Hay mas tiempo que vida.
I am doing yoga every day, which most likely helps, and I have all of you lovely people to gripe to and ask to send me things. So forgive me if I appear to be complaining, because I am not. I would rather be here then lets say......Sudan.

Erkis, whose house I am staying at, has been very nice and took me shopping for things I need. I went to Managua today and found my suitcase.

So, things are good. I love you all, and I will write when I have better stories to tell and not so much day to day wor stuff, which is boring anyway.

Love
Melissa

Link

So I got sick on Friday...and sicker saturday...and downright miserbale Sunday...and i go to the health clinic today...and what do I have (dramatic drumroll)


Bronchitis!!!!

Yeah for me. So I hope to start work on Thursday, so this better clear up. At least I got some drugs but I need more Wellness Formula. Please send well ness formula. And noserings(go intoa scray piercing store and ask for nostril screws), because my broke with all the nose blowing and hacking, and I am wearing my spare, which means I have no spare

Also more stuff I thought of:

spices
Salt free Spike seasoning
powdered coconut milk
noserings
deodroant: Mitchum CoolDry Hydrosolid unscented
Alba botanical very emoillient shampoo and conditioner

so I have bad luck. I swear I´m going to marry Paul for no other reason than he has to be one of the luckiest person on the planet. I mean all sorts of good things fall into his lap (take me for instance:)

Hope to leave this town onThursday, and so well see how posting goes frm then....
need more assistant...have no money....

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Ok, so I had this flight, see, at 810 on Monday, March 21st. SO of course, I am crazy to the last minute, and still packing my bags, and get 1 hour of sleep, and Paul only gets 2 because he was helping me SOOOO much, and downloaded all these programs on my computer and stuff. SO if you are anywhere near Paul right now, you should go find him and tell him he is awesome. So he takes me to the airport, but because I am bad with time, especially with no sleep at 5am, we get to the airport 1hr and 35 minutes before my flight, only to find that the ghetto airline Taca closes the line 1 1/2 hour before the flight. So we wait awhile, and I dont get on, but the manager promises me a flight tomorrow (which turns out is something he cannot do, and was not even there the next day), and doesn{t charge me the 100$ to change the flight, which I would never have paid anyway, because thats outrageous. So they tell us to come back Tuesday morning at 3am. Oh, and I also find out, that even though I bought my ticket before March 18th, I need to follow the new luggage restrictions for tickets purchased after March 18th. So I go home, and Paul and I spend the whole day figuring out how much it is to mail all the boxes I left for him to mail (DHL $2,000!!!!, UPS $1700!!!!, USPS $400), so we go with the post office, and frantically try and get everything boxed up and shipped that day. And I have to repack my bags, and get charged $100 extra for the third bag, which is ok because its cheaper than mailing, and even though it will not get here for 6days after my flight, in retrospect, I wish I had done that with everything, because in my sleepless stupor, I mistakenly had some things mailed I need sooner rather than later. But, given the problems with TACA, I was fearful the extra baggage would never get here at all. Well, now I know for next time.

So i go another sleepless night, and Paul too, becuase he is helping me repack again, and takes me to the airport again at 3am, and we wait for 3 hours to see if I get on the flight. Paul is getting upset, and I start to worry about never getting a flight during Semana Santa, but I finally get on 1/2 hour before boarding, which sucks and makes for a very quick goodbye to Paul, and so I leave, sleep like a rock on the plane, and wait in the San jose aiport for 8hours (I could have taken a bus to Nicaragua by then !), and arrive in Esteli very late at night, without my extra bag. I go to the UCA and see people the next day, only to find out everything will be closed Thursday and Friday and Sunday and there wont be any buses either, and some things might be open Saturday if I am lucky.
So all and all things are good, of course I will not get started with work until late next week if I am lucky, but I am finishing up a report for MARENA in Spanish (takes a LONG time) and trying to get organized. With all the travel and lack of sleep I got very sick yesterday, and still dont feel so great today, but at least Thursday I went swimming in the River Esteli in Coyolitos ( acommunity in Miraflor), which was nice, because its crazy hot, and I just came from freezing New York!!!!!
I am now renting a room in the house of a woman who works for UCA, Erika Olivas. Her sister was one of the students who worked with me last time. You can call me there too.


Contact info:

Erika Olivas house: 505 713 6468
UCA Miraflor: 505 713 2971

Mailing address:

Melissa Mark
UCA Miraflor
Apartado Postal 32
Esteli, Nicaragua

If needbe, there is also a DHL office in Esteli where things can be sent for pick up. However, I think they are very expensive.

So below I have posted a list of things that I would love to have if anyone feels inclined to send them to me, and I will keep adding to the list, I am, sure, as time goes on:

Wish List
English language books: especially ones on Nicaragua by Noam Chomsky and ? Kinzer, a New York Times correspondent during the war
powdered gatorade mix
Tea brands[
Yogi Tea: Cocoa Spice, Rejuvenate Green Tea, SleepAid, any others
Traditional Medicines: Breathe Easy Tea, Herbatussin Tea, Stomach Ache Tea
Black teas like Earl grey and Irish breakfast
Energy bars (ones that wont melt), trail mix, dried fruit, instant packages for Nature burgers, falafel, hommos, risotto, babaghanouj, and any other instant mix packages that you just add water and then fry or bake, or just eat. (I think a brand is called Natures Way or Natures Gate that makes many of these things)
Tofu jerky, dried tofu snacks (Asian grocery stores carry these things)
Chocolate good milk chocolate
Anything from Trader joes
natural Peanut butter
Wellness Formula (herbal supplement)
Airborne (herbal supplement)
Celetrial seaonings cough drops.
bras and underwear (email me for details if you really want to send these)

quad ruled notebooks
gel roller pens (Staples makes their own brand, and these are good)
pictures of people I like, real or digital
CDs

Letters, and general updates on your lives:)

Ok, I think thats enough for now

lots of love
Melissa