Back in Granada, I always seem to find a slow moment and free internet access: required ingredients for written word. The hot humid "winter" months (so named for the rains) have recently set the pace for work. Sticky. Slow. Exasperating. Fortunately, my breezy mountains are slightly cooler than Dante's Nicaragua. Sitting near sea level, I'm not sure how volunteers--or anyone for that matter--gets anything done.

Despite my relative climactic mollification, each one of my projects hangs by a thread. My business classes are a month behind at best. We have a parent/teacher meeting planned for this Monday. Perhaps together we can mitigate the homework strikes. At least I'll have a volunteer from the next small business development group in Yali to offer a hand. Most of my counterparts are less than interested in the prospect of more homework to grade, but I kept mixing it up and disorganizing the little organization we had. My job is not to teach the class, just to make sure it's technically sound. The necessity for a four section parent/teacher should be indicative of the level of impassability we've reached.

My secondary coffee project is once again on hold due to a pending change in counterparts. This will be my third. I've also taken so long working with my mayor's office, that I'm not sure we can get anything done before the end of my service next year.

At the same time, I'm completing my first year here in Nicaragua. I've been "In-Country" over a year and in Yali for over ten months. This tends to be the time most volunteers requestion their commitment. I didn't have any initial doubts, so I'm double loaded this time. I'm positive I want to stay here until the end of my service. I just wonder if I'm doing any good.