Paca Shopping or Popping Tags

One of my favorite lazy day activities here in Nicaragua is browsing the second hand stores, alternatively called pacas or ropa americana, which are full of discarded clothes from the U.S.  For those who are patient and determined enough to sift through the mountains of unorganized clothes, it can be a treasure trove.  Some volunteers have even found designer clothes for a fraction of their price, including my ever-stylish friend, Linsdey, who wrote about her own paca experience on her blog.  I, myself, have been able to find some pretty nifty things, like this silk scarf, for only 40 cents.

Please forgive the selfie.  Apparently this is a thing back in the states, and I have to practice before I go back.

Besides getting absurdly good deals on cool clothes, paca shopping is also highly entertaining for the odd things you can find.  In the same store where I found my scarf, I found this proudly on display:

These leave me with so many questions.

The late afternoon sun was shining in to illuminate this glorious scene of whitie-tighties, and I wondered as I took this photo if the stars had aligned to give me a moment of perfect absurdity.  Pacas are presumably second-hand, so who would buy used underwear?  And who would donate them in the first place?  And in that size?  And in that quantity?  So many questions that I hope I never learn the answers to.

Feet and Falling Apart Continued

So remember when my left toenail fell off with apparently no reason?  I should have known better than to assume that it did it por puro gusto.  Turns out I have a fungus on my toenails.  I have since found out that fungus is incredibly hard to get rid of, and that if I don't want to take the oral treatment, which could possibly cause liver damage*, I will have to apply a topical treatment for six months.  Six months.  At least now I can share in my mother's pain.

Also, my sandals broke today.  This is, I believe, the tenth pair of shoes that Nicaragua has killed.

These were pair number seven.  And so, my feet and their accessories still struggle on.  Such is life here.

*Actually, Peace Corps won't give me the oral treatment, since they say they don't have the ability to monitor my liver function closely enough to make it a safe option.

Saving Chickens

When not given a specific structure to roost in, chickens will sleep in trees.  It is quite a sight to see.  People will often also tie string around chickens' feet for easy wrangling.  As a logical conclusion, these strings will get caught in the trees, and the chickens will be stuck in the most absurd positions.  And so, I have had to save more than one chicken from this fate.  Not before I've taken a photo of them, though.