Saludos de Managua!

I've been in Nicaragua for 3+ weeks now and I thought it was high time to sit myself down and write a bit about my trip so far. Things have been going well. Mostly. I'm staying at Quaker House as I have for the past 7 years. For those of you who haven't heard me talk about it before, Quaker House is a hostel in Managua and its profits benefit organizations both in and outside of the city that work to improve the daily lives of Nicaraguans. It's not luxurious (no hot water, no AC - and it's 90F/32C here) but it is clean and comfortable and I enjoy staying here. For some reason this trip other guests keep eating my food, but aside from that all is well on the housing front.
Generally I only get to spend 3 or so weeks at a time in Nicaragua, but this time I'm here for nearly 3 months. While this trip will include a few weeks of strenuous and exhausting data collection, I worked hard to carve out a large chunk of time from my life in Chicago so that I would have time to really practice my signing and get my skill level from "sufficient" to "good." As you can imagine, it's very difficult to find people to practice Nicaraguan Sign Language with in Chicago! I've been signing daily and I'm certainly learning, though there's still room for improvement.
In terms of the general situation here in Nicaragua, it's election year here meaning you see Daniel Ortega's face on large billboards nearly every time you turn a corner. It's been a bit hard for me to gauge the satisfaction of Nicaraguans with Ortega's recent performance, but at least some people seem to think he's doing a very good job. Others, of course, point to the fact that his seeking another term is unconstitutional. I can report that I've only experienced one brief electricity cut, as opposed to the daily many hour long ones that have occurred on other trips, and we've had water all the time. So at least some things are working. In non-political news, we had a very brief earthquake about a week ago. It did no damage and caused no deaths, but it did get my attention. I hadn't been in one since I lived in California as a kid, but given that Managua is *right* on a fault, I was bound to feel one here eventually. I'm happy to report that I still had the instinct to go stand in a doorway/get under a table. So I guess all those elementary school earthquake drills worked!
A major benefit of my being here longer is that I've actually had time to participate in some non-work activities. Like my first Nicaraguan baseball game. By far the most common game to see children playing in the street is baseball. As I love baseball, and Nicaragua loves baseball, and it's playoff season here, it seemed like high time that I attend a game. The team from Managua is called the Bóer and they have exactly same logo as the Cleveland Indians. If anyone has ideas about the name I'd be very happy to hear them. The only Bóers I know about were Dutch people in South Africa. Anyway, the game was quite an experience. The Spanglish baseball terms made me smile (i.e. outs, strikes, and "bolas"). We got bleacher seats at the National Stadium which were 75 cents each. We were rather far away (I think next time I'll spring for a $4 seat), but the game was highly amusing anyway. Because we were in the bleachers the players were small (no jumbotron) and we couldn't hear the announcer, but luckily I know my baseball so I only occasionally had trouble following what was going on. The game was close until the 8th inning when the Bóer pulled ahead to win. And then one week later the Bóer won it all. Nicaraguan champions!

Obama!

Nearly a week after Obama became the president-elect I finally have a few minutes to sit down and write about that amazing day. The weather was warm and sunny, quite unusual for Chicago in November. I got up in the morning, donned my Obama shirt from the rally in Iowa back in January, and headed out to vote with Eileen in tow. We arrived at my polling place at about 10:30 am, ready to wait in a very long line. Lucky for me though, I waked right in (after covering up my Obama colors), voted, and walked right out. My only complaint was that I did not get an “I voted” sticker. I was quite tempted to sello/scotchtape the “voting receipt” they did give me to my shirt. The rest of the day was busy and it was tough not to keep thinking about the election.
Evening finally came. After a bit of confusion over tickets, we all managed to get our “printable election night event ticket” and the SGM lab group headed down to Grant Park wearing much Obama gear, hopeful but nervous. When we arrived at the park we saw that it was an absolute mob scene. But the mob was spunky and friendly and excited and HOPEful. We made our way past a series of check points, at one of which they threatened to take away Marie’s cookies, and eventually found yourself in the field where Obama was to speak. We somehow did not manage to get into the inner-inner area, but we did have quite a good view of the huge screen and a bit of a view of the stage from our vantage point. And, most importantly, we were right in the middle of the incredible atmosphere.
After a few hours of standing (and getting some sore feet) and watching electoral vote “projections” roll in from CNN for various states, things were looking better and better, and the crowd was getting more and more excited. And then when the California polls closed we saw it, “CNN projects Obama win”. And we all went insane. Crying, hugging, kissing, clapping, screaming, praying, it was absolutely amazing. I shed more than a few tears myself. Strangely it felt a bit like being in New York on 9/11, with the emotions exactly reversed. A sharing something with everyone around you, and knowing just how everyone else feels. It’s hard to describe.
After the screaming and cheering died down a bit we watched McCain’s gracious concession speech, and began the wait to hear from the future 44th President of the United States of America. When Obama did come out and speak the crowd again went wild. His inspiring speech made me feel again what I first felt at that rally in Des Moines, that things in this country CAN get better. It may be cliché, but that doesn't make it any less true. After having spent my entire voting with Bush in office such optimism is remarkable and unfamiliar to me. I am proud of my country for the first time in my adult life.

Wrapping up 2 years in Britain

I just have a just one more week in the UK, and since I've been such a bad blogger I won't even try for an all inclusive post here. Instead just a few overall impressions. This year has been full of travel, Christmas in New York and Iowa, back to the US to for PhD interviewing in February, a conference in Barcelona in March, a June week in in Kosova for Nita's wedding, a week in the Czech Republic and Germany with Eileen's family, a week in August in California with mine, a weekend in Bratislava, back to Germany for a wedding, and lots of short trips up to Edinburgh via train to see friends. These trips have been (mostly) wonderful. In between I have spent a bit of time at home in Manchester. Living in the UK has been a challenging experience these last few years. It's so beautiful and green, and completely charming, but also in equal part aggravating. Expectations are just different here. As an American I expect things to work, and work quickly, all the time. If something does not work I get annoyed and expect it to be fixed promptly. Not so here. Case in point, Eileen's and my flat/apartment. We had our heat "fixed" about 4 times this winter and still needed socks, blankets, hoodies and hot water bottles to keep warm. We had one major flood and one minor one. Mold grew on the wall. Three time. It was so damp in the flat/apartment that our clothes never dried properly and started to smell. We had to wipe down the windows twice a day to keep accumulated moisture from running down the wall in streams.

But I don't want to dwell on that. I am truly an incurable optimist and I did a reasonably good job of not letting Britain's quirks (why no mixed taps?!) get me down. I have met so many great people here in my program in Edinburgh, and then working and learning British Sign Language in Manchester, even if I don't drink enough for proper British bonding. And perhaps most fun of all for me has been being surrounded by other Englishes for the last two years. I love noticing the differences between others' dialects of English and mine. I'll give just a few of my favorites, especially the ones one is unlikely to hear on a short trip here, which hopefully will give a little flavor of my life these last few years.

In Britain you can "talk English" as well as speak it. In British English you can "fall pregnant", and if you really fall you use a "plaster" to cover your wound. When you want to thank someone you have several choices, you can choose "thank you" but "cheers" or "ta" also works in less formal situations. "Ta" in particular is a great word. You also use it a lot when playing with babies in order to get them to give you whatever they are holding. And it for many of them it makes them seemingly magically release their previous grip-o'-death hold. And speaking of babies, here they suck on "dummies", and are pushed in prams or push chairs or buggies. Children of all ages are very often "cheeky". If you aren't too focused you are "all over the shop." Things that are drawn out and irritating are often described as "a bit of a faff". And "the way forward" generally is that which involves the least faffing. If you are superstitious here you "touch wood" instead of knocking on it, and if you are good gardener your fingers are green, not your thumb. You pick up your prescription at the "chemist" and fix any written in ink errors with "tipex". Cities often have their own adjectives, Mancunian (Manchester), Glaswegian (Glasgow), and Liverpudlian (Liverpool) are some of my favorites.

Beyond just vocabulary differences, in Mancunian English if you want to know something you can ask someone to "tell it me" or if you want something to "give it me". Collective nouns (those which refer to groups) are plural here so if Italy plays China in football/soccer then you would say "Italy win", not wins. Perhaps the Britishism "different to" (not from or than) American English caused me the most trouble is "You alright?". Sounds just like American English, but deceptively its meaning is much more along the lines of "hello" than what's wrong? Got to figure that one out quickly or you might think that all Brits think you look particularly out of sorts all the time.

I will miss life on this beautiful but often dysfunctional island, especially the caramel bars, Pimm's, regular tea breaks, unlimited monthly cinema/movie passes, friendly bus drivers, and speedy, scenic train travel. I'll certainly be back to visit.

Iowa Caucus

Well for anyone not on facebook, here's a bit of what it's been like to be in Des Moines caucusing in the Iowa caucus:

Complete and utter chaos. Welcome to Iowa.
That was how the meeting of my precinct closed. And the caucus most certainly was. Everyone (470 people!) packed into a high school cafeteria. The assembled group included the governor and attorney general of Iowa. First, all 470 of us had to count off, which took at least 20 minutes. I was 182. And then the "electioneering" began. I started off at Kucinich. He had 12 supporters initially, but by the first count was down to 5. 71 people were required for "viability" so after the first count I had to decide where to go instead. Several supporters of other candidates headed over to try to persuade us to come to their groups. Then a plot began to emerge. All of the non-Hillary non-Obama supporters were asked to join together to make Edwards viable (he needed about 19 more people). And it worked. He became viable.
After 15 minutes of this "discussion" I joined the Obama horde. In the end my precinct gave 5 delegates to Obama, 2 to Edwards, and 2 to Hillary. Now my whole family is watching the results from the other precincts roll in on TV.
I can't believe that this crazy process has such an enormous effect on how American chooses a president. America.
More on general info about the Iowa caucus here if you're interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_caucus

Life in the UK, Year 2

Well it has been AGES since I updated my blog. As a result, perhaps no one will even read this, but should you find yourself here at my page here’s a quick update on my life in the UK.
In September I moved to Manchester, England. I am working here at the Max Planck Child Study Centre at the University of Manchester.
It’s a child language lab doing very interesting and unique work on acquisition. Basically what I do is run experiments with little kiddies. They seem to have little trouble with my accent, but I have to say a 3-year-old, Mancunian English is, well, challenging. Eileen and I are living in an area called West Didsbury, which is apparently the posh area of Manchester. We did not know this when we moved in, all we knew was that it was cheaper than Edinburgh and our street was nice and leafy (see pictures). And we have plenty of room for visitors! Now, you may be rather unfamiliar with the notion of Manchester as a tourist destination, but here are a few reasons why you really should come see me:
1)Sampling the amazing variety of fried chicken restaurants. You can take your pick, Krunchy Fried Chicken, Kansas Fried Chicken, or (my personal favorite) Kingtuky Fried Chicken, they’re all here.
2)The Curry Mile. That’s right, a mile of curry places. Well I’m not sure if it’s really whole mile, but there are A LOT of restaurants.
3)The architecture. After an IRA bomb destroyed the city center in the 90s, it was all rebuilt in style. Indeed the interesting and experimental architecture can be found all over the city.
4)Manchester United. The most popular football/soccer team in the world. At least according to their website.
5)Liverpool is only an hour away on the train. Home of the Beatles and European Capital of Culture 2008!
6)The Whitworth, the Lowry, and the Imperial War Museum. Plenty to do during your visit.
And in other recent happenings, I graduated! Though I finished my dissertation in August, graduation was just last week. It was wonderful to be back up in Edinburgh, seeing all of my friends there who I’ve really missed (and who should really come down to Manchester for a few days!!). A few observations from the ceremony. British graduation gowns don’t zip up the front. Rather, they attach to the button on your shirt and pull your shirt up constantly. Not the best of solutions I think. They do have appropriately funny hoods and sleeves though. Also, at Edinburgh you do not graduate by shaking the president’s/principal’s hand. Instead they tap you on the head with a bonnet made from John Knox’s breeches. Pretty strange, but it’s got character.
I also attempted Thanksgiving dinner #2 while in Edinburgh, with some amazing help from Eileen and her mom. Everything went much smoother this year. In terms of improvements, I bought a turkey with a cavity and legs, we had a MUCH better kitchen to use (thank you Ljupka!!), and dinner was ready at 6pm (instead of 11)! Everything smoothly and catching up with friends in Edinburgh during dinner was so much fun.
Hope everyone’s holiday season is going well!!

What gives?

Okay, as I sit here in my flat in Edinburgh it's gray outside. And 55F (13C). It's JULY!!!! I want to wear sandals! And skirts! And not have to wear socks all the time inside so as not to be cold! Nicaragua was clearly too warm, but I really could use a little summer here in Scotland. Everyone keeps telling me this is the worst summer ever. Thus continues my run of *fabulous* luck since moving to Scotland I suppose.
Anyway. Nicaragua update coming soon. As soon as I need another dissertation reading/writing break. Which is likely to be very soon. And hopefully job and next year's plans next week!

Deep in the Heart of Texas

Well isn't air travel fun? After a pretty terrible arrival/check-in experience at Gatwick, I finally got to Houston (9+ hours by the way, ouch!). Then I ran to immigration, where I was greeted by an enormous line. Why is it that the US-citizen line in US airports is so often longer than the non-EU line in the EU? Then I ran to get my bag and tried to make it through customs, only to have an employee who looked at my connecting boarding pass say, you'll never make it. So I went back to the baggage claim and got my boarding pass for the next flight to Managua, 24-hours later, and had the woman there tell me that if ran I might just make it. Then again the baggage recheck man, said I'd missed it. So I got myself rebooked on the next flight, scrounged up some American change to call Annie and ask her to call Quaker House to tell them I wouldn't be arriving as planned, and then caught the hotel shuttle to the Marriott Greenspoint.
My room had two big, fluffy double beds and a tv and all the standard, could be anywhere in the US, gear. But it also had wireless internet, meaning I could catch up on some emailing and blog. And remember that there really is never anything on TV. Though I did hear a wide variety of amusing American pronunciations of "Glasgow" and hear the sentence: "this has just gone to Glasgow, now just the UK". Ahhhh, I guess the New Yorker subscription people are not the only ones who aren't aware the "the UK" is made up of places in including Scotland!
So now it's easy listening jazz and a snached breakfast bagel for lunch in the lobby until it's time for me to head back to the airport and, hopefully, to Managua.