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align=right><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'">Letter
9 (Feb. 23 – 28)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'">Dear
All, <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
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</SPAN>Feb 23.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Mario took me south
on the bus to the city of San Rafael del Sur, near the Pacific coast, a larger
city than Villa El Carmen by a lot, and much richer.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There are roof-tile-making factories,
cement factories, etc., and this is something of a tourist city, looks
like.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Apart from the regular taxis
you can get bike-taxis, which are bikes welded on to a two-person coach.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We almost had occasion to take
one.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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</SPAN>Mario had appointments at various places including the police station and
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">MiFamilia</I> (stands for Ministerio de
la Family -- kind of an equivalent of HEW, maybe).<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>These visits had to do with a problem
that Mario said he was in the middle of.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>A day or two before a girl of 13 at his school had told him that her
father was sexually assaulting her, and he had told her that he would kill her
if she told anyone.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>She told Mario
anyway, and now he is a little concerned that HE may end up being killed, but he
said not to take action would be to become an accomplice to the crime.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I asked how the girl would be protected;
he said she would be examined and interviewed and if there are grounds the
father would be put in jail.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It
doesnīt sound like a foolproof system.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>I donīt know what the outcome so far has been.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="mso-tab-count: 1">
</SPAN>Then we bused to <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Managua</st1:place></st1:City> and visited the Nica social security
office, where Mario had to take care of lots of forms for his English teacher,
Henry Fonseca, who fractured his wrist playing volleyball at school -- they play
on a concrete court.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Then we went
to two bookstores, one of which had tons of paper products but almost no books;
the other had lots of books but nothing in English and no guides to Nica
plants.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Finally we went to the PALI
store, Nicaīs Winco, where I bought materials for making spaghetti dinner.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'">Interesting
day.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Managua</st1:place></st1:City> sprawls all over the place.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Iīd come here alone if I knew where to
go, where not to go, and how the bus system works.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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</SPAN>23 Feb, Friday, went to the fourth school:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Instituto Maria de la Providencia</I>.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This is the most out-of-the-way school
so far, some 12-15 miles on the highway and then 4-5 more on a very uneven dirt
road.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is one of three schools of
the seven -- the first such one I’ve seen that holds both primary and secondary
classes at the same time, 7:30 to noonish.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>They have sufficiently few students and enough classrooms to do both at
once.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It made for a shorter, less
exhausting day; I visited all the secondary classes but none of the primary
classes.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Until I hit the <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">quintos</I> (seniors), which had 48
students, the classes were all small, 20-25 students each.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>That was pretty delightful, and they all
had questions.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Most were
predictable, about my family, how long I am here, do I like <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Nicaragua</st1:country-region></st1:place> and the people, what is my
favorite food - sports - hobbies?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>In two of the classes students were interested in my flight here:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>how long did the trip take?<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Do I like airplanes?<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>One wanted to know whether, if he went
to the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.
S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>, he would get sick.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Twice I was asked to describe life in
the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region> -- thatīs kind of a tough one,
actually.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Are there good people in
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place>? <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(Yes, once you get the government out of
the way).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Do I go to church?
(No).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Following that:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>What is my
religion?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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</SPAN>One student asked if I would work with them on English. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I thought she meant would I return
another day, but no, the English teacher Maria Isabel Cruz said the girl meant
right now.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There was almost half an
hour left in the class.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Maria
Isabel said, could you teach them a song?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Well, I donīt DO teaching songs to children, for several good reasons,
but maybe the next best thing -- so I slapped down on the
whiteboard:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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</SPAN>The woods are lovely, dark and deep,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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</SPAN>But I have promises to keep,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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</SPAN>And miles to go before I sleep.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'">Maria
Isabel said they needed help most with pronunciation.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So we went over sounds, and then got
into meaning a little:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>what is
'woods'? not <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">madera</I></st1:City></st1:place> [wood] but
<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">bosque</I>
[forest].<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="mso-tab-count: 1">
</SPAN>Having exhausted the depths of Robert Frost, we turned to THE QUICK BROWN
FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY DOG and went over English letter sounds:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>some letters still give them fits, <B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">e</B> and <B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">i</B>, <B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">g</B> and <B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">j</B>.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Time ran out, probably a good
thing.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But very fun cool kids, off
in a rural backwater school in an impoverished country, who come to school on
foot or on bikes.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>No school bus
ventures onto these dirt roads.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Marioīs car is challenged<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>(End of part 1)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'">(Still
at <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Maria de la Providencia)</I><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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</SPAN>I met with the teachers and principal, Julio.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Also present was the former <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">alcalde</I> [mayor] who came to <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Moscow</st1:place></st1:City> in the early 90s; I
think is name is Don Inocente Castro.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>He is getting on, an elder statesman, but evidently in good health
(unlike the other ex-alcalde, who has cancer of the throat).<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He recalled his visit to <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Moscow</st1:place></st1:City> and the visit here
of Mary Voxman and someone they remembered as MAX.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I had no clue about Max, but Ana later
said she was sure that was Mardi Baron.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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</SPAN>This meeting was highlighted by 2-3 individuals telling me what the
schoolīs needs were:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>what I picked
up was water and computers.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I told
them that I will be meeting, after I have visited all the seven schools, with
all the principals to discuss how the Moscow Sister City Association might best
serve their needs, and then I would take that information back to MSCA.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Mario chimed in and said much the same
thing.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This was the first school
where they lined up to ask for things.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>I had a sense that principal Julio was not totally tuned in to this
situation, and maybe generally.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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</SPAN>More physical facts of the town.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Mario and Ana have a septic system for their indoor toilet, so recent
that there is a large mound of dirt beside where the hole was dug for the tank
-- and the field, I guess.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Thereīs
certainly no room for a septic field <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Idaho</st1:State></st1:place> style.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In back of Doņa Amandaīs house in the
center of town is a large rectangular hole, about 8 x 5 and 6 - 7 feet deep,
where HER septic apparatus will go.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Sheīs been in this house at least 15 years and has never had an indoor
toilet.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Times are changing.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Neither M&As area nor hers has a
common sewage system, so itīs each house for itself.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="mso-tab-count: 1">
</SPAN>I was wrong about VEC having only one paved street.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Several of the intersecting streets
though not all are also paved for a block or two in either direction.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Driving down the main street is a bit
slow not only because of the pedestrians, cyclists, and horses, but because
every few blocks is the speed-bump from Hell.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Itīs a very good move, because some
drivers around here do like to drive fast.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>There are also pretty good sidewalks on both sides of the street.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>However, this place is a minefield for
ankle-spraining.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So far Iīve been
lucky.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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</SPAN>Water.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This part of the <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">colonia</I> [development] has a weak though
reliable flow of water.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'">Flow
is weak because the main pipe installed is narrow.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>An adjoining area has a big pipe and a
strong flow.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>To the east of here, a
newer section with few trees, there is no water at all.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So you see people, usually children,
pushing wooden 2-wheeled wagons with big kegs in them; they come to the area
where there is water, and they fill up at someoneīs house.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Mario says water will come to this
section sometime soon, and a wider pipe to his own area.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="mso-tab-count: 1">
</SPAN>Dinner conversations.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Although at Mario and Anaīs house we normally sit down to eat together
(usually just Mario, Aura, and I because Ana eats super with her mother every
day except Sunday), the first rule of Nica eating is that you donīt wait for
anyone else.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>When food is in front
of you, you start eating (with your napkin, if there is one, on the table).<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And Nicas eat fast; Iīm usually the last
one done.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They wait for me.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>When everyone is done, often we just
pick up the dishes and thatīs that.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Other times we talk for a while.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="mso-tab-count: 1">
</SPAN>Saturday morning we had the most lovely and purely American
breakfast:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Ana made French toast,
with hot honey.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Roberto was there
and was on his favorite subject of the mysteries of English word sounds.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He wanted to know if I could understand
American Southerners. I said yes, but it could be difficult because they talk
funny.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(This was probably not
helpful.)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Mario observed that <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Americanos negros</I> have their own way of
talking, and the he launched into prominent differences among Spanish
speakers.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cuba</st1:place></st1:country-region>, he said,
they donīt pronounce R and RR; instead they say L.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>A Cuban doesnīt make an ERROR but an
ELOL.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(Cubans drink LON.)<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Mario says the Cuban educational system
diligently teaches R and RR but the Cubans donīt care and continue to use
L.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Then he and Ana expounded on the
lazy Nicas who are always omitting final S from words.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Costa Rica</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
however, they meticulously pronounce all the sounds.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'"><SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 1">
</SPAN>That reminded me of a comment Iīd read:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>a traveler to <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Nicaragua</st1:place></st1:country-region> wrote
that he liked learning Spanish in that country because the people only spoke
half of each word so it was twice as easy to learn the language.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They thought that was pretty funny.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I said really the best way to learn
Spanish would be to visit <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Nicaragua</st1:country-region> to learn the front ends of words and
then go to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Costa
Rica</st1:place></st1:country-region> to learn the back ends.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They thought that was pretty funny.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Then I asked about the special use in
Nica of VOS for TU and the different verb forms in the 2nd-person singular:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>TENES not TIENES, PODES not PUEDES.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They said these forms were imports from
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Argentina</st1:place></st1:country-region> and used for informal
effect here.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>That made sense of a
joke Iīd read that morning in the newspaper, in a section for
teenagers:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'"><SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 1">
</SPAN>A man from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Argentina</st1:place></st1:country-region> said to his wife, 'Tonigh I
am going to make love 'afonico.' (without sound or voice:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>VOZ).<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>His wife said, 'Oh? Afonico?'<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>'Si,' dijo.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>'Sin vos.'<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(End of part 2 [just in
time].)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'"><SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 1">
</SPAN>Dave<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV><BR>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>--<BR>
No virus found in this outgoing message.<BR>
Checked by AVG Free Edition.<BR>
Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.5/706 - Release Date: 2/28/2007 4:09 PM<BR>
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