Nicaragua

This is my 5th day in Nicaragua so I assume it's time to give my top 5 moments here so far. (By the way, I'm here for my new job helping facilitate meetings between the Texas Public Utility Commission and Nicaragua's State Utility Regulatory Commission (INE).

1. After 2 days in Nicaragua I made the evening news....not bad if you ask me. I had a few of the hotel staff approach saying..."You were on the news last night! You were on the news!" Just one more step in me become a very famous person....probably one of my higher ambitions. I should clarify that I didn't say anything. I just stood next to the President of INE trying to look important and professional. I also translated as the Press asked my Deputy Director questions. Translating is tough in real time.

2. A female member of one of the Texas commissions (62 years old) literally lept over one of the tables at dinner last night to get on the dance floor. She had a near accident as her foot caught on a chair.....but miraculously avoided making my worst nightmare come true...calling MEDEX and evacuating a participant. I like telling the participants that even though I'm 30 and most of them are 40+, I think I know a little about how it must feel to be a parent.

3. I met the former President of the Central Bank of Nicaragua. Funny thing was I recognized him from somewhere else and asked him if we had met before. We had met....a year ago at IR/PS in San Diego when he had come to our campus and my Spanish class. I enjoyed having my colleagues see that I had met the President of Nicaragua's Central Bank previously.

4. One of our participants came up to me the other day and with a very concerned look on his face asked (note - single, mid 40's, male) if I could help him with some Spanish translation. Without cracking a smile, he was very serious, asked "How do you say 'Hello' in Spanish?" and then wanted to know how to say 'You are very pretty.' He walked away, turned around, and said "I'll have more later." Again, I feel a little like a parent.

5. Good food, nice people, impressive volcanoes.