So I gave a few horses a shot, no big deal.

Hola ma famillia y amigos-
   Some really amazing things have happened since I last wrote. First, last Thursday Franklin took me on an adventure (not that work isn't usually an adventure) to Volcano Masaya. First we hiked/slid down a hill/mountain to get to the base of what would be the most difficult climb I've ever made. At one point I lost the cover to my camera on one particular intense "slide." Franklin didn't hesitate and busted up the mountain and ten minutes later returned with my tiny camera lid. (He's insane.) Once we were at the bottom I looked up the mountain and couldn't believe how high up we were and what a dangerous treck we had just made. But that was only the beginning. We made our way towards the Volcano which has no traction what-so-ever. It is a steep climb of pure rubble and dirt. I have no idea how high it is but it took us some time to get up. As we neared the top I thought it was going to be impossible to continue. Franklin assured me he had done it thirty times before and we pressed on. When we were 100 meters from the top I was sure we were at our limit, but he figured out a way of creating "stairs" for me to put my feet in and we made it to the top. Once we were at the top, I literally looked into a volcano. It was one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had.  Volcanoes are phenomenal... I mean really phenomenal. Looking into a whole that goes to the center of the Earth got me in a place I will never forget. It was surreal. The only way to safely get down (in a timely manner) is to run. Franklin and I linked hands and ran down the volcano. -Don't worry everyone, I have pictures... same story.- The hike back up the mountain to where we began was so much easier because, oh wait, surprise! There is a trail! Guess it wouldn't have been a proper adventure if we had used the trail to get to the volcano in the first place.
The next day (Friday) I spent two hours planting beans in on the farm and then attempted to turn soil with a couple of massive oxen that wanted nothing to do with my while the men who I work with stared and laughed at my failure. Fun times.
This weekend was wonderful. Friday night we went out for Alex's (the intern) birthday, which was basically sitting at a bar having a few drinks and tasty snacks. My new favorite snack ever is a Nica favorite: fried cheese and plantains (yes a massive heart attack on a plate.) I decided to stay in San Juan (La Concha) this weekend to hang out with my family and experience a weekend here. After the bar I hung out with my host brother Jason. The next day La Mariposa had a day trip to Laguna de Pollo which is a sunken volcano that has turned into a gorgeous lagoon. The water is so fresh and clear; it's literally blue. The landscape is incredible because you are sitting in the middle of massive hills and another volcano. The girls who came with me are really great. Danny, one of my new pals I've made on this trip, Guillermina (Paulette's daughter) and I went out on the kayaks into the middle of the lagoon. Actually, it was just me and Guillermina on the kayaks, Danny swam next to us. We went out pretty far and I ended up switching with Danny and let her paddle back and I swam back. I haven't swam that much in a while and it reminded me of what a good work out swimming is. (New task: continue swimming as a work out.) The rest of the day consisted of us lounging around on hammocks, drinking rum, and enjoying delicious food. Pretty much a perfect day. When I got home I hung out with Jason and we got a couple of liter beers and just sat around talking. Most of our conversations are in Spanglish. He wants to learn English, I Spanish; so we help each other. He is an incredibly bright guy, just two years younger than me. He is studying to be an architect but helps his dad out with the animals. He is really talented at that as well and fills in for Bergman when Bergman is occupied. I enjoy hanging out with him a lot. Sunday was a special treat for me. It turns out that Bergman Jr. (the 23 year old son) plays on a baseball team for San Juan. There was a two game tournament on the field across the street from our house. I spent the day watching his games with Jason and a crowd of local Nicas. They won both games, which was exciting and I got a kick out of the locals reactions to a Gringa (westerner) or Chalita (white girl) watching the baseball game. I am told that is a rare sight in this part of the world. (I could have guessed that.) Then, I was further surprised by being invited to go see a traditional dance concert. Traditional Nicaraguan dance is really fun. The costumes are beautiful and very similar to Mexican dance costumes. There were different ages performing ranging from my age to three years old. The young ones were ridiculously cute. I am not sure if I mentioned before that along with Bergman (my host father) being the head of the language school and a vet, he is also a dancer who was the head of a traditional dance troupe. Jason was a dancer as well until he hurt his back. Bergman Jr. is a great dancer supposedly but doesn't perform. I'm holding out for him to bust a move when we go to Leon together.  I unfortunately didn't bring a camera to the show, which was stupid, but I'll try to get some pictures from the other girls that came of the little ones. It's worth tracking down.
Today... oh today... I ran around for two hours with Franklin trying to grab the horses so we could give them shots of anti-parasite medication. It wasn't easy, and I fell in a huge ditch at one point that was camouflaged by tall grass, but it was so much fun. Turns out Franklin is a cowboy and can lasso some serious horses. When we got the first horse he handed me the shot and signaled that it was my job to do it. Obviously I was horrified because 1. I have never administered a shot before and 2. it was a freaking horse. Well, needless to say, I now know how to tie up and give a horse a shot. After the first few I got used to stabbing the horses ass and neck with a tiny needle that would sometimes bend because their muscles were so tight. I wish I had this on film because you all would have got a laugh out of this.
As for the future: Danny has told me about a Yoga house in Guatemala that is only $100 a month to live in. The school in Xela, where she was before La Mariposa and where she will be returning, is close by and she said it is amazing. My plan is to get there for two weeks to a month before I leave for Chile. I'm going to fly from Guatemala to Chile Dec. 15 it looks like. I'll keep you posted when I know for sure.
If you are reading this, know that I love you.