I don't hate men (only a little bit)

During my PC service, many people, particularly those back home, have commented: "Wow, Emily, you seem incredibly bitter and hateful towards men."

While I can't entirely deny the charge (I'm so justified!), I have had some incredibly positive experiences with (Nicaraguan) men, which have previously been vastly underrepresented on this blog.
And so...a quick attempt to rectify that!

My male counterpart English teachers: Jonathan, Rafael and Antonio
We've had our ups and downs and misunderstandings (cultural and literal) in our nearly 2 years of working together, but my counterparts are good people. They have worked so hard to improve their English, their teaching strategies and to welcome me into their school communities. We've had so many interesting discussions along the way, about myriad topics, in both languages, that have challenged and changed our points of view. I'm proud to have them as co-workers and friends.

The school guard- Rudulfo
Since I'm at the school a lot, Rudulfo has always been really helpful. He and I occasionally have random chats about life in Nicaragua, about his family, about life in the States and much else. He's got a curiosity about many things that keeps me on my toes.

Our TEFL bosses-Greg and Donald
Our Peace Corps Nicaragua TEFL team had/has some talented bosses who know how to support us through thick and thin.

CEPS
Picture a bunch of built Nicaraguan men giving lively charlas about using condoms and you have CEPS, a sexual health organization out of San Carlos that uses the technique of peer to peer education. 2 Legit 2 Quit! They helped us out with our opportunity fair and they are my personal heroes!

My (fake) Dad
My host Dad is a big jovial guy who's always been really friendly to me. We've always have pretty much the same conversation when he comes over. He's been to the States once or twice for cattle ranching things, so sometimes we talk about that, or the weather. Then, he tells me I look really skinny, not like when I first got there, and asks me for weight loss tips. I tell him to drink lots of water, avoid fried food and walk more.

Students
Some of them are awesome, and totally not creepy!!

And while he isn't Nicaraguan, he still counts!
My (real) Dad
I appreciate my father so much more after being here. Not that I didn't know he was a great guy before, but he comes out pretty darn favorably when compared to a lot of Nicaraguan fathers. I'm so lucky that he has been supportive of me in all of my endeavors, even those that have taken me really far away, letting me do my own thing and make my own mistakes. I'm eternally grateful for his guidance and love.