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!