Totogalpa!

Friday I am going to become an official volunteer! We are going to be swearing-in in Managua and then it is off to our sites. So scary. I visited Totogalpa about a week ago and definately got a dose of reality about peace corps living. Latrines. The only running water is in some outdoor sink. 3-4 hours of electricity a day. excellent. I actually am really excited though. I met all the people I will be working with for the next two years and everyone seems really excited and enthusiastic about me being there. They do however all think I am qualified to give therapy. In Nicaragua when you major in something in the university you become whatever it is that you studied. For example, there is no medical school here. Doctors go to the university for 5 years and when they are finished they are licenced physicians. When I went on my site visit and told the people in the health center that i majored in biology and psychology they were very impressed and said I would be able to help them a lot in there office. At first I was flattered. Then i realized that they thought I was both a clinical psychologist and qualified to do lab work or was a nurse (which is what you become with a Biology degree here). Despite my best efforts to convince them that NO i am by no means qualified to give psychological advice, they do not believe me. I would not be surprised to return to Totogalpa on Sunday and have my own little consulting room. Another stereotype i am facing in my new home is that all Americans are amazing artists. Upon minutes of arriving at the health center I was asked to draw to scale a map of the municipality. I tried to explain to them that my drawing ability consisted of making stick figures but again to no avail. I then proceded to trace the map off a large one that they already had in the office only proving to them that I am indeed the excellent artist they expected. They have also tried to commission me to paint of mural of a nursing mother on the front wall. I need to find a way to politely decline so if anyone has any ideas.. Then again maybe if i just paint it, that will be the end of the artist debaucle when they realize that I am not in fact a muralist. Nicaraguans have lots of crazy notions about what ALL Americans are good at or like and when you try to explain that no, this is in fact not the case they just look at you with a stare that says "crazy gringo! she doesnt even know about her own people". In general all the people are very well meaning and Im really excited to get to work out there. My spanish hasnt quite reached the level i need so I will be getting a tutor in my site! woohoo! i need as much help as i can get haha. Ill write again soon when I get to site. Hopefully at that point I will have dispelled most of the rumors that are floating around about my nonexistant talents.