same 'ol thing

Not much new to report. Things don't change much on an island. We did have a pool party on Monday that was a lot of fun. There is a small pool/holding tank on the property that we cleaned out and filled up with fresh water. We made rum punch with fresh fruit and I BBQed on a make shift grill. It was a great day until some left over embers from the grill blew onto the wood pile and almost burnt down the bodega (tool shed). Bri, the girl that has been helping me, is leaving this weekend. A guy named Ty is going to take over. He is from Canada and will be a fun edition to the cast of characters here. He is only 20, and a bit of a party animal, but hopefully we can keep things under control.
Many people have commented about me being in Costa Rica. Just to be clear, I am in Nicaragua. I know from a US perspective it may be hard tell the two apart, but to people here it would be like confusing the US and Canada. Costa Rica is very beautiful, but it has become very Americanized and expensive. The people there are also very good a dealing with tourist, but also good at taking your money. Nicaragua is still very remote and the people here are very nice. They are not use to tourist and in general are extremly nice and interested to meet and talk with you. It is also a beautiful country with many amazing places. To some up, Nicaragua is cheaper and the people are nicer than in Costa Rica.
The national dish here is Gallo Pinto (black beans and rice). Normally serverd with Nica chesse (similar to feta) and eggs. It is somewhat bland, but can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Nicaragua was plagued by civil war until 1989. This means the population is young and mostly women. The island I am on, Ometepe, was insulated from the conflict and the population here is actually 2 men to every women. The civil war was provoked by the States in an attempt to overthrow the government. The US's involvement here is much like it's involvement in the Middle East now, trying to mess with a place for its resources under the guise of "political" issues. The goverment was overtrown and a democracy was set up. Since then the socalist party was won the elections and regained power. Some watch out baby boomer population, I live in a semi-communist state!
OK, there is a little history for you. I will write about the Island itself later.