Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Money


I know what you’re saying, 'Watch out Nicole, life is not all about the Cordobas!'

I currently have $360 in Cordobas in my wallet. That’s just under $20 American. Gas is about $3.44/gal in American Dollars. A Chinese motorcycle costs about $1,000. A half liter of water is about $.75 American. A cubic meter of gravel is $23. A 50 mile bus trip is $1.50. A 90 meter well with pump is about $17,000. Can you guess what I've been up to? Hint: the Chinese motorcycle has nothing to do with it.

Yep, I'm doing the thing I came here for, to build an orphanage! Right now we're at the beginning of the project. We're fine tuning the master plan, finding a spot to put the well and figuring out who gets to go to Managua to pester the government about permits. We have some funding in place, enough to begin what we're currently doing, but I know there is plenty of preparation of information for fundraising purposes in my future!

On a side note, a few people have asked for a mailing address. I do have one that has worked once; we’ll see if it does again. My mom shipped a package this morning and said the Post Office doesn’t insure packages to Nicaragua, they will to Cameroon, but not Nicaragua. It’s pretty pricey (around $.80/oz for a letter, $.40/oz for a package), so keep those letters light.

I also have a Seattle based phone number you can call to reach me. It rings through to my computer here, so I may or may not be around to answer. I do have voicemail, though, if you’d like to leave a message.

Just send me an email if you'd like the information.

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