Tears of Joy

I cannot express through words exactly how incredibly close I have come to be with my family here in Nicaragua. I can't even call them my 'host' family anymore because through these past three months, I've become an actual part of their family. My dad Lorenzo freaks out every day when he greets me getting home from work, and in response I lightly slug his big belly with my fist. Silvia, my mom, loves watching me try new foods so she surprises me every once in a while with things to sample, and we have random personal talks about differences about our cultures and reflect on things I've never even considered. She even had me die her grey hairs black yesterday! Haha!

My sisters and I have even closer relationships. We share more than just clothes; we share jokes, memories and past times. When my sister Yissel needed a shoulder to cry on after hearing that her dog died, I was there to comfort her. When my older sister Caren wanted to learn how to bake cookies but didn't know how to turn on the oven, I was there with her hoping and praying we wouldn't blow up the house as we watched smoke curl up to the ceiling. We have so many random funny times too like one morning when Yissel, Caren and her son Alejandro were lying on Yissel's bed. I walked in and casually laid on top of all of them, joining in on their conversation. A few minutes later, my mom walked in the room and jumped on top of all of us! My mother is not a large women by any means, but I am still thankful to have all of my organs in tact after they were crushed against my sister's knee.

My little nephew Alejandro, 5 years old, sticks to me like glue. When I arrive home, he runs out of the house screaming my name and greets me by jumping up and hugging my leg. And whenever he gets the chance, he pulls a chair into my bedroom to eat his dinner and watch cartoons as I attempt to accomplish my homework. Last weekend when I arrived home from a week long class trip, Alejandro was dressed and ready to go exercise with his grandpa, but when he saw that I was home, he claimed to have a headache and stayed home in order to hang out with me. This morning I was outside reading a book. So, he took out his mom's school workbook, sat in a chair and started reading. It was so cute! Though sometimes he drives me a little crazy when he whines about stuff, I am absolutely in love with this little boy! 

Before arriving in Nicaragua, I was nervous that I wasn't going to fit in with my family. And by nervous I mean I was an emotional wreck! For the entire two weeks before my plane took off I did not sleep well and treated my loved ones back home poorly. I cried all the time and had an extremely short temper and even snapped at my parents a few times. [Thankfully they are very forgiving.] I felt so torn between wanting to leave and being fearful of it. To me it was not clear whether or not it was really God's plan for me to go on this trip. 

But here I am three months later and could not be happier! I could not have asked God for a better family. We are so close to each other relationally that I feel as though I'm a long lost daughter/sister that has been reunited with her family. We laugh together, worship together and share brutally honest opinions such as the fact that God has blessed me with supposedly a tiny stomach and a big butt. (This topic of interest is mentioned at many women gatherings I am involved in. It's embarrassing, yet kind of flattering.) 

Thinking about the fact that I only have four weeks left here brings tears to my eyes. Don't get me wrong, I am ready and excited to see my family and friends back home again and share all my experiences with them. But it has become difficult to imagine myself leaving Leon. I've adapted to living here and feel very comfortable and have made so many great friends outside of the family I am living with. It's hard to think that some of them I might never see again...Lord willing I will someday return to this lovely country to visit, but if not, I look forward to the day when I will see many of my newfound loved ones in Heaven. Until then, they will forever take up a large portion of my heart. <3

My sisters, nephew and I exploring Leon after going out to the circus and pizza.

 

Alejandro and I after figure painting an entire Sunday afternoon. When we finished, I told him my pictures were for him and his grandma and grandpa. Then, he said that his were for my parents back home. Unfortunately he put all our paintings in the freezer thinking that they would dry faster, but instead they got all wet and ruined. He was so disappointed!

 

My sister Caren and I cooking Sunday dinner, Carne Asada. MMM SO GOOD! We also were playing music and having fun dancing with spatulas as we flipped our meat. While trying to light the grill, we almost smoked out the house because the wind kept blowing the smoke inside. Fortunately no one was seriously injured. ;)

 

Thankfully God was watching over us and we finished the cookies without burning the house down! And they were delicious!



 

My sister Yissel and I along with extended family riding home after decorating their family's tomb stones on the Day of the Dead. This holiday is not as big as it is in Mexico, but it was still very interesting and fun to participate it.

Everyone needs a vacation. =0)

Despite what you all may be thinking, studying abroad is not all fun and games. I do get homework, lots of it! Sometimes it's hard to find downtime in a given day. Fortunately, within our busy schedules our professors granted us a week off (HA-llelujah!) where we could do whatever we wanted. So, all of us decided to explore the Island of Ometepe for a few days, and I must say, I do not regret that decision at all...

Ometepe is a big tourist attraction in the middle of Lake Nicaragua that is home to two volcanoes, Volcano Concepcion, which is still active, and Volcano Maderas, which is no longer active. The last volcanic activity on the island occurred in March 2010 when Concepcion spit out a huge ash cloud. Since then, there hasn't been much activity besides the usual smoke cloud that forms above the volcano and blends in with the clouds. Among hiking these volcanoes, there are many other activities to choose from including biking around the island, horseback riding, visiting Ojo de Agua to be rejuvenated by its natural springs, or simply relaxing on the beach outside your hotel.

View of Ometepe from the ferry we took from Rivas to Moyogalpa.   

 

Riding on the ferry was one of the most peaceful boat rides I have experienced. All of us students boarded and went up to share the roof of the ferry with the captain. A slight breeze blew across the lake that kept us cool but didn't blow us overboard. From up there the view was beautiful! I tried to capture a picture of all the different currents flowing through the water but to no avail. Apparently Lake Nicaragua is the only freshwater lake in Central America that is home to freshwater sharks! Unfortunately, I was not lucky enough to snap pictures of one of those either.

 

I took over driving for a bit to give the captain a break because he looked kind of tired.

 

Upon landing on the island, we were swarmed with taxi drivers and bus drivers all wanting us to pay them to take us around the island. It was like feeding frenzy of a group of paparazzi all swarming us tourists as we got off the ferry, except they all wanted our money, not pictures. After selecting a driver, we eventually arrived at our relaxing hotel room on the east side of the island. Being eight of us, we needed two rooms. Originally the woman showing us the rooms priced them at $85 a piece. No way were we going to pay that!!! But, after some bartering, we eventually dropped the price to $50 each room for two nights. Split between eight people, each person only had to pay $25 total! Not bad bartering for a little blond girl talkin' Spanish; I'll have to explore how well that works in the states. ;-)

 

The view from the beach outside our hotel.

 

One of the funnest adventures we had while on the island was kayaking down a river connected to Lake Nicaragua. The green plants combined with the exotic birds of whites, browns, pinks and yellows made for a peaceful morning of rowing and encountering various animals along the bank. The most entertaining part was actually all the picture taking that everyone was doing and the fun some of us had splashing each other while trying not to drown our cameras (mine specifically) in water. After many weeks of classes and adjusting to a different culture, everyone was in need of a good get-away. That kayaking trip along with the rest of the island adventures provided us with lots of fun and relaxation.

 

The water that day was as smooth as glass and the sun stayed behind the clouds for a while, perfect weather for a relaxing trip in the kayak.

 

Witnessing God's great glory through the sunrises and sunsets I saw over Lake Nicaragua and the volcanoes was breathtaking. The fact that God created all that beauty himself without help, without lifting a finger is unimaginable. "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse," Romans 1:20. There is no logic in saying that this beauty simply appeared one day after one big explosion of particles. This world is not a ball of randomly scattered atoms; there is order and there is control. And, only God can claim that power!  



 

Rur-rur-rural Nicaragua

Staying with a family in Rural Nicaragua, working alongside the families and sleeping in hammocks are amazing opportunities that not many college students can say that they have experienced. You have never really experienced living in a rural community until you've lived in a one room building without doors or glass over windows, no electricity, no cars, a pit in the ground for the bathroom, and no form of communication besides face to face conversations. 

On September 24 and 25, I had the opportunity to stay on a land bank with a host family. A land bank is an area of land that is purchased by a company and sold in equal sections to families to live on and cultivate. This particular land bank is owned by the Fundacion San Lucas. The program, started in 2011, has given farmers living in El Manatial the opportunity to purchase a piece of land, making small payments over a six year period. Not only does the organization give farmers the resources to fund their work, they form a community of families that are there to work with each other, grow together, and learn together. The program gives families the physical, emotional, and spiritual tools that they need to succeed.

 

"In order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus."  Ephesians 2:7

 

My friend Karina and I stayed the night with Juan Maria and his family. Although it was only 6 O'clock in the afternoon when we arrived at their home, we arrived in the dark because the families of the land bank have no electricity. It was actually really awkward at first. We arrived, set up our hammocks and climbed into them to sleep without hardly talking with the family because we couldn't see them let alone introduce ourselves to them. :-/

Fortunately, the morning went a bit more smoothly. We were up by the crack of dawn introducing ourselves and explaining where we are from and why we were there. We also asked them questions about how they came to live at the land bank, how long they had been there and their future plans for their land. One of the most beneficial parts of our trip was when all the families came together and showed us hand-drawn pictures of how their farms looked in the past when they first arrived at the land bank, how they look today in the present and how they hope to develop the land in the future.

While staying at the home, we were able to witness exactly how much work it takes to survive when you have to farm in order to grow your own food and sell the extra food to make money. All the corn, yucca, beans, etc. is planted and harvested by hand. After less than an hour of working with our host mom shelling corn cobs, I had blisters on my thumbs. I could not imagine having to do this for hours on end to make money everyday.

It is surprising how easily we take simple things like running water for granted. We are so very blessed in the states to have all of our food provided for us prepped, packed and sealed; to be able to drink water right from the tap, to be able to sleep and not have to worry about being attacked by mosquitoes or stung by a scorpion, to shower and not have to worry about running out of water. After manually removing corn kernels from the corn cobs for a number of hours, I will never look at a combine the same way again. We are VERY blessed.

 

Only part of the corn that needed to be shelled.

 

This guy scared our socks off as we were working!!!

 

My bed for the evening!

 

Our host mom makes corn tortillas everyday after hand grinding the corn kernels.

 

 

Everything takes time...

Some life changes are good and others regretful; however, our lives are shaped by every day occurrences that help us grow and develop into the persons we are today. And everything that happens in our lives occurs for a reason, reasons that sometimes only God knows. A few days ago I received a text message from my Spanish conversation partner. She wrote,

"Lo que no logres de pie, hazlo de rodillas...Lo que no logres de hablando, hazlo orando...y lo que no puedes hacer, deja que Dios lo haga...EL TODO LO PUEDE!!! Que el Dios todo poderoso te bendiga hoy y siempre...y recuerda que para estar de pie ante el mundo, hay que estar de rodillas ante Dios."

Translated:
"What you cannot do standing, do it kneeling...what you cannot achieve by talking, achieve it through prayer...and what you cannot do, leave that to God for him to do...HE CAN DO ANYTHING!!! May the all powerful God bless you today and always...and remember that in order to stand up before the world, it is necessary to be on your knees before God."

This is such a great reminder to me that I am not in control of everything nor can I conquer everything I attempt to do alone. I am in need of the one true God to lead me and guide me. Without him I am worthless. It is because of him that I am here in Nicaragua today learning and discovering a whole new culture.

There are many things about Nicaragua that I absolutely love, and then there are some cultural things that, to be honest, I don't really like...The diet here is very starchy because bread is the staple food. Unless you are at a restaurant, meals are always served with some sort of rice, tortillas or bread as the main portion of the meal. Even soup is served with a side of tortillas to eat in order to stay full longer. Adapting to this diet has not been easy for me because back home I do not eat a lot of bread. Instead, I fill my plate with greens and protein that fill me up and keep me full longer. In my opinion, the food is sometimes pretty bland. I'm a girl that likes food with a kick, but the taste buds of my host family SCREAM if they encounter even a sliver of a chili pepper in their dinners. It was fun watching my host sister's fiancé sweat as he tried to finish his meal last Sunday after encountering a speck of chili pepper in his rice. I found a similar piece in my rice and ate it without a problem as if it were a piece of candy.

Another not-so-healthy fact about the food here is that most of it is fried. Even the rice is flavored with the lovely taste of cooking oil. However despite the differences, I try to remain grateful of the fact that at every meal I am provided with a generous plate of food and have no reason to complain.

Frying rice in the countryside.

 

One very important aspect of Nicaraguan culture is that of relationships. A relationship one has with another takes priority over work. When someone comes to your house, you happily invite them in for coffee or food and chat the afternoon away with no regards to time or the chores you have to finish. This aspect of the culture is quite possibly the most difficult one for me to adjust to and accept while living here. It is almost impossible for me to live a relaxed and laid back type of life. I love meeting new people and making new friends; however...if I tell someone I am going to finish something by a certain time, I try my absolute best to finish it by that time. 

 

Patience is a virtue here because everything takes time. In order to cook, you first must go to the market or a Pulperia (in-house store) to purchase ingredients or drinks for the meal. Also, traveling takes time. Though there are multiple forms of transportation here, I walk everywhere because it is cheaper, it's good exercise, and sometimes it is actually faster than taking a bus through the maze of one-way streets. It annoys me sometimes how I have to take into account the amount of time it will take me to get from one location to another by foot. And, when I travel late in the morning or in the afternoon, it is very hot so I arrive at the location all sweaty, feeling nasty and gross. :-P But, this is how people have had to travel since the beginning, so I guess it's safe to say that I'm getting the most out of this cultural experience that I possibly can.

 

Traveling for class and maneuvering our way through streets filled with vendors. In order to travel, you have to know exactly how big your vehicle is so that you know whether or not you'll be able to squeeze through spaces between cars and other things.

 

You also have to watch out for random herds of cows that decide to cross the street in search of better grass.

 

Just the rainy season...

 





All Things Beautiful And Not So Much...

Starting a blog post is always the hardest part. You have to decide what you want to write about, how you're going to write it and will people even want to read it?!?!?! Well, I guess that last one doesn't really matter, but I had to complete my list of three. ;-)

Anyways...a few weeks ago I went to see the Latin America Traveling Circus! This circus is way different than those seen in the states. When I think of a circus, I think of big tents, big stunts and even bigger animals. Here, though the stunts are still pretty intimidating and scary and the tents are decently large, the animals and the clowns on the other hand are way different. There is a traveling horse, which is a normal sight to see at a circus though he was very small and underfed, traveling ostriches, llamas, a snake and a monkey. The "Grande Finale" of the animal show involved two llamas running out with a monkey clinging for dear life to the back of one of them. To be honest I was expecting an elephant, but the llamas were a funny surprise. Unfortunately, most clowns here are taught to tell crude jokes so, though the circus was a fun experience, I did not really enjoy the clowns.



Picture from our seats inside the circus tent.

 

I had to paid $2.00 to take this picture, but it was worth it!

 



On September 14, I went with two of my friends to celebrate the Día de Independencia of Nicaragua. On this day, the alumni and other students of all the schools/colleges from the area join together to form a parade. Literally every band from every school along with dancers and baton twirlers from every school participate in the parade that walks around the city of Leon. It started at 8:30AM and lasted until 1:30PM. Yes, it was a 5 hour parade of the continuous cycle of the same sights: band, baton twirlers, dancers. Fortunately for me, I only stayed for an hour. Some other friends of mine had gone to the parade with their families and had to stay for the entire thing! :-/

 

Here are two short video clips of two of the schools. Every school has a different dress style, and if there were extra students that did not have specific activities to do in the parade, they just marched to the music for 5 hours...I'm sure they burned a ton of calories that day between marching and sweating in the heat. You'll notice them passing around bags of water in order to stay hydrated. 

 

 

 

One of the beautiful cathedrals that decorates the streets of Leon.

 

A huge rainstorm washed this not-so-pleasant creature from the road onto our patio. It's a good thing my host mom is awesome and killed it with a machete before it went into the house!

 

My student practicum project has me visiting a lot of different fincas (farms) in Nicaragua. So far this has been the prettiest cow I have seen yet. I love the look of these animals, especially their ears! God is so good at what he does <3 

 

Even when you use umbrellas, it's still impossible to stay dry when it rains...

 

 

 

 

 









Rain Makes Everything New Again

Every new sunrise I live to see here in Leon greets me with a new challenge. Trash litters the pot hole filled streets. Stains and paint chipped spots cover the walls of homes. If the family can afford it, they tile their floors; otherwise, the ground is left bare. Refrigerators are never stocked because it is typically cheaper to buy already made food from the vendors on the streets or restaurants in the city's center. Though temperatures average around 90 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity is high because of the volcanoes, no air conditioning exists in any homes. I sweat through every pair of clothes that I wear more than twice a day. Today for instance, I walked to my mentor's house for a meeting this morning. As I stood in her kitchen cooling off by the fan, I literally made a puddle of sweat on her floor and there was nothing I could do about it but constantly apologize as I wiped myself off with paper towel.

Because buildings do not have AC, most windows and doors remain open 24/7. This allows for critters of all kinds to come creeping in if you're not careful. As I'm writing this, a gecko is scurrying up the wall across from me. Fortunately he is one of the cuter critters and one that is actually "welcomed" in homes because he eats the mosquitos and ants. 

I will never take for granted the peacefulness of the country back home. Here people, taxis and buses fill the streets with noises of honks, alarms, and whistles. It is never quiet during the day, and at night dogs bark on the streets. Most people go to bed early because they are up at 4:00AM (the crack of dawn) to begin making tortillas and other foods to sell to people on the streets. It is easier to go to bed earlier because the sun is already completely set by 6:00PM.

My family here is more than I could have ever asked for. They bless me everyday through their kindness and generosity. It is a custom to treat guests very well. At the dinner table, guests are always served first even before the man of the household, and they are served a HUGE plate of food! Nicaraguans pride themselves in making sure their guests feel comfortable and have full stomachs. I had a personal talk with my sister who is the family's house keeper and cook because she fed me so much food. I simply could not continue eating as much as she was feeding me, but I didn't want to be rude and leave food on my plate. Fortunately, she told me I did not have to eat it all if I wasn't hungry.

Another Nicaraguan custom is to give gifts to people you know. Last night as I was watching television with my sister, a friend of the family selling Avon products stopped by. She was selling a very beautiful smelling perfume. My sister, knowing I had not brought any perfume with me to Nicaragua, bought the perfume and gave it to me as a gift. Upon realizing what was happening, my jaw dropped, and I could not believe what was happening. It would have been a cheap purchase for me if I had bought it, but she, a woman without a continuous flow of income, spent money she did not necessarily have for my sake. I was truly touched and will be each time I use the perfume.

As I said before, every new sunrise greets me with a new challenge. Today's challenge was to cross the street during a rain storm. The drain system here is not very fast so streets quickly fill with water. If I had been wearing my flip flops, it would not have been a problem. However, today I made the choice of wearing my tennis shoes....needless to say, one foot did not make it across the puddle without getting wet.

My classic school girl picture with the volcanos Mumbo Tumbo (left) and Mumbo Tumbito (out of picture on right).



Trying a new fruit called Mamon Chino.

 

 

Mamon Chino, it is a very exotic looking fruit with an equally interesting flavor.

God's Beauty in Destruction

 

A distant picture of the Masaya Volcano. On a good day you can see straight down to the lava rock.

 



God never ceases to amaze me with his beautiful creation. On Friday morning we visited the Volcán de Masaya. It was interesting to see how the lava rock that once had destroyed everything in its path had become nourishment for the newly sprouting plantation. The dormant craters and land surrounding the Masaya are so green and lush now, it appears the land was never burned. Years ago when this volcano was first discovered in Managua by an indigenous group, it was believed to be the entrance to Hell. So, in order to keep the Devil happy [and the volcano from erupting], they sacrificed virgin women and children by throwing them into the volcano. In the 1500s, a priest came and introduced them to Christ. He placed a cross on top of the volcano as a symbol to remind the people that the Devil is not in control.      

 

After visiting the volcano and stopping at El Viejo Ranchito for lunch, we visited La Laguna de Apoyo and walked around the open air market in order to get some practice bartering while searching to buy little necessities we forgot to bring from the states. :-p 

 

El Viejo Ranchito, a cute open-air restaurant in Managua. It was decorated with wooden fruit inside and the trees surrounding it were covered with cute handmade birdhouses.

 

 

El Pollo de La Plancha con Platanos...mmmm so good! And I drank Tiste, a common Nica drink made with corn, cacao and other ingredients.

 

La Laguna de Apoyo. It was so hot that we all wanted to jump into the water. =)

 

 

 

M.V.F.B.P.E.!!!!!

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

 Romans 15:5-6

 

Blond hair, green eyes and light skin...I feel as though I am a bleached spot in the middle of a black canvas. Last summer my dentist advised me to dye my hair before coming here to Nicaragua. I gawked at her with utter disgust that she would say such a thing and mentally scolded her. There was no way I was ever going to dye my blond locks!...However, upon stepping off the plane in Managua, I realized just how good her advice really was... :-/

We arrived in Managua late last night and were welcomed with strange looks and cold stares. Everyone wondered who we were and why we were there. Customs are different here so a simple greeting or friendly smile could send the wrong message to someone and result in a difficult situation, especially for us girls. It took a tremendous amount of self control to keep myself from smiling at people [which for those of you who know me, know that not smiling is definitely NOT an easy thing for me to do!!!]. 

These first few days we are being oriented at the Nehemiah Center in Managua. The history behind the creation of this building is very interesting. Just like Jerusalem's walls had been broken down during the Babylonian exile, many of Nicaragua's physical, social and spiritual structures had been broken down by natural disasters, civil wars and corruption. It was named after Nehemiah because just as he was called by God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, this center's purpose is to help rebuild Nicaragua by equipping leaders and potential leaders with a biblical worldview -- a very important foundation for the growth of this country and its people (http://nehemiahcenter.net/about-us/history/).  

The staff that work at the Nehemiah Center are so friendly and all come from different backgrounds, some including war stories, others from the U.S. who love to travel, and another who is a recent college grad who felt called by God and simply packed up and moved here! I am excited and anxious to get to know everyone and hear about all of their stories and where they come from.

 

This is not like the U.S. where there are many people of different ethnicities, backgrounds and colors everywhere you look. Nope...this is Nicaragua, a place where I stand out like a sore thumb. Through this experience I am excited to become better connected to God, make some wonderful lifelong friends and strive to be the best white Nica I can be. ;-)

 

 

 

Sunset during the flight from Houston to Managua. This picture does not compare to the sheer beauty of the rays of sun reflecting onto the billowing clouds.



 

 

 

Lights shining from the city of Managua during our landing.



 

 

Alicia, the SPIN coordinator here in Nicaragua, took us out to Pizza Hut for our "last taste of America" before we move in with our host families. Honestly, pizza here tastes WAY better than the states', especially the Hawaiian pizza! The pineapple was so fresh and sweet that it made your mouth water!