Piñatas, fiestas, and newly acquired skills

As I have said many times to various people, this experience is an exchange. Last week I had the opportunity to show my family how to make piñatas and we made three of them for the one year old's birthday party. It was a lot of work (I had forgotten how long of a process it was) but so fun to share in the birthday preparation. I made a chicken, a star, and a carrot for the party, though the chicken was clearly the favorite. We laughed so much during the process that I think part of my exhaustion came from all the laughing and excitement of making the piñatas. So many people continually asked "YOU know how to make piñatas!?" and were surprised when I responded with, "why yes, I do!"

There were over fifty people at the party and that was just family... I was so overwhelmed! After breaking three piñatas, eating a delicious dish of pork with yucca, cake, and candy, we cleaned up and rested only for a bit. After, it was off to another birthday party of a fifteen year old in the family. Nicaraguans sure do know how to party! Needless to say, I was wiped out after this weekend, but so happy to be a part of the festivities.

As another part of the exchange, I have also acquired some very important skills while in my town:
-Folding cloth diapers
-Tying baggies full of fresco (Fresco is a very common juice drink made of fruit juice, water, and sugar, and yes, there is a technique to tying the baggies).
-Laundry is a four part process starting with soaking clothes in detergent, scrubbing them with soap, then soaking them in fabric softener, finally followed by hanging to dry. I finally figured out why it takes hours!
-Do not say no to food, but instead carry a bag with you at all times (because you literally never know when you will be offered food) to save it for later.

These are only a few of the more interesting talents I have acquired, but you can imagine how talented I will be after two years!

Note: In my attempt to upload photos, the computer shut down and I lost everything, so it will have to wait for another day.